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The last time the Chicago Bears opened their season on Monday Night Football was 1997, when this classic MNF intro by Hank Williams Jr. greeted fans:
Nearly three decades later, the Bears will open things with a Monday Night Football showdown with the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. It’s a new era for the iconic football broadcast and the Bears, who will open the Ben Johnson era in a few short days.
But before all of our rowdy friends are in the house for Monday’s NFC North clash, let’s set the stage.
The infancy of the Ben Johnson era has been nothing short of refreshing. Accountability. Details. Standards. Innovation. All things we’ve craved in a head coach for Chicago’s football team for, well, most — if not all — of our lives have arrived.
Johnson was undoubtedly the top dog on the coaching carousel for multiple seasons, and in a very un-Bears move, GM Ryan Poles landed the big fish. But with the big fish comes big expectations. Wherever you place the win-loss number on the Bears this season, the expectation is to win and, more importantly, to take a significant step toward modern football relevancy.
The first step in meeting those expectations will be unlocking the quarterback. Ben Johnson chose Chicago — at least in part — because of quarterback Caleb Williams. The top draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Williams’ rookie season was chock full of flashes of his athletic prowess, youthful mistakes, and frustration stemming from an amateur coaching staff and turnstile offensive line.
Williams navigated some less-than-ideal circumstances during his rookie campaign, with his general manager setting him up for failure by retaining Matt Eberflus as the head coach and hiring Shane Waldron to be the offensive coordinator. And yet, Williams came out of it with some good perspective.
“I put it in perspective as last year was good, needed it,” Williams said, via Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. “I’ve had a lot go (right) for me in the past probably six years or so. … To have a year like that was a good reset for me.”
Dec 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) is sacked by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jonathan Greenard (58) in the first quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn ImagesWith the chaos behind him, the 23-year-old quarterback has to take a step forward this season. Better processing and decision making, better pre-snap operations, and taking what’s there while working in structure are a few of the boxes Williams needs to check this season. If you’re looking for a lens to watch games through this season, that will be a good one. Monday night will deliver Williams a stiff test right out of the gate, with Brian Flores’ pressure-packed defense looking to derail the excitement train in Chicago.
While still a work in progress, I believe Williams’ brief time with Ben Johnson will have him better prepared for Monday’s challenge than he was last season. Speaking of Johnson, if anyone has Flores’ number, it’s him.
In Detroit, Johnson’s offenses averaged 30.5 points per contest in four games against Flores and Minnesota. Johnson’s success against Minnesota came through the air, averaging 8.8 yards per pass play against the Vikings in two games. Flores knows he will have his work cut out for him.
“What doesn’t make (facing his offenses) tough?” Flores said Thursday. “It’s the run game. It’s the pass game. It’s the play-action game. It’s the screen game. Gun runs. Under runs. Under play-action. Gun play-action. Third down. Red zone. He does a good job of putting it all together.”
Detroit’s offense was in year three of Johnson’s design and guidance last season when they shredded Flores’ Vikings defense. While his unit in Chicago lacks time on task under their new playcaller, there’s no shortage of talent. On paper, Chicago has never had a cache of offensive weapons like the one they will open the season with on Monday. Johnson and his second-year quarterback will have no shortage of options, a staple of the first-year head coaches’ offenses. The question won’t be who’s going to make a play; rather, how will Johnson keep everyone involved?
What's keeping #Bears HC Ben Johnson up at night when he thinks about his offense? pic.twitter.com/WuTrd0BWBW
— Barroom Net | Aldo Gandia (@BarroomNetwork) September 3, 2025“That’s what keeps me up at night,” Johnson said this week. “Is trying to make sure that all of our horses are fed. Because these guys, I mean, they’re super talented players and we just need to get them a little space and the ball in their hands and they can make big things happen.”
On the other side of the ball, the defense has been re-imaged with essentially the same cast, with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen leading the new production.
Gone are the days of “bend, don’t break,” the core principle of Chicago’s defense for decades under multiple minds. Here are the days of boom or bust, with Allen scheming up pressure, taking chances, and looking for a knock-out punch in pivotal moments of the game.
We saw a glimpse of it during the preseason. Sometimes, it worked, and sometimes, it didn’t. Allen’s defense is going to pack a punch. It will also come with some inherent big-play risk and some associated frustration.
It’s too early to judge Allen’s new defense, but the players are excited—even rejuvenated after a turbulent 2024 season under Matt Eberflus.
Aug 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson on the field before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images“I kind of take him like a general,” Kyler Gordon told CHGO’s Adam Jahns this week. “He’s really just like trying to correct us and shape us to be the best on the field when we go out there. I appreciate the hard criticism and him coaching us to his best ability and not slacking off in any way and not being lenient in any areas. I appreciate that because I feel like that’s what good teams need, and he wants us to be a great team and go far. So I like the way he coaches.”
Chicago’s defense has some limitations this season. The pass rush is a question, from a personnel standpoint. I would put the rush defense in the same bucket until proven otherwise. When healthy, the secondary will stack up with the best of them, but the healthy part hasn’t worked out thus far, with Jaylon Johnson missing all of training camp and the preseason with an injury, and Terell Smith out for the season with an injury suffered in the preseason.
For whatever flaws we think Chicago’s roster has, the foundation is strong, and the coaching staff is equally strong. The blueprint is in place, and while a Lombardi run isn’t a reasonable expectation this season, 2025 has to be a significant stride in that direction. I think the best way to look at 2025 is like a stress test, and that test begins on Monday night under the lights on the lakefront with the entire football world watching.
May 9, 2025; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen (L), general manager Ryan Poles (C), and head coach Ben Johnson (R) observe during the Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesGame Info
Chicago Bears (2024: 5-12) vs Minnesota Vikings (2024: 14-3)
TV: ABC, ESPN, (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, Laura Rutledge), ESPN2 (ManningCast), NFL Network*Streaming: NFL+ *, ChicagoBears.com, Chicago Bears AppRadio: ESPN 1000 AM (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Jason McKie); LATINO MIX 93.5 FM (Omar Ramos)
Kickoff Time: 7:15 PM CTSite: Soldier Field; Chicago, IL.Referee: Alan EckOdds: Vikings -1.5, O/U 43.5 (via BetMGM)
Bears Projected Starters
Offense
QB Caleb Williams RB D’Andre Swift WR D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III TE Cole Kmet, Colston Loveland LT Braxton Jones, LG Joe Thuney, C Drew Dalman, RG Jonah Jackson, RT Darnell WrightDefense
DE Montez Sweat, LDT Grady Jarrett, RDT Gervon Dexter Sr., DE Dayo Odeyingbo WLB T.J. Edwards, MLB Tremaine Edmunds, SLB Ruben Hyppolite II CB Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson FS Kevin Byard III, SS Jaquan BriskerSpecialists
Kicking game: Cairo Santos (kicker), Tory Taylor (punter, holder), Scott Daly (long snapper) Return game: Devin Duvernay (punt and kick returns) © Bob Kupbens-Imagn ImagesVikings Projected Starters
Offense
QB J.J. McCarthy RB Aaron Jones Sr. WR Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, Jalen Nailor TE T.J. Hockenson LT Christian Darrisaw, LG Donovan Jackson, C Ryan Kelly, RG Will Fries, RT Brian O’NeillDefense
LDE Jonathan Allen, NT Jalen Redmond, RDE Javon Hargrave WLB Jonathan Greenard, LILB Blake Cashman, RILB Ivan Pace Jr., SLB Andrew Van Ginkel CB Isaiah Rodgers, Byron Murphy Jr., Tavierre Thomas FS Harrison Smith, SS Joshua MetellusSpecialists
Kicking game: Will Reichard (kicker), Ryan Wright (punter, holder), Andrew DePaola (long snapper) Return game: Myles Price (punt and kick returns) Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) warms up before the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn ImagesThree Bears
Every week, our Chicago Bears writers will give you their Bears player to watch in the matchup ahead. Three Bears is a staple of these previews, and with Bears coverage expanding this season, I thought it would be cool to involve all of the Bears thinkers in the exercise.
Matt Rooney: Braxton Jones — The rest of the offensive line seems solid. The question mark remains at its most important position, though. When healthy, we know Jones is a solid option. Thus far in the preseason, he’s shown flashes of his old self, but also, at times, he looked a little hesitant about his bad ankle, getting beaten on inside moves. How healthy is he? This season is huge for him in a contract year, and the Vikings’ pass rush is a heck of a test to take Week 1.
© Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY SportsLuis Medina: Tyrique Stevenson — Even if Jaylon Johnson doesn’t start, I imagine the Vikings offense will still try to go after Tyrique Stevenson early and often. Hence, this is a big game for Stevenson. If the third-year cornerback wants to fully put the past behind him, showing up with a big game on Monday Night Football would be helpful. Stevenson snagged an interception in last year’s MNF meeting between the Bears and Vikes. I would be down to see history repeat itself for the cornerback.
Patrick Flowers: Caleb Williams — Save for two drives, Caleb Williams looked like a quarterback making the strides we need to see this season during the preseason. However, he’ll face a much more challenging task on Monday against Minnesota. Week 1 won’t make or break the season, but seeing Williams rise to the occasion will go a long way in buying some good faith from the fan base, and I would love to have a frustration-free Tuesday morning next week—much of that will ride on Williams’ performance.
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