The opening Monday Night Football game of the 2025 NFL season is a showdown in the NFC North between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.
Let’s dive into my Vikings vs. Bears predictions.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears best bet #1: Bears ML (+105)
With rookie Caleb Williams under center, the Bears slumped to a 5-12 record last season. This time around it’s the Vikings who are playing with a rookie quarterback. JJ McCarthy was drafted in the same class as Williams, but the Michigan product missed all of last season due to a knee injury. McCarthy certainly has some potential, but there could be some growing pains–as there are with most QBs at the next level.
Chicago is capable of taking advantage, especially at home. Williams has a year under his belt and the Bears have a new head coach in Ben Johnson, formerly the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator. Although Chicago got swept in this head-to-head matchup last season, it forced overtime in its home game against Minnesota before losing 30-27 in overtime. In a what is sure to be a raucous night atmosphere at Soldier Field, the Bears can get to the finish line this time in the 2025 opener. Let’s go with the money line and not bother taking the 1.5 points.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears best player prop bet: Aaron Jones Over 72.5 rushing + receiving yards (-114)
In McCarthy’s first NFL game, the Vikings will probably take a cautious approach with him. They probably aren’t going to open up the entire playbook or throw a bunch of deep shots down the field. Instead, Jones projects to be the focal point of Minnesota’s offense. In his first year with the Vikings, the veteran running back carried 255 times for 1,138 yards and five touchdowns. He also caught 51 of 62 targets for 408 yards and two scores. In two head-to-head matchups with Chicago, Jones racked up 192 rushing yards plus 43 more yards on five receptions.
This is another favorable matchup for Jones against the Bears. Last year they ranked 28th in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 136.3 yards per game. Chicago surrendered fourth-most yards per attempt at 4.8. Jones surpassed this modest 72.5 number in 13 of 17 regular-season games last year and he should be able to do it again on Monday night.
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