The Week 1 Monday Night Football matchup in the 2025 NFL season features the Chicago Bears hosting the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. We’ll be diving into all of the primetime games this season, and this one isn’t any different. With that in mind, keep reading for betting odds, picks and player props for this exciting showdown. Also, make sure you head over to our Week 1 NFL Betting Hub for a look at all of our NFL betting content.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How To Watch Vikings vs. Bears
When: Monday, September 8th at 8:15 pm ET
Where: Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois
Channel: ABC / ESPN
Vikings vs. Bears Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Sunday, September 7th. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Vikings -122, Bears +102
Spread: Vikings -1.5 (-108), Bears +1.5 (-112)
Total: Over 43.5 (-112), Under 43.5 (-108)
Vikings vs. Bears Analysis
For my money, this is the most exciting Week 1 matchup. I know it’s being played 24 hours after a potential AFC Championship preview, but I’m all over the Vikings on the futures market. I’m also very interested in seeing what the Bears look like with Ben Johnson on the sidelines. For years, Johnson has been the hottest head coaching candidate in the league, and he’s been patient in finding a home. Ultimately, Johnson decided that coaching Caleb Williams and trying to fix a flawed but talented roster was too tough to pass up.
Optimism surrounding the Johnson hire probably played a role in the oddsmakers tabbing Chicago as a 1.5-point favorite several months ago. However, Minnesota is now the favorite. We have also seen the total come down. DraftKings Sportsbook opened with the number at 45.5, but it has dropped quite a bit despite the Over being the popular pick. Josh Appelbaum, our VSiN betting splits expert, laid out a case for Chicago being the sharp side.
I don’t have many thoughts on the total in this game. If anything, I’d be with the public on the Over. However, I do agree with the way the spread has moved, and the Vikings are an official play for me on the moneyline (-115).
I understand there might be some hesitance to back a rookie quarterback in a Monday Night Football debut — especially in a divisional road game. However, this isn’t just any rookie. J.J. McCarthy won a national championship in his final year at Michigan, and he has been consistently lauded for his football IQ and competitiveness. He’s also being coached by the brightest offensive mind in football in Kevin O’Connell, and his offense is stacked with talented pass-catchers. Last year, we were all wondering what Sam Darnold would do in this offense, as he had an up-and-down career before landing in Minnesota. But Darnold showed out immediately, and he ultimately played his way into a three-year, $100.5 million contract. This is a quarterback-friendly operation, so I’m not too worried about McCarthy being behind the wheel.
McCarthy won’t have to do everything himself either. While Chicago is hoping to be better against the run this season, the team was just 26th in the NFL in Rush EPA per play allowed (-0.025) last year. And I’d be surprised if O’Connell can’t find ways to get Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason going, especially with Minnesota having beefed up the offensive line in the offseason. And if the Vikings can get the ground attack going, that’ll take some pressure off McCarthy. It’ll also make the play-action game more dangerous, and that could mean some shots over the top to Justin Jefferson.
I also trust Minnesota’s defense against the new-look Chicago offense. Johnson is a tremendous play caller, but Brian Flores is the best defensive coordinator in the NFL. The Vikings were second in the NFL in EPA per play allowed (-0.091) last season, and they were strong against the run and the pass. Well, they might be even better against the run in 2025, as they invested in the defensive front over the summer. I also like the talent incoming in the secondary, even if it’s talent that needs to be coached up. Flores deserves the benefit of the doubt. But the reality is that the Johnson offense needs an effective running game in order for the passing game to start humming. And Flores is going to make it very hard on Chicago to pick up chunk yardage on the ground.
I’ll also point out that the Vikings are 11-1 straight-up as road favorites under O’Connell. They don’t really let their winnable games slip away.
Vikings vs. Bears Player Props
J.J. McCarthy Over 1.5 Passing Touchdowns (+116)
I love the idea of taking McCarthy to throw at least two touchdowns at plus-money odds, and I like that this prop should have some correlation with a play on Minnesota. If the Vikings do go into Chicago and come away with a big road win, it’s likely that McCarthy had a successful first start.
It just feels a little like McCarthy has a bad reputation despite having never played a snap. Everybody wants to label him a game manager with a mediocre arm, but this is a guy that threw for three touchdowns in a College Football Playoff win over Nick Saban and Alabama. He can make every throw in the book, including some big ones down the field.
McCarthy is also playing in Chicago at the right time. Soldier Field can be a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks when it’s cold and windy, but the conditions should be favorable for both offenses in this one.
Vikings vs. Bears Pick
I wrote this about all of my season-long Vikings plays, but I’ll reiterate it again here: I feel like the presence of a young quarterback is giving us a huge discount on one of the best teams in football. McCarthy will have to play well in order for Minnesota to win games this year, but this is still a roster that is loaded on both sides of the ball. And a good argument can be made that the Vikings have the best offensive and defensive coaches in the league. So, while McCarthy is unproven, I’ll take what Minnesota has to offer against another unproven squad.
Bet: Vikings ML (-115 – 1.5 units) & McCarthy Over 1.5 Passing Touchdowns (+116 – 0.5 units)
