Daily Norseman
We made it, folks. We really, truly made it. Yes, we had to wait all the way until the final kickoff of Week 1. . .but we made it.
We are just half an hour (or so) away from kickoff at Soldier Field as we prepare to watch our Minnesota Vikings take on the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football to cap Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season. Here is everything you need in order to be ready for tonight’s contest.
Date and Time: Monday, 8 September 2025, 7:15 PM Central time
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Television Coverage: ESPN, ABC (KSTP-5 in the Twin Cities), ESPN2 (Manningcast)
Radio Coverage: Vikings Radio Network affiliates, SiriusXM Channel 381, SiriusXM App Channel 820
Line: Vikings -1.5, over/under 43.5
Chris’ Prediction: Vikings 24, Bears 17
1) Get J.J. comfortable – This is the first real football game that J.J. McCarthy has played since he led the Michigan Wolverines to the College Football Championship in January of 2024. Kevin O’Connell has prepared him for this moment, but now he has to go out and execute in a division game in front of a raucous crowd in Chicago. The best thing the Vikings can do is give him some easy throws early and help him get comfortable. A heavy does of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason wouldn’t hurt, either.
2) Get Caleb uncomfortable – Last season, Caleb Williams took more sacks than any quarterback in the National Football League. He’s got a new coach in Ben Johnson, and he had an up-and-down preseason getting acclimated to the new offense. With their newly-revamped interior pass rush, the Vikings need to do what they can to get Williams off of his game and possibly force him into some mistakes. If they can get Williams uncomfortable again, there will be opportunities to make plays.
3) Withstand the early emotions – It’s Week 1, and everyone is going to be amped up, from the players to the coaches to the crowd and everyone else at Soldier Field. The Vikings need to brace themselves and hold off the energy that the Bears are going to have early on. It’s not an easy task, but if the Vikings can somehow get an early stop or get out to an early lead, it could really blunt the home field advantage that the Bears have in this one.
Know the Foe: Windy City Gridiron
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There you have it, folks! Everything you need before things get underway at Soldier Field this evening. As we’ve done for quite a while now for regular season games, we’re going to have a new Open Thread ready for every quarter, so be sure to keep an eye out for those and keep the discussion moving accordingly.
Here’s hoping we can all get together again in about three hours and talk about how great it is to start the season 1-0 and to have picked up a franchise-record sixth consecutive victory...
