Vikings and Bears MNF Week 1: NFC North closes out the opening weekend

On Sunday afternoon, the Green Bay Packers staked a loud, strong claim to be the early leaders in the race for an NFC North title as they soundly defeated the Detroit Lions 27-13. By taking down the repeat division champs, the Packers put the rest of the division on notice that they are legitimate division and Super Bowl contenders in 2025.

But barring a tie in tonight’s Monday Night Football game, they will not be alone atop the division standings after week one, because the other two teams in the NFC North play each other in the final game of the weekend. Tonight’s Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears contest is a battle between second-year quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy and Caleb Williams, though McCarthy missed all of his rookie season with an injury.

One of these two teams will match the Packers’ 1-0 start, though neither one will play Green Bay until late in the season — Minnesota faces the Packers in weeks 12 and 18, while the Bears play the Packers in weeks 14 and 16. Still, both of them would love to get off to a good start with questions swirling around their respective quarterbacks and their status in the division for the upcoming season.