3 Keys for the Vikings Offense in Week 1 vs. the Chicago Bears
Week 1 of the NFL season is already well underway with two games under our belt.
The Minnesota Vikings will be featured in the final game of this opening weekend as they take on the Chicago Bears. The Vikings offense has been a big topic of discussion for many all offseason with a new quarterback taking the reins following a breakout year from Sam Darnold.
Here are three keys for the Vikings offense to find success in Week 1 against the Bears.
1. J.J. McCarthy Stays Poised
It won’t be easy, but first and foremost, if the Vikings are going to pull off a road win on Monday night, J.J. McCarthy will need to stay calm, cool, and collected.
There are a lot of factors working against the young QB in that department. It’s his first career start, and it is happening against a division rival, in hostile territory, in a primetime, standalone timeslot with the entire NFL world watching him.
On top of all that, he will have a talented defensive front breathing down his neck all night, led by Montez Sweat off the edge and Gervon Dexter at the defensive tackle position. They also made a free agent acquisition to bring in Grady Jarrett.
McCarthy will need to make quick, smart decisions throughout the night to lead Minnesota’s offense to a win against the Bears.
2. Wide Receivers vs. a Talented Secondary
Justin Jefferson seems to be fully healthy and ready to roll for Week 1, which is crucial for a Vikings wide receiver crew that is going up a very talented secondary in Chicago.
The group is led at cornerback by Jaylon Johnson, who has been named a Pro Bowler in each of the past two seasons and was a second-team All-Pro in 2023. Last year, Johnson not only showed off great coverage skills but elite tackling ability with seven tackles for loss along with his eight passes defended and two interceptions.
Opposite Johnson is a ball-hawking CB in Tyrique Stevenson, who has thrived during his first two NFL seasons. Over his first two years, Stevenson has recorded a ridiculous 28 passes defended and six interceptions. The duo of Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker only adds to Chicago’s depth in the secondary.
With Jordan Addison unavailable on Monday night, the Vikings will need some involvement from names like Adam Thielen, Jalen Nailor, and Tai Felton to take some of the pressure off of Jefferson. It won’t be an easy task.
3. Converting Red Zone Opportunities
It’s an obvious thing, but the Vikings need to make sure to capitalize on the opportunities that they get in the red zone on Monday night. It will be a task that is easier said than done as the Bears’ defense ranked second in the entire NFL last season in red zone touchdown percentage allowed. Of the 63 times Chicago’s opponents got into the red zone, the Bears defense gave up touchdowns on just 29 of them (46%).
The Vikings weren’t the most efficient red zone offense in 2024, either. Of their 61 red zone drives, just 34 of them found the end zone. That conversion percentage of 55.7% ranked 19th in the NFL last year. Of course, a big reason for that was a severe lack of efficiency in the running game.
Minnesota attempted to address that issue with the acquisition of Jordan Mason to take over the RB2 role behind Aaron Jones. Jones himself, who will turn 31 years old in December, was clearly banged up at times last year. While he never missed a game, he did get taken out for stretches within games while Ty Chandler handled carries.
Hopefully, with a fully healthy Jones and a revamped backfield, the Vikings’ red zone offense is a bit more efficient on Monday night and throughout 2025.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference and Pro Football Focus.
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