Here’s Our Prediction for Vikings at Bears
Wipe that smile off you’re face; we’re not kidding. The time is near.
The VikingsTerritory prediction for Vikings at Bears, breaking down how Minnesota matches up with Chicago and getting a final score on record.
After about 7-8 months of the offseason, the Minnesota Vikings are back, taking on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Monday Night Football.
The J.J. McCarthy era begins in two days.
Each week, our writers make score and winner predictions, and the process will continue in 2025. Here’s the outlook for Week 1.
Our Vikings at Bears Forecast
VT writers get their score prognostications on record.
Writers’ Individual Score Predictions
Just one stooge picked Minnesota to lose out of the gate in the regular season: Dustin Baker.
These are the score predictions:
Dustin Baker: CHI Wins, 23-20
Sean Borman: MIN Wins, 28-27
Janik Eckardt: MIN Wins, 30-17
Josh Frey: MIN Wins, 24-20
Henrique Gucciardi: MIN Wins, 27-21
Wesley Johnson: MIN Wins, 23-20
Kyle Joudry: MIN Wins, 24-17
Adam New: MIN Wins, 27-17
Tony Schultz: MIN Wins, 24-13
Ted Schwerzler: MIN Wins, 24-18
Ali Siddiqui: MIN Wins, 20-10
Cole Smith: MIN Wins, 20-13
Eckardt predicted the most lopsided dub, convinced that Chicago’s roster, from head to toe, cannot compete with Minnesota’s revamped depth chart.
Last Year’s Standings from our Writers
Here’s where the staff checked in last year via prediction standings:
Henrique Gucciardi: 14-4
Wes Johnson: 14-4
Ted Schwerzler: 14-4
Cole Smith: 13-5
Dustin Baker: 12-6
Janik Eckardt: 12-6
Kyle Joudry: 12-6
Adam New: 12-6
Ali Siddiqui: 12-6
Josh Frey: 11-7
Sean Borman: 11-7
Last year wasn’t terribly difficult to predict because the team kept winning. The opponent caliber typically didn’t matter.
The Consensus Score and Winner
Our staff collectively — and overwhelmingly — picked the Vikings to prevail in Week 1, confident that the Bears don’t pose a daunting challenge.
Final Score Forecast: Vikings Win — 24-18
From the Outside World
NFL.com’s staff overwhelmingly picked Chicago to prevail, a total contrast to the VT prognostication.
Gennaro Filice explained: “Heading into the 2025 season, is there a more polarizing player in the entire league than Caleb Williams? Interestingly, last year, he wasn’t even the most polarizing quarterback in his own draft cycle. J.J. McCarthy held that distinction, with skeptics degrading his role in Michigan’s offense and supporters praising his winning pedigree.”
“Upon arrival in Minnesota, McCarthy promptly turned heads with a flashy preseason debut … but it turned out he suffered a meniscus tear in the game, ending his rookie campaign before it truly started. Meanwhile, Williams helped lead Chicago to a 4-2 start … but then the Bears completely fell apart, emboldening Caleb critics to fully let their hate flags fly. Was his season an utter failure? No, he finished with decent Year 1 stats in a number of categories, showcasing enticing tools in spurts.”
It’s worth noting that some ultra-inflammatory reporting surfaced this week about Williams. That can be read here.
Filice added, “That said, he just held on to the ball too damn long, allowing defenders (and detractors) to tee off on the ballyhooed No. 1 overall pick. With all of that in mind, it feels quite fitting for these two lightning rods to close the season’s opening week on national television. Who will prevail?”
“Whatever the outcome, the takes undoubtedly will be HOT. Ain’t nobody maintaining proper perspective with these two. But with one of them making his true NFL debut on the road against a division rival in the Monday night spotlight, I’ll take the home ‘dog with 17 pro starts under his belt.”
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted on the Vikings’ gameplan: “What we’re hearing on the Vikings: With national attention understandably focused on the debut of quarterback J.J. McCarthy, it has been easy to miss the Vikings’ growing emphasis on a running game that will pair Aaron Jones Sr. and Jordan Mason with a rebuilt offensive line.”
“In the three previous seasons under coach Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings have had only two games of 30 or more carries by running backs. That figure is now a baseline expectation against the Bears and other early-season opponents as McCarthy grows into the job.”
The Vikings have won their last five games at Soldier Field.
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