The Chicago Bears (1-0) are gearing up for an NFC North showdown against the Minnesota Vikings (1-0), which will be for first place in the division after two weeks.
The Bears are coming off a dominant showing in a 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers, where their offense went off for nearly 60 points, 552 yards, 291 rushing yards and eight total touchdowns, featuring standout outings by quarterback Caleb Williams, running back D'Andre Swift and receiver Kalif Raymond. Meanwhile, the defense had its struggles allowing nearly 500 yards, 37 points and struggling to contain Bryce Young with the pass rush or in coverage.
Now, the focus shifts to a key divisional game where the offense has a chance to build on their Week 1 outing and defense has a chance to tighten
things up. Can Chicago snap their losing streak at home against Minnesota and start the season 2-0? Our Bears Wire staff make their game predictions for Bears-Vikings in Week 2:
Alyssa Barbieri (1-0): Bears 34, Vikings 30
Bold prediction: D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai both rush for 100 yards in second straight game
There are a lot of expectations for this Bears offense in Week 2 after last week's onslaught of 59 points, 552 total yards and 291 rushing yards. So it's a good thing that their biggest weapons have yet to play a significant role heading into a crucial NFC North contest against the Vikings, where the offense will once again have to win them this game. The real matchup to watch in this one will be between Ben Johnson and Brian Flores, which always is a fascinating chess match and has usually gone in Johnson's favor.
If it's not broken, don't fix it. That should be the basis of Chicago's focus on offense, where it all comes back to establishing the run with their two-headed monster at running back in D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai -- and speedy quarterback Caleb Williams -- and opening things up in the passing game. Speaking of, the Bears' influx of weapons presents a difficult challenge for opposing defenses: Pick your poison. Last week, it was Kalif Raymond who feasted. This week, it could be Luther Burden or Rome Odunze or Colston Loveland, who I expect to get his looks in the passing game after being a non-factor in the season opener. The Vikings have talent on defense, but the Bears were just dominant against another good defense last week in the Panthers.
Which brings us to the biggest question mark on a weekly basis: Which version of the Bears defense are we going to get? Fresh off a rough showing against the Panthers, where they allowed 478 yards, 37 points and near-perfect passing ratings, Chicago is looking to bounce back in a big division game. The bad news? It won't get easier facing one of the NFL's best in Justin Jefferson. But, the good news? It looks like it'll be Carson Wentz under center, and he doesn't present much of a downfield threat, which should be a sigh of relief for this secondary.
It's unfair to expect 50-plus points for a second straight game, but for a Bears offense looking to score on every drive and become the highest-scoring in NFL history, the foot will be on the gas from start to finish. Flores might prove to be a subtle speed bump in this one, but I still expect Chicago to put up points and find a way to outlast a Minnesota team led by Carson Wentz.
Brendan Sugrue (1-0): Bears 38, Vikings 31
Bold prediction: Luther Burden goes over 100 receiving yards
You would think eight offensive touchdowns would tide someone over for a week, but I’ve been itching for the Chicago Bears to play another football game after their impressive outing in Carolina. And now things will turn up a notch in another battle between Ben Johnson and Brian Flores when the Minnesota Vikings come to town.
We’ve seen the chess matches before, and they usually end up with Johnson on the winning side. And now that the Bears are in Year 2 of the system with quarterback Caleb Williams and company all taking a step together. Everyone and their brother know the blitzes are coming, so the Bears will be ready to exploit a suspect secondary with quick hits while moving the pocket to take advantage of Williams’ speed. Sounds like a big day for Luther Burden to me.
The real test comes between Kevin O’Connell and Dennis Allen. The Bears defense struggled to contain the Panthers offense, allowing 478 yards and 37 points. It remains to be seen what the Vikings offense can do consistently since they had backup quarterback Carson Wentz running things and it's unknown at this time whether he or Kyler Murray will be under center, but they have better playmakers than Carolina, which should scare Bears fans. Justin Jefferson may go off against this secondary and re-assert his dominance in the NFL.
This will likely be another high-scoring affair, and I would not be surprised to see the Vikings eek out a win. After all, the last few meetings between Johnson and Flores have been one-score games, and the Bears haven’t beaten Minnesota at Soldier Field since 2019. But that streak ends Sunday as the Bears claim sole possession of first place in the NFC North.
Mike Pendleton (1-0): Bears 41, Vikings 24
Bold prediction: Bears defense forces at least two more takeaways on the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings come in after a huge comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers last week, even after losing Kyler Murray to a concussion early in the game. This is a matchup that has been labeled a chess match between Bears head coach Ben Johnson and Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, it should be all that and more.
The defense of the Bears left much to be desired, despite getting the victory last week, they appear as if they’ll need their offense to outscore everyone, but can still pull off a win if they get takeaways. Minnesota has injury issues across the board coming into this game, but there will be no task more important than hoping to contain superstar Justin Jefferson, no matter who the quarterback is. Ben Johnson said the Bears have not scored any points yet this week, he’s right, and it’ll be interesting to see how he fares against the defensive game plan of Flores.
Vinnie Parise (1-0): Bears 34, Vikings 28
Bold prediction: Colston Loveland has 2 touchdowns after being held off the boxscore in Week 1
The Chicago Bears seem to have an elite offense and a below average to bad defense. The defense turned the ball over 3 times in Week 1 and had a notable stop at the end, but they still gave up a lot of points. None of that matters when the offense scores 59, but that can’t be expected every game (or even close).
Against the Vikings, each side should have a similar performance, just not to the extreme as it was against the Panthers. Winning the game 34-28 will be another example of a big offensive performance while the defense was a bit leaky.
Caleb Williams said it best after Week 1: they are just trying to win games any way they can. The goal at the end of the day is to be 2-0, which would also put them all alone in first place of the NFC North. Ben Johnson has had some success against Brian Flores in the past, can he do it again? All signs point to yes.
Ariana Pensy (1-0): Bears 31, Vikings 27
Bold prediction:
Six of the last eight times the Chicago Bears have faced the Minnesota Vikings, it was a one-possession game. While I believe Chicago’s offense is going to put a lot of points on the board and ultimately lead the Bears to a win, I do not believe they will blow Minnesota away. Brian Flores is too talented as a defensive coordinator to let the Bears put up at least 40 on them.
Chicago’s defense will not be able to fully contain Justin Jefferson and I believe he will finish this game with at least one touchdown. I also believe Carson Wentz will be the quarterback in this game and he is bound to cough up the ball at least once. So, the Bears’ defense will have at least one takeaway in this game, which will also be crucial for the win.
Randy Holt (1-0): Bears 40, Vikings 31
Bold prediction: Caleb Williams throws for more than 350 yards.
By yardage allowed (478), the Bears were the third-worst defense in the league in Week 1. Not far behind them, though, are the Vikings, who allowed 419 yards of offense in their win over Green Bay. While the Bears are far better-quipped to exceed the Packers’ production on the ground, I do think that the pass game will do much of the work toward allowing the offense to maintain their momentum from last week. Caleb Williams will be the star of the show and handle Brian Flores’ penchant for the blitz effectively, with Colston Loveland finding a way to make an impact this time out as well.
Defensively, the Bears are going to be susceptible to points allowed regardless of who winds up under center for Minnesota. Containing Justin Jefferson for 60 minutes, especially, seems like an unreasonable ask for this unit. However, I do think that a couple of timely turnovers will allow the Bears to remain ahead in yet another shootout.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Will Bears beat the Vikings? Our game picks and bold predictions
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