The Bears get their 2026 home opener Sunday at Soldier Field, and they do it with an early NFC North test against the Vikings. Both clubs are 1-0, but they got there in very different fashion.
Minnesota stormed back from a second-half deficit and poured in 29 unanswered points in a 39-22 win over Green Bay. Chicago, meanwhile, beat the Panthers overall, but the defense still gave up 37 points to Bryce Young and company.
This one also comes with an intriguing coaching matchup: Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen against Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores.
Kickoff is set for Sunday, September 20 at 12:00PM CST on FOX, with Joe Davis, Greg Olsen and Pam Oliver on the call. The weather forecast calls for 65 degrees at kickoff, a 45% chance of rain and 15mph wind.
The Bears’ injury picture looks far better than it did earlier in the week. Darnell Wright missed practice with what the team described as a knee injury, but he returned Thursday and Friday and carries no injury designation. Safety Xavier Woods also logged two straight limited practices before fully participating Friday, and he has no injury designation either, which puts him in line to start next to Dillon Thieneman.
Chicago’s full practice report showed Joe Thuney resting Wednesday before returning to full participation Thursday. Kyle Monangai, Malik Muhammad, Dayo Odeyingbo, D’Andre Swift, Ozzy Trapilo and Woods all moved from limited work to full participation by Friday. Neville Gallimore and Grady Jarrett both dealt with rest or illness earlier in the week but were full by Friday as well.
Minnesota’s biggest question centers on quarterback. Kyler Murray was ruled out, which means Carson Wentz is expected to start. Murray had been dealing with a concussion, and his absence changes the look of the Vikings offense.
The Vikings’ injury report also includes linebacker Blake Cashman, who went from limited to full, and wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who was listed as out after two straight DNPs for personal reasons. Offensive lineman Brian O’Neill is the other name to watch; he was limited on Wednesday, did not practice Thursday and is questionable with a knee injury. Andrew Van Ginkel was limited with a chest injury.
For Chicago, the defensive response is the biggest storyline. The Bears can score, that much is clear, but Week 1 left plenty of questions on the other side of the ball. The task now is whether they can do better against a passing game that can feature Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and whether the cornerbacks can hold up after a rough opener against Carolina.
Flores’ pressure package adds another layer. Johnson is 5-1 against Flores in their head-to-head matchups, and the Vikings’ blitz rate against Jordan Love in Week 1 was close to 80 percent on drop-backs.
If Flores keeps coming after Chicago, Johnson should have answers ready. If the Bears handle the heat and keep moving the ball, Flores may have to rethink the approach.
The outside opinions are split in familiar fashion. Brian Baldinger pointed to Minnesota’s willingness to keep bringing pressure even after giving up an 81-yard touchdown to Christian Watson, saying, "They (Minnesota) gave up an 81-yard touchdown to Christian Watson against their max pressure look, and it didn't stop him (Flores) at all.
In fact, he just came back with more (pressure). So, if Caleb stings him the way he did last week to Carolina with two big touchdown runs, I don't know if it's going to slow him down."
Adam Carlson of On SI sees a Minnesota loss, saying, "Getting a Week 1 win against the Packers is enough to put a smile on any Vikings fan's face, but there won't be anything to smile about when the Bears hand Minnesota their first loss of the season in a close game."
Brad Biggs emphasized the danger Jefferson brings, saying, "Justin Jefferson can hurt them. When Wentz came into the ball game last week, after Kyler Murray left, pretty much the only guy he threw the ball to was Justin Jefferson ... the Vikings knew where the ball was going. The Packers knew where the ball was going and they were still able to create some plays, so the Bears are going to have to be really mindful of where Justin Jefferson is on the field at all times."
And Courtney Cronin highlighted how hard Flores is to pin down: "Flores' blitz-heavy tendencies are difficult to predict. Williams was blitzed on 37.2% of his dropbacks (6-of-13, 36 yards, TD) during Chicago's season-opening loss to the Vikings in 2025. When the division opponents played again in Week 11, Flores sent a blitz 66.7% of the time, which resulted in Williams completing 11 of his 21 passes for 126 yards (6.0 yards per attempt).
"Trying to predict which strategy Flores will deploy can be a fruitless exercise."
The Bears may not light up the scoreboard for 59 points, but the offense should keep rolling. Minnesota should find the end zone a couple of times, too. The difference could come in the red zone, where Chicago needs to be sharper than it was in Carolina if it wants to leave Week 2 with another win.
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