The Vikings head into Soldier Field on Sunday with a chance to stack another NFC North win after opening their 2026 season with an eventful victory over the Green Bay Packers. Chicago, though, arrives with real momentum of its own after dropping 59 points on the Carolina Panthers in Week 1.
Minnesota has not lost in Chicago since 2019, a trip that also produced the infamous " truth to all rumors" moment from Stefon Diggs a few days later. Still, this one looks like a serious test for the Vikings, especially with rain in the forecast and a Bears offense that just showed it can overwhelm a defense on the ground.
Kickoff is set for Sunday, September 20 at 12:00 p.m. CST, with FOX carrying the game. Joe Davis will handle play-by-play, Greg Olsen is on color, and Pam Oliver will report from the sideline.
Vikings and Bears inactives will be posted once they’re revealed, typically about 90 minutes before kickoff, and this matchup tracker will also be used for scoring plays, turnovers, and any in-game injuries that pop up during the afternoon.
The most interesting chess match may be on the sidelines, where Brian Flores and Ben Johnson will square off in a battle that’s been talked up all week. Flores’ defense held the Bears below their 2025 per-game averages in both points and yards in each meeting last season, but Minnesota only came away with one win in those two games. Both units were excellent in Week 1, and Sunday offers another chance to prove it wasn’t a one-week burst.
Justin Jefferson is another headline waiting to happen. He looked like himself again last week, finishing with eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Soldier Field has not been a friendly place for him lately - he hasn’t topped 47 receiving yards there since 2020 - but the Bears’ secondary is coming off a rough opener after allowing 353 passing yards to a Panthers offense that ranked 26th in the NFL in passing yards per game a year ago.
Up front, Dallas Turner gets another shot at Caleb Williams. Williams is known for escaping pressure, and Turner will be trying to make life uncomfortable for him after a dominant Week 1 performance against Green Bay, when he posted nine pressures, one sack, and one forced fumble. Turner has already sacked Williams twice over the last two years, and he’ll be hunting for No. 3 on Sunday.
The trenches could decide plenty elsewhere, too. Chicago gashed Carolina for 291 rushing yards and six touchdowns in Week 1, while Minnesota gave up just 66 rushing yards to the Packers. With the weather possibly steering the game toward the run, the Vikings’ defensive front is going to have its hands full trying to slow down a Bears ground game that already proved it can do damage.
In Other News...
Kyle Van Noy May Be Forcing The Vikings Into A Decision
Kyle Van Noys status has become one of the more interesting roster calls facing the Vikings this early in the season. After being elevated from the practice squad for Week 2 against the Bears, the veteran edge rusher is in line for his second straight game with the team, a sign Minnesota may be weighing whether to keep him around beyond a temporary move.
Van Noy logged 25 defensive snaps in the previous game and is expected to remain part of the rotation off the edge, which gives the Vikings a useful layer of depth as they sort through their front seven. The same elevation also brought rookie receiver Dillon Bell onto the game-day roster, but Van Noys repeated call-ups are the part that could eventually force a bigger decision about how the Vikings want to handle his role moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings QB Debate Suddenly Has A Very Short Window
Kevin OConnell has already drawn the lines for the next two weeks, and they leave little room for a lingering quarterback debate. Kyler Murray has been ruled out for Week 2 against the Chicago Bears because of the concussion protocol, which means Carson Wentz will get the start there, but the Vikings coach said he expects Murray to clear protocol and be ready to return in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
OConnell also made it clear the job is not up for grabs while Murray is on the mend. Once he is medically cleared, Murray is slated to reclaim the starting role, which makes this more of a temporary holdover than a true quarterback battle. For Minnesota, the intrigue now is less about who will start long term and more about how Wentz handles a brief turn under center before the expected handoff back. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Exit Suddenly Looms Over Vikings Bears Rivalry
Caleb Williams exit in the fourth quarter of Sundays Bears-Vikings game put a sudden jolt into a rivalry that already had plenty riding on it. On a non-contact play, the Bears quarterback went down with a hamstring injury, then had to be carried off before being carted to the locker room, turning what had been a tense divisional matchup into one with a much bigger concern hanging over Chicago.
For the Vikings, the bigger picture is less about one play than what it might mean for a division opponent already dealing with uncertainty at quarterback. Medical experts who looked at the injury believe it is a hamstring strain, the kind that can force a player to miss time, and the timing could matter well beyond one afternoon in Week 2. [Read more 🡒]