Vikings vs. Bears betting preview: Odds, picks, props, trends, injuries, weather and more for Week 1 Monday Night Football

Week 1's edition of Monday Night Football could be the beginning of a intriguing quarterback rivalry in the NFC North between 2024 first-round picks, as J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings visit Caleb Williams and the Bears. The other big storyline is the NFL head coaching debut of Chicago's Ben Johnson. Minnesota has dominated the series of late and is -1.5 with a total 44 for the usual 8:15 ET kick on ABC and ESPN. There will be a ManningCast on ESPN2.

Johnson is one of seven new head coaches around the league in 2025 and one of five first-timers. The former Detroit offensive coordinator was hired largely to ensure Williams, the No. 1 pick last year, doesn't become yet another bust under center for the franchise. The other six coaches have gone 2-4 thus far in Week 1 (two faced off). Last season, only two new coaches made the playoffs, but both had prior league head coaching experience (Jim Harbaugh and Dan Quinn).

Chicago visits Johnson's former Lions team next week and certainly will be a solid underdog (opened +4.5), and 0-2 teams rarely make the playoffs, making Monday's game huge for the Bears. Based on last season's win-loss records, Chicago has the toughest two-game stretch by any team to begin this season. The Bears are +185 to make the playoffs entering the season and -225 to not. Their 14-season streak without a postseason win is tied for the third-longest in the league.

McCarthy was the No. 10 pick last year but was hurt in camp and didn't play a snap following knee surgery. A loss tonight would equal the number of defeats McCarthy had as a starter at Michigan, as he went 27-1 there with a national title and had 44 passing touchdowns to just nine picks in his final two seasons.

The Vikes moved up a spot to No. 10 in the 2024 draft to get McCarthy, who seems to be in an ideal spot under head coach Kevin O'Connell and his system. If Sam Darnold can thrive for him, anyone can. McCarthy and Williams have known each other since high school. 

We'll take you through every aspect of the Vikings vs. Bears game that you need to know before you lock in your bets, including SportsLine expert picks, props, trends, DFS, injury information and everything else that will help you know which plays are worth making for the primetime matchup.

Who wins Vikings vs. Bears in the Week 1 Monday night game, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit HARD? Join SportsLine right now to see everything you need to know to dominate your Monday Night Football bets, plus get expert picks, model sims, prop bets, DFS lineups, and more!