The Bears will kick off the Ben Johnson era by hosting the Vikings Monday night in the 2025 season opener at Soldier Field.

Johnson was hired as head coach after coordinating one of the NFL's most prolific offenses in Detroit. In his three seasons in that role, the Lions led the league in points per game (29.0), total yards per game (394.8), passing yards per game (258.0), red zone touchdown percentage (66.7) and passer rating (103.1).

Johnson will assist quarterback Caleb Williams in trying to build on a promising first NFL season. Last year, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft registered a 93.8 passer rating and set Bears rookie passing records with 351 completions, 3,541 yards and 20 touchdowns while becoming the team's first quarterback to start every game in a season since Jay Cutler in 2009.

The Vikings, meanwhile, return playmakers on both sides of the ball—led by two All-Pros in receiver Justin Jefferson and outside linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel—who helped them earn a wildcard berth last season with a 14-3 record.

J.J. McCarthy, a 2024 first-round pick from Michigan who missed his entire rookie year with a knee injury he sustained in a preseason game, will make his first NFL start Monday. McCarthy replaces Sam Darnold, who signed with the Seahawks in free agency.

Minnesota bolstered both of its lines during the offseason, acquiring guard Will Fries, center Ryan Kelly and defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen.

When the Bears have the ball

Williams will line up behind an interior offensive line that was completely retooled in March, when general manager Ryan Poles traded for Pro Bowl guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signed top free-agent center Drew Dalman.

The Bears also added key skill-position players in free agency by signing receiver Olamide Zaccheaus and in the draft by selecting tight end Colston Loveland in the first round, receiver Luther Burden III in the second and running back Kyle Monangai in the seventh. They joined a unit that already included receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, tight end Cole Kmet and running back D'Andre Swift.

The Bears will be challenged by Vikings defense that tied for the NFL lead with 33 takeaways, topped the league with 24 interceptions and ranked second against the run, allowing 93.4 yards per game. Minnesota's pass rush is led by the only NFL teammates who both had more than 11.0 sacks last year: outside linebackers Jonathan Greenard (12.0) and Van Ginkel (11.5).

Williams performed well against the Vikings last season at Soldier Field, throwing for 340 yards and two TDs with a 103.1 passer rating in a 30-27 overtime loss.

An effective ground game no doubt would benefit the passing attack. The key to running the ball effectively against Minnesota, according to offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, "starts with our get-off and our cadence."

"That's the No. 1 thing, being able to come off the ball with low pads and get after it," Doyle said. "I don't think the fundamentals change there and it's really going to be the same all year long … The biggest thing is us showing up ready to go with low pads, ready to strike and make this a fistfight."

Key matchup: Bears left tackle Braxton Jones vs. Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard

Jones is back in action after recovering from surgery to repair an ankle injury he sustained in the second-to-last game last season. He won a training camp battle to retain the starting left tackle position he's held since the first game of his rookie season in 2022. On Monday night, Jones will face Greenard, whose 24.5 sacks over the past two seasons are the seventh most in the league during that span.

When the Vikings have the ball

McCarthy makes his NFL debut after compiling a 27-1 career record as a starter at Michigan.

The Bears will try to generate takeaways against the Vikings, but not because McCarthy is a rookie; it will be their plan in every game this season.

"This is an NFL quarterback," said defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. "He's here for a reason and so we respect him. We respect his talents. We respect the team that we're facing. But each week that's part of what we do: we're hunting the football.

"The No. 1 reason, and really the only reason why you take the field on defense, is to get the ball back for the offense. So whether that's forcing punts, whether that's taking the ball away, that's what our job is, and so that's where our focus is."

The Bears will try to contain Jefferson, who leads NFL receivers with 7,432 yards since entering the league in 2020, an average of 96.5 yards per game. It's the most yards in a player's first five seasons in NFL history.

The Vikings will play without receiver Jordan Addison, who is suspended for the first three games of the season due to violating the league's personal conduct policy. But Minnesota re-acquired receiver Adam Thielen in an Aug. 27 trade with the Panthers, bringing him back for a second stint with the Vikings.

Minnesota's ground game is led by running back Aaron Jones, who set career highs with 255 carries and 1,138 yards last season in his first year with the Vikings after spending his first seven NFL seasons with the Packers.

"He's a big part of their offense," Allen said. "He's a really explosive player, so we've got to do a good job of protecting the edges on the defense and we've got to be able to do a good job of being able to get off blocks inside, and we need 11 hats to the ball."

Jones is expected to share carries with running back Jordan Mason, who was acquired by the Vikings in an offseason trade with the 49ers. Mason set career highs with 153 carries and 789 yards last year.

Determined to improve their pass rush and run defense during the offseason, the Bears signed tackle Grady Jarrett and end Dayo Odeyingbo. Jarrett is a two-time Pro Bowler who spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the Falcons, while Odeyingbo arrives after recording 16.5 sacks in four years with the Colts.

Key matchup: Bears defensive end Montez Sweat vs. Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill

Sweat keys a Bears pass rush that hopes to generate consistent pressure on McCarthy from its front four. He'll face O'Neill, who has been selected to two Pro Bowls since becoming Minnesota's starting right tackle as a rookie second-round pick from Pittsburgh in 2018.

Fun facts

• The Bears will open the season on Monday Night Football for the fourth time. The previous three instances were all against the defending Super Bowl champions – the Giants in 1987, Cowboys in 1996 and Packers in 199.
• Bears Hall of Famers and top-10 draft picks Mike Ditka and Brian Urlacher both made their NFL debuts in season openers against the Vikings in 1961 and 2000, respectively.