Minnesota Vikings vs Chicago Bears

The Minnesota Vikings opened their 2025 season under the bright lights of Monday Night Football at Soldier Field, edging out the Chicago Bears 27-24 in a thrilling NFC North battle. Chicago came out aggressive, taking an early 7-0 lead on a 9-yard rushing touchdown from rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who looked calm and confident in his NFL debut. Minnesota struggled to get into the end zone in the first half, settling for field goals, including a booming 59-yarder from rookie kicker Will Reichard that tied the Soldier Field record and kept the game within reach heading into halftime at 10-6 in favor of the Bears.

Momentum swung dramatically in the third quarter when ex-Vikings cornerback Nahshon Wright intercepted J.J. McCarthy and returned it 74 yards for a pick-six, putting Chicago Bears ahead 17-6 and sending the home crowd into a frenzy. At that point, Minnesota looked flat and in danger of letting the game slip away. But the Vikings defense dug in, forcing back-to-back third-down stops that gave their rookie quarterback another chance to respond. McCarthy settled down after the mistake, leading a poised drive that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson, although the two-point conversion failed, leaving Minnesota still trailing 17-12.

The fourth quarter belonged entirely to Minnesota. McCarthy orchestrated another precise series, this time finding Aaron Jones on a 27-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown, followed by a clutch two-point conversion to Adam Thielen to give the Vikings their first lead of the night at 20-17. Soldier Field grew tense as Chicago’s offense stalled under pressure from the Vikings’ pass rush. Then, with under three minutes left, McCarthy delivered the dagger himself, keeping the ball on a third-and-one and racing 14 yards to the end zone for his first NFL rushing touchdown, stretching the lead to 27-17.

Chicago wasn’t done yet, as Williams quickly answered with a drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown pass to Rome Odunze, cutting the deficit to three with just over a minute left. But Minnesota’s special teams executed perfectly on the ensuing onside kick attempt, and McCarthy knelt out the clock to seal the victory. The late-game collapse was painful for the Bears, who had dominated early but saw their discipline unravel with key penalties and missed tackles in crunch time. Head coach Ben Johnson faced questions after the game about a controversial special-teams decision that gave Minnesota favorable field position late.

For the Minnesota Vikings, this was more than just a Week 1 win — it was a coming-out party for J.J. McCarthy. The rookie became the first quarterback in NFL history to account for three fourth-quarter touchdowns in his debut, finishing 13-of-20 for 143 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and one rushing score. Justin Jefferson and Aaron Jones each found the end zone, while Reichard’s historic field goal provided a first-half spark. Williams showed promise for Chicago, passing for 210 yards with a touchdown and rushing for another, but his team will look to clean up late-game execution heading into Week 2.