Best NFL Picks and Predictions Today (How to Bet Vikings vs. Bears on Monday Night Football in NFL Week 1)

Can the Bears pull off the upset?

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. / David Banks-Imagn Images

Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season wraps up on Monday night with an NFC North battle between the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears. 

Oddsmakers at the best NFL betting sites have Minnesota set as a road favorite in this matchup, an interesting show of confidence in J.J. McCarthy in his first ever NFL start. McCarthy and the Vikings are looking to get back to the playoffs after an impressive 14-win 2024 season.

Meanwhile, Ben Johnson is in his first season as the Bears’ head coach, and he’s looking to get the most out of former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and a loaded Chicago offense. If the Bears are able to pull off an upset win, it could change how the betting market feels about them as a potential playoff contender in the NFC.

This week, I’ve put together a bunch of bets for this standalone matchup on Monday night, and I thought I’d put a few of my favorite picks all in one place.

Here’s a breakdown of each bet for the first Monday Night Football matchup in 2025. 

Best NFL Picks and Predictions for Vikings vs. Bears

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

• Chicago Bears Moneyline (+102) vs. Minnesota Vikings
• Rome Odunze Anytime TD (+195)
• J.J. McCarthy UNDER 31.5 Pass Attempts (-113)

Chicago Bears Moneyline (+102) vs. Minnesota Vikings

Earlier this week, I shared in SI Betting’s NFL Upset Picks why I’m backing the Bears to win outright on Monday night: 

I’m all in on the Ben Johnson effect in Chicago, as Caleb Williams put together a solid preseason in an offense that has no excuses to fail in the 2025 season.

Meanwhile, there are a ton of questions in Minnesota, as J.J. McCarthy will be taking his first-ever regular-season snaps in Week 1. The Vikings still have one of the better defenses in the NFL after ranking fifth in points allowed and 11th in yards per play last season, but could they be due for some regression offensively?

Aaron Jones is another year older, and Jordan Addison is suspended for the first three games, giving McCarthy one less weapon to work with. Chicago was an atrocious road team last season (1-7), but it did win four of nine games at home.

Ultimately, I have more faith in Williams at home in an improved system after the year from hell in terms of his coaching staff. McCarthy is going to have to prove that he can play at the level Sam Darnold did last season before I start laying points with the Vikings on the road in a divisional matchup.

Rome Odunze Anytime TD (+195)

If you’re looking for a plus-money pick, Bears wideout Rome Odunze is worth a look to find the end zone on Monday: 

My second and final touchdown prop for this game is on a player that has a lot of hype around him from the preseason.

Former first-round pick Rome Odunze had an up-and-down rookie season, but with Keenan Allen gone, there’s a chance he has a big year as the No. 2 (or potentially No. 1) receiver in this offense. 

Odunze finished last season with 734 yards and three scores, but he’s going to have a “big year” according to the Bears’ coaching staff. 

"It's a bigger role in our offense," Bears wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said. "As you understand the offense, we can put you in different spots. No question, prototypical [X-receiver, split out wide], but he's a guy that you can move around.

"I think he's going to have a big year."

I’ll buy some of the Odunze hype, as he could be a breakout player like Jameson Williams was with the Detroit Lions (under Johnson) in the 2024 season. 

J.J. McCarthy UNDER 31.5 Pass Attempts (-113)

While I don’t think McCarthy has a bad game in his regular-season debut, I do think there is an interesting trend from early in the season with Sam Darnold in 2024 that may be worth following in 2025: 

Could the Vikings end up leaning on the run more early on in the 2025 season? 

Last season, Sam Darnold did not attempt more than 31.5 passes in each of the first seven games of the campaign, and I wouldn’t be shocked if Kevin O’Connell tries to ease the youngster McCarthy into his NFL career.

The Vikings have a solid duo at running back in Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, and Chicago’s run defense allowed the fourth-most yards per carry in the NFL in 2024. 

McCarthy could still have a big game, but I don’t think the Vikings got straight to an air-raid attack in Week 1.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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