Vikings vs. Bears Prediction, Odds, Spread, Injuries, Trends for NFL Week 1

Iain MacMillan | Sep 2, 2025

Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears are home underdogs against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The past few years have seen Week 1 of the NFL season feature a Monday Night Football double-header, but this year we have just one game set for Monday, and it's a doozy. J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings will hit the road to take on Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears in an NFC North duel.

Let's dive into the odds and my best bets for this divisional matchup to cap off Week 1 action.

Vikings vs. Bears Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

• Vikings -1.5 (-115)
• Bears +1.5 (-105)

Moneyline

• Vikings -126
• Bears +108

Total

• OVER 44.5 (-104)
• UNDER 44.5 (-118)

Vikings vs. Bears How to Watch

• Date: Sunday, Sept. 7
• Game Time: 8:15 pm ET
• Venue: Soldier Field
• How to Watch (TV): ABC/ESPN
• Vikings Record: 0-0
• Bears Record: 0-0

Vikings vs. Bears Betting Trends

• Vikings are 4-2 ATS in their last six games
• Vikings are 9-2 straight up in their last 11 games
• Vikings are 7-1 straight up in their last eight games vs. Bears
• The OVER is 7-2 in the Vikings' last nine games vs. NFC North opponents
• Bears are 1-10 straight up in their last 11 games
• Bears have lost five straight home games
• The UNDER is 8-3 in the Bears' last three Monday Night Football games

Vikings vs. Bears Injury Reports

Vikings Injury Report

• Jalen Nailor, WR - Questionable
• Harrison Smith, S - Questionable
• Tyler Batty, LB - IR-R
• Gavin Bartholomew, TE - PUP-R

Bears Injury Report

• Jaylon Johnson, CB - Questionable
• Austin Booker, DE - IR
• Bill Murray, G - IR
• Amen Ogbonbbemiga, LB - IR-R
• Ian Wheeler, RB - IR

Vikings vs. Bears Key Player to Watch

• J.J. McCarthy, QB - Minnesota Vikings

Over a year since he was drafted No. 10 overall, J.J. McCarthy will be making his first regular season appearance for the Vikings. The Michigan product suffered a season-ending injury during the preseason last year, but the Vikings have remained committed to him, moving on from Sam Darnold in the offseason despite him leading the team to a 14-3 record. Getting out first look at McCarthy is going to be the top storyline on Monday night.

Vikings vs. Bears Prediction and Pick

In this week's edition of the Road to 272 Bets, I broke down why I'm backing the Bears as my upset pick of the week:

Whether or not you're a Caleb Williams believer, you can't deny how improved this Bears' team is, especially on the offensive line. Meanwhile, the Bears' defense will get to face J.J. McCarthy in his first NFL start.

Let's not crown McCarthy as a great NFL quarterback just quite yet. Sure, the Vikings have some weapons, most notably Justin Jefferson, but I'm not ready to expect this team to be as good as they were in 2024. McCarthy still has a lot to prove.

The Bears are my underdog of the week.

Pick: Bears +108 via FanDuel

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You can check out all of Iain's bets here!