Chicago Bears Schedule Leak: Caleb Williams vs. Minnesota Vikings Monday Night Football

The 2025 NFL schedule will officially be released Wednesday night, but the Chicago Bears had two more of its games leaked. Former USC Trojans signal-caller Caleb Williams and the Bears will open the season against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.

Dec 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

NFL prime-time games are never distributed equally amongst the 32 teams. Several factors come into play, star players, team projections, marquee matchups and appears the league has bought into the Chicago Bears. 

The Bears had two of their games revealed on Monday ahead of the NFL schedule release on Wednesday, May 14. Chicago will face the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, Nov. 28 in the third edition of Black Friday Football on Amazon’s Prime Video. 

It will be the first matchup between Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, two signal-callers that played for USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley. 

Dec 22, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) looks to pass against the Detroit Lions during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images | Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

The Bears will host their oldest rivals, the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 20, the Saturday before Christmas. They are part of a doubleheader on FOX that will also feature the Eagles against their division rival Washington Commanders. 

Chicago had two more of its games leaked on Wednesday morning. They will open their season on Monday Night Football by hosting the Minnesota Vikings in a NFC North showdown at Soldier Field, according to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz. It will be the first matchup between Williams and Vikings 2024 first round pick JJ McCarthy, who missed all of last season after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. 

The Commanders will host the Bears on Monday Night Football in week 6 in the second matchup between the top two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft, according NBC4 Sports JP Finlay. Last season, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels' 52-yard heave to the end zone on the final play of regulation gave Washington a 18-15 win over Chicago. 

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Daniels would go onto win Offensive Rookie of the Year and lead the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game, while the loss for the Bears started a downward spiral in which they lost 10 consecutive games. 

The former Heisman Trophy winner’s careers will be forever linked and another matchup in October will be the latest edition. 

The entirety of the NFL’s 272-game regular season will be released on Wednesday night. Chicago already has four prime-time games, and that’s without the Thursday or Sunday Night Football schedule being announced yet. 

Jan 5, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

All eyes will be on Williams in his second season. The Bears hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to develop their young quarterback and replicate his offensive success in Chicago, a franchise that still has not produced a 4,000-yard passer. 

They retooled their offense by upgrading the interior of their offensive line to protect Williams, who was sacked 68 times in 2024, tied for the third-most in NFL history. Chicago then used its first two draft picks on the offensive side of the ball, selecting Michigan star tight end Colston Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick and then dynamic Missouri receiver Luther Burden III with the No. 39 pick in the second round.