The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings already have faced each other once this season.
If you ask Bears coach Ben Johnson, that matchup is ancient history. He thinks the sequel will barely resemble the original when the Bears (6-3) square off against the Vikings (4-5) on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
The game will take place two months and eight days after the season opener, when the Vikings rallied for a 27-24 win in JJ McCarthy’s NFL debut at Soldier Field in Chicago.
“We’re a different team than we were Week 1, and so is Minnesota,” Johnson said. “This will be a completely different matchup as far as I’m concerned.”
For one thing, the Bears have won six of their last seven. They are looking for their third straight victory after knocking off the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants in back-to-back weeks.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is playing as well as he has all season. He has passed for four touchdowns and no interceptions over his last two games, and he has taken only 14 sacks in nine games this season after taking a league-high 68 sacks in 17 games in 2024.
Williams deflected credit when asked how he has avoided so many more sacks this season.
“Part of it is the guys I’ve got up front,” Williams said. “They’ve been awesome for me and for us. Kudos to them — love those guys up front.
“The other half of it is, I think, coach’s emphasis on me getting the ball out. Then when it’s time to go make a play, make the plays. When it’s time to throw it away, throw it away. So (I’m) just doing a better job with that overall this year. I’ve got to keep getting better with that.”
The Vikings were riding high after a season-opening win against the Bears, but since then they have lost five of eight. They have dropped three of their past four contests, including a 27-19 loss at home last week against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy continues to try to find his footing in his first season as a starter. McCarthy threw a pair of interceptions last week against Baltimore, and he has thrown six interceptions along with five touchdowns in his first four starts.
McCarthy has shown glimpses of talent, but he knows he cannot afford to stay inconsistent.
“That’s the name of the game in this league — and any real profession — is just how can you be consistently great over and over again,” McCarthy said.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell said it was natural for a young quarterback to take time to develop.
“There’s been a lot of encouraging things to go along with things we can improve on,” O’Connell said. “He knows that. We know that.”
The Vikings could be without pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, who injured his shoulder last week and was limited in this week’s opening practice. Greenard has two sacks in nine games this season after tallying 24 1/2 sacks over his previous two seasons.
“I still think he has a chance (to play),” O’Connell said. “But at the same time, we’ll let the medical staff … work through the week.”
The Bears had eight players miss the first practice of the week because of injuries. That list included wideouts D.J. Moore (shoulder) and Rome Odunze (ankle), as well as defensive backs Tyrique Stevenson (shoulder) and Jaquan Brisker (back).
