Bears Week One Recap,
“You’ve got 31 other teams coming to training camp saying, ‘Our goal is to win the Super Bowl.’ I want more than that. I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever, which happens to be the 2013 Denver Broncos. I know how many points per game they scored, and I want to surpass them. I want shutouts. I want blowouts.” Ben Johnson.
Week 1 of the 2026 season and he is already surpassing that pace of 37.9 points a game with the Chicago Bears coming out swinging and hanging 59 on the defending NFC South Division champion, Carolina Panthers.
The Bears offense started slightly slow with an opening drive fumble by Luther Burden III, after that they were off to the races. After the first quarter they owned a 14-7 lead. The most questionable part of the day came in the second quarter when Ben Johnson went for it on 4th– and-1 from his own 21-yard line.
Here’s the thing, this is typically a Cardinal Sin in football because you are handing the other team at least 3 points if you don’t get the 1st down. Barring, of course, a turnover by the other team or the opponent’s kicker is Cody Parkey.
This move did backfire as Caleb Williams was stuffed, the Bears turned the ball over on downs, and then the Panthers followed that up with a quick 7-point score to tie the game up at 21 apiece. Now, if you’re looking for me to denounce Ben Johnson, and say this was a terrible call to go for it, I won’t.
Let me explain, you and I are viewing that call through the lens of “we are trying to win the game” Ben is viewing that through the lens of “burn the boats” in other words there is no tomorrow. He is trying to accomplish a feat of outpacing the highest scoring team of all time, not simply just winning the ball game.
He expects a touchdown on every possession and once you understand that mindset, you realize the conventional way you or I would call a game is obtuse. Ben called the game all the way to 59-37 week 1 route.
The Panthers were the first team to experience Ben Johnson’s vision firsthand. Now comes a much more familiar foe.
Chicago returns to Soldier Field for its 2026 home opener against the Minnesota Vikings, the second straight year the Bears and Vikings will square off to open the home schedule. After hanging 59 points on Carolina, the conversation around Halas Hall has quickly shifted from whether this offense can be elite to whether anyone can slow it down.
Week 1 was a statement. Week 2 is an opportunity. The Bears can move to 2-0, gain an early divisional advantage, and continue building momentum behind an offense that suddenly looks capable of delivering on Johnson’s bold preseason promises.
Vikings Week 2 Preview
This is the second straight year the Bears home opener features the Minnesota Vikings. Last year is still fresh in my mind watching Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson surrender a 17-6 lead to “9” and the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. This year the Bears are lucky that J.J. McCarthy, 9, is not starting otherwise the Bears would be a 7 point dog at home. Alright enough of the hyperbole lets dive into it.
Top Storylines to Know
Battle for NFC North Early-Season Supremacy
For a Week 2 game, Sunday’s matchup carries significant weight in the NFC North race. Both the Bears and Vikings enter at 1-0, but only one will leave Soldier Field with sole possession of an early divisional edge. In a division that has routinely been decided by just a game or two, every head-to-head matchup matters, especially between teams expected to contend for the crown.
The Bears are the defending NFC North champions after capturing the division in 2025, ending a seven-year drought and signaling the beginning of a new era under Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. After opening the season with a victory in Carolina, Chicago now has an opportunity to prove last year’s division title was no fluke. Knocking off a talented Vikings squad would further establish the Bears as the team everyone else in the NFC North is chasing.
Minnesota, however, has no intention of handing over that lead without a fight. The Vikings opened the season by putting 39 points on Green Bay, showcasing an offense that remains one of the most explosive units in football, even with Carson Wentz at the helm. With Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and a strong rushing attack, Minnesota has the firepower to challenge Chicago for division supremacy throughout the season.
This game also serves as an early measuring stick for both franchises. The Bears are looking to defend their status as division champions, while the Vikings are trying to prove they’re the biggest threat to Chicago’s repeat bid. A win won’t decide the NFC North in September, but it could provide a critical tiebreaker and valuable momentum as the season progresses.
That’s what makes this matchup feel bigger than a typical Week 2 contest. Two teams with playoff aspirations. A division rivalry. First place on the line. If either team wants to establish itself as the NFC North favorite, Sunday is an opportunity to make an early statement.
Ben Johnson Vs Brian Flores
Ben Johnson and Brian Flores are familiar foes and have faced-off as play callers against each other for the past 3 seasons and this will be the 4th consecutive season they will get 2 games against each other. In the series historically, Johnson has had Flores’ number. In 2023 and 2024 the Detroit Lions swept the Vikings twice averaging over 30 points in each contest.
In 2025 Flores finally got his first win in the season opener, and Johnson got him back in week 11. Johnson owns the series 5-1 and will look to add another one this Sunday at Soldier Field.
Flores is in my opinion the preeminent defensive coordinator in the NFL. Under Flores the Vikings Totaled 53 defensive takeaways in his first two seasons (2023–2024), ranking 3rd in the NFL. Last year the Vikings were tied for 10th for takeaways with 21, additionally, the Vikings were tied for 4th with 49 sacks. Flores thrives on creative schemes, pressure, and chaos.
Last week Flores and the Vikings blitz on 78.3% of plays against the Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers offense. This lead to a Viking comeback win on 29 unanswered points. This week I would be shocked if flores blitz’s on anything close to 45% of plays against Caleb Williams for the simple fact that Caleb is quickly becoming the most dynamic quarterback in the NFL.
Sunday’s matchup is ultimately about more than blitz percentages or sack totals. It’s about two of the NFL’s premier play callers trying to stay one step ahead of each other. Flores will spend all week searching for new ways to disguise pressure and force mistakes, while Johnson will counter with answers designed to punish that aggression.
For three seasons, Johnson has consistently been able to solve the puzzle, by establishing the run, posting a 5-1 record against Flores-led defenses. The Vikings defensive coordinator is one of the few coaches capable of completely changing the complexion of a game with his scheme, but Johnson has repeatedly found ways to turn that pressure against him. On Sunday, another chapter will be written in one of the NFC’s most compelling chess matches.
Vikings Offense vs Bears Defense
The Minnesota Vikings were able to post 39 points on the Packers with Carson Wentz playing quarterback. They had a steady ground game grabbing 2 touchdowns, and Justin Jefferson notched a pair of touchdowns as well. This Vikings offense has playmakers at every level, which presents a major challenge for a Bears defense that struggled mightily in Week 1.
Last week the Bears defense surrendered 478 yards allowed, 353 of those yards through the air, and 5 touchdowns. Those numbers leave the Bears ranked 30th defensively heading into Week 2. While the unit generated takeaways at an impressive rate last season, those turnovers often masked some of the underlying issues that existed throughout the defense. To their credit, the Bears still found ways to create three takeaways against Carolina in Week 1, recording one interception and recovering two fumbles.
The matchup that scares me the most is Justin Jefferson vs Jaylon Johnson. Jefferson is already hitting his stride and its only week two. Johnson enters this week as the Bears shutdown defensive back but hasn’t looked the same since his offseason injury in 2025 and groin injury in week two of 2025. If Johnson can’t slow Jefferson down, the Bears could find themselves chasing points early.
The next matchup to watch isn’t much easier either. Jordan Addison continues to grow into a larger role within Minnesota’s offense and has become a dangerous complement to Jefferson. Across from him will likely be Tyrique Stevenson, who enters the season facing increased scrutiny after an inconsistent start to his career, which features a few mental errors. Ideally Malik Muhammad will also get some snaps in both of these matchups.
Ultimately, this game may come down to whether Chicago’s cornerbacks can hold up in coverage. If Jefferson and Addison consistently win their matchups, Minnesota has more than enough firepower to turn this into another long afternoon for a Bears defense that already has plenty to prove after Week 1.
Prediction
Bears 34, Vikings 27. The Vikings keep it competitive into the fourth quarter, but Caleb Williams throws for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, Ben Johnson wins another chess match against Brian Flores, and the Bears move to 2-0 while taking an early lead in the NFC North race.
