Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright gave Soldier Field a shot of adrenaline just after halftime.
Wright picked off Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy and returned the ball 74 yards for a touchdown. The score put the Bears ahead by 11, and it felt like everything was going their way.
Then the vibe shifted.
McCarthy and the Vikings offense came alive in the second half. In his NFL debut, McCarthy led the Vikings on three fourth-quarter touchdown drives. The La Grange Park native connected with wide receiver Justin Jefferson and running back Aaron Jones for touchdown passes and punctuated the rally with a 14-yard touchdown run with just under three minutes to go.
The Vikings scored 21 consecutive points and held on to beat the Bears 27-24 on Monday night at Soldier Field in Ben Johnson’s debut as Bears coach.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams opened the game with 10 consecutive completions but finished his night 21 of 35 for 211 yards with one touchdown. He also rushed for 58 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Williams connected with wide receiver Rome Odunze for a late touchdown to cut Minnesota’s lead to three. Johnson elected not to attempt an onside kick with 2:02 to go and one timeout remaining. The defense stopped the Vikings and forced a punt with 16 seconds left, but the Bears’ last-ditch effort was unable to go anywhere.
McCarthy finished 13 of 20 for 143 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for 25 yards and a touchdown.
- Underwhelming start for Caleb Williams under Ben Johnson. Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on Bears’ Week 1 loss.
- Ben Johnson’s Chicago Bears offense ‘inconsistent’ as QB Caleb Williams loses his accuracy in Week 1 loss
- Nahshon Wright’s highs — and lows — epitomize a Bears defense that ‘didn’t finish’
Here’s how the game unfolded.
Bears elevate 2 players from practice squad
The Bears elevated linebacker Carl Jones Jr. and defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon to the active roster from the practice squad hours before Monday night’s game.
The fact the Bears didn’t elevate a defensive back appeared to be a good sign for cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and Josh Blackwell, who all were listed as questionable because of injuries. But Johnson and Gordon were listed later Monday as inactive against the Vikings, while Blackwell was active.
Johnson has been dealing with a groin injury that kept him out for the entirety of training camp. He returned to practice last week. Gordon was a late addition to the injury report Sunday night with a hamstring injury. Blackwell, who is also a special teams ace, had a groin injury.
In addition to adding depth at linebacker and on the defensive line, Jones and Kpassagnon could be key contributors on special teams.
Inactives: Bears without 3 defensive starters for opener
Starting cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are among the inactive Bears players and won’t play in Monday’s season opener against the Vikings. Both had been listed as questionable because of injuries.
That might spell trouble for the Bears secondary against All-Pro Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Johnson missed all of training camp with a groin injury, while Gordon was a late addition to the injury report Sunday with a hamstring injury.
Without those two, Nahshon Wright could be in line to start in Johnson’s place at outside corner, while Nick McCloud could take Gordon’s spot as the nickel corner.
A third defensive starter, linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring), also is inactive. Edwards’ absence is less of a surprise after he missed the entire week of practice and was listed as doubtful.
Third-string quarterback Case Keenum, running back Roschon Johnson, offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie and rookie defensive tackle Shemar Turner are the other inactive Bears. With Roschon Johnson out, the Bears have only two running backs active: starter D’Andre Swift and rookie seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai. Wide receiver DJ Moore took some reps out of the backfield throughout training camp.
Cornerback Josh Blackwell, who was questionable with a groin injury, is active and expected to play.
The Vikings, meanwhile, announced that starting left tackle Christian Darrisaw is inactive. He has been recovering from ACL and MCL injuries in his left knee that he suffered last year. Darrisaw missed the final 10 games of 2024 after injuring his knee in Week 8.
Veteran Justin Skule is listed as the backup left tackle on the Vikings depth chart.
Also inactive for the Vikings are quarterback Max Brosmer, running back Zavier Scott, center Joe Huber, defensive lineman Elijah Williams and veteran safety Harrison Smith, 36, who didn’t travel with the team to Chicago because of an illness.
Halftime: Opening-drive TD propels Bears to 10-6 lead
The Ben Johnson era began with six points.
Considering the Chicago Bears offense didn’t score a single touchdown on its opening possession in any of the 17 games last season, that was a win. The Bears lead the Minnesota Vikings 10-6 at halftime at Soldier Field.
After a quick three-and-out from the Bears defense, Johnson’s offense marched down the field and scored on a 9-yard touchdown run by quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bears went 61 yards in 10 plays. Williams kept the drive alive on third-and-5 at the Vikings 30-yard line when he escaped the pocket to his right and zipped a pass to wide receiver Rome Odunze, who made a tough catch along the sideline.
Facing another third down at the 9, Williams scrambled to his left and found open space. He raced to the pylon and lowered his shoulder as cornerback Jeff Okudah dived in his direction. Williams burst through the would-be tackle for six points.
Williams completed 13 of 16 passes in the first half for 112 yards and rushed for a team-high 32 yards on four carries. He didn’t take a sack.
The Bears missed on another scoring opportunity midway through the second quarter when Johnson elected to pass on a field-goal try from just outside the red zone. The Bears kept the offense on the field for fourth down, and Williams misfired on a pass to DJ Moore over the middle.
Making his NFL debut, Vikings quarterback and La Grange Park native J.J. McCarthy struggled in the first half. The Bears defense forced four three-and-outs.
A 42-yard pass-interference penalty against Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright helped propel the Vikings to an early field goal. They added three more points on Will Reichard’s 59-yard field goal just before halftime.
McCarthy finished the half 5 of 8 for 48 yards with two sacks. The Vikings totaled just 80 yards of offense.
Catch up on all of our coverage.
Pocket watch is ticking for Caleb Williams
The ability to turn off-script plays into huge, jaw-dropping moments is a special talent that has defined Caleb Williams’ young career. It propelled him to a Heisman Trophy at USC in 2022 and was a big part of why the Bears selected him with the No. 1 pick in 2024.
The Bears believe first-year coach Ben Johnson can tap into Williams’ talent in the team’s never-ending quest to produce a player worthy of the “franchise quarterback” tag — and there’s no overstating how significant the 2025 season is for Williams.
By year’s end, he either will be the solution the Bears have been seeking or else they’ll be in limbo, somewhere between clinging to hope that Williams clicks in Year 3 and bracing for the possibility of change. And for Williams to take a significant jump this season, he must improve as a pocket passer.
- Is Ben Johnson’s offense ready for prime time? Bears will find out soon after up-and-down preseason.
- 8 things we learned from the Bears ahead of the season opener, including all eyes on Caleb Williams
- Bears Q&A: Which stats will show Ben Johnson’s offense is working? What is Ozzy Trapilo’s future?
- 5 things to watch in Bears opener vs. Vikings — plus our Week 1 predictions
Can D’Andre Swift take his game to the next level?
D’Andre Swift has reunited this season with his former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator: Swift in his second season as the Bears’ starting running back and Ben Johnson as a first-year head coach.
Swift, now 26, acknowledged he was a different player back then, a different person.
“When I was in Detroit, I was young,” he said, adding that he has matured. “Every year is different. (I’m) fortunate enough, blessed enough, to go into my sixth year in the league.
“So (I’m) just real excited to be reunited with him. Excited for the energy he brings in the group.”
Johnson might have to lean on Swift almost exclusively when the Bears open their season against the Vikings on “Monday Night Football” at Soldier Field.
And Swift has looked up to the task.
- Column: As the Ben Johnson era begins, expect Bears to showcase his ‘affinity’ for the run game
- How Bears divvy up workload for TEs Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet an intriguing subplot for Week 1
- Bears name Braxton Jones starting left tackle — ‘there is a trust level’ — and select 5 team captains
‘You want the team to take an image of the head coach’
General manager Ryan Poles believes he has found the coach who will lead the Bears to a new era of success, and coach Ben Johnson believes in the front-office team Poles has assembled.
They are in this thing together. That was made even clearer when the Bears extended Poles’ contract and aligned its length with that of Johnson’s, keeping both under contract through 2029.
Their working partnership will go a long way toward determining how the next handful of years plays out for the franchise. So will the relationship between Johnson and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams.
As the Bears kick off their season, read Sean Hammond’s one-on-one conversation with Poles.
- Column: Bears and Cubs are our only hopes of salvaging another dismal sports year in Chicago
- What we learned from Bears players, including the challenge of preparing for a new quarterback
- Jaylon Johnson aims to play in the Bears opener despite missing camp with a ‘bad, bad’ groin injury
- What’s new in NFL rules this season, including more kickoff tweaks, OT changes and virtual measuring
Latest on the Bears stadium project
The Bears are expected to publicly present their latest plans for a new stadium in Arlington Heights this fall, officials said, with the hope of breaking ground by spring.
Bears President Kevin Warren and other officials are meeting regularly to refine their plan with Arlington Heights village officials. Sometime in September, October or November, the team will make a public presentation and answer questions about the 326-acre site, according to Arlington Heights Mayor Jim Tinaglia. Then the village planning, design and housing commissions will review the proposal before it goes to a Village Board vote. The whole process could take a few months.
The latest push for a new stadium comes as a new NFL season kicks off, and as competitors throughout the league are in the midst of a building boom. New stadiums in Nashville and Buffalo are getting record public subsidies, and teams in Cleveland, Jacksonville, Kansas City and Washington are angling for their own deals.
