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4 questions the Chicago Bears must answer against Minnesota Vikings in Week 1

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Pete Martuneac | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM ET

This past offseason has seen plenty of changes to the Chicago Bears, enough that the Bears have been predicted to make the biggest leap forward in 2025. However, there remain significant questions about this Bears team.

Everything looks good on paper, but how will they look when the rubber meets the road and real football is being played? The hype around this team is deserved, but there's a reason that most analysts rank Chicago in the middle of the pack for their Week 1 NFL power rankings.

Here are four questions the team must answer against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1.

1. Is Ben Johnson a head coach or is he just a play-caller?

We've seen it countless times before in the NFL, and not just with the Bears. A highly respected coordinator gets a deserved promotion to head coach, only to fail and end up back as a coordinator. The Bears' own defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, is a perfect example. Will Ben Johnson follow in his footsteps? We know he can design and call an offense, but will the added duties of a head coach prove too much for him?

2. Is Caleb Williams the generational quarterback he was drafted to be?

The Bears did not draft Caleb Williams with the first overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft for him to be a game manager. They saw generational talent, and that's what they expected of him. Thus far, he has not lived up to the hype (nor has he been as bad as some of the ridiculous criticisms have been). Will he finally bring Chicago the return on investment they imagined? Or is Williams the next name to be added to Chicago's graveyard of promising young quarterbacks?

3. Is Braxton Jones the weak link of the offensive line?

Despite upgrades to every other spot on the offensive line, the left tackle job remains a concern for the Bears. The incumbent Braxton Jones will continue to start at left tackle in Week 1, but that seemed to be more the result of no one else being good enough to take it away from him.

In fairness, Jones has been an above-average starer in his three seasons. Not elite, but pretty good. The concern comes from his season-ending ankle injury last December. Has that ankle fully healed, and will he be able to protect Williams? Or does that injury flair up again and create havoc in the backfield?

4. Can Chicago's defense attack the quarterback?

It's no secret that Chicago's pass rush is arguably it's greatest weakness in 2025, and a feeble pass rush can sink any team's hopes of making the playoffs. Montez Sweat is fine, but the situation behind him is so desperate that the Bears are wasting their time working out a free agent who doesn't even have a single solo sack to their name. I guess desperate times truly call for desperate measures.

The Vikings have a solid offensive line, but not elite. It will pose a challenge for the Bears, but they're not the 2024 Lions. Can the Bears get pressure on J.J. McCarthy and force him into mistakes? Or will they give McCarthy all the time he needs to pick apart their depleted secondary?

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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