Bears fans aren’t the only ones jacked up for Ben Johnson’s first regular season game on the Chicago sideline.

When Johnson leads his team onto Soldier Field for the Week 1 Monday night tilt against the Minnesota Vikings, there will be no shortage of storylines surrounding the nationally televised game.

Count Vikings play-by-play broadcaster Paul Allen among those anxiously awaiting Sept. 8.

In a recent episode of the “Chicago Football Show,” Allen laid out a very compelling case for why this is such an appealing matchup.

“I’m the most excited for a season opener I have been since [Brett] Favre got here in 2009,” Allen said. “… Simply because my level of respect for Ben Johnson and the way he did things in Detroit and the fact that [Vikings defensive coordinator] Brian Flores is an elite defensive mind.

“And it’s a division game; Soldier Field’s cool. Whether people think after the remodeling it looks like a spaceship or whatever — it’s still Soldier Field. They’re still the Bears. It’s still the bomb.

“And this one really, really excites me. Especially given J.J. McCarthy — the new quarterback — has Illinois roots and it’s gonna be his regular season debut. I mean, this thing’s good enough to eat.”

[Catch the entire ‘Chicago Football Show’ on the Marquee Sports Network app]

McCarthy grew up in La Grange Park, Ill., and attended high school at Nazareth before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida. The Vikings made him the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he wound up missing all of last season due to a knee injury.

It’s interesting to hear the perspective from the other side on Johnson’s hire, especially from a division rival. The first-year head coach is well respected around the league and has stirred up a strong sense of optimism amongst Bears fans.

[Will Caleb Williams break Bears passing record in first year with Ben Johnson?]

The Vikings finished 2025 with a 14-3 record and in second place in the NFC North — behind Johnson and his Detroit Lions.

The Bears, meanwhile, went just 5-12 and fired head coach Matt Eberflus after a Thanksgiving Day loss in Detroit.

Johnson was hired in January to help turn the tide for the franchise and get the Bears back into the playoffs.