Keys for the defense for the Minnesota Vikings against the Bears in Week 1

The Minnesota Vikings kick off the 2025 season with a Monday Night Football matchup against the Chicago Bears. All eyes will be on the quarterbacks, meaning that the Vikings’ defense will be tasked with neutralizing Caleb Williams’ impact.

Last year, Williams had maybe his best game as a rookie when the Vikings came to Soldier Field. He completed 32 of 47 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns, although the Vikings won in overtime, 30-27.

However, the Bears’ coaching staff has undergone a significant overhaul. They hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach. Although many of the players will be the same for the Bears, their offensive attack will look vastly different.

Here are three keys for the Vikings’ defense heading into Week 1.

Staying disciplined pre-snap

On Wednesday, Williams talked about using his pre-snap cadence as a weapon this year. Not only can it draw defenses offside when used effectively, but it can also force defenses to show their hand.

No one has blitzed more in the past two seasons than the Vikings. Brian Flores will look to dial up pressure on Williams, who saw more unblocked pressures (57) than anyone else in 2024. If the Vikings stay disciplined and force Williams to try deciphering the defense post-snap, Minnesota should be able to get more unblocked rushers through the line.

Stopping the run

How will the Bears’ run game look in Year 1 under Johnson? Last year, Chicago had the 25th-ranked rushing offense in the league, averaging 4.0 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Detroit had the 6th-ranked rushing offense, averaging 4.7 yards per run.

It may be tough for the Bears to replicate that efficiency right away, but if they can get production on the ground, they can keep the Vikings on their heels. However, if Minnesota, who ranked 1st in EPA (expected points added) allowed per run in 2024, can stifle the run game, they can force the Bears to be one-dimensional. In turn, that will give Flores more freedom to execute blitzes.

Winning interior matchups in the pass game

Although the Vikings had one of the best defenses in football last year, they had to manufacture ways to generate pressure from the interior line. They used linebacker Jihad Ward in passing situations and leaned heavily on blitzes.

Unfortunately, this formula was exposed when the Vikings faced the Lions last year. Johnson exploited vacated zones in the middle of the Vikings’ defense. With no viable counterpunch from his interior defensive linemen, Flores went down swinging with the blitz in a 31-9 loss in Week 18.

But during the offseason, the Vikings signed veterans Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen. Although they are both on the wrong side of 30, both have long been among the better pass-rushing defensive tackles in football. According to Next Gen Stats, no interior pass-rusher has generated a higher pressure rate (14.3%) than Hargrave since 2021.

It will always be in Flores’ DNA to send the blitz, but the acquisitions of Hargrave and Allen give him a strong counterpunch to playcallers who can exploit the extra rushers.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Keys for the defense for the Vikings against the Bears in Week 1

Keys for the defense for the Minnesota Vikings against the Bears in Week 1

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