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Aaron Rodgers turns back the clock in revenge game against Jets

USA TODAY Sports’ Chris Bumbaca breaks down the 34-32 win by the Steelers over the Jets in a game that saw Aaron Rodgers defeat his former team.

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Expectations for Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears are sky high in 2025. Look no further than their top-billing on “Monday Night Football” vs. the Minnesota Vikings.

An NFC North matchup on Monday night featuring a team that went just 5-12 is pretty indicative of that, but there are some good reasons for it. First is the hiring of new head coach Ben Johnson, the former offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions.

Under Johnson, the Lions boasted one of the most fun, effective and innovative offenses in football. That could bode well for Williams, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick, who had a rookie season to forget.

But they face a tough task against the visiting Vikings. Minnesota is coming off a stellar 2024 season, one in which they finished 14-3 and second in the NFC North. However, there’s a big change under center: 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy returns after missing the entirety of the season with a knee injury.

How McCarthy will perform in his first season as Vikings QB1 is anyone’s guess – but that’s what makes the first showdown of the 2025 “MNF” all the more intriguing.

Don’t miss a snap of the action. USA TODAY Sports will provide live updates, highlights and more from the game below. All times are Eastern.

Minnesota could not capitalize on Chicago’s inability to convert on fourth down. J.J. McCarthy hit a couple of short passes to Aaron Jones and Justin Jefferson, but the latter was stopped short of the line to gain on third down.

Ryan Wright’s punt went just 32 yards, setting up the Bears with good field position at their own 35-yard line.

The Detroit Lions were one of the most aggressive teams when it came to going for it on fourth down during Ben Johnson’s time there. He carried over that trend to his first game as Bears coach.

However, Chicago couldn’t convert the fourth-and-3. Caleb Williams overthrew an open DJ Moore beyond the sticks, resulting in an incompletion and a turnover on downs.

Darnold is playing for the Seattle Seahawks. He signed a three-year deal with the Seahawks in free agency. The Vikings let him walk to allow J.J. McCarthy to take over as the team’s starting quarterback.

J.J. McCarthy has led the first scoring drive of his NFL career. The Vikings couldn’t punch in a touchdown, but Will Reichard made a chip shot, 31-yard field goal with ease to cut Minnesota’s deficit to 4 points.

McCarthy had a nice 11-yard scramble on the drive, but the biggest play was a 42-yard pass interference penalty running back Aaron Jones drew on Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright.

Bears 7, Vikings 3

So far, so good for Johnson. The Bears scored a touchdown on his first drive as the team’s coach, and Caleb Williams has looked a lot more comfortable than he did at any point during his rookie season.

Williams completed all nine of his passes in the first quarter for 56 yards. More impressively, he ran for 21 yards and a touchdown on two carries, finding plenty of running room behind his improved offensive line.

Meanwhile, his opponent and fellow 2024 draftee J.J. McCarthy completed his only passing attempt in the quarter but was sacked twice on two 3-and-outs to open the game. The 22-year-old is making his first-ever NFL start, so it may take time for him to settle into his new role.

Caleb Williams continued to make plays both on the ground and through the air on Chicago’s second drive, but he had his worst throw of the day on a third-and-2. He threw a quick screen to Odunze, but the pass was behind the receiver, who had to adjust to it and go to the ground to make the catch.

Odunze was quickly touched down, and the Bears punted the ball back to the Vikings with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter.

Sam Darnold was the Vikings quarterback last season. He started all 17 games for Minnesota in 2024 and led them to a 14-3 record. He posted a career-best 66.2% completion rate, 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career.

Darnold signed with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency after the Vikings decided to make J.J. McCarthy, their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, their starting quarterback.

For the second consecutive possession, the Vikings have been forced to punt because of a third-down sack of McCarthy. This time, the first-year starter tried to scramble into an open lane but was tripped up and failed to make it back to the line of scrimmage.

The Bears will get the ball back on their own 25-yard line with a 7-point lead.

The Bears added the “VMH” jersey patch to pay tribute to their former owner Virginia Halas McCaskey, who died in February at the age of 102.

Williams did not have a rushing touchdown during his first NFL season. His first score of the 2025 campaign saw him run to his left and power through a Jeff Okudah hit to get the Bears on the board.

Williams went 6 of 6 passing for 51 yards on the first drive as well. Cairo Santos makes the extra point to give the Bears an early 7-0 lead.

Bears 7, Vikings 0

J.J. McCarthy’s first NFL drive ended with a sack by Gervon Dexter Sr. McCarthy completed a pass to Josh Oliver on second down, but Chicago’s defense came up with the stop on third down to force the game’s first punt.

What time is the Bears vs. Vikings game tonight?Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET (7:15 p.m. CT)

The Bears vs. Vikings matchup is scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET. The Vikings travel to Soldier Field in Chicago to face off against their divisional foe.

What TV channel is the Bears vs. Vikings game?

ESPN is the broadcast home of “Monday Night Football.” Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have the call, with Lisa Salters patrolling the sidelines.

Bears vs. Vikings odds, moneyline, O/U

Week 1 has delivered an abundance of entertainment and the show could be starting in Chicago with Ben Johnson in town. The Bears have the prized head coach now to pair with their prized No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams. Meanwhile, the Vikings are coming off a 14-3 season but J.J. McCarthy is making his NFL debut.

Chicago made incredible strides in improving its personnel this offseason most notably in the trenches where games are won and lost. It’s time to believe in the product. Minnesota will be without No. 2 wide receiver Jordan Addison tonight because of a suspension, and his absence will be notable because Chicago’s defense will key in on Justin Jefferson. Chicago shows us they are ready for prime time. – Tom Viera

Prediction: Bears 24, Vikings 20

Live stream: Fubo | ESPN+ 

Cord-cutters looking for a live stream for the matchup can turn to Fubo. Fubo carries NBC, as well as CBS, FOX, NFL Network and the ESPN family of networks, meaning you can catch NFL action through the remainder of the season. 

ESPN+, the proprietary streaming service of ESPN, will also carry the game. 

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The Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl wins with six. 

Pittsburgh and Dallas have the unique distinction of playing each other more than any other team combination in Super Bowl history with three matchups. 

Green Bay Packers (1-0) Minnesota Vikings (0-0) Chicago Bears (0-0) Detroit Lions (0-1) Thursday, Sept. 4

Philadelphia Eagles 24, Dallas Cowboys 20

Friday, Sept. 5

Los Angeles Chargers 27, Kansas City Chiefs 21

Sunday, Sept. 7Las Vegas Raiders 20, New England Patriots 13Pittsburgh Steelers 34, New York Jets 32Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23, Atlanta Falcons 20Indianapolis Colts 33, Miami Dolphins 8Arizona Cardinals 20, New Orleans Saints 13Washington Commanders 21, New York Giants 6Cincinnati Bengals 17, Cleveland Browns 16Jacksonville Jaguars 26, Carolina Panthers 10San Francisco 49ers 17, Seattle Seahawks 13Green Bay Packers 27, Detroit Lions 13Los Angeles Rams 14, Houston Texans 9Denver Broncos 20, Tennessee Titans 12Buffalo Bills 41, Baltimore Ravens 40

The 2024 No. 1 overall pick arrived at Soldier Field wearing a jersey of Bears legend Brian Urlacher.

Perennial contender for Offensive Player of the Year, Justin Jefferson, has arrived at Soldier Field before kickoff of his sixth NFL season.

1. QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (+310)2. QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens (+550)3. QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals (+750)T4. QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs (+1000)T4. QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (+1000)6. QB Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (+1200)7. QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles (+1400)8. QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (+1500)9. QB Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (+2500)10. QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3000)

Chicago has a new coaching staff in 2025, headlined by Ben Johnson, who makes his way onto the field for his NFL head coaching debut on “Monday Night Football.”

Thielen was originally set to play the 2025 NFL season on a one-year, $8.5 million restructured contract he inked with the Panthers during the offseason, per Spotrac.com. The deal provided the 35-year-old an opportunity to earn an additional $4 million, which were tied to receiving yards, receptions and playoff results. Tom Pelissero reports Thielen agreed to reduce his salary by $2 million. He also removed the $4 million in potential incentives from his contract.

The Vikings still have just under $16.2 million in cap space thanks to Thielen’s adjustments. That ranks 13th-most in the NFL, per OverTheCap.com, and positions the team with some flexibility to improve its roster during the 2025 NFL season. – Jacob Camenker