It has been an eventful opening week of NFL football, with one game remaining to close down the action. On the first Monday Night Football matchup of the 2025 season, the Chicago Bears will host the Minnesota Vikings.
Expectations are high for both sides as Ben Johnson makes his debut as head coach of the Bears and attempts to get Caleb Williams back on his expected trajectory for Chicago. Minnesota is looking to build off a 14-3 record last year, but J.J. McCarthy will be making his first NFL start after missing all of last season with a torn meniscus.
Looking at the odds, the Vikings enter as narrow 1.5-point favorites and -122 on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Bears hold +102 odds of getting the outright victory, with the game total set at 43.5
There are plenty of ways to get involved in the action beyond just backing a side. This article will look at my three favorite prop bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for the season-opening matchup between these two NFC North rivals.
Vikings at Bears Best Prop Bets
J.J. McCarthy Under 31.5 Pass Attempts (-118)
The Minnesota Vikings traded up to select J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft. But the Michigan product did not step foot on the field during his rookie season due to a meniscus tear, and Minnesota has wisely played the long game for his outlook. Sam Darnold was a bit of a revelation for the Vikings last year, throwing for 4.319 yards and 35 touchdowns in McCarthy’s absence. Darnold successfully revived his NFL outlook and led the Vikings to a 14-3 record. But the commitment to McCarthy was still in place, and Darnold’s postseason struggles were enough for the organization to allow him to leave in free agency.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell has arguably the most quarterback-friendly system in the league, but he will look to ease in his young starter in his debut. Even with Darnold’s impressive stats last season, he was held to under 31.5 pass attempts in each of the first seven games. They leaned on Aaron Jones in the run game at a high rate and established this as an identity before putting more on Darnold’s plate. It is also worth noting that Chicago struggled to stop the run last year, ranking 28th in rushing yards allowed, 29th in yards per rush attempt conceded, and 24th in rushing touchdowns given up. In contrast, they allowed the fewest passing touchdowns and ranked 16th in passing yards allowed.
Expect the Vikings to keep the game plan simple for McCarthy in his debut. Even across his success at Michigan, the former National Champion is accustomed to serving in a low-volume role. The primary goal for Minnesota will be to build up McCarthy’s confidence today and expect them to limit high-risk play. Count on the same game plan that was put on display with Darnold last year to be seen with McCarthy and for him to attempt fewer than 31.5 pass attempts in his NFL debut.
Colston Loveland Over 27.5 Receiving Yards (-115)
There is some buzz coming out of training surrounding tight end Colston Loveland, whom the Bears selected with the 10th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. While there are a lot of mouths to feed in the Chicago offense, Loveland is coming off 1,466 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns during his collegiate career at Michigan.
Tonight will mark the first look at Ben Johnson’s new-look offense in Chicago. But the former Lions offensive coordinator relied heavily on the tight end position in Detroit, and this principle should carry over. In the two years he worked with Sam LaPorta, the tight end averaged 4.4 receptions and 48.4 receiving yards per game. The NFL is a different beast, but Loveland tallied over 27.5 receiving yards in nine of the 10 games he played last year in college.
I am mostly avoiding the Bears’ offense from a prop perspective because of how many mouths there are to feed and the uncertainty of what Johnson’s vision will be. But Loveland slots in a slightly different outlook at the tight end position. Getting Caleb Williams in a rhythm is the top priority and tight ends can serve as a young quarterback’s best friend. Expect him to be involved in the game script and leaned on frequently. Organizations do not draft a tight end this highly without the intent of using his skillset, and count on Loveland recording over 27.5 receiving yards in his NFL debut.
Aaron Jones Anytime Touchdowns (+175)
In his age-30 season, Aaron Jones rushed for a career-high 1,138 rushing yards while adding 408 yards through the air. He tallied a career-high 255 carries and showed no signs of slowing down. While there is some concern that Jordan Mason will eat into his opportunities to an extent this year, expect this to take a few weeks into the season for it to be evident.
One area where he did not shine last season was reaching the end zone. Jones tallied just five rushing touchdowns and seven total on the season. This is the same Aaron Jones who led the entire NFL in rushing touchdowns (16) and touchdowns from scrimmage (19) over a season during his time with the Packers. However, he performed well in the matchups against the Bears. The former Pro Bowler rushed for 106 yards in the first matchup and 86 in the second, while reaching the end zone in both games.
With the Bears struggling more against the run, and Minnesota expected to be conservative in the usage of their rookie QB, look for Jones to play a major role tonight. Expect this to be especially put on display in the red zone and for Jones to headline these opportunities. Mason’s presence is a factor, but he has just seven touchdowns to his name across three seasons in the league and must prove he can be effective in a larger sample size. Jones is coming off an excellent season in Minnesota, and look for him to pick up right where he left off by scoring a touchdown in the third straight matchup with the Bears.
