NFL Week 1 Monday Night Football Preview

Monday Night Football brings us the first matchup between two 2024 rookie QBs.

Week 1 Monday Night Football Preview

Minnesota Vikings (-1.5) at Chicago Bears O/U: 43.5

Caleb Williams was the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and immediately showed promise, throwing for the fifth-most yards in a season in franchise history. GM Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears have done everything they can to surround their young signal caller with talent.

Former Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson joined the team as the new Head Coach, and fans should expect a major shift in creativity and offensive success. The team also spent significant draft capital over the past few years to build a good offensive line and skill position group.

Despite that, Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times in 2024. That’s tied for the third most in a season in NFL history. There may not be many excuses for him with a group of receivers that includes WRs DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, and incoming rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden. D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, and Roschon Johnson round out a solid ground game. All eyes will be on the sophomore QB as he faces off against an elite Vikings defense that ranked second in DVOA and EPA/play. Will the lights be too bright on Monday Night?

The visiting Minnesota Vikings will be anxious for J.J. McCarthy’s debut. The Michigan QB and National Champion was the 10th overall pick, the highest the Vikings have ever drafted a QB. A torn meniscus in the pre-season prematurely ended his rookie season. He will be the biggest question mark for this team.

If McCarthy can look even passable, the Vikings may once again find themselves in the playoffs with a great record. Like the Bears, the Vikings have set their young signal caller up for success. Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison (suspended) highlight an elite WR room, and TE T.J. Hockenson is among the position’s best.

Head Coach Kevin O’Connell has turned career backups into stars for at least a moment, and he could do the same to elevate McCarthy. With a great offensive line of their own, both McCarthy and Williams will have plenty to make an impact in 2025. Whether that happens on Monday Night Football will have to be seen.

Players to Watch

Aaron Jones & Jordan Mason – RB, Minnesota Vikings

Aaron Jones will turn 31 before the season ends. Running backs don’t exactly age with grace, and the more carries they get, the closer they get to a massive decline. With 1,432 rushing attempts under his belt already, that’s a bad sign. Jones rushed for over 1,100 yards in 2024 and could still have something left in the tank, but he may eventually cede work to Jordan Mason.

Mason filled in for an injured Christian McCaffrey to start last season, rushing 128 times for 667 yards and 3 TDs. Mason has shown that he can handle a big workload and doesn’t have too much wear on his treads yet. If Jones shows signs of slowing down, his touches are likely to see a dip.

Where Jones likely won’t cede work is in the receiving game. Mason’s season-high in receptions was 10 in college. Even filling in for CMC, he only drew 14 targets the entire season. Jones has been targeted at least 62 times in 5 of the past 6 seasons and should hold onto the receiving role f

Jaylon Johnson – CB, Chicago Bears

At the time of writing, Johnson is listed as questionable on the Bears’ injury report. If he does play, he will be a key to stopping the passing attack. Johnson should be shadowing each team’s WR1, and in Minnesota’s case, that is unquestionably Justin Jefferson. It will be impossible to shut him down completely, but taking away a key weapon for J.J. McCarthy in his first regular-season game could be crucial. With Jordan Addison suspended to start the year, McCarthy could face difficult decisions early.