Storylines to watch between the Vikings and Bears in Week 2

The Minnesota Vikings will head to Soldier Field this Sunday to face the Chicago Bears. It will be Minnesota’s second divisional matchup of the season after beating the Green Bay Packers last week.

Although they have won their previous six matchups at Soldier Field, the stadium has historically been a house of horrors for the Vikings. Games get weird; in 2024, their matchup inexplicably went to overtime after the Bears scored 11 in the final 22-second stretch, and the Vikings won 30-27 in overtime. Last year, J.J. McCarthy came alive in the fourth quarter, leading Minnesota to a dramatic 27-24 come-from-behind win.

Several storylines surround the game as well, adding to the hype around the NFC North clash. They will help shape a game that could go a long way in determining who will be in the driver’s seat in the division the rest of the season.

The game within the game is the matchup between Brian Flores and Ben Johnson. Even though Johnson is only in his second season in Chicago, he and Flores have faced off twice a year since 2023. Back then, Johnson was serving as Detroit’s offensive coordinator, while Flores was in his first year in Minnesota.

Johnson holds a 5-1 edge over Flores, although the Vikings’ offense and special teams contributed more to their 19-17 loss at U.S. Bank Stadium last year. Minnesota held Caleb Williams to 37/67 passing for 403 yards and one touchdown in the air. Williams did manage six runs for 58 yards and a touchdown in last year’s season opener at Soldier Field, but was limited to four carries for 26 yards in the rematch.

That’s just one aspect of the Bears’ offense, though. Chicago ran for 291 yards last week against the Panthers, with 65 of those coming from Williams, who added two rushing touchdowns. In the air, he went 21/27 for 261 yards and two touchdowns.

Week 1 reminded the rest of the NFL that Justin Jefferson is still one of the best, if not the best, receivers in the league. He caught eight of the nine passes thrown his way for 92 yards and two touchdowns, even adding a two-point conversion. That matched his touchdown output from the 2025 season.

But Jefferson’s next reception will be historic. He is currently tied with Randy Moss for the second-most receptions in Vikings history (587). With one catch, he will trail only Cris Carter, who still leads by a large margin with 1,004.

Jefferson likely put Chicago defensive coordinator Dennis Allen on notice. The Bears racked up 59 points in their Week 1 win, but their defense still allowed the Panthers to score 37 points. Will they be able to sell out to stop Jefferson, or will Chicago play their standard defense to avoid letting the likes of Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, and T.J. Hockenson run rampant?

Sunday’s game could bring inclement weather. As of Tuesday night, AccuWeather was forecasting 67 degrees and “cloudy and not as warm but humid, with a thunderstorm.” The forecast called for 18 mph gusts, a 56% chance of precipitation, and a 34% chance of thunderstorms.

Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels was asked about potential weather effects, saying the Vikings’ special teams will prepare by dunking footballs in water to simulate those conditions.

Matt Daniels on ball security in Week 2 pic.twitter.com/efmwPfDYsQ

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) September 15, 2026

As anyone in the Midwest knows, the weather forecast can change a lot over five days. But we’ve seen severe weather affect games in Chicago before. That makes ball security a priority. In 2025, no one turned the ball over more than Minnesota (30), and no one had more takeaways than the Bears (33). That difference could be why Chicago, not the Vikings, made the playoffs last year.

This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Storylines to watch between the Vikings and Bears in Week 2