NFL fans are treated to a divisional rivalry to close out Week 1, as the Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.
The pregame narrative: J.J. McCarthy makes his first start for the shorthanded Vikings, who are missing star wide receiver Jordan Addison (suspension). Minnesota should lean heavily on its ground game against a Bears team that allowed the fifth-most rushing yards last year.
Check out my top Vikings vs. Bears Week 1 TD picks, featuring Aaron Jones and Rome Odunze.
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Vikings vs. Bears TD picks: Week 1
Best Bet: Jones anytime TD (+145)
The risk here is that the newly acquired Jordan Mason could vulture red zone looks from Jones.
But I think the 30-year-old veteran has earned the right to those snaps, at least right off the bat. Jones set career-highs in carries (255), touches (306) and rushing yards (1,138) last season for the Vikings.
He scored seven touchdowns and found the end zone in both games against the Bears.
Kevin O'Connell is one of the great offensive minds in football, and he should find a way to get Minnesota into the red zone early and often.
Chicago's defence was a disaster down the stretch last season, ceding 26.1 points per game in its final seven games. And that average was significantly reduced by a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17.
The Vikings dropped 30 points on the Bears twice in that span, rushing for a total of 238 yards at 4.25 yards/rush.
Key stat: Jones has 13 touchdowns in 15 career games against Chicago.
Monday Night Football TD picks
Odunze anytime TD (+205): Odunze is coming off a decent rookie season with the dysfunctional Bears, totalling 734 yards and three touchdowns.
But I'm expecting much bigger things for the 2024 No. 9 overall pick with Ben Johnson at the helm.
The first-year head coach was the brains behind Detroit's No. 1 scoring offence last season, and it looked like the Lions desperately missed him on Sunday as they got decimated by the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
Johnson should be itching to utilize Odunze's talents to help turn the Bears around.
The 6-foot-3 wideout ranked top-15 in the NFL in targeted air yards (1,438), deep targets (23), and red-zone targets (18), according to Player Profiler.
That didn't lend itself to a ton of production, but the Bears seldom had a solid game plan. I think this is worth a bite at 2-to-1 odds.
Vikings vs. Bears TD picks made at 10:27 a.m. ET on 09/08/2025.
