Hello again! Happy New Year! We’re back for another season of roundtables at the Daily Norseman and we’ve got quite a crew for this Week 1 Monday night matchup against the Chicago Bears.
We have more participants and more questions than usual, so let’s skip the pleasantries and dive right in:
Question 1: At last check, I saw the Vikings with an over/under of 9.5 wins and the Bears at 7.5. Are you taking the overs or unders on these two?
Brandon Warne: I’m taking the over for the Vikings and the under for the Bears. I think the Vikings beefed up where they needed to, and need J.J. McCarthy to simply execute the offense curated by one of the finest offensive minds in our game today. And I realize the irony in this, but I need to see more from Caleb Williams before I buy the Bears to take a three-win jump from last season. The strength of the NFC North top to bottom will make it really hard for one team to run away with a 12- or 13-win season, I think.
Christopher Gates: I think the Vikings “over” 9.5 is a no-brainer. They’ve upgraded at a lot of spots going into the season, most notably the interior offensive and defensive lines, and the only significant difference is the change at quarterback with J.J. McCarthy stepping in for Sam Darnold. With the Vikings having won 14 games last year, going “under” would require McCarthy to be five games worse than Darnold, and I just don’t see it.
As for the Bears, they have also made some significant improvements since last season. However, Ben Johnson must prove that he can rectify the issues that Matt Eberflus and his team tried to address with Caleb Williams last season. I’m not sure if he can do it in one offseason, so I’ll put the Bears down for “under” their 7.5.
David Stefano: The Vikings are definitely the over. The Bears should be the over too, but I would not be disappointed if they fail and implode. (I’m hoping the Packers fully implode this season as well.)
Craig Williams: My season prediction is 12-5. That obviously depends on a lot of things going right. The Vikings have two “road” games in Europe, and they’ve typically played well overseas. J.J. McCarthy doesn’t have to come in and dominate. If he can take care of the ball and grow into the game, the Vikings will be ok. I trust Kevin O’Connell to have him prepared.
Sam Buegler: I think I’d hit the over on the Vikings for sure. They may not win 14 games again, but, with all the weapons around JJ and what could be a monster defense, the Vikings will surprise people. As for the Bears… this is a tougher call. I would take the over as well, but barely. My prediction would have them winning eight games and improving, but still being a year away from the playoffs.
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Question 2: If the Bears beat the Vikings, it’s because ________ happened?
BW: I toyed with the whole “because Soldier Field” narrative, but the Vikings have won five straight there. I think the biggest issue will be if they can’t contain Caleb Williams, especially on the boundaries. If he can create with his legs and force the Vikings to respect him that way, he may be able to extend plays and find receivers in a way the Vikings could struggle to keep up with. If the Bears take an early lead, it’ll be a tough test of McCarthy’s mettle in his first NFL start. I’m not saying it happens, but it’s a scenario I can at least envision.
CG: If the Bears beat the Vikings, it’s because the Vikings made too many mistakes, likely from turnovers. The Vikings appear to be the superior team on paper, but this is Soldier Field, where weird things tend to happen. If the Vikings make a few mistakes early and the Bears take advantage, that could put them too far behind the proverbial 8-ball to make up for it. If the Vikings can keep a clean sheet, they should be able to handle this one.
DS: It’s because of special team failures, like muffed punts, coverage team not being able to tackle, or, Odin forbid, Will Reichard missing field goals wide left. *Sigh*
CW: If the Bears beat the Vikings, it’s because turnovers happened. J.J. McCarthy’s first game nerves got to him and the newly built offensive line isn’t cohesive yet.
SB: If the Bears beat the Vikings, it’s because nerves happened. The Purple have the talent to beat the Bears, but it might take McCarthy a game or two to get settled in. The offense might struggle to be on the same page for the first game, especially with no Addison. People will use that and overreact, saying “start Wentz”, but you gotta have patience and know that KOC and JJ will get it worked out.
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Question 3: How do you spend Sunday with the Vikings not playing until Monday?
BW: Some people may not know this about me, but I work in live support for Sportradar. So I’m actually doing in-game statistical research for a game every week on Sunday. This week it’s Bengals-Browns. I’ll usually try to catch most of the late window game and then a fair portion of the Sunday Night game before I turn in for the night to watch shows with my wife before a long week with a couple of kiddos.
CG: Usually, my wife and I end up running errands on non-Vikings Sundays, but I’ll usually put SiriusXM NFL Radio on to keep up with what’s happening around the league. If we don’t have anything like that to do or anything else that’s pressing, you can probably find me in front of the Red Zone Channel, which is truly one of the greatest inventions of the past 20 years or so (until ESPN ruins it because that’s just what ESPN does).
DS: Watching as much football as possible, usually switching between the YouTube Sunday Ticket four-game window setup.
CW: I spend Sunday sitting down at noon and going to bed at the end of Sunday Night Football. It’s my favorite day of the year, and I am actually excited that the Vikings play Monday Night Football. I will enjoy the eight noon games and the Lions-Packers 3:25 showdown. The Bills and Ravens on Sunday Night Football is going to be great. RIP 7 Hours of Commercial Free Football, I will utilize the four-screen split with two TVs and have all games on.
SB: Redzone. Even with the addition of commercials, I still can’t help myself; I love watching ADHD football.
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Question 4: Give me your final line for J.J. McCarthy’s NFL debut (comp/att/pass yds/pass TD/INT)
BW: I’ll say 18-for-24, 220 yards, two touchdown passes and a pick. He’ll also rush four times for 15 yards. All in all, a pretty solid effort.
CG: I’ll say 21-of-31, 276 yards, and a pair of touchdown passes. Kevin O’Connell will do what he needs to do to get McCarthy comfortable early, and I think the new offensive line will be able to keep his jersey clean for most of the evening.
DS: 24/30/280/3/0ish.
CW: 20 for 27, 225 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, four runs for 18 yards
SB: 20/26, 76%, 206, 2 TDs, 1 INT. He will have a good start, and Jets is going to cook yet again, since he averages 116 for season openers in his career.
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Question 5: What’s the food play for Monday night? Does it change based on time of year, opponent or any other factor?
BW: I really don’t know yet. We’ll be coming back from my daughter’s softball practice, so those are usually “feed the kids early and get something late with the wife” nights. Those usually end up being Taco Bell. I really like seeing people who do the meal-based-on-opponent approach, in which case, some deep dish pizza or my personal favorite, Chicago dogs, would be the play. Maybe I’ll swing by Portillo’s.
CG: There’s a pretty good chance that I’ll grab one of those take-and-bake pizzas from one of our local establishments and throw it in before the game starts. Since I have plenty of things to do during the game, it’s sometimes a bit of a race to get home from work, get supper handled, and get everything else out of the way before kickoff.
DS: I order out because I’m usually too busy to cook. It depends on what I’m in the mood for. I spend more time on my beverage decisions. LOL
CW: I’ve been thinking about a Chicago dog. Food definitely changes by opponent and time of year. Cincinnati Chili, Fried Dirty Bird and Waffles, or a freshly sliced cheese board, you have to go all in. Full Irish Breakfast vs Full British Breakfast will be an interesting battle in Weeks 4 and 5.
SB: Wings or Pizza feel only appropriate to celebrate Week 1. That might be a game-time decision, depending on the mood I am in. I am a big proponent of chips and dip for football games, so that will become my standard later on, but I gotta go bigger to start off the year.
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Question 6: What’s your pick for Monday’s game, and why?
BW: I’m taking the Vikings, 24-10. I think Brian Flores’ defense is going to prove too complicated for Caleb Williams to navigate, and the Vikings will lead 14-3 at the half and cruise from there.
CG: I think the Vikings are going to get off to a 1-0 start here in Kevin O’Connell’s fourth season at the helm. I don’t think Ben Johnson has had enough time to work his magic, such as it is, to get Caleb Williams to where he needs to be at this point, and the Vikings’ newly revamped pass rush is going to make things pretty miserable for Williams for four quarters. I don’t think it will be a blowout or anything, but the Vikings still walk out with a W. We’ll call it 24-17, Vikings.
DS: Vikings win (30-17) and there is a glorious start for the J.J. McCarthy era. All because the Bears’ defense, particularly the secondary, will have hard time with the Vikings’ offensive weapons. It will come down to them not being able to cover everyone. That, and Caleb Williams being frustrated by being under pressure all too often, even with the “revamped” line.
CW: I am taking the Vikings 24 – 13. I don’t think the Bears’ offense will be ready to compete on the big stage. The Vikings’ defense is better than the Bears’ defense, and the Vikings have enough weapons to help J.J. McCarthy.
SB: I am taking the Vikings defeating the Bears, 24-21. It will be a close game, and it will come down to Will the Thrill hitting a game-winner to start the season off.
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