Fresh off dominant Week 1 victories, the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings prepare to face off in a Week 2 NFC North showdown at Soldier Field. Here are three key storylines Nicholas Moreano is watching heading into Sunday's matchup.
The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings are coming off Week 1 wins to start off the 2026 NFL season.
Ben Johnson's team set a franchise record for points scored in a season opener with their 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers. In the Vikings' 39-22 Week 1 win over the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota became the first team in NFL history to trail by 12 or more points with under 20 minutes left in regulation and still win by 17 or more points, according to OptaSTATS.
Both teams started off hot on offense in Week 1, but will that continue in this NFC North matchup at Soldier Field on Sunday?
We'll find out that answer soon, but in the meantime, here are the three things that I want to see happen in the Week 2 matchup.
Offense: Sharing the Love(land)
In the Bears' offensive explosion against the Panthers, second-year tight end Colston Loveland didn't record a reception. The only other time that happened was in the Week 2 loss to the Detroit Lions last season.
Loveland had opportunities against the Panthers, but the "ball just didn't find him," according to offensive coordinator Press Taylor. The Bears' tight end has a tough matchup against the aggressive, blitz-heavy Vikings defense, but he is far too talented of a player to be shutout for the second-straight game.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will have to find answers quickly when the Vikings blitz, and that should create opportunities for Loveland. The Bears might not have the offensive output they did in Week 1, but Loveland should be primed for more looks than the two targets he finished with against the Panthers.
Defense: Corners Step Up
After the Week 1 performance against the Carolina Panthers, starting outside cornerback Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson need to bounce back against the Vikings. The starting duo gave up 202 receiving yards and two touchdowns in last Sunday's 59-37 win.
Even though Vikings backup quarterback Carson Wentz will start for Minnesota, Johnson and Stevenson still need to prove they can challenge receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. Jefferson led the Vikings with eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns, while Addison finished with just two targets in the team's 39-22 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Bears defensive pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach Al Harris told reporters on Thursday that he wants to do a better job of "feeding" the entire secondary confidence. The veteran cornerbacks can instill some confidence in their position coach and the fans if they can contain the Vikings' receivers in the Week 2 divisional matchup.
Special Teams: Clean The Dirty Kicks
Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos started his 2026 season with a penalty on his first kickoff of the year. He kicked the ball 43 yards from Chicago's 35-yard line to Carolina's 22-yard line, short of the landing zone, which placed the ball on the Panthers' 40-yard line.
The veteran kicker was penalized for the same penalty late in the third quarter. Both times the Panthers couldn't capitalize on the generous field position, but that won't always be the case for a Bears defense that didn't have its best overall game in Week 1.
Santos' dirty ball didn't hit consistently against the Panthers, but special teams coordinator Richard Hightower sounded confident his kicker will get it corrected.
"Cairo was top in the leagues at dirty balls last year," Hightower said. "We're not going to change who we are, and that's what I like about Ben [Johnson]. He's super aggressive. We're not going to change who we are because we have a couple of plays that didn't go the way we wanted them to go. We're going to make sure that we get it corrected. He's working on it. He worked on it a ton last year. It was a huge factor for us."
This week the Bears will face kick returner Myles Price, who returned five kicks for 179 yards in the Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. The Bears' special teams unit will have to sharpen up the details to ensure the Vikings don't have any big returns on Sunday.
