The first-overall pick must navigate a daunting schedule anchored by a Week 2 showdown against ageless safety Harrison Smith, who returns to bolster Minnesota's formidable secondary.
The Chicago Bears will face tougher competition this year after winning the NFC North last year.
Outside of their divisional opponents, the Bears are seeing many playoff teams from last year. The Bears open the year with the Carolina Panthers on the road.
Then, they take on the Philadelphia Eagles after playing the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2.
The Bears also see the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars. While it was great that the Bears won the division, they now must play some of the better teams on either side of the conference.
However, there was one team in the NFC North that is bringing back a monster on defense. Vikings safety Harrison Smith was weighing retirement this offseason after playing in the NFL for 14 seasons.
Smith has been a thorn in the side of the Bears for years and is never easy to beat. Smith is a six-time Pro Bowler, a one-time First-Team All-Pro, and has 39 career interceptions with 21.5 sacks.
That alone that put fear in the heart of quarterbacks everywhere.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Saturday that Smith decided to return to the Vikings. He is rejoining the team on a one-year, $12.3 million deal per Spotrac.
It doesn't help that Williams has just one win over the Vikings in his career. Now they are bringing Smith back into the equation to make things even harder.
Williams lost both games versus the Vikings as a rookie. The Vikings then beat the Bears 27-24 in the season opener last year. Chicago needed a game-winning field goal to beat Minnesota in the second meeting of the 2025 season.
The Vikings have not only added Smith to their defense again but also changed their starting quarterback this year.
Minnesota added former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray this offseason, and he won the job over J.J. McCarthy. Murray has thrown for 20,460 passing yards, 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions.
Murray is definitely an upgrade over McCarthy. McCarthy ended his first year as the starter with 1,632 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The Bears and Vikings meet for the first time in 2026 in Week 2. Luckily for the Bears, they play the Vikings at home instead of having two consecutive road games to open the year.
Chicago can avenge last season's loss in the season opener on Sept. 20 at noon CT on Fox.
