The Minnesota Vikings will hit the road on Sunday afternoon for a Week 2 divisional matchup against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Both teams enter at 1-0 after impressive season-opening performances, with Minnesota beating Green Bay 39-22 and Chicago exploding for 59 points against Carolina. With the Vikings already owning one NFC North victory, another win would give Minnesota a massive early advantage in the division despite once again being without starting quarterback Kyler Murray.

The Vikings could hardly have asked for a better opening result, especially considering how quickly their plans changed. Murray suffered a concussion early against Green Bay, forcing Carson Wentz into action, and the veteran backup responded by helping Minnesota complete a convincing comeback victory over one of its biggest rivals. Now Murray remains sidelined for Week 2, meaning Wentz gets another opportunity to lead the offense in a game with significant early-season implications.

If Minnesota can somehow leave Chicago at 2-0, the storyline becomes even more impressive. Both wins would have come against NFC North opponents, and both would have been earned with Wentz taking the majority of the snaps at quarterback. That would give the Vikings an enormous head start in a division expected to be highly competitive and allow them to weather Murray’s absence without losing ground.

The challenge is that Chicago looked every bit as impressive in Week 1. The Bears scored 59 points against Carolina and immediately showed why their offense generated so much optimism entering the season. Caleb Williams and the rest of Chicago’s offensive group will present a much different challenge than Green Bay did, especially if the Bears can maintain anything close to the explosiveness they showed in their opener.

That puts additional pressure on Wentz to avoid mistakes and keep Minnesota within striking distance. His Week 1 performance was outstanding, but asking a veteran backup to replicate that level of production on the road against another division opponent is difficult. Minnesota still has elite weapons around him, most notably Justin Jefferson, and enough defensive talent to create problems for Chicago, but this game will likely require a more sustainable offensive performance than simply counting on another dramatic comeback.

For the Vikings, even staying competitive would reinforce some of the optimism created in Week 1. A win, however, would completely change the early outlook of the season. Starting 2-0 with both victories coming inside the division and with the backup quarterback under center would put Minnesota in an outstanding position before Murray even returns.

Following this contest, the Vikings will remain on the road for a Week 3 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 27. Minnesota would love to enter that game at 2-0 after navigating two difficult NFC North matchups to open the season.