NFL Monday Night Football Picks & Player Props: Vikings vs. Bears
It’s hard to believe, but we’re through the first Sunday of regular-season NFL action. Now, we look to Monday Night Football to cap off what was a chaotic and beautiful mess of football this week.
On Monday Night Football, we have an NFC North battle as the Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings.
In Week 1, we had another NFC North showdown with the Green Bay Packers beating the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.
This Week 1 matchup between Chicago and Minnesota has numerous storylines, but the top ones for each team include Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy making his NFL debut and Bears head coach Ben Johnson making his head coaching debut with the Bears.
See my best NFL Monday Night Football picks & player props below.
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Week’s 1 Best NFL Monday Night Football Picks
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Vikings -1.5 (-108)
Yes, the Vikings are on the road, and yes, it’s J.J. McCarthy’s first NFL start, but this pick demonstrates my absolute trust in Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.
O’Connell has routinely shown his ability to gameplan for any quarterback, whether it’s Kirk Cousins, Jaren Hall, Nick Mullens, Josh Dobbs or Sam Darnold; he finds ways to get it done.
Now he has a quarterback in McCarthy, who I think will be able to play point guard in this first game and make the high-percentage throws.
The Bears have a fairly tough secondary, but I expect many passes to be directed toward running back Aaron Jones and tight end T.J. Hockenson. Of course, wide receiver Justin Jefferson will also get his share.
In his final season at Michigan, McCarthy completed 79.3% of his passes on throws of 0-9 yards downfield for 1,114 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
I wouldn’t expect a high yards-per-attempt average from McCarthy here, but with those throws, his legs and the complement of the rushing attack from Jones and Jordan Mason, the Vikings will likely secure a win on the road in McCarthy’s debut.
Rome Odunze 50+ Receiving Yards (-110)
While the Bears’ coaching staff has been completely overhauled, it’s worth noting that Rome Odunze saw a 19.1% target share when Keenan Allen wasn’t on the field last season.
Of course, there have been additions like rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III, but that doesn’t mean we completely overlook Odunze.
Last season, Odunze had 54 catches for 734 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 13.6 yards per catch. Odunze had 50+ receiving yards in just three games, but remember that quarterback Caleb Williams was a rookie, and their head coach got fired midseason. The Bears now have an offensive-minded head coach in Johnson.
Additionally, I’m not terribly scared of the Vikings’ new outside cornerbacks, Isaiah Rodgers and Jeff Okudah.
Odunze is the type of player who can gain 50 yards on just two catches. I’ll take a chance.
D’Andre Swift Under 2.5 Receptions (-154)
In 2024, D’Andre Swift had just a 9.9% team target share. Without Allen on the field, his target share barely went up, increasing to just 10%. Allen is gone, Rome Odunze is in his second season and the team added Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III via the draft.
Last season, Swift had two receptions or fewer in 10 out of 17 games. He also only ran routes on 51.6% of the Bears’ dropbacks last season.
The odds aren’t in Swift’s favor to catch many passes in this game.