EAGAN, Minn. — Jonathan James McCarthy's era as Minnesota's starting QB is close.

Despite a difficult first year begotten by a season-ending injury last August, J.J., 22, has demonstrated qualities often sought in a franchise quarterback. He's a winner (see his 27-1 record at Michigan and implemented "psycho" perfectionism), a gamer (he has brought a great version of himself to the biggest stages) and most importantly a leader, evident in his speech and body language – and confirmed by his recent captaincy.

McCarthy's plan for his NFL debut is to accept the inbound emotion, let it go, and play freely.

He is "extremely thrilled" and "absolutely can't wait to get on the plane with the boys and get out there."

A trip to Chicago has extra meaning for McCarthy – his hometown La Grange Park is a few hops, skips and jumps from the hallowed playing grounds – as well as the Vikings striving for a strong divisional start.

To prepare the team for "unscouted" looks, Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and coordinators Matt Daniels, Brian Flores and Wes Phillips reiterated the importance of fundamentals, technique and communication.

The week's theme, and crux of McCarthy's first game, is do the simple things right and react to the rest.

"Everything about the way Coach O'Connell talks about playing the quarterback position is success in the simple," the youngest 2025 Week 1 NFL starting quarterback said. "There's just pure excitement, pure confidence."

Here's a countdown of things to know ahead of Monday Night Football at Soldier Field.

Note: Vikings.com is modifying the Game Preview format with some returning features below, including answering a couple fan questions. We plan to post Game Previews on Thursday in weeks with Sunday games.

Vikings Uniform

The Vikings will wear their modern white jerseys and purple pants, the look most commonly used by Minnesota in road contests. Vikings players will wear a 70 helmet decal featuring Jim Marshall's signature all season to pay tribute to the Vikings Ring of Honor member and 14-time team captain who passed away at age 87 this summer.

3 Vikings Storylines

1. Star gazing

Statuses of top Vikings performers Christian Darrisaw, Justin Jefferson and Harrison Smith were updated by Head Coach Kevin O'Connell in his Wednesday press conference. Firstly, the phenom receiver, who had a very mild hamstring strain and did not participate in the bulk of training camp out of maximal caution, is back in the mix and healthy for the start of his sixth season. Jefferson needs five receptions to reach 500 for his career and become the youngest player, at 26 years and 84 days, to hit that milestone.

Furthermore, Jefferson already has more receiving yards (7,432) than any player in Bears history and enters 2025 with 34 100-yard performances in five seasons. Randy Moss (38) and Julio Jones (35) own the most such outings through six seasons. Jefferson has averaged 98.0 receiving yards in Week 1 games.

Darrisaw's availability has been in question after he crushed his rehab from an ACL injury that capsized his 2024 campaign late last October. With repetitions steadily ramping up, Darrisaw practiced Wednesday and rested Thursday to gauge his body's response to game week. The final plan for Darrisaw will take into consideration the long season. If he's a no-go Monday, Justin Skule will take the left flank.

Lastly, Smith has rejoined walk-throughs after dealing with an illness ahead of his 14^th season. The NFL's active leader in interceptions (37) plays a unique role in Flores' system, predicated on his experience and acumen, that can't be replicated by the "next man up."

As for the other safeties on the depth chart: Joshua Metellus is back after re-signing an extension. Same with Theo Jackson, who has made the most of opportunities before. Jay Ward logged immense reps in camp. And Tavierre Thomas is a veteran addition with an impactful presence on special teams.

2. Trench makeover

Forty-nine sacks is the bar for Flores' defense. Last year's group tallied that many, but with only five contributed by interior players. Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave have been welcomed to the pressure party.

The new duo of veteran sacksters will anchor a front seven that returns Pro Bowl outside linebackers Jonathan Greenard (more on him later) and Andrew Van Ginkel, as well as ascending young interior linemen Jalen Redmond and Levi Drake Rodriguez. Rookies Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Elijah Williams round out a fearsome front line that consistently challenged Minnesota's offense in training camp sessions.

The Vikings improved significantly on the flip side, too.

Twenty-fourth overall pick Donovan Jackson has made daily improvements at left guard, many times learning as quickly as his next rep, O'Connell said, without watching film or needing a period of position drills to rectify mistakes. Helping him – and the offense as a whole – is 32-year-old center Ryan Kelly, a force of steadiness that extends across the line. Kelly's teammate in Indianapolis, Will Fries, is aligning to his right, again, and looks every bit like the gigantic human-mover that could transform Minnesota's run game. Tackles Darrisaw (or Skule) and Brian O'Neill should form a solid pocket for McCarthy by sealing edges and execute second-level blocks to spring lead ballcarriers Aaron Jones, Sr., and Jordan Mason.

O'Connell commented on getting a sense of the retooled lines' potential in practices:

"I think the one thing we've seen is we had a lot of really good work, competitive work, against each other, and that's not just in the competitive 11-on-11 sets. That's doing crossover work with each other, that's working 1-on-1 pass rush every day, that's working inside-run drill, that's seeing the physicality and the play style of those guys come to life, while me emphasizing it to our whole team on a daily basis," he said. "It's been fun to see guys that we really targeted for purposeful reasons, and then the best part has been just seeing it come together. But we haven't seen that whole group out there on either side yet."

3. On the return game

Myles Price is pulling double duty as the Vikings No. 1 kickoff returner and punt returner.

Who is Myles Price?

He is an undrafted rookie who initially thrived at Texas Tech and wrapped his collegiate career with Indiana, which advanced to the College Football Playoffs and provided him with big-game experience.

Price is 5-foot-9 and 183 pounds. He's a tweener offensively, a receiver built like a running back, with upside out of the slot and major chops in the return game. In five college seasons, Price returned 42 punts for 585 yards. That's a 13.9-yard average. In the preseason, he returned a kick 81 yards and a punt 28 yards – granted the latter was nullified by a penalty – and made a touchdown-saving tackle on kickoff.

Price has "supreme confidence," Daniels said, and the requisite blend of experience and skill for the jobs.

"I think the biggest thing with this guy is that no moment feels too big for him," Daniels acknowledged. "There was no signing bonus with this guy. He came in for free, for the love of the game, and he prepares the right way. He tracks it well, catches it well … and when the ball is in his hands, good things happen."

Daniels added that Price is asking the right questions and trusting the coaching and schematics.

"I feel really confident in Miles being that dual returner," Daniels said. "Kind of a sneaky tackle-breaker. He really has good contact balance, so you feel good about him being back there as a kick returner as well. But when you look at what he's put on tape, what he's been able to do, I'm excited about this guy."

2 Things 'Bout the Bears

1. A Dennis Allen defense

What can McCarthy and Co. expect to face from former New Orleans Saints Head Coach Dennis Allen?

Here's Phillips' scouting report on the Bears defensive coordinator, who held the same title with the Saints for seven seasons (2015-21) and had two different units ranked in the Top 5 in scoring defense:

"Sound scheme-wise, physical. He had a really good group for a lot of years in New Orleans. It was a tough defense to play against," Phillips said. "He has a certain style, particularly on the edges, where there's a lot of bump coverage. They're going to challenge receivers; blitz packages on third down, some of the unique stuff that he does from some different dime groupings where you got a lot of linebackers and DBs on the field and they're all kind of moving everywhere. So [those areas] take some prep."

Phillips discussed the Vikings screen game as one way to alleviate pressure.

"Sometimes it minimizes the defense's calls, as well, if you hit them on a screen," Phillips said, noting success of screens can depend on having a smart, instinctive group up front, which Minnesota has unquestionably. "They might think twice if they had a pressure called – if you gash them on something."

Similar to Chicago's offensive line, which redid its interior, acquiring guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and center Drew Dalman, the Bears front seven added veteran d-linemen Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo. Those two, with Gervon Dexter, Sr., and edge rusher Montez Sweat, will anchor a defense that returns playmaking linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, and rangy safety Kevin Byard III.

Bears star cornerback Jaylon Johnson (calf/groin injuries) is on this week's injury report. The player behind him on the depth chart is Nahshon Wright; he spent 2024 on the Vikings practice squad.

2. What makes Ben Johnson tough?

Johnson was poached by Chicago and tapped as the franchise's 19th head coach in January.

In his Detroit tenure from 2022-24, he coordinated the Lions offense to No. 1 standings in points per game, total yards per game, pass yards per game, red zone touchdown percentage and passer rating.

Elite personnel factored into Johnson's brilliance, but so did his design and spool of plays.

"What doesn't make [Johnson's offense] tough?" Flores asked rhetorically. "It's the run game, it's the pass game, it's the play-action game, it's the screen game, it's the [shot]gun runs, under [center] runs, under [center] play-action, [shot]gun play-action, I mean, anything – third down, red zone, all of it is, I would say he does a good job of putting it all together. Things that look like one thing, there's two, three, four, five things out of it, so it really boils down to your techniques, your fundamentals, just your overall cohesion and communication as a defense. A lot of it is trying to break that. He's done an incredible job."

While it's fair to anticipate an adjustment phase in Johnson's new endeavor, the Bears offense has exceptional talent, beginning with McCarthy's draft classmate: No. 1 overall selection Caleb Williams.

Williams' rookie slate was marred by 68 sacks, tied for the third-most in a single season all time, and a post-bye week fizzle. But still, it featured plenty of promise. Williams accounted for 83.6 percent of the club's offense a year ago, the highest by a rookie since 1970 and highest in the NFL in 2024 – Cincinnati's Joe Burrow (82.4) was second in 2020. Williams also had an impressive nine-game streak sans an interception.

Chicago's corps of skill players are running back D'Andre Swift and receivers DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. It swapped its options in the slot, letting Keenan Allen walk and signing veteran Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency along with drafting Luther Burden III in the second round. Additionally, the Bears chose former Michigan tight end and one of McCarthy's top college targets, Colston Loveland, with pick No. 10.

1 Key Matchup

Jonathan Greenard vs. Bears tackles

The Vikings pass rush is deep. Greenard is the team's incumbent sack and pressure king, though, so we're eager to see his encore – and there's no better place to start for him than Chicago, where he had a pair of sacks in 2024, including one that took an eternity (around nine seconds) and relentless energy.

Last season, Greenard aligned off the right edge on 186 more snaps than the left, according to Pro Football Focus. If that tendency stays intact, he will face Bears left tackle Braxton Jones for the majority of his opps on Monday Night Football. Darnell Wright, a first-rounder in 2023, is the other bookend.

Ultimately, Greenard's active hustle and vocal leadership are invaluable regardless of who attempts to clog his path to the quarterback. Flores shared some insight as to why the first-time captain may be due for more in 2025.

"From a football IQ standpoint, from an understanding of his skill set versus the skill set of other guys, he's certainly taken a step, and whether or not that translates, we'll see," Flores said, adding that having a year in the system under his belt is essential for Greenard. "I think he's still an ascending player, so yes, I do think there's more, and he's certainly worked to give himself an opportunity to make that happen."

Top Quote of Week 1

Aaron Jones, Sr., on what it means to be selected a captain:

"It meant everything to me. It's truly an honor. That's what I work for. I lead by example, not more so by words, so it just showed me that my work is paying off, and my teammates see the hard work that I'm putting in, and they also see that I care about them. It's definitely something I work for, put a lot of hours into. It's funny, every time I bring my son up here, probably three, four times a week, and as soon as you walk into this door, they have a picture of the captains up there.

"All last year, 'Dad, why aren't you a captain? Dad, how do you get up there?' And it was every time we'd walk in, and I just told him, 'You've got to be voted by your teammates. Maybe next year. I'm working on it.' And so I called him as soon as I found out, and I don't think he quite got it until I brought home the C [patch] with the star on it. He's like, 'Oh, you're gonna have a picture in there when I walk in? Am I gonna see it?' So then we walk in [Tuesday], he's like, where is your picture?' I think it means a lot to him, too, just to walk in and I just, I get to share special moments with him like that. I told him the other day that you get to see me live my dream, and I get you get to live it with me. So that shows you that you can achieve any dream that you put your mind to. So definitely special."

From the Inbox – by Craig Peters

I can't tell you how thrilled we are to have Adam back!! Now it feels like the team is back!!

SKOL,

— Kathie Haggar

And …

Having Adam Thielen back might just be the confidence boost both fans and players may need. Having an experienced player not just with the NFL but with J.J. and with the Vikes will be both an amazing opportunity and an absolute privilege. He has been an amazing asset before, and I have a feeling it will be the same. My question is will there be a major offensive change from last year, with J.J. have some experience with Adam in the offseason and not having as much with some WRs like Justin in training camp?

SKOL!!

— Ellie in MPLS

The excitement of returning Thielen home is more than just being about "the feels," although Hockenson and Jefferson mentioned the vibes Thielen has brought in his return. Lindsey Young posted this feature on Friday for what it's been like for the trio to reunite and pick up where the group left off in 2022.

VEN's "The Voyage" spotlighted the Metellus extension as well as the first few moments of the Thielen trade in the first episode of 2025.

Folks can see the smiles and hear the enthusiasm in players and coaches voices, as well as Thielen's rambunctious-in-a-good-way energy that didn't end when he turned 35 a couple of weeks ago.

"It kind of feels like I never really left, to be honest," Thielen said Thursday. "You get back in and a lot of the same people around the building, obviously, different players, but you start to learn the players. I've always enjoyed that part, where guys are from, how they got there, what schools they went to, how many years they've been in the league. You kind of start to build these relationships, and you start to try to get to know guys. And I really enjoy that, so it's been good."

I think McCarthy will be guided to read the coverages and determine where to go with the football. "Jets" is clear for takeoff on Monday, and Thielen and Hockenson will be ready for whatever, as well. Thielen's even listed as Minnesota's backup punt returner. Thielen said the Panthers had recently advised him they had the same role in mind for him. He offered up advice for Price, who also made the roster as an undrafted free agent.

" 'Take advantage of that.' I remember when I was a young player and I got that opportunity to go back there, and it was like, I didn't get the opportunity to get the ball in my hands, and that was my chance," Thielen recalled from his early days. "Go take advantage of it, go have fun once you get that ball in your hands. Go be special.' "

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