EAGAN, Minn. — Football games start counting this week, and it doesn't get any more real than kicking off the regular-season with a division game on Monday Night Football.

Buckle up, everyone.

The Vikings will travel to Chicago to face the Bears, where J.J. McCarthy will make his first start in his hometown.

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell spoke with media members Wednesday, noting he expects a raucous atmosphere at Soldier Field.

"It's going to be a challenge. Expecting great energy and excitement for the home team there," O'Connell said. "An NFC North game to kick off the season, the most competitive division in football. Every team feels really good about their organization and where they're at.

"It's going to be competition at the highest levels of our league," he added.

The stakes will be high, but the Vikings are confident in McCarthy's preparation and readiness for such a stage.

"We've tried to build a world where running the offense and playing quarterback is a collection of really small things. Some would even consider them routine things. Can we do routine things routinely?" O'Connell said. "I think [McCarthy has] a lot of really good experience at the collegiate level, in front of 100,000-plus people, but it's still Monday Night Football.

"[But] we don't just start talking about playing quarterback in the NFL this week. For him, it's about doing a lot of the things that make up playing quarterback for us in our offense, with the guys in the huddle with him – we're really excited about that group," O'Connell continued. "And then locking in on the nuances and subtleties of the game plan, that hopefully by Monday we can make them as routine as possible.

"Then the ball gets kicked off, and he knows he's definitely not going to be alone out there, from a standpoint of the coaching staff and myself right there with him," O'Connell added.

Here are four other takeaways from the head coach's media session:

1. Injury updates on Darrisaw, Jefferson & Smith

O'Connell provided updates on Christian Darrisaw, Justin Jefferson and Harrison Smith, all of whom have missed practice time.

Jefferson was held out of the bulk of training camp out of utmost precaution around a minor hamstring injury, but O'Connell said he's "had some great work" since returning to practice.

"I think he really capitalized on that time. He wasn't just in recovery mode and getting back to a certain baseline," O'Connell said. "He elevated that baseline by getting stronger, by really focusing in on some things that would allow him to have a fast transition back. And that's what he's done.

"I don't want to speak for him, but conversations that he and I have had have been very positive about how he feels," O'Connell added. "At this point, he just feels great about being back out there with his teammates full, and running and moving and catching the way he's been, it's been really encouraging."

Smith participated in Wednesday's walk-through session but would not practice, O'Connell said.

"The hope is we can ramp him up," O'Connell explained. "He's back in the building and meetings and building up his workload for the week, so we'll see where he's at throughout the remainder of the week."

O'Connell feels positive about Darrisaw, who suffered a season-ending knee injury Week 8 last season, and said he'll be evaluated during the week.

Minnesota's left tackle ramped up through the offseason program and participated during training camp, where he often rotated with left tackle Justin Skule to gauge how his knee responded to the activity.

O'Connell said Darrisaw has "checked every box from a workload standpoint" and noted he would practice Wednesday.

"Always with C.D., with how committed he's been to taking the daily approach, we've done the same with him," O'Connell emphasized. "So we're going to progress forward and be smart, but we're going to give him every opportunity to practice and see how he feels and then, ultimately, in regards to his availability, we'll make that decision as the week progresses."

2. Donovan Jackson prepares for debut

Part of the unit protecting McCarthy is 2025 first-round draft pick Donovan Jackson, also readying to make his regular-season debut.

The left guard hasn't played in an NFL game outside of the preseason, but he has gotten ample experience throughout the offseason program going against Minnesota's stout defensive line.

"One of the reasons it's been so seamless for him is the transition from when he first got here to his first reps in training camp, and then the days that followed, of constant improvement, rep over rep improvement – sometimes in the same period, in the same drill," O'Connell said. "He might get beat on something or be over-aggressive, and a veteran player like Jon Allen or [Javon] Hargrave uses that against him, and he learns how to improve without having to go upstairs, watch the tape and have a fundamentals and [individual] period to fix it."

O'Connell added that playing next to a 10-year vet like center Ryan Kelly, who joined the Vikings via free agency this spring, is tremendously helpful for Jackson.

3. Confidence in backup QBs

There's zero doubt that McCarthy has the reins to the 2025 Vikings.

O'Connell knows all too well the importance of being well-prepared should something happen to the starting QB, however. Which is why he's happy to express how much confidence in has in veteran Carson Wentz, whom Minnesota signed last week, and in rookie passer Max Brosmer.

Wentz is listed as McCarthy's backup, making Brosmer the designated "emergency" third quarterback on game days. That means he only would be able to enter a game if McCarthy and Wentz both suffered injuries.

"Although he's the third guy and can only play under certain circumstances, he's in the building yesterday with J.J. and they're going through the game plans as they're being finalized, and we're presenting them with information they can take on their own and kind of get a head start before we can have them today," O'Connell said, "and knowing a lot of the things Max did throughout training camp with limited reps, that's why they call it the emergency QB.

"If it was a situation like that, I can tell you right now, I would have a lot of confidence in Max to go in and do the things required to move the team," he added.

O'Connell also has been impressed with Wentz's ability to get caught up on Minnesota's offense quickly.

Not only is Wentz incredibly smart, O'Connell pointed out, but he also has "some connection points" to the Vikings offensive system, having spent the 2023 season with the L.A. Rams and Sean McVay.

Add to that the fact he worked in Kansas City with Head Coach Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes II last season, and Wentz certainly has quality experience.

"There's a certain amount of things we're asking our guys to do," O'Connell said. "We want to have a menu. We've got some things that are kind of in every phase of our offense, and you make sure he knows those things, and then just like everybody else — just with a little less time on task — he's learning the game plan as we go."

4. Ham's leadership remains

Vikings fullback C.J. Ham is starting the season on Injured Reserve — Designated to Return, which means he will have to miss at least the first four games.

Asked about entering the season without the former team captain and 10-year vet, O'Connell pointed out that while Ham isn't on the field, he's still very much involved with the team.

"He's been such a rock for our organization for so long. Long before I was fortunate enough to be here," O'Connell said. "The best thing about C.J. in this time is, if you're not on the practice field seeing that he's not practicing, you would never know he's not out there. He is in meetings. Even today, when we're talking about plays and installing things, he's voicing some things to the running backs, to maybe the tight ends.

"And then he is clearly a player that his teammates look to, to give them confidence, to solidify what we're all about as an organization," O'Connell added. "I can't wait to get him back, and he's on the road to coming back healthy, 100 percent, and helping us sooner rather than later."

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