The NFL is officially here! The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings will have to wait an extra day as they will battle on Monday Night Football on ESPN/ABC. The players and coaches will enjoy their Sunday morning/evenings watching football (more than likely on NFL RedZone) with the rest of us.
The Bears were one of the more talked-about franchises this offseason with the addition of Ben Johnson as head coach. Many are expecting the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator to pick up where he left off and build a dynamic offense for the Bears. Quarterback Caleb Johnson has many weapons available. However, the defense may be a bit short-handed against the Vikings on Monday.
A recent article from 670 The Score mentions that the Bears' defense could be without two defensive starters in this game. The good news is that Jaylon Johnson is trending in the right direction, but T.J. Edwards has not practiced.
“Bears Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson (groin/calf) remained limited in practice Friday, while linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring) did not practice once again. The team will issue game estimates on Saturday.”
Johnson is one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. He backs up his smack talk by establishing himself as a premier man-to-man corner who loves intercepting the ball. He finished with only two interceptions last year but picked off four passes in 2023. Last year, Johnson had his career high in tackles with 53 while even having 6.5 stuffs. He was making plays all over the field last year.
Edwards has been a tackling machine his entire career. He began with the Philadelphia Eagles and is now entering his third season with the Bears. He has 284 tackles (170 solo) in two seasons with Chicago and hopes to keep his foot on the gas pedal in 2025. The hope is that he will be good to go by Monday. He has a few days to get healthy, dealing with a hamstring injury. The issue is that those types of injuries can linger if you are not careful.
