LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked 68 times last season. Through 10 weeks in his rookie season, he’d been sacked 38 times.
Through ten weeks this year, that number is down to 14.
“Part of it is the guys I’ve got up front; they’ve been awesome for me and for us,” Williams said Wednesday. “Kudos to them, and love those guys up front. Then the other half of it is, I think, (coach Ben Johnson’s) emphasis on me getting the ball out. Then, when it’s time to go make a play, make the plays; when it’s time to throw it away, throw it away. So, just doing a better job with that overall this year. I’ve got to keep getting better with that and try and lower the sacks.”
The difference is noticeable, not just on the field but in the win column. Keeping Williams upright is leading to victories. But the Bears will have their work cut out for them on Sunday against the most blitz-heavy defense in the NFL.
The Minnesota Vikings, courtesy of defensive coordinator Brian Flores, blitz 50.0 percent of their snaps. The next closest team is the Kansas City Chiefs with a 40.0 percent blitz rate.
Yet in Week 1, when the Vikings came back in the fourth quarter to steal a win at Soldier Field, Flores only dialed up extra rushers 34.9 percent of the time. Bears QB Caleb Williams was sacked twice.
Last season, the Vikings only blitzed Williams on 28.1 percent of his dropbacks, below their season average of a 46.4 percent blitz rate. He was sacked five times in two games.
“(Flores) is game to game as far as what he’s going to show you, Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said Thursday. “They’ve done a great job of generating pressure, just as a defensive front. And so every game is a new one when you’re going against them. I think that the first week we played against them, it’s different than what we’re going to get this week. We’re a different team, they’re a different team.”
How different? I guess we’ll see on Sunday.
That brings us to our predictions for Week 11 …
Adam Jahns
2025 record: 7-2
It will be fascinating to see how Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores attacks Caleb Williams in Round 2, especially after the quarterback’s scrambling success last week. But the same is true for Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen vs. J.J. McCarthy. All that said, I’d bet on Williams making more plays than McCarthy in their second matchup. And the Bears will win because of them.
Bears 23, Vikings 20
[READ | Insider Analysis: Ben Johnson gets what he wants — a Bears run at the NFC North]
Adam Hoge
2025 record: 7-2
There are many reasons to be worried about this matchup. The Vikings defense is playing very well right now and will probably frustrate Bears fans for a good portion of their Sunday afternoon. And while the Vikings’ offense has been far from efficient, the Bears defense will probably give up a ton of yards again and rely on takeaways to survive. This feels like a coin flip game, but I’m siding with the Bears for two reasons: 1) Because I believe Ben Johnson will have answers against Brian Flores and 2) I trust Caleb Williams more than J.J. McCarthy.
Bears 24, Vikings 23
Mark Carman
2025 record: 7-2
Can they do it on the road in the division against a Vikings team that is less than stable? I think they can. The Bears should be motivated to avenge Week 1. They should feel confident having won six of their last seven. Caleb Williams has to feel great after engineering another game winning drive. But … I still need to see more to predict the Bears will win on the road in the division against a Vikings team that has to have it.
Heartbreaker.
Vikings 31, Bears 30
Greg Braggs Jr.
2025 record: 6-3
Will I ever pick the Bears to lose this year? Probably not. Only one I regret was the Detroit game. Outside of that, it’s felt realistic to think that, right? I think my point is the team is giving me such confidence to make these weekly predictions like that. I have never been more excited week to week for game day like I have this year since we started our coverage at CHGO. So I’m just gonna keep enjoying it.
Bottom line. If the Bears seriously want to make the playoffs, they have to win this game.
Bears 24, Vikings 20
Patrick Norton
2025 record: 5-4
If the Bears have a chance in this game, they’ll need a healthy Jaquan Brisker. Brisker hasn’t practiced this week after suffering a back injury last Sunday against the New York Giants. It didn’t look comfortable in the moment, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only person who feared he’d suffered his sixth concussion in six years. Alas, it’s apparently a back ailment, and despite not practicing on Wednesday and Thursday, I think there’s a decent chance he participates on Friday and plays Sunday.
Ben Johnson’s Bears offense will score at least 20 points, something they’ve done eight times in nine tries, and Caleb Williams might have some more magic in him in a late-game scenario. Johnson also has an excellent record in making adjustments from game to game, which should lean in the Bears’ favor after narrowly losing in Week 1.
However, Minnesota is a tough place to play, and Brian Flores and Kevin O’Connell are tough coaches to beat. The saving grace for the Bears might be that J.J. McCarthy still hasn’t really had a chance to do anything noteworthy in the league, but this Vikings team is tough to figure out. Bears have their work cut out for them and could win on Sunday, but I have to ride with the home team.
Vikings 31, Bears 23
Stephen Nicholas
2025 record: 5-4
If you watched CHGO Bears on Thursday, you heard me drop this unfortunate stat: Aaron Jones is 15-1 against the Bears in his career with 14 TDs. Yikes. Unfortunately, I’m predicting that pain continues.
I like Luther Burden to go over 25 receiving yards (you can get that at plus-money) as he begins to get incorporated into the offense more. But the Bears’ run of good fortune ends in Minnesota as they continue to search for their first divisional win.
Vikings 27, Bears 21
Corey Wootton
2025 record: 5-4
Bears 34, Vikings 27
Jerry Azumah
2025 record: 5-4
Bears 23, Vikings 21
Lance Briggs
2025 record: 4-5
Bears 28, Vikings 24
