Vikings and Bears close out Week 1 with a high-octane divisional duel.

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears +1.5, 44

Week one's action closes with a divisional duel that features the rookie quarterback as the road favorite.

In one of the NFL 's oldest rivalries, the Vikings come to the Windy City with JJ McCarthy making his second season debut.

The market didn't mind his lack of experience and made Minnesota a 1.5-point favorite (when the line had opened the other way around June), despite visiting a Bears team that debuted an offensive genius as head coach with the first pick in last year's draft.

Facing Flores' complicated defensive schemes is no stranger to Ben Johnson, as he averaged 30 points and over 400 yards in four games as the Lions ' offensive coordinator.

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Can he achieve the same success with Caleb Williams ? To protect him, they bolstered their offensive line during the offseason, adding guard Joe Thuney, among two other reinforcements.

Last year, the Vikings surprised everyone, especially Sam Darnold, who came in as a pinch-hitter when JJ McCarthy got hurt before the season started.

The offense is virtually the same, with Jefferson, Addison, Hockenson, and Jones. It should be practically plug and play for the rookie.

Now facing a shaky secondary, they can leverage their reinforced offensive line to establish the run and then explode with Jefferson on long passes, keeping the home defense in turmoil.

In a division as close as this one, with three of the four teams making the playoffs last year, there's no time to waste.

The Bears are aware of this; they don't want to be left out again, and they've opted to renew their offensive-minded coaching staff.

They're going to have a tough time defending in this game, and while I think they'll come out on top, both teams will be able to advance and score, so my inclination is to go with the over at 44 points.

I leave you the link to our YouTube channel, where I chat every week with my friend Cesar about all the NFL games: https://www.youtube.com/@desdelaslineas/streams

BY ALBERTO J. REENS

X: @ajreens