Vegas gives Vikings bulletin board material they didn't need vs. Bears in Week 1

Nobody wins in the offseason quite like the Chicago Bears do. Ben Johnson can do no wrong and Caleb Williams is still their newly appointed savior. This team finished in last place in the NFC North for a reason. While I do think the Bears will be markedly better this season, have you seen what the betting line did ahead of their Week 1 home game vs. the division rival Minnesota Vikings. It is wild!

John Ewing of BetMGM pointed out that the line for the Vikings at Bears Week 1 game has gone from Chicago getting 1.5 points to laying 1.5 points at home. It is a three-point swing with 78 percent of the money on the Bears to cover the point spread. Chicago has more money wagered on them to cover than any team in the league. What could possibly go wrong? To me, it is all about J.J. McCarthy.

Minnesota has the better team across the board, but it is on the road starting a new quarterback. The Chicagoland native missed his entire rookie season to a meniscus tear last season. The former Michigan star was the only first-round quarterback to not make a start last year. Williams started the whole season. While I am not super high on him as a prospect, I am so incredibly down on McCarthy.

That being said, I would lean toward the Vikings to pull off the slight road upset at this point in time.

Keep in mind that McCarthy is not going to be asked to do much in what will be his NFL debut.

Las Vegas completely disrespects Minnesota Vikings ahead of Week 1

Look. This may have more to do with Chicago fans really feeling themselves. They are fully of the belief that they have the best up-and-coming quarterback in the division. While they might be right, Williams was not even close to being the best quarterback of the rookie class last season. Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix led their respective teams to the playoffs last year. Nobody doubts them now.

As far as McCarthy is concerned, I do agree that he went to the best possible spot for him. Kevin O'Connell knows what he is doing at head coach. The Vikings have one of the best receiving corps in the league. Playing behind this offensive line and with this defense backing him up could help McCarthy effectively transition his game to the NFL. He just reminds me too much of Zach Wilson.

That being said, in a short sample size, and against a front-running team like the Bears, I think the Vikings have this. If they want to be a playoff team again this season, they need to find a way to either win this game or make it interesting. I understand that winning on the road in the NFL is incredibly hard, but winning in Chicago is easier than winning in Detroit or Green Bay right now. Let that sink in.

Again, this is a stay-away game for me, but if I had to pick a side right now, I would lean Minnesota.