The first Sunday of NFL football is in the books. It was a wild one, as always, with some big games, some great performances, and some head-scratching moments. But it was great to have football back. And Week 1 isn’t in the books yet!

Tonight, for the first Monday Night broadcast, we get a divisional battle as the Vikings travel to Chicago to battle the Bears. It figures to be a unique and interesting battle. I’ll preview the game and make my pick below, but first let’s consider three takeaways from the rest of Week 1.

Daniel Jones and Aaron Rodgers might be back

To me, these are both a surprise. Jones won the starting job for the Colts, but it wasn’t clear whether it was really going to work. On Sunday, he came out at home and put on a show. Jones tossed a touchdown and ran for two more. Better still, the Colts put a whipping on the Dolphins. Rodgers, meanwhile, was an enigma. His two years with the Jets weren’t great, but he rolled out Sunday in New York for the Steelers and looked like the MVP the Jets had hoped to see. He threw four touchdowns and led his team to a win. Both men looked good and could be in line for a decent season.

The Dolphins look cooked

While Jones put up 33 points and three touchdowns in Indianapolis, Tua Tagovailoa put up a bushel of turnovers and the Dolphins looked out of their depth. I’ve been out on the Dolphins this season, but I thought they’d start better than this. Tua didn’t even finish the game. Coach Mike McDaniel took the blame after the game, and it will fall on him. He had good odds to be the first coach fired before the game, and that seat is getting even hotter now.

Christian McCaffrey is back

McCaffrey missed most of 2024 with injuries. And after being brought along slowly this off-season, it was unclear if McCaffrey would be ready to go. When he was added to the injury report Thursday and missed Friday’s practice, those questions continued. But Sunday, McCaffrey carried the ball 22 times and caught nine passes. It was a big workload and he handled it well. It wasn’t the greatest rushing performance against a good Seahawks’ defense, but it was encouraging to see him out there for so much work.

And now, on to the Monday Night game.

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears

There is a lot to like about this matchup, including some good fantasy players. It’s also a game about debuts. We get J.J. McCarthy starting his first game at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. And we get Ben Johnson in his first game as Head Coach for the Chicago Bears. Which of these NFC North foes will get off to a good start? That’s the question.

For the Vikings, McCarthy remains a QB3 for me at this point. In the backfield, Aaron Jones is back but Jordan Mason figures to have a role. For now, Jones is an RB2 for me and Mason is a low-end flex. In the passing game, Justin Jefferson is banged up but expected to play. Meanwhile veteran Adam Thielen is back for the Vikings, and tight end T.J. Hockenson is healthy. I like Jefferson as a WR1, while Thielen is a flex option and Hockenson is a low-end TE1.

For the Bears, there are plenty of questions about who will be involved, and how much. I like second-year quarterback Caleb Williams as a QB2. I also like D’Andre Swift as an RB2. He’s the best and most healthy back. I’ll be curious to see what Roschon Johnson can do, but he’s not a start for me. In the passing game, I like D.J. Moore as a low-end WR2, and Rome Odunze as a WR3. I’m not starting Luther Burden III at this point. At tight end, I like Colston Loveland. I think he could press for low-end TE1 numbers.

This could be a fun game, but I’m picking the Chicago Bears.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.