The Minnesota Vikings handled business in a grinder on Sunday, defeating the Chicago Bears 9-3, seven days after Ben Johnson and friends put up 59 points against their previous opponent, the Carolina Panthers.
Minnesota moves to 2-0, and here’s who won the day in Chicago.
The Five Biggest Difference-Makers in Vikings’ 9-3 Win
1. Brian Flores | DC
This guy means everything to the Vikings. Full stop.
Flores got another crack at Johnson on Sunday, and this time Minnesota’s defense owned the afternoon. Chicago scored three points. The Bears reached the Vikings’ redzone three times and came away empty each time, including the 4th Quarter possession that ended with a fumble at the 1-yard line. Minnesota also held Chicago to 5-for-15 on third down.
The Bears still gained 297 yards, so this wasn’t a start-to-finish strangling. They moved the ball. But when the field shortened, Flores’s group stiffened and refused to allow a touchdown. That was especially valuable because the Vikings’ offense offered almost no cushion.
In a 9-3 game, the defense basically had to be wonderful all afternoon. It was.
2. Aaron Jones | RB
Let’s get this out of the way: the Vikings’ offense largely stunk after the first drive. Jones was basically the offense Sunday.
With Jordan Mason on injured reserve and Carson Wentz generating only 143 passing yards, Jones handled 23 carries for 105 yards and kept Minnesota from becoming completely one-dimensional. Nobody else on the roster came particularly close to matching his offensive impact.
The timing of those yards was just as useful. Jones repeatedly gave the Vikings something manageable on early downs and helped the offense stay alive during an afternoon when points were scarce. He also did it at Chicago, a building he knows awfully well from his Green Bay years. Teams with Jones on their roster are now 16-2 all-time against the Bears.
Somebody had to drag the operation forward. Jones did exactly that and was easily Minnesota’s offensive MVP.
3. Jalen Redmond | DT
There was a stretch against the Bears when FOX announcers Greg Olsen and Joe Davis called Redmond’s name every 60 seconds. And that’s not an exaggeration.
Chicago was threatening to finally reach the endzone in the 4th Quarter when Redmond punched the football loose from D’Andre Swift at the Vikings’ 1-yard line. Isaiah Rodgers recovered it, and Chicago somehow walked away with zilch.
That play alone earns Redmond a spot here, but his afternoon was bigger than one turnover. He spent countless plays creating problems inside and forcing Chicago to work around him. That has become a pleasant development for Minnesota’s young defensive front.
Redmond is no longer some interesting rotational name waiting for a bigger role. He looks like a legitimate Pro Bowler in Flores’s defense. For a former undrafted free agent, his ascent is mind-boggling.
4. Isaiah Rodgers | CB
Was this guy who did the Hot Diggity Dog dance? It was. Was that dance warranted? It was.
Rodgers helped win the football game without ever touching the ball on offense. First came the fumble recovery at the 1-yard line, erasing Chicago’s best touchdown opportunity. Later, he blocked a field goal that would have tied the game. Minnesota won 9-3. You do the arithmetic.
He also nearly ended Chicago’s final possession with an interception before his heels [allegedly] landed out of bounds. So yes, Rodgers was around basically every crucial moment.
The Vikings signed him in 2025 because they believed he could help stabilize the cornerback room. He’s doing precisely that. He directly erased points twice in a game decided by six. Remove either play, and the entire afternoon would feel quite different.
5. Dallas Turner | OLB
Turner has turned the corner, leaving onlookers to wonder if he’s on his way to the EDGE tier with Danielle Hunter and Jonathan Greenard – – or Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons.
The 23-year-old looked absolutely phenomenal against the Bears, one week after brutalizing the Packers.
Turner is becoming the guy opposing offenses have to account for on every passing down, which is pretty comical considering how impatient some fans became with him after 1-2 NFL seasons. He finished Sunday with two sacks, including the final play when Tyson Bagent tried one last desperation snap. Turner, in fact, manhandled the hapless backup.
The bigger story is how normal this is becoming. Turner harassed Green Bay in Week 1 and immediately followed it with another impact performance at Soldier Field. Minnesota traded Greenard because it believed the 23-year-old was ready for a larger role. The verdict is becoming clear: Turner is that guy. If you’re still using the term “breakout” regarding Turner, you can put that to bed.
The breakout already broke out.
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VikesNow Verdict: Flores set the tone, but Minnesota’s defense owned the dub. Redmond and Rodgers erased Chicago’s best scoring chances, Turner slammed the door, and Jones provided almost everything the Vikings could muster offensively.
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