Unbeaten Vikings and Bears collide as NFL Week 2 stacks the early window
Two 1-0 teams meet in Chicago on Sunday, Sept. 20, when the Minnesota Vikings visit the Chicago Bears at 1 p.m. ET on FOX. It is an early NFC North test with first place on the line.
Chicago arrives with the louder Week 1 highlight. The Bears beat Carolina 59-37, and quarterback Caleb Williams accounted for four touchdowns, two passing and two rushing, according to live coverage from The Guardian. That is a lot of points. It is also a lot to clean up on defense.
Minnesota will not mind coming back to Soldier Field. The Vikings had won their past six visits there entering Sunday. Their pass rush travels well, too.
Watch linebacker Dallas Turner. He opened the season with one sack, 10 pressures, seven hits and one forced fumble. A pressure means beating your blocker to hurry the quarterback, even if it is not a sack. Turner did that all afternoon in Week 1.
The other 1 p.m. ET headliner is in Houston. The 1-0 Cincinnati Bengals visit the 0-1 Texans on CBS, per the league’s NFL schedule.
The matchup to know is Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow against Houston pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. Burrow entered Sunday not fully healthy with a back injury. Anderson entered with 93 quarterback pressures since the start of the 2025 season, second-most in the NFL, including 40 in under 2.5 seconds. That quick pressure matters. It forces the ball out before routes develop.
Oddsmakers noticed. Houston was listed as a 2.5-point favorite, with moneyline odds of Texans -134 and Bengals +114, according to NFL.com picks.
The rest of the early window is packed with teams looking for a first win or a 2-0 start. Carolina (0-1) visits Atlanta (0-1). New Orleans (0-1) visits Baltimore (1-0). Pittsburgh (1-0) visits New England (0-1). Green Bay (0-1) visits the New York Jets (1-0). Cleveland (0-1) visits Tampa Bay (0-1). Philadelphia (1-0) visits Tennessee (0-1).
What makes this stand out is how much September can tell you. A 2-0 start does not lock up January. An 0-2 hole does not end it. But the film starts to show who can protect the quarterback and who can get home without extra rushers.
For fans, this means choices. Stack the early games, keep an eye on Burrow’s movement and Williams’ encore, then look ahead to Monday night. The Week 2 finale is Giants at Rams on Monday, Sept. 21 at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
