The Series: The teams meet for the 126th time. The Vikings hold a 66-58-2 series lead. The Bears have lost five of the last six even though they won the last game 12-10 at Minnesota. They are 33-27-2 at home in the series.
The Coaches: Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell owns a 28-17 record in his third season. He is 3-1 against the Bears and 14-8 on the road overall.
“Does Caleb Williams revert back to some of the things that he was using as a crutch throughout the first 10 weeks of the season? Or does he keep going off what we saw this past week?”@JasonMcCourty thinks the Vikings’ defense will test Caleb Williams 👀 pic.twitter.com/xAx6EKcFaQ
Bears coach Matt Eberflus owns a 14-30 record in his third season and a 1-3 mark against Minnesota. The Bears have an 11-12 record in home games under Eberflus.
The Teams: The Bears come off their second walk-off shocker of the season, losing to Green Bay on a blocked Cairo Santos 46-yard field goal try, 20-19, for their fourth straight defeat. They now try to stop Minnesota (8-2), a team surging in second in the NFC North with a three-game winning streak behind QB Sam Darnold and WR Justin Jefferson. They just beat Tennesee 23-13. It’s Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams trying to handle the blitzing scheme of Vikings coordinator Brian Flores and the potent Vikings offense attack a Bears defense reeling a bit after allowing Green Bay’s go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter last week.
Stat Leaders: Vikings QB Sam Darnold is 199 of 293 (67.9%) with 2,387 yards, 19 TDs and 10 interceptions for a passer rating of 100.0. The Vikings are led in rushing by RB Aaron Jones, the former Packers back, with 692 yards on 157 carries (4.4 yards per carry) and two TDs. WR Justin Jefferson leads the Vikings in catches (59), receiving yards (912) and TDs (5). … LB Ivan Pace leads the Vikings defense in tackles with 59 while OLB Andrew Van Ginkel leads in tackles for loss with a league-high 13 and in sacks with 8.0. S Camryn Bynum has a team-high three interceptions.
September 19, 1985#Bears at Vikings in a then fairly rare Thursday night game
For the Bear, QB Caleb Williams is 201 for 325 (61.8%) with nine TDs and five interceptions for a passer rating of 82.5. D’Andre Swift leads the Bears in rushing with 635 yards on 155 atempts and his five rushing TDs is tied with Roschon Johnson for the team lead. WR DJ Moore leads the Bears in receptions with 47 and is tied with Cole Kmet for TD receptions with three. WR Rome Odunze leads in receiving yards with 479. … LB TJ Edwards leads in tackles with 78 and is tied with Montez Sweat for the lead in tackles for loss with five. Gervon Dexter leads in sacks with 4.0 while CB Jaylon Johnson has the lead in interceptions with two.
Injury Report: For the Vikings, TE Josh Oliver (wrist) is out. DL Gabriel Murphy (knee) and TE Nick Muse (hand) are questionable.
For the Bears, G Ryan Bates (concussion) and S Elijah Hicks (ankle) are out. WR Keenan Allen (ankle), T Kiran Amegadjie (calf) and RB D’Andre Swift (groin) are questionable.
Advertisement
Matching Up: The Vikings are 15th on offense, 13th in passing and 19th in rushing. They are 10th in scoring. Minnesota’s defense is ranked 10th, 28th against the pass and first against the run. They are fourth in points allowed.
The Bears are 29th on offense, 30th passing and 22nd at rushing. They are 22nd in points scored. Chicago’s defense ranks 14th overall, ninth against the pass and 23rd against the run. They are seventh in points allowed.
Of Note: Williams has not thrown an interception in 146 attempts. … Williams has been sacked a league-high total of 41 times and the Vikings are third in sacks with 35. … The Bears rank No. 1 in red zone defense (40.6%). … Minnesota is plus-4 in turnover differential and the Bears plus-9, but the Vikings are 24-2 under O’Connell in games when they win or are even in turnovers. … Darnold’s total of 19 TD passes is a career high. … The Bears are 3-1 when they lead at halftime and 1-5 when they trail at halftime. … Matt Eberflus has a 2-8 record for his career in replay challenges including 0-3 this season. … Opponents have scored first in every single Bears game. … The Bears will have their starting offensive line intact for the first time since Oct. 27 against Washington. They had played together five straight games at that point. … The Vikings defense has two TD returns on interceptions (Van Ginkel) and one fumble return for a TD. … Minnesota is 8-0 this season when it outrushes the opponent. … Darnold is tied for second in passes of 25 yards or more with 24, trailing only Brock Purdy. … Jefferson leads the NFL with 17 catches of 20 yards or more.
Bears CB Jaylon Johnson vs. Vikings WR Justin Jefferson
There can be little doubt the Bears will put Johnson on Jefferson as much as possible. Johnson has a 65.3 passer rating against and has allowed 57.1% completions (20 of 35) when targeted. He has two interceptions and has allowed no TD passes this year, and three over the last three years after he gave up 10 his first two seasons. Jefferson has had 81 receiving yards or more in eight games but his yards per game of 91.2 is the lowest it’s been since his rookie season. When targeting Jefferson, QBs have an impressive passer rating of 103.4, but it’s the lowest passer rating when targeted of his career.
It’s exhausting convincing yourself every Sunday the bears are good when I know damn well they aren’t. Bears ML +210
Bears DE Montez Sweat vs. Vikings RT Brian O’Neill
O’Neill has given up one sack this season and is graded the eight-best tackle out of 77 Pro Football Focus rates. He’s rated the eighth best pass blocker and 13th best run blocker among tackles on either side and has been flagged for four penalties, twice for holding, once for a false start and once for illegal formation. Sweat has been having a difficult time registering sacks since the month of November. He still has 3 ½ sacks and made them all over the course of four straight games. He has 14 pressures according to Stathead/Pro Football Reference and is well off the pace of last year when he had 40 for the season.
Advertisement
I just heard Mike Florio pick Bears over Vikings on @mullyhaugh. I follow Vikings religiously for Forbes, and I see the exact same scenario as he does. Vikings played their best football in first 4 games, but weaknesses have popped up since then. Desperate Bears will be focused.
The 34-year-old, 13-year veteran cornerback for Minnesota is a five-time Pro Bowl player and former defensive player of the year with the Patriots. He is with his sixth team and fifth in five seasons and is posting a solid 85.7 passer rating against with 61.7% completions allowed. He has given up two TDs. Moore is coming off his best game in terms of catches since Week 3 at Indianapolis. He had seven catches for 62 yards, is at 47 catches on 73 targets (64.4%) but is at a career low for average yardage (9.8 per catch). He came into the season averaging more than 14 yards a catch.
Bears DT Gervon Dexter vs. Vikings LG Blake Brandel
Advertisement
Brandel is graded 48th of 77 guards by PFF and wasn’t necessarily the intended starter. The 6-foot-7, 315-pounder has been a better pass blocker than run blocker. He’s graded 45th as a run blocker, 34th as a pass blocker. He might not have been starting but Dalton Risner suffered a back injury in training camp and was on IR until early November. Dexter’s ranking as one of the best defensive tackles in pass rush win rate has declined now and he’s 20th after spending most of the season in the top 10. He has gone five straight games without a sack, although he has already broken his rookie mark for QB hits with 14 and tied his rookie mark of 17 pressures. Dexter, who is supposed to be a disruptor in this scheme as a 3-technique, hasn’t had a tackle for loss since the Sept. 29 win over the Rams and has just three on the year. He replaced Justin Jones this year after the free agent had 22 TFLs in two seasons.
Ugly play yes. Do I love this play? Yes. The Viks have a ELITE run defense. But they allow the 5th most passing yards. Last week with the new OC the Bears looked to have some life to them again. Willams had 231 yards on 31 attempts. I see both of those numbers increasing this… pic.twitter.com/HIC5aHn0V9
Bears RT Darnell Wright vs. Vikings OLB Andrew Van Ginkel
The 6-4, 242-pound Van Ginkel won’t necessarily rush off the Bears’ right edge all the time. They move him around almost as a wild-card rusher. Sometimes he lines up on the edge and stunts to the middle. He’s always applying pressure from different positions, much the way the Packers did with Clay Matthews. However, it’s usually a starting point over Wright. Van Ginkel’s speed and knowledge of defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ blitzing system make him dangerous, and he has eight sacks with two interceptions. Both went for TD returns. Wright is graded 25th best tackle in the league by Pro Football Focus, but as been a better run blocker than pass blocker. He is ninth in run block win rate among all tackles according to ESPN.
Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds vs. Vikings TE TJ Hockenson
Advertisement
The problem with trying to shut down Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison with zones, like the Bears use, is it often leaves the middle linebacker trying to cover a wider area and the tight end can be open. Edmunds has gradually slid down the linebacker ranking charts after a fast start and is 66th on PFF’s grading out of 82 linebackers. By Stathead stats, he is having a very solid year defending the pass with a 65.1 passer rating against, very low for a linebacker. He’s been generally less effective against the run. Hockensen will be in his fourth game post-knee surgery and appears ready to make strides. He’ll get used in the seams and underneath the coverage. He has 13 catches for 112 yards in three games. Tight ends have hit the Bears pass defense with some bigger numbers this year, so expect he’ll get looks.
Stu Feiner Is On Another Planet – Barstool Sports Advisors Week 12 @BSSAdvisors
04:18 – Ice Cold Pick 11:49 – Vikings vs. Bears 15:37 – Lions vs. Colts 22:13 – Cardinals vs. Seahawks 31:32 – 49ers vs. Packers 36:08 – Eagles vs. Rams 41:19 – Mortals pic.twitter.com/vqa77KV91E
Minnesota has one of the deepest talent pools of multi-sport stars in the country.
Think about it — where else do you have someone winning multiple gymnastics and diving championships? Where do you have a baseball star hitting .600 while throwing for 6,000 yards as quarterback? Where do you have NBA players who were football champions?
Minnesota’s talent is as deep as its lakes, and we are looking to answer a question: Who is the best all-time Minnesota high school athlete? Who best defines the state’s prep environment?
Advertisement
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY is launching its 250 for 250 series, looking to answer that question by celebrating the best athletes from each state.
From fans’ votes, five athletes will be selected to represent the state as legends who have defined high school sports.
With that in mind, here are the Minnesota high school athlete nominees. The 15 players (listed in alphabetical order) were all standouts at the high school level.
Paige Bueckers, Girls Basketball, Hopkins High School (Minnetonka)
“Remember the name: Paige Bueckers. 6th grade, think Diana Taurasi.” Maybe the most prescient analysis of a sixth-grader ever. By high school, Bueckers was a clear superstar, joining the Hopkins varsity team as an eighth-grader and eventually establishing herself as the best player in the class. She is Hopkins’ all-time leader in points (2,877), assists (795), and steals (574), and won a championship with the program.
Advertisement
Jessie Diggins, Cross-Country Skier, Stillwater Area High School
Jessie Diggins spent six years competing for Stillwater Area High School, winning the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) individual pursuit championship three times and helping her team win the state meet in 2008 and 2010. She won the U.S. Junior National Sprint title in 2009 and is today a four-time Olympic medalist.
Bailey DuPay, Girls Diving, Gymnastics, Track and Field, Northfield High School
Bailey DuPay’s resume is undeniable. She’s a multi-time champion in two different sports — the first gymnast to win three straight Class 2A all-around titles and a three-time one-meter diving champion. She competed on the swim & dive team at Minnesota State.
Mark Hall II, Boys Wrestling, Apple Valley High School
Mark Hall II was the first wrestler to win six individual state championships. In leading Apple Valley to six team titles, he also became the first wrestler to win 12 combined state championships. He went 277-4 over his career, had 171 consecutive wins, and had 189 career pins, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Advertisement
Maria Hauger, Cross Country, Track and Field, Shakopee High School
Maria Hauger was the first runner to win four Class AA state championships. For those efforts, she was a four-time Minnesota Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year. The success didn’t stop there; she won four championships in track and field, including the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races, according to MSHSL.
Chet Holmgren, Boys Basketball, Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis)
Part of an all-time Minnehaha dynasty alongside Jalen Suggs, Chet Holmgren helped the team win four championships and was named the National Player of the Year by several outlets as a senior, when he averaged 21 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.
Tyus Jones, Boys Basketball, Apple Valley High School
One of the greatest Minnesota high school boys basketball players of all time, Tyus Jones was a three-time Minnesota Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year and led Apple Valley to a state championship. As a senior, he averaged 25.6 points, 8.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game.
Joe Mauer, Baseball, Football, Boys Basketball, Cretin-Derham Hall High School (St. Paul)
Advertisement
It’s tough to find a more accomplished high school career than Joe Mauer. He was the first athlete to be named USA TODAY High School Player of the Year in two different sports, which he did in football and baseball. Over two years on the gridiron, he passed for almost 6,000 yards and 73 touchdowns, winning two championships. In baseball, he struck out only once in his entire high school career, hitting .567 with 43 home runs. As a senior, he batted .605, hit a home run in seven straight games, and led his team to the championship.
Kevin McHale, Boys Basketball, Hibbing High School
The future NBA Hall of Famer had roots in Minnesota, where Kevin McHale was named Minnesota Mr. Basketball as a senior and led Hibbing to a championship game appearance. He had a 13-year career with the Boston Celtics, where he won three NBA championships.
Paul Molitor, Baseball, Boys Basketball, Boys Soccer, Cretin-Derham Hall High School
Paul Molitor was a versatile athlete, named to the all-state teams in baseball and boys basketball, and a champion in baseball, basketball, and soccer, according to SABR. He attended the University of Minnesota and played in seven MLB All-Star Games.
Gable Steveson, Boys Wrestling, Apple Valley High School
Gable Steveson dominated the wrestling circuit of Minnesota. He won four state titles and holds the highest winning percentage in state history, with a record of 210-3 (98.59%). According to the University of Minnesota, his final two championships lasted for a combined 28 seconds.
Advertisement
Jalen Suggs, Boys Basketball, Football, Minnehaha Academy
Jalen Suggs is known for basketball, but he was a star two-sport athlete at Minnehaha, becoming the first athlete in the state’s history to be named Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football in the same year, and was named the National MaxPreps Male Athlete of the Year as a senior. He led the football team to a championship and the basketball team to three straight titles.
Whitney Taney, Girls Tennis, Edina High School
All Whitney Taney did in high school was win. That’s not an exaggeration — she went 166-0 over her career (150-0 in singles, 16-0 in doubles) while losing only two sets en route to five championships between singles and doubles play, per her University of Michigan bio.
Lindsay Whalen, Girls Basketball, Hutchinson High School
One of the most influential girls basketball players in Minnesota, Lindsay Whalen was a four-time All-Missota Conference player, a four-time honorable mention on the All-State team, and led Hutchinson to three conference championships. She scored 1,996 points in her career.
Dave Winfield, Baseball, Boys Basketball, Football, St. Paul Central High School
Dave Winfield excelled in three sports in high school, leading to his recruitment to play baseball and basketball at the University of Minnesota. He went on to be a 12-time MLB All-Star and Hall of Famer.
Authorities say a Minnesota man charged with helping to orchestrate a $250 million fraud scheme has been taken into custody in Somalia.
Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was taken into custody Thursday in Mogadishu, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said in a news release. Court documents do not show if Eidleh has obtained an attorney, and he has not yet had an opportunity to enter a plea in the case.
Eidleh is one of dozens of people who were indicted in 2022 in connection with what prosecutors said was a massive scheme to defraud a federal meals program.
Advertisement
According to court documents, Eidleh was an employee of Feeding Our Future, an organization that claimed it helped provide millions of meals to children in need during the pandemic under a federal child nutrition program. But prosecutors say just a small portion of the federal money went toward feeding kids, with the rest laundered through shell companies and spent on property, luxury cars and travel.
Eidleh is accused of creating fake child nutrition program sites, falsely claiming they were feeding thousands of children a day and creating shell companies that purported to be meal vendors at the sites. The indictment charges him with 31 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said Eidleh was a central figure in “one of the largest fraud schemes in Minnesota history.”
“He not only stole taxpayer dollars, but he also robbed vulnerable children of critical resources they desperately needed. Rather than answer for his crimes in the United States, he fled to Somalia in a futile attempt to evade justice,” McDonald said.
President Donald Trump pointed to the fraud case as part of his justification for launching a massive immigration crackdown in Minnesota late last year.
Pittsburgh voted best Fourth of July celebration in America
In 2026, Pittsburgh gets the bragging rights for the nation’s Best Fourth of July Celebration, as determined by voters in USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.
Advertisement
Early voting for Minnesota’s 2026 primary elections began on Friday, 46 days ahead of the official Aug. 11 election.
Voters will decide on nominees for governor, an open U.S. Senate seat, and all state legislative positions.
Minnesotans can vote absentee by mail or in person at designated early voting locations.
Voting in Minnesota’s 2026 primary elections began Friday morning, 46 days before the official Aug. 11 Primary Election Day.
Minnesotans confront a hugely important midterm election in the fall, when all constitutional offices, an open U.S. Senate seat, a highly competitive congressional district and the Legislature will be on the ballot. Control of both state government and Congress are at stake.
Before then, however, the parties will choose their nominees in a bevy of competitive races that will shape the fall election.
We don’t have party registration in Minnesota, which means anyone can vote in the primary.
Following the sweep of a progressive slate in several New York primaries this week, political analysts will be closely watching voters’ preferences, which will set the stage for the second half of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Advertisement
ELECTION: Data centers become a key issue for Minnesota voters
Here’s what you need to know.
Which races are on the ballot in Minnesota?
Every Minnesota citizen will have the opportunity to vote for statewide offices including governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor and U.S. Senator.
For this primary election, you can only vote for candidates from one political party. Your ballot will have Democrats on one column, and Republicans on the other. Choose one! If you vote for candidates from more than one political party, your votes will not count. You decide when you vote which one of the parties you will vote for.
Advertisement
The governor’s race is wide open for the first time since 2018, when Gov. Tim Walz won his first term. Walz initially announced he would run for a third term before ending his campaign in early January following Republican attacks on his record on stopping fraud in Minnesota’s social safety net programs.
FINANCES: Amy Klobuchar builds huge cash lead in governor race
The Senate seat is open following Sen. Tina Smith’s retirement announcement last year. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor, still occupies the other Senate seat. (If Klobuchar were to win the governor’s race and resign her Senate seat, she would appoint a successor to hold the position until a special election.)
The entire state Legislature is up for reelection in 2026, but not every race has a competitive primary.
Voters may see other local races on their ballots, including county commissioners, county attorneys and school board members.
Advertisement
You can use this tool from the Secretary of State’s Office to preview your ballot.
BUSINESS: ‘Erratic’ tariffs blamed for Minnesota export slump
How do I vote in Minnesota?
Friday, June 26, is the first day of absentee voting. You can request an absentee ballot be mailed to you, which you can return in-person or through the mail.
Alternatively, you can vote “in person absentee” by going to your local early voting location, where you can request your absentee ballot, receive it, fill it out and submit it on the spot.
Starting July 24, you can vote in-person at the early voting locations in a process similar to that of voting on Election Day.
Advertisement
Who’s running in Minnesota?
There are several competitive primaries in statewide races that will determine the matchups in the general election later this year.
For governor, Sen. Amy Klobuchar is expected to win the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nomination after winning the party’s endorsement on the first ballot, over a challenge from Kobey Lane, a 26-year old trans activist and former Republican legislative assistant.
The Republican primary is competitive; after Army veteran and former health care executive Kendall Qualls won the party’s endorsement in May, the other front-runners refused to drop out of the race, citing voting irregularities at the convention. House Speaker Lisa Demuth and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell round out the three-way race.
Dominion Voting Systems settles $1.3B defamation lawsuit with Mike Lindell
In the race to replace Smith in the Senate, two Democratic powerhouses are facing off: U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. Flanagan won the endorsement after Craig dropped out of the endorsement process; Craig is gunning for votes outside of the party’s activist base.
Advertisement
On the Republican side, GOP-endorsed former Navy Seal Adam Schwarze will face off against former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya, whose name recognition and well-financed campaign could boost her performance in a primary.
With Craig’s highly competitive south metro seat in the U.S. House coming open, three top-tier Democrats are vying to replace her: former state Sen. Matt Little, state Rep. Kaela Berg and state Sen. Matt Klein. State Sen. Eric Pratt is running unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
