3 things that matter most for Bears against Vikings in Week 2

Chicago's 59-37 victory over the Carolina Panthers established just how dangerous Ben Johnson's offense can be. The Bears produced 552 yards of offense, ran for 291 yards, and scored six rushing touchdowns.

They also allowed Carolina to score 37 points and pile up 478 yards.

That's what makes Sunday's Week 2 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings so interesting. This isn't just another opportunity to see how many points Caleb Williams and the Bears can score. It's Chicago's first NFC North game of the season, its home opener, and a chance to start 2-0 against another undefeated team.

Here are the three things that matter most.

1. Does the Bears defense respond?

This is No. 1 for a reason. Chicago's offense shouldn't need to score close to 60 points every week for the Bears to win.

Bryce Young threw for 361 yards against Chicago last Sunday, and Carolina accumulated 478 yards of total offense.

Sure, the Bears did force three turnovers, which helped compensate for all those yards. And it wasn't a fluke.

Chicago led the NFL with 33 takeaways last season and immediately added an interception and two fumble recoveries in Week 1. But relying on turnovers while letting opponents consistently move the ball is a dangerous formula.

Minnesota will start Carson Wentz with Kyler Murray sidelined by a concussion, and that definitely feels like an advantage for Chicago.

But it won't be an easy assignment for Dennis Allen's defense.

Wentz replaced Murray against Green Bay and threw three touchdown passes while helping Minnesota erase its deficit and win 39-22. He enters Sunday with a 4-0 career record against the Bears and will be making his 100th NFL start.

And Wentz still gets to throw the football to Justin Jefferson.

2. Can the Bears run the ball again?

Bears fans shouldn't expect another 291 rushing yards against the Vikings. But the way Chicago ran the ball in Week 1 might have been the most encouraging development of the game.

D'Andre Swift rushed for 124 yards. Kyle Monangai added 100. Williams contributed another 65.

The 291-yard total was Chicago's highest in a game since the Bears rushed for 302 yards in Week 2 of the 1984 season.

But the Vikings know It's coming. And they're more than capable of making the Bears one-dimensional.

The Vikings held Green Bay's running backs to 66 yards on 20 carries last week, although the Packers were without Josh Jacobs. If Chicago can consistently run against Minnesota, everything else Ben Johnson wants to do becomes more difficult to defend.

It also provides Williams with the best possible answer to Flores' pressure packages.

3. How does Williams handle Minnesota's pressure?

This is the matchup everybody will be watching.

Flores wants to blitz. Williams wants defenses to try.

Minnesota blitzed Williams on 37.2 percent of his dropbacks in the teams' first meeting last season and increased that number to 66.7 percent in their second matchup. Yet Williams' 5.84 career sack percentage in four games against Minnesota is among the lowest for any quarterback with multiple starts against a Flores Vikings defense.

Williams also threw 17 touchdowns against the blitz last season.

That's why Sunday's matchup should tell us more about the Bears offense than Carolina could.

Flores will attempt to confuse Williams. Minnesota will try to prevent Swift and Monangai from controlling the game. And Wentz will try to exploit a Bears defense that allowed far too many yards last Sunday.

The Bears don't need another 59-point performance. They need to show they can win a different kind of game. Do that, and 2-0 will mean considerably more than simply surviving another shootout.