Bears

The Bears lost to the Vikings 27-24 in Week 1, with Minnesota answering a deficit to start the fourth quarter. Chicago HC Ben Johnson said there were times everyone wasn’t on the same page, and Vikings DC Brian Flores did well bringing multiple fronts.

“With that being said, we anticipated being on the same page more than what we were,” Johnson said, via Nicholas Moreano of Marquee Sports Network. “There were some times that when we made the ‘Mike’ point, we weren’t all on the same page. That’s a little bit time on task. That’s also a multiplicity of fronts we were seeing this particular week. He makes it very difficult. But we’ve all gotta be on the same page. The sooner that we can grow as a unit, it’s five guys all playing as one, and if you include the tight ends, it’s six or seven as a part of it as well.”

Johnson came away pleased with RB D’Andre Swift, but thinks he could’ve made some adjustments on specific plays. 

“I thought Swift ran hard when the ball was in his hands,” Johnson said. “There’s probably a couple reads where he could’ve hit it maybe a little different, but for the most part, I was pretty pleased with how he played.”

Although Chicago finished with 119 rushing yards, Johnson points out that QB Caleb Williams accounted for 58 yards on the ground

“Any time you don’t rush for as many yards as you were hoping for, you look at the stat sheet and it said over 100 yards, but really a lot of those were from Caleb,” Johnson said. “We need more from our runners, whoever that is, or our receivers in the running back room, it doesn’t matter. In the run game, we were sub-par overall.”

Packers

Packers DE Lukas Van Ness appeared in 54 percent of defensive snaps in Green Bay’s 27-13 win over the Lions in Week 1, while DE Micah Parsons played in 45 percent. Parsons believes they will benefit each other, and he can help Van Ness have his best year yet. 

“I’m telling you, I think Van Ness is going to have his best year yet this year,” Parsons said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “I’m going to make sure of it. That guy, he’s a very selfless player, like very selfless. He’s one of them guys that can go anywhere. He plays the run, he does everything. He’s the high-quality player that you just want to be around. I’m going to make sure that guy gets as many plays as possible.”

Parsons told Van Ness he has the potential to become a player similar to former Dolphins DE Cameron Wake and former Panthers DE Julius Peppers. 

“I believe in him,” Parsons said. “I told him, I said, ‘I think you can be like a Cameron Wake, [or] you could be like a Julius Peppers. You’re a 4.5 [40-yard dash] guy, and it’s time for you to show it.’ And we’re going to put it together. We’re going to keep working out together … and I’m excited to see how that turns out for him.”

Van Ness can already feel how Parsons affects opposing offenses. 

“Ultimately, we’re just trying to get matchups and one-on-ones, and I mean, you saw the production today,” Van Ness said. “I think we were able to get some favorable matchups and the one-on-ones that we want. I think especially since we added Micah to the room, I think it’s, if you get that one-on-one, you better win. So I’m proud of the guys. I think we had a great game and it was a great way to kick off the season.”

Vikings

Vikings S Harrison Smith hasn’t practiced since August 11 as he dealt with a personal health matter, the details of which are still largely unknown. Smith told reporters recently it was a “physical” condition and not a mental one, and that he and the team are planning for his absence to be less than the four weeks it would have been had he been placed on injured reserve. 

“I’m just trying to get my conditioning up,” Smith said via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “I’m going to go out there and see how much I can handle and go from there. I’ve already moved around, and I’m moving around well. It’s just volume and conditioning.”

“We’re kind of fluid with if I’m ready to go or not, and if I am going to help the team or not,” he added. “That all matters. But I expect to be back before [the four-week mark.]”

• The Vikings will be without LB Blake Cashman (hamstring) and RB Ty Chandler (knee) for a few weeks due to their injuries, per HC Kevin O’Connell. (Seifert)

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