The Minnesota Vikings’ biggest Week 2 concern is still sitting in three places on Chicago’s injury report. D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai remained limited Thursday, while starting right tackle Darnell Wright improved from a Wednesday absence to limited participation.
For a defense that entered 2026 with big expectations against the run, that’s a mixed update. Wright trending upward is good news for Chicago, but the Bears’ two primary running backs haven’t yet logged a full practice this week. Thursday’s official Bears injury report kept Swift l. isted with ankle and knee issues and Monangai with a hamstring injury.
Swift and Monangai were the heart of what Chicago did on the ground in Week 1. Swift ran 18 times for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Monangai needed only 10 carries to reach 100 yards and scored on a 61-yard run. Chicago finished with 291 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, and 7.5 yards per carry in a 59-37 win over Carolina.
The Vikings shouldn’t read any of that as evidence that the Bears will show up diminished Sunday. Limited practices aren’t game statuses, and Wright’s Thursday upgrade moves him in the right direction. But Swift and Monangai staying limited for a second straight day keeps the exact blueprint Brian Flores has spent this week preparing for from being a sure thing.
Minnesota Vikings can’t simply repeat their Week 1 blitz formula against Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams
Flores has a real decision to make against this offense. Minnesota blitzed Green Bay on 82.1 percent of dropbacks in Week 1, the highest rate in the league by a huge margin. Chicago, meanwhile, produced 154 of its rushing yards outside the tackles in Week 1.
Sending extra bodies at Caleb Williams is still tempting, but the Bears already showed they can make a defense pay on the perimeter when fits get stretched.
For Flores, Chicago’s injury situation could change how aggressive he’s willing to be Sunday. The Flores-Ben Johnson chess match has history, and Minnesota can’t approach this like a simple replay of the Packers' plan.
If Swift or Monangai is limited in workload, or if Wright’s knee leaves him less effective on the edge, Flores has a little more freedom to hunt Williams instead of constantly protecting against Chicago’s run game.
Wright’s status also matters directly for Minnesota’s edge group. Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel are central to how Flores creates pressure without giving away where it’s coming from, and Van Ginkel himself remained limited Thursday with a chest injury. Minnesota built this front seven for exactly these kinds of layered problems.
Friday's final injury report will tell us a lot more about where those three players stand. If Wright, Swift, and Monangai all avoid game designations, the Vikings should assume the full 291-yard problem is coming to Soldier Field. But if even one of them is less than 100 percent, Chicago’s ability to lean on the same rushing formula could take a hit.
Either way, Minnesota can’t count on an injury to solve this matchup. But after watching the Bears run Carolina out of the building, Vikings fans can shift their focus from what Chicago did to whether it can do it again.
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