The weather forecast for Monday night's clash between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears at Soldier Field couldn’t be more picture-perfect, with clear skies and temperatures in the mid-60s expected throughout the game.
Yet a key determining factor in this early NFC North battle could have nothing to do with J.J. McCarthy, Caleb Williams, or the many other juicy storylines surrounding this early NFC North battle.
Let’s just say that the Vikings’ choice of cleat size could end up being just as important as head coach Kevin O'Connell's sideline chess match against Chicago's Ben Johnson.
Video of messy playing surface at Soldier Field met with eye rolls from Minnesota Vikings fans
One would assume that a natural grass surface like Chicago’s would be in peak condition for Week 1 of the regular season, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
KFXN-FM's Chris Hawkey posted a video on his X account from the press box on Monday that showed a crew performing some maintenance work around the 20-yard line. The video showed one member of the crew repeatedly tamping down the turf — much like you would see a neighbor re-edging the garden in the spring.
A look at the turf of @SoldierField from the @vikings booth pic.twitter.com/GhQHjMmisU
— Chris Hawkey (@Chris_Hawkey) September 8, 2025
According to ESPN's Courtney Cronin, Soldier Field held five concerts during the final part of August, and crews spent part of Monday spreading "sand/seed mix in areas that need to be filled on the playing surface."
Still, a multi-billion-dollar franchise like the Chicago Bears should be able to give their players a pristine playing surface during the football season, especially in Week 1, right?
We’ll find out soon enough if footing is an issue for "Monday Night Football," but Soldier Field appears to be in mid-season form (and that’s not a compliment, by the way).
This could be an adjustment worth monitoring for a Vikings team that plays its home games in perfect conditions inside U.S. Bank Stadium.