Ahead of the release of the full 2025 NFL regular season schedule on Wednesday, leaks (credible or otherwise) are continuing to come.
Some games for the Minnesota Vikings have been confirmed or credibly reported already, including back-to-back international games against the Pittsburgh Steelers (in Dublin, Ireland) and Cleveland Browns (in London) in Week 4 and Week 5, as well as a Christmas Day home game against the division rival Detroit Lions.
Another schedule rumor says the Vikings will hit the road to take on the Los Angeles Chargers, and McCarthy's college coach, Jim Harbaugh, on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 8.
A "Sunday Night Football" home game against the Atlanta Falcons is also in the schedule rumor mill, with Week 2 put out there as a possible date.
But the biggest question about the Vikings' 2025 schedule had not yet been answered.
Who will McCarthy face in his first meaningful NFL game?
NFL Schedule rumor has J.J. McCarthy leading the Minnesota Vikings agains the Chicago Bears in Week 1
According to Ozzy and NFL Nerd on X on Wednesday, the Vikings will face the Chicago Bears on "Monday Night Football" on the final day of Week 1 of the 2025 season. In addition, FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz has also reported that Minnesota and Chicago will open the 2025 campaign facing each other in a primetime Monday night game.
Soldier Field hasn't always been kind to the Vikings, and the Monday night stage has been a regular centerpiece of that bad vibe. But maybe McCarthy, who was born in La Grange Park, Illinois (about 30 minutes outside of Chicago) and has said it was a dream of his to play at Soldier Field, can take away some of that bad karma in his first NFL regular season start on the prime time stage.
McCarthy technically has played in an NFL game, last preseason against the Las Vegas Raiders, before news of the knee injury that would cost him his entire rookie season came. But that was preseason, so Week 1 this season will be his first meaningful NFL game and marked as his league debut.
Now, subject to official confirmation, we potentially know how the McCarthy era of Vikings' football will start.