Bears Flip to Favorites vs. Vikings in Week 1 - Is the Pope to Thank?

It's not often that the pope overlaps with professional sports, but with Robert Prevost taking on the mantle of Pope Leo XIV after being elected the new pope in the 2025 papal conclave in early May, things have changed for NFL fans.

Given Pope Leo XIV is a Chicago native, fans across the Windy City have embraced the new head of the Catholic Church. So have bettors with how much movement the NFL Week 1 odds for the Chicago Bears game against the Minnesota Vikings have seen across our best Super Bowl betting sites.

🕊️ Pope driving line movement for Bears

Betting insights via BetMGM:

🏈 The Bears have moved from +1.5 to -1.5 vs. the Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 1
🏈 64% of bets and 89% of money are on the Bears to cover against the Vikings
🏈 The Bears are the most-bet team in the win totals market by overall tickets and the most-bet team to hit the Over on their win total (8.5)
🏈 Chicago has seen a 157% increase in betting handle to win the Super Bowl after Pope Leo XIV was announced

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🐻 Chicago Bears odds

🏈 To win Super Bowl: +3500 via BetMGM
🏈 To win NFC: +1800 via BetRivers
🏈 To earn NFC No. 1 seed: +2000 via DraftKings
🏈 To win NFC North: +475 via BetRivers
🏈 To make playoffs: +155 via BetMGM

With Prevost, a Chicago native, now leading the Vatican City State, bettors seem to believe the Bears have a little more than just Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams on their side.

Since May 8, when Prevost was elected pope, the Bears have become one of the most popular teams to bet not only to cover in Week 1 but also to hit the Over on their win total (8.5) and win the Super Bowl, according to BetMGM.

Could the pope, being from the Windy City and cheering for the Bears alongside his White Sox, really help Chicago finally turn things around after years of disappointing play?

Given the line movement for Week 1 across our best sports betting apps, it certainly looks like bettors believe that's the case. But how much of this is actually about the improvement the Bears have made this offseason, and the pope being announced just before the NFL schedule was revealed? 

📈 Chicago's new additions are the reason to believe in Da Bears

The coaching staff that drafted Williams first overall last year was never going to get the most out of the former Heisman winner, and he knew it, according to details from Seth Wickersham's upcoming book. 

"Chicago is the place quarterbacks go to die," Carl Williams, Caleb's father, told Wickersham, author of "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback," in the months before the 2024 draft.

But a lot has changed since the day Bears general manager Ryan Poles turned in the draft card to select Williams at No. 1. The team is now set to be led by former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who takes over as head coach after turning around Jared Goff's career and helping the Lions finish top eight in EPA per play on offense in each of the last three seasons. 

🌬️ Big boys and playmakers in the Windy City 

That's not the only huge addition for Chicago this summer. Poles also sured up the offensive line by trading for Joe Thuney and handing him a two-year, $35 million extension; signing Drew Dalman to a three-year, $42 million contract; trading for Jonah Jackson and giving him a one-year $12.25 million extension; and drafting Boston College's Ozzy Trapilo in the second round.

While the team was unable to select a running back high in the 2025 NFL Draft, it did land Michigan tight end Colston Loveland and Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III in the first two rounds. Loveland was No. 5 in yards per route run among tight ends last season (2.67), and Burden was No. 2 in the country in missed tackles forced on receptions (30), per PFF.

Not only did the Bears add one of the best offensive play-callers in the NFL, but they also beefed up their offensive line and added two more explosive playmakers to a lineup that already had DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and D'Andre Swift. 

👹 Monsters of the Midway

The defense is in a good place, too, with Johnson hiring Dennis Allen as defensive coordinator a year after the Bears finished a respectable 13th in EPA per play on that side of the ball. While Poles didn't bolster the defense the same way he did the offense, he did still bring in Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency while drafting Shemar Turner in the second round.

Those three should really add some juice to the Bears' already talented defense led by Montez Sweat, T.J. Edwards, Kyler Gordon, and Jaylon Johnson. This unit could even crack the top 10 in the league this year with Allen in charge.

So, while the election of Pope Leo XIV may be the reason for some bettors backing the Bears, others could just see a team poised to take a leap thanks to everything it's added around Williams this offseason.

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📊 Vikings vs. Bears odds

Live updated odds from our best sports betting sites.

🔮 2025 NFL season previews & predictions

Following the NFL schedule release, we broke down the odds for every game and asked AI to predict every game (and more). Below are our team-by-team schedules, odds, and predictions for Week 1 through Week 18.

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