Now that the Vikings have completed their three preseason games and practice scrimmages with the New England Patriots, it looks like their Monday night regular-season opener in Chicago on Sept. 8 will be a pick’em game with no favorite.

If the Vikings beat the Bears, it’ll be because of their defense and that their running game has improved. Rookie quarterbacks, which essentially is what Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy is because he didn’t play last year, generally get better as the season goes on. Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Denver’s Bo Nix both had good rookie years last season, but played much better during the second half than they did in the first half.

It would be unrealistic to think that McCarthy is going to excel from the start.

— The Vikings will run the ball more this season th

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