Dan Campbell: Lions' issues in Sunday's loss are "so correctable"
One of the big questions in Detroit this offseason was how much the Lions would miss former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson now that he's the head coach in Chicago and their first regular season effort was a point for those who argued that Johnson's absence would be a problem.
The Lions averaged 3.8 yards per play and didn't score a touchdown until the final minute of a 27-13 road loss to the Packers. Their 246 total yards were their second fewest since the start of the 2022 season, which might lead some to wonder about the plan that new coordinator John Morton has put in place.
Head coach Dan Campbell didn't go that route after the game, however. His message was that there were clear mistakes that the Lions made on Sunday and that they can be fixed relatively quickly.
"I thought we would be cleaner than we were. I thought we'd be much cleaner than we were," Campbell said, via Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com. "And it wasn't as clean, but there again, you're talking about a few plays that were critical. But, like I told the team, these are so correctable. Everything that showed up is so correctable, and we will hit it head-on."
The Bears and the Ravens are the next two teams on the Lions' schedule, so there's no time to waste when it comes to cleaning things up and unlocking the kind of offensive firepower that carried the team to the last two NFC North titles.
Colts felt "bigger purpose" in first game since Jim Irsay's death
The Colts honored the late Jim Irsay by inducting him into their Ring of Honor on Sunday and by the way they played in their first game since the team's longtime owner died in May.
They scored the first 30 points of the game and cruised to a 33-8 win over the Dolphins to open the season with a victory. Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. scored the first touchdown of the game and said after the win that the Colts were playing with a "bigger purpose."
Guard Quenton Nelson agreed with Pittman's feeling that there was extra motivation for the players on Sunday.
"It was so important for us to get the win for Mr. Irsay and the Irsay family," Nelson said, via the team's website. "He gave so much to this team, so much to this community. He just poured his heart out for Indianapolis, and we really wanted to get the win for him. It meant a lot to us. And I feel like we all played like that today."
The Colts will remain at home to face the Broncos in Week 2 and they'll try to channel the same kind of emotions that propelled them to a win on Sunday.
Monday Night Football: How to watch the Vikings vs. Bears NFL game, start time, streaming and more
Bryson Nesbit and the Minnesota Vikings will play the Chicago Bears for the NFL's Week 1 Monday Night Football game, here's how to watch. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Wesley Hitt via Getty Images
The first Monday Night Football game of the 2025 season will feature two 2024 first-round draft picks: J.J. McCarthy and Caleb Williams will assume quarterback duties for the Minnesota Vikings and the Chicago Bears, respectively, when the two teams meet at Chicago's Soldier Field. This Monday's game will air at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN, which means you'll have quite a few options when it comes to streaming it: you can catch both of those networks on platforms like DirecTV and Fubo, stream it through NFL+, or you can check it out on the new ESPN unlimited app, which combines all of ESPN's networks in one place.
Here's what you need to know to tune into Monday Night Football this week when the Minnesota Vikings visit the Chicago Bears.
How to watch the Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears:
Dates: Sept. 8, 2025
TV channels: ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ABC
Streaming: Fubo, DirecTV, ESPN unlimited, NFL+ and more
Vikings vs. Bears game time:
The Vikings vs. Bears game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET/5:15 p.m. PT this Monday, Sept. 8, 2025.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears game channel:
The Week 1 game between the Vikings and the Bears will air on ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
How to watch the Vikings vs. Bears game without cable:
You can tune in to ESPN and ABC through your cable provider, or on streaming platforms like DirecTV, Fubo and more. You can also stream the game on the ESPN App with ESPN unlimited, or with NFL+ (via phone or tablet only).
Las Vegas Raiders vs. New England Patriots: 1 p.m. (CBS)
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Jets: 1 p.m. (CBS)
Miami Dolphins vs. Indianapolis Colts: 1 p.m. (CBS)
Arizona Cardinals vs. New Orleans Saints: 1 p.m. (CBS)
New York Giants vs. Washington Commanders: 1 p.m. (FOX)
Carolina Panthers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 1 p.m. (FOX)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns: 1 p.m. (FOX)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Atlanta Falcons: 1 p.m. (FOX)
Tennessee Titans vs. Denver Broncos: 4:05 p.m. (FOX)
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks: 4:05 p.m. (FOX)
Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers: 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Houston Texans vs. Los Angeles Rams: 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills: 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Monday, Sept. 8, 2024
Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears: 8:15 p.m. (ESPN/ABC)
How to watch NFL games in 2025:
Many NFL preseason games are broadcast on local channels, so if you're looking to catch an in-market game, it may be as simple as turning on your TV (or setting up a digital TV antenna) or finding a live TV streaming service that carries the correct RSN (Regional Sports Network). If you want to watch out-of-market games, a $7 monthly subscription to NFL+ will let you watch every out-of-market local and primetime game in the season on your phone — but only a select few regular-season games on your TV. You could also spring for the uber-expensive NFL Sunday Ticket package to get every out-of-market Sunday game of the season.
When it comes to nationally broadcast games, NFL games typically air across ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and NFL Network. Thursday Night Football games stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, select football games will stream exclusively on Peacock, games on CBS will stream live on Paramount+, and Monday Night Football games will air on ESPN or ABC and stream on the newly revamped ESPN+ this season. That's six channels and four streaming platforms to keep up with this season — and that's not counting your local RSN's for in-market games and an NFL+ or NFL Sunday Ticket subscription for out-of-market games. Plus, Netflix is once again hosting at least two Christmas Day matches, so add that subscription into the mix. And we can't forget about Fox One, Fox's first streaming service, a place where you can also stream games airing on FOX (if you don't already have access to it).
Confused? You're not alone. Here's a breakdown of the platforms we recommend checking out ahead of the 2025 NFL season, so that come game time, tuning into your favorite team's games will be as easy as simply turning on the TV.
Every way to watch NFL games this season:
To recap, here are all the ways you can watch NFL games in 2025.