The Chicago Bears will officially kick off the Ben Johnson era on Monday night when they host the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC North showdown at Soldier Field.
There are several storylines to discuss heading into this particular matchup. We have Johnson's head coaching debut, year two of Caleb Williams in Chicago, and our first real look at Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy to keep an eye on. For even the most casual football fan, that is enough to pique their interest.
With that being the case, it is surprising to see that the biggest topic of conversation just hours ahead of kickoff is focused on the condition of the field itself, not the players who will be performing on it.
Soldier Field's Status Ahead of Season Opener Raises Injury Concerns
As ESPN's Courtney Cronin reported Monday evening, the field crew was still working to improve the playing surface just hours before the scheduled opening kick. While there are no concerns over the game being delayed over the surface at Soldier Field, the fact that the field crew is using a sand/seed mixture to fill in the grass surface this late into their preparations for Week 1 is concerning.
The last thing any fan wants to see is an injury to a player due to the condition of the field of play. Football is a dangerous enough game on its own. There is no need to bring on any additional concerns about a player's knee being torn up because of a subpar playing surface after several concerts were held at Soldier Field during the summer months.
Cronin reported that the field surface at Soldier Field was re-sodded at the end of August, but clearly, if this is where we stand just hours ahead of the opening kickoff, then that wasn't enough to do the job. No matter what is done to the field at this stage of the game, Monday night's game will not provide ideal playing conditions for either side.
All fans and coaches can do now is hope that their respective rosters come out of Monday Night Football as healthy as possible. If that isn't the case, and we see big-name players ultimately injured in Week 1 as a result of the condition of the field, the Bears will have some explaining to do.