It's a big night for the Chicago Bears, who will be kicking off their 2025 season against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on Monday night.

Fans are already feeling optimistic about the season. Some have been lined up at Soldier Field since noon, waiting for the gates to open. 

It's the first time the Bears have had a home opener for a Monday Night Football broadcast since 1997, nearly 30 years.

Fans said the weather, along with a new coach, is the perfect recipe for a successful night on the field.

It's a first game for Rob Bennet and his buddy Jake Kellams.

"Man, I've been waiting all week for this. It's a dream come true. It's our first time out here on opening night, Bears football," Kellams said.

"I'm jacked, I want to watch JJ McCarthy be properly welcomed to Chicago with a shutout, so we'll see. I don't know that I'll get that lucky, but that's my hope," Bryan Jones said. "Excited, optimistic, positive, right? I mean, it's, it's opening day. Have to be right? Today, you know, is the day for us to show everybody that this is a new team."

He added, "I knew this was going to be a great season for us. As soon as I saw Ben Johnson was trending over Trump on his inauguration, this is the world to us, right? This is our Super Bowl." 

"We got the new coach. We're still going to say we got a new quarterback. It looks as if we're going to have a decent offensive line this year, so hopefully they'll be able to protect the quarterback and give Caleb a little bit more time to execute, and our defense look pretty good in the preseason. So, just going to be optimistic," Shun T. Haynes said.

Then there's Jerry Larmon, who everyone knows as "Uncle Jerry." He's been tailgating Bears games for the last thirty years.

"This is special because we got it," he said. "We got a pretty decent team put together, and i think we got a good coaching staff, and they really look good the last two preseason games. So, I think we really, I think we have a chance to do better than seven wins."

"Division rival, right, so, it's all set, the stage is all set, beautiful weather, right, we're here early, we're gonna get a good spot for tailgate, and we're going to go in and watch the game. I'm going to say bears 28-17," Hayes said.

It's a day fans have been waiting all year for—Monday Night Football paired with a home opener, with the kickoff happening at 7:15 p.m.