The wait is finally over. The Chicago Bears will start the Ben Johnson era Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field in front of a national audience.

Monday will mark the start of new beginnings for the Bears. Johnson will get his first chance to be a head coach in the NFL after being one of the top head coach candidates over the past few offseasons. Quarterback Caleb Williams will also get a new start after an up and down rookie season last year.

The opener kicks off at 7:15 p.m. on Monday and will be broadcast on both ABC and ESPN. Here are the top five storylines to watch Monday night.

1. Caleb Williams runs the show under the lights

Nearly eight months after the Bears hired Johnson, fans will finally get a chance to see what Williams looks like in Johnson’s offense for the Bears. They’ve gotten glimpses in the preseason during open training camp practices and games. But Monday night will be the real thing.

There will be plenty of different things to look for Monday. Of course fans will want to see whether Williams can make jaw-dropping plays to his plethora of offensive targets. It will also be interesting to see what fun plays Johnson comes up with in Chicago.

But it will be equally interesting to watch how Williams handles the offense. Does the pre-snap process look smooth, especially in what should be a buzzing Soldier Field crowd? Is Williams going through his progressions after the snap and finding open receivers?

Monday will hardly determine how the entire season plays out offensively. But it will give a glimpse into how it could go, though. Johnson remained focused on one thing when asked what he’s hoping to see Williams do Monday.

“All that matters is us winning the game,” Johnson told reporters Saturday. “That’s all we need to see from our quarterback, from our offense, from our defense, from our special teams. All we’re focused on is what do we need to do to win the game.”

2. Offensive line tries to stop Vikings’ pass rush

It was clear since the start of the offseason that Bears general manager Ryan Poles needed to overhaul his offensive line. Williams was sacked a team-record 68 times last year. Even though every sack wasn’t on the line, it didn’t do enough to protect its rookie quarterback.

Poles didn’t waste time making changes. He traded for All-Pro guard Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson before free agency started and then signed the top center available in Drew Dalman.

Now the Bears will quickly see whether the improvements were enough. Minnesota blitzed a league-high 38.9% last season and had the fourth-most sacks with 49. Jonathan Greenard finished tied for fifth in the NFL with 12 sacks last year, while linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel tied for eighth with 11.5.

The biggest test will take place at left tackle. Braxton Jones retained his starting job for now after a competition during training camp. But the competition remains open and Monday could determine how long he holds on to the spot.

3. Can the Bears’ pass rush create pressure on rookie QB?

While there were plenty of offensive storylines during camp, one of the biggest defensive questions remains unanswered. Can the Bears defense pressure the quarterback better than it did last season?

The Bears didn’t have much of a pass rush last season. They finished tied for 16th in the league with 40 sacks and blitzed 23.5% of their plays, which ranked 19th. The team’s top pass-rushing threat Montez Sweat finished with 5.5 sacks as he dealt with a lingering injury for much of the season while he didn’t get much support around him,

Poles tried to boost the defensive line over the offseason when he signed defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. He also drafted defensive tackle Shemar Turner in the second round, who missed most of camp with an ankle injury.

The Vikings boosted their own offensive line to protect first-time starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Minnesota signed center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries and drafted guard Donovan Jackson in the first round of this year’s draft.

Monday will be a good test to see who’s improvements were better.

“Each week that’s part of what we do, we’re hunting the football,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. “The No. 1 reason and really the only reason why you take the field on defense is to get the ball back for the offense and so whether that’s forcing punts, whether that’s taking the ball away, that’s what our job is, and so that’s where our focus is.”

4. Bears try to form rush attack early

Johnson’s offense is known for its creativity and ability to use each player’s talents to its benefit. But in order for it to work, the run game needs to be humming.

The Bears were rumored to add an upgrade at the running back position after finishing 25th in the league with 1,734 rushing yards for much of the offseason. But when training camp started, the lone addition was seventh-round draft pick Kyle Monangai.

Poles and Johnson are hoping a reunion of Johnson with starter D’Andre Swift and an improved offensive line will lead to better results this season. Swift averaged a career-low 3.8 yards per rush on a career-high 253 carries.

Health will also play a major factor Monday. Monangai was a full participant in Saturday’s practice after being limited earlier in the week while Roschon Johnson was limited for the first time in a few weeks Saturday and is questionable. Chicago might have to activate Brittain Brown off the practice squad for Monday’s game if it needs a third back.

Johnson was confident in what he in the running back room but also outside of it offensively if they need to throw the ball more and incorporate different playmakers.

“We feel like we have a pretty good core of guys there,” Johnson said of the running backs. “And because we are uniquely set up to have so much perimeter skill, maybe the ball doesn’t go to that one room as much.”

5. Ben Johnson vs. Brian Flores

One of the most interesting storylines in Monday’s game will take place on the sidelines. Johnson will get a chance to go head-to-head with Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores once again.

He has a good record in that matchup. Johnson went 4-0 as the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator against Flores over the past two seasons. Detroit scored at least 30 points in all four of those games.

Past success doesn’t mean it’ll happen again. Johnson emphasized since the Bears hired him in January that his offense in Chicago will look different than it did in Detroit. But he does know one important factor when scheming up an offense against a Flores defense.

“You don’t really know what you’re going to get,” Johnson said. “You have to adjust in the middle of the game. Our guys have to be open minded and be willing to understand what we’re going to get hit in the teeth a couple times. That’s the nature of doing business with this crew. They’ve got some really good players. They’re really well coached. They’re really ball conscious. They’re going after the ball all the time.”