It's been 210 days since Caleb Williams was first introduced as the NFL's No. 1 overall pick and the quarterback of the Chicago Bears.

On Sunday, – a week after his NFC North debut in Green Bay – Williams will have another first-time introduction when the Vikings (8-2) visit the Windy City to battle the Bears (4-6).

Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, 28 quarterbacks have been selected No. 1 overall in the draft, including 18 since 2000. For Minnesota, Sunday's contest will mark the second consecutive season and the fifth time in the past 16 years the team will square off against a rookie QB taken in that coveted top spot.

Remarkably, all five of those matchups – counting Sunday's in Chicago – have occurred on the road, with the past three ending in a one-score outcome.

How have the Vikings fared in the previous four instances? Let's take a look back:

Last October, the Vikings headed to Carolina, with both sides looking to capture their first win of the 2023 season after 0-3 starts. Minnesota found itself trailing 13-7 at halftime but shut out Bryce Young and the Panthers in the second half – highlighted by a 51-yard scoop-and-score from D.J. Wonnum – and earned a 21-13 victory.

You'd have to rewind the tape back a little more than a decade to find the previous encounter, which happened in 2012 against Andrew Luck and the Colts. Despite only scoring six points through three quarters, the Vikings rallied from a 14-point deficit in the fourth, as Christian Ponder threw two touchdowns, including one to Kyle Rudolph to tie the game at 20 with 31 seconds remaining. Luck and Indianapolis were able to piece together one final drive, however, marching 45 yards on three plays before Adam Vinatieri connected on a game-winning 53-yard field goal in a 23-20 final.

Minnesota faced another Carolina rookie QB in 2011. The Vikings and the Cam Newton-led Panthers traded scoring drives all afternoon, each finding the end zone three times before the fourth quarter, but Minnesota sealed the 24-21 victory with a 13-play, 72-yard drive that chewed up 7:10 of clock and ended in a 31-yard field goal from Ryan Longwell with 2:47 remaining.

The final meeting in this century between the Vikings and a QB taken first overall came in Week 2 of the 2009 season, when Minnesota took on Matthew Stafford and the Lions in Detroit. The Vikings fell behind early, trailing 10-0, but responded with 27 consecutive points en route to a 27-13 victory.

Between Young, Luck, Newton and Stafford, Minnesota combined for 12 sacks and forced three turnovers (two interceptions and a fumble) and limited the rookie QBs to a combined average of 217.5 passing yards.

Incredibly, before 2009, no quarterback who was taken No. 1 overall in the draft faced the Vikings in their rookie seasons. Only three QBs – JaMarcus Russell (Oakland Raiders) in 2007, Eli Manning (New York Giants via San Diego Chargers) in 2004 and Steve Bartkowski (Atlanta Falcons) in 1975 – saw their teams play against Minnesota in their first year in the NFL, but each quarterback didn't play any snaps in the matchup.

Looking ahead to Sunday's matchup against the Bears, Minnesota and Chicago have met 126 times in their history, including once in the postseason. The Vikings lead the all-time series 66-58-2 and have won the past four meetings in Chicago, but the Bears claimed the most recent matchup in a 12-10 victory in Minnesota in 2023, snapping a five-game winning streak by the Vikings in the rivalry.

Of the 126 meetings between the two teams, 67 have been decided by a one-score game, the most by any Minnesota opponent in franchise history. Minnesota holds a 39-32-2 advantage in those cases, including a 19-17-2 record in Chicago.

Let's see who the experts are picking to win the game:

Vikings 23, Bears 17 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

The Bears lost a heartbreaker last week, but the Vikings are off two straight road victories and now must play on the road for a third straight week. That won't be easy. But I think this will be a game won by the defense as they throw a bunch of looks at Caleb Williams and force turnovers. The Vikings will win it.

Vikings 20, Bears 17 – Staff, Bleacher Report

Under interim offensive play-caller Thomas Brown, the Chicago Bears offense took on a physical approach with a powerhouse ground attack that involved quarterback Caleb Williams.

Brown, who played and coached the running back position, will likely continue to call for a ground-and-pound approach. However, the Bears face a tough task this week in running the ball against the Minnesota Vikings No. 1-ranked run defense.

Nonetheless, [Bleacher Report NFL analyst Kristopher] Knox made a case in favor of the Bears to cover against the Vikings, who have cooled off after a hot start to the season.

"The switch to Brown seemed to impact Williams and the Bears positively in Week 11. It wasn't enough to get the win, but I think the blame falls on [Chicago] Head Coach Matt Eberflus," Knox said. "He didn't allow Green Bay to block the potential game-winning field goal, but his situational management at the end of the game was problematic.

"Disastrous finish aside, Chicago looked and played like a much more competitive team than it has in recent weeks," Knox added. "I expect that to continue against a Minnesota team that suddenly seems to just be scraping by mediocre squads. I'll take the Bears and the points in Chicago."

Vikings 21, Bears 19 – Bill Bender, Sporting News

Yes, the Bears lost in heart-breaking fashion, but Caleb Williams showed development with new Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown. The Vikings are tied for third in the NFL with 35 sacks this season, but Williams can offset that like he did against Green Bay. Can Chicago's defense rattle Sam Darnold, who has a 99.9 passer rating on the road, though?

Vikings 20, Bears 17 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

The Vikings are a pass-first offense with Sam Darnold. The Bears have been a pass-first defense with [Head Coach] Matt Eberflus. But Darnold has a better play-caller to take advantage of his various weapons. The Bears will have trouble moving the ball without Caleb Williams being let loose with his arm and improvisation. He also can expect plenty of pressure from Brian Flores' defense.

5 of 6 experts pick the Vikings, The MMQB

10 of 11 experts pick the Vikings, ESPN

4 of 8 experts pick the Vikings, Bleacher Report

5 of 7 experts pick the Vikings, The Athletic