Bears 2021 schedule: Game-by-game predictions
The Chicago Bears' 2021 schedule has been released, and it's one of the hardest in the NFL. And there is a 17th game, a first for an NFL season. So how will the Bears do? Hard to say when we don't know how long Andy Dalton will be the starting quarterback, or how early Justin Fields gets under center.But we'll do our best.
For now, we can only take the Bears at their word that Andy Dalton will be the Week 1 starter. Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford gets to join Sean McVay's offense, and it's not hard to give the Rams the edge there. Both teams will have new defensive coordinators and plenty of talent. Edge goes to Stafford and McVay, even though Sofi Stadium should be full of Bears fans.
PREDICTION: Loss
RECORD:0-1
Andy Dalton played well against his former team when he went to Cincinnati last year, although Joe Burrow should be on the field this time. Still, the Bengals aren't a good football team, and their offensive line should struggle against the Bears' front-seven.
PREDICTION: Win
RECORD:1-1
It's time to give the Browns some respect. They are well coached and should have an improved defense this year. A tougher schedule tells me they won't go 6-2 at home again in 2021 (or 7-2 with the extra home game), but this will be a difficult road test for the Bears. Andy Dalton is 12-5 against the Browns in his career, but those wins didn't come against these Browns. A tough loss here will put the pressure on to turn to Fields.
PREDICTION: LOSS
RECORD: 1-2
Matt Nagy is 5-1 against the Lions, with the only loss coming when the Bears blew a 10-point lead in the final minutes at Soldier Field last year. The Lions are trying to remake their roster under a new regime, and it will take a little bit of time. Bears are the better team.
PREDICTION: WIN
RECORD: 2-2
The Raiders should be competitive this year and will likely float around playoff contention, which makes this a tough road game. Then again, it wouldn't be surprising to see Allegiant Stadium 75 percent full of Bears fans. Khalil Mack was quiet in his first game against his former team in 2019. I don't think he'll let that happen again. Bears win.
PREDICTION: WIN
RECORD: 3-2
It's always hard to make predictions in May, but the uncertainty of the quarterback matchup makes this impossible. Is this going to be Aaron Rodgers vs. Andy Dalton or Jordan Love vs. Justin Fields? Until Rodgers is officially gone, I'm just going to assume he continues to haunt the Chicago Bears.
PREDICTION: LOSS
RECORD: 3-3
The Bears managed to beat the Super Bowl champs with Nick Foles last year, but something tells me Tom Brady won't forget how many downs there are again. Tampa returns all 22 starters and will be extremely tough to beat.
PREDICTION: LOSS
RECORD: 3-4
Can this please be a matchup between Trey Lance and Justin Fields? Pretty please? If it is, I'll take Fields who should be more polished against the 49ers' defense, while Lance deals with Akiem Hicks, Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith.
PREDICTION: WIN
RECORD: 4-4
Andy Dalton is 3-13 against the Steelers in his career. With the Monday Night Football spotlight shining brightly, I predict the Bears turn to Justin Fields mid-game, and he leads a sneaky comeback victory, causing chaos in the streets of Chicago.
PREDICTION: WIN
RECORD: 5-4
Week 10 is a Bye Week.
After two weeks of hype, the Bears face a reality check after the bye week. The Ravens should still be favored in this spot, and it's tough to go against them here. Lamar Jackson vs. Justin Fields would be a treat. Perhaps even a Sunday Night Football flex candidate.
PREDICTION: LOSS
RECORD: 5-5
The Lions are on a four-year losing streak on Thanksgiving, and the Bears were responsible for two of those losses. While I think the Lions will be mostly rebuilding in 2021, this game will be a rallying cry for the new regime, and my gut says Detroit pulls out a close one.
PREDICTION: LOSS
RECORD: 5-6
After back-to-back tough losses, Justin Fields gets exactly what he needs: the Cardinals' defense. Like last year, J.J. Watt will enjoy his trip to Portillo's but not the game at Soldier Field.
PREDICTION: WIN
RECORD: 6-6
This will mark the 10th time in 11 years the Bears play at Lambeau Field in primetime. In contrast, the Packers have only played at Soldier Field in primetime once in the same stretch. Again, assuming Rodgers is still playing for the Packers, I have to give the nod to Green Bay.
PREDICTION: LOSS
RECORD: 6-7
The Bears host the Vikings in primetime for the fifth time in six seasons, and they are 2-2 in those games. Last year, Kirk Cousins finally won a game on Monday Night Football, but that's when the Bears' offense was at its worst with Nick Foles. Bears win this time around.
PREDICTION: WIN
RECORD: 7-7
