Week 1: Packers at Bears (TNF / NFL Season Opener)
Itās NFL Opening Night. Really not much else to say here. The Packers do host the Vikings in Week 2, so thereās that.
**10 days off**
Week 2: Bears at Broncos
No shortage of juice for the Broncos here. On top of Vic Fangio getting the opportunity to take down his former team, itās the Broncos home opener. Thereās also some ridiculous stat out there about the Broncos being something like 75-2 in Week 2 at home or something (*Not the actual stat, itās buried in TweetDeck somewhere), so this one will be tough.
Week 3: Bears at Washington (MNF)
Washingtonās schedule
Week 1 at Eagles
Week 2 vs Cowboys
Week 3 vs Bears MNF
Week 4 vs Giants
Week 5 vs Patriots
So Washington hosts the Bears in the midst of facing all three of their divisional opponents in the first four weeks of the season. I donāt know what it means, I just know I found it interesting. Worst case scenario for the Bears is that Washington is (more than likely) 0-2 and needs to throw the kitchen sink at the Bears to āsaveā their season on Monday Night Football. But then thereās this: Washington is 2-14 on Monday Night Football since November of 2008.
Week 4 Vikings vs Bears
Vikings Schedule
Week 3 vs Raiders
Week 4 at Bears
Week 5 at Giants
Week 6 vs Eagles
Divisional games arenāt typically let down or look ahead spots and that certainly holds true for both teams here. Iād watch out for that Giants game in New York sandwiched between the Bears and Eagles if I were a Vikings fan though.
Week 5 vs Raiders in London
Raiders Schedule
Week 2 vs Chiefs
Week 3 at Vikings
Week 4 at Colts
Week 5 vs Bears in London
Week 6 BYE
All bets are off for these London games. The Khalil Mack trade revenge game certainly should be a Bears win, and after facing a murderers row of the Chiefs, Vikings and Colts, the Raiders could be limping across the pond.
Week 6 BYE
Week 7 Saints vs Bears
Saints Schedule
Week 6 at Jaguars
Week 7 at Bears
Week 8 vs Cardinals
As JJ Stankevitz, Cam Ellis and I talked about on the Under Center podcast I actually think itās a good thing the Bears are facing a likely Super Bowl contender coming out of the bye week. Last season, they faced the Dolphins and Giants coming out of the Bye, and the extended post-Thanksgiving break respectively and they lost against bad teams. No excuse for not getting up for this game. And as you can see, thereās nothing to distract the Saints from the defending NFC North champs.
Week 8 Chargers vs Bears
Chargers Schedule
Week 6 vs Steelers
Week 7 at Titans
Week 8 at Bears
Week 9 vs Packers
So the Chargers were 7-1 on the road last season, but I think their road success and their 12-4 record come back to earth in 2019. Last season was their first season winning 10+ games since 2009. And we saw the real Chargers (not) show up against the Patriots when it mattered most in the AFC Divisional Round. Give me a healthy dose of Philip Rivers throwing a temper tantrum after Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks combine for the Bears fourth sack of the day.
Week 9 at Eagles
Eagles Schedule
Week 7 at Cowboys (SNF)
Week 8 at Bills
Week 9 vs Bears
Week 10 BYE
Week 11 vs Patriots
The already tall task of avenging last seasonās double doink playoff heartbreak gets even tougher with the way the schedule falls for Jordan Howardās new team. Having the Patriots looming could have been advantageous for the Bears, but this being the Eaglesā last game before the bye nixes any chance Doug Pedersonās team will be looking past the Bears and ahead to a Super Bowl LII rematch. Big game at a big point of the season for both teams.
Week 10 vs Lions
Lions Schedule
Week 9 at Raiders
Week 10 at Bears
Week 11 vs Cowboys
Week 12 at Washington
Week 13 vs Bears (Thanksgiving)
Nothing jumps out from the Lions perspective here. Should be a āget right gameā for the Bears coming off IMO their toughest stretch of the season. There is some letdown potential with the lowly Lions dropped into this otherwise murdererās row 5 game stretch.
Week 11 at Rams (SNF)
Rams schedule
Week 10 at Steelers
Week 11 vs Bears (SNF)
Week 12 vs Ravens (MNF)
Super Bowl hangover anyone?? The Bears laid the defensive blueprint for how to beat the Rams ā and the thing I canāt still get over: itās great that a micād up Sean McVay realized the Patriots were using the Bears scheme early in the Super Bowl. But how did he not have a counter for it at that point? A team beat you this exact way? The Bears finish what they started a season ago by sending the Rams into a tailspin while Mitch cements himself as a household name.
Week 12 vs Giants
Giants Schedule
Week 11 BYE
Week 12 at Bears
Week 13 vs Packers
Weāre doing this again are we? Huge letdown spot for the Bears against what should be a really bad team coming off their bye week and the Bears have a short Thanksgiving week looming. I donāt like it. Not even a little bit.
Week 13 at Lions (Thanksgiving)
Lions Schedule
Week 12 at Washington
Week 13 vs Bears (Thanksgiving)
Week 14 at Vikings
We saw the Bears handle a brutal 85-hour turnaround from Sunday Night Football to Thanksgiving last season ā so theyāve been here. Last yearās Thanksgiving game did actually come down to Kyle Fuller making a game-saving INT in the end zone at the end of the game. Definitely edge Bears but anything can happen on Turkey day.
**update! I found the Broncos stat! 51-8-2 in weeks 1-2 at home. Carry on.****
Week 14 vs Cowboys (TNF)
Cowboys schedule
Week 12 at Patriots
Week 13 vs Bills
Week 14 at Bears (TNF)
Week 15 vs Rams
Getting funky with back to back Thursdays. The Bears did do this in 2014, losing against the Lions and Cowboys in that order as the Trestman era was coming to its Real Football Coaches of Chicago (in)glorious ending. For my money, I have this as the most pivotal game of the season. With 10 days off afterward, a win could propel the Bears into their crucial home stretch (and the playoffs) in the driverās seat.
**10 days off**
Week 15 at Packers
Packers Schedule
Week 13 at Giants
Week 14 vs Washington
Week 15 vs Bears
Week 16 at Vikings
Week 17 at Lions
Well hereās some fun with schedules. The Packers finish with three straight against the NFC North. And they get to warm up for it with back to back games against the NFC Eastās least. Does the Matt Nagy era come full circle from Lambeau heartbreak in the 2018 opener to cementing his second straight divisional crown in enemy territory?
Week 16 vs Chiefs (SNF)
Chiefs Schedule
Week 14 at Patriots
Week 15 vs Broncos
Week 16 at Bears (SNF)
Week 17 vs Chargers
Definitely a roll of the dice by the schedule makers to have the Andy Reid ā Matt Nagy, mentor vs pupil, reigning MVP vs reigning top defense this late in the season. This game very well could mean nothing to either or both teams. But for everyoneās sake, letās hope we all get the primetime early Christmas present of watching Patrick Mahomes vs the Bears defense with everything on the line.
Week 17 at Vikings
Vikings Schedule
Week 14 vs Lions
Week 15 at Chargers (SNF)
Week 16 vs Packers (MNF)
Week 17 vs Bears
Another fun schedule wrinkle where another NFC North opponents close with a division heavy final stretch. Normally I would have a problem with the Vikings getting to end the season with all three of their NFC North home games in the final month. But we saw what the Vikings did at home with their season on the line against the Bears in the final week last season, so I have my doubts as to whether theyāll even still be alive at this point.
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