The Bears seem to be launching a new era every couple of years and they’re at it again Monday when they kick off new coach Ben Johnson’s debut season against the Vikings.
A year ago it was quarterback Caleb Williams, before that it was Matt Eberflus, Justin Fields, Matt Nagy and so on. Each began with high hopes and fizzled quickly.
Will this launch be different? We’ll find out soon. They have the coach and quarterback everyone wanted them to land, and the rest of the roster is mostly built to compete for a playoff spot. Here’s a look at the schedule the Bears must navigate this season to pull out of their yearslong doldrums:
Week 1: vs. Vikings, Sept. 8 (Monday) at 7:15 p.m. (ABC 7) — Johnson gets a massive opener against a team that went 14-3 and had a top-five defense last season, plus it’s the first game of what could be a long quarterback rivalry between Williams and J.J. McCarthy.
Week 2: at Lions, Sept. 14 at noon (Fox 32) — Johnson expects a playoff-like atmosphere for his return to Detroit, where the Lions have been a perennial championship contender thanks in large part to his work there as offensive coordinator. The Bears haven’t won at Ford Field since 2021.
Week 3: vs. Cowboys, Sept. 21 at 3:25 p.m. (Fox 32) — The compelling storylines never end this season: Eberflus makes his return to Soldier Field as Cowboys defensive coordinator. He went 14-32 over two-plus seasons and self-sabotaged with misstep after misstep before the Bears fired him in November.
Week 4: at Raiders, Sept. 28 at 3:25 p.m. (CBS 2) — The Bears have won 5 of 7 in this series dating back to 2003, but the Raiders have two big additions this year in future Hall of Fame coach Pete Carroll and electric rookie running back Ashton Jeanty.
Week 5: Bye — This is the earliest a team can have a bye week, but Johnson believes it is “at just the right time” to give the Bears a chance to reassess their personnel and scheme. It’s their earliest bye since 2018.
Week 6: at Commanders, Oct. 13 (Monday) at 7:15 p.m. (ABC 7) — There’s endless drama in a rematch of the Fail Mary — the play of the year in the NFL and the beginning of the Bears’ demise. It’s also another chapter of the top two picks in 2024, Williams and Jayden Daniels.
Week 7: vs. Saints, Oct. 19 at noon (Fox 32) — The Bears have lost nine in a row to the Saints, counting playoffs, but this looks like it could be the worst team in the NFL this season. They’re unlikely to be competitive until 2027 at the soonest.
Week 8: at Ravens, Oct. 26 at noon (CBS 2) — In their first visit to Baltimore since 2017, the Bears are up against one of their former stars in linebacker Roquan Smith, a two-time MVP in quarterback Lamar Jackson and a future Hall of Famer in coach John Harbaugh.
Week 9: at Bengals, Nov. 2 at noon (CBS 2) — There’s no telling what to expect from the Bengals, who have a Super Bowl appearance and a last-place finish just in the last four seasons. But they’ve still got an elite quarterback in Joe Burrow.
Week 10: vs. Giants, Nov. 9 at noon (Fox 32) — The Giants have won just 40 games over the past eight seasons and are restarting again with rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart developing behind Russell Wilson. There’s a good chance the Bears will face Dart at this point.
Week 11: at Vikings, Nov. 16 at noon (Fox 32) — McCarthy probably will be playing better in November than when the Bears see him Monday for his NFL debut. This will be his 10th career start and he will have faced powerhouses in the Eagles, Lions and Ravens by then.
Week 12: vs. Steelers, Nov. 23 at noon (CBS 2) — This will be Aaron Rodgers’ first game in Chicago since 2022 — assuming he lasts as the Steelers’ starter. At 41, he’s struggled to stay healthy and play well, posting a 90.7 passer rating over the last three seasons.
Week 13: at Eagles, Nov. 28 (Friday) at 2 p.m. (Amazon Prime Video) — The Bears haven’t played on a Friday since 1966, and they’ll play in the relatively new Black Friday afternoon game against the defending champs. They’ve lost six in a row to the Eagles, including playoffs.
Week 14: at Packers, Dec. 7 at noon (Fox 32) — This is the latest in a season the Bears and Packers will play their first game since 1998, and they’ll reconvene two weeks later. The Bears haven’t beaten the Packers in a game that mattered to both teams since 2018.
Week 15: vs. Browns, Dec. 14 at noon (Fox 32) — If the Saints aren’t the worst team in the league this season, it’ll probably be because of the Browns. They went 3-14 last season and lost 10 games by two scores or more, and their roster looks even worse now.
Week 16: vs. Packers, Dec. 20 (Saturday), time TBD (Fox 32) — The Packers have a lot of pieces in place with coach Matt LaFleur, quarterback Jordan Love and a brilliant young defensive star in pass rusher Micah Parsons. They go into the season ahead of the Bears at all three spots.
Week 17: at 49ers, Dec. 28 at 7:20 p.m. (NBC 5) — The Bears could win or lose by 20 points depending on how the season goes for two of the NFL’s most unpredictable teams. That said, the 49ers went 6-11 last season and still crushed the Bears by 25.
Week 18: vs. Lions, Jan. 3 or 4 (TBD) — In a perfect world, both teams will need this game and it’ll be must-see TV. Perhaps the Bears will be scrapping for one of the final playoff spots and the Lions will be battling for home-field advantage.