The Chicago Bears are a trendy Super Bowl pick heading into the 2026 season.
The Bears won the NFC North with an 11-6 record under first-year coach Ben Johnson and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. Chicago beat rival Green Bay 31-27 in the NFC Wild Card round before a 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC divisional playoffs. It was a long-awaited culture shift in the Windy City, and Johnson is at the center of it.
The Bears might actually be who we thought they were this year. Chicago will have to replicate that run in the NFC North, and Johnson has a new offensive coordinator in Press Taylor. The Bears had another solid draft under general manager Ryan Poles. The continuity – and most importantly, quarterback – is there for another NFC playoff run.
Chicago will face a first-place schedule that includes the NFC South and AFC East this season. Here is a complete breakdown of the Bears' 2026 schedule, including dates, start times, and analysis for all 17 games.
Chicago Bears schedule 2026
Home opponents: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Jaguars, Patriots, Saints, Jets, Eagles, Buccaneers
Away opponents: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, Bills, Dolphins, Giants
Every NFL team's 2026 opponents are predetermined. The Bears' full 2025 NFL schedule with dates, times, and TV networks will be updated below when the NFL schedule is announced at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 14.
Week Date Opponent Kickoff time (ET) TV channel
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Chicago Bears strength of schedule
The Bears have the sixth-hardest regular-season schedule based on opponents' records from last season as part of its first-place schedule in the NFC North.
Chicago has eight games against teams that made the playoffs last season, including two games against the Packers. The Eagles and Seahawks are on the schedule along with the Bills, Jaguars, Panthers and Patriots. The Bears do get an extra home game this season – so that helps.
Toughest tests: Every road game is against an opponent that had a .500 or better record at home last season. Five of those teams had winning records, including Seattle (8-2) and Buffalo (7-2). Those will be the two toughest road games outside the division. Those will be high-profile games that could easily be slotted in prime time. Chicago was 2-2 in prime-time regular-season games last season, and all four games were decided by six points or less. Williams makes for good TV, and that should be the case again in 2026. Home games against the Patriots and Eagles will be fun, too.
Biggest breaks: A pair of Florida teams – the Jaguars and Buccaneers – have to come to Soldier Field. The timing on the calendar for those games will be interesting. The Jets were 1-7 on the road last season, and the key will be handling the NFC South schedule. The Buccaneers and Saints had a combined 7-11 record in road games last season.
Chicago beat Philadelphia 24-15 on the road last season. The return game could be an interesting data point in the NFC playoff race. The Bears must protect that home record, which was 5-3 in the regular season with a pair of playoff victories.
Chicago Bears record prediction
Over/under win total: 9.5 (per Caesars)
Bottom line: Chicago finished 8-5 in one-score games, including playoffs in 2025, and Williams led seven fourth-quarter comebacks with game-winning drives. How will that aura carry over in 2026? The third-year quarterback is 3-2 against the Packers, but he's 1-3 against the Vikings and 0-4 against the Lions. Those rivalries in a tight NFC North race might be better than ever this season because every team has a legitimate shot at the postseason.
The matchups with the Lions and Packers come into focus. Will Johnson be able to beat the Lions, where he was the offensive coordinator from 2022-24? How will the Packers respond after a pair of meltdowns at Soldier Field last season? Chicago has the toughest schedule among the bunch, but this team should be able to get back to double-digit victories and the NFC playoffs. Some projections might have the Bears at the top of the division – but it will be close.
Record prediction: 10-7