CHICAGO, Ill., — The 2026 NFL schedule is officially out, with the league releasing the full schedule earlier in the week. The Chicago Bears will have a combination of seven primetime/standalone games as of now, with the potential to add more later in the season.
While Chicago's strength of schedule is the toughest this year based on 2025 records, they actually have a favorable first few weeks. Despite rumors of the Bears opening up in Seattle against the defending Super Bowl champions, they instead will still be on the road but in Carolina. Chicago can't look past Carolina by any means but it does feel a little relieving in terms of that matchup.
As the schedule is now officially out, ESPN made predictions for each team early on based on the schedule. For the Bears, ESPN believes that they can get off to a hot start and be 3-1 by the time they face off against Green Bay in Week 5 on the road:
Look for the Bears to be 3-1 by the time they face the Packers in Week 5 and 2-0 in division games before their Week 10 bye (wins over Minnesota and Green Bay).
Three of the Bears' first four games will be at home, including Week 4 vs. the Jets. That will allow the revamped offensive line to gel without worrying about things that come with playing in hostile road environments, such as the silent count.
Starting faster in games is a priority for Chicago's offense, and the benefit of getting to mesh new offensive players in front of home crowds will provide the Bears with the hot start they're seeking.
It certainly helps that the Bears do open up with three of the first four at home. As Courtney Cronin points out, it could help the offensive line mesh better earlier on. Getting off to a good start is always key, especially this season.
Chicago's final four games include three straight in the division and at Buffalo in primetime right before that. So it does get tougher as the year goes on, making the case for getting off to a good start even stronger for Ben Johnson and his team.