Fans have a good idea of how the roster will look later this year. Now comes the next mystery. Everybody wants to know what the Chicago Bears 2023 schedule will look like. Knowing the opponents is one thing. Seeing the order of matchups, where the bye week will be, and where their longest road stretch comes all place significant factors in whether a team will be successful. Great teams worry less about such matters. However, young, rebuilding ones like the Bears need a little extra help to build momentum.
Everybody remembers what happened last year. Chicago finished 3-14, their worst record since 1969. However, several of their losses came by single digits. A few more breaks might've seen them with four or five additional victories. This knowledge, along with an improved roster, should give people hope the team will be better this season. So let's go through the schedule and see where the wins will be.
The Chicago Bears 2023 schedule will be an interesting challenge.
Week 1: vs. Green Bay - Loss
People are going to make this all about Jordan Love. The truth is the Packers still have a better overall roster than the Bears. Their defense held Chicago to 29 points combined last year while scoring 55. Aaron Rodgers' numbers in those two games weren't overly special at 416 yards and three TDs. The Packers didn't need him to be great to beat the Bears. A gap still exists between the rosters, and it will show here.
Week 2: at Tampa Bay - Win
The Buccaneers had a losing record last season with Tom Brady. Now they won't have him at all, forced to choose between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. They still have some good players, but doubts linger about the coaching staff. This is one team Justin Fields would love to get payback on for how they humiliated him back in 2021.
Week 3: at Kansas City - Loss
Facts are facts. The Chiefs are the class of the NFL. They have the best player on the planet in Patrick Mahomes and they'll be at home. It's hard to imagine any scenario in which a young and rebuilding Bears team can somehow pull off a win in this game. It's possible but highly unlikely. Expect a K.C. runaway.
Week 4: vs Broncos - Loss
This may shock some people, given how horrible Denver was last year. Their biggest problem wasn't talent. It was coaching. Replacing Nathaniel Hackett with Sean Payton is a massive upgrade. They should be far better this year with a rejuvenated Russell Wilson leading the way.
Week 5: at Washington - Win
The Bears should've beaten the Commanders last year. They had two game-winning touchdowns bobbled away by their receivers in the final seconds. Chicago's offensive line has improved since that meeting and it doesn't appear Washington's quarterback situation got much better.
Week 6: vs. Minnesota - Win
By most accounts, the Vikings didn't get better this off-season. At best, they stayed the same, and the odds of them being as lucky as they were last year are remote. Justin Fields played well against them in Minnesota and as a rookie at Soldier Field the year prior. Given the state of their secondary, this could be his breakout game.
Week 7: vs. Las Vegas - Win
It's hard to tell what the Raiders are doing at this point. They felt Jimmy Garoppolo is an upgrade over Derek Carr. Their roster doesn't seem to have gotten far better than last season when they weren't good, to begin with. Unless the Bears defense lets Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams go nuts, they can and should win this.
Week 8: at Chargers - Loss
Los Angeles has been a consistently solid team for several years, largely thanks to their ability to keep finding good quarterbacks. Beating Justin Herbert is hard enough. Facing a stout pass rush of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack makes it even tougher. This comes down to nothing more than a bad matchup for the Bears.
Week 9: at Saints - Loss
New Orleans is probably one of the toughest venues in the entire NFL to play. They still boast a formidable defense and upgraded their quarterback spot with Derek Carr. It should be a competitive matchup, but the Saints are a more battle-tested roster with a great home field advantage.
Week 10: vs. Carolina - Win
The Chicago Bears aren't strangers to losing to rookie quarterbacks. So falling to Bryce Young is far from impossible. That said, the Panthers' offense is leaning on a lot of maybes while the defense is switching schemes under the new coaching staff. The Bears should win this, given their home field advantage.
Week 11: at Detroit - Loss
This isn't the same old Lions anymore. Detroit has finally built a young and capable roster. They proved that much when they throttled the Bears last season at Ford Field 41-10. This feels like a team ready for a playoff run. Chicago will keep it far closer in this one, but they won't be able to match the Lions' firepower.
Week 12: at Minnesota - Loss
One fact that has never really changed is it's hard to win in Minnesota, even when the Vikings aren't that good. After falling to the Bears in Chicago, they'll be ready for the rematch here. Expect their offense to have a big game while the defense does enough to slow down Fields and the running game.
Week 13: BYE
Week 14: vs. Detroit - Loss
This game figures to be a spirited one. The weather should play a factor of some kind as well. Still, the Lions will likely be in the middle of a playoff push by this point and can't afford to let the Bears stop them. They'll jump out to a big lead but expect Fields to lead a spirited comeback, serving as a reminder the gap is closing.
Week 15: at Cleveland - Loss
This will be a revisiting of his worst nightmare for Fields. Everybody remembers what happened the last time he played the Browns. Sadly, this time will not be different. Despite Cleveland going through some troubles last year, they still have a really good roster and improved their coaching staff this off-season.
Week 16: vs. Arizona - Win
The Cardinals were not a good football team last year. They made a ton of changes this off-season from the top down and have begun the process of rebuilding their roster. Couple that with having to visit Chicago in late December, and there is no excuse for the Bears to lose this game unless they let Kyler Murray go off.
Week 17: vs. Atlanta - Win
Fields and the rest of his teammates probably know they should've beaten Atlanta last year. A familiar late collapse by the defense in the final two minutes ruined their chances. This time the Bears have a better roster and will be at home. Presuming the temperatures are cold, this game should be theirs.
Week 18: at Green Bay - Win
Finally, after almost three solid years of misery, the Chicago Bears break through against the Packers. By this point, their younger roster will be more experienced and used to tougher road conditions. They won't fear Green Bay as they have in the past. Led by a total team effort from all three phases, they send their rivals into the off-season with a decisive loss.
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