There is always a price to winning in the NFL. One of them is knowing that your schedule the next season will likely be more difficult. First place teams are required to play a first place schedule. Part of the Chicago Bears' success this year came from playing a fourth-place schedule, courtesy of their rough 5-12 record last year. Now that they are NFC North champions, they will receive the big-boy treatment in 2026. Thanks to the results on Saturday night, the team has its slate of road opponents set.
They will have their usual divisional matchups with Minnesota, Detroit, and Green Bay. Then they will face Atlanta and Carolina in their AFC South swing, along with Miami. Where it gets hairy is their trip to Buffalo against Josh Allen and the Bills, as well as one to Seattle against the 14-win Seahawks.
Nothing about that schedule is easy. The Bears were 1-2 against the division on the road this year, and their one win required a last-second comeback. Atlanta, Carolina, and Miami all had at least seven wins this year. They are deceptively tough. Then you have Allen, the best quarterback in the league, along with Seattle, the best defense in the league.
The Chicago Bears wanted a seat at the table.
Now they must fight to keep it. That is what good teams do. Philadelphia hasn't complained about constantly getting first place schedules every year. They line up and knock opponents down anyway. Besides, every season is different. Teams that were great one season could regress the next. A schedule considered difficult becomes shockingly weak. The Chicago Bears can only prepare for who lines up across from them. Rest assured, that schedule will be challenging. Head coach Ben Johnson won't have surprise on his side next year.
As for the home slate, that isn't quite determined yet. There are still some game results across the league that need to be finalized before these details become clear. It's a safe assumption the Bears will play several more games in primetime or the late afternoon window next season. The NFL has always featured them prominently when they've been successful. You can also safely expect they'll play an international game as well. Maybe it'll be one of those road games.
