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The Chicago Bears entered the 2025 NFL offseason looking to make significant improvement around Caleb Williams before his second season.
Chicago's process began when it hired Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be the next Bears coach. Johnson turned the Lions into one of the league's perennial top offenses and will bring creativity to a Bears offense that lacked it in 2025.
Johnson's first goal was to improve the protection in front of Williams, who was sacked 68 times as a rookie. The team traded for two guards, former Lions starter Jonah Jackson and All-Pro Joe Thuney, before signing center Drew Dalman in free agency to give the Bears an entirely different interior offensive line.
Chicago's work didn't stop there. The Bears added offensive players with each of the team's first three draft picks. Tight end Colston Loveland and receiver Luther Burden III will join Williams' deep stable of weapons while Ozzy Trapilo will start his career as a swing tackle before potentially challenging Braxton Jones for the left tackle job.
All told, Chicago looks a lot different than it did last season. That could allow the Bears to take a step toward being a playoff contender, especially if Williams can even out his play after an up-and-down rookie season.
Here's a look at the Bears' schedule for 2025 and a prediction for how they might fare against a tough slate of opponents.
Buy Chicago Bears tickets for 2025 season
This section will be updated when the NFL schedule is released on Wednesday, May 14.
Record prediction: 8-9
The Bears have a wide range of outcomes for their first season under Johnson's tutelage. If all goes well and Williams thrives in Johnson's offense, Chicago could emerge as a wild-card team in the NFC.
That said, Chicago faces a key obstacle in making that leap. The Bears have the seventh-hardest strength of schedule entering the 2025 season, per Sharp Football Analysis. They will face a particularly tough gauntlet of opponents on the road; that includes six teams that made the playoffs last season: the Commanders, Eagles, Lions, Packers, Ravens and Vikings.
Add in road dates with the Bengals and 49ers – both of whom have been perennial playoff contenders in recent seasons – and it's hard to imagine Chicago scraping together a .500 record on the road.
The Bears should do much better at home. They have some winnable games on the schedule against the Giants and Saints and will likely provide their divisional opponents more of a challenge at Soldier Field.
Still, the most likely outcome for the Bears despite their upgrades is to finish with a record close to .500. Perhaps they can exceed expectations if the offense comes together quickly, but Chicago seems more likely to take a step toward contention this season than to become a true contender.
Below is a full list of Chicago's opponents for the upcoming season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chicago Bears schedule: Games, dates, predictions for 2025
Continue reading...
Chicago's process began when it hired Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be the next Bears coach. Johnson turned the Lions into one of the league's perennial top offenses and will bring creativity to a Bears offense that lacked it in 2025.
Johnson's first goal was to improve the protection in front of Williams, who was sacked 68 times as a rookie. The team traded for two guards, former Lions starter Jonah Jackson and All-Pro Joe Thuney, before signing center Drew Dalman in free agency to give the Bears an entirely different interior offensive line.
Chicago's work didn't stop there. The Bears added offensive players with each of the team's first three draft picks. Tight end Colston Loveland and receiver Luther Burden III will join Williams' deep stable of weapons while Ozzy Trapilo will start his career as a swing tackle before potentially challenging Braxton Jones for the left tackle job.
All told, Chicago looks a lot different than it did last season. That could allow the Bears to take a step toward being a playoff contender, especially if Williams can even out his play after an up-and-down rookie season.
Here's a look at the Bears' schedule for 2025 and a prediction for how they might fare against a tough slate of opponents.
Buy Chicago Bears tickets for 2025 season
Chicago Bears schedule 2025
This section will be updated when the NFL schedule is released on Wednesday, May 14.
- Week 1:
- Week 2:
- Week 3:
- Week 4:
- Week 5:
- Week 6:
- Week 7:
- Week 8:
- Week 9:
- Week 10:
- Week 11:
- Week 12:
- Week 13:
- Week 14:
- Week 15:
- Week 16:
- Week 17:
- Week 18:
Bears record prediction 2025
Record prediction: 8-9
The Bears have a wide range of outcomes for their first season under Johnson's tutelage. If all goes well and Williams thrives in Johnson's offense, Chicago could emerge as a wild-card team in the NFC.
That said, Chicago faces a key obstacle in making that leap. The Bears have the seventh-hardest strength of schedule entering the 2025 season, per Sharp Football Analysis. They will face a particularly tough gauntlet of opponents on the road; that includes six teams that made the playoffs last season: the Commanders, Eagles, Lions, Packers, Ravens and Vikings.
Add in road dates with the Bengals and 49ers – both of whom have been perennial playoff contenders in recent seasons – and it's hard to imagine Chicago scraping together a .500 record on the road.
The Bears should do much better at home. They have some winnable games on the schedule against the Giants and Saints and will likely provide their divisional opponents more of a challenge at Soldier Field.
Still, the most likely outcome for the Bears despite their upgrades is to finish with a record close to .500. Perhaps they can exceed expectations if the offense comes together quickly, but Chicago seems more likely to take a step toward contention this season than to become a true contender.
Bears opponents 2025
Below is a full list of Chicago's opponents for the upcoming season.
Home
- Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Giants
- Pittsburgh Steelers
Road
- Baltimore Ravens
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Detroit Lions
- Green Bay Packers
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Minnesota Vikings
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Washington Commanders
- San Francisco 49ers
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chicago Bears schedule: Games, dates, predictions for 2025
Continue reading...