The Chicago Bears delivered a cinematic 2025 season in Year 1 of the Ben Johnson era, which came with an NFC North title and reaching the Divisional round in the playoffs. Their 2026 regular season schedule — which was released on Thursday — shows that the Bears might be staring at an uphill battle to repeat that, playing 12 games against teams who either had a winning record or made the playoffs in 2025.
However, for FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd, the Bears’ schedule isn’t the toughest in the league.
“I was told the toughest schedule in the NFL is the Chicago Bears. I don’t see it. The Bears do not face any team off a bye. Not once. Secondly, look at the games before their toughest games. They’ll either be a game before or after where they will be a significant favorite,” Cowherd said on Friday’s edition of “The Herd.”
To Cowherd’s point, the Bears host the New York Jets in Week 4 before playing the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 5. They face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6 before taking on the New England Patriots in Week 7. They do face the Seattle Seahawks in the following week, but their Week 15 matchup against the Buffalo Bills follows a Week 14 game against the Miami Dolphins.
Still, the Bears are set to take on some difficult challenges in 2026. They attempted to get ahead of that in the offseason, adding safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in free agency to offset some losses they had on defense. They also added highly-touted Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman with their first-round pick.
The additions on defense come after Caleb Williams’ emergence as a star quarterback in Year 2. While Williams lost wide receiver D.J. Moore this offseason, tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III both showed promise as rookies this past season.
To kick things off for Chicago, the Bears open the season on the road at the Carolina Panthers, and then have three-straight at home against the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and the Jets. And while that aforementioned game against the Seahawks is after a matchup against the Patriots, Chicago hosts New England on a Thursday night. So, the Bears will take on the Seahawks with an extended break.
For Cowherd, the extra rest in between games and the consecutive home-field advantages make for an easier schedule than some are suggesting.
“I mean the first month alone, they get three home games,” Cowherd said. “That’s a nice start. Their toughest game is the game in Seattle against the Seahawks. But they even get a break there. They get extra rest from Thursday to Monday. The NFL, they want a Chicago Bears team that is in the news. It’s no gauntlet.”
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