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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 of the playoffs. Their 2026 regular season schedule — released Thursday — shows the Bears may be staring at an uphill battle to repeat, playing 12 games against teams that either had a winning record or made the playoffs in 2025.
For FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd, however, 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 don’t face any team without a bye. Not once. Second, look at the games before their toughest games. They’re either going to be a game before or after where they’re going to 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 face the Seattle Seahawks the following week, but their Week 15 game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 14 follows a game against Miami.
Still, the Bears are ready to take on some tough challenges in 2026. They tried 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 DJ Moore this offseason, tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III both showed promise as freshmen this past season.
To kick things off in Chicago, the Bears open the season on the road at the Carolina Panthers, then have a three-game homestand against the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and Jets. And while the 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 layoff.
For Cowherd, the extra rest between games and the back-to-back home court advantage makes for an easier schedule than some suggest.
“I mean the first month alone they get three home games,” Cowherd said. “It’s a good start. Their toughest game is the game in Seattle against the Seahawks. But they even get a break there. They get extra rest Thursday through Monday. The NFL, they want a Chicago Bears team that’s in the news. It’s no big deal.”
