SouthernWorldwide.com – The Chicago Bears experienced a cinematic 2025 season under the new leadership of Ben Johnson, achieving an NFC North title and reaching the Divisional round of the playoffs. However, their 2026 regular season schedule, released on Thursday, suggests a challenging path to replicating that success, with 12 games against teams that finished with a winning record or made the playoffs in 2025.
Despite the perceived difficulty, FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd has expressed a differing opinion, stating that the Bears’ schedule is not the toughest in the league.
“I was told the toughest schedule in the NFL is the Chicago Bears. I don’t see it,” Cowherd remarked on “The Herd.” He elaborated, pointing out that the Bears do not face any team coming off a bye week. Furthermore, he highlighted that the games preceding their tougher matchups often see the Bears as significant favorites.
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To support his assertion, Cowherd noted the Bears’ schedule in the early part of the season. They host the New York Jets in Week 4, followed by a Week 5 game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. In Week 6, they face the Atlanta Falcons, and then the New England Patriots in Week 7. While they do play the Seattle Seahawks in the subsequent week, their Week 15 matchup against the Buffalo Bills is preceded by a Week 14 game against the Miami Dolphins.
Nevertheless, the Bears are indeed slated to face some formidable opponents in 2026. To bolster their defense against these challenges, the team made several offseason moves. They added safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds through free agency to compensate for defensive departures. In the first round of the draft, they selected highly-touted Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.
These defensive reinforcements come at a crucial time, especially with Caleb Williams’ emergence as a star quarterback in his second year. Although the Bears lost wide receiver D.J. Moore during the offseason, tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III both showed promising performances as rookies last season.
The Bears will commence their 2026 campaign on the road against the Carolina Panthers. Following this, they will play three consecutive home games against the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, and the New York Jets. Notably, their Week 8 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, while following a game against the Patriots, is made more manageable by the fact that Chicago plays New England on a Thursday night. This provides the Bears with an extended rest period before facing the Seahawks.
Cowherd believes that this additional rest between games, coupled with consecutive home-field advantages, contributes to a schedule that is less daunting than some are suggesting. He specifically cited the favorable start to the season.
“I mean the first month alone, they get three home games,” Cowherd stated. “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.”
