2019 NFL schedule release: Detroit Lions divisional rivals
Chicago Bears
Bye: Week 6
Vs. Lions: Week 10 (home), Week 13 (away)
Primetime Games: Week 1 (vs. GB / TNF), Week 3 (at WSH / MNF), Week 11 (at LAR / SNF), Week 13 (at DET / Thanksgiving), Week 14 (vs. DAL / TNF), Week 16 (vs. KC / SNF)
The Bears had a breakout season in their first year under head coach Matt Nagy, winning the NFC North for the first time 2010. Hence, the Bears receive a first place schedule in addition to their games against the NFC East and AFC West, plus six primetime dates. The football scheduling gods may have granted them an extra favor in the process too.
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The Bears play no 2018 playoff teams prior to their Week 6 bye, putting them in prime position to defend their NFC North crown if they can take advantage of this modest opening stretch. After their break however, they face a thorny series of games that will test their ability to build on last year’s achievements.
Home games against heavyweights the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers await the Bears directly after their bye. That precedes a tough road matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Keep a close eye on this game in Week 9, as the Bears will be looking to exact revenge against the team that ousted them from the playoffs last season. They follow this with their home date against the Lions and a big road game against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Bears visit Ford Field on Thanksgiving for the second year in a row. This time, the Lions will be hoping for a much better result than last year, as they were bested by a Bears squad led by backup quarterback Chase Daniel. In a season full of them, that loss ranked among the Lions’ most disheartening.
Chicago caps the season with a quartet of difficult games; hosting the Dallas Cowboys, at the Green Bay Packers, hosting the Kansas City Chiefs and finishing on the road against the Minnesota Vikings. If the Bears are at all able to continue on from last season’s success, their fate likely won’t depend on this tricky campaign-culminating stretch.
The Bears have few roster holes, and are in good shape to defend their division title. Keep in mind though, that the NFC North has some heavily retooled squads even before the upcoming draft, who will be gunning for number one. September can’t come soon enough.
Which NFC North team’s schedule do you think is the most challenging? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Note: As per NFL broadcast scheduling regulations, beginning in Week 5 through Week 17, certain Sunday afternoon games are subject to being flexed into a Sunday night primetime slot.
For more details on NFL flexible scheduling, click here.