Chicago Bears 2025 schedule: Takeaways and key games from the Bears' schedule
Chicago Football Schedule Release: Breaking down the 2025 Bears schedule
The Chicago Bears' 2025 schedule is out. It's time to talk about it. Lou Canellis, Cassie Carlson, Rick Telander, Pat The Designer, Chris Bleck and Adam Abdalla break down the 18-game schedule.
The Chicago Bears have their 2025 schedule. It's time to break it down.
Here are our takeaways and key games to know from the completed Bears 2025 schedule that was released Wednesday evening.
The NFC North welcomes Ben Johnson early on in 2025
Ben Johnson's first games as the Chicago Bears' head coach will be against familiar faces.
The Bears will open the 2025 season on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings, first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy and head coach Kevin O'Connell. After that, the Bears travel to Detroit and take on Johnson's old friends.
The Lions will be extra motivated to hand their old offensive coordinator a loss, especially this early into his coaching tenure.
The Bears have a light start to the year on paper
Outside the Lions, the Bears face a Raiders team that picked in the top 10 in the 2025 NFL Draft, a Cowboys team that missed the playoffs and a Vikings team with a brand-new quarterback.
In Week 5, the Bears get a bye to lick their wounds.
Assuming the Bears aren't at the same level as the Lions, if they can handle the Raiders, tame the Cowboys and roll a quarterback in his first-career start, the Bears would enter their bye week with a 3-1 record and an NFC North win under their belt.
Welcome back to Soldier Field, Matt Eberflus
The Bears' ex-head coach makes his return with his new digs. And there won't be much of a wait for it this season, too.
Dallas will visit the Bears in Week 3 in what is an afternoon tilt. Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will have plenty of motivation when it comes to this game.
Eberflus will now pilot a defense that has plenty of high-level players. Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, Dante Fowler Jr., Malik Hooker and Trevon Diggs will be under Eberflus' tutelage. For all the struggles Eberflus had as a head coach, he did mentor Jaylon Johnson into an All-NFL cornerback and had the Bears' defense humming.
This game also comes at a key moment. It could be the difference between 1-2, 2-1, 0-3 or, maybe, 3-0 to start the season.
The last stretch of the season is a friendly one for the Bears
In the final four games of the season, the Bears could be set up for a late run.
The schedule has the Bears hosting the Browns, Packers and Lions with one lone road game against the 49ers. If the Bears are in a position to make the playoffs, having three home games near the end of the season is always a boon.
The jury's out for the 49ers. They might be improved from last year's difficult season, and it's hard to imagine a Kyle Shanahan-led team struggling for long. The Bears know this after San Francisco beat them up in Thomas Brown's first game as interim head coach. But, if that's the lone road game in this final stretch, then that's a win for the Bears.
Getting a struggling Browns team, a Packers team the Bears took to the wire at home and a Lions team that could be resting their starters in advance of the playoffs could play into the Bears' advantage.
Chicago Football Schedule Release: Rick and Pat predict the Bears' record
Rick Telander and Pat The Designer offer their predictions for how many wins the Bears will have in the 2025 season.
3 Key Games for the Chicago Bears
1. Week 1 vs. the Minnesota Vikings
The Bears start the Ben Johnson era in primetime. It's a litmus test for a coach that's said all the right things, but needs to walk the walk.
2. Week 9 vs. the Bengals
This will be a telling point for the Bears. At midseason, we'll have an idea of where the Bears stand in terms of any potential playoff hopes.
3. Week 16 vs. the Green Bay Packers
Is it a Bears season if we don't look forward to the Packers at home? Week 16 is a Saturday NFL double-header with potential playoff implications. That's always a key game for the Bears.