Analyzing the Bears schedule part 4: three games to end the season

The Bears end their 2019-20 season with three tough games. Will it be the crowning of another NFC crown or a disappointing end to their season?

The Bears schedule is much tougher this year and we have already covered a rough five-game stretch after their bye week, but the last three games of the year are not going to be an easy road either. Chicago will play two of their last three games on the road and their one home game will be what looks a huge Sunday night game against the Kansas City Chiefs and their high-powered offense. The schedule makers did the Bears no favors with their final stretch of games.

If the Bears are still fighting for a playoff spot at this point of the season they will have to be at their best if they want to get through this set of games. All three of their opponents should be in the mix for the playoffs also and even if they aren’t will be motivated to keep the Bears from making it.

They start their last stretch of games by visiting Lambeau Field and the Green Bay Packers. Hopefully, for the Bears, they will be looking to sweep their rivals when they take the short trip up north. It will be a rematch of their game to open the NFL season. If Aaron Rodgers stays healthy all year and he and first-year head coach Matt LaFleur are getting along the Packers should be in the mix for a playoff spot and the NFC North’s top spot.

The Bears have had a tough time winning in Lambeau and barring any major injuries, this will again be a tough game. The Packers don’t want to let the North go to the Bears two years in a row and especially allowing them to get closer by winning on their home field. If Chicago can pull out a win in Green Bay, it will be a huge boost heading into their week 16 matchup with the Chiefs.

Kansas City will come to town in the second to last week in what many have circled as one of the best games of the year. The Chiefs have reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes returning to an offense that was as good as, if not the best, of any offense in the entire NFL last year. He nearly led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl last year had they not been called for offsides on a key play late in the game against the Patriots.

The good news for the Bears is they have the game at home and at night. It will more than likely be a cold game and Chicago will have a little more experience playing in those types of games. But Mahomes has proved he can play well anywhere. On paper, this looks like the toughest test for the Bears defense all year, but obviously, a lot can change before week 16. If everyone is healthy and both teams are playing to their abilities this should be a treat and could be a Super Bowl preview. Bears fans can at least hope it is.

For the second straight year, the Bears will head to Minnesota to end their season. Last year the Bears took care of the Vikings and eliminated them from the playoffs. The ironic part is because they did that, it allowed the Eagles to make the playoffs who came in and beat the Bears in the first round. Had Chicago lost they would have had a rematch with the Vikings and it could have been a different result.

If the Vikings can have Kurt Cousins back to the form he showed with the Redskins, they should be competing for a playoff spot again. The Vikings have a very good defense and like the Bears, can win games on the shoulders of that defense.

Minnesota will also likely be looking for a little bit of revenge after the way the Bears ended their season last year. Road division games are never going to be easy and playing against one as motivated as the Vikings will be can be even tougher.

The Bears have been built to be good for a bunch of years, but they need to prove that last year was not a fluke of a fairly easy schedule and the Packers being down. Chicago will need at least 10 wins to make it back to the playoffs, but 11 is more likely the number they need, especially if they want to win the North again.

With a tough last three games, they need to have already set themselves up at the top of the standings, because these could easily turn into three losses if they aren’t careful. They have shown they can beat Minnesota, but beating the Packers in Lambeau and slowing down the Chiefs will be tough. If they can finish this stretch of games 2-1 they should be in good shape come playoff time.

Let’s just hope they aren’t the ones trying to play spoiler.