Chicago Bears Schedule: Toughest stretch of games in 2020
The Chicago Bears schedule is upon us. What can we decipher from which teams are being played when?
The Chicago Bears schedule was released on Thursday. Before we even knew the order of the games, we were able to look at what opponents the Bears would be facing. Rumors flew around that the team would face the AFC South over the first four weeks of the season.
Those rumors were put to bead when the official schedule was released and the first game was versus the Lions. We also looked ahead at the most winnable games of the schedule. A brief breakdown of what to expect with the schedule, the Chicago Bears must start out hot or the season will come to an end quickly.
The good news is that the team faces off against the Lions in Week 1 and the Giants in Week 2. Both teams combined for a 7-24-1 record last season. In 2018, both teams combined for an 11-21 record. Clearly, both of these teams are not very talented. The Lions have made a few moves this offseason, but none are good enough to drastically change the team for the better. The Giants are in the same boat. The Chicago Bears must take advantage of the early soft schedule.
Weeks 3 and 4 are not as “easy”, but both are winnable games. The Falcons are coming off back-to-back 7-9 seasons. What have they done to get better? They lost Austin Hooper but traded for Hayden Hurst. Is that an upgrade? No. The team lost Devonta Freeman but added Todd Gurley. Is this an upgrade? Yes, especially since Freeman has been hurt too often. Finally, the team added Dante Fowler to replace Vic Beasley. This is another upgrade if Fowler repeats last season. Big if.
The Colts are essentially the same team except for one major difference. Instead of Jacoby Brissett manning the quarterback position, Phillip Rivers is the lead guy. Rivers is a huge upgrade, but he does not have the same offensive weapons in Indianapolis as he did with the Chargers. The Colts traded for DeForest Buckner which should help the defensive front. Those two additions alone change the makeup of the team in a way that comparing the Colts’ 2019 record is pointless.
Now that we know the order of the games and what times each game is being played, we can decipher the most difficult stretch of games the Chicago Bears will play in 2020.