There's a price that comes with winning football games a lot, and the Chicago Bears are about to feel those effects going into the 2026 season.
Not many NFL fans outside of Chicago got to see the Bears in primetime television, so they didn't get to witness the impressive comeback wins and stellar throws from star quarterback Caleb Williams. Bleacher Report writer Kristopher Knox believes that's about to change, predicting the Bears will be in prime time five times this upcoming year.
"A year ago, the Washington Commanders were the hot new team in the NFC, and they received five prime-time games at schedule release as a result. This year, the Chicago Bears are poised to take Washington's place as the conference's up-and-coming contender. Chicago took a big leap last season after pairing head coach Ben Johnson with second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. This season, the Bears will try to repeat as NFC North champions, while Williams will look to firmly establish himself as one of the league's elite quarterbacks. The Commanders weren't able to replicate their 2024 success last season, largely due to injuries. It'll be interesting to see if the Bears fare better, especially after they engineered seven fourth-quarter comebacks in 2025. Add in the intensity we usually see in NFC North rivalry games, and we can expect Chicago to be a significant draw."
Bears primed to be in the national spotlight in 2026 season
Seven comeback and game-winning drives in one season would certainly help with getting a team on national television, more often in prime time. It also helps to have a quarterback in Williams who can quite literally make every throw under the sun.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson also has everyone's attention as one of the offensive geniuses in the NFL, as he transformed an offense that was the worst in the NFL into one of the best within a year. There's still room to grow with this unit, but they are a ton of fun to watch, which makes it easy to get them in prime time.
Read more: Bears' potential Super Bowl might have hit a major roadblock with 2026 schedule
Chicago looks like a team ready to take on more pressure, as they have proven they can handle it. Now it's about whether the Bears can continue to do it year in and year out without taking any steps back in their progress.
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