The Chicago Bears are paying the price for being so good in 2025 after posting 11 wins, taking the NFC North crown, and beating the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card.
Last week, the 2026 NFL schedule was released, and the Bears showed to have one of the NFL's toughest schedules. While some believe it's not as bad as it looked since they don't have to travel as far as most of the NFL, they still have to run through the NFC North, play the two participants from last year's Super Bowl in back-to-back weeks, and play top teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.
So with that tough schedule, how are the early projections for the Bears in terms of wins? FOX Sports reported that Chicago is looking at 9.5 wins, tied for the third-highest in the league.
Bears looking to be around nine wins in 2026 season
That's about where everyone else believes the Bears could be, given such a tough schedule. Not many are giving Chicago's roster enough credit for how talented they are as a unit.
This Bears team is still one of the top 10 offenses in the NFL, led by Caleb Williams, D'Andre Swift, Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, Joe Thuney, and Darnell Wright. Not to mention, head coach Ben Johnson is one of the bright offensive minds in the NFL, calling the plays.
There is much to be desired in the defense, but they did get younger and better at some key positions. Additions like Dillon Thieneman, Coby Bryant, and Devin Bush will only help this unit improve from where they were a season ago.
Read more: Ben Johnson can't escape his former player being attached with Bears as landing spot
The talent is there on the roster as they are ready to make a run, but will that gauntlet of a schedule hold them back from gunning for a Super Bowl title?
Add us as a preferred source on Google