2024 NFL Schedule: Chicago Bears should benefit from this stat

The next big event on the calendar for the NFL is the release of the 2024 NFL Schedule, and the expectation is that the event will take place on Thursday.

As we get closer to the day of the reveal, tidbits are beginning to leak and among the first items speculated is that the Chicago Bears will be featured heavily in Primetime Games. The arrival of Caleb Williams has many across the league excited to see what the No. 1 pick can do with the Bears' new-look offense.

Of course, the arrival of Williams is also changing the expectations for the Bears' 2024 season.

The Bears were a seven-win team in 2023 and the decision was made that replacing Justin Fields with Williams was the next step in the rebuild that Ryan Poles embarked on when he took over as general manager after the 2021 season.

2024 should open the contention window for the Chicago Bears.

The next step is confirmation that the rebuild is over and that will come with a return to the playoffs. Given the Bears' strength of schedule, playoff certainly should be the expectation for the Bears in 2024. This is from Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune:

"Using that method, the Bears have the third-easiest schedule, according to Warren Sharp, behind only the Falcons and Los Angeles Chargers. Was this formula telling in 2023? Per the website, 10 of the 15 teams with the easiest schedules based on Vegas O/U win totals reached the playoffs and nine went over their total. Only four teams from the 17 most difficult schedules went to the playoffs and only four eclipsed their win total."

- Chicago Tribune

All this to say the Bears' strength of schedule in 2024 adds to the fact that Chicago was the best landing spot for Williams in the 2024 NFL Draft.