1. Week 5-At Washington Commanders
Every Bears fan could have predicted that the NFL was going to schedule this matchup for a prime time slot. The NFL chose the Week 5 Sunday Night Football between these two teams.
This game needs no explanation. We all know what happened. The game completely changed the trajectory of both teams. Washington, with rookie Jayden Daniels, went all the way to the NFC Championship game while the Bears crumbled and bickered their way to a 10-game losing streak, which led to the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus mid-season.
The Washington Commanders, after decades of embarrassment under Dan Snyder, are ascending under new ownership, and Daniels. Meanwhile, the Bears are hoping that Ben Johnson can achieve similar success with Caleb Williams this season.
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You know NBC will endlessly play the clip of cornerback Tyrique Stevenson not paying attention and his tipped ball gets caught for a touchdown leading into the game, which may trigger PTSD for many Bears fans. They might even do a pregame segment on how much that game impacted many fans and everyone on the team, including Stevenson.
Still, this game is more than just the Hail Mary loss and Tyrique Stevenson seeking redemption. Williams vs Daniels could become the NFC version of Manning vs Brady. Williams must step up his game against Daniels and win to be taken seriously. Meanwhile, Johnson is thinking about avenging the NFC Divisional Playoff loss against Dan Quinn's Commanders in Detroit that derailed the Lions' Super Bowl hopes.