After winning their first division title since 2018, there are plenty of expectations for the Chicago Bears this season. While the bar has been raised for the 2026 campaign, many have been quick to point out that this year will be more difficult to meet those expectations with the NFL putting the Bears in their crosshairs.
David Haugh of 104.3 The Score in Chicago was the latest to reiterate that the Bears have the attention of the rest of the league, and it could make for a taller task to climb as they play the role of the heel in the NFC North.
“The Bears might as well do an alternate home jersey. One with a big target on their back because everybody is going to be aiming for them,” Haugh said. “They have positioned themselves well in the division as a team that people want to beat, that is easy to dislike…as easy as they are for the Bears’ fans to embrace and to like…the rest of the league is probably like ‘Dude, shut up. We’re tired of you already.’”
Bears continue to be easy targets for the NFL entering 2026 season
After years of suffering, the Bears were able to reverse their role last season. Ben Johnson’s mantra of “Good, Better, Best” got through to his team and they wound up with a record of 11-6, an NFC North title and their first playoff win since going to the NFC Championship Game in 2010.
While that was a Cinderella story in Chicago, it also ruffled some feathers across the league. The Bears won 11 games by one possession, establishing an easy “fraud” label from their rivals. While they finally got the upper hand against the Green Bay Packers, they also did so in a flamboyant way, with Johnson giving Matt LaFleur a lukewarm handshake and screaming “F*** the Packers” in the locker room after the game.
These are things that Bears fans can wrap their arms around. But for other teams, they can’t wait to see them on the field again and put them in their place.
The 2026 schedule gave the Bears a good chance to back it up. In addition to another divisional gauntlet featuring the Packers, Detroit Lions, and Minnesota Vikings, the Bears also will battle a first-place schedule. While they get a reprieve by facing the NFC South, they’ll also face several Super Bowl contenders, including the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, and Buffalo Bills.
But to further validate Haugh’s point, the rest of the NFL wants to see the Bears’ stumble so badly that the league gave them five primetime games next season. That includes three straight, beginning with a Thursday night game against the New England Patriots in Week 7, a Monday night game at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8, and a Sunday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9.
Read more: Colin Cowherd calms Bears fans' anxious feelings regarding tough 2026 schedule
It gives fuel to voices like Haugh that believes the NFL is coming for the Bears this year and ESPN’s Dan Graziano who proclaimed Chicago will miss the playoffs next year. But it also can give motivation for Johnson to relay the message to his team and help the Bears build on what they accomplished last season.
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