Chicago Bears: Detailing road to Super Bowl LV in 2021

While the Chicago Bears didn’t represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIV, it’s never too late to detail how they can make it to Super Bowl LV.

Last year at this time, many were expecting the Chicago Bears to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIV. While the Bears season was disappointing, it’s time to look ahead to the 2020 offseason and season. General manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy will need to make a variety of moves to get the Bears back to relevance in 2020.

Looking at the Bears 2020 opponents, we know who they’ll play but what we don’t know is when they’ll play their respective opponents. Aside from the typical six divisional games that will see the Bears play the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Minnesota Vikings, the Bears are also set to play the NFC South and the AFC South, as well as opponents from the NFC East and West.

At a first glance, there are two teams that could end up competing with the Bears for playoff spots in the NFC, the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints. Both teams that the Bears lost to in 2019 in games that had major playoff implications.

Other NFC teams that the Bears will end up playing include the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons. While the Panthers are entering a new era under head coach Matt Rhule, the Falcons were 3-9 at one point in 2019 before winning four straight games, proving that they still have what it takes to compete and give teams a hard time in the NFC.

Then there’s lower-end NFC opponents for the Bears such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants, both of which look like automatic wins for the Bears right now. However, each of those teams could end up being more competitive than most think in 2019.

Ideally, the Bears will need to win at least four divisional games and then end up winning at least three of four games against the NFC South. This would put the Bears at seven wins. Then, they’d need to beat both the Rams and Giants. Finally, they’d have to win three of four games against the AFC South.

This would bring the Bears 2020 record to 12-4, which as of right now, seems like the minimum required to make the NFC Playoffs. Seeding is a different issue, however, before making the Super Bowl, the Bears would need to make the playoffs.

The Bears path to Super Bowl LV will change over the next few months. Every team around the NFL will make moves that could make the Bears path easier or more difficult. However, as of right now, the Bears path to Tampa Bay, Florida is one that will see them play opponents that have gone farther in the playoffs over the last few years than the Bears have.