The Chicago Bears are preparing for a 2026 season where they will no longer be viewed as the underdog catching opposing teams by surprise. Winning the NFC North and completing an epic playoff comeback against the Green Bay Packers has firmly cemented lofty expectations. With this in mind, it is fair to look ahead to the early weeks of the season and consider what type of start the Bears might get off to as they look to control the division from the jump.
In the first five weeks of the season the Bears will take on the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and Green Bay Packers. In the first five weeks there are three extremely favorable matchups and a divisional showdown with the Packers that clearly sets up a potential 4-1 or 5-0 start that should leave the Bears in the driver's seat in the division race and take away the concerns around any regression.
Getting off to a fast start is incredibly important as the Bears are consistently being pointed to as a team pundits expect to face regression. It is a trendy take that is ignoring both the early-season ease of the schedule as well as young talent that is undeniably going to take a leap and push the roster to drastic improvement at a handful of key position groups.
Bears' Schedule Setting up Chicago to Take Early-Season Control of NFC North
Both the Panthers and Vikings should be wins as the Bears have an undeniable advantage over two teams facing quarterback questions and dealing with rosters stuck in nuetral. Winning the first two games of the season including a key NFC North game should help set the tone for what will be tougher matchups against the Eagles and Packers.
Still, there is the ease of facing the Jets in between these difficult teams giving the franchise a great chance to win at least four games in the first weeks of the season. This should be more than enough to jump out to an early division lead and turn up the pressure on the Lions and Packers, who are both viewed as potential contenders.
This isn't to underestimate the difficult path that lies in front of the Bears, but rather pointing out an early-season advantage they should be able to grab. If this is accomplished the franchise shouldn't have any issue holding onto a division that it appears could be in their grasp for years to come.
| More Bears News and Rumors |
Add us as a preferred source on Google