In 2024, the Chicago Bears managed to win just five games. Ahead of their ten-game losing streak, the team earned three victories in a row.
Within this trio of wins was a remarkable pair of back-to-back blowout wins. Bears fans witnessed this feat against the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
During the Week 5 home game, Chicago won 36-10 against the Panthers. Bears' quarterback Caleb Williams racked up more than 300 yards passing for the second time in his first five starts. The rookie found DJ Moore twice for touchdown catches to add to the score.
Next season’s opponents for the Bears pic.twitter.com/4pWYODSh75
— NFL Nerd (@NerdingonNFL) January 5, 2025
Williams followed that performance up with four touchdowns against the Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. The Bears reaped the benefits of his stat line for a 35-16 win.
Looking at the 2025 NFL regular season schedule, Chicago has the second-toughest strength of schedule. However, there is at least one particular opponent in the NFC that the Bears are more than capable of blowing out this season.
A Bears' Blowout Victory Should Be a 'Big Easy' Feat Against Saints
Chicago will have the luxury of playing the New Orleans Saints at home (Soldier Field), where they started 3-0 last season. The Bears will host another NFC South team that failed to make the playoffs the year prior.
In 2023, Chicago won both games against the NFC South when they were at home. They beat the Panthers in Week 10 that season, 16-13. The Bears also blew out the Atlanta Falcons, 37-17, on New Year's Eve that year.
General Manager Ryan Poles was aggressive in adding pieces to this roster. Two trades immediately upgraded one of the league's worst offensive lines from 2024. Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney joined Braxton Jones and the rest of the team. Chicago also added center Drew Dalman in free agency.
The Bears added more playmakers in the NFL Draft for the second year in a row. Last year, Chicago drafted wide receiver Rome Odunze in the first round, along with Williams. Last month, they selected tight end Coleston Loveland with the tenth overall pick and followed that up with using their next pick to draft another pass catcher, Luther Burden III, in the second round.
Poles first brought in the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, for an interview. With the hiring of Johnson, the Bears then announced their new coordinators. Declan Doyle was named the new Offensive Coordinator for Chicago, and a former NFL head coach became the Defensive Coordinator.
Welcome, the New Orleans Saints' fired head coach, Dennis Allen. Last season, the eighth-lowest points per game average belonged to Allen's former team. Despite the Bears' offense being tied for the fourth-lowest, they made significant upgrades and additions to their offense.
Furthermore, quarterback Derek Carr announced his retirement from the NFL. After two injury-riddled seasons playing for the Saints, he decided to call it quits. That leaves rookie Tyler Shough, second-year player Spencer Rattler, and Jake Haener as the only quarterbacks for New Orleans.
New Saints head coach Kellen Moore enters his first season in the league with the role. He was brought on to take over a 5-12 team (just like Johnson) that also had salary cap issues heading into the off-season.
That resulted in key players in New Orleans' secondary, like Will Harris and Paulson Adebo, bolting in free agency. With this many changes to a dismal NFC opponent, Chicago should be able to capitalize and make the Saints an easy blowout victim of theirs during the 2025 NFL season.
Other notable candidates: The Cleveland Browns owned the lowest points per game average in 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders tied with the Bears for fourth-worst in offensive scoring last season. Not only were both teams' defenses in the top eight for points scored against, but they are also on Chicago's 2025 schedule. The Browns will play at Soldier Field, and the Raiders will host the Bears.