When the Chicago Bears’ 2026 schedule was released last week, the breakdowns and analysis were coming in at a fast and furious pace, and for Chicago, not all of them were positive.
After shocking the NFL world throughout their 2025 season where they won the NFC North for the first time since 2018, defeating the Green Bay Packers two out of three meetings, including in the wild-card playoffs, the league did Chicago no favors for the upcoming year.
The Bears will play the most difficult strength of schedule, which includes five prime-time games (including three straight), as well as two holiday games, and all of that leads to a different schedule than most teams, including the difficulty of opponents they’ll face.
Due to the tough schedule, Eric Edholm of NFL.com has listed Bears head coach Ben Johnson as one of their “losers” in the immediate aftermath of the schedule release, with a deep explanation of the obstacles that Chicago’s head coach will have to overcome.
The Bears became a national team again last season, with Johnson helping energize their offense in his first year as head coach and the team displaying a knack for pulling out late-game miracles. The NFL and its broadcasting partners clearly took notice.
The Bears have five prime-time games, including three in a row in Weeks 7-9 against the Patriots, Seahawks and Buccaneers. The other two are tough matchups against the Eagles in Chicago in Week 3 and at the Bills in Week 15. Amazingly, none of their prime-time games are against the Packers, following three thrillers between those teams last season.
So why is Johnson a loser here? Because coaches love routine and typically hate a slew of different starting times, but the Bears will be fed a diet of them. They’re playing two Thursday games, one each on Friday and Saturday and two more on Mondays.
As a result, the Bears have six short weeks with fewer than a full seven days’ preparation this season. They have five games with more than seven days of prep, but the uneven schedule is something that requires careful planning and flexibility.
The Bears face a tougher schedule than any other team in the hotly contested NFC North. Their travel really isn’t that bad; they avoid a late-season winter game in Green Bay and go to Miami in December, which is much nicer than September. Still, they will need to be sharp to handle some of these scheduling quirks Johnson’s team was dealt.
Excitement is back in Chicago after a banner season, but the road back to the playoffs appears tougher in Year 2 of the Johnson era.
There’s going to be plenty of high-level, marquee matchups for the Bears this season, and in his second season, Johnson will have plenty of challenges to get through. From prime-time games and shorter weeks, the schedule did Chicago no favors this season, and they’ll have their work cut out for them from the very beginning.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears HC Ben Johnson among biggest losers after NFL schedule release
Reporting by Mike Pendleton, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
