NEWSLETTER
There is more buzz surrounding the Chicago Bears’ schedule in 2019 than in some previous years.
And while we’ve known for a while which teams are on the schedule for the defending NFC North champions, waiting for dates and times for marquee home games and certain road games of interest has had some fans on the edge of their seats. (Hey, no judgement here. I like planning for future trips to see my favorite team as much as the next guy!)
With that being said, here’s your 2019 Bears schedule:
https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1118665524043497472
BOOM! The Bears are celebrating their centennial season in style with a whopping FIVE (!!!!!) prime-time games. If the 2019 Bears are as good as they were in 2018, they could slide into a prime-time spot for a sixth time when flex scheduling opens up. That’s a lot of eyes on Matt Nagy’s bunch. And if you tack on a second straight Thanksgiving morning dance with the Lions, the Bears could be in front of a national audience in at least seven of 16 games. In short, there will be no shortage of big games to watch this season.
Want games with historic gravitas? Soldier Field serving as the host site of the first game of the NFL’s 100th season should get your blood pumping. Bears-Packers is the league’s most storied rivalry and it’s only heating up with Chicago being a team on the rise and Green Bay being one in transition. Offseason turmoil surrounding Aaron Rodgers certainly adds a hint of spice to the mix.
Do you get geared up to see old friends? The Bears get to travel to Denver in Week 2 and square off against Vic Fangio’s Broncos, then jet off to Philadelphia to get reacquainted with Jordan Howard and the Eagles in Week 9. In addition to the Packers games on the schedule, new safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix returns to Washington in Week 3 for the Bears’ one appearance on Monday Night Football.
How does a revenge game for Khalil Mack against the Raiders sound? Good, duh. Why am I even asking? Well, let’s take it up a few notches and play that game in London. Not only is the Bears-Raiders Week 5 matchup the first of six international games played this year, but it’s also the first football game to be played at the Tottenham Hotspurs’ new stadium. What an honor!
Future Hall of Fame quarterbacks head to Soldier Field on back-to-back weeks as the Saints and Chargers come in for visits in Weeks 7 and 8, respectively. I bet Akiem Hicks has that October 20th game against New Orleans already circled on his calendar. It probably won’t be a winter wonderland when the Saints come marching into Soldier Field, and that’s a real shame. The Bears had to play in the Superdome and feel the full impact of the Saints’ home-field advantage back in 2017, so the least the league could have done is returned the favor with a return trip in December. That’s a missed opportunity by the league’s schedule makers.
The juiciest late-season matchup might be the Week 16 showdown between the Chiefs and Bears that is currently lined up for Sunday Night Football. Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky vs. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes under the lights along the lakefront could definitely be a barn-burner.
What might be the most daunting part of the Bears’ schedule is that they are set to play three times on Thursday. However, it’s not all that bad if you take a closer look at the schedule. Two of those games will be at home against the Packers and Cowboys, and both come with a 10-day period until their next game. Extended rest is always welcome in the football world. As for the Thanksgiving game in Detroit, it’s the only Thursday game that comes on a short week – but at least the Bears have a home game prior to traveling for Turkey Day.
Sure, the Bears’ 2019 schedule will look a little tougher than it did last year, even if the numbers say it’s just as challenging as what they faced last year. But since we know nothing good has ever come from something that came easy, I’m ready to embrace the challenges that lie ahead with open arms … and I bet the Bears are, too.
Reminder: Tickets for Bears regular-season (and preseason) games will go on sale at 8:30 p.m. CT. Fans wishing to purchase tickets can do so via Ticketmaster or ChicagoBears.com/tickets. Good luck, friends.
