The Chicago Bears faced a brutal schedule in 2021. One that featured multiple future Hall of Fame quarterbacks and several eventual playoff participants. Maybe 2022 will be somewhat more lenient. Initial projections say this will be the case as they’re expected to have the second-easiest schedule among NFL teams. Of course, that hasn’t stopped experts from predicting them to have one of the worst records in the league anyway.
That is fair. The team was 6-11 last season and jettisoned many of their top talents, including Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Allen Robinson, and Eddie Goldman. Easier schedule or not, it is difficult to imagine this team can win as many games as last year, let alone be a sneaky competitor for the playoffs. That said, sometimes a schedule can lend a hand when people least expect it. The Bears have one rare quirk this coming season that hasn’t happened in 33 years.
Four of their last five games will be at home.
It starts in Week 13 against the Green Bay Packers. Then coming out of their late bye in Week 14, the Bears will play back-to-back games at Soldier Field against Philadelphia and Buffalo before taking a quick field trip to Detroit. Then they hold the season finale back home against Minnesota. Sure, that list of teams isn’t a cakewalk. The Packers have owned the Bears at Soldier Field while the Bills are picked by many to reach the Super Bowl. That said, Green Bay lost superstar receiver Davante Adams this off-season, and there is a chance Buffalo won’t have much to play for by Week 16.
Think of it this way. Say the Chicago Bears reach the Green Bay game with a 6-6 record. Not entirely crazy. That means they could go 3-2 during that final stretch and finish with a 9-8 record, giving them a reasonable chance to make the playoffs in the newly expanding field. That sort of record is hardly impossible, with four of five games at home and the only road game being the Lions.
That might sound like pointless summer optimism, but it is at least worth keeping in mind.
