5 Games That Could Define the Chicago Bears’ 2026 Season
- Noah Greenblatt
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
It’s back, Bears fans—rejoice! You made it through the offseason, training camp, and the preseason. Your reward? The return of real NFL action.
That’s right! The long, miserable wait for the regular season is finally over—we are now just four short days away from the 2026 NFL season kicking off with the Super Bowl rematch between the Seahawks and Patriots. And even though the season starting on a Wednesday is admittedly a bit strange, who cares? Football is officially back.
That means the Chicago Bears are back as well, and looking to defend their NFC North crown. But for all the hype, expectations, and belief surrounding the Monsters of the Midway, it’s still going to take a lot of work to repeat as division champions—especially with the schedule they have.
So, with that in mind, here are the Bears’ five biggest games this season.
5: Week 15 @ Bills (Saturday, 12/19)
Aside from being one of the biggest, this game might be the most intriguing game on the Bears’ schedule. First off, there’s the schedule itself. Week 15 is the second of two straight on the road, and the first of two straight short weeks for Chicago (they play Sunday-Saturday-Friday in Weeks 14-16). Meanwhile, the Bills will be coming off two straight on the road and a short week of their own. In other words, there’s a good chance both teams are gassed before they even get to New York. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Indeed, this game comes right in the thick of the playoff hunt (though in a perfect world, the Bears will already have a berth clinched by then—given the schedule they have in the middle of the season, it’s definitely possible), which would make it important no matter who they were playing. But, considering that it’s Josh Allen and the Bills (hello again, DJ Moore), there will be a significant amount of eyes on the contest. In fact, given how much Caleb Williams thrived in the spotlight last year, and how incredible Josh Allen is, this game might be the single best QB matchup of the entire NFL season.
Indeed, there are plenty of other factors that will make this game massive come kickoff time; both teams will likely have their identities firmly established by this point (for better or worse), the environment/atmosphere will be incredible, and the weather alone (mid-December in Buffalo with no roof) will make this game—which serves as the second half of an awesome Saturday doubleheader—must-watch. But even without any of those, the two quarterbacks would be more than enough to earn this game a spot on the list.
In other words? Buckle up, because this game has ‘Game of the Year’ written all over it.
4: Week 1 @ Panthers (Sunday, 9/13)
If this one took you by surprise, I understand. The Bears absolutely decimated the Panthers 36-10 when they last met in 2024. Caleb Williams—who threw for 304 yards in the contest—was still a rookie, and both he and the team as a whole was nowhere near as good as they are now. Not to mention the fact that even though Carolina was a playoff team last year, they weren’t exactly anything to write home about (one near-upset of the Rams in the Wild Card notwithstanding). Bottom line, this is a game the Bears can, should, and very likely will win. So why is it so important? Because a Week 1 win would not only set the tone, but show people that this is a different team than last year's “Cardiac Bears.”
Remember, the Bears started 0-2 last year, and both were rather ugly losses (though each in different ways). Now, given the way they played the entire rest of the season following their first two games, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it didn’t matter. This year, though, there’s no room for forgiveness. The Bears are no longer fighting to get back to the top tier of NFL teams—this season, they’re fighting to stay there. That means beating the teams they should beat, and doing so without any drama (or at least, not nearly as much as last season).
Also, Week 1 is the only road game the Bears have during the first four weeks of the season, so starting 1-0 on the road before an extended homestand—and especially one so early in the season—is decidedly more reassuring than starting 0-1.
In short? Week 1 is a chance for the Bears to start off on the right foot, and to immediately give the team a different identity from 2025.
3: Week 8 @ Seattle (Monday, 11/2)
Bottom line, the Seahawks are the best team the Bears will play in 2026. Lumen Field will easily be the toughest atmosphere they play in during the 2026 season. Even more so than normal, given that it’s Monday Night Football. On the road against the defending Super Bowl champions, even with the long week the Bears will have coming into the game, is a less-than-ideal scenario for any team. Nobody (myself included) expects them to win this one. But, I do expect them to be able to hang around for most of the game, and that’s why it’s on the list.
Going up against Seattle’s defense is actually the perfect test for Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson, etc. The Bears offense is one that thrives on explosive plays, creativity, and a variety of personnel looks. Seattle’s defense is (or at least, in 2025, was) basically the exact opposite of that. Chicago has a receiving core with the potential to be elite this season, while Seattle has a secondary that already is. But the most important aspect of this game for the Bears offense will be how the offensive line plays.
Yes, this game is in Week 8, which means that we’ll already have a rough sense of how good (or bad) the unit will be. But Seattle’s pass rush is probably going to be the best the Bears face this year. And with all the questions surrounding the o-line already, the test they’ll have in store in this game is going to be extremely important for the second half of Chicago’s season—as the o-line goes, so will the rest of the offense.
Ultimately, this game is one where finding the positives will be just as valuable (perhaps even more so) than getting the win. If the Bears do that, no matter the result, they’ll be just fine.
2: Week 3 vs Eagles (Monday, 9/28)
A rematch of last year’s Black Friday matchup, you could actually make the argument that this is the biggest game on the schedule. It’s the team’s first true test of the season, and they’ll be facing an Eagles squad that looks a bit different, both from a roster perspective and schematically. That means there’s less opportunities for the Bears to simply ‘do what worked last time’. There’s also no guarantee of the Bears run defense putting on a masterclass against Saquon Barkley for the second year in a row, and don’t expect lightning to strike twice. Not to mention the fact that the Bears are going up against a team that will undoubtedly be playing angry—and looking for revenge.
Remember, the Bears marched into Philadelphia last year and absolutely dominated. Now, the Eagles have a chance to do the same exact thing to them—and like last season, the game is in primetime, meaning it’s on the biggest stage possible.
Even with the likes of Devonta Smith, Makai Lemon, and Saquon leading Philadelphia’s offense, this is a game the Bears are good enough to win on defense. Now all that’s left is for them to prove it—and firmly squash any more talks of ‘regression’.
1: BOTH Games vs The Packers
There are three very important things for Bears fans to keep in mind as the regular season kicks off. First, this season marks the 214th and 215th meetings between these historic rivals, with the Bears traveling to Green Bay in Week 5 (Oct. 11) before hosting the Packers on Christmas Day in Week 16. Second, Chicago has a chance to accomplish something it hasn’t done since 2007: sweep Green Bay in the regular season. And perhaps most importantly, for the first time in a very long time, it feels like the Bears could actually be the better team in this rivalry.
It’s the NFL’s oldest (and best) rivalry, and after three incredible games last season, it finally feels like it’s actually a rivalry again.
There’s a chance (albeit a slim one) that neither game has any significant impact on the NFC playoff picture. There’s a chance that neither game is close, regardless of who wins. There’s a chance that these two games decide the MVP race, or that they’ll be the difference between a winless season or a 1-win season for both teams.
None of that matters. Why? Because it’s Bears-Packers—enough said. No matter how good or bad each team is (and the Bears haven't been this good since names like Cutler, Hester, Urlacher, Marshall, Tillman, and Forte were on the roster), it’s the most important game on the calendar for both. This year, though, it means slightly more.
The Packers want revenge. The Bears want to keep their newfound success against Green Bay going. The coaches despise each other, and both teams have lofty expectations this season.
Bring it on.
And there you have it, Bears fans; the five biggest games on the schedule this season! But of course, those are just five of the 17 Chicago will play this year—so let’s enjoy every one of them.
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