2025 Schedule/Opponents - Oh boy

[adam]

If the Bears get both Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon back for the final month (5 games), would that change your outlook on any of these games? It should make all of them more competitive.

14  - DEC 7th @ Green Bay Packers - coming off FRI game while GB is coming off THU game. Both teams with at least 2 extra days rest, but in GB. Will be tough.
15  - DEC 14th vs Cleveland Browns - WIN (Only scoring 16.1 ppg) - Final 4 games, CLE will be in Aruba planning mode by then. The Bears have to win this one.
16  - DEC 20th vs Green Bay Packers - short week, Saturday game, while GB comes from DEN - This feels like a win.
17  - DEC 28th @ San Francisco 49ers - This one seems like it will decide the playoff hopes due to the Wild Card.
18  - JAN 4th vs Detroit Lions - This game becomes massive if somehow the Bears are in the division title hunt heading into this game, but they would have to had beat MIN and GB twice to even have a shot at it before this game. 

[Alaskan Grizzly]

Even with them both back, and assuming the defense magically rebounds because of it  AND Caleb stays consistent on Offense I'd say...

GB:  My neighbors/friends are not at all happy with how the Packers are playing right now. They tell me they are playing like a$$. I can't tell you why that all is but one of them said, ever since the Cleveland loss earlier this year they seem to be losing focus.  Cumulatively they (the fans) are convinced they won't make the playoffs.  I feel the Bears should at the very least, split those two games.

Browns...they seem to have been in selling mode as of late and got rid of the aforementioned Flacco while doing so.  Don't think they'll pose much challenge.

49ers:  Not sure what Purdy's and Kittle's return dates are but so far Jones hasn't been doing too awful filling in.  With it being in SF, I could see it as a loss.

Lions:  agree 100%.  This could  be a similar situation to last year's season ending game (against the Packers) only bigger....  50/50.  

And as an aside, I know its already been brought up the similarities to this year and 2018, but WHAT IF we find ourselves in the playoffs (at home) and playing against the Eagles?  Do we keep Santos as our kicker until then or go with Moody? Or call back Parkey to give him a chance to redeem himself?  

[adam]

49 minutes ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

Even with them both back, and assuming the defense magically rebounds because of it  AND Caleb stays consistent on Offense I'd say...

GB:  My neighbors/friends are not at all happy with how the Packers are playing right now. They tell me they are playing like a$$. I can't tell you why that all is but one of them said, ever since the Cleveland loss earlier this year they seem to be losing focus.  Cumulatively they (the fans) are convinced they won't make the playoffs.  I feel the Bears should at the very least, split those two games.

Browns...they seem to have been in selling mode as of late and got rid of the aforementioned Flacco while doing so.  Don't think they'll pose much challenge.

49ers:  Not sure what Purdy's and Kittle's return dates are but so far Jones hasn't been doing too awful filling in.  With it being in SF, I could see it as a loss.

Lions:  agree 100%.  This could  be a similar situation to last year's season ending game (against the Packers) only bigger....  50/50.  

And as an aside, I know its already been brought up the similarities to this year and 2018, but WHAT IF we find ourselves in the playoffs (at home) and playing against the Eagles?  Do we keep Santos as our kicker until then or go with Moody? Or call back Parkey to give him a chance to redeem himself?  

GB lost Kraft for the season, he was their leading receiver. So their main threat is Jacobs who averages 3.8 yards per carry. That makes both of those games a little easier on the defense.

SF's defense is nowhere near they have been in the past. Warner is lost for the year I believe, and he may be a bigger loss than Jaylon on the Bears.

[Alaskan Grizzly]

21 hours ago, adam said:

SF's defense is nowhere near they have been in the past. Warner is lost for the year I believe, and he may be a bigger loss than Jaylon on the Bears

Ah.  Then I think this one comes down to coaching…and maybe homefield advantage.  With the edge to Shannahan.  If Johnson pulls off the win, he’d be raised a few more notches. 

And how about if Moody were to come back and kick for that game and the Bears win because of a last minute FG?  

[adam]

1 hour ago, Alaskan Grizzly said:

Ah.  Then I think this one comes down to coaching…and maybe homefield advantage.  With the edge to Shannahan.  If Johnson pulls off the win, he’d be raised a few more notches. 

And how about if Moody were to come back and kick for that game and the Bears win because of a last minute FG?  

That would honestly be cool, but I prefer 10+ point wins where they are putting teams away and controlling the clock for the last 5 mins of the 4th quarter.

[adam]

6-3 now. Revenge game against MIN. PIT looked terrible and I don't think that changes much in 2 weeks. Teamwise, MIN and PIT are both comparable to CIN, DAL, and WAS. MIN's defense is obviously better, but their offense is worse. GB and SF are similar, slightly better than MIN and PIT, but not by much. DET and PHI are the cream of the crop, but PHI is not really playing dominant ball right now. They are 2-2 in their last 4. 

Interesting that CHI and DET are both 1-3 (all their losses) when they allow 27 or more points on defense. Most teams are but when all your losses are like that, it normally means your offense is scoring points, which checks out.

Here is the remaining schedule. If they can get to 8-4 going into the GB game, I really like our chances.

11    @ Minnesota Vikings     - WIN (7-3)
12    Pittsburgh Steelers     - WIN (8-3)
13    @ Philadelphia Eagles     - LOSS (8-4)         
14    @ Green Bay Packers     - TOSS UP 
15    Cleveland Browns     - WIN 
16    Green Bay Packers     - TOSS UP  
17    @ San Francisco 49ers     - TOSS UP
18    Detroit Lions         - LOSS

Still feels like 10-11 wins is the most likely outcome. 

The crazy piece to all of this is the Division is very much in play. The Week 18 DET game may decide the division. GB's schedule gets tough after next week, they have MIN, @DET, CHI, @DEN, @CHI, BAL, then @MIN.  7 straight tough opponents, 4 on the road, no back to back home games. 

[Stinger226]

53 minutes ago, adam said:

6-3 now. Revenge game against MIN. PIT looked terrible and I don't think that changes much in 2 weeks. Teamwise, MIN and PIT are both comparable to CIN, DAL, and WAS. MIN's defense is obviously better, but their offense is worse. GB and SF are similar, slightly better than MIN and PIT, but not by much. DET and PHI are the cream of the crop, but PHI is not really playing dominant ball right now. They are 2-2 in their last 4. 

Interesting that CHI and DET are both 1-3 (all their losses) when they allow 27 or more points on defense. Most teams are but when all your losses are like that, it normally means your offense is scoring points, which checks out.

Here is the remaining schedule. If they can get to 8-4 going into the GB game, I really like our chances.

11    @ Minnesota Vikings     - WIN (7-3)
12    Pittsburgh Steelers     - WIN (8-3)
13    @ Philadelphia Eagles     - LOSS (8-4)         
14    @ Green Bay Packers     - TOSS UP 
15    Cleveland Browns     - WIN 
16    Green Bay Packers     - TOSS UP  
17    @ San Francisco 49ers     - TOSS UP
18    Detroit Lions         - LOSS

Still feels like 10-11 wins is the most likely outcome. 

The crazy piece to all of this is the Division is very much in play. The Week 18 DET game may decide the division. GB's schedule gets tough after next week, they have MIN, @DET, CHI, @DEN, @CHI, BAL, then @MIN.  7 straight tough opponents, 4 on the road, no back to back home games. 

I agree with your assessment of the remaining schedule. I think we beat GB here and lose in GB. Playing in SF will tell a lot about how good we are. They will still be in the playoff hunt.  10-7 record as it plays out now. 

[adam]

1 hour ago, Stinger226 said:

I agree with your assessment of the remaining schedule. I think we beat GB here and lose in GB. Playing in SF will tell a lot about how good we are. They will still be in the playoff hunt.  10-7 record as it plays out now. 

Weather is going to play a factor down the stretch. The Bears have 4 home games left, one in GB and one in PHI. So 6 potentially cold weather games.

[Bears4Ever_34]

There's a strong possibility everything will come down to the last two weeks of the regular season. The primary competitor the Bears have for that final wildcard spot is SF, who has one of the easier schedules in the league, but MIN and CAR could also be in the mix. If the Bears really want to get in, a win against MIN this week and a win against SF later in the season would be the best way to go about securing that playoff spot.

It would really suck if the Bears finish with the same record as either MIN or SF and lose a tiebreaker that keeps them out. They have an opportunity to potentially deliver a knockout blow to the Vikings with a win on Sunday to push them to 4-6. They could only afford to lose maybe 1 more game the rest of the way to realistically have a shot, which seems dubious.

[BearFan PHX]

4 hours ago, Bears4Ever_34 said:

There's a strong possibility everything will come down to the last two weeks of the regular season. The primary competitor the Bears have for that final wildcard spot is SF, who has one of the easier schedules in the league, but MIN and CAR could also be in the mix. If the Bears really want to get in, a win against MIN this week and a win against SF later in the season would be the best way to go about securing that playoff spot.

It would really suck if the Bears finish with the same record as either MIN or SF and lose a tiebreaker that keeps them out. They have an opportunity to potentially deliver a knockout blow to the Vikings with a win on Sunday to push them to 4-6. They could only afford to lose maybe 1 more game the rest of the way to realistically have a shot, which seems dubious.

at 6-3 we definitely control our own future. and you're right the Minnesota and San Francisco are winnable games, and important ones in terms of making the playoffs. But of course without a pass rush we arent going far into the playoffs either this year.

I will love to see this team fight to get into the playoffs, and I'm looking forward to how they look against the really tougher teams, even if we lose. If we give them a game and show we can stand with them that will be a tremendous step forward we can build on next year.

But if/when we taste the playoffs, I don't expect we will stay alive very long. I'm not saying this to be a downer, quite the opposite, I'm just saying that my expectations can be met for this season if Caleb develops and we learn that we are actually a team. A lot of that is already happening, and with this season to build on next year, I expect the window to be open, and to stop looking for moral victories and actually start kicking some ass. Especially with some kind of fix for the defensive line. If we could get excellent DL play next year, this team will be truly dangerous.

[Mongo3451]

The combined record of teams we have beaten is 13 and 41.  If and when we beat a team with a winning record, I'll celebrate.  As of now, we are winning ugly while favored.  Our defense is fragile.  We can't stop the run without Edwards and are still not causing pressure from the front four.  The bright spots have been the OL, TE's, and Rome.  Caleb is up and down, but is looking like he has the clutch gene and is willing to throw the team on his back when it counts.

[BearFan PHX]

1 hour ago, Mongo3451 said:

The combined record of teams we have beaten is 13 and 41.  If and when we beat a team with a winning record, I'll celebrate.  As of now, we are winning ugly while favored.  Our defense is fragile.  We can't stop the run without Edwards and are still not causing pressure from the front four.  The bright spots have been the OL, TE's, and Rome.  Caleb is up and down, but is looking like he has the clutch gene and is willing to throw the team on his back when it counts.

Yeah, we arent that good yet. Upcoming teams are going to challenge, and probably expose us, especially without a pass rush. But Caleb will get good reps against real defenses, and if he can keep pace, that will carry over to next year to build on.

[jason]

2 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

The combined record of teams we have beaten is 13 and 41.  If and when we beat a team with a winning record, I'll celebrate.  As of now, we are winning ugly while favored.  Our defense is fragile.  We can't stop the run without Edwards and are still not causing pressure from the front four.  The bright spots have been the OL, TE's, and Rome.  Caleb is up and down, but is looking like he has the clutch gene and is willing to throw the team on his back when it counts.

Nailed it, top to bottom.

The combination of no pass rush and porous secondary makes average dudes like Flacco look great. When the Bears play great QBs they have a very good chance of getting eviscerated. That’s the scariest aspect.

[Pixote]

I just watched Philadelphia beat Green Bay. NICE!

Maybe it is just my prejudiced view, but I was not impressed with either team. They both seemed vulnerable tonight.

[Bears4Ever_34]

4 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

The combined record of teams we have beaten is 13 and 41.  If and when we beat a team with a winning record, I'll celebrate.  As of now, we are winning ugly while favored.  Our defense is fragile.  We can't stop the run without Edwards and are still not causing pressure from the front four.  The bright spots have been the OL, TE's, and Rome.  Caleb is up and down, but is looking like he has the clutch gene and is willing to throw the team on his back when it counts.

It's a fair criticism, but I also kind of hate it. It's not just about who you play, but when you play them, and that context is always left out whenever that stat is thrown out there.

For example, the Bears played the Commanders after they were just coming off a blowout win against the Chargers on the road. Nobody who wasn't a Bears fan was picking the Bears in that game, but now that they've fallen apart everyone acts like they were always a bad team that the Bears shouldn't get credit for beating. You could say the same thing about the Cowboys in week 3. 

[Mongo3451]

14 minutes ago, Bears4Ever_34 said:

It's a fair criticism, but I also kind of hate it. It's not just about who you play, but when you play them, and that context is always left out whenever that stat is thrown out there.

For example, the Bears played the Commanders after they were just coming off a blowout win against the Chargers on the road. Nobody who wasn't a Bears fan was picking the Bears in that game, but now that they've fallen apart everyone acts like they were always a bad team that the Bears shouldn't get credit for beating. You could say the same thing about the Cowboys in week 3. 

It's easy to disagree and I will.  This is a false good team.  However, we are trending up.  Caleb is a gamer that's learning.  The OL is solid, but the DL is still suspect.  The LB corps can't tackle anyone without Edwards.  The pass rush sucks.  There are players that don't belong and some that are overpaid.  The next two years will balance that out.  This year ain't it.  Remember, the arrow is up!

[BearFan PHX]

1 hour ago, jason said:

Nailed it, top to bottom.

The combination of no pass rush and porous secondary makes average dudes like Flacco look great. When the Bears play great QBs they have a very good chance of getting eviscerated. That’s the scariest aspect.

 

9 minutes ago, Mongo3451 said:

It's easy to disagree and I will.  This is a false good team.  However, we are trending up.  Caleb is a gamer that's learning.  The OL is solid, but the DL is still suspect.  The LB corps can't tackle anyone without Edwards.  The pass rush sucks.  There are players that don't belong and some that are overpaid.  The next two years will balance that out.  This year ain't it.  Remember, the arrow is up!

agree with both of you

[adam]

10 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

The combined record of teams we have beaten is 13 and 41.  If and when we beat a team with a winning record, I'll celebrate.  As of now, we are winning ugly while favored.  Our defense is fragile.  We can't stop the run without Edwards and are still not causing pressure from the front four.  The bright spots have been the OL, TE's, and Rome.  Caleb is up and down, but is looking like he has the clutch gene and is willing to throw the team on his back when it counts.

GB has lost to CAR, CLE, and tied DAL. I don't think a team should be penalized for beating the teams they should beat. Instead, they should be penalized for losses to teams they should beat. The Bears lost to MIN, DET, and BAL. 

[Stinger226]

We cant pick our opponents. I would rather be a 6-3 mediocre team than a 3-6 bad team. I am enjoying the entertainment part of watching my team win. Does it give me a false sense of security, of course but that doesnt mean I should not enjoy it. Winning 6 of 7 games is never easy, more so, as being a  flawed team. I would say that our confidence is growing not playing the best teams in the league which is always a good thing. As we eliminate mistakes we will preform better when we play the good teams. 

Before the season started we looked at Minny-Detroit-Dallas-Washington-Baltimore- Cincinnati to all be winning teams.  Im not going to feel bad because it didnt turn out that way. 

I'm an optimist , I always try to look at the good part of anything. when I broke my neck, I didnt feel oh poor me, I still work some at 73 with a broken body. When I had two knee replacements and 3 hip replacements, I didnt think I cant do anything anymore, I just got up and went and did it with a little pain and discomfort. Now when the cold hurts my body, I just go to warm weather for 4 or 5 months and enjoy my life. I am going to look at my football team the same way. My first impression when we win a game is we shouldnt have won.  I dont feel bad, I feel elated. Look at a team anyway you like but because I see a glass half full doesnt mean I dont notice it half empty, I just dont dwell on that. 

[Bears4Ever_34]

9 hours ago, Mongo3451 said:

It's easy to disagree and I will.  This is a false good team.  However, we are trending up.  Caleb is a gamer that's learning.  The OL is solid, but the DL is still suspect.  The LB corps can't tackle anyone without Edwards.  The pass rush sucks.  There are players that don't belong and some that are overpaid.  The next two years will balance that out.  This year ain't it.  Remember, the arrow is up!

That's fine if you feel that way, but is there really no room to be wrong here? You speak with such certainty about a team that's quite literally 1 win away from potentially being in sole possession of 1st place and being able to control their own destiny the rest of the way. The Bears haven't lost to a bad team yet, but the Packers have, twice. 

I'm not entirely sold on them being a playoff team yet until I see how these next couple weeks look like, but you already seemed to have shut down any possibility that they could be, which seems weird given the circumstances of the division right now. The Lions just soft fired their OC, the Packers offense is in shambles, and the Vikings quarterback sucks. Everyone in this division has flaws.

[Pixote]

38 minutes ago, Bears4Ever_34 said:

The Lions just soft fired their OC

My guess is Detroit hires Daboll as their OC this offseason. I hope I am wrong. He may have failed as HC (put in a bad position by a bad GM) but he is a very good OC.

[Mongo3451]

58 minutes ago, Bears4Ever_34 said:

That's fine if you feel that way, but is there really no room to be wrong here? You speak with such certainty about a team that's quite literally 1 win away from potentially being in sole possession of 1st place and being able to control their own destiny the rest of the way. The Bears haven't lost to a bad team yet, but the Packers have, twice. 

I'm not entirely sold on them being a playoff team yet until I see how these next couple weeks look like, but you already seemed to have shut down any possibility that they could be, which seems weird given the circumstances of the division right now. The Lions just soft fired their OC, the Packers offense is in shambles, and the Vikings quarterback sucks. Everyone in this division has flaws.

The only reason, I feel certain is due to seeing this before; not just with the Bears.  100% of the time, these teams fizzle in the end.  Now, if I saw the defense getting better, it would be a very different story.  As of now, we have to rely on turnovers and exotic blitzes to affect change in a game.  That stuff generally doesn't work in the playoffs.

I'm really looking forward to December to see if we have Johnson, Gordon and Edwards back.  Those three are difference makers in their own way.  I'm leary that they'll help the pass rush.  But, maybe DA can dial up something that works.