With the NFL schedule officially released, we know when the Chicago Bears will be facing off against their 2023 opponents.
After a 3-14 season and one of the toughest schedules in football last season, the Bears are going to get a little bit of a break in 2023. They have the fifth easiest schedule this season and will travel only 12,253 miles, which is ranked third least in the NFL.
In 2023, the Chicago Bears will face the NFC South and the AFC West. As the Bears continue to build up their team and are likely one year away from being a playoff contender. But it’ll be interesting to see how well they perform against their opponents this season.
With that in mind, we’re ranking the team’s opponents from easiest to toughest for the 2023 season:
14
Washington Commanders
With no real answer at quarterback, the Commanders are coming in as the easiest game for the Bears this season. Despite Chicago losing to them last season in one of the ugliest Thursday Night Football games of the season, the Bears have improved, but the Commanders haven’t.
13
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are in a tough spot going into the 2023 NFL season. They’ve got a young, good-sized quarterback in Desmond Ridder, who not many know much about, and decent weapons. The issue is, they’ve struggled to put things together. Going into Year 2, Ridder is going to have backup Taylor Heinicke over his shoulder. It’ll be interesting to see how they handle things. Due to the lack of consistency on offense over the last few seasons by Atlanta, this is one of the easier games for Chicago.
12
Arizona Cardinals
With JJ Watt retiring, Arizona likely has the worst defensive line on paper going into the 2023 season. Kyler Murray will be ready by the time the Bears play the Cardinals, but how well will he play post-knee injury?
11
Las Vegas Raiders
If the Raiders couldn’t make the playoffs with what they had last season, what’s going to change this year? Sure, they’ve switched quarterbacks, but it’s debatable that Jimmy Garoppolo is much of an upgrade over Derek Carr. He’s just the preferred option for head coach Josh McDaniels, who has consistently run teams into the ground. That’ll be no different in 2023.
10
Carolina Panthers
They’ve got the young quarterback and the head coach to match. The Carolina Panthers are on the path to being successful. This will be an interesting matchup, as Chicago is the reason why Carolina has Bryce Young — and the reason the Bears have DJ Moore and a 2024 first-round pick. Could we see these two teams face off a few times in the playoffs in a few years?
9
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Todd Bowles has his work cut out for him, as he will coach a new age of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without Tom Brady under center. The positive, he has a veteran quarterback in Baker Mayfield to work with. The negative, this team is far from where they were just a few years ago when they were Super Bowl champions.
8
Green Bay Packers
It’s finally a reality, Aaron Rodgers is not on the Bears’ schedule. In both Week 1 and Week 18, Chicago will get two chances to dethrone Jordan Love and make a statement. Can they take back the rivalry? Or will Love continue another decade of dominance? These two games will be the test to see how good the Bears truly are.
7
New Orleans Saints
The Bears and Saints have had their issues over the last few years and will not get to rekindle their mini-rivalry that started from a blowout loss in 2019. This time around, the Saints have a new quarterback in Derek Carr. Carr signed a 5-year, $125M deal in free agency. With him under center, the team already has improved from where they were the last two seasons.
6
Denver Broncos
There’s been a lot said about Russell Wilson, how he treats his teammates, and how poorly this offense was run in 2022. With Sean Payton as Denver’s new head coach, all of those things are going to change. Wilson finally has a veteran offensive head coach, which is something he’s been looking for. This team is going to be dangerous, but they’ve still got to get past a very tough division. This is going to be a very tough game for Chicago. Luckily, it’s at home.
5
Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson playing a full season will be much more dangerous than what we saw out of him last year. Still, he’s 0-1 against the Bears, losing in blowout fashion back in 2020. Cleveland has built a playoff roster, making this one of their toughest games of the year. Justin Fields will have his hands full here, considering the last time they played the Browns he was sacked a career-high nine times in his first NFL start.
4
Detroit Lions
Dan Campbell has built this team right. Last season, they were 5-1 against NFC North teams. In 2023, they’ll likely have a similar record, especially without Aaron Rodgers in town. The Lions beat Chicago in both meetings last season, winning 31-30 in a comeback win, and then winning 41-10 in a blowout victory. It would be fair to expect two close games this season, as the Bears have improved, but these should be fun games.
3
Minnesota Vikings
Going off of last season and how dominating their offense was, the Vikings are going to be the Bears’ toughest test when it comes to NFC teams. They finished the 2022 season with 13 wins, beating the Bears twice. If Minnesota can continue where they left off in 2022, they’re going to win the NFC North. If they take a step back, it’ll be for the taking.
2
Los Angeles Chargers
One of the most confusing teams in the NFL, the Chargers, will host the Bears this season. What’s confusing about them is how talented they are, but how they continue to fall short. They’ve got a talented young quarterback in Justin Herbert and a good supporting cast, but seem to fall short each year. This will be an interesting matchup for Chicago. They’re going to play a very talented football team, but it’s going to be a winnable game. Any time you get two young, exciting quarterbacks against each other, either team can win.
1
Kansas City Chiefs
The toughest matchup for the Bears this season will, of course, be the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Kansas City has been a dominating force in the Patrick Mahomes era, going 64-16 in his 80 career starts. One of those starts came at Soldier Field in 2019, where he beat the Bears 26-3. If Chicago is going to be a contender, they’re going to have to beat teams like Kansas City.
