The Chicago Bears 2019 schedule is much more difficult than the one they had in 2018. They played the last place schedule last year, getting to play teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants. This year, they don’t get that luxury. They play the division winner schedule this year, which has them matched up against four of the five other NFC teams that made the playoffs. In addition, the Bears match up against the AFC West, which sent two teams to the playoffs last year. Today, I will be looking at the five toughest games for the Bears, and I’ll even throw in an honorable mention. Let’s analyze the Bears 2019 schedule a little more closely.
Analyzing the Chicago Bears 2019 Schedule
Honorable Mention: Denver Broncos
In week two, the Bears will travel to Mile High to take on the Denver Broncos. Former Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio gets an opportunity to go up against his old team. I believe this game is going to be tough for two reasons. First of all, Fangio knows that Bears offense like the back of his hand. He knows everyone’s strengths and weaknesses and will do everything in his power to exploit those weaknesses. Fangio gets to work with two incredible pass rushers in Von Miller and Bradley Chubb and will look to take advantage of their abilities against the Bears offensive line.
Secondly, they have to travel to Denver for this contest. Playing in the altitude in Colorado is no joke. The altitude will definitely test the stamina of the young Bears core. The Bears do have Khalil Mack though, who has played at Mile High multiple times in his career. This surely will be a difficult contest for both sides, but it should end up being a great game.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Bears will travel to Philadelphia in Week Eight to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. This is a rematch of their epic playoff battle at Soldier Field. That game will live in infamy forever, as Cody Parkey‘s last second kick to win the game hit off the upright and then the crossbar. The missed “Double doink” gave the Eagles the win, and sent Bears fans home devastated.
The Eagles will look different on offense this time around. They will have Carson Wentz playing quarterback instead of Nick Foles, who left this off-season to sign a massive deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Playing against the Eagles, especially on the road, will be a tough challenge for Chicago. Doug Pederson is one of the better play callers in the game and will make life difficult on Chuck Pagano and the Bears defense. Furthermore, the Bears will have to deal with the Eagles strong front four, led by Fletcher Cox. This should be an extremely fun contest, as the Bears look to get revenge from their playoff loss.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Bears will host the Los Angeles Chargers during Week Seven of the season. The Chargers boast one of the league’s most talented rosters with star power at every level. On offense, they’re led by seven-time Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers, who seems to be getting better with age. Rivers is flanked by Melvin Gordon, who has gone for over 1,000 scrimmage yards in his past three seasons, which led him to be selected to two Pro Bowls. Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Hunter Henry are all explosive skill players give Phillip Rivers reliable weapons to throw to.
Now onto the Chargers defense, which has even more star power. First, the pass rushers. Los Angeles has two great ones in Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram, who constantly wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. If the Chargers have one weak spot, it’s in the middle of the defense. They’ve struggled at times defending the run over the past two years, which is in part due to not having a consistent player in the middle. The secondary might be their strongest unit. The Chargers are led in the back end by two All-Pros, safety Derwin James and cornerback Desmond King. They also possess another stud at cornerback, a two-time Pro Bowler in Casey Hayward.
This certainly has the makings for an epic matchup with all the star power on both sides of the ball for both teams. The 12:00 start time could end up having an impact on the Chargers, but this will certainly be a difficult test for the Bears.
Los Angeles Rams
This is another rematch of a game from 2018. In that game, the Bears used a dominant defensive effort to take down the explosive Los Angeles Rams offense at Soldier Field. This time, they will be playing in LA.
We all know how good the Rams are. They represented the NFC in the Super Bowl, after defeating the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round, and the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game. They arguably have the best offense in the league, led by Pro Bowl quarterback Jared Goff. Goff has the benefit of having some excellent skill players to work with, including Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, and Cooper Kupp, who didn’t play in the first matchup after tearing his ACL. They also have Sean McVay, whose creativity with his play calling makes the Rams almost unstoppable. Oh yeah, and they have Aaron Donald on defense, the best defensive player in all of football.
This surely will be an exciting game, and we could eventually end up seeing these two teams face off again in the playoffs.
Kansas City Chiefs
In this installment, we get to see a matchup of two of the top three quarterbacks that were selected in the 2016 NFL Draft. The number two overall pick Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears will be taking on the 10th overall pick Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
We all know how good Mahomes is. He makes throws that other people simply can’t make. He plays the position in a way that’s fun and exciting to watch. The Chiefs have explosive playmakers all around, starting with tight end Travis Kelce. Running back Damien Williams was able to step in last year and put up good numbers after replacing Kareem Hunt after he was released. With the Tyreek Hill situation still looming (he will likely be suspended and released), the wide receiver corps is led by former top-five pick Sammy Watkins. Watkins struggled with injury for a good portion of the season but played well when he was healthy.
The Chiefs were able to improve their defense in the off-season. They started by picking up safety Tyrann Mathieu, who provides immediate help to a lackluster Kansas City secondary. They traded away Dee Ford and lost Justin Houston in free agency, but they were able to acquire star defensive end, Frank Clark. Clark and Chris Jones make up a dangerous pass-rushing duo that will intimidate opposing offensive lines. The Chiefs will be switching to a 4-3 scheme this year with new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
This game will be one of the most highly anticipated games of the season. Patrick Mahomes has played some pretty solid defenses, but he hasn’t seen a defense with the playmaking ability of the Bears. This is a Sunday night game, so kick back, relax, get your popcorn ready, because this is going to be a classic.
New Orleans Saints
The last time the Bears played the New Orleans Saints, the Saints were able to squeak out a win against a feisty Chicago team at the Superdome. That was in Trubisky’s rookie year. The Bears are a much different team now.
The Saints have a special offense. They’re led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees. Brees is still dominating even though he’s getting up there in age. That is partly due to the Saints ability to run the ball. They had a thunder and lightning combo that was one of the best tandems in the league. Thunder was Mark Ingram, a powerful back who frequently broke through tackles for big runs. Lightning was Alvin Kamara. Kamara is a shifty, elusive back who’s arguably the hardest guy to tackle in the game. Unfortunately, Ingram left to go to the Baltimore Ravens. However, they were able to sign former Minnesota Vikings running back Latavius Murray. Murray should plug in nicely as the new Thunder.
The Saints also possess one of the best wide receivers in all of football. Michael Thomas was a second round pick, but he’s exceeded expectations and became Brees’ favorite target. Thomas plays mostly out of the slot, where he’s a matchup nightmare. New Orleans was also able to add Pro Bowl tight end Jared Cook in the offseason. Cook set career highs in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns last season. Brees likes to throw to his tight ends, so Jared Cook could be a problem.
New Orleans is led on defense by veteran Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Jordan. Jordan has gotten 10+ sacks in three out of the four last seasons and is always a difficult matchup. Sheldon Rankins, a former first-round pick, had his best year last season, setting a career high in sacks. He’s a force at the defensive tackle spot and will be a problem for the Bears O-Line. Marshon Lattimore made the Pro Bowl his rookie year and followed that up with a pretty good second year. He should get the nod against Allen Robinson and that should be a pretty good matchup.
This game will be in Chicago. Bear weather could end up being a key factor. Brees has significantly different numbers at home than on the road, which could cause the Saints to rely heavily on their run game. Regardless, this should be one of the best games that the NFL season has to offer.
Last Word on the 2019 Chicago Bears Schedule
The Chicago Bears 2019 schedule is a pretty difficult one. They play six playoff teams from last season, and also tough divisional contests against the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions. The Bears will be greatly tested this season and will need to prove to everyone that they weren’t just a one year wonder.
