The Chicago Bears easiest games are a little harder to discern with a first-place schedule. Last Word on Pro Football is breaking down every team’s schedule into two parts, toughest and easiest. This time, it’s the latter being examined.
Chicago Bears Easiest Games in 2019
9. Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings
Chicago swept two of their three division opponents last season and the Minnesota Vikings were one of them. They lost in weeks 11 and 17 but the latter stung the most; it knocked the Vikes out of playoff contention. It was a brutal way for the season to end when a new quarterback, Kirk Cousins, was supposed to get them over the hump.
The Vikings $84 million investment completed 20 of 32 passes for 132 yards and a lone touchdown. He was 30 of 46 for 262 yards with two scores and two picks. Minnesota invested in their offensive line this offseason in hopes of boosting their run game and keeping Cousins clean. He thrives when things are just right, something the Bears defense specializes in preventing.
10. Week 1: Green Bay Packers
The Bears will not have to wait long to get their first real test of the season. For the second year in a row, they will travel North to Wisconsin to take on the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau week one. Chicago almost took the opener last season as they broke in Matt Nagy‘s offense. This year they will look to finish the job.
The Bears are 5-16 against Aaron Rodgers and he even shook off a leg injury to came back and beat them in 2018’s opening stanza. The Bears got revenge by winning the week 15 rematch, but with bigger goals this season, a sweep should be one of them. That will be tough despite all the changes the Packers have undergone this off-season.
11. Week 4: Minnesota Vikings
Listing both games against a divisional opponent among the Bears easiest is not a slight to their opponents. Instead, it is a nod to how much tougher the draw was for the Monsters of the Midway. This date with the Vikings is the Bears second with a division opponent in the first four weeks of the season. Victories early will hold tremendous weight later in the year.
Minnesota is 6-4 against Chicago under Head Coach Mike Zimmer, but last season’s sweep cannot have sat well. The Bears outscored the Vikings 49-30 in the two games last season, and that was with Mitchell Trubisky throwing all of one touchdown. Despite the off-season moves Minnesota made, the 2017 NFC North champs face an uphill climb getting back to that.
12. Week 13: at Detroit Lions
The other team the Bears swept in 2018 was the Detroit Lions, who they faced twice in a three-week span. That actually represents a change; Detroit is 9-3 in their last twelve against Chicago. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is 10-8 versus the Bears in his career so there is a history working on the side of the beleaguered franchise.
That is just what it is though, history. Chicago improved by leaps and bounds in year one under Nagy. This matchup does take place in Motown, however, and as a divisional game, the only thing we can expect is the unexpected. This will be Detroit’s second attempt to take out the 2018 NFC North division champs.
13. Week 12: New York Giants
The Bears get the opportunity to atone for their loss to the New York Giants from last season. A game the Bears came back in (on a Tarik Cohen pass to Anthony Miller) to force overtime. They lost on a field goal, a theme too common in 2018 for the Bears. This time though, the G-Men make their way to the lakefront.
Eli Manning, who was anything but great in that game last year. He is 4-2 in his career against the Bears but only has five touchdowns to eight interceptions. Trubisky also missed last year’s contest with a shoulder injury. It stands to reason he will operate the system at a higher level than his backup, Chase Daniel, did last time.
14. Week 10: Detroit Lions
The Lions first crack at the Bears comes in week 10 but it takes place in Chicago. Detroit is 7-12 at Soldier Field since 2000, including those two losses last season. They have a new Offensive Coordinator and he has vowed the Lions will be committed to the run more in 2019. With C.J. Anderson in-tow to backup second-year runner Kerryon Johnson, that would be wise.
Running won’t necessarily help Detroit in the end, though. Chicago’s defense was seventh versus the pass in 2018, but they were first against the run. If they are unable to get the ground game going, Stafford will have a hard time improving on the two touchdowns compared to four interceptions he threw against the Bears last year.
15. Week 5: Oakland Raiders
This is the definition of a trap game. The Oakland Raiders of 2019 are undoubtedly more talented than the 2018 version. Acquiring Antonio Brown all but took care of that. But just how much better remains to be seen. Brown is dealing with foot injuries in camp and even when he is healthy, Derek Carr is not Ben Roethlisberger.
That is where the trap lies. This is the Bears last game before they go on a bye. Depending on the outcomes of the four games prior, this could be one Chicago overlooks. Eyes on the bye and underestimating the Carr-to-Brown connection could prove costly. That would be a tremendous blow before the break.
16. Week 3: at Washington Redskins
This game appearing so low is due in no small part to the assumption that the Washington Redskins will be starting a rookie under center. If Dwayne Haskins is named the starter, Khalil Mack and his large friends will be licking their chops. For as talented as Haskins is, he will still be a first-year player going up against one of the top defensive units in the NFL.
None of the three potential Washington starters (Haskins, Case Keenum, or Colt McCoy) have much experience against the Bears. Keenum has the most, sporting a 2-1 record with two touchdowns and zero picks. The game is in Landover so there is that. But with a first-place schedule, this qualifies as the Bears easiest game of 2019.
Bears Easiest Games
These are the easiest games on the Bears schedule in 2019. Check back into Last Word on Pro Football to see the breakdown of the toughest games of the upcoming season. And be sure to check out breakdowns of the toughest and easiest games of the upcoming season for every team.
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