{"id":89364,"date":"2020-06-03T23:31:40","date_gmt":"2020-06-04T03:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=89364"},"modified":"2020-06-04T00:20:57","modified_gmt":"2020-06-04T04:20:57","slug":"chicago-bears-most-difficult-games-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/06\/03\/chicago-bears-most-difficult-games-in-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Bears Most Difficult Games in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 2020-2021 NFL season is just around the corner, and Last Word on Pro Football is analyzing the schedules of all 32 teams. Each team\u2019s 16-game slate will be split into its most difficult (1-8) and easiest games (9-16). This article will focus on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/chi\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chicago Bears<\/a> most difficult games of the 2020 schedule:<\/p>\n<h2>Chicago Bears Most Difficult Games in 2020<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Week 17: vs. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/gnb\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Green Bay Packers<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>The Bears are scheduled to face off with the Packers at home to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagobears.com\/news\/bears-unveil-schedule-for-2020-season\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">close out the season<\/a>. This game is currently planned for a 1 pm (EST) start, but it\u2019s likely it could have playoff implications. So, it wouldn\u2019t be a surprise if the NFL decided to move the game into prime time. The Bears and Packers have a long, storied rivalry. Finishing the regular season with what could be a division-deciding game will be the most difficult game for the Bears on the 2020 schedule.<\/p>\n<h3>2. Week 5: vs. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/tam\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Prior to recent developments, the Buccaneers would not rank so high on the difficulty list. However, now that they have quarterback, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BradTo00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong>, and tight end, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GronRo00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Rob Gronkowski<\/strong><\/a>, this game is sure to be tough. Brady and Gronkowski spent nine years together when they both played for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/nwe\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New England Patriots<\/a>. Their explosive, electric connection has always been difficult for teams to strategize against. This game is scheduled for Thursday Night Football, adding further pressure for the Bears.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Week 8: vs. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/nor\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Orleans Saints<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>The Bears are sure to struggle against the Saints. Even with 13-time Pro Bowl quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/B\/BreeDr00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Drew Brees<\/strong><\/a> sustaining a thumb injury and missing five games, the Saints managed a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/nor\/2019.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">13-3 record<\/a> last season. New Orleans proved to be one of the most complete teams in the league. So, now that Brees is healthy, the Bears don\u2019t stand much of a chance.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Week 14: vs. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/htx\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Houston Texans<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>The Texans proved to be quite the juggernaut in the 2019 playoffs. In the Wild Card round, they came back from a 13-point halftime deficit to win by a score of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/game?gameId=401131037\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">22-19 in overtime<\/a>. Quarterback, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/W\/WatsDe00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Deshaun Watson<\/strong><\/a>, completed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/game?gameId=401131037\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">20 of 25 passes<\/a> for 247 yards and one touchdown. Watson even had a 121.2 passer rating in this game. While the Bears defense ranked eighth overall in 2019, they will have to pull out all the stops for the Texans.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Week 15: at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/min\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minnesota Vikings<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>While the Vikings aren\u2019t as much of a rivalry as the Packers, they\u2019re still a divisional opponent. So, this will feel like a must-win game for the Bears. Their Week 15 meeting is in Minnesota, giving the Vikings home-field advantage.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Week 9: at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/oti\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tennessee Titans<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>In 2019, the Bears defense allowed <a href=\"https:\/\/fantasyfootballers.org\/nfl-team-defense-stats\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">25.88 rushing attempts<\/a> and 102 rushing yards per game. If they plan to beat the star running back, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/H\/HenrDe00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Derrick Henry<\/strong><\/a>, and the Titans, Chicago will have to make some significant changes in their run defense. Last year in 15 games, Henry had 303 rushing attempts for 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns.<\/p>\n<h3>7. Week 12: at Green Bay Packers<\/h3>\n<p>Playing at Lambeau Field is always difficult, especially for the Bears. It\u2019s interesting that the Bears don\u2019t play the Packers until Week 12. They have over half the season to prepare. Having so much time prior to facing their rivals could be helpful, or it could allow them to begin overthinking game plans. If the Bears are going to make a run at the division crown, they\u2019ll need to win on the Packers turf.<\/p>\n<h3>8. Week 7: at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/ram\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Los Angeles Rams<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>The Rams certainly didn\u2019t have the season they were hoping for in 2019. They followed up their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/ram\/2018.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2018 Super Bowl run<\/a> with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/teams\/ram\/2019.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">9-7 record<\/a>. Instead of trying again for a Lombardi Trophy, the Rams missed the playoffs. They should be ready to right the ship in 2020, and the Bears will have to face off with them in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/2020\/06\/03\/chicago-bears-easiest-games-in-2020\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Check out the easiest games on the Bears 2020 schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"aPCrAd6pTtRVOhk_7_pdHQ\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1194124915\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'aPCrAd6pTtRVOhk_7_pdHQ',sig:'VrPqX34KesuWwQeU-aQo56tOknwERVaKi8tiQAde4nI=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1194124915',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this article, we are discussing and ranking the Chicago Bears most difficult games of the upcoming 2020 season. These are not game predictions. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2831,"featured_media":89394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,54],"tags":[6366,42,61,40],"class_list":["post-89364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bears","category-editorials","tag-2020-nfl-season","tag-chicago-bears","tag-football","tag-nfl"],"modified_by":"John Bava","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2831"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}