The paint is finally drying when it comes to the Chicago Bears‘ full 2026 schedule release (thanks to Rome Odunze’s impressive talents), and it’s chalk full of exciting matchups spanning five days of the week at all hours of the day. Thanks to Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams bringing the Bears back to relevancy, their games are all over the place as they look to repeat as NFC North Division champions.
Before we put a bow on one of the final puzzle pieces of the offseason this weekend, let’s dive a little deeper into how the Bears’ schedule shakes out. Here are some fun facts and things to know about the slate of games this fall:
1. Bears open the season on the road for the first time in 5 years
For the last several years, the Bears have enjoyed staying home when the NFL season opened up. They haven’t had to travel for five years, but that changes in 2026. The Bears will be taking on the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte in Week 1, their first road game to start the season since 2021 when they took on the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
2. Bears face both Super Bowl participants
The Bears are set to take on the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks this season, meaning they get to face both previous Super Bowl participating teams in one year for the first time since 2009 (Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals). They’re even taking them on in back to back weeks, which should provide a good measuring stick in the middle of the season for how good the Bears really are up to that point.
3. Christmas rubber match between Bears and Packers
2026 is shaping up to be a very Beary Christmas as Chicago will welcome the Green Bay Packers to Soldier Field on the holiday. Packers and Bears is a pairing that isn’t so rare on Christmas. The two rivals have squared off twice before, once in 2005 and again in 2011. Each team has won once, so 2026 is officially the rubber match to see which franchise can be the better Christmas team.
4. Bears wrap up the season in historic fashion
If the Bears are going to defend their division title this upcoming season, the final few games of the schedule will be crucial. In 2026, the NFL made sure to raise the stakes a bit. The Bears will play each of their division rivals in the final three weeks of the year, the first time since 1983, according to Bears senior writer Larry Mayer. It’s also the first time since 1964 that Chicago will play Green Bay, Detroit, and Minnesota in those three consecutive games. That could swing the division one way or the other when the season concludes.
5. Bears only play 11 games on Sundays
Ben Johnson’s Bears were must-see TV last year thanks to their unbelievable comeback victories during the second half of the year. Clearly, the league took notice as well. The Bears are tied with the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams for the fewest number of Sunday games via ThienemanSzn on X. That could throw off routines for some players, but that’s the price for exceeding expectations.
6. Holiday traditions for Bears and Lions
If you think a Thanksgiving matchup between the Bears and Lions is becoming somewhat of a tradition, you’re not wrong. The division foes will meet on the holiday for the sixth time in 12 years and third time in the last five. Chicago is 3-2 against the Lions since 2014 (4-2 overall, having defeated the Packers in 2015). The Bears and Lions have been the most common Thanksgiving matchup since 2014.
7. Inaugural primetime matchup in Seattle
This year’s prime-time matchup between the Bears and Seahawks will mark the first time Seattle has played Chicago under the lights in their own stadium. The Seahawks have played on prime time at Soldier Field on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday over the years. Now, the Bears will experience the 12s at night.
8. Bears will have a restful schedule
While we have known the upcoming opponent list for months now, the way the games are positioned still can have an effect on the players and how many days off they have. Normally, teams will have a full week in between games, but with so many matchups taking place different days of the week, that routine can get interrupted. Fortunately, the Bears have an advantage with how much rest they will get compared to the rest of the league. Warren Sharp calculated the NFL net rest for each team and found the Bears have 15 extra days of rest versus their opponents. That’s more than any other team, which should help players deep into the season when nagging injuries begin piling up.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 8 things to know about the 2026 Bears schedule