Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images The WCG crew shares some thoughts on the Bears 2024 schedule in this multipart roundtable. Our WCG crew is in the midst of a 2024 Chicago Bears schedule roundtable series. Yesterday, we gave our picks for the toughest stretch of games, so naturally, our next topic was the flip side. What is the Bears' easiest stretch of games in 2024? As a refresher, here's Chicago's 18-week schedule. Week 1 - Sunday, Sept. 8 - vs. Tennessee Titans, noon CT, FOXWeek 2 - Sunday, Sept. 15 - at Houston Texans, 7:20 p.m. NBC (Sunday Night Football)
Week 3 - Sunday, Sept. 22 - at Indianapolis Colts, noon CT, CBS
Week 4 - Sunday, Sept. 29 - vs. Los Angeles Rams, noon CT, FOX
Week 5 - Sunday, Oct. 6 - vs. Carolina Panthers, noon CT, FOX
Week 6 - Sunday, Oct. 13 - vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in London, 8:30 a.m. CT, NFL Network
Week 7 - Sunday, Oct. 20 - BYE
Week 8 - Sunday, Oct. 27 - at Washington Commanders, noon CT, CBS
Week 9 - Sunday, Nov. 3 - at Arizona Cardinals, 3:05 p.m. CT, FOX
Week 10 - Sunday, Nov. 10 - vs. New England Patriots, noon CT, FOX
Week 11 - Sunday, Nov. 17 - vs. Green Bay Packers, noon CT, FOX
Week 12 - Sunday, Nov. 24 - vs. Minnesota Vikings, noon CT, FOX
Week 13 - Thursday, Nov. 28 - at Detroit Lions, 11:30 a.m. CT (Thanksgiving), CBS
Week 14 - Sunday, Dec. 8 - at San Francisco 49ers, 3:25 p.m., FOX
Week 15 - Monday, Dec. 16 - at Minnesota Vikings, 7:15 p.m. (Monday Night Football), ABC
Week 16 - Sunday, Dec. 22 - vs. Detroit Lions, noon CT, FOX
Week 17 - Thursday, Dec. 26 - vs. Seattle Seahawks, 7:15 p.m., Thursday Night Football (Amazon Prime Video)
Week 18 - Sunday, Jan. 5 - at Green Bay Packers, time and TV TBD And here's what we had to say... Jacob Infante: Weeks 8-10, if all goes well, should give the Bears three wins to add to their record. They're facing three of the bottom-four teams in the NFL from last year in the Washington Commanders, Arizona Cardinals, and New England Patriots. With a bye week after the London game heading into what should be an easy stretch of matchups, the Bears will be well-rested and ready to go. While Washington spent a lot of money this offseason, it would be shocking if any of these three teams make it to the playoffs, let alone stay in the hunt late into December. Ryan Droste: The schedule sets up nicely coming out of the bye week, with Washington, Arizona, and New England on deck — three of the worst teams in football a year ago. Added in with the extra prep time and rest, you'd like to think the Bears stack three wins there. They'll need those wins, too, as the schedule gets brutal down the homestretch. If you haven't welcomed Ryan to our WCG team yet, give him a hey in the comment section! Erik Duerrwaechter: I'm a fan of the relatively soft opening for their schedule to include their week one debut against the Titans. For me, they could quickly build momentum heading into their bye week, with only the Texans being the one team I would be nervous about. Otherwise, their first six games are definitely winnable. Jack R Salo: As I read down this schedule, it's hard to ignore the three-game stretch from Weeks 8-10, where the Bears face three teams who combined for just 12 wins in 2023. But honestly, when the Bears get back from Houston I could see them ripping off three straight against some needle-down type of teams in the Colts, Rams, and Panthers. The reason it's not Weeks 8-10? If the Bears could go into Week 8 at 5-1, or even 4-2, they could seriously overlook these teams who all had top-5 draft picks and made good selections. Sam Householder: There are two places in the schedule that catch my eye as being "easier." The season opens with a decent stretch of games with Tennessee, Indianapolis, and Carolina, but among those games are the Rams and the Texans. So, I think the stretch I like the best is coming out of the bye week. The Bears face Washington with a rookie QB and new head coach, New England with a rookie QB and coach, and in between Arizona, who is feisty but really not expected to be competing for a deep playoff run. Aaron Leming: The three-game burst coming out of the bye week appears to be their easiest stretch on paper. They'll face a trio of teams that all picked in the Top 5 of this year's draft. They combined for 12 wins total last season. Even with two of those three games being on the road, it's hard not to imagine the Bears coming out of that run without a winning record. Josh Sunderbruch: It's tough not to like the run from Week 8 to Week 10, with the Commanders, Cardinals, and Patriots all right there. Jeff Berckes: The answer is Weeks 8-10. Coming off the bye against the Commanders, Cardinals, and Patriots, who have a combined record expectation of 15.5 - 35.5 according to Vegas over/unders, it's a nice stretch to round into shape before the divisional gauntlet. Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: This has to be weeks 8-10. If things go as expected, the Bears will be on a winning streak heading into divisional play and the Packers in week 11. Now it's your turn. What stretch of games will be Chicago's easiest?
https://www.windycitygridiron.com/2024/ ... d-patriots
