Chicago Bears catch a big break as strength of schedule leans heavily in their favor
The Chicago Bears know who they will play in the 2024 NFL season, just not when. The Bears’ full schedule release with dates, times, and locations will be released on Wednesday.
Bears are set up perfectly for a strong season
On Tuesday, the NFL released its annual strength of schedule rankings for all 32 NFL teams. This release revealed that the Bears have a strength of schedule leaning heavily in their favor. The Chicago Bears have the third easiest schedule going into the 2024 NFL season.
Every team's strength of schedule for the season. 👀
Where does your team land?
📺: NFL Schedule Release — Wednesday 8pm ET on NFLN/ESPN2
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/saMdDwJXIf— NFL (@NFL) May 14, 2024
The only teams with an easier schedule are Atlanta and New Orleans. Atlanta and Chicago shared the same record in 2023 of 7 wins and 10 losses. The Saints had a win-loss record of 9-8 last season.
The Chicago Bears have the same strength of schedule as the Carolina Panthers, who had a win-loss record of 2-15 in 2023.
Takeaway’s
The NFL strength of schedule rankings should be taken with a grain of salt. These are pre-season rankings, things are subject to change. The rankings are based solely on the performance of a teams opponents in the previous season.
For example, the Detroit Lions had a successful 2023 season. They won the NFC North and went all the way to the conference championship. An injury to a key Lions player or an early season slide would make the Bears strength of schedule even easier. Changes like this impact strength of schedule more than others. A team plays within it’s division six times a year, that makes divisional matchups thirty five percent of a teams season.
The Bears strength of schedule could also get significantly harder. If the Lions, Packers, and Vikings all have strong outings in the 2024 season, the Bears strength of schedule will move up the rankings.
The NFL pre-season strength of schedule is like pre-season rankings for NCAA basketball. A number of things can change, teams that were good last year can have a dip in form. Or a sleeper team could emerge, one who wasn’t particularly show stopping last year. All those things apply in the NFL.
The pre-season numbers suggest the Chicago Bears are primed for a good season. However, fans should remember that this is a relatively young team. Matt Eberflus is only in his third season as an NFL head coach. Shane Waldron just arrived in Chicago after a three year stint in Seattle. Caleb Williams is a rookie quarterback. Bears fans have every reason to be optimistic about the 2024 season and beyond.
It might not all gel in week one, it might take a few weeks to begin firing on all cylinders. Or, maybe the team is shot out of a cannon and plays well right away. All that being said, the strength of schedule is just a prediction, but it does hold some water. The schedule at first glance, is in favor of the Chicago Bears in the early stages of this new era.
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