Chicago Bears given schedule advantage before Ben Johnson debut

Chicago Bears 2025 schedule 

Their lack of long travel may keep the Bears more well rested, but ultimately, it’s all about how they perform on gameday. Looking at Chicago’s 2025 opponents, the team will have an opportunity to prove they’re ready to compete in Johnson’s first season at the helm.

For starters, they’ll be facing each NFC North opponent twice. The Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings all the made the playoffs in 2024 and are looking to do so again. Having all four teams make the postseason would be shocking, meaning each inter-division battle will be must-win.

The Bears will be facing off against the NFC East and AFC North, alongside the Las Vegas Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints. The Saints are in a bit of a questionable spot after Derek Carr’s retirement. But the Raiders are a team on the rise and the 49ers plan on competing despite their roster losses.

In the East, Chicago must face off against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. They’ll have an eyebrow raising rematch with the Washington Commanders while the Dallas Cowboys will be no easy battle. Like the Saints the Giants are a bit of a wild card.

The Cleveland Browns are a question mark until their quarterback situation is figured out, but the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are all playoff contenders. Each battle, not to discredit Myles Garrett and the Browns defense, will be a true test for the Bears.

Not having to fly around as much takes one extra thing off of Johnson’s first-year plate. But once the Bears’ 2025 schedule is officially released, preparing for Week 1 becomes the next test.