Getty Bears strong safety Jaquan Brisker.
The Chicago Bears are a team on the rise, but an overloaded stretch of their schedule late in the year could stymie an ascent to the playoffs.
Beginning on December 16, Chicago will play three games in the span of 10 days. The Bears open that run with a nationally televised Monday Night Football showdown with the NFC North Division rival Minnesota Vikings. Just six days later, Chicago will host the Detroit Lions in another divisional matchup. And only four days after that, the Bears welcome the Seattle Seahawks to Soldier Field for a Thursday Night Football matchup on Amazon Prime the day after Christmas.
The NFL’s scheduling decisions will afford Chicago extremely little time to recover from the physical rigors of late-season football games played in the heart of winter, meaning less opportunity for injured players to get treatment while also putting healthy players at greater risk for injury.
Preparation time will also be limited in what is likely to be a highly competitive NFC North. As such, the scheduling disparity could cost the Bears a crucial win or two needed to earn a spot in the postseason.
Safety Jaquan Brisker aired his grievances with the schedule via social media on Tuesday, May 28.
Imagine, 3 games in 10 days… 🤔
— Quanny B. (@JaquanBrisker) May 28, 2024
“Imagine, 3 games in 10 days… 🤔,” Brisker wrote.
More schedule misfortune befalls the Bears early in the year, as their bye comes in Week 7. A bye week later in the season would have been more helpful considering the intensity of the schedule between Weeks 15-17.
The one benefit Chicago will see because of its schedule is a 10-day break after hosting Seattle ahead of the team’s final game of the campaign, which will come against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on January 5.
Bears Have Advantage in Rest Days Compared to Opponents
GettyHead coach Matt Eberflus (left) of the Chicago Bears talks with safety Jaquan Brisker (right).
It is impossible to avoid inequities in the scheduling process, and while the Bears have a legitimate grievance when it comes to the last month of the season, they’re actually on the positive side of rest days relative to their opponents.
Warren Sharp of The Ringer calculated each team’s total days of rest between games compared to their opponents to determine the net rest edges for all 32 franchises. According to Sharp, the Bears have a net edge rest of +5 games over the course of the year.
NFL 2024 Net Rest Edges
net rest = total days of extra rest vs a team's opponents over the course of the season
+16: BAL
+15
+14
+13
+12: NE, MIN, PHI
+11
+10
+9
+8: GB
+7: HOU
+6: TEN
+5: CHI, NYJ, BUF, ATL, KC
+4: JAX
+3: CAR
+2: PIT, CLE, DAL
+1
0: LV, NYG
-1: DET, LAR
-2:… https://t.co/LQK41BB1Ns— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 20, 2024
Only seven teams have more days of rest relative to their opponents, though the Vikings and Packers are among those seven squads. Four other teams have the same +5 days of rest advantage that Chicago will have.
The Lions, the fourth member of the NFC North, have a -1 deficiency in rest days.
Bears Are Hot NFL Commodity in 2024
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
The Bears aren’t the hottest ticket in the NFL in 2024, though the league clearly wants to capitalize on the excitement surrounding one of its biggest market teams and new franchise quarterback/No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
The most obvious example of this is the NFL’s decision to feature the Bears on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series, which the team announced Thursday.
Chicago’s schedule down the stretch could lead to an anti-climactic run to end Williams’ first season. However, it could also make for a ton of nationally-televised drama as the Bears push for their first playoff berth since 2020.
