2024 NFL schedule to be released on Friday |
Now that the NFL draft has come and gone and the first wave of free agency is well behind us, the next NFL game isn't until August, when the preseason begins. While there are plenty of camp storylines to follow until the preseason gets underway, the 2024 NFL schedule release is the next big event for NFL fans, which is expected to happen late this week, with May 9 being the day.
This is one of the only sports where fans gravitate toward the schedule reveal, as they can then plan their weekends for who they see and when they will see them. What we do at this point is who the Bears will play this season and where they will play them as the main aspects of the schedule have been revealed. As is the case every season, the Bears will have six division games to play, once at home and once on the road, against the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings. Winning divisional games has been a struggle for this team over the past few seasons, but they did go 2-4 in the division last season, so they will be looking to go 3-3, if not 4-2, this year. Apart from those six games, eight games against two divisions that will make up 14 of the Bears 17 games this season. This year, the Bears will be taking on the AFC South and NFC West, putting them up against some of the toughest teams in both the AFC and NFC. Looking at the AFC South portion of the schedule, the Bears will welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans to Soldier Field while going to Indianapolis and Houston. Given how much the Texans improved this offseason, it would be nice to get them in Chicago, but given the expectations for both of these teams this season, that game has the potential to be a primetime game, which would be suitable for both teams. Looking at the NFC West, you welcome the Seahawks and Rams to Chicago while going to Arizona and San Francisco. Like the Texans, the 49ers are loaded and should once again be one of the better teams in the NFC. Going to Levi Stadium is always a challenging task, and it would be nice for the Bears to have them at home. However, looking at their home schedule through these games, four if not five of those games they should be favored in, so as long as they take care of business, you are putting yourself in a great position to have a good season. With 14 of the 17 games discussed, there are three remaining games that are more of a randomized opponents type of thing. Those last three games come from a category known as the games against same-place finishers, also known as teams that finished in last place. For the Bears, that means games against the rebuilding New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers while also seeing the Washington Commanders on the road. All three of those opponents are in a rebuilding phase, much like the Bears, but Chicago is in a much better position than they are in and should be favored in all three of those games. With the NFL switching to a 17-game schedule three years ago, the NFC and AFC alternate who gets more home games each season. This season, the NFC will be getting nine home games and eight road games, but the Bears have a game in London, thus counting one of those home games as their London game. That isn't an idea for a team that could use the extra home game, but it is what it is at this point, and every team has to go through with it at some point. No one likes to make predictions this early in the season, but you can't help but like the Bears' chances this season. They made a killing in the draft by getting Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze while also trading for Keenan Allen. To say this offense hasn't improved is foolish, and this is a team that should produce much better this season. If this team can avoid the injuries and play up to their expectations, this is a minimum 10-win team this season with the potential to win even more. That should get them into the postseason and battling it out for the NFC North title.
