BREAKING: Chicago Bears 2024 Schedule Release & Game-By-Game Predictions
The NFL's 2024 schedule is looks darn good...but what about the Bears playoff chances?
Hopes are high in Chicago
The city is abuzz and atingle.
The past is the past and the future looks bright.
Everybody and their mother is sporting Caleb Williams merch.
All because the 2024 NFL schedule is live. All because we’ve finally learned who, when, and where the Chicago Bears will be playing between September and early-January. (Late-January and February are up in the air, but, as noted, our hopes are high, and we’re all atingle, yadda yadda yadda.)
Even though none of us know the Bears’ final 53-man roster, and even though none of us know if their highly-touted rookie quarterback will live up to the hype, and even though none of us know if Chicago HC Matt Eberflus has figured out how to hold a fourth quarter lead, I’m going to take a crack at prognosticating not only the Bears’ wins and losses for the 2024 season, but also the final scores. This, of course, is a fool’s errand, but what is a sportswriter if not a fool?
All I ask is that you don’t throw this in my face at season’s end — a season in which Chicago finishes 9-8 and sneaks into the postseason. Appreciate you.
(Note: All times CT.)
Tennessee Titans vs. Chicago Bears
Date: Sunday, September 8, 2024
Time & Telecast: 12:00 p.m., FOX
The Skinny: The opener will be closer than it should be, but a fourth quarter pick-six from Jaylon Johnson brings it home.
Final Score: Chicago: 27 - Tennessee: 24
Chicago Bears vs. Houston Texans (SNF)
Date: Sunday, September 15, 2024
Time & Telecast: 7:20 p.m., NBC
The Skinny: In front of a national TV audience, the Bears lay an egg in Clutch City, as C.J. Stroud tears up Chicago’s D, and Houston’s D tears up Caleb Williams.
Final Score: Houston: 30 - Chicago: 7
Chicago Bears vs. Indianapolis Colts
Date: Sunday, September 22, 2024
Time & Telecast: 12:00 p.m., CBS
The Skinny: The Anthony Richardson/Caleb Williams battle will make for must-see-television, and will be decided in — wait for it, wait for it — overtime. (Seriously, who predicts an OT?)
Final Score: Indianapolis: 24 - Chicago: 21 (OT)
Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears
Date: Sunday, September 29, 2024
Time & Telecast: 12:00 p.m., FOX
The Skinny: In what promises to be one of the more entertaining games of Chicago’s season, D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen barely edge out Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
Final Score: Chicago: 31 - Los Angeles: 27
Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears
Date: Sunday, October 6, 2024
Time & Telecast: 12:00 p.m., FOX
The Skinny: The 2024 #1 draft pick takes the 2023 #1 draft pick out behind the woodshed. It won’t be pretty.
Final Score: Chicago: 45 - Carolina: 13
Chicago Bears vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (London)
Date: Sunday, October 13, 2024
Time & Telecast: 8:30 a.m., NFL Network
The Skinny: With the Bears laying back in a 4-3-4 formation, DeAndre Swift tears up the Tottenham pitch, Rome Odunze gets a brace, Keenan Allen scores a goalazo, and Trevor Lawrence gets hit with a yellow card.
Final Score: Chicago: 27 - Jacksonville: 16
Chicago Bears vs. Washington Commanders
Date: Sunday, October 27, 2024
Time & Telecast: 12:00 p.m., CBS
The Skinny: Remember what the Bears did to Washington last season? Despite some big rushing numbers from Commanders’ rookie QB Jayden Daniels, it’ll happen again.
Final Score: Chicago: 41 - Washington: 21
Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals
Date: Sunday, November 3, 2024
Time & Telecast: 3:05 p.m., CBS
The Skinny: A feisty Cardinals defense pushes, shoves, and sacks Caleb Williams into submission. Chicago’s biggest clunker of the year.
Final Score: Arizona: 28 - Chicago: 7
New England Patriots vs. Chicago Bears
Date: Sunday, November 10, 2024
Time & Telecast: 12:00 p.m., FOX
The Skinny: The Pats are going to be one of those annoyingly gritty teams who nobody will want to play. They’ll lose a lot of games, but their losses will mostly be close. Like this one.
Final Score: Chicago: 28 - New England: 24
Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears
Date: Sunday, November 17, 2024
Time & Telecast: 12:00 p.m., FOX
The Skinny: It’s been five seasons since Chicago managed a victory against their cheesy Wisconsin rivals. That ends here, and it ends big, as Caleb Williams and D.J. Moore make mincemeat of what’ll turn out to be a just-okay Pack secondary.
Final Score: Chicago: 38 - Green Bay: 10
Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
Date: November 24, 2024
Time & Telecast: 12:00 p.m., FOX
The Skinny: The Vikes can tell themselves all they want that they’re contenders, but the reality is they’re in rebuild mode. The Bears are farther along in their own rebuild, and their rookie QB will be considerably better than Minny’s. At home, Chicago handcuffs Justin Jefferson in an impressive statement win.
Final Score: Chicago: 35 - Minnesota: 3
Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions (Thanksgiving)
Date: Thursday, November 28, 2024
Time & Telecast: 11:30 a.m., CBS
The Skinny: In a defense-is-optional Thanksgiving track meet, the insanely wealthy Jared Goff and a dominant Amon-Ra St. Brown show Chicago’s young’uns how the vets do it.
Final Score: Detroit: 41 - Chicago: 31
Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers
Date: Sunday, December 8, 2024
Time & Telecast: 3:25 p.m, FOX
The Skinny: The Niners are elite. The Bears aren’t...yet. Chicago will keep it tight for three quarters, before Christian McCaffrey goes off in the fourth to seal the deal.
Final Score: San Francisco: 34 - Chicago: 23
Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings (MNF)
Date: Monday, December 16, 2024
Time & Telecast: 7:15 p.m., ABC
The Skinny: Minnesota isn’t great, but they are far from terrible. Chicago keeps it close, but J.J. McCarthy’s last-gasp TD pass gives the Vikes the edge and a modicum of revenge.
Final Score: Minnesota: 21 - Chicago: 20
Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears
Date: Sunday, December 22, 2024
Time & Telecast: 12:00 p.m., FOX
The Skinny: What was expected to be a Thanksgiving-esque shootout turns out to (sort of) be a defensive battle. Home cooking and a 100-yard rushing performance from Caleb Williams get the Bears across the finish line.
Final Score: Chicago: 20 - Detroit: 13
Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears (TNF)
Date: Thursday, December 26
Time & Telecast: 7:15, Prime Video
The Skinny: After a short week, the Bears D poops the bed on a streaming service, and the ‘Hawks roll out of Solder Field with a W.
Final Score: Seattle: 35 - Chicago: 14
Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
Date: Saturday, January 4, 2025 or Sunday, January 5, 2025
Time & Telecast: TBD
The Skinny: The Bears haven’t managed a victory on the frozen tundra since 2015. Sadly, the trend continues here on closing night, as Jordan Love does just enough to keep Green Bay’s home domination a thing.
Final Score: Green Bay: 30 - Chicago: 17