Bears’ remaining schedule among NFL’s easiest

Despite a rough couple of weeks, there is hope for the Bears moving forward in the 2nd half of this season when looking at their schedule.

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It’s been a rough two weeks for the Chicago Bears, who have seen their 5-1 record become 5-3 over a matter of two weeks. It certainly doesn’t help that their offensive line is in tatters and their offense hasn’t had a rhythm since 2018.

Still, there is hope for the Bears moving forward in the second half of this season as they attempt to make a playoff push.

Seriously.

The Bears have the fourth-easiest remaining strength of schedule in this second half of the season with opponents combining for a win percentage of .429.

When looking at the rest of the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers have the most difficult remaining schedule in the division (.507) followed closely by the Minnesota Vikings (.485), both of which rank among the middle of the pack. The Detroit Lions have the second-easiest remaining schedule in the NFC North (.470) while the Bears have the division’s easiest.

Here’s the full rankings of the NFL’s remaining strength of schedule:

1. Falcons (.644)
2. Jaguars (.615)
3. 49ers (.610)
4. Bills (.579)
5. Rams (.576)
6. Panthers (.569)
7. Broncos (.522)
8. Colts (.540)
9. Titans (.538)
10. Cardinals (.529)
11. Eagles (.525)
12. Jets (.517)
13. Giants (.517)
14. Texans (.508)
15. Packers (.507)
16. Bengals (.500)
17. Chiefs (.492)
18. Vikings (.485)
19. Chargers (.478)
20. Bucs (.475)
21. Dolphins (.470)
22. Lions (.470)
23. Saints (.464)
24. Football Team (.464)
25. Steelers (.456)
26. Ravens (.455)
27. Cowboys (.450)
28. Seahawks (.450)
29. Bears (.429)
30. Raiders (.424)
31. Patriots (.418)
32. Browns (.398)

The Bears are coming off a pair of heartbreaking losses against teams in the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints that they were poised to beat. Now, they’ve fallen out of the postseason hunt (they’re the top team on the outside looking in).

While Chicago’s defense has been impressive this season, it all goes back to the offense’s struggles and how it’s costing this team wins. If there was a chance for this Bears offense to get on track, it would be against a Titans defense that has struggled across the board.

Still, it’s more of a “I’ll believe it when I see it” mentality with this offense. Just as, despite having one of the easiest remaining schedules, many won’t get their hopes up about the Bears’ chances in the second half of the season.

Bears have 13th-toughest strength of schedule in 2020

Where it stands, the Bears have an easier schedule in 2020 than they did in 2019.

Determining a team’s strength of schedule early in the offseason doesn’t have any bearing of how things ultimately pan out. But, where it stands, the Chicago Bears certainly have an easier road in 2020 than they did in 2019.

Heading into the 2020 season, the Bears are tied for the 13th toughest strength of schedule. Their 2020 opponents combined for a win percentage of .508 with a combined record of (129-125-2).

Looking at the NFC North, the Bears have the second-easiest schedule. The Detroit Lions are tied for the fifth-toughest schedule and the Minnesota Vikings are tied for the 10th-toughest schedule in the NFL. The reigning NFC North champions the Green Bay Packers have the easiest schedule in the division — the 15th toughest schedule.

Here’s a look at the strength of schedule for each of the 32 NFL teams:

Rank Team Opponents’ 2019 win %
1 New England Patriots .537 (137-118-1)
2 New York Jets .533 (136-119-1)
3 Miami Dolphins .529 (135-120-1)
4 San Francisco 49ers .527 (134-120-2)
T5 Buffalo Bills .525 (134-121-1)
T5 Atlanta Falcons .525 (134-121-1)
T5 Detroit Lions .525 (134-121-1)
T8 Arizona Cardinals .518 (132-123-1)
T8 Houston Texans .518 (132-123-1)
T10 Minnesota Vikings .516 (131-123-2)
T10 Los Angeles Rams .516 (131-123-2)
12 Denver Broncos .512 (131-125)
T13 Chicago Bears .508 (129-125-2)
T13 Seattle Seahawks .508 (129-125-2)
15 Green Bay Packers .504 (128-126-2)
T16 Tampa Bay Buccaneers .502 (128-127-1)
T16 Indianapolis Colts .502 (128-127-1)
T18 Carolina Panthers .500 (127-127-2)
T18 Kansas City Chiefs .500 (127-127-2)
20 Tennessee Titans .498 (127-128-1)
21 Las Vegas Raiders (127-129)
22 Jacksonville Jaguars .494 (126-129-1)
23 Los Angeles Chargers .492 (126-130)
24 New Orleans Saints .490 (125-130-1)
25 Philadelphia Eagles .486 (124-131-1)
26 New York Giants .482 (123-132-1)
27 Cincinnati Bengals .477 (122-134)
28 Washington Redskins .465 (118-136-2)
29 Cleveland Browns .461 (118-138)
30 Dallas Cowboys .459 (117-138-1)
31 Pittsburgh Steelers .457 (117-139)
32 Baltimore Ravens .438 (112-144)

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Bears have 13th toughest schedule in 2020

Chicago will be looking to rebound from a disappointing 2019 season. But they’ll have to do so against one of the NFL’s toughest schedules.

The Chicago Bears will be looking to rebound from a disappointing 2019 season. But they’ll have to do so against one of the NFL’s toughest schedules.

Chicago is tied for the NFL’s 13th most difficult schedule, based on the 2019 records of their upcoming opponents. The 13 teams they’ll face (which include two games against their NFC North foes) combined to post a .508 winning percentage last season.

It’s a tad easier than last year’s strength of schedule, where the Bears had the fifth-toughest.

The Bears will play seven games against playoff teams from 2019, which include two games apiece against the Packer and Vikings, as well as one game against the Saints, Texans and Titans.

As for their division counterparts, the Lions have the fifth-toughest schedule while the Vikings are tied for the 10th-toughest. The Packers have the easiest schedule in the NFC North at 15th-toughest.

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