The Chicago Bears 2023 schedule was released Thursday night, highlighted by Week 1's home opener against the Green Bay Packers and four games in primetime.
The Bears will get their bye in Week 13 before a five-game stretch of winnable games to close the season. It mirrors the first month or so of the schedule, where Chicago has games against four teams with many question marks.
Here's the full slate of 17 weeks of Chicago Bears football:
Hot off the grill 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NRt0rxhPqR
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 12, 2023
At first glance, the Chicago Bears have as good (or better) of a roster as four of their first five opponents. Their Week 1 game against the Packers and inexperienced quarterback Jordan Love is followed by a road tilt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team in transition in life after Tom Brady.
A 2-0 start is very realistic.
No one will predict a win in Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs but after that? The Chicago Bears could rip off two more wins against the Denver Broncos (Home) and Washington Commanders (Away).
Could the Bears begin the 2023 season 4-1? There's certainly a chance. And if they do? Buckle up. It's going to be a fun year.
There isn't a tough stretch of games at any point in the Bears' 2023 schedule. Sure, games against the Chiefs, Vikings, Lions and Chargers will be tough, but they aren't stacked back-to-back.
The Broncos follow Kansas City. The Minnesota Vikings game in Week 6 is followed by a home contest against the Las Vegas Raiders. Chicago's Week 14 game against the Detroit Lions is followed by four winnable matchups versus the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, and Packers.
The only negative in Chicago's 2023 schedule is that they play two Thursday night games. One is bad enough. Playing two is brutal.
Look, I get it. Predicting wins in May is a fool's exercise. But, on paper, and after GM Ryan Poles' roster reconstruction this offseason, the Chicago Bears feel like a team that can compete with most of their opponents in 2023. It's a nice change of pace after several seasons of hoping for the best but expecting the worst.