Chicago Bears 2015 Schedule: Win-Loss Predictions for Every Game
The Chicago Bears have been one of the NFL's busiest franchises this offseason after finishing with a 5-11 record in 2014.
After firing general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman in late December, the Bears hired Ryan Pace to be the team's new general manager in early January, and he quickly hired John Fox to be Chicago's new head coach.
The Bears have been working hard to build a winning organization this offseason, and theyโalong with the rest of the NFLโreceived the 2015 schedule on Tuesday night.
While it is never easy to predict the outcome of any NFL game, making predictions this early in the offseason helps shed light on where the team currently stands and where they need to improve heading into the season.
Just ahead, we will take a look at Chicago's 2015 season and provide our early predictions for the Bears' 16-game schedule.
Week 1: Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers
1 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, September 13, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: Fox
Quarterback Jay Cutler holds a 1-11 record against the Green Bay Packers in his career, and in 11 regular-season starts against the Packers, he has thrown 14 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
The Packers have won five of the last six games against the Bears at Soldier Field dating back to 2010, including their 21-14 victory in the NFC Championship Game in January 2011.
The Bears have shown flashes against the Packers over the last several years, but they've been unable to slow down Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay's offense.
Opening up against the Packers at home in front of a rowdy crowd should favor the Bears, but their recent history against Green Bay suggests it will be a struggle to come away with a victory.
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Prediction: Loss
Week 2: Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals
2 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, September 20, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: Fox
The Arizona Cardinals finished last season with an 11-5 record, but they struggled down the stretch after starting the season 9-1. Shortly after signing a three-year, $50 million contract extension in November, starting quarterback Carson Palmer was lost for the season after tearing his ACL.ย
The Cardinals lost to the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the playoffs, but they should be a contender again in 2015 if Palmer is healthy.
Matt Forte should be able to pick up yards on the ground against an Arizona defense that allowed 108.7 rushing yards a game last season, but the Cardinals defense as a whole may be too tough to score on.
Prediction: Loss
Week 3: Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks
3 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, September 27, 2015 at 3:25 p.m. CT
Network: CBS
The Seattle Seahawks went to their second straight Super Bowl last season and finished the year as the league's No. 1 defense, allowing just 267.1 yards per game. They also averaged a league-best 172.6 rushing yards per game last season.
Running back Marshawn Lynch signed a two-year extension with the Seahawks earlier this offseason and will be looking to build off his strong 2014 campaign in which he ran for 1,306 yards on 280 carries with 13 touchdowns.
In addition to Lynch, the Seahawks added tight end Jimmy Graham to their passing game, and they should still be a dominant force on the defensive side of the football in 2015.
Seattle is one of the league's most balanced teams, and the Bears will likely struggle on both sides of the football in Week 3 against the defending NFC champions.
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Prediction: Loss
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Week 4: Chicago Bears vs. Oakland Raiders
4 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, October 4, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: CBS
The Oakland Raiders have not had a winning season since 2002 and finished last season with a 3-13 record. Oakland's first two draft picksโlinebacker Khalil Mack and quarterback Derek Carrโboth showed flashes last season, but the team lacks talent on both sides of the football.
Defensively, the Raiders gave up an average of 357.6 total yards per game last season while gaining a league-worst 282.2 total yards per game on offense.
Oakland signed linebackers Malcolm Smith and Curtis Lofton, defensive tackle Dan Williams, running back Roy Helu and center Rodney Hudson in free agency this offseason, but the team will likely struggle again in 2015. The Bears should be able to claim a victory at home against a Raiders team that has only won a total of 11 games in the last three seasons.
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Prediction: Win
Week 5: Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs
5 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, October 11, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: Fox
After going 11-5 in 2013, the Kansas City Chiefs regressed in 2014 and finished with a 9-7 record.
Quarterback Alex Smith had yet another steady NFL season, throwing for 3,265 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions, and the Chiefs gave him another weapon in the passing game when they signed veteran receiver Jeremy Maclin to a long-term deal this offseason.
While Smith has done a nice job of moving the football down the field in Andy Reid's West Coast offense the last two seasons, the Chiefs have been at their best when running the football. They finished 10th in the league last season in rushing yards per game with 119.9, and Jamaal Charles will likely once again be a focal point of their offense.
The Bears struggled to stop the run in both 2013 and 2014, and while they will likely improve under Fox in 2015, the Chiefs' ground game will be too much for the Bears to handle.
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Prediction: Loss
Week 6: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions
6 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, October 18, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: Fox
The Bears traveled to Detroit last Thanksgiving to take on the Lions, but their holiday was ruined because of a 34-17 road loss.
The Bears took an early 14-3 lead, but quarterback Matthew Stafford found a groove in the second quarter and finished the game with 390 passing yards and two touchdowns. Defensive end Jared Allen had his best game as a Bear that afternoon, finishing with four tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble.
The Lions have won the last four games in the series, including three of the last four in Detroit, and unless Forte and the Bears can get it going on the ground, they will struggle to keep Stafford and the passing game at bay.
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Prediction: Loss
Week 8: Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings
7 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, November 1, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: Fox
The Bears closed out the 2014 season with a 13-9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Cutler reclaimed the starting quarterback job after losing it the week prior to Jimmy Clausen, but he threw for just 172 yards on 36 attempts.
The Vikings finished the season 7-9 under new head coach Mike Zimmer, and rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw for 2,912 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 13 games.
Offensively, the Vikings still have a ways to go, even with the acquisition of wide receiver Mike Wallace via a trade with the Miami Dolphins, and the Bears should be able to come away with at least one victory against Minnesota in 2015.
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Prediction: Win
Week 9: Chicago Bears at San Diego Chargers (Monday Night Football)
8 of 16
Kickoff: Monday, November 9, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. CT
Network: ESPN
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The Bears and San Diego Chargers have faced off just 11 times, and their last meeting came back in 2011 when the Bears came away with a 31-20 victory.
Philip Rivers has been a mainstay at the quarterback position for the Chargers since taking over as the starter in 2006.
Last season, he threw for 4,286 yards with 31 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, but there has been some speculation this offseasonย that the Chargers and Tennessee Titans could potentially work out a trade that would send Rivers to the Titans in exchange for the second overall pick.
As long as Rivers stays in San Diego, the Chargers offense may be too difficult for Chicago's new defense to stop in prime time in Week 9.
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Prediction: Loss
Week 10: Chicago Bears at St. Louis Rams
9 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, November 15, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: Fox
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The Bears and St. Louis Rams last squared off in Week 12 of the 2013 season, and they will meet in 2015 in Week 10.
The Rams came away with a 42-21 victory back in 2013, but the Bears were without Cutler due to injury, and the defense gave up a total of 258 rushing yards on 29 carries with three touchdowns.
St. Louis finished 6-10 last season and traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Philadelphia Eagles for quarterback Nick Foles earlier this offseason.ย
Foles was named to the Pro Bowl following the 2013 season after he threw for 2,891 yards with 27 touchdowns and two interceptions in 13 games. He played in just eight games last season before breaking his collarbone in Week 9 against the Houston Texans.ย
If the Bears can keep Foles and St. Louis' receivers in check, they should be able to come away with a victory on the road.
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Prediction: Win
Week 11: Chicago Bears vs. Denver Broncos
10 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, November 22, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: CBS
The Denver Broncos will head to Chicago in Week 11, and new head coach John Fox will get his first opportunity to square off against his old team.
Fox went 46-18 in four regular seasons with the Broncos, but he and the organization decided to go their separate ways on January 12, and he was hired by the Bears on January 16.ย
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning looked off at times last season, but he is still one of the league's best quarterbacks, and he should have no problem throwing the football against a Bears defense that allowed 264.4 passing yards per game last season.
The addition of safety Antrel Rolle in the secondary should help the Bears, but Manning will likely prove to be too much for Chicago's rebuilt defense.
Prediction: Loss
Week 12: Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (Thanksgiving Night)
11 of 16
Kickoff: Thursday, November 26, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. CT
Network: NBC
In Week 12, the Bears will head to Green Bay to take on the Packers on Thanksgiving night. The two teams have squared off on Christmas Day and New Year's Eve in the past, but 2015 will be the first time the two teams have played against each other on Thanksgiving.ย
The Bears are 16-15-2 all time on Thanksgiving, while the Packers are 14-19-2 and have not hosted a game on Thanksgiving since 1923, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky.
With all that aside, the Bears have struggled against the Packers for the better part of the last decade, going 2-9 against Green Bay in the last 11 games.
Cutler will have to play mistake-free football in order to come away with a prime-time victory, but his history against the Packers suggests he will not be able to. The Bears will keep it close with their running game, but Rodgers will find a way to come away with the victory.
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Prediction: Loss
Week 13: Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers
12 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, December 6, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: Fox
Chicago's Week 13 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers will be defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's first game against his former team.ย After coaching in San Francisco from 2011 to 2014, Fangio was released by the 49ers this past January and was quickly hired as Chicago's new defensive coordinator.
The two teams squared off in San Francisco last season, and the Bears came away with a 28-20 victory in Week 2.
The 49ers have been in shambles for much of the offseason following head coach Jim Harbaugh's departure. The team lost starting linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland to retirement, and while the 49ers still have a lot of talented players on their roster, wins may be hard to come by in 2015 as they adjust to life without Harbaugh and Fangio.
Prediction: Win
Week 14: Chicago Bears vs. Washington Redskins
13 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, December 13, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: Fox
Once viewed as the quarterback of the future for the Washington Redskins, Robert Griffin III has struggled with injuries since late in the 2012 season.
He played in nine games last season with seven starts and threw for just 1,694 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions. He was replaced by both Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy last season, and all three will likely compete for the starting position this summer.
Regardless of who lines up under center for the Redskins in Week 14, the Bears should be able to come away with a victory against a team that hauled in just seven interceptions in 2014 and finished with a minus-eight turnover margin.
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Prediction: Win
Week 15: Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings
14 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, December 20, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: Fox
The Bears are 7-3 against the Vikings since 2010, but Minnesota has won three straight against the Bears at home.
The Vikings are in the process of building a new stadium and will continue to play all of their home games at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium until their new stadium opens in 2016.
Minnesota finished 14th in the league last season in total defense, and its defense has two rising stars in outside linebacker Anthony Barr and safety Harrison Smith. They Bears may come away with a victory at home in Week 8, but the Vikings will claim their fourth straight home victory over the Bears in Week 15.
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Prediction: Loss
Week 16: Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, December 27, 2015 at Noon CT
Network: Fox
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the first pick in this year's draft, and all signs point to them drafting quarterback Jameis Winston next week.
Winston will be a nice addition to the Buccaneers offense, but Lovie Smith's team struggled mightily in all phases last season. Tampa Bay's offense averaged just 292 yards per game in 2014, and the defense gave up 368.9 yards per game.ย
The Bears defeated the Buccaneers late last season, and they will likely come away with another victory down in Tampa Bay this season.ย
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Prediction: Win
Week 17: Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions
16 of 16
Kickoff: Sunday, January 3, 2016 at Noon CT
Network: Fox
The last time the Detroit Lions squared off against the Bears at Soldier Field, Clausen was named the starting quarterback over Cutler earlier that week and finished the game with 181 passing yards on 23 completions with two touchdowns and one interception.ย
Clausen's numbers were average at best that day, and the Lions came away with a 20-13 victory.ย
The Lions lost arguably the best defensive tackle in the game in Ndamukong Suh to the Miami Dolphins in free agency, but they replaced him with Haloti Ngata via a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. The Lions allowed just 69.3 yards per game on the ground last season, and they should not see much of a drop-off defensively with Ngata plugging the middle in 2015.
The Bears should be a better team on the field in 2015, but they will likely struggle to get to .500 at season's end.
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Prediction: Lossย
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Record and schedule information provided via email from the Chicago Bears. All statistical informationย courtesyย ofย NFL.com.
Mattย Eurichย is a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Reportย andย a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
Followย @MattEurich
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