Chicago Bears Insider: A Deeper Look at 2011 Schedule
The 2011 NFL Schedule is out and people are talking up many of the games on the schedule. It’s nice to be able see what teams the Bears are going to play next season, when they will play them and what it means for their chances for repeating as NFC North champions. At first glance the schedule looks daunting especially to start as the Bears face three playoff teams from last year right off the bat. They end the season with two division games that could decide their playoff fate.
Needless to say it’s going to be an interesting year for the Bears.
The following is a detailed in depth look at the Bears schedule for the 2011 with predictions as to who may win and why.
September 11th-Atlanta Falcons (13-3) at Chicago (11-5)
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The Bears start the season with a tough opponent as they face the Atlanta Falcons to start. The Falcons had the best record in the NFC last season and were thought to be on their way to a Super Bowl berth before they were knocked off by Green Bay. The Falcons have the weapons to win and will return many of the same players from last year’s squad.
Hopefully the Bears will have their offense put together much better for this game (that means drafting some help on the offensive line) and if they are improved on offense then they have an excellent chance of winning this game and starting the season off on the right foot. But it’s guaranteed to be a close one.
Prediction: Chicago 23 Atlanta 17
September 18th-Chicago (11-5) at New Orleans (11-5)
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Will the Saint’s defense be much better in 2011? If they are then this is going to be a tough game for the Bears to win. Couple that with the fact that the game will be played in New Orleans (where the fan base can get loud as any in the league) and this may spell some trouble for the Bears.
If their offense can move the ball then they have an excellent chance of winning this game but the Bears may not be quite ready to face a high powered offense like the Saints will present to them.
Prediction: New Orleans 21 Chicago 17
September 25th-Green Bay (10-6) at Chicago (11-5)
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This promises to be one of the best games of the season as the Bears will be bent on revenge after the Packers took away their shot at making the Super Bowl last season. The only problem is the Packers may end up being better than they were last season because they will have several of their injured stars back and will be attempting to defend their championship title.
The Bears will be really pumped up for this game and if things are working out well on both sides of the ball then you can expect them to put up a big effort and win this first game. With the crowd behind them, Chicago will come out just ahead of the Packers in their first game against them this season and win the game.
Prediction: Chicago 23 Green Bay 21
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October 2nd-Carolina Panthers (2-14) at Chicago (11-5)
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This will be new head coach and former Bear’s player and assistant coach Ron Rivera’s first game against his former team but at this stage of the season don’t expect a lot out of the Panthers. The lockout will have seriously set back Rivera’s hopes of putting the team together and making it ready for the 2011 season so things might be a little sloppy with the Panthers coming into this game.
That will be a nice advantage for the Bears and they should be able to win this game and keep moving forward.
Prediction: Chicago 28 Carolina 13
October 10th-Chicago (11-5) at Detroit (6-10)
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This will be the first Monday night game for the Lions in a long time and you can expect that they will be pumped up and ready to go for this one. The Bears offensive line needs to be ready to protect quarterback Jay Cutler well because the Lions defensive line (featuring Ndamukong Suh) has gotten much better and could be the difference between the Bears winning this game and losing it.
The Lions are a much more improved team and could give the Bears some problems in this game. Chicago should still be able to beat the Lions though they won’t dominate them like they have in the past.
Prediction: Chicago 21 Detroit 13
October 10th-Minnesota (6-10) at Chicago (11-5)
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The Vikings are a team that is going to undergo a lot of changes next season. They may not have a good starting quarterback in 2011 which means the Vikings will struggle and they may struggle with a good quarterback. The Bears will be ready to face this division opponent and as long as they can protect their quarterback they should be able to win this game.
We may not want to expect a lot out of the Vikings in their first full season under head coach Leslie Frazier but this is a division game and a good rivalry so anything is possible.
Prediction: Chicago 24 Minnesota 13
October 23rd-Chicago at Tampa Bay (in England)
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The Bears and the Bucs will travel to England (providing that the collective bargaining agreement between the NFL owners and its players get signed by the first of August) to take on one another in what promises to be a pretty interesting game. Remember that last year’s Buccaneers team came up just a little bit short of making the playoffs and will be even hungrier this year.
Can the Bears keep the Bucs from beating them overseas and head into the bye week with a win and some momentum? It could be much close than many think but the Bears should be able to win this game and look good heading into the bye week.
Prediction: Chicago 23 Tampa Bay 17
November 7th-Chicago (5-11) at Philadelphia (10-6)
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The Eagles and the Bears have played each other tough over the past few years and in their last meeting, the Bears were able to beat the Eagles thanks to their ability to keep quarterback Michael Vick basically under wraps in that game. Can the Bears do the same thing in 2011 and beat the Eagles?
The Bears defense, barring any kind of injury problems, should basically be the same and with that they should be able to keep Vick contained but will their offense be able to do enough to win this game?
Prediction: Chicago 28 Philadelphia 21.
November 13th-Detroit (6-10) at Chicago (11-5)
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The Bears and the Lions will face each other for the second time during the season at Soldier Field and hopefully the Lions haven’t improved that much that they beat the Bears this time around. Games between these two teams have been close over the last two years and with good pass protection Chicago should be able to win this game.
But the dominance of the Bears over the Lions may end soon as the Lions are finally starting to put a winning team together.
Prediction: Chicago 21 Detroit 13
November 20th-San Diego (9-7) Chicago (11-5)
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The somewhat schizophrenic San Diego Chargers will travel to the Midwest to take on the Bears as the month of November starts to come to a close. If you know anything about the Chargers, they are notorious for starting out slow and finishing strong and the Bears will be meeting them around the time that they are typically on a run and playing well.
Will the Bears be able to avoid being a victim of those typical late season runs by the Chargers and beat them? If San Diego’s offense is working well and their defense has added a couple important pieces during the offseason the Bears will probably lose this game.
Prediction: San Diego 23 Chicago 17
November 27th-Chicago (11-5) at Oakland (8-8)
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Which Raiders team will show up this coming season? Will it be the one that played well enough to almost make the playoffs last year or will it be the one that struggles with consistency and has problems winning games on a regular basis?
For the Bears, they will hope it’s the team that’s struggled to win regularly over the past two seasons and with a new head coach it’s possible the Raiders could take a step back. The Bears have to take advantage and win this game as they would need a win to help keep any hopes of making the playoffs alive and try to get to the Super Bowl.
Prediction: Chicago 24 Oakland 13
December 4th-Kansas City Chiefs (10-6) at Chicago (11-5)
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The Kansas City Chiefs and former Bear Thomas Jones will travel to Chicago to take on the Bears and they will bring one of the best running games in the NFL with them when they arrive. Chicago’s defense was able to shut down the run effectively last season and barring and serious changes or injuries they should be able to do the same thing next season.
The Chiefs will be a tough team to beat that’s for sure but the Bears should be able to handle them at Soldier Field in this game as long as they are on the ball with their offense and defense. Look for the Bears to win this game and keep moving ahead towards the post season.
Prediction: Chicago 24 Kansas City 17
December 11th-Chicago (11-5) at Denver (4-12)
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This will be the first time that the Bears and the Broncos have met in the regular season (these two teams did meet in the preseason after the trade took place) since they made the trade that sent Cutler over to the Bears and Kyle Orton over to the Broncos. You can expect that the fan base in Denver to be fired up when Cutler and the Bears arrive but aside from that the Bears may not get much of any threat from this rebuilding team.
With a new head coach and a new system in place it’s likely that the Broncos are going to struggle in 2011. Chicago should take advantage of this and win the game and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Prediction: Chicago 28 Denver 13
December 18th-Seattle (7-9) at Chicago (11-5)
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The Seahawks and the Bears will face each other once again after the Bears took Seattle out of the playoff equation last year in the playoffs. The biggest question here is whether or not Seattle will be improved after last season or will they take a step back and leave themselves open for a loss here against the Bears.
Depending on who you listen to it’s said that Seattle may take a step back next year and being that this game is at home and the Bears will probably be in the hunt for a playoff spot, they will do what they have to win this game.
Prediction: Chicago 31 Seattle 24
December 25th-Chicago (11-5) at Green Bay (10-6)
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The Bears will face the Packers at night on Christmas Day in a game that could end up being their most important game of the year for the Bears. Both teams may be in the hunt for the playoffs and/or the division title with this game and if that’s the case then you can expect this game to be a true slug fest much like most games are between these two teams.
The Packers could end up winning this game especially if they are in the hunt for the playoffs and all of their key players are healthy at this point in the season.
Expect a win by Green Bay here on Christmas night.
Prediction: Green Bay 24 Chicago 17
January 1st-Chicago (11-5) at Minnesota (6-10)
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The Bears end the season against division rival Minnesota and this is a game that could dictate whether or not the Bears end up making the playoffs. The Vikings may have found a little bit more consistency by the time these two teams meet and this game could be interesting but the Bears will probably have put themselves in position to either make the playoffs or look for better seeding in those playoffs.
Chicago will finish the season with a win here and make the playoffs.
Prediction: Chicago 28 Minnesota 13
In the End
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It’s hard to predict how the Bears season is going to go next year because they haven’t been subject to free agency (both in signings and losses) and of course the draft hasn’t taken place yet. It’s like walking into a dark room, you don’t see anything until you turn the light on and the light, which in this case is free agency and the draft, hasn’t been turned on yet.
What are your predictions for season? Will the Bears do better or worse than they did last year?
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