Chicago Bears 2012 Schedule: Power Ranking Bears Games from Easiest to Toughest

Now that the 2012 NFL schedule is out and I've made my early predictions and observations, it's time to look at just how challenging the Chicago Bears' schedule actually is.

One obvious point I should make is that it is too early to know for sure how strong teams will be this season.

For one, rosters are not complete. The NFL draft is right around the corner, but until teams make their picks we don't know how much they will be improved and even then, there is no certainty even with No. 1 picks.

For another thing, teams may have improved by virtue of free agency and, in some cases, by young players who finally "get it." In those cases, using last year's winning percentage to gauge how good they are is not a valid measure for their team this season.

Alternatively, there are a multitude of reasons why one team may have been good last season but is likely to be bad this year. They may have lost a key free agent or suffered a key injury, for example.

But based solely on last year's performances, the Bears' schedule is currently rated one of the easiest overall. Meanwhile, the combined record of teams they will face on the road this season was actually above .500 last year. 

Another thing that makes the Bears' schedule more difficult than it may appear is that they play five of their first 10 games on national TV. In one case, they play two games within a span of just four days!

So let's take a closer look at their schedule and rank the games from easiest to hardest, recognizing that this will be a work in progress and is certainly an inexact science.

1. September 9: Colts at Bears

It just happens to be Week 1, but that is not why this game may be the easiest on the Bears' schedule.

Indy was a very poor team last year, and they will very likely be starting a rookie quarterback in Andrew Luck. Even if Luck is all that and a slice of bread, first starts are often very rough for a young QB.

The Colts also bring in a rookie head coach in Chuck Pagano.

Further, the Bears will be home and quite possibly the healthiest they will be all year. Their defense may not be what it used to be, but it should still be a stern test for Luck and the Colts offense.

Meanwhile, the Bears will want to come out of the gate firing on all cylinders against a Colts team that, at least on paper, has no business beating the Chicago Bears.

2. September 23: Rams at Bears

The Bears have 10 days to prepare for this game and the St. Louis Rams are coming off a miserable season. The Bears could be a bit beat up after facing the Green Bay Packers, but I feel this is a very winnable game.

Once again, the game is at home and since the previous game against Green Bay is on a Thursday, the Bears have extra time to get ready and to get healthy, if needed.

That said, the Rams could be better this season.

They have already made headlines by engineering a blockbuster trade with the Washington Redskins that netted the struggling franchise two future first-round picks and an extra second-rounder this year in exchange for moving down from its original No. 2 overall slot to No. 6.

Plus they may not be done wheeling and dealing, as the three selections the team holds in the top 40 and eight overall probably aren't enough to fix all of their problems. Yet they should get some immediate game-changers via the draft if all goes well for them.

Likewise, if Sam Bradford is healthy, he can be a great QB so I'm not discounting the potential of this Rams team.

But it still appears to be a very winnable game for Chicago.

3. November 25: Vikings at Bears

The Minnesota Vikings should be one of the weakest teams the Bears face this season.

And the first game is at Soldier Field, so while anything is possible, the chances of the Vikings beating the Bears is not very good.

Also, the team will be coming off a rough Monday night game against the San Francisco 49ers, which could potentially be a loss, so they should be under the gun for a win.

4. December 9: Bears at Vikings

Yes, it's a road game but once again it's the Vikings.

I hate to pick on them again but come on, in the Bears' division, the best they could possibly expect is to split with the Detroit Lions and Packers, so they need to sweep Minnesota.

5. December 2: Seahawks at Bears

Although the Seattle Seahawks tend to play the Bears tough at times, it is a home game following what should be an easy win over Minnesota, so I'm guessing Chicago comes into this game with a lot of confidence.

Seattle did beat us handily last season, 38-14, though that was without Jay Cutler.

I feel the Seahawks are an improved team, especially at QB with Matt Flynn replacing Tarvaris Jackson. Yet no one knows how Flynn will do as a full-time starter, despite that brilliant performance last season (480 yards and six TDs).

The Seahawks don't have the players to pressure Cutler, though they signed Jason Jones to help the interior pressure, and we know what Cutler can do when he has time to throw. Especially against CB Marcus Trufant and his back issues.

6. December 23: Bears at Cardinals

It's another road game, and it's the next-to-last game of the season so there could be something riding on this one.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals are not a bad team and are coming off an 8-8 season (like the Bears) but have the eighth-toughest schedule.

I don't know if the Cards have a realistic chance at the playoffs this year, but if they do this will be a must-win game for them.

The Cardinals end the season with a difficult three-game stretch starting with home games against Detroit and Chicago, and ending with a trip to San Francisco for the season finale.

Meanwhile, Arizona will likely take a long look at adding an offensive tackle (Jonathan Martin?) with the 13th pick in the draft. 

They allowed the second-most number of sacks last season (54), so pass protection is an issue. It's an important pick for the Cards, since they don't have a second-rounder this year.

They could also go inside linebacker (Luke Kuechly?) with the pick as Stewart Bradley was a colossal free-agent bust.

But it's the QB position that really makes me question this team. Kevin Kolb did not have a good season, and he and John Skelton will battle it out. Either way, I think the Bears win this one.

7. October 28: Panthers at Bears

Carolina did not win many games last season, but I was impressed with the poise and play of QB Cam Newton.

Last year, Matt Forte rushed for 205 yards against them, so unless the Panthers have closed up that hole in their defense, the Bears could once again control the clock and run all over this team.

However, this is a Carolina team that should be improved over last year. Newton has another year of experience and they signed RB Mike Tolbert. They also added some pieces to their secondary and are still looking at draft help.

8. October 7: Bears at Jaguars

Jacksonville replaced its longtime head coach Jack Del Rio with former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey.

The Jags need to draft some help to surround second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert with some weapons other than Maurice Jones-Drew. If they do, they could be a decent team and unless Houston is healthy, could compete within the division.

That said, it's still a game the Bears should win. It's a short week for Chicago, coming off a Monday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys, but they know they are heading into the bye week, so they'll lay it all on the line in this one.

9. November 4: Bears at Titans

The Titans seem stuck in mediocrity, and like the Bears GM, Tennessee GM Ruston Webster will be the head man in the draft war room for the first time.

Like Phil Emery, Webster has spent the majority of his career as a scout. And they pick right after the Bears, at No. 20.

But that's where the similarities end.

The Bears are a veteran team looking for a deep playoff run while the Titans don't know what to expect. They need help on the defensive line.

Plus, we don't know who will win the QB derby between the veteran Matt Hasselbeck and the second-year kid Jake Locker after they missed out on Peyton Manning.

Meanwhile, three-time Pro Bowl running back Chris Johnson had the worst year of his career in 2011 (though he still topped 1,000 yards rushing), so they must hope for a bounce-back.

WR Kenny Britt is coming off an ACL injury, so it will be interesting to see what kind of weapon he will be in 2012. They also need help on the offensive line at guard and center.

10. October 22: Lions at Bears

The Lions made the playoffs after finishing 10-6 in 2011, and there's no reason to expect anything less than another stellar performance this year.

But if the Bears want to make the playoffs they need to at least split with Detroit, and with this being the home game for Chicago, this should be the game they win.

As usual, the key will be for QB Matthew Stafford to stay healthy and for Ndamukong Suh to stop getting suspended.

But the Lions feel they have met most of their goals this offseason. They extended Calvin Johnson and re-signed Cliff Avril (the Bears had interest in Avril), among others.

The only significant player missing from last year’s playoff team is cornerback Eric Wright, who left as a free agent to sign with Tampa Bay. Replacing Wright should be a priority with the 23rd pick in the draft.

The Lions will also benefit from the return of running back Jahvid Best, who missed most of last year with concussions. The Bears could use another good game from Charles Tillman, who covered Megatron like a blanket.

11. October 1: Bears at Cowboys

I don't know if the Cowboys will be any good next year or not, but I do know it's Monday Night Football and Jerry Jones will be sure to make this quite a spectacle.

Now, you might feel that the Lions are a better team than Dallas, but I have this game as slightly tough because the Bears are on the road and on MNF.

Like the Bears, the Cowboys finished 8-8 last season. They paid a lot of money to bring Brandon Carr in to replace Terence Newman at corner.

On the offensive line, where the 'Boys have had troubles, they've switched Doug Free to right tackle and will move Tyron Smith to the left side.

Dallas has the 14th pick in the draft so they should get a solid player that will provide immediate help. David DeCastro would certainly help at guard. If they go defense, they could consider safety Mark Barron or a defensive tackle like Michael Brockers.

Regardless, this game will be no picnic.

12. November 11: Texans at Bears

The Texans have the chance to be a very good football team next season. In fact, if they hadn't lost QB Matt Schaub to injury last year, I feel they would have made some noise in the playoffs.

But the game is at home, so it doesn't quite rank up there with Bears and Packers, Bears at 49ers or Bears at Detroit. It's not a division rivalry, but it is a good team.

It's also a Sunday night game, and the Bears have been bad on SNF.

Meanwhile, that Texans defense is strong but they need to keep Schaub healthy, and that starts with the offensive line. They re-signed center Chris Meyers but let guard Mike Brisiel go via free agency.

They could help their offense if they get a wideout to start opposite of Andre Johnson in the draft.

13. December 30: Bears at Lions

Coming off a very tough Sunday night contest against Houston, the Bears travel to Detroit to face their division rivals on the road with potentially a lot riding on the game.

It's the last regular-season game and it should be a challenge.

14. December 16: Packers at Bears

Look, it's the Packers and Bears. 'Nuff said.

It's one of the fiercest rivalries in pro sports and even though the Bears are at home, they lost to them at home last season despite Jay Cutler throwing for 302 yards.

The Packers won the Super Bowl in 2010 and lost only one game last year—but that is not to say that they are perfect.

They lack a reliable complement to pass-rushing terror Clay Matthews at outside linebacker, and they failed to come up with an adequate fill-in for free safety Nick Collins after the three-time Pro Bowler sustained a potentially career-threatening neck injury in September.

Still, it's an important game near the end of the season against their bitter rival. As I wrote: 'nuff said.

15. November 19: Bears at 49ers

I toyed with the idea of making this the toughest game on the schedule but in the end I felt the Bears' rivalry with the Packers won out. Even so, this should be one tough game indeed.

For one, the Bears are on the road and playing against a team that went 13-3 last season. For another, it's a game on Monday Night Football where anything can happen (and usually does).

Sure, QB Alex Smith is may not be an elite player, but he limits his mistakes and will likely have a chip on his shoulder after the Niners flirted with Peyton Manning during the offseason. 

It will be interesting to see whether Randy Moss has anything left in the tank. They also added Mario Manningham to the receiver corps.

The Niners also signed Brandon Jacobs to back up Frank Gore at running back. While they gave up 44 sacks last year and could use a little help in the secondary, they are a very good team and they are at home.

16. September 13: Bears at Packers

The reason that I've picked this game as the toughest of the Bears' schedule is that, first of all, it's the Bears vs. the Packers.

When these two teams meet, it's always an intense rivalry and you can throw out the records.

Plus, Aaron Rodgers is a great QB and the Packers are a great team, though I hate admitting that.

Another thing that makes this such a difficult contest is that the Bears have only four days to prepare for this game, which is on national TV on a Thursday night.

Yes, the Packers will also be coming off of a Sunday game, and a tough one at that—vs. the 49ers—but at least they are at home.