Caleb Williams Sounds Off on Bears Having Toughest 2026 NFL Schedule, 'We Don't Back Down'

Caleb Williams expressed confidence in the Chicago Bears' ability to take on the toughest 2026 schedule in the NFL in a Wednesday appearance on Travis and Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast.

"We've got a bunch of prime time games. It's so-called the hardest schedule," Williams told the Kelce brothers around the 48:07 mark of Wednesay's podcast. "We had the second-hardest last year.

"We're excited. We don't back down from no challenge. We want everybody to know that going to the playoffs, and things like that, is in our future... it's going to be a consistent thing for us."

Williams continued, "Starts now, and it finishes in February... as Deion [Sanders] says, 'It's prime, baby.'"

The opponents on the Bears' 2026 schedule combined for a .550 win percentage last season, the highest rate of any schedule in the NFL.

That includes back-to-back matchups with the two Super Bowl LX teams against the visiting New England Patriots in Week 7 and at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8.

The Bears are also slated for road matchups against the Green Pay Packers in Week 5, the Detroit Lions in Week 12 and the Buffalo Bills in Week 15.

Chicago's opponents boasted a combined .571 win percentage last season, during which Williams led his team to an 11-6 record and a divisional round appearance.

Williams will look to build on last winter's Wild Card win over the Packers in order to lead his team on a longer postseason run, starting this September with a Week 1 matchup at the Carolina Panthers.