Breaking Down the 5 Most Important Games on the Chicago Bears' Schedule

Now that the lockout is finally over, it's time to look at the five games that are most important to success for the Chicago Bears this year.

While not all of these games are "must win," they're definitely the most anticipated games on the schedule. 

Although a couple games on here are no-brainers, a couple other ones are some surprise games that will turn out to be very important to the Bears.  

Week 14 at Denver

I think it's pretty obvious why this game is on here. For the first time since he was traded (except for preseason games, but no one pays attention to those), Jay Cutler is returning to Denver to face his former team, the Broncos.

A lot has changed since he left. The man he feuded with, Josh McDaniels, was fired last season. His favorite go-to receiver, Brandon Marshall is gone and the man who replaced him, Kyle Orton, may not even be starting by the time this game rolls around.  

Look for a very hostile crowd against Cutler and the Bears in this game.

Week 5 at Detroit

This is a big game for many reasons.

Firstly, it's the first time the Lions have been on Monday Night Football since 2001, so they're definitely going to be amped up for this game. It's also a big test for the Bears offensive line against the Lions' big pass-rushers, Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. 

Though Week 5 is still early in the season, this is a crucial game for the Bears because Detroit is a division rival, and a win against a division rival is always a good way to gain momentum for the rest of the season.

Week 9 at Philadelphia

This game wasn't originally going to be on this list when I started it before free agency, but since the Eagles went out and became the Miami Heat of the NFL, I had to include it. 

Whenever you have two teams that went to the playoffs last year facing off, it's bound to be a good game. It's also very important for both teams.

Both of these teams are coming into the season as Super Bowl contenders (the Eagles more than the Bears), so winning against a team like that does wonders for your season. 

It's probably going to be the biggest test of the season for Jay Cutler and the Bears wide receiving corps against arguably the best secondary in the NFL, and it's a good test for the Bears defense against the speed that Michael Vick, Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson have.  

Week 1 vs Atlanta

This game (much like the Eagles game) is a very good matchup of two teams that made some noise last year.

The Bears really need to come out strong and get a win right out of the gate, so they can gain some momentum before heading to New Orleans in Week 2 and then playing the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers Week 3. 

What will be most interesting in this game, is seeing how well the Bears will be able to contain Roddy White and Julio Jones.  

Week 16 at Green Bay

Did you expect to see anything different here? This is the game that will decide the Bears' season.

It's always a big game when the Bears play the Packers, but playing them in a prime time game on Christmas Day when they're coming off a Super Bowl win is on a completely different level. 

The winner of this game will probably end up being the winner of the NFC North, and what could possibly be a better Christmas present for Bears fans than beating the Packers at Lambeau Field for their second straight division title?