The dates are set for Ben Johnson’s first season as Chicago Bears coach — and quarterback Caleb Williams’ second year at the controls of the offense — after the NFL released the full 2025 schedule Wednesday night.
Here’s a week-by-week look at each game, along with predictions from the Tribune’s Bears writers for individual games and the season.
Week 1: Bears vs. Vikings
Monday, Sept. 8, 7:15 p.m., ABC-7 and ESPN
Grab all your rowdy friends and head to the lakefront. An electric NFC North opener is on tap. Caleb Williams delivered one of his signature rookie moments against the Vikings at Soldier Field last season, leading the Bears to 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. After a short touchdown pass and a recovered onside kick, Williams’ 27-yard rocket to DJ Moore with 14 seconds remaining set up a 48-yard Cairo Santos field goal to force overtime. Alas, as most things with the 2024 Bears went, the offense went three-and-out to open OT and the Bears lost 30-27. This, however, is a new year. With a new beginning, perhaps?
- Brad Biggs: Bears
- Sean Hammond: Bears
- Dan Wiederer: Bears
Week 2: Bears at Lions
Sunday, Sept. 14, noon, Fox-32
Ben Johnson’s return to Ford Field comes early in a measuring-stick divisional test that promises to have plenty of buildup. As we’ve mentioned previously, with Johnson and Detroit’s Dan Campbell at the controls, don’t expect a lot of action for the punters. Additional not-so-fun fact: The Bears are 7-23 in the NFC North over the last five seasons. A reversal of fortune is needed soon.
- Biggs: Lions
- Hammond: Lions
- Wiederer: Lions
Week 3: Bears vs. Cowboys
Sunday, Sept. 21, 3:25 p.m., Fox-32
Ben Johnson will get two games this fall against fellow first-time head coaches: the Saints’ Kellen Moore in Week 7 and Brian Schottenheimer here in September. Save the date also for Matt Eberflus’ return as Cowboys defensive coordinator to Soldier Field, where he was 9-13 as the Bears coach.
- Biggs: Bears
- Hammond: Cowboys
- Wiederer: Cowboys
Week 4: Bears at Raiders
Sunday, Sept. 28, 3:25 p.m., CBS-2
Vegas, baby. Vegas. Traveling Bears fans can start planning this fall field trip, which includes a Sunday afternoon test against new Raiders coach Pete Carroll and promising rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. Carroll is 6-4 against the Bears as a head coach, dating to his days with the Jets in 1994. The Bears, meanwhile, are 1-0 at Allegiant Stadium, using a Justin Fields-to-Jesper Horsted touchdown pass to help spark their 2021 victory there.
- Biggs: Bears
- Hammond: Bears
- Wiederer: Bears
Week 5: Bye week
The Bears will get in their open date in early October with 13 games remaining on the schedule. Not exactly ideal reset timing.
Week 6: Bears at Commanders
Monday, Oct. 13, 7:15 p.m., ABC-7 and ESPN
Reminder: The new pope is from Chicago. That has to offer the Bears some sort of heightened advantage in Hail Mary situations, correct? Regardless, a Year 2 clash between Caleb Williams and 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels was made for prime time. It’s no wonder the league threw this on the “Monday Night Football” menu.
- Biggs: Commanders
- Hammond: Bears
- Wiederer: Bears
Week 7: Bears vs. Saints
Sunday, Oct. 19, noon, Fox-32
The Saints have won their last four visits to Soldier Field, including a 26-23 overtime victory with no fans in attendance in 2020. This sets up as a bit of a reunion for new Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who coached for 15 seasons in New Orleans (2006-10, 2015-24).
- Biggs: Bears
- Hammond: Bears
- Wiederer: Bears
Week 8: Bears at Ravens
Sunday, Oct. 26, noon, CBS-2
Only one offense gained more yards last season than Ben Johnson’s Lions. It was Todd Monken’s Ravens, who posted 7,224 total yards — third all time in one season. Quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns and added 915 yards and four scores on the ground.
- Biggs: Ravens
- Hammond: Ravens
- Wiederer: Ravens
Week 9: Bears at Bengals
Sunday, Nov. 2, noon, CBS-2
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has made it known he wants the assignment to travel with opponents’ top receivers. If Dennis Allen grants Johnson’s wish, he’ll have his hands full with Ja’Marr Chase, whose 1,708 receiving yards last season was the 14th-highest output in league history. Chase also had an NFL-best 17 touchdown catches.
- Biggs: Bengals
- Hammond: Bengals
- Wiederer: Bengals
Week 10: Bears vs. Giants
Sunday, Nov. 9, noon, Fox-32
The Giants drafted Jaxson Dart last month to become their quarterback of the future. But they will lean on 10-time Pro Bowl honoree Russell Wilson as their short-term bridge. For a pair of teams that face-planted in 2024, games like this will be pivotal in the rebounding effort. The Bears have won the last four meetings against the Giants at Soldier Field, including a 29-3 thrashing late in the 2021 season.
- Biggs: Bears
- Hammond: Bears
- Wiederer: Bears
Week 11: Bears at Vikings
Sunday, Nov. 16, noon, Fox-32
Let the chess match begin. Brian Flores’ Vikings defense led the NFL last season in interceptions (24) and takeaways (33) and tied for fourth in sacks (49). In two games against the Vikings, Ben Johnson’s Lions offense totaled 785 yards, eight touchdowns and 62 points in a pair of victories.
- Biggs: Vikings
- Hammond: Bears
- Wiederer: Vikings
Week 12: Bears vs. Steelers
Sunday, Nov. 23, noon, CBS-2
The Steelers can’t possibly be considering Mason Rudolph as their answer at quarterback this season, can they? Aaron Rodgers has to have his pen ready to sign one more contract, right? And if Rodgers is waffling? Maybe the Steelers can sell him on one more visit to Soldier Field. Just for old time’s sake.
- Biggs: Steelers
- Hammond: Steelers
- Wiederer: Bears
Week 13: Bears at Eagles
Friday, Nov. 28, 2 p.m., Prime Video
The Black Friday stage awaits. And a date with the Super Bowl champion Eagles will provide a timely progress report against one of the league’s most complete teams. Also don’t forget: Saquon Barkley gave serious consideration to signing with the Bears in free agency in 2024 but chose Philly to play behind a stronger offensive line with a team that had a better chance to contend for championships. Wise choice. Between Week 1 and Super Bowl Sunday, Barkley totaled 2,504 rushing yards, 353 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns and helped the Eagles claim the NFC East title, the NFC championship and the Lombardi Trophy.
- Biggs: Eagles
- Hammond: Eagles
- Wiederer: Eagles
Week 14: Bears at Packers
Sunday, Dec. 7, noon, Fox-32
The Bears haven’t beaten the Packers twice in a row at Lambeau Field since a run of four straight victories under coach Lovie Smith (2004-07). A golden opportunity awaits in December for the Bears to deliver a rousing encore to last season’s 24-22 walk-off win in Green Bay. The Bears also haven’t swept the season series with the Packers since 2007 — with Brian Griese and Kyle Orton as their starting quarterbacks.
- Biggs: Packers
- Hammond: Packers
- Wiederer: Bears
Week 15: Bears vs. Browns
Sunday, Dec. 14, noon, Fox-32
We all know the old NFL adage, right? If you have five quarterbacks on your roster, you might not have any. Spin the wheel to see who takes the snaps for Cleveland in this December clash at Soldier Field. Joe Flacco? Kenny Pickett? Perhaps an opening for rookie Shedeur Sanders to make a closely watched leap up the depth chart?
- Biggs: Bears
- Hammond: Bears
- Wiederer: Bears
Week 16: Bears vs. Packers
Saturday, Dec. 20, time TBD, Fox-32
‘Twas the Saturday before Christmas and all through the city … A Saturday spotlight game during the holiday season would be exponentially more fun if both teams are good, the rivalry is again competitive and a playoff chase is on. For whatever it’s worth, the Bears are 4-6 over the last 10 years in the game that precedes Christmas.
- Biggs: Bears
- Hammond: Bears
- Wiederer: Packers
Week 17: Bears at 49ers
Sunday, Dec. 28, 7:20 p.m., NBC-5
During an abysmal 38-13 loss at Levi’s Stadium last December, the Bears had more punts (five) than total yards (four) before halftime. You’d have to expect a stronger performance in this return trip out west.
- Biggs: 49ers
- Hammond: 49ers
- Wiederer: 49ers
Week 18: Bears vs. Lions
Saturday, Jan. 3, or Sunday, Jan. 4, time and TV TBD
No player visited the end zone more frequently last season than running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who scored 20 of the Lions’ 68 regular-season offensive touchdowns. Ben Johnson had the privilege of dialing up the plays for Gibbs last season but now has to collaborate with Dennis Allen to slow him down.
- Biggs: Bears
- Hammond: Lions
- Wiederer: Bears
2025 season predictions
Brad Biggs: 8-9
If Ben Johnson’s debut season is the kind of success the Bears are pining for, it should be meaningful to have late-season NFC North meetings with the Packers (Week 16) and Lions (Week 18) at Soldier Field.
The Bears close with three of their final four games at home, but they’ll need to be good during a winding maze of road games to be ahead in the playoff race or firmly in the hunt come mid-December.
When the NFL played a 16-game season, coaches would talk about dividing the schedule into quarters. Seventeen games messes up the math, but the biggest takeaway from this slate is that Bears coaches, players and staff might as well keep their luggage out for a huge chunk in the middle of the season.
Between a Week 4 trip to Las Vegas on Sept. 28 and a Week 14 journey to Green Bay on Dec. 7, the Bears have only three games at Soldier Field. The bye comes in Week 5, and they host the Saints in Week 7, the Giants in Week 10 and the Steelers (with Aaron Rodgers?) in Week 12. Between the road games against the Raiders and Packers, they will visit Washington, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Minnesota and Philadelphia, pitting them against some of the best quarterbacks in the league.
The NFL believes the Bears will be worthy of attention. They slotted them on Black Friday in Philadelphia and placed them on “Monday Night Football” twice in the first six weeks.
This was going to be a challenging schedule however it was laid out. There are 10 games against teams that made the postseason last year (counting the Lions, Packers and Vikings twice), and one of Johnson’s first orders of business has to be getting right against the division rivals. The Bears are 7-23 in NFC North games over the last five seasons and have a ton of room for improvement coming off a 5-12 season that preceded so much change.
Sean Hammond: 8-9
Ben Johnson’s return to Ford Field in Week 2 will be a fun one that the NFL is certain to play up. That, of course, was also the site of Matt Eberflus’ final meltdown on Thanksgiving last year. If Johnson does help turn the Bears around, this should be a fun rivalry to follow over the coming years. That said, I’m not ready to pick the Bears to beat the Lions yet.
I have the Bears splitting the six NFC North games. The road schedule isn’t favorable. Besides the division games, they drew the Eagles, Commanders and Ravens — each of whom won at least 12 games a year ago. Plus they have to go on the road to play the Bengals and 49ers, two of the biggest underperformers in 2024. I don’t particularly like the Bears in any of those matchups, although a shootout between Joe Burrow and Caleb Williams could make for a fun three hours.
As for the rematch against the Commanders at Northwest Field, I don’t necessarily see the Bears as a better team. I just have a feeling the Bears players, especially those who were on the team last year, will be hungry going back to the site of last year’s epic Hail Mary collapse. Dennis Allen’s Saints defense sacked Jayden Daniels eight times in a one-point loss to Washington last year. Perhaps the new Bears defensive coordinator can cook up more pressure.
Maybe I’m being conservative, but an 8-9 record is a three-win improvement from last season and would mean the Bears are firmly in the playoff hunt in December.
Dan Wiederer: 9-8
Ben Johnson wanted a high degree of difficulty for his head coaching climb. He’ll get one. Right away.
An NFC North opener in prime time? A return to Detroit in Week 2? An incredibly early bye week, requiring a demanding closing stretch? Bring it all on.
The teeth of the Bears’ 2025 schedule is well-established, with Sharp Football Analysis ranking it last week as the league’s seventh-hardest based on opponents’ projected win totals. The Bears will play 10 games against teams that made the playoffs last season. Six of their nine road games will come against opponents that played for a conference championship within the last three seasons.
It’s always intriguing to assess the quarterbacks the Bears are likely to face. And through that lens, the view seems equally daunting. Five of the 14 current starters on the Bears schedule have played in a Super Bowl, with two — Jalen Hurts and Russell Wilson — owning rings. And those totals could tick up if Aaron Rodgers signs with Pittsburgh or Joe Flacco wins the starting job in Cleveland.
Seven of those quarterbacks have been named to multiple Pro Bowls, including two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. Eight have enjoyed at least one season with at least 4,000 passing yards and 30 touchdown passes. (The Bears single-season records in those categories remain 3,838 and 29, respectively.)
The grand hope is that Bears starter Caleb Williams soon begins to pledge all of those fraternities. But in Year 2, Williams will have to meet the moment in the QB duels he faces — starting with the Monday night showdown against fellow 2024 top-10 pick J.J. McCarthy of the Vikings, ending in January against Jared Goff and the reigning NFC North champion Lions and with plenty of other challenges in between.
