The Chicago Bears 2022 Schedule has been released, and it is the 6th easiest in the NFL. Opening with the San Franscisco 49ers, the Bears will have their hands full right out of the gate. Chicago lost 33-22 against the 49ers last year on Halloween, but 2022 may be different. Led by Justin Fields, David Montgomery, and Cole Kmet, Chicago’s new-look offense has a lot of fans wondering if there will be enough firepower to win the NFC North. Robert Quinn, Roquan Smith, and a completely revamped secondary will anchor the defense for the Bears this season. New head coach Matt Eberflus and new GM Ryan Poles expect to have an uphill battle in their first year together.
Sports Mockery’s senior Chicago Bears analyst, Erik Lambert, has predicted the Bears will finish this season 9-9.
2022 Season
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2021 Season
Record: 6-11
The Chicago Bears suffered through a rough 2021 season behind rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Fields started 10 games for the Bears but Chicago only won two of them. He threw only seven touchdowns compared to ten interceptions. The 6-11 record resulted in the firing of GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. They were replaced by new GM Ryan Poles and first-year head coach Matt Eberflus. Jakeem Grant and Quinn were the only two members of the team to make the 2021 Pro Bowl. Quinn had a breakout season recording 18.5 sacks, just a half-sack shy of his career-high (2013).
2020 Season
Record: 8-8
This was the Bear’s 100th season playing in Chicago and their 101st overall. Matt Nagy entered his third season with the team after having an up and down season in his first two. Offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich was fired after dismal offensive performances the previous year. Bill Lazor took over as offensive coordinator after being in the same position for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017 and 2018. Despite starting the season 5–1, the Bears lost their next six games, dropping them to 5–7 after a Week 13 loss to the Detroit Lions. They would snap that losing streak with a win over the Houston Texans the following week, beginning a three-game barrage of victories that returned the Bears to playoff contention entering the final week of the season. From Weeks 13 to 16, the Bears scored 30+ points in each game, the first time they have had such a streak since 1965. After yet another loss to the Packers in Week 17, the Bears finished the season at 8-8, just as they had the year prior. Despite having that same record, they clinched a playoff spot for the second time in three seasons via tiebreaker against the Arizona Cardinals, who lost the same week to the Rams. The 2020 Bears became only the third team in NFL history to have a six-game losing streak during the regular season and qualify for the playoffs since the 1970 merger, joining the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals and 2014 Carolina Panthers. They had one 1st Team All-Pro: KR Cordarrelle Patterson.
2019 Season
Record: 8-8
The 2019 season marked the Bear’s 100th anniversary as well as the NFL’s. Off of a 12-4 season in which they had 8 Pro-Bowl players, expectations were extremely high in Chicago for the first time in a decade. Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio left to become head coach of the Denver Broncos. The Bears replaced him with former Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano. This was head coach Matt Nagy’s second season with the team, and the presumption was that QB Mitch Trubisky would build off of his 2018 season and become more worthy of a second overall selection. Despite a 3–1 start, the Bears embarked on a four-game losing streak, starting with the Oakland Raiders in London. After losing to the Eagles to fall to 3-5, they got back on track by winning four of their next five, but it would not be enough to match their 12-4 record of 2018. A Week 15 loss to the Packers, coupled with a Vikings defeat of the Los Angeles Chargers, eliminated the Bears from postseason contention. The Bears finished the season a very disappointing 8-8 after such high preseason expectations.
2018 Season
Record: 12-4
Following head coach John Fox’s firing, the Bears began their search for their next head coach. After interviewing several candidates, including their own defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, they decided to hire Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to try and right the ship. Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains left to take the same position in Miami, and the Bears replaced him with former Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich. 2018 would seemingly prove a turning point for the franchise, as it was their first winning season since 2012. They ensured improvement on their 5-11 record of 2017 in a Week 10 victory over the division rival Detroit Lions. Two weeks later, they would secure their eighth win of the season against the Lions, ensuring that the Bears would not have a losing season for the first time since 2013. With a Week 14 win over the red-hot Los Angeles Rams, the Bears secured their first winning season since 2012. A week later, after a rare win over the dreaded Green Bay Packers, they clinched their first playoff berth and division title since 2010. They finished the season 12–4 with a win over the Minnesota Vikings. The season would ultimately end in disappointment, as they lost to the defending Super-Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild-Card round. They allowed getting into the playoffs by defeating Minnesota in Week 17. They lost the game 16-15 on January 6, 2019, on kicker Cody Parkey’s infamous “double-doink” missed field goal that hit the crossbars twice before failing to go through as time expired. The Bears had a ton of Pro-Bowl players this season: FS Eddie Jackson, CB Kyle Fuller, DE Akiem Hicks, OT Charles Leno Jr., OLB Khalil Mack, KR Tarik Cohen, QB Mitchell Trubisky, and C Cody Whitehair. Four team members were named to the AP First-Team All-Pro team: Mack, Jackson, Fuller, and Cohen.
2017 Season
Record: 5-11, 4th NFC North
This was the Bear’s third and final season under head coach John Fox. The Bears improved upon the previous year’s 3–13 record, finishing 5–11, but failed to make the playoffs and suffered their fourth consecutive losing season. This would be the Bear’s first season since 2008 that Jay Cutler wasn’t the starting QB of the team, ending an 8-year era in Chicago. Instead, they decided to pick up former Buccaneers’ QB Mike Glennon in free agency and traded up to the number two overall pick in the draft to select QB Mitchell Trubisky out of North Carolina. Glennon started the first four games of the season but was benched for Trubisky after a 1–3 start. Entering the bye week at 3-5, the Bears looked poised to flirt with an 8-8 record and have their first non-losing season in four years. Unfortunately, things went south quickly, and the Bears were eliminated from playoff following a Week 13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. They would end up finishing with a 5-11 record. Not a single Chicago Bear made the Pro-Bowl in 2017, and it would be the first year since 1969 that they failed to defeat a single division opponent. After three years of failing to produce a winning season, Fox was fired the day after losing to the Vikings 23-10 in the season’s final game.
2016 Season
Record: 3-13, 4th in NFC North
After only one season, offensive coordinator Adam Gase was hired as the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins on January 9, 2016. Two days later, quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains was promoted to offensive coordinator. After showing signs of progress in Fox’s first season with the team, the second season saw the Bears hit rock bottom. They once again suffered an 0-3 start to the season, and injuries really crushed any hopes the team had. They had an NFL-high 19 players on injured reserve at the end of the season, showing just how hard the injury bug hit them. QB Jay Cutler suffered multiple injuries and ended up being out for most of the season, which resulted in Brian Hoyer and Matt Barkley making most of the starts throughout the season. They finished with a 3-13 record, their worst since the NFL moved to a 16-game season in 1978 and their second-worst record of all-time only behind a 1-13 1969 campaign. The Bears also went 0-8 on the road for the first time in franchise history. After the season, Cutler was released and initially announced his retirement from the NFL, but he later signed with the Miami Dolphins. The Bears had two Pro-bowlers in 2016: RB Jordan Howard and OL Josh Sitton.
2015 Season
Record: 6-10, 4th in NFC North
After the firing of general manager Phil Emery and head coach Marc Trestman after a horrific 2014 campaign, the team hired former New Orleans Saints director of player personnel Ryan Pace as their newest general manager and former Denver Broncos head coach John Fox to the same position with the Bears. Fox’s hiring marked the Bears’ third head coach in four seasons.
They would enter the 2015 season, hoping to improve their record of 5-11 from the previous season. The team got off to a really rough start, starting the season 0-3. Over their next eight, though, they would compile a winning record of 5-3, including a rare victory over their division rival Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, they would lose their first three games in December and be eliminated from playoff contention after a Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. On a positive note, the Bears did improve on their record after a Week 16 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-21. They would lose their final game of the year to the Detroit Lions and finish 6-10 and last in the NFC North.
The Bears were more competitive in 2015 than in 2014, which showed promise with six of their ten losses by less than a touchdown. New coordinators Adam Gase and Vic Fangio helped revitalize both the offense and defense, respectfully. Under Gase, QB Jay Cutler threw a career-low 11 interceptions and had a 92.3 passer rating, the highest of his career. Fangio helped bring defense back to Chicago by allowing only 397 points after the previous two seasons saw the Bears give up franchise highs, including 442 in 2014. Injuries really hurt them this year, with only four starters playing all 16 games. The Bears also went 1–7 at home in 2015, the worst home record in franchise history. This was also the first time since 1973 that the Bears failed to win a home game against a division opponent. The Bears had one Pro Bowler: OL Kyle Long.
Chicago Bears Schedule FAQ
Will Justin Fields lead the Bears to a winning season?
Hard to say. Fields enters his second year after losing All-Pro wide receiver Allen Robinson to free agency. Chicago has a mediocre offensive line and a tough division, however, the 6th easiest schedule should help. Sports Mockery has predicted the Bears finish .500.
How difficult is the Bears schedule in 2022 compared to 2021?
Chicago has the third hardest schedule in the NFL for 2021, in 2022 they have the sixth easiest.
Win-Loss predictions for 2022?
Sports Mockery senior analyst Erik Lambert has predicted that the Chicago Bears will finish 9-9 on the season and post a .500 record.
How many night games do the Chicago Bears have?
The Chicago Bears currently have three night games on their 2022 schedule. The first one is against Green Bay in Week 2, followed by Washington in week 6, and New England in week 7.