Can The Chicago Bears Make The Playoffs?

The Chicago Bears had a busy offseason.

Before the NFL Draft, the Bears made some signings in March.

They signed RB D’Andre Swift, acquired WR Keenan Allen, and traded away QB Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Chicago signed DB Jaylon Johnson to a four-year extension and agreed to terms with DB Kevin Byard to a two-year deal.

They also had a big draft as well.

With the first overall pick in the draft, they selected QB Caleb Williams.

Chicago hopes Williams will be the franchise QB for a decade or more.

They took WR Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Bears hope to have Williams and Odunze together for a long time.

Chicago didn’t have a second-round pick but they took OL Kiran Amegadjie in the third round.

The Bears spent a lot of money and draft stock to retool their offense.

Below, we will discuss Chicago’s defensive improvement last year, their schedule, and whether the Bears can make the playoffs this season.

Chicago Bears’ Defensive Improvement Last Season

Chicago’s defense improved significantly as the season went on.

Their defense ranked 19th in points allowed per game last year.

However, they got much better in the second half of the year.

Chicago allowed 20 points or less in seven of their final eight games.

This was a drastic difference from the year’s first four games, in which they allowed 27 or more points in each of their first four games.

One thing the Bears hope their defense can improve upon is getting to the QB.

They ranked 31st in sacks per game.

Despite not giving up a lot of points in the second half of the season, they had major issues getting to the QB.

The Bears hope their defense can put more pressure on the QB while keeping up the momentum they had in the final half of last year.

If their defense can put more pressure on opposing QBs, paired with all their offensive changes and upgrades, this can be a dangerous Bears team.

Let’s take a look at Chicago’s schedule to see how they match up against their opponents.

Chicago Bears’ Schedule

Chicago will begin the year with three straight games from weeks 1-3 facing the AFC South.

They start the year at home against the Tennessee Titans, followed by two road games against the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts.

This will be two tough road contests right away for Caleb Williams and the Bears.

Chicago should defeat the Titans at home in week 1.

After two straight road games in weeks 2 and 3, they will be at home for three straight games from weeks 4-6 before their week 7 bye.

They will face the LA Rams in week four, the Carolina Panthers in week 5, and the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 6.

After their week 7 bye, they will be on the road in weeks 8 and 9 to face the Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals.

They will be at home from weeks 10-12 to face the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings.

After a home matchup in week 12 against the Vikings, the Bears will have the toughest four-game stretch of their season.

In week 13, they will be on the road against the Detroit Lions, and then in week 14, they will be on the road against the San Francisco 49ers.

Week 15 is another road game, as they will take on the Minnesota Vikings, followed by a home contest in week 16 against the Detroit Lions.

From weeks 13-16, this will be the toughest test for the Bears this season.

In week 17, they will be at home to face the Seattle Seahawks and their final game of the year in week 18 will be a road contest against the Green Bay Packers.

Will The Chicago Bears Make The Playoffs This Season?

While Chicago improved drastically on defense in the second half of last year and made a ton of moves to improve their offense, this still may not be enough to make the playoffs this season.

Their schedule is a very challenging one.

They face the Lions and Packers each twice and they are both very good.

Detroit made it to the NFC Championship game last year and is considered to be a top two or three team in the NFC.

Jordan Love and the Packers had an excellent second half last year.

Green Bay smashed the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round before ultimately losing to the 49ers in the divisional round.

Chicago can go 3-3 or 2-4 in the division.

They will face the AFC South and be on the road against the Texans and Colts.

Houston, led by QB CJ Stroud is one of the toughest teams in the AFC.

It is possible their week 13-16 stretch will only allow the Bears to win one game.

Going off their schedule, the Bears will win approximately seven or eight games, giving them a record of 7-10 or 8-9.

They are much better than last year but are still not capable of competing with some of the top teams in the division and league.

Chicago will not make the playoffs this season but they will take significant steps forward and Caleb Williams will put them in a position to be able to compete next year.