2016 Bears Opponents

[JoeyTourettes]

This years early schedule was brutal. While we don't know the order they play against these teams yet, and of course Free Agency and drafts and coaching changes will make many of these teams look much different...here's who the Bears play next year.

HOME:
Packers*, Lions, Vikings*, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Washington*, Philly, San Francisco.

AWAY:
Packers, Lions, Vikings, Indianapolis, Houston*, NY Giants, Dallas, Tampa Bay.

Only 3 playoff teams from this year.

If they can get some defensive play makers and keep the offense progressing. Those multiple 3 point losses should be wins.
Thoughts? Too early to think about it?

 

[richig07]

Well, we play the weakest two divisions in football from 2015 and then TB (who could be good), along with SF who should be in yet another transitional season.

It's far too early, and for all we know it could be a nightmare schedule. However, on paper, compared to 2015. It looks like an easier road to make a run at the playoffs. Opening vs GB, ARI and SEA the first three weeks of this past season. I feel like the NFL needs to throw us a bone in 2016, let us start off the year versus SF and TEN. lol

However, on the flip side. Indy will have Luck back, which alone should make them a bit better. Although, they weren't overly impressive with him healthy. Jacksonville seems to be slowly on the up and up. In the NFC east, Washington has a lot of good things going and Dallas should bounce back.

So... basically, it's a total mystery and not even worth thinking about at this point.

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

Looks better then last year no matter how you slice it. Schedule will be easier and we should be better. As long as we keep adding young talent thru the draft and not giving up our best players for 5th round picks I will be happy. Really believe this is a longer term rebuild as some of the main cogs QB RB will have to be replaced along with the rebuild due to age.

 

[richig07]

Looks better then last year no matter how you slice it. Schedule will be easier and we should be better. As long as we keep adding young talent thru the draft and not giving up our best players for 5th round picks I will be happy. Really believe this is a longer term rebuild as some of the main cogs QB RB will have to be replaced along with the rebuild due to age.

Well, I think we already have replaced Forte.

As far as RB, Cutler is not really old compared to how long QB's play nowadays. It's not like he's dropped off physically at all, and if he plays well next year. He is under contract through 2020. Obviously we can dump him with no cap hit after next year as well, if we wish.

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

Well, I think we already have replaced Forte.

As far as RB, Cutler is not really old compared to how long QB's play nowadays. It's not like he's dropped off physically at all, and if he plays well next year. He is under contract through 2020. Obviously we can dump him with no cap hit after next year as well, if we wish.

A. I'm far from sold on Langford. I think he is a nice second option. B. Cutler will be 3 years older before this team is rebuilt.

 

[richig07]

A. I'm far from sold on Langford. I think he is a nice second option. B. Cutler will be 3 years older before this team is rebuilt.

Langford is clearly a competent option, and at the very least a solid 1 & 2 duo backfield with Carey.

Unless you can find an Adrian Peterson that totally changes a game... RB is a dime-a-dozen now. Honestly, it just doesn't mean much. Look at the most successful teams/offenses out there right now. NE, SEA, DEN, CAR, ARI, PIT, CIN, etc...

None of those teams have big time backs. PIT has had the best offense they've had in years, and they brought back DeAngelo Williams from the dead to do it with. NE hasn't had a lead back in decades. SEA had their best offensive year under Carroll in the second half, with both their #1 and #2 RB hurt. Running out a platoon of backups. Arizona? Who the hell even starts for them at this point? David Johnson? Cincinnati has a combo of two guys who split running and passing downs. Carolina used Jonathan Stewart most of the year, who is rather mediocre and then lost him... rolled out rookies, and didn't miss a beat.

If you're still holding the RB position in high regard, I am sorry to say, that you are an endangered species. It's over. You need a line that can block, a RB that is competent enough to pickup positive yardage on running downs and move the chains when needed. Then, you need a back that pass block and catch the ball. If you can find one who can do both, great. Which Langford is. The guy ran great every time I saw him out there. There's some rough edges to smooth out in the passing game, but he was a rookie. That's expected. Carey runs hard too. We have two backs that can get it done. Move along...

 

[richig07]

A. I'm far from sold on Langford. I think he is a nice second option. B. Cutler will be 3 years older before this team is rebuilt.

Cutler will be three years older before this team is rebuilt? I sure hope not, because that means Fox and company is gone.

This isn't the 1980's. Teams don't take four years to turn around. Coaches don't get that long. Next year, if this team falls short of the playoffs, there will be heat starting to build on this coaching staff. Nowadays, you get about one transitional year granted to you, before you have to go out and make it happen.

Look at Lovie in TB. Had his team trending in a decent direction in year number two, but its not enough now. Teams go from bottom feeder to playoffs in the blink of an eye all of the time.

 

[noonthirtyjoe]

Getting better fast is out of the question for us, the covered is bare and the GM want's to build thu the draft. That is not a recipe for a quick turn around. As long as we keep adding young talent and improving Fox will get longer then the (new) average time coaches get. I hope you are right on Langford but to my eyes he is not very good. He hits the hole fast but can't read his blockers well. If you really watch his pass blocking then you have to have noticed that he gets in a good position but blocks nothing, he does not even slow down the rusher. This team is still a few drafts away and then these young draft picks will still need time to become real threats. I think we are doing things the right way in the front office and the trickle down effect will be what we want. But it won't be as fast as most fans think or want.

 

[wood20ks]

This years early schedule was brutal. While we don't know the order they play against these teams yet, and of course Free Agency and drafts and coaching changes will make many of these teams look much different...here's who the Bears play next year.

HOME:
Packers*, Lions, Vikings*, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Washington*, Philly, San Francisco.

AWAY:
Packers, Lions, Vikings, Indianapolis, Houston*, NY Giants, Dallas, Tampa Bay.

Only 3 playoff teams from this year.

If they can get some defensive play makers and keep the offense progressing. Those multiple 3 point losses should be wins.
Thoughts? Too early to think about it?

My thoughts......
It looks to be another brutal year.
Washington,NY Giants, Dallas,Jax and GB all have a very good offense.
TB,Det,Indy could be a good offensive team too.
Min, Houston,Tenn and SF are the bottom feeders of the schedule.....

We need some O-lineman, dbacks and a stud d-lineman, otherwise we are toast...... There's a lot of talent out there for us to stop and keep up with.

 

[wood20ks]

Looks better then last year no matter how you slice it. Schedule will be easier and we should be better. As long as we keep adding young talent thru the draft and not giving up our best players for 5th round picks I will be happy. Really believe this is a longer term rebuild as some of the main cogs QB RB will have to be replaced along with the rebuild due to age.

I know.......BM is sadly missed.

 

[anotheridiot]

still looks like a tougher than last place schedule,

My thoughts......
It looks to be another brutal year.
Washington,NY Giants, Dallas,Jax and GB all have a very good offense.
TB,Det,Indy could be a good offensive team too.
Min, Houston,Tenn and SF are the bottom feeders of the schedule.....

We need some O-lineman, dbacks and a stud d-lineman, otherwise we are toast...... There's a lot of talent out there for us to stop and keep up with.

I completely agrree, this is not a real last place schedule when you need to deal with Dallas, Indy and the NY Giants on the road.....

Need the OTackles, whether its a FA left or #11 pick left, Long back at guard. Control both lines, get those pass attempts down to around 350.

 

[beardown07]

Obviously, allot can happen in a year, but the 16' schedule looks way better than this year's IMO.

 

[richig07]

My thoughts......
It looks to be another brutal year.
Washington,NY Giants, Dallas,Jax and GB all have a very good offense.
TB,Det,Indy could be a good offensive team too.
Min, Houston,Tenn and SF are the bottom feeders of the schedule.....

We need some O-lineman, dbacks and a stud d-lineman, otherwise we are toast...... There's a lot of talent out there for us to stop and keep up with.

We're playing the two worst divisions in football. The NFC East and the AFC South. Then in our two extra NFC games. We're playing SF and TB.

It's the NFL, anyone can obviously be good year-to-year... but judging by where those teams are now, it literally cannot get easier. lol

It also could not POSSIBLY get worse than the way we started this past season. Playing 3 of the 4 finalists in the NFC, and then two weeks later going to KC. After having just gone to Seattle. Two of the toughest places to play in the league.

 

[averagejoe]

Only 3 playoff teams from this year.

Actually I think its 4. Plus we play those 4 playoff teams a total of 6 times (GB & MIN twice, WSH & HOU.)

Although wood already eluded to it, I suspect that with Luck healthy, Indy will be a playoff team. Same for a healthy Romo and the Cowboys. I can also see the G-men improving.

It's not like our Bears win the "winnable" games against inferior opponents, which is troubling enough as it is.

 

[JoeyTourettes]

Yes... 4, I miss counted. My bad.
What we don't see is a stack of playoff teams. It's very true that many teams will be very different next year than they were this year. (OUR BEARS will be better too- I'm counting on that.) While they lost more than they won- they were close in most of their games. That's a significant improvement over the previous season when they were getting blown out by 30 points multiple times. They will return with two #1 picks and some more health on the D line. Long will have a full offseason of practice at the tackle and if Pace can duplicate his draft that's some added talent in the later rounds to help the special teams and fill some gaps. While I still think they are one more season of drafts and free agent pick-ups away from being a "REAL" threat. 2016 is looking up! IMO.

 

[richig07]

Actually I think its 4. Plus we play those 4 playoff teams a total of 6 times (GB & MIN twice, WSH & HOU.)

Although wood already eluded to it, I suspect that with Luck healthy, Indy will be a playoff team. Same for a healthy Romo and the Cowboys. I can also see the G-men improving.

It's not like our Bears win the "winnable" games against inferior opponents, which is troubling enough as it is.

Well, I would think the idea is that we'll hopefully be a better team next season, and win the type of silly games we lost in 2015.

On paper, the schedule could not really get much easier. We play the worst two divisions in football, then TB and SF. Along with our own division. Sure... WSH and HOU are playoff teams, but only really by default. You're not just going to have a schedule without any difficult games.

I don't know what more you could ask for, but there is zero chance it can be worse than being setup for a near automatic 0-3 start. Playing what were basically the three NFC favorites going into the season. After that start, we went 6-7 and were nothing more than a few more bounces away from being 8-5 or 9-4 in that span.

 

[richig07]

Based on 2015 records, the Bears will have the second easiest schedule in the NFL in 2016, facing opponents that combined for a .461 winning percentage (118-138). The Packers are the only team that will have an easier schedule, with a slate of opponents that went 117-139. That’s a little misleading, though, because it obviously accounts for the two games between the Bears and Packers in 2016 and the fact that the Bears went 6-10 and the Packers were 10-6 in 2015. Bears opponents in 2016 had a point differential of minus-502 in 2015, by far the worst in the NFL.

Just something I read on the Bears website. The Bears really could not have an easier schedule. It's like some people in this thread somehow want college teams added to the schedule. It's the NFL, there's going to be tough games.

 

[anotheridiot]

the teams they are playing on the road are powerhouse teams that have been part of the playoffs. They have not all gone to shit, injuries and dead money caught up with them. Its not like they are playing 4 teams that are perennial 2-5 win last place dwellers. Even two of them get healthy and it turns the ease of schedule right around.

 

[beardown07]

It's the 2nd easiest schedule in the league. Only the fucking Packers have it easier, and that's only cuz they play US, twice.


Right now, that is all you can go off of. You can say potential this and potential that, but as of RIGHT NOW, statistically, it is the 2nd easiest schedule. Period.

 

[averagejoe]

At least now we know the home and away games. (Just not the actual dates yet).

Home = JAX, TEN, WSH, PHI, SF, GB, DET, MIN
Away = IND, HOU, NYG, DAL, TB, GB, DET, MIN