Game Thread: Lions at the Bears

[DJ "I'm blessed" Fieri]

It's not even over yet and DJ over here writin' our eulogy.

Didn't mean it that way.

Made the playoffs, everything else is gravy.

 

[DJ "I'm blessed" Fieri]

And last thing… EVERY team in the playoffs has some fleas. Maybe less than we do in some cases, but anything can happen.

We’re in the playoffs and ahead of schedule.

This.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Didn't want to start a new thread over our road opponents next year when we haven't even begun our game thread for the Packers. But anyway, here is the list of our road opponents for next season:

The Chicago Bears Officially Know Their 2026 Road Opponents — And It's A Gauntlet

The Chicago Bears now have a clear view of what their road schedule will look like in 2026, and it's daunting.

www.sportsmockery.com

Lions
Packers
Vikings
Falcons
Bills
Panthers
Dolphins
Seahawks

That's quite a load.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Ok, so here is the complete list of opponents:

2026 NFL schedule: Full list of 272 games, including home-and-away opponents for all 32 teams

The full NFL schedule won't be released until May, but you can find out the 2026 opponents for each team right now.

www.cbssports.com

Chicago Bears​

Home: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Saints, Buccaneers, Eagles, Patriots, Jets, Jaguars
Away: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Falcons, Panthers, Seahawks, Bills, Dolphins

Definitely some toughies here. Our home schedule might be even tougher than the away.

 

[BearsWillWin]

We’re in the playoffs and ahead of schedule.

I couldn't agree more. I think this team is ahead of schedule too and I think if the offense improves next season, as it should, we are a threat.

That being said...this defense worries me. They aren't good now and, outside of the draft, I don't see many roads to recovery. Poles loaded this defense with expensive contracts that won't be easy to get out of. I guess you can cut Edmunds and save money...and you could cut Jarrett and Dayo post June 1 and save some pennies but that isn't much.

I would think they bring back Byard. Probably not Brisker based on his comments to the media yesterday. I really hope they don't throw a bag at Nashon.

So going into next season you need....EDGE, at least 1 DT, MLB, OLB, CB, at least 1 S.

The good news the defense needs players Dennis Allen can utilize to run his defense his way. The bad news is that's a hard shopping list.

Watching the defense struggle is just red flags on Ryan Poles in my opinion.


Not trying to write off this season before we play a playoff game. We can win Saturday night. And even if we don't I consider this season a success story.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

I couldn't agree more. I think this team is ahead of schedule too and I think if the offense improves next season, as it should, we are a threat.

That being said...this defense worries me. They aren't good now and, outside of the draft, I don't see many roads to recovery. Poles loaded this defense with expensive contracts that won't be easy to get out of. I guess you can cut Edmunds and save money...and you could cut Jarrett and Dayo post June 1 and save some pennies but that isn't much.

Yeah, from what I've been reading, we're not in easy FA signing territory, very tight cap room, and that's on Poles.

I would think they bring back Byard. Probably not Brisker based on his comments to the media yesterday. I really hope they don't throw a bag at Nashon.

So going into next season you need....EDGE, at least 1 DT, MLB, OLB, CB, at least 1 S.

I'd like to see Byard return, but he's an UFA, so who knows whether or not the Bears want him back and if so, at what price. Brisker may have signed his own farewell letter, altho that's a TBD. I've already stated at least our first 3 picks of the draft and maybe even first 4 should all be dedicated to the defense. It starts with the DL, but honestly every unit could use an upgrade or at least some fortifying.

Not trying to write off this season before we play a playoff game. We can win Saturday night. And even if we don't I consider this season a success story.

As we all should. Coming from a 5-12 season where it often looked hopeless going into '26, there's a lot to be happy about. We have a great coach and staff, and our offense in particular looks like it's gonna be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. If we can achieve similar results from the defense, who knows where this could all lead.

 

[averagejoe]

I’m about 95% sure Chicago will get past the wild card next weekend. Not even trying to jinx it. My confidence level is hovering between 0 and 0.

I feel the same about our chances. Whether we're winning or losing (the Mixon int or the miracle Moore catch) on the very last play of the game isnt a confidence boost to me.

Our secondary was exposed AGAIN today.

I hope Dennis Allen fixes something on D. Teams are marching up and down the field at will. I also hear rumors Al Harris will be pursued as the DC in Detroit.

 

[beardown07]

I feel the same about our chances. Whether we're winning or losing (the Mixon int or the miracle Moore catch) on the very last play of the game isnt a confidence boost to me.



I hope Dennis Allen fixes something on D. Teams are marching up and down the field at will. I also hear rumors Al Harris will be pursued as the DC in Detroit.

The lack of adjustment in the Detroit game was bothersome. It was picks and rubs against man D all day. Shouldn't have been a difficult adjustment, but they hammered the same square peg all ******* day.

Ultimately, they held them to 16 points...that should be enough to win. Offense needs to play better too.

 

[Lake Shore Drive]

Here are the final regular season stats the Bears ranked against the rest of the league:

Where the Bears rank statistically after 2025 regular season

With the 2025 regular season in the books, how did the Chicago Bears compare to the rest of the NFL on offense and defense? We take a look.

bearswire.usatoday.com

Offense​

Stat	Rank
Points per game	25.9 ppg	9th
Passing offense	225.1 ypg	10th
Rushing offense	144.2 ypg	3rd
Total offense	369.2 ypg	6th
3rd down conversions	42.73%	7th
Red zone scoring	58.18%	12th
Sacks allowed	24	3rd
Turnovers	11	1st

Defense​

Stat	Rank
Points allowed	24.4 ppg	23rd
Passing defense	227.2 ypg	22nd
Rushing defense	134.5 ypg	27th
Total defense	361.8 ypg	29th
3rd down conversions	40.84%	22nd
Red zone defense	56.14%	15th
Sacks	35	T-22nd
Takeaways	33	1st

As we already knew, it was our offense that carried the water for us for much of the season. I'm sure it's been a minute since we finished top 10 in scoring. And it sure helped having the fewest turnovers in the league. What's surprising otherwise about turnovers is we also led the league in that dept for the defense as well. And it's surprising because despite this, we still had some poor defensive stats - can't imagine what they would look like had we not taken away the ball so much.