The Chicago Bears 2020 schedule is now official and teams and dates are all lined up. The season is still roughly four months away from kickoff, but there are already quite a few storylines that are sure to be topics of discussion come September.
Here are 10 storylines from the Bears regular season schedule:
1. Which quarterback will take the field in Week 1 against Detroit?
The quarterback battle between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles will dominate the headlines this summer leading into the team’s opening game when they visit the Detroit Lions. But who will win out?
If it ends up being Trubisky, he could start the season on the right foot. The Bears fourth-year quarterback has historically been successful against the Lions. Over the last two seasons, Trubisky has a 3-0 record, throwing for 866 yards with nine touchdowns and just one interception. While his record against the Bears’ division rival is good, it won’t be the deciding factor on whether he or Foles wins the job.
2. The Bears will face Tom Brady in primetime for the first time
Since new Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady spent his entire career with the New England Patriots, the Bears have only had the opportunity to face him five times. Now in the NFC though, he’ll make his way to Chicago at least one more time.
But unlike Brady’s previous matchups with the Bears, this one will be in primetime. Brady and the Bucs visit the Bears in Week 5 for Thursday Night Football and he’ll try and keep his perfect record against the charter franchise alive. Brady is 5-0 in his career against the Bears.
3. Drew Brees visits Chicago in what’s likely his final season
Brady isn’t the only future Hall of Fame quarterback that’s coming to Chicago this season. The New Orleans Saints and quarterback Drew Brees will come to visit in Week 8 in likely his final NFL season. The Saints played in Chicago last season as well, minus Brees, and gave the Bears one of their worst losses of the season, winning 36-25.
Brees initially struggled against the Bears, dating back to his days as a San Diego Charger. But after starting 0-4, he’s won four straight to bring his career record back to .500. Will he have a winning or losing record against the Bears when it’s all said and done?
4. The Bears vs. Rams is a double revenge game
At first glance, the Bears visiting the Rams for the second-straight season may just seem like another game. But it’s actually a double-revenge game between two pass rushers who recently joined their new teams. Rams outside linebacker Leonard Floyd and Bears outside linebacker Robert Quinn both spent the majority of their careers with the other team.
Floyd, a former No. 9 overall draft pick for the Bears and general manager Ryan Pace, was recently released by the team in favor of Quinn, who spent most of his career with the Rams before being traded in 2018. Which player will be more motivated to get after the quarterback? Will Floyd be playing with a chip on his shoulder and have one of his best games after underwhelming in Chicago? Or will Quinn be able to turn it on and feast opposite Khalil Mack?
5. The Bears and (hopefully) their fans will bring the party down to Nashville in November
It’ll be just over eight years to the day that the Chicago Bears visited the Tennessee Titans on November 4, 2012 and not only walloped them 51-20, but also drank the entire city of Nashville out of beer thanks to the migration of their fans. Now, the team heads back to Nashville on November 8 in Week 9 to hopefully send another message.
But this Titans team, coming off a deep playoff run, may not so easy to face. Plus, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, fans may not have the chance to travel to Nashville like before if games end up being played in empty stadiums. If that ends up being the case, we’ll make sure to pour one out for all the full beers still at the bars on Broadway.
6. The stage is set for another manhandling of Minnesota
The conditions are set for a perfect storm in Week 10. The Bears’ monstrous defense against quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings in primetime. You can already see a funnel cloud in the distance.
Since coming to Minnesota, Cousins is 0-4 against the Bears and is 0-9 on Monday Night Football. How do you think he felt when he found out he would playing in Chicago on Monday night? Cousins did break out of his funk in a sense by beating the New Orleans Saints in the wildcard round of the 2019 NFL playoffs, but history doesn’t bode well for the veteran QB. It could be another long night for him, but an enjoyable experience for Bears fans.
7. The Bears bye week comes at an ideal time in the season
The last two seasons, the bye week has come relatively early for the Bears, something most teams would rather push to later in the season. Luckily, the NFL scheduling czars were kind to the Bears, giving them a bye week in late November, hopefully providing a much-needed rest before a final playoff push. They will likely need it, given their final slate of games. The Bears face four division foes in their final six games, including the Packers twice.
8. Mitchell Trubisky vs. Deshaun Watson
Will Mitchell Trubisky be the starting quarterback in Week 14? Your guess is as good as mine. But regardless of his status, it’s another matchup where Bears fans will look to other sideline and wonder what could have been had Ryan Pace drafted Watson instead of Trubisky.
Just like in 2019 where fans made makeshift Bears jerseys with Mahomes’ name and number on the back, there will likely be some creative tributes to the other quarterback Pace passed on. And like Mahomes did last year, will Watson unleash his revenge and lead the Texans to a road victory?
9. Nick Foles returns to Jacksonville
Like I said previously said, we’re still unsure who the Bears starting quarterback will be in September, let alone December. But Foles leading a late-season charge does seem to be his M.O. The veteran quarterback will return to Jacksonville in Week 16 after spending just one season in teal and black and playing in four games.
Is it fair to call his return a “revenge game” since he seemed to leave as quickly as he arrived? He did lose his starting job to rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew and that probably leaves a chip on his shoulder. Time will tell whether Foles gets the chance to play against his former team.
10. The season finale at home against Green Bay opens up old wounds
The good news about the Bears playing at home against the Packers? They don’t have to travel to Minnesota for the 18th consecutive season. (It would actually be five but it feels like an eternity.) The bad news? They have to play Green Bay at home for the first time since 2013.
That’s the game that decided the division championship where wide receiver Randall Cobb broke free from safety Chris Conte to score the game-winning touchdown. It’s arguably the worst regular-season loss the Bears have had in 10 years. Will history repeat itself with the two teams battling for a playoff spot that comes down to that one game? We can only hope the Bears are in prime playoff position like they were in 2018.
