Last month, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy said that his team wants to be the team that gets on primetime as much as they can.
Because, “if you’re doing that, you’re doing something right because people want to see you.”
Well, the Bears must be doing something right because they have five primetime games slated for the 2019 season, tied for most in the league with nine other teams, along with a national Thanksgiving showdown against the Detroit Lions and an international contest against the Oakland Raiders.
The Bears only have nine games with a 1 p.m. ET start time, and the first doesn’t come until Week 5 against the Raiders. In London. Chicago will also have several late games that will likely garner national broadcasts.
When the Bears are good, it’s good for the NFL.
Chicago will start off the season with two primetime games within the first three weeks of the season. Not unlike last season, the Bears will open against the Green Bay Packers to kick off the NFL’s centennial season, along with their own.
The Bears will get Sunday Night Football four times this season, including that Thursday kickoff game against Green Bay, as well as match-ups against the Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs.
Then there are those nationally-televised contests on Thanksgiving in Detroit in Week 13 and a trip across the pond where Khalil Mack will take on his former team, the Oakland Raiders, in London in Week 5.
Let’s take a closer look at the Bears’ primetime and nationally-televised games in 2019.
Week 1: vs. Green Bay (Thursday Night, Sept. 5)
The NFL opted to go against tradition with its opening kickoff game pushing the Super Bowl-champion New England Patriots to Sunday night, while the Bears get to open the league’s centennial season against their rivals Green Bay.
In a rematch of last year’s opener, the Bears get a crack at the Packers at home with a first-year head coach, in Matt LaFleur, at the helm. Last season, Nagy made his head-coach debut against the Packers on the road, much like LaFleur this season. If history is to repeat itself, the Bears will be 1-0 after Week 1.
Week 3: at Washington (Monday Night, Sept. 23)
Chicago’s second primetime game in three weeks will come against the Washington Redskins, who are facing an uphill battle after the loss of quarterback Alex Smith. Though with it currently being April, who knows how they address the issue, whether it’s drafting a quarterback or trading for Josh Rosen. But whoever is under center will face the wrath of a Bears defense that returns 10 starters. Not to mention its newest starter, safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, will get a shot at his old team.
Week 5: at Oakland, in London (Sunday, Oct. 6)
Surely Khalil Mack has this early October match-up circled on his calendar as the All Pro prepares to face the team that didn’t think he was worth a big-time contract the Bears paid him. While Mack won’t be headed back to Oakland for this one — as this serves as the NFL’s first international game of the season — it’s still an opportunity for Mack to get some sweet revenge.
Week 11: at Los Angeles Rams (Sunday Night, Nov. 17)
The Bears defense will get another crack at Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff on Sunday Night Football when Chicago travels to Los Angeles in what’s sure to be another defensive showdown. While the frigid cold won’t play a factor, the Bears defense has shown that it knows how to get after Goff. Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky will have another chance at this Rams defense to show that this Bears offense can compete against the best in the league.
Week 13: at Detroit, Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov. 28)
The Bears will celebrate Thanksgiving in the Motor City for the second year in a row as they face off against the Lions. Much like last season, this meeting will mark the second contest between the two teams within a matter of weeks. Last year, the Bears were able to pull out a victory without their starting quarterback and playing their second game less than 72 hours after a Sunday Night win over Minnesota.
Week 14: vs. Dallas (Thursday Night, Dec. 5)
The Bears will play their second consecutive Thursday game following Thanksgiving in Detroit when they welcome the Cowboys to Soldier Field, where Chicago should have a frigid advantage. A battle of two dominant defenses with offenses looking for something to prove, this should be a pretty evenly matched game that kick starts a pivotal final stretch of the Bears’ season.
Week 16: vs. Kansas City (Sunday Night, Dec. 22)
There are many storylines surrounding the Week 16 match-up between the Bears and Chiefs that it make it worthy of a primetime slot. It will be protege vs. mentor as Matt Nagy takes on Andy Reid. It will be defense vs. offense as the Bears look to slow down Patrick Mahomes. And it’ll be a battle between the first two quarterbacks taken in 2017 in Mitch Trubisky and Mahomes. Games like this are the reason why primetime exists.
