The NFL’s 2025 schedule is shaping up to be a gauntlet for several teams, the Chicago Bears included. Last season, there were hopes around the Windy City that the Soldier Field side could finally return to prominence after what feels like an eternity in the doldrums.
Franchise quarterback Caleb Williams was selected with the first overall pick of the draft, and he was given a new primary target in the form of fellow first-rounder Rome Odunze. But unfortunately, just as they have done so many times before, the Bears misfired once again.
With their rookie QB failing to live up to early expectations, the Chi-Town outfit won just five games all season, with four of them coming in their opening six weeks of the season. Following their bye week, however, all momentum was lost in an instant, and the team lost ten games in a row, sealing their fate as the bottom-ranked team in the NFC North for the third straight season.
Next term, online betting websites think another season of misery could be on the cards. The popular Bovada website currently lists the Bears as a +400 outsider to win their division for the first time in seven years. That represents the longest odds of all four teams that make up the quartet, with much of their low preseason expectations due to their supremely difficult 2025 schedule. In fact, according to NFL.com, they have the second most difficult schedule of anybody in 2025, but who else is set for some difficult tests next term?
New York Giants
The Giants are staring down the most merciless schedule in the league. With a 2025 opponent win percentage of .574, no team has it tougher, a daunting prospect because the Big Apple side won just three games all season in 2024, the lowest of anybody.
While divisional showdowns in the NFC East will be grueling as always, it’s their non-divisional games that truly test their mettle. Highlighted matchups include clashes against offensive powerhouses like the Kansas City Chiefs, reigning dynamos of the AFC.
Add in road battles with Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers and a visit to the Denver Broncos, a team looking to springboard off a surprise playoff run in 2024, and you’ve got a brutal slate. On top of that, hosting the San Francisco 49ers and the NFC powerhouse Detroit Lions promises no breathers.
The Giants are hoping that veteran quarterback Russell Wilson can display the kind of form that led the Pittsburgh Steelers to the playoffs last season. The former Seattle Seahawk has been brought in as a bridge player until rookie first-rounder Jaxson Dart develops into the face of the franchise, and the old-timer will have his work cut out in steering his new side to victories next season.
Chicago Bears
On the heels of a rebuilding phase that introduced quarterback Caleb Williams as a beacon of hope, the Bears are staring down one of the toughest schedules in the league at .571. Their non-divisional slate feels unrelenting, with showdowns against elite AFC contenders like the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, as well as a testing trip to face the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles in week 13. Having to contend with MVP-caliber quarterbacks such as Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Jalen Hurts is a tall order for any defense.
Beyond that, a trip to face the Washington Commanders and a home clash with a San Francisco 49ers team determined to return to its juggernaut ways will undoubtedly test Chicago’s resilience.
The good news? The Bears have tapped into a promising youth movement on both sides of the ball. While Williams’ rookie campaign didn’t hit the heights that many hoped it would, it did show flashes of brilliance. With a fortified offensive line and dynamic receiving duo consisting of last year’s first rounder Rome Odunze and this year’s second rounder Luther Burden III, Chicago fans have reason to believe their team can punch above its weight.
Detroit Lions
The Lions enter 2025 with the same .571 strength of schedule as the Bears but significantly brighter momentum. Detroit’s resurgence under Coach Dan Campbell has been the story of the NFC over the last two years, with a team perfectly blending high-octane offense and opportunistic defense.
Despite their blockbuster 15-2 regular season last year, the Motor City outfit was still shockingly dumped out of the postseason by the upstart Commanders. It remains to be seen how they will respond to that heartbreaker, but if they don’t dust themselves down and pick themselves up, their troubling 2025 schedule could see their dream of a deep playoff run derailed once again.
Is this the dagger in the Lions season? 🤯
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) January 19, 2025
Key tests await against AFC juggernauts like Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs and Joe Burrow’s Bengals. Both squads are perennial Super Bowl contenders, and taking them on is a daunting task. The schedule doesn’t stop there, with key NFC matchups against the champion Eagles as well as a mouth-watering rematch against the resurgent Commanders.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs anchor what should continue to be an electric offense centered on creative play-calling. Quarterback Jared Goff is the one who pieces everything together, and he will have to continue in the kind of form he has shown over the last two years if his Lions side is to survive and thrive against stacked competitors.
Their issues in the secondary were exposed brutally by Washington in last season’s Divisional Round. If those frailties remain in 2025, then they could see themselves getting pieced up on a regular basis.
From “spiraling” to breakout, Chicago Bears listed among most improved NFL teams
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