It was rumored for months but never made official. Now the NFL has done just that. The 2021 regular season will be expanded to include a 17th game. It marks the first time since 1978 that the league has done such a thing, moving from 14 games to 16 back then. With owners desiring more revenue for the league, this move seemed inevitable. The idea is the preseason will be shortened in order to compensate. Not that this will make starters on most teams happy. Alas, the Chicago Bears have no choice but to plan accordingly.
The obvious question to ask is who will they play in this extra game? According to the formula laid out by Peter King, it will be an AFC vs. NFC matchup between two teams who faced each other two years ago and finished in the same place in their respective divisions. Sound confusing. Long story short, the Bears will face the Las Vegas Raiders in the season finale this year. A rematch of their wild game in London back in 2019.
Using the formula reported by @peter_king (https://t.co/LAbNkZCi5p), here are the expected matchups for the NFL's 17th game for each team in 2021. pic.twitter.com/x4D4uF4jue
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 28, 2021
One can imagine players for Chicago love that idea.
Looking back, it was that London game that sent the entire 2019 season into a bit of a tailspin. The Bears were 3-1 going into that game. A win would’ve sent them into the bye week with one of the best records in football. Instead, it turned into a frustrating nightmare that saw them fall behind 17-0 at one point. Chicago did rally in the second half to take a 21-17 lead, but a special teams penalty and multiple failures to stop the Raiders on 4th down led to them giving the lead back late.
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The Bears lost 24-21. That became the catalyst for a four-game losing streak that they never really recovered from. This will be an unexpected opportunity for them to get a measure of revenge for what happened. Maybe even with a chance to go to the playoffs at stake.
Chicago Bears among more confusing teams this offseason
People are struggling to know whether they’ve gotten better or worse. They lost star cornerback Kyle Fuller due to salary cap problems. A huge blow to their secondary. At the same time, they’re getting stud nose tackle Eddie Goldman back. On the offensive side, they added Andy Dalton at quarterback. A player with a proven track record but one people can’t decide is actually an upgrade over Mitch Trubisky or not.
Ironically, the Raiders are faced with the same problems. While they’ve made some nice additions to their maligned defense including Yannick Ngakoue, they also gutted their standout offensive line. Stud center Rodney Hudson was traded to Arizona. Right guard Gabe Jackson to Seattle and right tackle Trent Williams to New England. So it’s hard to say their offense did anything but regress.
These two teams seem perfect for each other.
Either way, don’t expect the Chicago Bears to lose sleep over this matchup. They won’t be thinking about it for months to come. Their 2021 schedule is already brutal enough as it is. Never mind the NFC North. They’ll have to tangle with the AFC North and NFC West as well. Two of the best divisions in football. There will be no room to get caught looking ahead.