Every game in an NFL season is important. There are only 16 of them after all. Sorry, only 17 of them after all. That will take some getting used to. Regardless, the point is every game matters. However, some games will matter more than others for the Chicago Bears this season. Both because of opponent and schedule timing. Upon evaluating the overall 2021 outlook? The Bears have a number of heavyweight bouts they must handle.
Los Angeles in Week 1. Tampa Bay in Week 7. Baltimore after the bye week. Seattle in Week 16. There aren’t a lot of soft spots in this slate. So it was interesting to try and determine where the season could potentially pivot depending on a win or a loss the most. After careful determination. There is one matchup in the first half of the year that Bears fans should have circled on their calendars.
Week 5 in Las Vegas against the Raiders.
That might seem odd to some people. The Raiders? This is a team that went 8-8 last season. They have a notoriously underachieving defense. Sure they’re not terrible but nobody would call them the toughest test on this schedule. That much is true. However, it’s not so much about the game itself but what looms after it. Here are the first four opponents for Chicago prior to that trip to Vegas.
- At Rams
- Vs. Bengals
- At Browns
- Vs. Lions
Conservative estimates say the Bears emerge from that first month at 2-2. That means they face the Raiders with the hope of getting back over .500. So what makes it such a significant game? Take a look at what could be waiting for them if they were to lose, falling to 2-3.
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Four of those five opponents were in the playoffs last year. One is the defending Super Bowl champions. San Francisco was in the Super Bowl two years ago and still a dangerous team. If the Bears hit that stretch without any sort of momentum, they could easily see the season spiral out of control from 2-3 to 2-8 before Thanksgiving.
Chicago Bears have to get out of Vegas with a win
There is always the possibility they do better than expected in their first four games. Still, knowing this team and its current makeup? A 2-2 start feels the most likely. So it is rather fitting their potential 2021 fate would be in the hands of the Raiders. Don’t forget what happened in 2019. Chicago got off to a 3-1 start, hit Week 5 in London against them and they suffered a brutal loss. One that turned into five over their next six games.
One persistent issue with this Chicago Bears team in the past two years has been stopping losing streaks before they get out of hand. If there is any part of their schedule that is primed for such an event to take place, it will be that window from Week 5 to Week 11. If they can escape Vegas to reach 3-2 and somehow grab two of the next five? They’ll be 5-5 going into the final stretch. One that is significantly less demanding. Finishing 5-2 would likely land them a wild card spot.
A lot to ask? Sure. Not impossible though.
There is no predicting how a season can go. The Bears could easily crumble to a bad season or they could surprise and do much better than expected. This is why the games are played. Based on the information available though? It feels like the winds of success will either shift in favor or against them after that fifth game.