Brad Biggs: A look at how things could play out for Chicago Bears with the NFL set to unveil the 2024 schedule

CHICAGO — The NFL is expected to pull back the curtain this week on the most anticipated schedule for Chicago Bears fans in five years.

At this time in 2019, the Bears were coming off a 12-4 season — only two teams had a better record — and hope was bubbling over at Halas Hall as the organization prepared for its 100th season with all the accompanying festivities.

The league deviated that year from its normal course of having the defending Super Bowl champion host the Thursday night season opener and pivoted to the Bears against the rival Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. The 10-3 loss was a jarring thud to begin the season, a harbinger of struggles to come.

Surely the Bears will be much better equipped to start this season with a new offense led by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and supported by wide receivers DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze, tight ends Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, a mix of running backs and an offensive line the team believes will be improved.

Playing in the country’s largest one-team television market, the Bears will be coveted by the league’s network partners for not only prime-time games, but also late afternoon Sunday games. Even when the Bears are mediocre — as they’ve been for most of the last decade-plus — they post good ratings.

So brace yourself for a slate filled with prime-time action.

Here’s what we know about the Bears’ 2024 schedule

• They will have nine home games and one will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, where the Bears lost to the Oakland Raiders in 2019. The home opponents besides the NFC North rivals — the Packers, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings — are the Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans. The Jaguars are expected to be the opponent in London.

• The Bears will have eight road games. The opponents will be the divisional foes along with the Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders.

• The Bears will have four preseason games, beginning with the Hall of Fame Game against the Texans on Aug. 1 at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Two other preseason games will be on the road and one will be played at Soldier Field.

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