It is never too early to take a peek at what could be ahead for the 2026 Chicago Bears.
Based on the results of the 2025 NFL season, the Bears have the toughest strength of schedule going into the 2026 campaign. So perhaps it makes sense that they would be tested immediately out of the gate for the second year of Ben Johnson’s tenure as head coach. And even though we have a while (think spring, folks) until the league announces its schedule, we already know which teams are on the Bears’ list of opponents for this upcoming season.
The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are on that list of future Bears opponents. And given the ratings draw Chicago was for the NFL’s broadcast and streaming partners, it wouldn’t be a stretch to consider the Bears as a team that makes a ton of sense as the Seahawks opponent in Week 1 when the regular season kicks off with the Thursday night premier. It might not be ideal, mind you. Going on the road to start the season against a team fresh off of a Super Bowl victory would be quite the early-season task. But I don’t think it is one Chicago would shy away from if that is how the schedule shakes out.
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Sure, the Bears would love to get off to a fast start. And playing the defending champs would make that goal tough. But remember, an 0-2 start didn’t stop Chicago’s football team from making the playoffs, winning the NFC North, and beating the Green Bay Packers in a playoff game. The way I see it, this is the type of challenge the Bears would probably welcome. Can you think of a better way to legitimize who you are as a team than by knocking off the champs on their home field in Week 1?
Montez Sweat and Gervon Dexter Sr. celebrate after a sack of Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn ImagesIt was a mostly forgettable game the last time Chicago and Seattle squared off. The Seahawks escaped from Soldier Field with a 6-3 win on Dec. 26, 2024. That game was ugly, messy, and flat-out not fun to watch.
Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked seven times and took 10 QB hits from a punishing Seattle defense. The only points the Bears put on the board came courtesy of a Cairo Santos 42-yard field goal that briefly tied the game at 3-all in the second quarter. Save for the punishment that Chicago’s QB1 took, what I remember most about that game was my over-arching thought that putting this particular matchup on Thursday Night Football one day after Christmas immediately took me out of the holiday spirit. Fast forward to 2026, a Bears-Seahawks showdown could conceivably be a top draw for the league and its broadcast partners. How’s that to encapsulate how quickly things can change in the NFL?
If it isn’t Chicago in Week 1, these are the other teams on Seattle’s home slate:
New England Patriots Los Angeles Rams San Francisco 49ers Arizona Cardinals Kansas City Chiefs Los Angeles Chargers Dallas Cowboys New York GiantsOK, so it’s not as if the league doesn’t have some worthwhile alternatives. A Super Bowl rematch with the Patriots could be neat. Putting Seattle against one of its division rivals could be juicy, too. I’m not opposed to making the Cowboys a season-opening sacrificial lamb for a second consecutive season. You wouldn’t have to work too hard to create buzz around a Chargers-Seahawks Week 1 game being a Super Bowl LXI preview. A Chiefs-Seahawks game could’ve made sense if not for the injury uncertainty surrounding Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
I think the Bears have a real shot at being the team that opens its schedule against the Seahawks in Week 1. But if they don’t, I won’t complain about it one bit.
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