Chicago Bears’ ideal Week 1 matchup is gaining steam but could come down to something entirely out of their control
The Chicago Bears’ 2026 schedule will be released later this week and a Week 1 date against the Seattle Seahawks seems destined, unless the NFL gets a clearer picture on the return of a superstar player.
It’s officially schedule release week for the NFL and by Thursday night we will know the full 17-game schedule for the Chicago Bears and all of the other 31 NFL teams for the 2026 regular season.
Looking at the Bears’ potential schedule outcomes, the one game everyone is waiting to hear get announced is whether or not the Bears will open the season on Wednesday night in Seattle against the defending Super Bowl champions.
That outcome is starting to get some real steam building after another primetime Week 1 matchup got officially announced on Monday morning.
Seattle Seahawks’ Week 1 opponent is down to five potential options, which includes the Chicago Bears
The NFL announced that the Dallas Cowboys will be facing off against the New York Giants on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 1, leaving five potential options to face the Seahawks in the opening game of the regular season.
Those options are: Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, and the Arizona Cardinals. To me, this is down to a three-horse race for the league and the Bears should be viewed as the current leader.
Having Chicago open the season in Seattle would be a massive success for the league. The Bears are poised to be an exciting team and will be eager to open Year 2 of the Ben Johnson Era against the top dog in the NFL. It would also be a massive advantage for the Bears getting a long week before their Week 2 matchup by opening the year on a Wednesday night.
The other likely outcome the league could consider is running back the Super Bowl rematch between the Seahawks and Patriots in Week 1. The NFL has gone with that recipe many of times in the past, but last year the league decided to schedule the Super Bowl rematch in Week 2 instead of Week 1, so it’s not a surefire guarantee we see the rematch in Week 1 this fall.
The real deciding factor for the league comes down to the third horse in the race, the Kansas City Chiefs, and it’s going to be a risky decision for the league.
Week 1 matchup against the Seahawks could come down to the rehab timeline of Patrick Mahomes
The league isn’t going to schedule the Chiefs for the opening night game unless quarterback Patrick Mahomes is on the field. Mahomes is the superstar of the NFL and if there’s really a slight shot he can play in Week 1, the league wouldn’t hesitate to have the Chiefs face off against the Seahawks.
The problem is that Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL on Dec. 14. Such an injury usually requires nine months of recovery, however, Mahomes is pushing to be cleared by the regular season opener. To get more insight on Mahomes’ recovery timeline, I spoke with A to Z Sports Kansas City writer Charles Goldman.
“Week 1 has always been the goal, but the latest news on Patrick Mahomes’ status seems very optimistic. Brett Veach says he’s “way ahead of schedule.” There seems to be a growing sentiment that he could participate in some way during OTA’s later this month. Andy Reid seemed to temper expectations when he last spoke to the media, suggesting that they might hold Mahomes out to maintain roster flexibility with the PUP list. I think the big thing here is that the NFL simply won’t know Mahomes’ Week 1 status until we get there. They know the goals. They know he’s trending in the right direction in his return from an ACL/LCL injury, but it doesn’t take much for those plans to change.”
Truthfully, we’re still too far out from having a clear picture on Mahomes’ availability for Week 1, making it a massive gamble if the NFL plans to schedule the Chiefs for this game. The smart move is just pivoting to the Bears to face off in Seattle. It makes too much sense and would still be a massive success.