6 games Caleb Williams, Bears must win to make playoff dreams reality in 2024 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The 2024 NFL schedule release came and went Wednesday, and now we have months to dissect every possible reality Caleb Williams and the 2024 Bears will travel this fall.
After a potentially transformational offseason, the Bears will enter the 2024 campaign with high expectations and a fair amount of pressure on Williams and head coach Matt Eberflus to deliver winning football.
The Bears went 7-10 last year while giving away three games in which they held double-digit fourth-quarter leads. With an upgrade at quarterback, offensive coordinator, and the skill positions, it’s reasonable to expect the Bears to contend for and make the playoffs in the weakened NFC.
But if the Bears plan to turn those postseason dreams into a reality, there are a handful of opportunities on the schedule they can’t let slip through their fingers.
Here are the six games the Bears need to win to feel good about punching their playoff ticket this fall:
Caleb Williams gets a soft launch into the NFL against a team that is rebuilding on both sides of the ball.
The Titans have some nice defensive pieces in Jeffery Simmons, L’Jarius Sneed, and Harold Landry, but their defense it shouldn’t be a unit that will give the Bears’ new-look offense a ton of issues out of the gate.
With games against the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, and Los Angeles Rams to follow, it’s vital for Williams and the Bears to get off to a clean start against a team that is expected to be among the worst in the NFL in 2024.
The Bears will open October against a Carolina Panthers team that is still in the basement of a rebuild with quarterback Bryce Young and first-year head coach Dave Canales.
Carolina’s roster got better in the offseason, but the Bears should be able to handle them on both sides of the ball. If they are going to be a serious team, this game is an easy win.
It has to be.
The Bears’ division…
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