Capsules of Bears' 2022 opponents (2024)

With the NFL schedule being released Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT), here are capsules of the Bears' opponents this season:

HOME AND AWAY

Detroit Lions (3-13-1)
Series: Bears lead 104-75-5 and have won seven of last eight.
Last meeting: Bears won 16-14 Nov. 25, 2021, in Detroit. Cairo Santos' 28-yard field goal as time expired enabled the Bears to snap a five-game losing streak on Thanksgiving in Detroit. The kick capped an impressive 18-play, 69-yard drive that burned the final 8:30 off the clock. Andy Dalton passed for 317 yards, one of two 300-yard performances in his lone season in Chicago.
Notable: The Bears have won four straight games at Ford Field for the first time since the stadium opened in 2002.

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Green Bay Packers (13-4)
Series: Bears trail 103-95-6 and have lost six straight and 21 of last 24.
Last meeting: Bears lost 45-30 Dec. 12, 2021, on Sunday Night Football in Green Bay. The Bears outscored the Packers 24-21 in the second quarter to take a 27-21 halftime lead. But Green Bay rallied for 24 unanswered points. Aaron Rodgers completed 29 of 37 passes for 341 yards with four touchdowns and a 141.1 passer rating. His 341 yards were his most in 28 career starts against the Bears.
Notable: The last nine Bears head coaches have split the season series with the Packers in their first years on the job: Jack Pardee (1975), Neill Armstrong (1978), Mike Ditka (1983), Dave Wannstedt (1993), Dick Jauron (1999), Lovie Smith (2004), Marc Trestman (2013), John Fox (2015) and Matt Nagy (2018). Ditka's first season was actually 1982, but both games against the Packers that year were cancelled due to a players' strike.

Minnesota Vikings (8-9)
Series: Bears trail 63-57-2 and have lost three of last four after winning four straight.
Last meeting: Bears lost 31-17 Jan. 9, 2022, in Minnesota. The Bears led the 2021 season finale 14-0 late in the first half before being outscored 31-3 the rest of the way, including 28-3 in the second half and 21-0 in the fourth quarter in what turned out to be Matt Nagy's final game as coach. The Bears advanced into Minnesota territory on eight of 11 possessions but mustered just one touchdown.
Notable: The road team has won four of the last five meetings between the teams.

HOME

Buffalo Bills (11-6)
Series: Bears lead 8-5 and have won three of last four.
Last meeting: Bears won 41-9 Nov. 4, 2018, in Buffalo. After a scoreless first quarter, the Bears outscored the Bills 28-0 in the second period, producing two touchdowns on offense and two on defense, including Eddie Jackson's 65-yard fumble return. The defense generated four takeaways and four sacks in the game.
Notable: The Bears' last three NFC North championships all came during seasons in which they beat the Bills (in 2006, 2010 and 2018).

Houston Texans (4-13)
Series: Bears trail 4-1.
Last meeting: Bears won 36-7 Dec. 13, 2020, in Chicago. David Montgomery ran for an 80-yard touchdown on the Bears' first play from scrimmage and Mitchell Trubisky posted a 126.7 passer rating, throwing three TD passes to three different receivers in the first half as the Bears raced to a 30-7 halftime lead. The Bears offense generated four TDs and 410 total yards, while the defense recorded a safety on one of seven sacks and permitted just 263 yards.
Notable: The Bears-Texans matchup is a result of the NFL expanding to 17 games in 2021, creating an additional NFC-AFC contest pitting two teams that finished in the same place in the standings in their respective divisions the previous year.

Miami Dolphins (9-8)
Series: Bears trail 9-4 and have lost two straight and four of last five.
Last meeting: Bears lost 31-28 in overtime Oct. 14, 2018, in Miami. Trailing 7-0 at halftime, the Bears scored three touchdowns in the first 8:10 of the third quarter to take a 21-10 lead. But the Dolphins fought back to tie the score 21-21 and 28-28—and then won the game on Jason Sanders' 47-yard field goal as time expired in overtime.
Notable: Three of the last eight meetings between the teams have been decided in overtime, with the Bears losing 16-13 in 1991 and winning 36-33 in 1997.

Philadelphia Eagles (9-8)
Series: Bears lead 30-16-1 but have lost five straight.
Last meeting: Bears lost 22-14 Nov. 3, 2019, in Philadelphia. The Bears went three-and-out on their first five possessions while being limited to minus-10 yards on 15 plays. They also committed eight penalties for 56 yards in a disastrous first half. The Eagles led 12-0 at halftime and 19-0 in the third quarter before the Bears scored two touchdowns to close the gap to 19-14. But they never threatened to take the lead.
Notable: The Bears won their first 15 home games against the Eagles from 1939-95.

San Francisco 49ers (10-7)
Series: Bears trail 35-32-1 and have lost five of last eight.
Last meeting: Bears lost 33-22 Oct. 31, 2021, in Chicago. The Bears led 16-9 midway through the third quarter, but the 49ers scored touchdowns on three straight drives and added a field goal on a fourth possession, outscoring the Bears 24-6 over the game's final 21 minutes. Justin Fields produced a highlight-reel TD with a spectacular 22-yard scramble on fourth-and-1.
Notable: The teams have alternated winning the last seven meetings, with the Bears registering victories in 2014, 2016 and 2018 and losses in 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2021.

Washington Commanders (7-10)
Series: Bears trail 26-24-1 and have lost seven of last eight.
Last meeting: Bears won 31-15 Sept. 23, 2019, on Monday Night Football in Washington. The defense generated five takeaways and scored one touchdown on Ha Ha Clinton
Dix's 37-yard interception return, while Mitchell Trubisky threw TD passes of 3, 1 and 36 yards—all to Taylor Gabriel—on three consecutive possessions in the second quarter.
Notable: Since 1985, the Bears have lost eight of nine home games to the Commanders, including playoff defeats in 1986 and 1987.

AWAY

Atlanta Falcons (7-10)
Series: Bears lead 15-13 and have won three of last five.
Last meeting: Bears won 30-26 Sept. 27, 2020, in Atlanta. After replacing an ineffective Mitchell Trubisky, Nick Foles threw three touchdown passes in the final 6:20 of the fourth
quarter. The Bears trailed 26-10 before Foles connected on TD passes of 3 yards to Jimmy Graham, 37 yards to Allen Robinson and 28 yards to Anthony Miller with 1:53 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Notable: This year's contest marks the eighth time in the last 11 Bears-Falcons games that the teams will meet in Atlanta.

Dallas Cowboys (12-5)
Series: Bears trail 15-12 but have won four of last six.
Last meeting: Bears won 31-24 Dec. 5, 2019, on Thursday Night Football in Chicago. After an interception on their first drive, the Bears scored three TDs and one field goal on their next four possessions, turning an early 7-0 deficit into a 24-7 lead midway through the third quarter. Mitchell Trubisky passed for 244 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 63 yards and one TD.
Notable: The last five games between the teams have been played in prime time: two on Sunday night, two on Monday night and one on Thursday night.

New England Patriots (10-7)
Series: Bears trail 10-4 and have lost five straight.
Last meeting: Bears lost 38-31 Oct. 21, 2018, in Chicago. In a game that featured 69 points, 834 total yards and four lead changes, the Patriots held on for the win when they tackled Kevin White at the 1-yard line after he had caught a Mitchell Trubisky Hail Mary pass as time expired. The Bears led 17-7, trailed 21-17, regained a 24-21 lead and then fell behind 38-24. Both teams scored 17 unanswered points at different points in the back-and-forth contest.
Notable: Since routing the Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, the Bears have lost eight of nine games to New England, with their lone win coming in 2000 by a 24-17 score.

New York Giants (4-13)
Series: Bears lead 36-24-2 and have won three straight.
Last meeting: Bears won 29-3 Jan. 2, 2022, in Chicago. The Bears jumped to a quick 14-0 lead as the defense generated takeaways on the Giants' first two possessions and the offense converted those turnovers into TDs. The defense did not allow a touchdown, permitted a season-low 151 yards, registered a safety and produced four takeaways and four sacks—while holding the Giants to 1-of-11 on third down.
Notable: The teams will play each other for the fifth straight year for the first time since 1939-43.

New York Jets (4-13)
Series: Bears lead 9-3 and have won five straight.
Last meeting: Bears won 24-10 Oct. 28, 2018, in Chicago. Mitchell Trubisky threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns, including a 70-yarder to Tarik Cohen on a perfectly-designed screen pass. The Bears rushed for 179 yards and their defense yielded just 207 total yards, forcing six three-and-outs on the Jets' first eight drives.
Notable: The Bears' current five-game winning streak versus the Jets is their longest against any team.