2) Ben Johnson: The Bears became a national team again last season, with Johnson helping energize their offense in his first year as head coach and the team displaying a knack for pulling out late-game miracles. The NFL and its broadcasting partners clearly took notice.
The Bears have five prime-time games, including three in a row in Weeks 7-9 against the Patriots, Seahawks and Buccaneers. The other two are tough matchups against the Eagles in Chicago in Week 3 and at the Bills in Week 15. Amazingly, none of their prime-time games are against the Packers, following three thrillers between those teams last season.
So why is Johnson a loser here? Because coaches love routine and typically hate a slew of different starting times, but the Bears will be fed a diet of them. They’re playing two Thursday games, one each on Friday and Saturday and two more on Mondays.
As a result, the Bears have six short weeks with fewer than a full seven days’ preparation this season. They have five games with more than seven days of prep, but the uneven schedule is something that requires careful planning and flexibility.
The Bears face a tougher schedule than any other team in the hotly contested NFC North. Their travel really isn’t that bad; they avoid a late-season winter game in Green Bay and go to Miami in December, which is much nicer than September. Still, they will need to be sharp to handle some of these scheduling quirks Johnson’s team was dealt.
Excitement is back in Chicago after a banner season, but the road back to the playoffs appears tougher in Year 2 of the Johnson era.