How the Bears' Schedule Can Help Them Break the 2013 Broncos' NFL Scoring Record

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson isn't one to shy away from boldness. Just one year ago, Johnson told Bears players that he wants to build a dynasty in Chicago. That's big talk for a head coach who hadn't even run his first training camp yet, but he backed it up with immediate success. Now, after clinching the NFC North championship and beating the Green Bay Packers in a Wild Card thriller, Johnson has his sights set on NFL history.

Dan Pompei, a senior writer for The Athletic, went behind the scenes for a day with Ben Johnson, and the Bears' coach made his ambitions clear. "You're got 31 other teams coming to training camp saying, 'Our goal is to win the Super Bowl,'" Johnson told Pompei. "I want more than that. I want to have the highest scoring offense ever, which happens to be the 2013 Denver Broncos. I know how many points per game they scored, and I want to surpass them. I want shutouts. I want blowouts."

Ben Johnson's confidence is a good sign for the Bears

Most coaches wouldn't put out that kind of bulletin board material. If the Bears have just one bad game this year, one bad showing, this quote will be plastered all over social media and lampooned in headlines across the nation. Johnson's smart enough to know this, so the fact that he said it anyway speaks volumes about his confidence.

But should he be confident? Is the NFL regular-season scoring record really within reach for the 2026 Chicago Bears? They would have to put up 607 points to beat Denver's point total, though the Bears will benefit from an extra game (the NFL moved from a 16-game schedule to 17 games in 2021).

Ironically, the Bears' brutal schedule may indirectly help them reach that record. When looking at their strength of schedule based on expected records in 2026, the Bears are tied for the fourth-hardest slate of games. Here's why that matters.

1. High-scoring shootouts will be the norm

Ben Johnson and Caleb William — Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson talks to QB Caleb Williams at practice. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bears are set to play five of the six highest scoring offenses from a year ago, including the Detroit Lions, who they will face twice. That means that a full third of their season will come against offenses that can score at will. For the Bears to compete against any of these teams, Ben Johnson will have to keep his foot on the gas for all sixty minutes.

2. Most of the Bears' toughest opponents will have to play them at Soldier Field

On the flip side of that first point, the Bears are set to play eight games against Top 12 scoring defenses from last year, but five of them will be at home. Soldier Field is a notoriously difficult place to play, especially in the winter months. And that will go double for warm weather teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars or teams that play in domes, like the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings.

While the Bears will have to overcome some dominant defenses on their way to the scoring record, playing these games at home will undoubtedly help.

3. The Bears will have multiple opportunities to run their score up into the 50's

You never want to count your chickens before they hatch, but the Bears' 2026 schedule has multiple opponents who will likely be jockying for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL draft: the New York Jets, the Atlanta Falcons, the New Orleans Saints, and the Miami Dolphins. Barring any worst-to-first surprises, the Bears should have no problem scoring early and often against these teams.

Last year, the Bears managed to drop 26 points on the Saints, and that was during a stretch of games in which Caleb Williams struggled mightily. Luckily for Bears fans, Caleb Williams has made tremendous improvement in this year's training camp, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. If this carries over into the regular season, I could see Williams and this offense doubling last year's output against the Saints.

The Falcons could have been good, but losing Jalon Walker to a season-ending injury leaves a gaping hole in what was already a suspect defense, and they're vulnerable to a massive game from the Bears. As for the Dolphins and Jets, I don't think I need to justify my picks for the Bears to blow them out.

The Bottom Line

Caleb Williams and Kyle Monanga — Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams hands the ball to RB Kyle Monangai. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At the end of the day, setting an NFL record is extraordinarily difficult, especially the single-season scoring record. Remember, Peyton Manning threw for an astonishing 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns that year, leading the Broncos to 606 points in 16 games. As aforementioned, the Bears have the benefit of a 17th game. To beat the Broncos' mark, they'll have to average 35.7 points per game in 2026, slightly less than the Broncos' 37.9 points per game.

Can the Bears do it? I say 'why not'. I believe in Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams, and I think they can accomplish so much more than anyone gives them credit for.

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