Chicago Bears' Road to 2026 Playoffs is About to Get a Lot More Difficult

The Chicago Bears will have one of the toughest schedules in the NFL the rest of the way.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson talks with quarterback Caleb Williams (18) against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Bears are off to a fantastic start to the 2026 season, but their schedule is slated to get a lot harder.

The Bears notched their fifth win on Thursday night with the 30-24 victory over the New England Patriots in what was the latest fantastic showing from quarterback Caleb Williams.

Through seven games, the Bears' schedule has been pretty tough, as evidenced by the fact that they've played four teams with winning records.

But the schedule is going to get even tougher moving forward. According to SFdata9ers on X, the Bears are tied for the fourth-most difficult schedule in the NFL the rest of the way.

The ranking is based on the records of their remaining opponents. Only the Minnesota Vikings (No. 1), Atlanta Falcons (No. 2) and Miami Dolphins (No. 3) have tougher slates.

The fact that the Vikings have such a difficult schedule is good news for the Bears, who are trailing Minnesota for first place.

What rest of Bears' schedule looks like

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell hug after the game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Here's a look at the remaining schedule for Chicago:

• Week 8: at Seattle Seahawks

• Week 9: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Week 10: BYE

• Week 11: vs. New Orleans Saints

• Week 12: at Detroit Lions

• Week 13: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

• Week 14: at Miami Dolphins

• Week 15: at Buffalo Bills

• Week 16: vs. Green Bay Packers

• Week 17: vs. Detroit Lions

• Week 18: at Minnesota Vikings - TBD (win)

Of those 10 games, seven are against teams with a record of .500 or better.

The list includes the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions (twice), Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.

Even the game against the New Orleans Saints won't be easy, as New Orleans is ascending thanks to quarterback Tyler Shough's performance this season.

The good news is the Bears have looked like one of the best teams in the league on both sides of the ball this season, so they're equipped to navigate the difficult slate.

Another thing to consider is that some of these teams could look a lot different in the coming weeks because of injuries and other factors that can change the outlook for teams.

While it remains to be seen how well the Bears will be able to get through this tough remaining schedule, what we do know is the Bears are going to be battle-tested and we're going to find out what this team is really made of.