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Bears Ranked as a Top Matchup for Super Bowl Champions in Season Opener

Among seven potential Week 1 opponents for the Seattle Seahawks, the Chicago Bears could be the best matchup.
Pete Martuneac|
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

In almost every year, the kickoff of the NFL season follows a familiar script. The reigning Super Bowl champs play a home game on the first Thursday after Labor Day. There are rare exceptions to this format, usually due to scheduling conflicts, and the 2026 NFL season will now join that short list. This year, the Seattle Seahawks kick off the regular season on a Wednesday night, and their opponent could very well be the Chicago Bears.

Two of Seattle's home opponents for the season, the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, are scheduled to play the day after the regular season kickoff, as part of the NFL's first-ever game in Melbourne, Australia. That leaves just seven potential opponents for the Seahawks, and the Bears are one of them.

Additionally, when looking at the list of possible opponents, the Bears are one of the most attractive options. NFL analyst Mike Kadlick of Sports Illustrated recently ranked the Seahawks' Week 1 season-opening matchups, and he placed the Bears at No. 3.

"Led by former No. 1 pick Caleb Williams on offense and a takeaway-hungry defense that led the league in forced turnovers," Kadlick writes, "the Bears won the NFC North in 2025 before coming up just short of a conference title game appearance—where they would have faced the Seahawks with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. The two teams will square off in 2026 for the first time in two years, and a Week 1 bout would certainly warrant eyeballs."

The Chicago Bears have become appointment viewing, and the NFL took notice

The Seahawks have other compelling matchups that will potentially draw more interest than a showdown with the Bears, as Kadlick notes. A Super Bowl rematch with the New England Patriots would be a solid choice, as would a game against the Kansas City Chiefs, though Patrick Mahomes' ACL tear last season leaves his availability for Week 1 up in the air.

But the Bears cemented themselves as appointment viewing in 2025 as Caleb Williams led a historic seven fourth-quarter comebacks. Additionally, Williams and DJ Moore accepted the NFL Moment of the Year award at the NFL Honors show in February for their game-winning touchdown in overtime of Week 16 to beat the Green Bay Packers. And despite a heartbreaking Divisional round loss to the Rams, the lasting memory of the Bears' 2025 season remains Williams' unbelievable touchdown pass to Cole Kmet in that game to force overtime.

The Bottom Line

For the Bears, this matchup would make for a perfect setup for the 2026 season. A win on the road against the Seahawks would immediately put to bed any notions of the Bears being one-hit wonders. Even a competitive loss would be sufficient to prove to the fans that these truly aren't the same ol' Bears.

They may have fallen short of Super Bowl glory, but Chicago proved in 2025 that, for the first time in many years, the NFL's flagship franchise is a true contender. Showcasing them against the reigning Super Bowl champions on opening night for the 2026 NFL season seems like a no-brainer.

Caleb William
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

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Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

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