The Chicago Bears had a great season this past year, going 12-4 and winning the NFC North. While their season ended in disappointing fashion with a heartbreaking playoff loss to the Eagles, it was still a resounding success.
But one of the downfalls of sudden success in the NFL is having to play a much tougher schedule the following year. The Bears will play the league's fifth-toughest schedule next year, according to John Breech of CBS Sports.
Breech used opponents' win-percentage in 2018 to calculate who will have the toughest schedules. As a result of finishing in first place, the Bears will now have to face all the other first place teams in the NFC next year.
Making matters worse, the AFC division they're getting matched up with is the AFC West. The AFC West is arguably the best division in the AFC, and it means they'll have to play a pair of 12-win teams in the Chargers and Chiefs.
The Packers should be much better next year, which will make the division a lot tougher. It's hard to picture the Vikings being any worse than they were last year, and they could be a lot better if they get things figured out on offense.
If the Bears want to avoid being a one-year wonder, they'll need Mitchell Trubisky to take the next step in his development. Luckily for Bears fans, they're in good hands with the reigning Coach of the Year Award winner Matt Nagy.
Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace have done a great job building the roster, and to stay competitive in a tough division we should expect to see them make some bold moves this offseason. Last year, the team made the biggest splash of the offseason by trading for Khalil Mack, and Pace will likely again be aggressive working the phones this time around.
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