Four prime-time games crack Bears' 2010 schedule
For the first time since 2004, the Bears will open their season at home this year when they will face the NFC North rival Detroit Lions on Sept. 12.
"We're excited," coach Lovie Smith said. "It has been a long time since we have opened the season in front of our fans."
And despite a third straight season of missing the playoffs, the Bears will be featured on four prime-time games, three of them on the road.
The last time the Bears opened at home, Smith's first as head coach, they lost 20-16 to the Lions en route to a 5-11 season. The Bears will visit Detroit for a rematch Dec. 5.
After the Bears travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys in Week Two, they play back-to-back prime-time games against Green Bay at Soldier Field on Monday night Sept. 27, and then visit the Giants at New York's new stadium Oct. 3 on Sunday Night Football.
"Our national games will provide a lot of excitement given our opponents," Smith said.
Following the bye week Oct. 31, the Bears will alternate between road and home games over the final nine weeks of the season.
For the first time in their 90-year history the Bears will play a regular season game outside the country when they face the Buffalo Bills in Toronto on Nov. 7 at the Rogers Centre. This is the third consecutive year the Bills have played a regular-season game in Canada, following games against the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins (2008) and New York Jets (2009).
After hosting the Vikings Nov. 14, the Bears have a quick turnaround, traveling to Miami to play Nov. 18 on Thursday Night Football.
The Bears will finish the regular season against the Packers at Green Bay. The cumulative 2009 record of the Bears' 2010 opponents is 129-127. Half of their 16 games will be against teams that made the playoffs last season.
The Bears face all four NFC East and AFC East teams in the league's rotating schedule. Those two divisions produced four playoff teams last season.
The Bears play the 11-5 Eagles and 10-6 Patriots at home and face the 9-7 Jets and 11-5 Cowboys on the road. Their home-and-away series against NFC North Division foes Minnesota (12-4) and Green Bay (11-5) give the Bears four more games against playoff teams.
Because of concern over teams resting starters after clinching playoff berths, the league scheduled exclusively division games for the final week this season. There will be 28 divisional games in the final three weeks of the regular season, as compared to the 15 divisional games in that three-week streach last season.
The Bears also finalized dates and times for their preseason schedule. They'll open in San Diego against the Chargers at 8 p.m. Aug. 14. They host the Raiders at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 21, and the Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 28. The preseason finale is at Cleveland against at 7 p.m. Sept. 2.
CHICAGO BEARS 2010 SCHEDULE
2010 BEARS PRESEASON SCHEDULE
DATE
OPPONENT
TIME
Saturday, Aug. 14
at San Diego Chargers
8:00 pm
Saturday, Aug. 21
OAKLAND RAIDERS
7:30 pm
Saturday, Aug. 28
ARIZONA CARDINALS
7:30 pm
Thursday, Sept. 2
at Cleveland Browns
7:00 pm
2010 BEARS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Sunday, Sept. 12
DETROIT LIONS
Noon
Sunday, Sept. 19
at Dallas Cowboys
Noon
Monday, Sept. 27
GREEN BAY PACKERS
7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 3
at New York Giants
7:20 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 10
at Carolina Panthers
Noon
Sunday, Oct. 24
WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Noon
Sunday, Oct. 31
Bye Week
Sunday, Nov. 7
at Buffalo Bills (Toronto)
Noon
Sunday, Nov. 14
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Noon
Thursday, Nov. 18
at Miami Dolphins
7:20 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 28
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Noon
Sunday, Dec. 5
at Detroit Lions
Noon
Sunday, Dec. 12
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Noon
Monday, Dec. 20
at Minnesota Vikings
7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 26
NEW YORK JETS
Noon
Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011
at Green Bay Packers
Noon
2010-11 POSTSEASON SCHEDULE
Saturday, Sunday, January 8-9, 2011
AFC-NFC Wild Card Playoffs
Saturday, Sunday, January 15-16, 2011
AFC-NFC Divisional Playoffs
Sunday, January 23, 2011
AFC-NFC Championship Games
Sunday, January 30, 2011
AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, Honolulu, HI
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Super Bowl XLV, Arlington, Texasr