NFL schedule release: Here’s the Bears’ complete 2022 schedule

The NFL released its full 2022 schedule Thursday night. All 17 games for each of the 32 teams are now set. Below is the Bears’ entire 2022 schedule.

Every team will once again play 17 regular season games over 18 weeks. The season begins with the NFL’s opening night Thursday, Sept. 8. Most of the league will play its first game Sunday, Sept. 11. The regular season will run through Sunday, Jan. 8, with the postseason to follow.

The NFL calendar will conclude with Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The Bears’ 2022 schedule

Preseason

Week 1: vs. Kansas City Chiefs, noon, Saturday, Aug. 13

Week 2: at Seattle Seahawks, 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 18

Week 3: at Cleveland Browns, 6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 27

Regular season

Week 1: vs. San Francisco 49ers, noon, Sunday, Sept. 11

Week 2: at Green Bay Packers, 7:20 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 18 (Sunday Night Football)

Week 3: vs. Houston Texans, noon, Sunday, Sept. 25

Week 4: at New York Giants, noon, Sunday, Oct. 2

Week 5: at Minnesota Vikings, noon, Sunday, Oct. 9

Week 6: vs. Washington Commanders, 7:15 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 13 (Thursday Night Football)

Week 7: at New England Patriots, 7:15 p.m., Monday, Oct. 24 (Monday Night Football)

Week 8: at Dallas Cowboys, noon, Sunday, Oct. 30

Week 9: vs. Miami Dolphins, noon, Sunday, Nov. 6

Week 10: vs. Detroit Lions, noon, Sunday, Nov. 13

Week 11: at Atlanta Falcons, noon, Sunday, Nov. 20

Week 12: at New York Jets, noon, Sunday, Nov. 27

Week 13: vs. Green Bay Packers, noon, Sunday, Dec. 4

Week 14: Bye

Week 15: vs. Philadelphia Eagles, noon, Sunday, Dec. 18

Week 16: vs. Buffalo Bills, noon, Saturday, Dec. 24

Week 17: at Detroit Lions, noon, Sunday, Jan. 1

Week 18: vs. Minnesota Vikings, TBD, Sunday, Jan. 8

Bears in prime time

The Bears will play three games in primetime slots. The first will be in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday Night Football. At least one Bears vs. Packers matchup is almost always in a primetime slot every year. This time it will come early in the season.

The Bears will then have back-to-back primetime games in Weeks 6 and 7. In Week 6, they will face the Washington Commanders at Soldier Field on Thursday Night Football. They will then have a full 10 days off before a Week 7 game at the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football.

Last season, the Bears appeared in five national TV games.

October road tests

Four of the Bears’ five games in October will be on the road. They will visit the Giants, the Vikings, the Patriots and the Cowboys in October. Sandwiched in the middle of those games is a home matchup with the Commanders. That will likely be a season-defining stretch for Matt Eberflus’ team.

The Bears host nine games and have eight away games this season. The good thing about the early road trips in October is that the Bears’ have only one away game during the last six weeks of the season. They play three home games and have a bye in December. They will visit the Lions on New Year’s Day, and then end the season with the Vikings at Soldier Field a week later.

There will be plenty of opportunities for “Bear weather” in December and January. The Week 14 bye is quite late.

Scheduling quirks and notes

The Bears play their NFC North division opponents twice every season: the Packers, Vikings and Lions. This season, the Bears will visit Minnesota on Oct. 9. Oddly enough, this will be the first time since 2006 that the Bears visit Minnesota before Thanksgiving.

Over the past 15 seasons, the Bears’ trip to Minnesota has almost always been in frigid December or January, with one Nov. 30 matchup mixed in there.

The Bears and Vikings will end the season facing each other in Week 18 at Soldier Field. This will be the seventh time in the past nine years that the two teams play each other in the regular season finale.