2014 SCHEDULE CHICAGO BEARS Week Day Time Opponent 1 September 7 1:00PM ET Buffalo Bills 2 September 14 8:30PM ET @ San Francisco 49ers 3 September 22 8:30PM ET @ New York Jets 4 September 28 1:00PM ET Green Bay Packers 5 October 5 1:00PM ET @ Carolina Panthers 6 October 12 1:00PM ET @ Atlanta Falcons 7 October 19 1:00PM ET Miami Dolphins 8 October 26 1:00PM ET @ New England Patriots 9 Bye Week 10 November 9 8:30PM ET @ Green Bay Packers 11 November 16 1:00PM ET Minnesota Vikings 12 November 23 1:00PM ET Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 November 27 12:30PM ET @ Detroit Lions 14 December 4 8:25PM ET Dallas Cowboys 15 December 15 8:30PM ET New Orleans Saints 16 December 21 1:00PM ET Detroit Lions 17 December 28 1:00PM ET @ Minnesota Vikings Brandon Marshall Michael Ford is set to return kickoffs while Eric Weems will handle punt returns. Ford ranked second in the SEC in kickoff returns in 2012 and signed with Chicago as an undrafted free agent last year. Weems returned punts for the Falcons from 2009 to 2011, averaging 10.6 yards per return and scoring one touchdown in that time. Punter Adam Podlesh is also gone in free agency. The Bears replaced him by drafting 6-4, 220-pound Pat O’Donnell in the sixth round. O’Donnell earned some attention by performing well in combine drills and looks more like a safety than a punter. The one key special teams member returning for Chicago is kicker Robbie Gould, who has been one of the most consistent kickers in the league for nearly a decade. Prediction The Bears will be a better team in 2014 with significant improvement on defense outweighing an expected regression on offense. However, the defense as a whole is still a concern. Expect the Bears to win eight to nine games and end up needing some help to make it as a wild card playoff team in the NFC. DAVID BANKS/GETTY IMAGES SPORT
Chicago Bears Gameday HQ
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