Bear Digest

The Best Possible Opponent for Caleb Williams' Bears Debut

Analysis: Ranking opponents best to square off against the Bears in the season opener for the first start by rookie QB Caleb Williams when the NFL schedule is released.

Gene Chamberlain

A viisit by Bryce Young and the two-win Panthers to Chicago for the opener wouldn't be a bad choice for Caleb Williams' opener but is it best?
A viisit by Bryce Young and the two-win Panthers to Chicago for the opener wouldn't be a bad choice for Caleb Williams' opener but is it best? / Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
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They don't let teams put in official requests for when they play someone on the next season's NFL schedule.

You take what you get.

There some situations where input is given, like with European games. Generally, though, teams will simply have to accept the league's wisdom in compiling a schedule.

The Bears have a unique situation with a rookie quarterback, so the season opener can carry even greater significance. Better to let a rookie get out of the blocks on solid footing.

If they had their druthers, the schedule no doubt would be a softer start to get him adjusted to the playing level of a new league.

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The ideal season opener would not be one where they throw Caleb Williams to the wolves immediately. You don't toss someone who can't swim into 10 feet of water and tell them to sink or swim.

So, you don't want Williams facing the Green Bay Packers or the San Francisco 49ers in the first game. That could wind up being like Justin Fields' first NFL start.

Although he had finished the win over Cincinnati the previous week, Fields walked on the field in his first start with a bad game plan at Cleveland against Myles Garrett and Co. and got run over by a tank.

Here's who the Bears will play when the schedule comes out later this month:

HOME

  • Detroit Lions
  • Green Bay Packers
  • Minnesota Vikings
  • Los Angeles Rams
  • Seattle Seahawks
  • Jacksonville Jaguars
  • Tennessee Titans
  • Carolina Panthers
  • New England Patriots

AWAY

  • Detroit Lions
  • Green Bay Packers
  • Minnesota Vikings
  • Arizona Cardinals
  • San Francisco 49ers
  • Houston Texans
  • Indianapolis Colts
  • Washington Commanders

Remembering a perfect start would be the soft rollout, here are the top five possible 2024 season openers for the Bears and Caleb Williams' debut.

5. Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field

The perfect place for a rookie to start is at home. The next prerequisite is a weaker opponent. If this had been a top 6 list, it might have had Seattle added on instead of Minnesota as it was close between the Vikings and Seahawks. Seattle at least has a veteran quarterback in place with Geno Smith. They'll test the Bears defense. The Vikings will either be using rookie,JJ McCarthy returning to his home town in his first NFL game or Sam Darnold. There would be no great fear of Darnold and his mediocre career 78.3 passer rating. The hard part about this game would be a rookie facing Brian Flores' blitzes. At least Williams would have the home field setting.

4. Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field

Much better to face Brian Callahan's team in his coaching debut with the Titans, and with second-year QB Will Levis running the show, then to face the Vikings. Levis did some good things last year, but plenty bad, and the best part is no more Derrick Henry with the Titans. Williams faces the team that wa worst in the league last year at making interception, although they'll have a new scheme and different personnel.

3. Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field

Bryce Young, no doubt, would like to get a win in this one after losing a tight one to Tyson Bagent and the Bears at Soldier Field last year. It's a new coach in Dave Canales. So Young's in a new offense. His personnel will be a bit better but the Panthers only won two games last season and are in the middle of completely rebuilding from the foundation up. There couldn't be a better time to face their defense than without new Giants edge rusher Brian Burns.

Even with Williams making his first start, the Bears would have to hope this would be a bigger mismatch than last year.

2. At Washington Commanders

It's true that this is a road game but Williams would get to go back home where he's from and Montez Sweat would get to go back and win against his former team. The Commanders will have a young, dynamic QB in Jayden Daniels, who has no more starting experience than Williams.

In this one it could come down to defense and the Bears had built one of the best in the second half of last season. Washington held the Bears to 40 last year. It's not easy to get to 40 points in an NFL game. They might do better this year and hold the Bears to 39. If this game was in Chicago it would be the ideal first opponent, but the road game takes it down a notch even if Sweat and Williams would be comfortable with old haunts.

1. New England Patriots at Soldier Field

A rookie QB in Drake Maye, a first-year coach making his NFL debut in Jerod Mayo, a team coming off a 4-13 year and it's another complete rebuild on both sides of the ball, although the defense was better than their offense.

Chicago would be jacked for the first game by Williams and the softer opponent won't hurt. The Patriots usually played teams tough even in games they lost but this was because of Bill Belichick's defensive expertise. He's gone now and they need to do things on their own. Good luck with that in the season opener on the road, facing this potentially explosive Bears offense.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.