Bears' 2017 opponents
HOME AND AWAY
Detroit Lions (9-7 in 2016)
Series: Bears lead 97-72-5 but have lost seven of last eight.
Last meeting: Bears lost 20-17 on Dec. 11, 2016 at Ford Field. The Bears turned a 13-3 deficit into a 17-13 lead with a pair of touchdowns on Matt Barkley's 31-yard pass to Cameron Meredith and Cre'von LeBlanc's 24-yard interception return. But Matthew Stafford's 7-yard TD run up the middle with 3:17 remaining lifted the Lions, enabling them to split the season series.
Green Bay Packers (10-6)
Series: Tied 94-94-6, with Bears having lost 12 of last 14.
Last meeting: Bears lost 30-27 on Dec. 18, 2016 at Soldier Field. After the Bears rallied from a 27-10 fourth-quarter deficit to forge a 27-27 tie with 1:19 to play, Aaron Rodgers heaved a 60-yard bomb to Jordy Nelson in the waning seconds, setting up Mason Crosby's winning 32-yard field goal as time expired. The Packers rushed for 226 yards and three TDs on 23 carries.
Minnesota Vikings (8-8)
Series: Bears trail 58-52-2 and have lost four of last five.
Last meeting: Bears lost 38-10 on Jan. 1, 2017 at US Bank Stadium. The Bears committed five turnovers that the Vikings turned into 24 points. Minnesota scored on its first three possessions to take a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter. Sam Bradford passed for 250 yards and three TDs. Jordan Howard rushed for 135 yards, setting the Bears' single-season rookie rushing record.
HOME
Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
Series: Bears lead 14-12 and have won two straight and five of last seven.
Last meeting: Bears won 27-13 on Oct. 12, 2014 at the Georgia Dome. The Bears snapped a 13-13 tie by scoring the game's final 14 points on Matt Forte touchdown runs of 6 and 9 yards. Jay Cutler passed for 381 yards, his highest total in eight seasons with the Bears. Alshon Jeffery caught five passes for 135 yards, while Brandon Marshall had six receptions for 113 yards.
Carolina Panthers (6-10)
Series: Bears lead 5-4 and have won three of last four.
Last meeting: Bears lost 31-24 on Oct. 5, 2014 at Bank of America Stadium. After blowing a 21-7 lead, the Bears rebounded to go ahead 24-21. But they committed turnovers on each of their final three possessions. The Panthers scored the game's last 10 points on Graham Gano's 44-yard field goal with 4:29 remaining and Cam Newton's 6-yard TD pass to Greg Olsen with 2:18 to play.
Cleveland Browns (1-15)
Series: Bears trail 9-6 but have won two straight.
Last meeting: Bears won 38-31 on Dec. 15, 2013 at Cleveland Browns Stadium. After missing four games with a high ankle sprain, Jay Cutler returned to action and completed 22 of 31 passes for 265 yards and three TDs. The final two touchdowns came on passes of 45 yards to Alshon Jeffery and four yards to Earl Bennett and helped the Bears erase a 24-17 fourth-quarter deficit.
Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
Series: Bears lead 21-7-1 and have won two straight.
Last meeting: Bears won 40-23 on Sept. 22, 2013 at Heinz Field. The Bears improved to 3-0 under first-year coach Marc Trestman. The Bears led 17-0 after 13 minutes and 27-10 early in the second half. After the Steelers closed the gap to 27-23, the Bears answered with two late TDs on Jay Cutler's 17-yard pass to Earl Bennett and Julius Peppers' 42-yard fumble return.
San Francisco 49ers (2-14)
Series: Bears trail 33-31-1 but have won five of last eight.
Last meeting: Bears won 26-6 on Dec. 4, 2016 at Soldier Field. The Bears played their most complete game of the season as Jordan Howard rushed for 117 yards and a career-high three TDs and the defense held the 49ers to 147 yards, 10 first downs and no touchdowns. Colin Kaepernick was pulled after completing just 1 of 5 passes for four yards while being sacked five times.
AWAY
Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
Series: Bears lead 3-2 and have won two of last three.
Last meeting: Bears won 23-20 in overtime on Nov. 17, 2013 at Soldier Field. In a game that was delayed nearly two hours due to tornado warnings and torrential rain, the Bears rallied from a 10-0 deficit. Defensive end David Bass intercepted a Joe Flacco pass and returned it 24 yards for a TD. The Bears won the game on Robbie Gould's 38-yard field goal midway through overtime.
Cincinnati Bengals (6-9-1)
Series: Bears trail 6-4 and have lost two of last three.
Last meeting: Bears won 24-21 on Sept. 8, 2013 at Soldier Field. The Bears opened the Marc Trestman era with a victory, rallying from a 21-10 third-quarter deficit with a pair of touchdowns on Matt Forte's 1-yard run and Jay Cutler's 19-yard pass to Brandon Marshall. Charles Tillman intercepted two Andy Dalton passes in the first half to thwart Bengals drives.
New Orleans Saints (7-9)
Series: Bears lead 15-14 but have lost three straight.
Last meeting: Bears lost 31-15 on Dec. 15, 2014 at Soldier Field. The Bears trailed 24-0 through three quarters. Heading into the final period, New Orleans held decisive advantages in yards (381-119) and first downs (23-6). The Bears' first nine possessions resulted in three interceptions, five punts and a failed fake punt. Drew Brees passed for 375 yards and three TDs for the Saints.
Philadelphia Eagles (7-9)
Series: Bears lead 30-13-1 but have lost two straight.
Last meeting: Bears lost 29-14 on Sept. 19, 2016 at Soldier Field. Trailing just 9-7 at halftime, the Bears committed turnovers on three of their first four drives of the second half and allowed Eagles touchdowns on three straight possessions in a 29-14 loss. Eight Bears players were injured in the game, including Jay Cutler, Danny Trevathan, Lamarr Houston and Eddie Goldman.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
Series: Bears lead 38-19 and have won three of last four.
Last meeting: Bears lost 36-10 on Nov. 13, 2016 at Raymond James Stadium. The Bears committed five turnovers, with Jay Cutler accounting for four of the giveaways with two interceptions and two lost fumbles. One of the picks was returned 20 yards for a TD by former Bears safety Chris Conte. The Bears added injury to insult by losing right guard Kyle Long for the season with a broken ankle.
