It sounds like Bears will travel to Las Vegas to play Raiders in 2021
There are a number of changes coming to the NFL over the next year. One of the biggest is that the NFL has discussed expanding the regular season to 17 games, which is expected to go into effect for the 2021 season.
With that in mind, the Chicago Bears would face the same-place finisher from the AFC West, which would be the Las Vegas Raiders, who also finished 8-8 last season.
The only question is whether that game against the Raiders would be a home or away game. According to NBC Sports’ Peter King, he’s hearing that it’ll likely be the AFC that hosts those extra games. If that’s the case, as it appears to be, the Bears would play the Raiders in Las Vegas in 2021.
Hearing it’s most likely to be AFC hosting all 16 newly invented games in 2021. Then NFC teams hosting in 2023. If that’s how it goes, it’s the fairest way. Competitive equity is the key. You don’t want three NFC East teams playing eight at home and the fourth playing nine at home.
Good news for #Bears fans wanting to visit Vegas. @peter_king believes the AFC will host that extra game vs. the NFC in a 17-game format. Bears are aligned with #Raiders this season.
— Bear Report (@BearReport) March 1, 2021
The last time these two met was in London back in 2019, where the Bears suffered a heartbreaking loss that seemed to define the rest of their disappointing season.
Heading into the 2021 season, Chicago has the third-most difficult strength of schedule. Their 2021 opponents combined for a win percentage of .553 with a combined record of 141-114-1.
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A look at the Chicago Bears' 2021 opponents
