6️⃣ Days Until the Season Opener!

Good morning, Bears fans!

The longest offseason has come to an end.

It’s Game Week.

I’m going to stick to the free Monday, Wednesday and Friday newsletter cadence around here with additional issues as warranted (ie: big news, a Tuesday newsletter after MNF, etc.) Podcasts with Ryan Droste will drop regularly after the game and on Monday nights.

The one big addition? A paid postgame/takeaways column from me after each game. That will go to Bears By 7 members only and it’s something I’m really looking forward to writing each week.

Not a Bears By 7 member yet? Jump on this week for 10 percent off an annual plan and unlock all the benefits (including ad-free newsletters) for the entire season ahead.

— Kevin Kaduk

Matt Suhey dies at 68 Terrible news about the 1985 legend. Suhey was one of first Bears I clearly remember rooting for. A working man’s fullback who always paved the way for his friend Walter Payton, Suhey played all 10 of his years with the Bears and was a regular presence around town after his playing days. A big loss for Bearsdom. (NBC Chicago)

Harrison Smith returns to Vikings That’s year 15 for the safety and Vikings cornerstone, who will make $12.25 million to keep helping out. Minnesota’s defense could again be a problem.

Roger Goodell signs extension through 2030 Think of how many more meetings with Illinois politicians he can attend now.

‘Tis the weekend for making football predictions, whether it’s a late-round flyer on a rookie receiver that flashed in preseason or putting all your faith in the Chargers over the Cardinals in a big-money survivor pool.

Here on Bears By 7, we have almost 100 people in the Confidence Pickem Pool and I’m hoping we can get to at least 500 by kickoff on Sunday. Enter yourself if you haven’t already and get a few friends in on the action too.

Ryan Droste and I went through our picks during our season preview podcast on Sunday. He landed on 12-5, while I went with a repeat of the 11-6 mark from last season.

That’s admittedly not too sexy, but I’m not set to pick an improvement with the defense being what it seemingly is.

I’m also not readying myself for regression knowing what Caleb Williams and the offense can be.

So in the interest of full transparency, let me get all 17 of my games on the record with the confidence points I placed on them as well.

Week 1: Bears (12) at Panthers
For the first time in my life, the Bears will enter a season knowing that they’ll have the better quarterback and coach combo in almost every game they enter. That key advantage starts Sunday in Carolina.

Week 2: Bears (10) vs Vikings
I don’t love putting double-digit confidence points on both games against Minnesota, but it speaks to the difficulty of the schedule.

Week 3: Bears vs Eagles (4)
I couldn’t bring myself to predict a 4-0 start with all of the questions on defense, but check back with me before gametime. This is a game that should show us if the Bears are really true contenders.

Week 4: Bears (17) vs Jets
The biggest gimme on the slate.

Week 5: Bears at Packers (5)
Green Bay’s receivers are going to be an issue for the Bears secondary. This will be a tight shootout that tips the Packers’ way now that they’ve seemingly fixed their kicker problem.

Week 6: Bears (7) at Falcons
Potential pitfall alert: A road game stuck right in the middle of a run of marquee games.

Week 7: Bears (11) vs Patriots
The second round of Caleb vs. Drake should be better than the 2024 nightmare. Thursday night advantage to the home team.

Week 8: Bears at Seahawks (15)
I’m not only picking Seattle to win this game, I’m picking them to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

Week 9: Bears (9) vs Buccaneers
Quick turnaround from a Monday night in the Pacific Northwest … the only Sunday night game of the year will tell us a lot about this team.

Week 11: Bears (16) vs Saints
Tyler Shough and Chris Olave won’t be enough for New Orleans.

Week 12: Bears (1) at Lions
Detroit has an insane 11-day stretch that starts in Munich against the Patriots, continues with a game against the Buccaneers and ends with Ben Johnson’s first win over the Lions.

Week 13: Bears vs Jaguars (3)
I love the Bears, but I see Liam Coen’s point. Jags notch a big win in a game that some Bears fans are overlooking.

Week 14: Bears (13) at Dolphins
Really glad this won’t happen in the heat of a South Florida September. Bad memories of Brock Osweiler.

Week 15: Bears at Bills (8)
I have Buffalo losing to Seattle in the Super Bowl.

Week 16: Bears (6) vs Packers
If I had just one wish for Christmas …

Week 17: Bears vs Lions (2)
The only thing I know for sure about this year’s Lions matchups is that I don’t know anything for sure. I think they split, but the results of both matchups could be flipped.

Week 18: Bears (14) at Vikings
Bears nab a big one up north to seal their first repeat trip to the playoffs in 20 years.

• From the archives: The great Dan Pompei on the friendship that Matt Suhey shared with Walter Payton. (The Athletic)

• The much-anticipated Week 1 hype video from Da Windy City Productions. (Twitter)

• Nicholas Moreano on why Chicago fans are connecting with Caleb Williams. (Bears Roundtable)

• Follow Bears By 7 on YouTube! We’ll be live tonight at 7 with our Week 1 preview.

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