Ben Johnson's first year taking over the Bears couldn't have gone much better, with Chicago going from three straight fourth-place finishes to a division title and an overtime loss to the Rams in the divisional round. While the offense finished in the top 10 of scoring for just the fourth time in the last 30 years, the team's 11-6 record was built on a majority of fourth-quarter comebacks rather than a large number of decisive victories. Johnson's task in 2026 is moving his team from scrappy underdog to dangerous contender in a loaded conference.
We're taking a look at everything you need to know before making Chicago Bears futures bets below, including odds, trends, 2026 schedule, offseason changes and more before sharing our preseason betting strategy for the team. All odds are from DraftKings.
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Chicago Bears 2026 odds
| Odds to … | June 1 | Feb |
|---|---|---|
| Go Over win total | 9.5 (+100) | 9.5 (+100) |
| Go Under win total | 9.5 (-120) | 9.5 (-120) |
| Miss playoffs | -112 | |
| Make playoffs | -108 | |
| Win NFC North | +310 | |
| Win NFC | +1300 | |
| Win Super Bowl | +2500 | +2500 |
The Bears are third in odds to win their division despite finishing more than a win clear of every team last season. That could be because the Lions and Packers both had a better point differentials despite the final standings, while the Vikings weren't close behind. History has suggested that piling up close wins isn't repeatable, so it may come down to a skill jump from Johnson in Year 2 to stave off regression.
Chicago Bears futures trends
| Year | Super Bowl odds | Win total | Result | Actual wins | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +4000 | 8.5 | Over | 11 | L, Divisional round |
| 2024 | +3500 | 8.5 | Under | 5 | 4th, NFC North |
| 2023 | +5000 | 7.5 | Under | 7 | 3rd, NFC North |
| 2022 | +14400 | 6.5 | Under | 3 | 4th, NFC North |
| 2021 | +6600 | 7.5 | Under | 6 | 3rd, NFC North |
The Bears hit their Over for the first time in seven years thanks in part to posting their best point differential since that incredible 12-4 season in Matt Nagy's first year as head coach. In that year, the Bears had a top-five defense, and finding success on that side of the ball once again will likely be key to standing out in a competitive division.
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Chicago Bears 2025 season review
| Record | Py Wins | Yds/play (Rk) | Opp y/p (Rk) | DVOA (Rk) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11-6 | 9.11 | 5.70 (9) | 6.00 (29) | 2.5 (16) |
Chicago put itself in position to win close games by pairing a strong running attack (third in yards per rush) with an elite ability to avoid negative plays (first in interception rate, third in sack rate). The success the defense did have stemmed from generating turnovers, as Chicago led the league in interception rate on that side of the ball as well. It's unlikely the Bears will be tops in the league in interception rate for either unit in 2026 even if they remain strong in the category, and success must start with improving on bottom five finishes in yards allowed both per rush and pass play.
Chicago Bears 2026 offseason review
| Lost | Added | Drafted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| QB | |||
| RB | Travis Homer | Salvon Ahmed | |
| WR | D.J. Moore, Olamide Zaccheaus, Devin Duvernay | Kalif Raymond, Scotty Miller | Zavion Thomas (3) |
| TE | Durham Smythe | Sam Roush (3) | |
| OL | Ryan Bates | Garrett Bradbury, Jedrick Wills | Logan Jones (2) |
| DL | Andrew Billings, Chris Williams | Neville Gallimore, Kentavius Street, James Lynch | Jordan van den Berg (6) |
| EDGE | Dominique Robinson, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka | ||
| LB | Tremaine Edmunds, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Amen Ogbongbemiga | Devin Bush, Jack Sanborn, Jon Rhattigan | Keyshaun Elliott (5) |
| CB | Nahshon Wright, Nick McCloud | Anthony Johnson | Malik Muhammad (4) |
| S | Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Jonathan Owens | Coby Bryant, Cam Lewis | Dillon Thieneman (1) |
| STAFF | Declan Doyle (OC) |
The Bears entered last season with an embarrassment of riches at pass catcher but traded D.J. Moore to the Bills and didn't replace him with a similar established talent. Despite the unit's overall struggles last year, the top of the depth chart on defense remains largely the same aside from safety, where the new-look position group will be led by free-agent signing Coby Bryant and first-round pick Dillon Thieneman.
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Chicago Bears 2026 schedule
| Week | Opp | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | @CAR | |
| 2 | MIN | |
| 3 | PHI | Mon |
| 4 | NYJ | |
| 5 | @GB | |
| 6 | @ATL | |
| 7 | NE | Thu |
| 8 | @SEA | Mon |
| 9 | TB | |
| 10 | bye | |
| 11 | NO | |
| 12 | @DET | Thu |
| 13 | JAC | |
| 14 | @MIA | |
| 15 | @BUF | Sat |
| 16 | GB | Fri |
| 17 | DET | |
| 18 | @MIN |
The reward for winning the division is six games moved to standalone windows on days other than Sunday, including two games against fellow NFC division winners on Monday nights. Even with playing the Eagles in Week 3, the first month of the season may be the softest, so it's important to the Bears to get off to a strong start if they want to repeat.
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Chicago Bears futures picks
- Miss playoffs (-115)
The Bears' point differential suggested they were more like a nine-win team than an 11-win team last year, and I don't think Chicago did enough to upgrade its defense to expect it to be much better on a per play basis if the turnovers aren't falling like they did last year. Taking this miss playoff bet comes in at a cheaper price than playing Under 9.5 wins and I think there's more potential for the Bears to miss the playoffs at 10-7 than to make it at 9-8 in a strong conference and division.
