Bears open season against Colts

Not only do the Bears get to see Peyton Manning and the Broncos in their preseason opener and then Robert Griffin III and the Redskins the following week, they'll be the first regular-season opponent for quarterback Andrew Luck, the presumptive No. 1 overall draft choice of the Colts.

The Bears host Indianapolis Sunday, Sept. 9, in the regular-season opener and, considering the Colts' 2-14 record last season, that figures to be an advantageous start for the home team, even with Luck expected to be the starting quarterback.

The schedule gets much tougher four days later, when the Bears travel to Green Bay to face the defending NFC North champion Packers in a nationally televised Thursday night game on NFL Network.

After a week three breather at home against the 2-14 Rams, it's back to prime time for the Bears in week four, when they hit the road to play the Cowboys on Monday Night Football.

The Bears have three more prime time games, giving them the NFL maximum of five — all in the first 10 games. They host the Lions on Monday night, Oct. 22, and the Texans on Sunday night, Nov. 11. The following week they meet the defending NFC West champion 49ers on Monday night in San Francisco. The Bears haven't played on Monday Night Football three times in the same season since 2002. Under coach Lovie Smith, they are 7-2 on Monday night, 8-8 on Sunday night and 2-2 on Thursday night.

The Bears' off week comes early this season, after the week five game in Jacksonville against the 5-11 Jaguars. Following the bye, the Bears play five of their next seven games at home before finishing with three of their last four games on the road.

For more on the Bears' schedule see Bob LeGere's “Bear Essentials” blog.