No, they weren’t Super Bowl champions, but last year’s Chicago Bears might have been the most entertaining team in football.With Ben Johnson on the sideline and Caleb Williams under center, Chicago churned out one long, improbable heat check. There was the Colston Loveland stunner in Cincinnati. There were two (!) heavenly strikes from Williams to DJ Moore that brought down the archrival Green Bay Packers. And there was the throw of a lifetime that pushed the Bears’ NFC divisional game to overtime.The Bears now take on 2026 with title aspirations. Williams’ third NFL campaign begins without Moore, who was traded to the Buffalo Bills in March. But he has a young and impressive group of pass catchers comprising Loveland, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. The defense boasts pocket-wrecker Montez Sweat, who had 10 sacks in 2025, and two-time Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson as CB1. While the NFC North looks like one of the league’s toughest divisions, Chicago has reason to believe that something special is on the horizon.Accordingly, we’ve put together this broadcast guide to the 2026 season. The Bears are lined up for four primetime games in the first nine weeks, plus rivalry games on Thanksgiving versus the Detroit Lions and on Christmas against those hated Packers.Follow the Bears on The Athletic, and keep up with our dual beat writer team of Kevin Fishbain and Dan Wiederer.All times listed below are ET.The full 2026 Chicago Bears schedule Wk.MatchupDateTimeNetwork1@ Panthers Sunday, Sept. 13 1:00 p.m. Fox 2 Vikings Sunday, Sept. 20 1:00 p.m. Fox 3 Eagles Monday, Sept. 28 8:15 p.m. ESPN/ABC 4 Jets Sunday, Oct. 4 1:00 p.m. Fox 5@ Packers Sunday, Oct. 11 4:25 p.m. Fox 6@ Falcons Sunday, Oct. 18 1:00 p.m. Fox 7 Patriots Thursday, Oct. 22 8:15 p.m. Prime 8@ Seahawks Monday, Nov. 2 8:15 p.m. ESPN 9 Buccaneers Sunday, Nov. 8 8:20 p.m. NBC 10 BYE 11 Saints Sunday, Nov. 22 1:00 p.m. Fox 12@ Lions Thursday, Nov. 26 1:00 p.m. CBS 13 Jaguars Sunday, Dec. 6 1:00 p.m. Fox 14@ Dolphins Sunday, Dec. 13 1:00 p.m. CBS 15@ Bills Saturday, Dec. 19 8:20 p.m. CBS 16 Packers Friday, Dec. 25 1:00 p.m. Netflix 17 Lions Sunday, Jan. 3 4:25 p.m. Fox 18@ Vikings TBA Times in Eastern. Cable/satellite/streaming baseThe most expansive option for live game coverage is a multichannel plan. That includes streamers like Fubo, Sling TV and YouTube TV, or more traditional providers like DirecTV, Dish and Xfinity. We lay out cord-cutting alternatives for each NFL media partner down below, but there’s a certain peace of mind to the consolidation of pay television.What is it like to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears?Dan PompeiCBSMain window: Sunday afternoon (in-market fans)Playoffs: 1 wild-card game, 1 divisional game, AFC Championship GameEach week, CBS carries games across two Sunday kickoff slots: one at 1 p.m., and another at 4:05 p.m. or the national window at 4:25 p.m. There will be 10 nationwide Sunday doubleheaders this year on CBS. Broadcasts are set by region when there are multiple offerings in a spot.It’s not a clean split, but CBS is known as the primary home of the AFC. The network’s theme music is a certified slapper. The Bears’ first appearance on CBS this season comes on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit.Its main pregame show, “The NFL Today,” adds Bears lifer Kyle Long to its studio crew. CBS announcers include Jim Nantz and Ian Eagle, while the color commentary rotation stars JJ Watt.What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an indoor TV antenna for free over-the-air viewing. Local CBS games also stream on Paramount+.FoxMain window: Sunday afternoon (in-market fans)Playoffs: 1 wild-card game, 1 divisional game, NFC Championship GameLike CBS, Fox splits Sunday afternoons between early 1 p.m. action and later 4:05/4:25 p.m. matchups. Its centerpiece is branded as “America’s Game of the Week.” Unlike CBS, Fox has a dancing robot named Cleatus. It’s the nominal network for the NFC and where you can find eight Bears games this season.Kevin Burkhardt, Joe Davis and Adam Amin are the lead play-by-play voices. Burkhardt pairs with Tom Brady, while Davis calls games alongside former Bears tight end Greg Olsen. Amin is partnered with newcomer Drew Brees, who is fresh off his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. Some Spanish-language broadcasts are available on Fox Deportes.What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an antenna for free over-the-air viewing. Local Fox games also stream on Fox One.NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL RedZoneMain window: Sunday afternoon (out-of-market fans)These two are the access points for all non-national matchups that aren’t on regional CBS or Fox.NFL Sunday Ticket has full games. It’s exclusive to YouTube and YouTube TV. Those without a YouTube TV plan can still get NFL Sunday Ticket as a primetime channel through the standard YouTube app.RedZone is the whip-around program that jumps around the slate to cover scoring drives. This is the place for Scott Hanson, “the witching hour” and chaotic octobox split screens. It can be added to NFL Sunday Ticket, and it’s included on some high-end pay TV sports plans.RedZone also lives on NFL+ Premium, which can be bundled with the ESPN Unlimited plan.What you’ll need to watch: An NFL Sunday Ticket subscription through YouTube TV or the YouTube app; NFL RedZone access through select pay TV packages, ESPN Unlimited or NFL+ Premium.NBC and PeacockMain window: Sunday nightPlayoffs: 2 wild-card games, 1 divisional gameThis is the faithful home of “Sunday Night Football” each weekend. And because everything has to be confusing, the NBC lineup opens with a Wednesday night season premiere. At least SNF has a consistent 8:20 p.m. start time.Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth are in the booth, with Melissa Stark reporting from the sidelines. Carrie Underwood sings about waiting all day for Sunday night. NBC’s “Football Night in America” pregame show brings on longtime head coach Mike Tomlin. Telemundo has the telecasts in Spanish.The network has two extra Saturday offerings for Week 17. One is exclusive to Peacock, and both matchups will be announced later in the season. The same goes for NBC’s Week 18 regular-season finale.“Sunday Night Football” is subject to flex scheduling — games can be swapped in and out of the window twice between Weeks 5-10 and any time from Weeks 11-17. This allows executives to pick games with greater playoff implications, though it leaves the actual ticket holders in a bind.What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an antenna for free over-the-air viewing, or a Peacock account with the live sports plan.ABC and ESPNMain window: Monday nightPlayoffs: 1 wild-card game, 1 divisional game, Super Bowl LXIThe Disney networks combine to cover 17 “Monday Night Football” games. Ten of those are on both ABC and ESPN, with another seven exclusive to the latter. The oft-maligned “Monday Night Football” doubleheader is now a thing of the past.MNF kickoffs have 8:15 p.m. starts, and their schedule flexes can happen any time in Weeks 12-17. The two Saturday ABC/ESPN matchups in Week 18 will be set as the postseason picture sharpens.ESPN is preparing for its first Super Bowl broadcast ever on Feb. 14, 2027. It will be simulcast on ABC.Joe Buck handles play-by-play for MNF. He’s joined by analyst Troy Aikman, plus the sideline duo of Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge. Spanish-language airings can be found on ESPN Deportes. For 12 regular-season games and the Super Bowl, ESPN2 offers an alternate “ManningCast,” in which Eli and Peyton Manning watch the games with famous fans. Guests have ranged from Bill Belichick to Lil Wayne.What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or an antenna for ABC, or an ESPN Unlimited account.Prime VideoMain window: Thursday nightPlayoffs: 1 wild-card gameMost weeks begin with “Thursday Night Football,” which kicks off at 8:15 p.m. Those games are behind the Prime paywall, but they’re free over the air in the participants’ home markets. Flex rules around TNF are a bit less hectic, with two allotments between Weeks 13-17.Thursdays are called by Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit, with Kaylee Hartung on sideline duty. Herbstreit loves dogs; Michaels hates vegetables. Prime has Spanish-language coverage and advanced stat broadcast options within its app. Among the pregame and postgame personalities are former All-Pros Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman and Andrew Whitworth.What you’ll need to watch: Amazon Prime. TNF is also free on Twitch with a registered account.NFL NetworkThe league-owned media outlet is now under ESPN’s purview, thanks to a blockbuster deal that gave the NFL a 10 percent ownership stake in “The Worldwide Leader in Sports.” As of July 30, NFL Network is integrated into the ESPN Unlimited plan. It can also be accessed through NFL+ or NFL+ Premium.NFL Network has five of the international games, plus a pair of Saturday matchups in Week 16 to be revealed at least two weeks prior to Dec. 26. Those two have 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. kickoffs.What you’ll need to watch: A pay TV package, or access to NFL+, NFL+ Premium or ESPN Unlimited.NetflixRemember when Netflix was shipping DVDs in red envelopes? Now, the streaming behemoth continues to expand its relationship with the NFL. It has five regular-season games in the upcoming season. The Bears’ home showdown with the Packers is one of two Christmas Day marquees on the streamer. Like TNF on Prime, these Netflix games are over the air in their respective local markets.As reported by The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, new Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly has been tapped as Netflix’s top NFL analyst. He and Noah Eagle (son of CBS’ Ian Eagle) are on the call for the Week 1 export at Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.What you’ll need to watch: A Netflix subscription.With all that in mind, watching the Bears’ 17 regular-season games will cost approximately $40-$125 per month for those in the Chicago TV territory, and $115-$200 per month for those outside of it. This factors in potential schedule flexes as well.We arrived at that range through average pay TV prices, the NFL Sunday Ticket plan and the lowest subscription tiers for Netflix, Peacock and Prime. But remember, Twitch can be used instead of Prime for “Thursday Night Football” broadcasts.Official Bears single-game franchise records(Through the 2025 season)