The Bears’ schedule is the easiest in the NFL partly because they get to play the NFC West, the only division in the league with three losing teams last season.
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The plight of the Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams and San Francisco 49ers in 2005 was one reason the Seattle Seahawks won the West by a ridiculous seven games and advanced to the Super Bowl as the representative of the overmatched NFC.
In Week 4, after the Bears open against NFC North foes Green Bay, Detroit and Minnesota, the Seahawks come to Soldier Field for a telling early test. It should show whether the Bears have legitimate hopes beyond their division and whether the Seahawks are still the class of the conference.
Arizona and San Francisco quickly follow, two teams that beat the Bears in the preseason. Did they expose Bears weaknesses, or were they merely trying harder to establish themselves in exhibitions that don’t count?
Games at Arizona on Oct. 16 and at St. Louis on Dec. 11 will mark the first appearances for the Bears on “Monday Night Football” since 2003.
Seahawks
Super Bowl losers traditionally disappear as quickly as the confetti is swept out of the stadium. The last five runners-up have failed to even reach the playoffs the following season.
This would be a difficult pattern for the Seahawks to continue from their perch atop the weak NFC West.
Coach Mike Holmgren refuses to believe in jinxes.
“There is no hocus-pocus about that,” he said. “When it happens, it happens for football reasons, and hopefully you can avoid those.”
The Seahawks couldn’t avoid the loss of guard Steve Hutchinson and receiver Joe Jurevicius in free agency but picked up two potential impact players in linebacker Julian Peterson and receiver Nate Burleson.
Bright spots: Peterson gives the defense big-play capability. MVP Shaun Alexander got a $60 million contract, but will he stay hungry for a title? Former Bears receiver Bobby Engram doesn’t want to give up his starting job to Burleson and had an excellent camp.
Turnoffs: Tight end Jerramy Stevens will have to wait several weeks after knee surgery to erase his poor Super Bowl showing. Hutchinson didn’t really want to leave, and the team botched his contract negotiation. Former Bears safety Mike Green was having a good training camp until he was felled for the season with a foot injury.
Cardinals
For a team that rarely makes a splash, the Cardinals joined the major leagues this off-season by acquiring running back Edgerrin James, drafting quarterback Matt Leinart and opening the most spectacular new stadium in the league.
Whether any of this will allow coach Dennis Green to make good on promises to qualify for the playoffs remains to be seen. Leinart made believers out of Bears fans in the third exhibition game.
Bright spots: Although James gained only 1 yard total in his first seven preseason carries, the team believes he will be the perfect complement for outstanding receivers Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald and Bryant Johnson. They also added 6-foot-8-inch tight end Leonard Pope in the draft.
Turnoffs: Except for left tackle Leonard Davis, the offensive line needs to prove it won’t be pushed around. Protecting Kurt Warner is key, although Green won’t hesitate to turn to Leinart as soon as necessary. The defense ranked eighth in yards given up last year, misleading because the Cards also gave up 24 points a game.
Rams
New coach Scott Linehan promises to run Steven Jackson more than Mike Martz did, but the strength of the team remains with wide receivers Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Kevin Curtis.
The new offense struggled in the preseason, and Linehan won’t have a chance to win much of anything until defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, the former Saints head coach and St. Louis enemy, revamps a defense ranked 30th in the league in yards given up, 31st in points allowed.
Bright spots: Defensive newcomers La’Roi Glover from the Cowboys, Will Witherspoon from the Panthers and Corey Chavous from the Vikings are changing the team attitude from front to back. Linehan has been successful with his offense in Minnesota and Miami.
Turnoffs: Marshall Faulk is gone. Guard Claude Terrell is out for the season after wrist surgery. Except for a scare to left tackle Orlando Pace, the Rams were lucky with injuries early. Linehan likes to use tight ends and must rely on rookies Joe Klopfenstein and Dominique Byrd. Klopfenstein is ahead.
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49ers
When a team finishes 32nd in both offense and defense, the silver lining is knowing it’s impossible for things to get worse.
The challenges facing coach Mike Nolan extend to every position, but winning their final two games last year against St. Louis and Houston at least provides hope. Nolan has made nine trades in his first 13 months on the job.
Bright spots: Quarterback Alex Smith looked better against the Bears in the first exhibition game than anyone might have expected from a player coming off a one-touchdown, 11-interception rookie season. Defensive lineman Bryant Young, a Chicago native, remains one of the true pros in the game. Guard Larry Allen from Dallas will add attitude.
Turnoffs: They are counting on rookie tight end Vernon Davis and rookie linebacker Manny Lawson to carry inordinate loads. They are hoping players such as running back Frank Gore and receiver Antonio Bryant come through. There are no strengths on the whole team.