Bears Relishing Opportunity to Play in Prime Time Slots

With how well the Chicago Bears played last season, it was only natural that they would be playing in a lot of prime-time games in 2026. 

So far, the Bears have played in two prime-time games. That number will go to three after they face the Seattle Seahawks. 

Monday won't be the last time this season that the Bears are in prime time either. Chicago is scheduled for two other prime-time games besides its upcoming matchup with Seattle. 

The Bears will see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Nov. 8) and Buffalo Bills (Dec. 19) on Sunday Night Football before the season is over. 

Not every team will have the chance to play in prime time. Bears players like Colston Loveland are grateful for the opportunity. 

At a recent press conference, Loveland shared his excitement. 

"Yeah, it means a lot," Loveland said. "Kind of knew, you know, this is what it was going to be. We got a lot of talented players, a lot of talented coaches, and a lot of people that want to watch us go out and play. There's no other time we'd want to play rather than prime time, you know? The biggest stage, everyone watching. Make plays in prime-time games. You know, you become a legend, and it's pretty cool. I think, like we, you know, Caleb, Coach Johnson, everyone just kind of thrives off big game energy. And it's only a big game because it's our next game; you know, we don't let it get too big. So, we're excited about it for sure." 

This wasn't when fans thought the Bears would play the Seahawks at first. It was rumored in the offseason that the Bears would face the Seahawks in their season opener. 

Instead, the NFL ended up choosing a rematch of the Super Bowl from last season. The New England Patriots and the Seahawks played to open the season back in September. 

The Seahawks won the rematch, beating the Patriots 13-10 after Drake Maye threw three interceptions. 

This game will give fans the matchup we almost saw in the playoffs last season. If the Bears had beaten the Los Angeles Rams, they would have taken on the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game. 

The Bears lost 20-17 in overtime, so we didn't get to see it. The Rams ended up losing a shootout, and the Seahawks punched their ticket to the Super Bowl. 

The Seahawks have had an up and down start to the season. They went 2-0 after beating the Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. 

Then, they lost 33-31 to the Washington Commanders after backup quarterback Marcus Mariota threw three touchdown passes. 

The Seahawks bounced back with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers but then lost the following two games to the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos. 

The team rebounded again with a big 20-3 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Kenneth Walker's return to Seattle didn't go how he'd hoped. He was limited to 36 rushing yards on 14 carries. 

Now, the Seahawks face the Bears in a matchup of two NFC heavyweights. 

Monday night's game kicks off at 7:15 p.m. CT on ESPN. We'll finally get to see the matchup that was taken from us in the playoffs.