Many expected the Chicago Bears to hit the road for Seattle for the 2026 season opener . Others thought divisional matchups against either the Vikings or Lions made a lot of sense. I don't think too many had a road trip to Carolina on their bingo cards. NFL insider Jordan Schultz says that will be the case for Chicago , though.

We've been tracking all the early 2026 schedule leaks, and the action ramped up Wednesday, ahead of Thursday night's full schedule release.

The matchup might not be as exciting as some of the other potential options. In fact, it's downright underwhelming from a pure entertainment perspective.…