2020 Chicago Bears Schedule Announced

CHICAGO (CBS Chicago/CBS News) -- The Chicago Bears released their 2020 schedule on Thursday evening.

The Bears plan to open the season in Detroit for the first time since the 1982 season, when they beat the Lions 17-10 at the Pontiac Silverdome. It will also mark the first Week 1 matchup for the Bears at Ford Field and the fourth all-time in Detroit.

Meanwhile, the Bears and the Green Bay Packers will continue their run of playing at least a game per season in prime time, which dates back to the 2006 season.

The Bears will also host Tampa Bay under the lights at Soldier Field for the first time on a Thursday night in Week 5, and will square off against all four teams from the NFC and AFC South divisions.

There have been concerns about whether the NFL will be able to start its season on time due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Late last month, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he expected the season to start on time. He said the league is consulting with medical experts on "safety guidelines" on its summer pre-season training.

"I think, you know, right now our job is to be prepared for the season. That means keeping our football schedule as best we can — obviously with modifications to make sure we're doing it safely," he said. "But we're going to be prepared and ready, and we're planning on playing this fall even though it may be different."

Despite concerns over COVID-19 cases still rising in the summer, Goodell acknowledged the uncertainty of the pandemic's shifting nature.

"I don't think any of us know what it's going to be three months from now or two months from now," he said.

Games that are set to appear on CBS are highlighted.