If there is a preseason in 2011, the Chicago Bears will kick it off against the St. Louis Rams on August 7, in the Hall Of Fame Game in Canton Ohio. Then they'll host the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field in Week 1. They will follow with a Monday Night Football matchup with the New York Giants in Week 2. You may remember that the Bears offense fared rather poorly against the Giants last year on Monday Night, handing Cutler his first loss, 10 sacks and a concussion in a 17-3 pounding that was difficult to watch.
Although, clearly not as difficult as playing it must have been.
You could say that the NFL has deemed the Chicago Bears ready for 'prime time', with their first two pre-season games being national broadcasts. Of course it remains to be seen if this 'schedule' is anything more than a tease, with little discernible progress being made towards ending the lockout.
The Bears would round out their pre-season with a Week 3 scrimmage in Tennessee with the Titans, and then a home appearance in Week 4, against the Cleveland Browns.