The division-leading Chicago Bears are getting a better time slot from the NFL for Week 14’s game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
In a scheduling update, the NFL announced Thursday that it had flexed Week 14’s game between the Bears and Packers from its originally scheduled time slot at 1 p.m. ET to a more premium afternoon slot at 4:25 p.m. ET, a sign that buzz is growing for the game.
The Bears (7-3) took sole possession of first place in the NFC North last Sunday with their dramatic 19-17 comeback win over the Minnesota Vikings (4-5), moving into the top spot in the division standings for the first time since they won the crown in 2018.
Meanwhile, the Packers (6-3-1) snapped a two-game losing skid and got back on track toward their playoff ambitions with a 27-20 win over the New York Giants in Week 11.
While both the Bears and Packers will play two more games before meeting for the first time in the 2025 regular season in Week 14, the matchup has the potential to be a high-stakes showdown between two teams that are neck and neck in the divisional race.
The Bears will play their next game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.
Can Bears Fix Mistakes & Hold Onto Divisional Lead?
The Bears moved into first place in the NFC North last weekend with a little help from the Philadelphia Eagles, who knocked off the Detroit Lions (6-4) in prime time. But can they deliver on general manager Ryan Poles’ initial promise back in January 2021 to “take the North and never give it back” — or, at least, for the rest of the 2025 season?
That depends on their ability to self-correct.
The Bears have won seven of their last eight games after starting the season 0-2, using five fourth-quarter comebacks — tied for the league lead with the Denver Broncos — to keep winning in the first years of head coach Ben Johnson. In many of their comebacks, though, they had opportunities to put the game away sooner and failed to capitalize due to stagnant offense, leaky defense, busted special teams or some combo of the three.
Now, the Bears will face a difficult road to winning the division, even if they manage to fix their own mistakes. They will face the Packers twice, the Lions — who throttled them 52-21 in Week 2 — once and three teams with winning records in the next seven weeks.
Clamping down on their lapses and self-inflicted errors could help them reach their destination, though.
Packers Must Avoid Falling Back into Recent Slump
Speaking of internal issues, the Packers still have some of their own to address despite last week’s win, as they prepare to host the Vikings at Lambeau Field this weekend.
The Packers have withstood a few hits to their Super Bowl ambitions throughout the month of November, losing to the Carolina Panthers (6-5) and the reigning champion Eagles. And while they did rebound with a win over the Giants last Sunday, they needed a fourth-quarter touchdown to squeeze out a victory over the lowly two-win squad.
Fortunately for them, the Packers can still be who many thought they were at the start of the regular season. The talent is there, but the execution — including in terms of head coach Matt LaFleur’s sometimes questionable play-calling — has floundered in critical moments too often for a team that went all-in in 2025 (see: the Micah Parsons trade).
The Packers can keep things going at 1 p.m. ET Sunday when the Vikings come to town.
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