A whole lot will be on the line come Sunday as the Chicago Bears travel north to face their biggest rivals: the Green Bay Packers.
The Bears have continued to gain momentum since snapping an 11-game losing streak and ending the 2024 regular season with a win at Green Bay. Heading into the matchup with the Packers at Lambeau Field, they have the NFC’s best record and carry five wins in a row.
When the teams go head-to-head on Sunday, it’ll actually be the first of two meetings in the span of 14 days.
If you’re thinking about tuning in, here’s what you need to know:
What time is the Bears-Packers game?
The official start time for the game is at 3:25 p.m. CT.
What channel will the game be on?
The game will air on Fox and will stream on NFL+ (for the Chicago area only).
For those who’d prefer to listen to the game, it can be found on ESPN Chicago (1000 AM, 100.3 FM HD2), with 93.5 FM airing it in Spanish.
Team injuries
In what was a tough blow for the team, the Bears ruled out top receiver Rome Odunze because of a lingering foot injury.
Odunze did not practice this week. His foot has been bothering him since October, and the team had been managing the injury by having him sit out at least one practice per week.
Linebacker T.J. Edwards is poised to make a return after missing the past four games because of hand and hamstring injuries. He was a full participant in practice on Friday after being limited earlier in the week.
At least two other Bears won’t be playing, along with five Packers.
Out for Sunday
Chicago
- LB Ruben Hyppolite II (shoulder)
- WR Rome Odunze (foot)
- DB Tyrique Stevenson (hip)
Green Bay
- RB MarShawn Lloyd (calf)
- DL Collin Oliver (hamstring)
- DL Lukas Van Ness (foot)
- WR Savion Williams (foot)
- DL Devonte Wyatt (ankle)
Both teams feeling positive
Earlier this week, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said what the team has been able to accomplish this year has “given us extreme confidence.”
“And then, for myself, being a part of something that, everybody knows the stats of the Bears going up there before last year, it wasn’t the best,” he stated. “And so being able to be a part of that (win), being able to contribute to that, provides confidence for myself, and I’m going to exude that to the other guys.”
Chicago hasn’t had a winning season since 2018, but the Bears’ emergence doesn’t surprise Packers safety Xavier McKinney.
McKinney was impressed with the creativity new Bears coach Ben Johnson showed as Detroit’s offensive coordinator when the Lions swept the Packers last season.
“I knew they were going to be good,” McKinney said. “Especially whenever they ended up getting Ben Johnson, I was, ‘OK, they’re going to be a problem this year.’”
The Packers also are feeling good about themselves. They’ve won three straight and are eager to regain control of this rivalry.
“I feel like our team knows that we control our destiny at this point,” Packers safety Evan Williams said. “There’s a lot that’s to be said about the Bears and how they’re doing right now. They’ve put together a hell of a season. But at the end of the day, I feel like we all understand if we go out there, put our best foot forward and play our best ball, that we don’t feel there’s a team that can hang with us.”
What’s next for the Bears
The two teams will play again on Saturday, Dec. 20. Kickoff is slated for 7:20 p.m. CT for that game.
Here are the other remaining games:
Sunday, Dec. 14: vs. Cleveland 12 p.m. (Fox)
Sunday, Dec. 28: at San Francisco 7:20 p.m. (NBC)
TBD Week 18: vs. Detroit TBD
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