NFL makes flex scheduling move for Week 5: Bears-Packers gets bumped out of prime afternoon slot
The NFL just changed the kickoff time for the Bears-Packers game in Week 5
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For the first time this season, the NFL is using its flex scheduling powers.
The league has announced that the Week 5 game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers is being bumped out of its late afternoon time slot on Oct. 11. The NFC North battle in Green Bay was originally supposed to kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox, but the game has now been moved to 1 p.m. ET. It will stay on Fox.
No other games on the Week 5 schedule will be impacted by the move. Fox has the national doubleheader in Week 5, and when the schedule came out back in May, there were three games scheduled to kick off in the 4:25 p.m. ET window:
With Bears-Packers being moved to 1 p.m. ET, the 49ers-Seahawks matchup is now expected to become Fox's main game in the 4:25 p.m. ET slot.
Last season, the Bears and Packers played three times, including the playoffs, and all three games were shown to a national audience. The first meeting in Week 14 was a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff on Fox. The second meeting was a Saturday night game on Fox in Week 16. In the playoffs, they faced off in another Saturday night game, but this time streamed on Prime.
It's not a rivalry that would usually get bumped out of a prime slot, but the move here does make sense. With Caleb Williams out, the Bears will enter Week 5 with a backup quarterback under center — either Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum — and then you have the Packers, who have been struggling. Moving the game to 1 p.m. ET puts a national spotlight on the 49ers-Seahawks showdown in Seattle.
Heading into Week 4, the 49ers are the second-highest-scoring team in the NFL with an average of 32.7 points per game, and they'll be facing a Seahawks defense that has given up the fewest yards per game through three weeks.
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