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Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears fans cheer during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill., on Nov. 17, 2024. Michael Reaves/Getty Images
The NFL has reworked its pre-Christmas prime time doubleheader.
The league and Fox Sports announced Tuesday that they would be flexing the Dec. 20 division matchup between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers to the primetime slot. The game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders will be pushed back to the 5 p.m. slot. The change comes among a change in circumstances for all four teams as the playoffs approach.
The original schedule set by the league in the spring created a Saturday doubleheader on Fox for Week 16. The game times were listed as to-be-determined, but the Bears-Packers game was originally in the first slot, while Eagles-Commanders was in the second. All fourteamsannounced the kickoff times on their respective websites on Tuesday as well.
The move by the league indicates how much has changed from preseason expectations for all four teams.
The Bears finished last season in 4th place in the NFC North with a 5–12 record. But under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, their fortunes have completely flipped. Heading into week 14, Chicago sits at 9–3 and currently holds the top seed in the NFC playoff race.
Green Bay finished last season 11–6, good for third place in the top-heavy NFC North and the 7-seed in the playoffs. But they were bounced out by Philadelphia in the Wild Card round. As of this week, the Packers are just half a game behind Chicago at 8–3–1.
The game will have significant consequences for both teams in a division that is highly competitive once again. The two teams will square off for the first time this Sunday at Lambeau Field. With the Detroit Lions lurking on the outside of both the playoffs and the division at 7–5, both Chicago and Green Bay will need to win to fend them off and keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Eagles-Commanders game figured to be a face-off between two powerhouses of the NFC. Washington’s dramatic 36–33 comeback win in Week 16 of last year kept the Eagles from locking down the NFC East and competing for the No. 1 seed. The Commanders stunned the top-seeded Lions in the Divisional round of the playoffs; the Eagles and Commanders squared off in the Conference Championship. The Eagles ended Washington’s Cinderella run with a 55–23 thrashing en route to a win in Super Bowl LIX.
But both teams have struggled this season, for different reasons.
Last season, the Commanders had the league’s 13th ranked defense in total yards allowed per game, and were 18th in points allowed. But through 12 games this year, Washington’s defense is 31st in yards allowed and 29th in points allowed per game.
On offense, the Commanders have been without quarterback Jayden Daniels for 6 of their 12 games. Last year’s second overall pick dealt with knee and hamstring injuries this season; he is currently dealing with a dislocated elbow. Head coach Dan Quinn told reporters that Daniels has been practicing this week, but a timetable for his return is still in question.
Washington had the seventh-ranked offense in yards per game last year and the fifth-ranked offense in points per game. So far this season, the offense has dropped to 15th in yards per game and 22nd in points.
The Eagles were right behind the Commanders in both yards and points per game last season: eighth in yardage and seventh in points per game. Their defense was first in yards allowed and second in points.
This year, the defense has plummeted to 25th in yards allowed, but only dropped to 10th in points allowed through 12 games. But the offense has completely collapsed, down to 24th in yards per game and 19th in points. The downfall has drawn national attention, from wide receiver A.J. Brown repeatedly voicing complaints with his offense, to fans allegedly putting up signs near the Eagles’ home stadium calling for offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo to be fired.
Despite a lethargic offense and struggling defense, the Eagles sit at 8–4, in third place in the conference and clinging to their lead in the division ahead of the surging Dallas Cowboys. The Commanders, at 3–9, are all but eliminated from playoff contention, but could play spoiler if Philly continues to slide in the coming weeks.
John Rigolizzo is a writer from South Jersey. He previously wrote for the Daily Caller, Daily Wire, Campus Reform, and the America First Policy Institute.
