Bears vs. Packers Time Changed on Week 5 of 2026 NFL Schedule amid Caleb Williams Injury

This season's Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers matchup was scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 11, but that game has now been moved to 1 p.m.

Jonathan Jones of The Athletic provided more information.

Folks can make educated guesses why the Bears and Packers were flexed out of Fox's featured national game of the week, despite forming the league's most storied and heated rivalry.

For starters, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, who is dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring injury, has a reported three to four-week injury timeline dating back to Sept. 20, when he initially suffered the ailment in a 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He appears likely to miss this game.

In addition, the 1-2 Packers have not started the season well and are coming off an ugly 35-14 home loss to the previously winless Atlanta Falcons. Green Bay lost 39-22 to Minnesota to start the season and squeaked by the New York Jets, 20-17 in overtime, in Week 2.

The 2-1 Bears have done their part as a competitive and watchable team. They've enjoyed a mostly strong start to the season, beginning the 2026 campaign with a 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers.

The defensive rock fight with the Minnesota Vikings followed, but then third-string quarterback Case Keenum enjoyed a phenomenal performance (247 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, one rushing score) in a 27-7 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday evening.

Still, given the Packers' early performance and a star in Williams' absence, one can surmise that the undefeated San Francisco 49ers taking on the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks offers more appeal to NFL fans right now, which is why it moved to FOX's America's Game of the Week.

San Francisco is one of the NFL's five remaining undefeated teams. Brock Purdy is an early NFL MVP candidate, and the 49ers have scored the second-most points in football (98).

The 2-1 Seahawks just lost a tough 33-31 road game to the previously winless Washington Commanders, but they are loaded with talent from last year's Super Bowl team and should still be strong playoff contenders this season.