The Chicago Bears won’t have a marquee time slot when they take on the struggling Green Bay Packers in Week 5’s first rivalry matchup of the 2026 season.
The NFL has officially announced that it has flexed the Bears’ upcoming matchup with the Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 5 from 4:25 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET, a disappointing time-slot downgrade likely motivated by the recent troubles for both teams.
The Bears are 2-1 on the season after third-string veteran quarterback Case Keenum routed the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, but the latest update on starting quarterback Caleb Williams — the bigger audience draw from the NFL’s perspective — and his hamstring injury suggests that he won’t be ready in time for Week 5.
Meanwhile, the Packers are 1-2 after an embarrassing 35-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football and are searching for answers to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive. They are also unlikely to have Micah Parsons back before then.
Instead, the NFL has bumped the San Francisco 49ers (3-0) at the Seattle Seahawks (2-1) into the Bears’ previous slot at 4:25 p.m. ET and made it FOX’s marquee matchup.
Bears News: Caleb Williams in Doubt for Packers in Week 5
The Bears had thought they might have Williams — the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 — available again in time for their Week 5 matchup with the Packers, but that appears unlikely following ESPN’s Adam Schefter’s new report about the situation.
Per Schefter, Williams is dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain that will expectedly hold him out for three to four weeks from when he first sustained the injury on September 20. At the earliest, that timeline would put Williams back in Week 6.
The Bears did indirectly indicate they are optimistic about Williams’ swift return when they declined to place him on injured reserve — which mandates a four-game absence — before Week 3’s win over the Eagles, but ready by Week 5 seems a long shot.
Now, that does not mean it is impossible that Williams could return in time to play the Packers. The Bears are likely to show an abundance of caution with his return, though — especially if they continue to win with backup Case Keenum (or Tyson Bagent).
Micah Parsons Won’t Practice for Packers in Week 5
The NFL tries to think about which players might draw audiences when it sets its schedule and considers its flex options. Williams — the cover athlete on EA’s Madden 27 — is one such crowd-drawer, but so too is Parsons, the Packers’ All-Pro pass rusher.
At this stage, though, it seems highly unlikely either will play in Week 5’s matchup.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Monday, September 28, that Parsons will not practice and the team will not open his window to return from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list in Week 4, a decision that suggests he won’t play Week 5.
Parsons is still working back from the ACL tear that he sustained in December 2025 and expressed hesitance in the offseason about returning to play at the earliest possible opportunity, so it is not exactly surprising that the Packers are taking things slowly.
In the league’s eyes, though, the Packers are a less attractive watch without Parsons and with their offensive line struggling so badly that quarterback Jordan Love is completing just north of 52% of his passes through the first three games of the season.
Time will tell if the Packers can right the ship before “it’s early” turns to “it’s too late.”
NFL Announces Disappointing News on Bears-Packers Game in Week 5