NFL Flexes Bears-Packers Out of Prime Slot, Hands Seahawks-49ers the Week 5 Spotlight

The NFL announced Tuesday, September 29, that it's flexing the Week 5 matchup between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers out of its original 4:25 p.m. ET window. The game, set for Sunday, October 11 at Lambeau Field, now kicks off at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT), according to the Green Bay Packers' own team website. It stays on FOX. No other Week 5 games were affected, according to CBS Sports and fbschedules.

Filling the vacated marquee slot: the 3-0 San Francisco 49ers at the 2-1 Seattle Seahawks, the reigning Super Bowl champions. CBS Sports reports San Francisco enters Week 4 as the NFL's second-highest-scoring team at 32.7 points per game, facing a Seahawks defense that has allowed the fewest yards per game through three weeks. NFL insider Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team confirmed the swap on X, as reported by Clutch Points.

Why the NFL made the call

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is unlikely to play, and the Packers have been bad. This is the first flex move of the 2026 season, according to CBS Sports.

Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in 2024 and the cover athlete for EA's Madden 27, suffered a hamstring injury on September 20. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported it's a Grade 2 strain expected to sideline him three to four weeks from the injury date, according to Heavy. That timeline puts his realistic return at Week 6, not Week 5. The Bears notably declined to place Williams on injured reserve, which would have forced a mandatory four-game absence, a signal the team hasn't given up on an earlier comeback even if it looks unlikely now.

In Williams' absence, third-string quarterback Case Keenum, 38, has stepped in. He threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns and added a rushing score in a 27-7 Monday Night Football win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field, improving Chicago to 2-1. Backup Tyson Bagent remains the other option if Keenum falters.

Green Bay is 1-2 after a 35-14 blowout loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football in Week 3, per Heavy. The Packers' lone win came in overtime against the New York Jets. Newsweek's account, describing the Packers only as "underwhelming" with a single OT win, leaves out the Falcons loss and the current 1-2 record that Heavy and Clutch Points both report, making Newsweek's framing of Green Bay's struggles noticeably thinner than the fuller picture from other outlets.

Green Bay is also unlikely to have All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons back for Week 5. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Monday, September 28, that Parsons will not practice in Week 4 and the team won't open his window to return from the physically unable to perform list, according to Heavy. Parsons is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in December 2025.

A rivalry that usually doesn't get bumped

CBS Sports notes the Bears and Packers played three times last season, including the playoffs, and every one of those games got a national audience: a 4:25 p.m. ET Week 14 kickoff on FOX, a Saturday night Week 16 game on FOX, and a Saturday night playoff matchup streamed on Prime Video. This time, with the starting quarterback and All-Pro pass rusher both out and one team reeling, the league decided the rivalry alone wasn't enough to hold the premium window.

What's next

Chicago hosts the New York Jets this Sunday before traveling to Green Bay. The Packers host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. The full Week 5 slate, per fbschedules, also includes Philadelphia-Jacksonville in London at 9:30 a.m. ET and Baltimore-Atlanta as the Sunday night game on NBC/Peacock.

Whether Williams actually returns for Week 6 as Schefter's timeline suggests remains uncertain, or whether Chicago keeps riding Keenum if the veteran keeps producing. Parsons' path back from PUP is similarly unresolved, with LaFleur's Monday comments suggesting Green Bay isn't rushing him regardless of the Packers' record.