The 10-4 Chicago Bears will play the 9-4-1 Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field in a Week 16 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (7:20 p.m., Fox-32).

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5 things to watch — plus our Week 16 predictions

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams winds up to throw in the first quarter against the Packers on Dec. 7, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Saturday night’s rematch between the Bears and Packers feels like a heavyweight bout, but it also feels like a heavy weight on the Bears.

A prime-time showdown? Huge playoff implications? And a rematch against your archrival — who beat you two weeks ago? Feels like a lot of pressure for a team that a year ago finished its fourth straight losing season. Read more here.

Bears rule out WRs Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III for Saturday’s game vs. Packers
Packers believe they can thrive despite the loss of Micah Parsons: ‘We can still write our story’
Bears LB D’Marco Jackson continues his Cinderella story with NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor

Can the Bears clinch a playoff berth this week?

Fans cheer during the third quarter of the Bears-Browns game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

The playoff scenarios are getting real. With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Bears have positioned themselves well — but they haven’t clinched anything yet.

The Bears finish the season by hosting the Packers on Saturday night, visiting the 49ers in a Week 17 Sunday night game and hosting the Lions in Week 18. All three opponents are in the playoff hunt.

Here’s a look at the race for the postseason in the NFC. Read more here.

Bears ‘know what’s at stake’ in rematch: The NFC North hangs in the balance
Bears and Packers have played 211 times in the past 100 years: How the rivalry has unfolded
Bears Q&A: Why are the Packers favored on Saturday? What happens if a football hits a pigeon?
Bears offensive line and CB Nahshon Wright see strong support in Pro Bowl fan voting

Bears put Colston Loveland on the fast track — and the rookie tight end ‘just keeps learning’

Bears tight end Colston Loveland makes a reception against Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate in the first quarter on Dec. 14, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

For a player the team has said has “uncommon” or “rare” intangibles since he was drafted with the No. 10 pick in April, Colston Loveland has been pushing himself the entire way, even through an offseason in which he couldn’t do anything on the field as he recovered from January surgery to repair an AC joint injury in his right shoulder.

Entering Saturday’s game, Loveland needs one reception to break a tie with Greg Olsen for the second-most by a rookie tight end in franchise history. Read more here.

Bears QB Caleb Williams dubbed each offensive lineman an ‘Avengers’ character: Here’s who he picked
5 things we learned from the Bears, including why Caleb Williams is OK with being a little ‘arrogant’

Illinois lawmakers skeptical about Bears moving to Indiana, while Hoosier leaders tee up the football

Traffic moves along I-80/I-94 on Dec. 17, 2025, near the Indiana border in Lansing. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

Illinois lawmakers appeared unmoved by the Bears’ decision to consider building a new stadium in Indiana, expressing skepticism about the move and downplaying it as the organization’s latest attempt to gain leverage in tense negotiations.

Indiana officials, meanwhile, celebrated the idea of luring the Monsters of the Midway from their home state.

The Tribune first reported Wednesday that the team was looking at possible locations outside Cook County, including northwest Indiana, after Illinois lawmakers indicated a new Chicago-area football stadium wouldn’t be a legislative priority in 2026. Read more here.

Column: Can Bears owners find true happiness in an enclosed stadium off the Skyway?
Bears say they’re looking into building a new stadium in northwest Indiana
What to know about the Bears’ possible move from Soldier Field

About last week

Coach Ben Johnson said this past week that the Bears “desperately” needed a win against the Browns. His team took care of business Sunday at Soldier Field.

The Bears handled the Browns easily, winning 31-3 in front of 54,051 fans in one of the coldest games ever played at Soldier Field. The temperature at kickoff was 8 degrees.

The Browns offense might’ve been colder. Cleveland had only one first down in the first half and failed to find the end zone in the game. The Browns finished with just 197 total yards. Read more here.

Blowout win for Bears, who turn focus back to Packers: Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on Week 15
DJ Moore comes alive for the Bears with 2 TDs — including that ‘unbelievable’ Caleb Williams throw
3 INTs and 5 sacks ‘carried the day’ for Bears defense in a 31-3 demolition of Browns
Bear weather: Subzero temps and negative wind chills mark one of Chicago’s coldest games at Soldier Field
Brrrrr down: The coldest Bears games played at Soldier Field
NFC North roundup: Packers and Lions are losers in Week 15 — but Vikings win to ding Cowboys’ playoff hopes

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/20/chicago-bears-green-bay-packers-week-16/