Chicago Bears fans have had the chance to enjoy a few stress-free football over the last few Sundays, and they get another one this week. The Bears are enjoying some well-earned rest and recovery during their bye week, meaning they won't return to the field again until November 22nd, when they welcome the New Orleans Saints to town.
It's been a grind for the Bears, but they're taking every punch and delivering an even better counterstrike. At 7-2, Chicago is back on top of the NFC North for the first time since Week 1 after winning four straight games, with three of them coming in prime-time windows. Their most recent victory had its challenges with five offensive turnovers, but the Bears got the job done with a heart-racing 27-24 win over the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers last Sunday night.
This week, Bears fans don't need to worry about their team and can focus on the rest of the league. And with playoff seeding taking shape, the rest of the NFC will be interesting to watch. Here are three games to watch this Sunday while the Bears are off.
1. Vikings at Packers
- Noon CT, FOX/FOX One
This NFC North clash was already going to be a highlight no matter what, but the drama intensified this week at the NFL trade deadline. The Minnesota Vikings brought back quarterback Kirk Cousins in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, who is set to make his first start in the purple and gold nearly three full years later in the same place he suffered a torn Achilles against the Green Bay Packers. And they're jockeying for position in the highly competitive NFC North. You can't script it better.
The Packers (6-3) are as hot as any team in the league after they throttled the New England Patriots 45-27. They're looking for revenge against the Vikings (6-2), who beat them in Week 1 and started the year winning six straight before dropping their last two, primarily due to an inept offense. Can Cousins be the missing piece, or will Green Bay continue their surge? This game won't mean much to the Bears' division odds either way, but it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
2. Panthers at Saints
- Noon CT, FOX/FOX One
Bears fans can get a closer look at what their upcoming opponent will look like when the Saints host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The Saints (3-5) are still very much alive for the NFC South division title after narrowly defeating the Cleveland Browns 23-22 in overtime. A renewed running game led by Audric Estime was the difference for the Saints, who finally got their offense going against a stingy Browns defense.
Meanwhile, Carolina (3-5) still technically leads the division despite dropping three straight games. The Panthers struggled to stop the Denver Broncos last week, losing 26-21 on a failed comeback bid. They need to stop the bleeding and get a win inside the division to maintain their lead. And this could be somewhat of a shootout between Tyler Shough and Bryce Young, making for an entertaining game through the air.
3. Seahawks at Raiders
- 3:05 p.m. CT, CBS/Paramount+
Rookie quarterback debuts are always intriguing, and we're set to see the 2026 first-overall pick make his first start against one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Las Vegas Raiders will welcome the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks to town, where quarterback Fernando Mendoza will make his first-ever start for the silver and black.
The Raiders (4-5) were having an adequate season behind Cousins at quarterback but opted to send him back to the Vikings at the trade deadline, kickstarting Mendoza's clock. The first-overall pick has played sparingly in mop-up duty but hasn't started a consequential game since the College Football Playoff national championship game in January. He'll be tested by fire against the Seahawks (5-4), who are looking to keep pace in the NFC playoff picture. We'll see if Mendoza can have a debut for the ages, or if he surrenders to the "Dark Side" Seahawks defense.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 3 NFL games to watch during Bears' bye week
