Fans of the Chicago Bears have had a pretty good holiday season so far, as their team is 11-4 and the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
The latest win was over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. The game was an absolute thriller, with Chicago getting a 22-16 win with a 46-yard touchdown catch by receiver D.J. Moore.
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The Bears were down 16-6 late in the fourth quarter and rallied to force overtime and eventually get the win.
This Christmas, the NFL has three games for fans to enjoy.
The first two games of the day will be shown on Netflix, then Prime Video will host the final matchup. First up are the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders at noon, followed by the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings at 3:30.
The Lions are still in the playoff hunt at 8-7, needing to win out with the Packers losing one of their two final games and the Bears to lose out.
The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs close out the day at 7:15. The Broncos have already clinched a playoff spot, but can clinch the AFC West with a win and a Los Angeles Chargers loss.
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The Bears haven’t played on Christmas in quite some time, but they have a history of playing that day.
Chicago has played twice on Christmas in franchise history, in 2005 and 2011, with both against the Packers. In 2011, the Bears were led by former head coach Lovie Smith.
The Bears had Jay Cutler under center and Matt Forte in the backfield. Chicago lost 35-21 to Green Bay, who ended up going 15-1. However, the Packers lost to the New York Giants that season in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Chicago finished an even 8-8 and missed the playoffs altogether.
The only other Christmas game the Bears have played was in 2005, in the second year of the Smith era. That time, the Bears won 24-17 over the Packers and clinched the NFC North title.
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Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman were the quarterbacks for that team. The main cog in that offense was running back Thomas Jones, who had 1,335 rushing yards that year. Chicago ended that season at 11-5 and reached the postseason.
Unfortunately, the good vibes didn’t last long in the Windy City, as the Bears lost in the Divisional Round to the Carolina Panthers 29-21.
Who knows? Maybe we’ll see Chicago playing on Christmas in the near future.
For now, the focus is on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football.