Chicago Bears’ wild-card broadcast threatened because of weather

Originally posted on ChiCitySports | By Jordan Sigler | Last updated Jan 10, 2026 3:16 PM ET

The weather could play a major role in the wild-card round this year, and might delay Chicago Bears fans from being able to watch their team begin play in its first postseason game since the 2020 season.

While the conditions for Saturday night’s game at Soldier Field between the Bears and Green Bay Packers are expected to be chilly with rain or snow, the weather in Charlotte, North Carolina could have devastating effects for NFL fans on Saturday.

Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, there is a “threat” of thunderstorms during the timeframe of the Carolina Panthers’ contest against the visiting Los Angeles Rams, set to start at 4:30 p.m. EST on FOX.

Chicago Bears fans could miss start of wild-card game

Chicago Bears fans waiting to hear the No. 10 overall pick – Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

If the game has a lightning delay, the league says they can only delay the game at Soldier Field by 10 minutes, set to begin at 8 p.m. EST on Amazon Prime and FOX on local networks in Wisconsin and Chicago.

“So there’s a chance of two playoff games going on at once, depending on whether and to what extent Rams-Panthers is delayed by Mother Nature,” Florio wrote. “Which could prompt some to utter a different phrase that begins with ‘muther.’

“Especially in Chicago and Milwaukee, where the Packers-Bears game is due to be televised on the Fox affiliate that will be broadcasting Rams-Panthers.”

Local Bears fans in Chicago without an Amazon Prime subscription could be out of luck to watch the beginning of the Bears-Packers game while the Panthers-Rams game finishes up.

The good news for Chicago fans is that the Panthers-Rams game should finish up well before the end of the contest. The fourth quarter tends to be when the “cardiac Bears” come to life anyways.

This article first appeared on ChiCitySports and was syndicated with permission.

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