Bear Digest

2025 Chicago Bears' schedule watchability index—11 games you can’t miss and 6 you (maybe) can

Alan Goldsher

2025 NFL season, here we come...
2025 NFL season, here we come... / Dennis Wierzbicki-Imagn Images

Some of us, when the NFL schedule drops, start planning out our fall and winter calendars, to the tune of…

  • “How I can get out of Uncle Bill’s annual first-Sunday-of-November party.”
  • Or, “Is another apple picking trip really necessary?”
  • Or, “Hope I have the energy and wherewithal to start doing my Sunday work at midnight.”

...because we all want to be available to watch the NFL games of our choice without some silly social event or job responsibility mucking things up. But life does get in the way, so sometimes we have to make some tough choices: Family or football.

Fortunately for Bears fans, there are a few weeks in what should be a fascinating 2025 season that you might be able to skip a game without falling behind the Chicago curve. Hopefully this nifty little list—which includes a Level of Watchability score concocted not by an algorithm, but rather by This Guy—will help you pick which weekend you can take a pass on Caleb Williams in order to take that visit the local pumpkin patch.

Week 10 

New York Giants 

Date: Sunday, November 9, 2025 

Stadium: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL 

Kickoff: 12:00 PM CT 

TV: FOX 

The Scoop: A friendly reminder that the Giants have topped .500 in just two of the last ten years. Oh, and their likely starting QB, Russell Wilson, is 58-years-old. Maybe 59.

Level of Watchability: 1.7

Week 7 

New Orleans Saints 

Date: Sunday, October 19, 2025 

Stadium: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL 

Kickoff: 12:00 PM CT 

TV: FOX 

The Scoop: This is Chicago’s first game after their eagerly-awaited Monday night tete-a-tete with the Washington Commanders. A short week and an uninspiring opponent doth not Must See TV make.

Level of Watchability: 2.0

Week 4 

at Las Vegas Raiders 

Date: Sunday, September 28, 2025 

Stadium: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV 

Kickoff: 3:25 PM CT 

TV: CBS 

The Scoop: The 2025 Raiders will, in a word, stink. But we still kinda have to check out Ashton Jeanty.

Level of Watchability:  3.1

Week 12 

Pittsburgh Steelers 

Date: Sunday, November 23, 2025 

Stadium: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL 

Kickoff: 12:00 PM CT 

TV: CBS 

The Scoop: Who will be throwing to DK Metcalf? Mason Rudolph? Aaron Rodgers? Terry Bradshaw? Either way…ugh.

Level of Watchability: 3.2

Week 15 

Cleveland Browns 

Date: Sunday, December 14, 2025 

Stadium: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL 

Kickoff: 12:00 PM CT 

TV: FOX 

The Scoop: If the Bears' defensive front is even slightly above average, it might be fun to tune in for some rookie quarterback abuse. If not, this’ll be a rando mid-December game against a rando franchise.

Level of Watchability: 3.9

Week 17 

at San Francisco 49ers 

Date: Sunday, December 28, 2025 

Stadium: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA 

Kickoff: 7:20 PM CT 

TV: NBC 

The Scoop: What with Christian McCaffrey’s injury history, I’d never schedule the Niners for a late-season nationally-televised game. Never.

Level of Watchability: 4.4

Week 3 

Dallas Cowboys 

Date: Sunday, September 21, 2025 

Stadium: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL 

Kickoff: 3:25 PM CT 

TV: FOX 

The Scoop: FWIW, September 21 is the author of this article’s birthday, so hopefully Caleb Williams will gift him six touchdowns. And a chocolate layer cake from Sweet Mandy B's.

Level of Watchability: 5.5

Week 11 

at Minnesota Vikings 

Date: Sunday, November 16, 2025 

Stadium: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN 

Kickoff: 12:00 PM CT 

TV: FOX

The Scoop: Yeah, it’s a divisional game, and every divisional game is worth your time, but if rookie QB J.J. McCarthy blows, we might be looking at a 20-3 snoozefest.

Level of Watchability: 5.7

Week 9 

at Cincinnati Bengals 

Date: Sunday, November 2, 2025 

Stadium: Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, OH 

Kickoff: 12:00 PM CT 

TV: CBS 

The Scoop: If these teams’ respective offenses overachieve and their defenses underachieve, this rumble could generate 90-plus points. Whether or not that’s watchable is in the eye of the watcher.

Level of Watchability: 6.6

Week 1 

Minnesota Vikings 

Date: Monday, September 8, 2025 

Stadium: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL 

Kickoff: 7:15 PM CT 

TV: ABC/ESPN 

The Scoop: On one hand, a Monday Night opener is the pinnacle of awesomeness. On another hand, it should’ve been Detroit.

Level of Watchability: 7.0

Week 8 

at Baltimore Ravens 

Date: Sunday, October 26, 2025 

Stadium: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD 

Kickoff: 12:00 PM CT 

TV: CBS 

The Scoop: This mid-season roadie will give us an idea of how the Bears stack up against the league’s elite. Because, let’s be honest, kids—Minnesota isn’t elite.

Level of Watchability: 7.6

Week 13 

at Philadelphia Eagles 

Date: Friday, November 28, 2025 

Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA 

Kickoff: 2:00 PM CT 

TV: Prime Video 

The Scoop: The only reason this isn’t higher up on the list is that taking on the defending champs on a short week—and potentially dealing with a Thanksgiving turkey hangover—could make for an ugly Black Friday afternoon.

Level of Watchability: 7.9

Week 14 

at Green Bay Packers 

Date: Sunday, December 7, 2025 

Stadium: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI 

Kickoff: 12:00 PM CT 

TV: FOX 

The Scoop: The yearly Lambeau sojourn is unmissable. But not quite as unmissable as the Pack’s yearly Soldier Field sojourn.

Level of Watchability: 8.2

Week 6 

at Washington Commanders 

Date: Monday, October 13, 2025 

Stadium: Northwest Stadium, Washington, D.C. 

Kickoff: 7:15 PM CT 

TV: ABC/ESPN 

The Scoop: Is this the second iteration of Brady vs. Manning 2.0? Or is it more about revenge for last year’s Hail Jayden? It’s all of the above, actually, and it could be the most compelling Monday night game of the season.

Level of Watchability: 9.0

Week 16 

Green Bay Packers 

Date: Saturday, December 20, 2025 

Stadium: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL 

Kickoff: TBD 

TV: FOX 

The Scoop: A cheesehead beatdown would be the best Christmas gift a Bears fan could ever hope for.

Level of Watchability: 9.2

Week 18 

Detroit Lions 

Date: TBD 

Stadium: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL 

Kickoff: TBD 

TV: TBD 

The Scoop: On the season closer, the NFC North might still be up for grabs, plus Ben Johnson gets to face his old team of the first time on home turf. Yes, please, thank you.

Level of Watchability: 9.9

Week 2 

at Detroit Lions 

Date: Sunday, September 14, 2025 

Stadium: Ford Field, Detroit, MI 

Kickoff: 12:00 PM CT 

TV: FOX 

The Scoop: As mentioned previously, why Johnson’s first trip to his old digs isn’t the opening day game is beyond me. That fact that this 100% can’t-misser isn’t a national broadcast is simply a crime against football.

Level of Watchability: 10.0

Published |Modified
Alan Goldsher
ALAN GOLDSHER

Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.

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