The Green Bay Packers look to further establish their hold on the NFC North. To do that, they must defeat the archrival Chicago Bears Thanksgiving night on NBC.
Bears vs. Packers 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online Thanksgiving Day
The Packers plan to retire Brett Favre’s No. 4 during the game.
Traditionally, only the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys hosted games on Thanksgiving. However, the NFL added a third game recently that rotates between teams. The Packers will retire Brett Favre’s No. 4 Thursday night, making them the obvious choice for the late game. Favre will be on hand for the number retirement ceremony, as will Green Bay great and NFL Hall of Famer Bart Starr.
After a three-game losing steak, the Packers finally got back into the win column with a 30-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The game wasn’t a pretty affair, as quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed less than 50 percent of his throws. Part of the trouble came from receivers dropping passes, as the usually sure-handed Randall Cobb let two catchable balls fall through his hands, likely costing Green Bay points in the process.
However, the offense did manage to generate big gains in the ground game for the first time in many weeks. Running back Eddie Lacy rebounded from getting benched a week ago to register his first 100-yard game of the season. Minnesota could do little to slow down Lacy once he started moving forward down the field, with the third-year back breaking tackles and gaining the vast majority of his yards after contact. Lacy still has room to improve, but it appears he has reclaimed the starting job in Green Bay.
Meanwhile, the Packers’ defense rediscovered its pass rush. The unit went three games without a sack, but managed to take down Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater an impressive six times. Interior defensive lineman Datone Jones spent a significant portion of his snaps playing at outside linebacker, and registered two sacks from that spot. The defense also had a strong showing against the run, as superstar running back Adrian Peterson, just a week removed from a 200-yard performance, gained only 45 yards against it. Without the strong defensive effort, the Packers likely do not emerge victorious.
Elsewhere on Sunday, the Bears struggled to produce any semblance of an offensive attack against the mighty Denver Broncos defense. Quarterback Jay Cutler, in the midst of one of the better years of his career, completed just 56.3 percent of his passes. It didn’t help Cutler that Chicago’s two best offensive weapons -- wideout Alshon Jeffery and tailback Matt Forte -- were inactive for the game. With Jeffery out, Marquess Wilson assumed the role of No. 1 wideout, producing the first 100-yard game of his career as a result. Meanwhile, tailback Jeremy Langford struggled to get much going on the ground, finishing with just 25 yards on 13 carries, a clip of just 1.9.
Conversely, Chicago’s defense continued its recent trend of strong play. With Brock Osweiler assuming quarterback duties for Denver, the Bears yielded just 17 points, right in line with their 17.3 point average since the team’s Week 7 bye. Chicago’s pass rush looked particularly potent, with defenders reaching home on Osweiler five times throughout the afternoon.
But on Thanksgiving night, they face a stiffer test against Rodgers and Packers in this heated -- or frigid, in the case of Lambeau Field in November -- NFC North rivalry.
How to watch
When: 8:30 p.m. ET
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay
TV: NBC
Commentators: Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
Online: NBC Sports
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