Typically, the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears have played their first of two annual matchups in a season before the middle of November. However, that is not the case this year.
On Sunday, for just the fourth time since 1983, the first of the two regular-season contests between the Vikings and Bears will take place after November 22nd. The latest Minnesota and Chicago have faced off for the first time in a season actually happened in 2021, when the two teams didn't play one another until December 20th.
So, maybe playing the Bears later in the year is actually becoming the norm now? Regardless, Minnesota hasn't lost a game in Chicago during Kevin O'Connell's tenure as the team's head coach, so the Vikings will be looking to keep that undefeated record intact this weekend.
How to watch the Minnesota Vikings in Week 12 against the Chicago Bears
How to Watch Vikings at Bears on Local TV
According to the graphic below from 506Sports.com, this week's Vikings and Bears game will be televised by the local FOX affiliates for those who reside in the areas on the map that are shaded blue.
If you live in an area that's shaded blue on the map below, Sunday's game between the Vikings and Bears will be broadcast on your local FOX affiliate
— The Viking Age (@TheVikingAge) November 22, 2024
(📷 via https://t.co/ouLRCufw8t) pic.twitter.com/azCT0PcSfH
Inside the TV booth, Kevin Kugler (play-by-play) and former NFL player Daryl Johnston (color analyst) will be calling the action between Minnesota and Chicago on Sunday, while Laura Okmin is on duty as the sideline reporter for the matchup.
How to Stream Vikings at Bears without Cable
This week's NFC North battle between the Vikings and Bears will also be available on multiple streaming platforms, including YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, and FuboTV.
If subscribers have a streaming package that includes their local FOX channel and they are residents of one of the local markets where the game is being televised (from the graphic above), then they will be able to watch the Week 12 matchup.
For those who don't live in one of the local markets where the game is available on FOX, the Week 12 contest between Minnesota and Chicago can be viewed by purchasing NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube or YouTube TV.
Vikings at Bears Game Details
Location: Soldier Field
Kickoff Time: 12:00 p.m. CST
All-time Series Record: Vikings lead 66-58-2
Ever since their very first season as a franchise, the Vikings have been facing the Bears every year. The matchups typically don't feature a ton of points, and instead, they just provide more evidence for why the NFC North is known to some as the "Black and Blue" division.
Most recently, Minnesota has been able to get the best of Chicago, as the Vikings have come out with a victory in five of their previous six matchups against the Bears. Last season's Week 12 loss to Chicago was actually the first suffered by Minnesota in the NFC North rivalry since Week 15 of the 2020 season.