The Green Bay Packers' regular season finale against the Chicago Bears on New Year's Eve is moving to prime time.
As part of the NFL's flexible scheduling, the league has selected the Dec. 31 Packers-Bears game for the 7:15 p.m. (CT) kickoff on NBC at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Other Dec. 31 games changing kickoff times as part of flexible scheduling include Atlanta at Philadelphia, Buffalo at Baltimore, and Miami at Indianapolis, all of which will begin at 3:15 p.m. (CT).
While the Bears (13-2) have the NFC's top seed and home-field advantage secured throughout the playoffs, the Packers (7-8) may have their playoff hopes in the balance on Sunday night.
Among the several scenarios that could put the Packers in the playoffs, the most likely involve the New York Giants losing to the Washington Redskins on Dec. 30 and the Packers beating the Bears the next night, plus ONE of the following three pieces of help:
A St. Louis Rams loss to the Minnesota Vikings;
A Carolina Panthers victory over the New Orleans Saints; OR
An Atlanta Falcons victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
It is still possible for the Packers to qualify for the playoffs if the Giants beat the Redskins, but it would be mathematically unlikely for Green Bay to win the "strength of victory" tiebreaker over New York in that scenario.
Under no circumstances can the Packers qualify for the playoffs with a loss to the Bears.
Sunday night's game, with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden and sideline reporter Andrea Kremer, will be Green Bay's first game on NBC since playing the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII in January of 1998.
