How To Watch the Chicago Bears in 2026 Without Cable

Sixteen of the 17 Chicago Bears games this season have a network assigned, and 12 of those are on FOX, CBS, or NBC. The other four sit behind paid streaming — two Monday night games on ESPN, a Thursday night game on Prime Video, and the Christmas game on Netflix. If you’re watching from outside Chicago, you’ll also need NFL Sunday Ticket. This guide covers both — and what each one costs.

The Bears open 2026 off their best season in years. Chicago went 11–6 in Ben Johnson’s first year, won the NFC North, beat Green Bay 31–27 in the Wild Card round, then lost 20–17 in overtime to the Rams in the Divisional round. Johnson returns for a second season.

What channels do you need to watch the Chicago Bears?

Every scheduled Chicago Bears regular season game in 2026 airs on FOX, CBS, NBC, ESPN, Prime Video, or Netflix — eight games on FOX, three on CBS, and one on NBC. The four premium games are Week 3 against Philadelphia and Week 8 at Seattle on ESPN, Week 7 against New England on Prime Video, and Week 16 against Green Bay on Netflix. Week 18 at Minnesota has not been assigned a network yet.

Two games land on holidays. The Bears play at Detroit on Thanksgiving on CBS, which is free to air, and host Green Bay on Christmas Day on Netflix, which no live TV package will get you.

Here’s the full schedule with the channel for each game.

Game (All times Central)	Opponent	Channel
Preseason Week 1: Aug. 15 at 12:00 p.m.	Cleveland Browns	FOX32 / NFL Network
Preseason Week 2: Aug. 22 at 6:00 p.m.	@ Cincinnati Bengals	FOX32
Preseason Week 3: Aug. 29 at 5:00 p.m.	@ Tennessee Titans	FOX32 / NFL Network
Week 1, Game 1: Sep. 13 at 12:00 p.m.	@ Carolina Panthers	FOX
Week 2, Game 2: Sep. 20 at 12:00 p.m.	Minnesota Vikings	FOX
Week 3, Game 3: Sep. 28 at 7:15 p.m.	Philadelphia Eagles	ESPN
Week 4, Game 4: Oct. 4 at 12:00 p.m.	New York Jets	FOX
Week 5, Game 5: Oct. 11 at 3:25 p.m.	@ Green Bay Packers	FOX
Week 6, Game 6: Oct. 18 at 12:00 p.m.	@ Atlanta Falcons	FOX
Week 7, Game 7: Oct. 22 at 7:15 p.m.	New England Patriots	Prime Video
Week 8, Game 8: Nov. 2 at 7:15 p.m.	@ Seattle Seahawks	ESPN
Week 9, Game 9: Nov. 8 at 7:20 p.m.	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	NBC
Week 10: BYE WEEK	—	—
Week 11, Game 10: Nov. 22 at 12:00 p.m.	New Orleans Saints	FOX
Week 12, Game 11: Nov. 26 at 12:00 p.m. (Thanksgiving)	@ Detroit Lions	CBS
Week 13, Game 12: Dec. 6 at 12:00 p.m.	Jacksonville Jaguars	FOX
Week 14, Game 13: Dec. 13 at 12:00 p.m.	@ Miami Dolphins	CBS
Week 15, Game 14: Dec. 19 at 7:20 p.m. (Saturday)	@ Buffalo Bills	CBS
Week 16, Game 15: Dec. 25 at 12:00 p.m. (Christmas)	Green Bay Packers	Netflix
Week 17, Game 16: Jan. 3 at 3:25 p.m.	Detroit Lions	FOX
Week 18, Game 17: Date TBD	@ Minnesota Vikings	TBD

What it costs to watch every Chicago Bears game

The Bears play four “premium” games this season — two on ESPN, one on Prime Video, and one on Netflix — and covering all four costs $147.88 for the season, or $49.96 if you subscribe and cancel around each game. Every other scheduled game is on FOX, CBS, or NBC.

Premium games are the ones whose broadcast rights have been bought by streaming platforms: Monday and Thursday night matchups, international games, and holiday matchups.

Where you’re watching	What you need	Cost for the 2026-2027 season
In the Chicago market, with cable or live TV already	ESPN Select, Prime Video, and Netflix for the four premium games — your existing service carries FOX, CBS, and NBC	$147.88 (or $49.96 subscribing and cancelling around each game)
In the Chicago market, starting from scratch	A live TV streaming service carrying local FOX, CBS, and NBC (Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, or DIRECTV Stream), plus ESPN Select, Prime Video, and Netflix	$419–$508 for the season, depending on service
Outside the Chicago market	NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube TV, plus ESPN Select, Prime Video, and Netflix	$757.83 for new subscribers $940.83 for returning subscribers

Sunday afternoon games are assigned by region, so CBS and FOX show different matchups depending on where you live. If you’re outside Chicago, your local channels will usually be carrying another team, which is why out-of-market fans need Sunday Ticket to get every Bears game.

Watching out-of-market games

The NFL makes it challenging to watch your favorite team if you don't live close to its home market. If you're a Chicago Bears fan outside Illinois, here are two ways to watch out-of-market games:

How to stream Chicago Bears games

Watching the Chicago Bears with YouTube TV

Watching the Chicago Bears with Hulu

Watching the Chicago Bears with Fubo

Watching the Chicago Bears with DIRECTV Stream

Bottom line

If you’re in the Chicago market, most of the season costs you nothing beyond the TV service you already have — 12 of the 16 scheduled games are on FOX, CBS, or NBC, including Thanksgiving. The four exceptions are Weeks 3 and 8 on ESPN, Week 7 on Prime Video, and the Christmas game on Netflix.

Outside Illinois, your local FOX and CBS affiliates will be carrying other teams most Sundays, so NFL Sunday Ticket through YouTube TV is the only way to get every game.

Week 18 at Minnesota still doesn’t have a network assigned, and the NFL can move games into prime time late in the season, so it’s worth checking back.

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