NFL Saturday watch guide: Eagles at Commanders, Packers at Bears in rivalry doubleheader

Pro football on Saturday is like an orchestral score sweeping up at the movie’s two-hour mark. Things are getting serious, and big reveals are about to land.

Saturdays are awesome. Elton John knows it, as does Pete Wentz and Ludacris. The NFL understands, too, which is why it’s scheduled late-season Saturday specials since its Super Bowl era. The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 prevents the league from booking Saturday broadcasts until the second weekend of December. That window has closed, and it leads us right into the playoff push.

Two of the game’s most revered rivalries ring in this Saturday slate. The Philadelphia Eagles, loaded with star names and simmering tensions, try to clinch a division title on the Washington Commanders’ home turf. Then the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears battle atop the NFC North, each side fueled by a century-plus of uncured hatred. Here’s what viewers need to know before the kickoffs.

All times ET and all game odds via BetMGM.

NFL Saturday guide (Week 16)

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GameTimeTVStreaming

Eagles at Commanders

5 p.m.

Fox

Packers at Bears

8:20 p.m.

Fox

Fox is available over the air, and it also streams on Fox One.

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders

Eagles (9-5): What a strange 2025 for this franchise. Philadelphia lifted the Lombardi Trophy in February and opened this season at 4-0. From there came consecutive losses, then four straight wins, then three more losses. Saquon Barkley looks unrecognizable after crashing the 2,000-yard rushing club a season ago. A.J. Brown keeps dropping cryptic messages about his long-term loyalties. The NFL’s defending champions were booed off the field on Black Friday.

Yet, the Eagles can’t be counted out of any matchup. They’re fantastic in the red zone, where they boast league-best efficiency on offense and rank No. 4 on defense. The pass rush is tied for third in quarterback knockdowns. And Jalen Hurts comes off a ball-out performance last weekend:

Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown. Ya love to see it.#ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/0dcsxWVmUa

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 14, 2025

Commanders (4-10): Washington was last year’s ultimate surprise, and it finished one game short of the Super Bowl with a rookie quarterback under center. This year’s group has been done in by injuries and inconsistencies. Daniels’ sophomore slump has translated to a torrential washout. Dan Quinn and the Commanders will hit the reset button in a few weeks, but for now, they’re here to play spoiler to their enemies.

Backup Marcus Mariota fills the void while Daniels rests up for 2026. He’s 2-5 in emergency starts this season, with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. At least he has a few viable playmakers to target. Terry McLaurin is a great route runner with a quick release off the line. Deebo Samuel tracks the ball from the outside, the slot and even the backfield. Rookie rusher Jacory Croskey-Merritt has shown some burst between the tackles, too.

Broadcast: Joe Davis is on tap for play-by-play, while Greg Olsen joins for color commentary and Pam Oliver provides updates from the field. Davis is also Fox’s announcer for the World Series, so his football calls feel stately and controlled. Olsen, a former Pro Bowl tight end, boosts him with thoughtfulness and thoroughness. Oliver is the most tenured sideline reporter in the NFL.

Playoff stakes: Philadelphia hits Saturday’s action with a 2 1/2-game cushion in the NFC East. It clinches the division title, and becomes the first back-to-back NFC East winner in more than two decades, with a victory Saturday … or in Week 17 … or in Week 18.

According to Austin Mock’s postseason projector, the Eagles could even win the division if they go 0-3 down the stretch. That’s because the Dallas Cowboys (6-7-1) have to sweep their last three contests to have a chance — they host the formidable Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, then take a 2-5 road record to the Commanders and New York Giants. If they tush-push past the line, these Eagles are probably looking at the No. 3 seed in the NFC.

Rivalry record: Washington holds a narrow advantage with an 89-85-5 regular-season record, per NFL Media (which does not count the 1943 Steagles season during World War II toward that mark). But Philly has dominated the recent rounds — head coach Nick Sirianni went 6-2 versus the Commanders through the 2024 regular season. The Eagles also won last season’s NFC championship duel 55-23. Yes, this first meeting of 2025 is exceptionally late at Week 16. The rematch shifts to Lincoln Financial Field for a Week 18 regular-season closeout.

Best player to wear both jerseys: There are a lot of strong candidates here (Donovan McNabb, DeSean Jackson, Art Monk and Zach Ertz), but the winner is Hall of Fame quarterback Sonny Jurgensen. The game-changing QB played seven seasons in Philly (1957-63), then did an 11-year run in the nation’s capital (1964-74).

Eagles at Commanders odds

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears

Packers (9-4-1): The cheeseheads arrive Saturday with top-10 status in scoring offense and defense. Jordan Love (23 TDs, 6 INTs) and the Packers reside at the top of the league in third-down conversion rate. They went 8-for-12 versus the Bears in their first matchup, a 28-21 win for Green Bay in Week 14. The Packers take care of the ball (10 total giveaways through 14 games), and ball control goes even further as temperatures drops. Another good sign: Green Bay’s pass rush heads into the weekend at No. 6 in pressure rate despite having the sixth-lowest blitz rate.

It’s been a great season for the Wisconsinites, but the storm clouds are thick this week. Green Bay snapped its four-game win streak in last Sunday’s stinger against the Denver Broncos. Worse, it lost supernova edge rusher Micah Parsons to a season-ending ACL tear. Among the many starters with “questionable” injury designations for Saturday night: bruising RB Josh Jacobs (knee/ankle), rising safety Evan Williams (knee), sturdy right tackle Zach Tom (back/knee) and vertical WR Christian Watson (chest/shoulder). Watson had two touchdown grabs in that previous meeting with the Bears. Tough sledding, but Matt LaFleur is built for it. Per TruMedia, the head coach is 8-1 in road games on five or fewer rest days, fourth-best record since 2000.

Bears (10-4): With a ridiculous plus-20 turnover margin, Chicago is equipped to hang around in any climate and any game script. Ten-year pro Kevin Byard leads the league with six interceptions, and teammate Nahshon Wright is on his heels with five. Jaquan Brisker and C.J. Gardner-Johnson round out football’s most aggressive secondary. On the other end, Caleb Williams is amid the opposite of a sophomore slump (a sophomore surge, perhaps?). He was fully feeling himself after Week 15’s highlight reel:

DJ freaking Moore#ProBowlVote + @CALEBcsw #ProBowlVote + @idjmoore pic.twitter.com/aM0sZVSNhk

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 14, 2025

The Bears have one loss since the start of the November, and it came against the Packers. Chicago looked bottled up, with its longest rush at 9 yards (Kyle Monangai) and its longest reception at 27 (Luther Burden III). Both Burden (ankle) and lead wideout Rome Odunze (foot) have been ruled out for Saturday. Someone else must shake loose.

Broadcast: It’s Kevin Burkhardt on play-by-play, Tom Brady on analysis and the Erin Andrews-Tom Rinaldi duo on sideline dispatches. Burkhardt has a great “foot race!“ refrain, which we’ll hear if a big touchdown breaks off. Brady might have seven Super Bowl rings and a handful of all-time passing records, but he’s a bit giddy in the booth. Andrews has been a network staple in football and baseball since 2012; Rinaldi is a 17-time Sports Emmy Award winner.

Playoff stakes: There are enough stakes to cover Lake Michigan. The NFC North is ultra competitive, so head-to-head results mean everything right now. According to The Athletic’s model, Chicago has a 52 percent chance of winning the division, while Green Bay is at 43 percent and the Detroit Lions (8-6) claim a 5 percent sliver. If the Packers escape with a W and sweep the season series, their “King in the North” odds climb to 77 percent. A Soldier Field stumble drops that mark to 10 percent.

Each side has a chance to at least clinch a playoff spot, with a win Saturday paired with a Lions loss (or tie) to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Rivalry record: This is the single oldest feud in NFL history, dating back to 1921. It has rearranged lives and reignited passions across a century of push and pull. Green Bay is on top at 108-95-6 in the regular season, and it’s won 12 of 13 installments since LaFleur was hired. All that swells into one truly massive moment for Ben Johnson’s Bears.

Best player to wear both jerseys: These two fan bases can’t agree on much, but both sides have fond memories of Julius Peppers. The Canton honoree put up 37 1/2 sacks in four Bears seasons (2010-13), then notched 25 in three Packers campaigns (2014-16).

Packers at Bears odds

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