ESPN and its Monday Night Football crew sure know how to line up the games. Following a wacky Sunday slate yesterday, NFL fans tonight will be treated to one of the best rivalry matchups the NFL can muster. The Chicago Bears travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers on MNF tonight at 8:40 EST / 5:40 PST. Although the 5-2 Green Bay Packers are favored over the 4-3 Bears, these rivalries can always go sideways. Even if tonight’s NFC North showdown doesn’t stray from its historical script, you’ll still want to watch Monday Night Football online using one of several different methods.
This MNF rivalry game cannot be understated. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers last week said “this is the game of the year,” and said that it’s not just the fans that look forward to this one, but the players as well. With that said, he did admit that there isn’t “the intense hatred” between the Bears and Packers from years past. But he was saying that from the winner’s seat. The Packers have won three in a row against the Chicago Bears, and they seem to have the Bears’ number even farther back.
From 1994 to 2003, Packers QB Brett Favre went 18-2 against the Bears. Incredibly, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has been even better, racking up an 8-2 regular-season record against the Bears heading into tonight’s live MNF game. Going into this latest Bears-Packers game, Rodgers has led his team with the NFL’s fifth-ranked passing game, second-ranked offense and a #6 QBR according to ESPN. Is it safe to assume that tonight’s surely high-scoring game is going to fall in Rodgers’ lap?
Nope. Rodgers’ only two losses to the Bears both came on Monday Night Football. Those losses took place years ago, in 2008 and 2010, and they came at Soldier Field rather than Lambeau Field, but they’re worth noting as you prepare to watch Monday Night Football online free or on ESPN. The Bears this season only have the NFL’s 26th-ranked defense, giving up 391 yards per game and 273 from the air, but while that bodes well for Rodgers, his Bears QB counterpart may have a decent game as well.
It isn’t proper to compare the annual stats between these two teams, because Bears QB Josh McCown will start tonight in the place of injured Jay Cutler. So, the Bears’ having 14th-ranked passing game and 10th-ranked offense are somewhat moot points. However, the last time McCown started against the Packers, in a Christmas 2011 game at Lambeau Field, he threw a couple of interceptions and was new to the offense. This year he reportedly knows the Bears offense almost as well as Cutler, so while he doesn’t have Cutler’s arm strength, he should hold his own against the Green Bay Packers and their ninth-ranked defense.
You can watch Monday Night Football online on DirecTV’s website if you have the NFL Sunday Ticket Package. Although the package itself requires a subscription, anyone can watch the live streaming version free if they have it. You should also be able to watch MNF live tonight on the Watch ESPN app on Xbox 360. Kickoff for Monday Night Football on ESPN is scheduled for 8:40 EST / 5:40 PST. You’d better believe both the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears will be ready to roll in this classic upper-midwest showdown.