The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears are scheduled to meet in Chicago in an early NFC North contest, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 20 at Soldier Field. Kickoff is listed for 1 p.m. ET, or 10 a.m. PT, and the television broadcast is set for FOX.
Both teams enter the matchup at 1-0, making this more than a routine early-season game. It is a division meeting, so the result becomes part of the head-to-head picture that can matter when teams are separated by little else later in the season. That does not decide a division in September, of course, but it gives the winner an immediate edge in one of its direct rivalries.
For people planning to watch online rather than through a conventional cable or satellite package, Sling Blue is presented as the relevant Sling TV plan because it carries FOX. The stated monthly price is $54.99, subject to local-market and plan-availability considerations.
The essential viewing information
- Matchup: Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 20
- Venue: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Start time: 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
- TV network: FOX
- Streaming plan highlighted: Sling Blue
The shortest version is simple: viewers who receive the appropriate local FOX feed through Sling Blue can use the service to watch the game live. The important qualifier is “appropriate local feed.” Live local-network access is tied to a viewer’s market, so a channel included in a plan description is not a universal guarantee that every customer in every location will receive the same affiliate or programming.
Why the local-market check matters
Streaming-TV packages are often described by their broad channel lineups, but local broadcast stations work differently from nationwide cable networks. FOX is the network carrying this game, yet its availability through a live-TV provider can depend on where the account is used. The same caveat applies to some other local broadcast networks offered through Sling Blue, including ABC and NBC in select markets.
Before relying on a subscription for a particular kickoff, prospective viewers should verify two practical points: whether FOX is available at their address and whether the listed plan price applies in their market. These checks are especially worthwhile for a live sports event because there is no meaningful substitute for discovering a missing local station after the game has begun.
This is also a useful distinction between a network and a channel package. FOX is the broadcaster of the scheduled game; Sling Blue is the internet-delivered bundle that may provide access to that broadcaster. Buying the bundle is not the same thing as every FOX program being available everywhere. Market rules and channel availability remain part of the decision.
What Sling Blue is said to include
At the stated $54.99-per-month price, Sling Blue includes FOX for this Vikings-Bears broadcast where available. Its lineup also includes more than 40 additional channels. Among those named are FOX Sports, NFL Network, TBS, TNT, USA Network, FX, Discovery Channel, CNN, Comedy Central, Food Network, HGTV, History Channel, National Geographic, SYFY, TLC, AMC, BBC America, BET, Bravo, Cartoon Network, E!, IFC, Lifetime, Nick Jr., QVC, Travel Channel and Vice.
The package also lists ABC and NBC in select markets. That wording is significant: it describes access that varies by locality rather than a blanket national promise. For an NFL viewer, the practical benefit of a broader live-TV bundle is that it can cover more than a single game window, but anyone choosing it chiefly for this specific FOX telecast should start with the local-channel lookup.
Sling Blue is also described as including access to the FOX One streaming service at no additional charge, with a stated standalone value of $19.99 per month. That bundled-access detail may be useful for households comparing the value of a live-TV plan against separate streaming services, though it does not remove the need to confirm local FOX carriage for the game itself.
Devices, streams and cloud DVR
All Sling TV plans are described as offering live television over the internet alongside on-demand movies and television shows. The listed account features include 50 hours of cloud DVR storage and up to three simultaneous streams across compatible devices, including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, laptops and web browsers.
Cloud DVR means recordings are stored through the service rather than on a physical box in the living room. The 50-hour figure is the amount of recording space included under the stated plan details. For viewers with overlapping plans, that can be more useful than it first sounds: one person can reserve a game while another uses a different device for something else, assuming the household remains within the three-stream limit.
Simultaneous streams refers to the number of devices that can play content from the same account at once. It is not the same as the number of devices that can be signed in. A household might have an account on several devices, but the three-stream limit governs concurrent viewing. That is a practical consideration for a Sunday afternoon when televisions, tablets and phones may all be in use.
Internet delivery adds another basic responsibility: viewers need a stable connection and should ensure the app or browser they intend to use is ready before kickoff. That is not a unique issue for Sling, but it is part of the live-streaming tradeoff. A service can have the desired channel while a device sign-in, app update or household stream limit still gets in the way at the least convenient moment.
The Season Pass option for broader sports coverage
For viewers looking beyond one game, Sling TV also lists a Season Pass that starts at $199.99 with five months of service paid in advance. The offer includes the Orange + Blue tier and Sling Sports Extra.
Orange + Blue is the higher combined plan referenced in the offer. Sports Extra is an add-on channel group. Together, the package is described as providing more than 60 channels for NFL games and other live sports. Named sports channels include NFL RedZone, NBA TV, NHL Network, MLB Network, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network, ESPNews and ESPNU.
The distinction matters because those channels do different jobs. NFL RedZone is a channel built around live look-ins on scoring chances and major moments across games; it is not simply another presentation of the Vikings-Bears FOX broadcast. Conference networks such as ACC Network, Big Ten Network and SEC Network have a different focus again, principally adding college-sports programming. In other words, the Season Pass is a broader viewing bundle rather than a requirement for this one FOX game.
For a person whose sole aim is Minnesota versus Chicago, the relevant question remains whether Sling Blue supplies FOX in their area. For a person trying to build out an entire autumn sports setup, the prepaid five-month package and its added networks become a more substantial comparison point. The better fit depends on whether broader league, college and multi-sport coverage will actually be used.
What is at stake in an early division matchup
The Vikings and Bears are both listed at 1-0 entering the game. Early records can change rapidly, but a divisional result carries a different kind of value from a win against a team outside the NFC North. The clubs are competing not only for overall wins, but also against the same group of division opponents over the full schedule.
That is why early divisional games tend to feel larger than their calendar position. A September result will not settle a playoff field expected in January 2027, but it can alter the immediate standings and establish a head-to-head result between two teams pursuing the same division route. The practical takeaway for fans is less about making sweeping forecasts after Week 2 and more about recognizing the matchup’s direct competitive relevance.
Football viewers who also follow physical sports collectibles may find the matchup useful context for watching the sport’s current storylines unfold alongside the hobby. For example, Topps Heritage Football’s planned 2026 return is a separate football-card development, while Sunday’s game is a live broadcast decision with entirely different access requirements.
A simple pre-kickoff checklist
- Confirm the date and 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT kickoff time for your time zone.
- Verify that FOX is available through Sling Blue at your local address.
- Review the current price shown for your market rather than assuming a nationally advertised figure is identical everywhere.
- Install or update the Sling app on the device you plan to use, or test browser sign-in ahead of time.
- Check whether other people on the account may be using streams at the same time.
- Decide whether the standard Sling Blue plan is enough or whether the prepaid Season Pass makes sense for the wider sports lineup.
Prices and channel availability can vary by local market. For this particular game, the core requirement is straightforward: a way to receive the local FOX broadcast at the scheduled kickoff time. Sling Blue is one stated route, but local availability should be confirmed before treating it as a complete solution.
