The New England Patriots are 9-2, tied for best record in the NFL. The Chicago Bears improved to 8-3 with Sunday's win over the Eagles, good for sole possession of the NFC North. So it's little surprise that on Monday the league announced that the Week 14 matchup between the Patriots and Bears has been "flexed" -- the two will now kickoff at 4:15 P.M. ET (as opposed to the original 1 P.M. start time) on Sunday, Dec. 12. The game will be shown by CBS.
↵It's the first time this season the Pats have been flexed -- during Weeks 11-17, the NFL and television networks have the option to shift the schedule of certain games.
↵The Patriots' trip to Chicago will follow their huge Week 13 Monday night game with the New York Jets while the Bears will be returning home after a trip to play the Detroit Lions.
↵New England is 7-3 all-time against Chicago, including wins in their past two meetings (2002 and 2006). The Bears got the better of the Pats in 2000, downing Drew Bledsoe and company, 24-17.