‘Kicked Us Out,’ ‘Didn’t Realize Packers Were THAT Bad’ — Bears Fans Annoyed as NFL Flexes Week 5 Rivalry Showdown

The NFL has made an early change to its Week 5 schedule, and Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers fans are not remotely happy about it.

The historic NFC North rivalry game at Lambeau Field on Oct. 11 has been moved from FOX's 4:25 p.m. ET window to 1 p.m. ET. The late-afternoon national slot will instead feature an NFC West matchup between the undefeated San Francisco 49ers and the 2-1 Seattle Seahawks .

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Green Bay has struggled out of the gate, sitting at 1-2 after a disappointing loss to the Atlanta Falcons . The Packers' offensive struggles have also made them less appealing for a national audience.

Chicago is dealing with an issue of its own. Caleb Williams is dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain and could miss three to four weeks, which means he won't suit up for this showdown.

The Bears did show they can compete without Williams, though. Case Keenum helped lead Chicago to a convincing 27-7 Monday Night Football win over the Philadelphia Eagles . Still, Williams' absence takes away one of the biggest storylines heading into the rivalry matchup.

The decision to move the game quickly caught the attention of fans and analysts on social media.

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One Bears fan summed up the surprise with a simple comment: "Didn't realize the Packers were THAT bad."

Analyst Tom Paints took a shot at Green Bay, writing, "I didn't have the Packers being so [expletive] that they kicked us out of prime time week 5."

However, NFL writer Zach Jacobson pointed to both teams when discussing the decision. "This has just as much to do with Caleb Williams more than likely missing the game as it does with the Packers being flat-out bad," Jacobson wrote.

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Analyst Michael Rodney joked about the move, saying he was "just happy the league didn't flex Packers/Bears to 5:25 a.m."

Patrick Finley also suggested that both factors likely played a role. "Guessing the Pack's struggles and Caleb Williams' uncertainty played a role in it," Finley wrote, while noting that the matchup "immediately becomes the best noon game."

Bears channel Just Another Year Chicago also highlighted Williams' injury and Green Bay's poor start as possible reasons for the move.

The earlier kickoff could also affect Bears fans attending the Chicago Marathon the same day.

The marathon takes place on Oct. 11, meaning some runners and spectators who expected the Bears-Packers game to begin later in the afternoon will now have less time between the event and kickoff.

Despite losing FOX's late-afternoon window, Bears-Packers remains one of the biggest games on the Week 5 schedule.

Chicago will head to Lambeau Field looking to build on its win over Philadelphia, while Green Bay will try to turn its season around after a disappointing opening three weeks.