• Bloomberg, Wednesday, December 27, 2006 11:45 AM

The Chicago Bears will host the Green Bay Packers in prime time on NBC for the last game of the National Football League's regular season on Dec. 31. The game was moved back as part of the flexible schedule deal the network has.

The NFL switched the game, originally slotted for the afternoon, to 8:15 p.m. Eastern time. The league's pact with NBC guarantees it gets competitive match-ups. With a 7-8 record, the Packers are one of five teams fighting for the final playoff spot, along with the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams.

There are five scenarios in which the Packers and quarterback Brett Favre can make the playoffs. If Green Bay doesn't reach the post-season, it might be the last game for Favre. The NFL had been allowed to change start times of games up to 12 days in advance, but to ensure that the season's final Sunday night game has playoff implications, it was allowed with six days notice.

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