Packers’ sideline heaters fail in freezing Chicago showdown, OT defeat to Bears sparks questions

The Green Bay Packers faced near-freezing conditions at Soldier Field Saturday night as their sideline heaters went dark during a rivalry showdown with the Chicago Bears. Temperatures hovered around 30 degrees at kickoff, with gusty winds whipping through the stadium as the game moved into its late stages and playoff implications loomed for both teams.

In overtime, the Bears escaped with a 22-16 victory after Caleb Williams connected for two touchdown passes, one to Jahdae Walker and another to DJ Moore, delivering the walk-off win on the cold Chicago night. The result left Green Bay’s postseason hopes unsettled as the teams’ heated rivalry produced another memorable chapter.

Some fans suggested on social media that the outage could have been a deliberate ploy by the Bears to gain an advantage in a playoff-hunting clash.

Fox sideline reporter Erin Andrews said, "It is cold over here on the Packers sideline, especially because the heaters aren’t working and the bench for the offensive line isn’t working." Tom Brady, watching from the broadcast booth, offered his perspective: "Tom, you know better about the rules than I do. If that happens, does that mean the Bears have to shut theirs off?" Brady responded: "I think so. That’s definitely not what you are looking for in this temperature and if it happens on one side, it has got to go to the other side. That has never happened to me in my entire career, where the bench's heat goes out."

Cameras then cut to the Bears sideline, where players were gathered around one of the giant heaters in their padded coats for warmth, indicating that warmth was not an issue on the other side of the field. It appeared to be a brief outage on Green Bay's bench, as the Packers later confirmed the heaters were back running in the third quarter.

The heater issue coincided with an injury-plagued night for Green Bay. Quarterback Jordan Love was ruled out after taking a helmet hit that left him concussed, with Malik Wills stepping in to finish the game. Wills also appeared to suffer a shoulder ailment on a late fourth-quarter sack but remained in the game through overtime. Tight end John FitzPatrick left with an Achilles injury, adding to Green Bay's crunch-time concerns as the season heads toward its finale.

Looking ahead, the Packers visit the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, December 27, while the Bears travel to the San Francisco 49ers on December 28, each team trying to keep pace in the playoff picture.