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The Denver Broncos are reigning Super Bowl champions after taking their 12-4 regular season record right on through to the very end to hoist that Lombardi Trophy, while the Chicago Bears are coming off a very disappointing 6-10 campaign. Both teams saw quite a bit of turnover from last season, so fans from both teams will be anxious to see how the new faces will gel with the old.
Game time
This game is set to kickoff at Soldier Field on for Thursday, August 11th at 6:00 p.m. Mile High time (that's 8:00 p.m. Eastern time).
TV schedule and TV channels
The game will air locally on KTVD in Denver and FOX in the Chicago area. NFL Network will also air the game in its entirety at 9pm MT, in case you are unable to watch anywhere else.
Online streaming
NFL Game Pass offers live audio and re-airs after the game.
DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket has expanded its online streaming service. Verizon subscribers can watch games live with the NFL Mobile app (subscription required, and usual TV blackout rules apply even online).
For more information about streaming Broncos games, check out our comprehensive online streaming guide.
Radio
Colorado can listen on KOA (850 AM) or The Fox (133.5 FM) with Dave Logan (play-by-play), Ed McCaffrey (color analyst) and Andy Lindahl (sideline reporting).
Participation
The Broncos have several key position battles that are ongoing, but a few guys are nicked up on the offensive line. Some of the star players will also be held out, because it is the preseason after all.
#Broncos Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, and Russell Okung won't play vs the Bears
— Arran Andersen (@arranandersen) August 9, 2016
Quotable
“As far as preparation with your ones, the thing that’s different for me this year is that we open [the regular season] on a Thursday,” Head coach Gary Kubiak said of playing starters today. “I’ve had to take a different look at how we are going to get there as compared to opening on a Sunday, like we did last year. It’ll be a little different for me. I’ve got a certain amount I want those guys to play as they work their way up. You’re asking me if I’ll do something different from a quarterback standpoint. I think it will stay the same. It will just be a matter of when we decide who’s going to be working as ‘the guy’. I’m not ready to get there yet. We need to keep going. We got not only this game, but some competitive practices against San Francisco. We just need to keep plugging.”
Predictions
The Broncos hold a 5-3 advantage all-time over the Bears in preseason action and tonight I think that it will be rookie Paxton Lynch who leads the team to a comeback victory to put them up 6-3 all-time. It is the preseason after all.