👋 Good morning!

CHGO & ALLCITY unveiled a new slogan yesterday: “Sports Over Everything.”

Cole Kmet, whose sister, Frankie, is dating Packers DE Lukas Van Ness, gave us the perfect example of what that means on Tuesday.

When asked who his sister is rooting for this weekend, Kmet said: “I don't know. I don't talk to her on Packer week, so I'll find out after the game.”

He then joked he sent her a pair of tickets — in better seats than Van Ness would’ve been able to provide — for Saturday’s game.

After all, it’s the health of both Kmet and Van Ness that should matter most. But the Bears’ tight end is still wishing for some familial loyalty.

“I hope deep down she's rooting for us.”

Confident and comfortable: Why the Bears locker room believes in what’s ahead for QB Caleb Williams

These Two Teams Don’t Like Each Other

Hall-of-Fame linebacker Mike Singletary once said: “We’re gonna separate the men from the boys. We’re gonna find out who really wants to play this game and who does not.”

That’s what we have coming up on Saturday night.

Sounds like Ben Johnson agrees.

  • Loud & Clear: Rookie tight end Colston Loveland finished the season as the Bears’ leading receiver and possibly as Caleb Williams’ most trusted target.

    He’s the first rookie to lead Chicago in receiving yards since Willie Gault did it in 1983. He’s the first rookie tight end to do so since Mike Ditka in 1961.

    Good company.

    Declan Doyle on Loveland’s target share on critical downs: “As the season progressed and he became very reliable for us and we trust him, he's found himself in some more of those spots and he's taken advantage of that. He'll continue to do so and, like I said before, he's just a guy that we trust.”

    Loveland also provided the quote of the year when sharing Ben Johnson’s message to the team.

    Loveland said Wednesday: “After the game, (Johnson) said, ‘If you’re not prepared to play the next five weeks, you’re thinking about anything else, you’re thinking about booking flights for vacation — don’t come in.’ He made it very clear about what’s at stake and what this team is looking for.“

  • People Get Ready: It’s full steam ahead on Saturday night. No looking back at the past, and certainly no looking beyond this weekend.

    Come Sunday, the Bears will either be preparing to host the Eagles, Panthers or Rams the following weekend, or they’ll be cleaning out their lockers. There’s no sense in worrying or wondering about that until the final whistle blows on Saturday night.

    But who will the Bears have against the Packers? Kyler Gordon (groin) was limited again on Wednesday. Rome Odunze (foot) and DJ Moore (ankle) were also limited. So was Ozzy Trapilo (quad).

    If I had to guess, I think we’ll see all four on the field on Saturday.

    Trapilo’s bruise is gnarly. But it’s playoff football and Trapilo is a tough kid. To borrow from Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks, “A bruise on the leg is a hell of a long way from the heart.”

    As for Moore, I can’t imagine he won’t do everything in his power to play in the postseason for the first time since high school. His limited status in practice seems like more of a way to help his body recover a bit before the playoffs.

    Odunze said Wednesday: “I’m planning on playing. But I’ve been planning on playing for weeks.”

    Odunze also mentioned the team could opt to keep him on a snap count if he is active on Saturday.

    On Gordon, Dennis Allen said: “I think our plan is to have him be a part of (the game plan). (Wednesday) will really be the first day we go out there and go practice, get a chance to see him move around. But I'm excited about getting him back in the fold and seeing what he can do.”

    The final injury report before Saturday night’s game comes out after practice this afternoon.

Well, we’re officially less than 60 hours from kickoff.

I recommended searching online for some breathing exercises before then.

The Packers lead the all-time series, 109-97-6.

Since Brett Favre was dealt to the Packers in 1992, the Packers are 52-17 against the Bears, including a 21-14 win in the 2010 NFC Championship Game.

Since the Bears drafted Caleb Williams, the series is knotted at 2-2. The point differential in those four games? Zero.

Rivalry renewed.

Cermak & Wabash.

Bears, Beers, Beating the Packers.

This Saturday’s tailgate is CAN’T MISS.

Trade Alert: The Cubs did it. They finally made their splash, acquiring hard-throwing, off-speed-reliant right-handed starter Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins.

The Cubs sent OF Owen Caissie (Cubs’ No. 1 prospect, MLB’s No. 47), INF Cristian Hernandez (Cubs’ No. 11) and INF/OF Edgardo De Leon to Miami to complete the deal.

Cabrera’s primary pitch is a power-change that sits at 94 mph. In 26 starts (137.2 innings) last season, Cabrera, 27, finished with a 3.53 ERA and totaled 150 strikeouts against 48 walks. His 1.1 HR/9 rate would’ve ranked third in the Cubs’ rotation behind Matthew Boyd (1.0) and Cade Horton (0.8).

Blackhawks 7, Blues 3: There are few better ways to spend a night than watching Blues goalie Jordan Binnington get absolutely bombarded.

It’s not every day you hear “Jordan, Jordan, Jordan: You Suck!” chants at the United Center.

Blackhawks fans alternated between that one and “Green Bay Sucks” chants throughout the third period. Fitting.

Impressively, the Blackhawks’ seven goals came from seven different skaters: Nick Lardis (3), Oliver Moore (4), Connor Murphy (1), Landon Slaggert (2), Jason Dickinson (5), Andre Burakovsky (10) and Louis Crevier (4).

To make things even sweeter, TNT and Blackhawks TV analyst Darren Pang said during the broadcast: “I'm gonna speculate the next time (Blackhawks fans) see this team on home ice, they're gonna see No. 98.”

The Blackhawks host the Washington Capitals tomorrow night.

Glenn Hall Dies at 94: Legendary goaltender and Hall-of-Famer Glenn Hall died on Wednesday. He was 94.

Hall played for the Blackhawks from 1957 until 1967, appearing in 618 games and winning the 1961 Stanley Cup. He’s one of nine Blackhawks with their jersey number retired by the organization.

An 11-time All Star and three-time Vezina Trophy winner, Hall holds one of sports’ most unbreakable records: playing 502 consecutive complete games as a goaltender … doing so without a mask.

Hall is also one of six players in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as a member of the losing team in the Stanley Cup Final (St. Louis Blues, 1968).

In a statement released through the Blackhawks, CEO Danny Wirtz said: “The Chicago Blackhawks are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Glenn Hall, one of the greatest and most influential goaltenders in the history of our sport and a cornerstone of our franchise. During his decade in Chicago, he became the backbone of the Blackhawks, leading the team to our 1961 Stanley Cup Championship.”

Pistons 108, Bulls 93: No Coby White (calf), no Zach Collins (toe), no Jalen Smith (concussion) and no Josh Giddey (hamstring)? No good.

The Bulls entered the fourth quarter with a one-point lead. Then Ronald Holland II hit a three-pointer 21 seconds into the final frame and the Pistons never looked back, outscoring the Bulls 32-16 in the fourth.

Ayo Dosunmu led the Bulls with 24 points on 10 of 15 shooting in 31 minutes off the bench. Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic tallied 20 points each, with Vucevic adding 16 rebounds.

But this is the story of the Bulls: a team of runs. They might lead by 20 or trail by 25 any given night, and they might lose eight or win five in a row. But they keep finding ways to claw back to even.

At the end of last month, they won five games in a row to get back to .500 for the first time since Nov. 28th. Then the Bulls lost two to drop to 15-17. They closed out 2025 with a win on New Year’s Eve before opening 2026 with an impressive victory over the Magic.

Now they’re losers of at least three straight for the third time this season and clinging to the 10th seed in the East. Sounds like a great time to rattle off three or four wins to really cement their positioning in the Play-In.

📺 CHGO Bears
1:00 on YouTube

📺 CHGO Blackhawks
3:00 on YouTube

🐻 Brick x Brick
6:00 on YouTube

📺 CHGO Bulls
Pregame at 6:30 on YouTube

🏀 Bulls vs. Heat
7:00 on CHSN

📺 CHGO Cubs Related
8:00 on YouTube

📺 CHGO Bulls
Postgame on YouTube

Something on your mind? Rate this issue and leave a comment, question or topic to discuss!

Talk to you tomorrow!

– P.N.

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