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“Good, better, best. Never let it rest, ‘til your good gets better and your better gets best.”
It’s more than just the Bears’ mantra under Ben Johnson — they’re exemplifying it on the field, too.
We’ve seen better Bears teams lose those games. We’ve rarely seen them come away with a win.
That’s the Ben Johnson difference.
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Bears 25, Raiders 24
How do you get to 2-2? Blocking, blocking, blocking.
Josh Blackwell took Ben Johnson’s “no block, no rock” mantra to heart, getting a hand on Raiders K Daniel Carlson’s game-winning field goal attempt.
It wasn’t pretty, but a win’s a win. Let’s dive in.
The Bears’ defense forced four turnovers but the offense scored just 13 points on the ensuing drives. Caleb Williams was shaky and Raiders DE Maxx Crosby’s presence caused disruptions all day.
But Williams and the offense were resilient.
Ben Johnson said after the win: “I'm proud of our guys. They came through for us. We're building something special here, and I think they're feeling it. Just the belief they have in each other, the belief they have in this coaching staff, I thought it really showed through.
“This is a huge win for our team, finding a way in the fourth quarter to come out on top. I just thought that was outstanding for us. So, proud of our guys, proud of the locker room.”
Williams finished 22-of-37 passing with 212 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also led a game-winning touchdown drive that ended with a D’Andre Swift three-yard run.
Ben Johnson on Blackwell’s block: “He came through for us right when we needed it. I'm listening on the headset, and coach [Richard] Hightower — who does just such an incredible job with our special teams unit in all those phases — he's kind of narrating it in real time and he's like, 'Yeah, Blackwell is going to get this one for us, he's going to come through.'
“And sure enough, it came to light, just like he thought.”
Fun Facts:
This was the Bears’ first blocked field goal since Week 2, 2023, vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rasheem Green blocked Bucs K Chase McLaughlin’s 40-yard attempt.
Green hasn’t played since that season. McLaughlin hit a 65-yard field goal against the Eagles yesterday.
Sunday marked the first time since Week 12, 2023, that the Bears recorded four takeaways in consecutive weeks.
This was also the Bears’ first win against an opponent that scored at least 23 points since Nick Foles, Jimmy Graham and company defeated Pete Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks in Week 16, 2022.
The final score of that game? 25-24.
Sure, there’s plenty to fix. After all, the defense still allowed 240 yards on the ground, including 138 from Raiders rookie RB Ashton Jeanty.
But it’s a lot more fun to make corrections after a win, especially before a long bye week. This will be a pivotal two-week stretch for Johnson and the Bears.
It’ll be a big week for the offensive line, too. In Darnell Wright’s absence, Theo Benedet stepped in at right tackle. In the second quarter, Benedet moved to the left side, replacing Braxton Jones. Rookie Ozzy Trapilo finished the game at right tackle.
Ben Johnson said that the little switcheroo was to provide a “spark.”
Did Jones just lose his starting job? We’ll see in two weeks when the Bears return against the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football.
HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME? Their drought cost the Cubs the division, but it appears Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Seiya Suzuki found their groove just in the nick of time.
Busch hit his 33rd and 34th home runs of the season on Saturday and added a double and triple before being intentionally walked by public enemy No. 1 Cardinals manager Oli Marmol with a chance for a cycle.
Suzuki finished the season with home runs in four straight games — the longest such streak in his career.
Crow-Armstrong became the first Cub to tally 30 home runs, 30 doubles and 30 stolen bases in a single season when he crushed his 30th homer of the year on Friday. He clobbered his 31st on Saturday.
Onto the NL Wild Card vs. the San Diego Padres…
• Gm. 1: Tues. Sept. 30, 2:08 p.m.
• Gm. 2: Wed. Oct. 1, 2:08 p.m.
• Gm. 3 (if necessary): Thur. Oct 2, TBD
SHORTHANDED: The Cubs will have to face the Padres without their second-half ace, Cade Horton. Horton was added to the 15-day IL with a right rib fracture retroactive to Sept. 25th.
The earliest Horton could return would be for Game 5 of the NLDS.
THE PARTY’S OVER: Well, it was fun while it lasted. Sixty wins is a mighty improvement from 41 a year ago.
The overall baseball competency of the club under Will Venable’s managerial direction was refreshing, regardless of the 102 losses.
Colson Montgomery finished the season with a loud weekend against the Nationals, homering on Friday and Saturday. Montgomery finished his rookie season with 21 home runs — all after the All-Star break — as well as a .239/.311/.529 slashline and 129 wRC+.
Shane Smith, the Sox’s 2024 Rule 5 pick, finished his rookie season with a 3.81 ERA and 145 strikeouts. Not bad for somebody the Sox picked up for free last offseason.
Smith tossed six innings of one-hit ball on Sunday, bringing a perfect game into the sixth — heck of a way to end the season.
White Sox 8, Nationals 0
HAPPY TRAILS: White Sox OF Michael A. Taylor is calling it a career. Taylor spent the 2025 season with the White Sox, compiling a .200/.259/.366 slashline in 134 games, along with nine home runs.
Taylor, 34, spent time over 12 seasons with the Nationals and Royals before playing with the Twins, Pirates and White Sox in his final three seasons.
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