👋 Good morning!
Sorry, Arizona Cardinals — Not everybody can be as cool as the Chicago Bears.
Not all flea flickers were created equally. It’s just nice to have been on the right side of a Ben Johnson trick play.
I’m sure T.J. Edwards feels the same way after being singled out by Johnson and the Lions when they successfully ran “Stumble Bum” at Soldier Field last year.
And to think Johnson said Sunday that the Bears left some tricks up their sleeves.
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Midnight Run
Both the Bears and Raiders want more from their rushing attack. In the offseason, the Bears opted to move forward with D’Andre Swift as their lead back. The Raiders used the sixth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty out of Boise State.
So, how can the Bears’ offense get their unit off the ground while the defense works to keep Jeanty at bay? It starts by not underestimating either team’s backs.
Jeanty’s struggles: Through three weeks, the Raiders’ running back has accrued just 144 yards on 47 carries, reaching the end zone once. His longest rush topped out at only 18 yards last week.
Bears DC Dennis Allen on Jeanty: “He’s a violent runner. He gets into the second and third level of the defense [and] he’s seeking out contact. He runs extremely hard. I think he’s an outstanding player. He’s got great vision, really good feet, and he runs tough, he runs violent. … You gotta bring your hard hat, because there’s gonna be a collision.”
Allen’s defense is allowing 5.5 yards per carry — 31st in the NFL.
Is DJ Moore the key on offense? The Bears’ receiver saw an increase in practice reps out of the backfield toward the end of training camp when the team was without Kyle Monangai and Roschon Johnson due to injury.
But Moore still has six carries for 15 yards through three games despite Monangai and Johnson getting back into the fold. Is that something we can expect to see moving forward? Bears OC Declan Doyle seems to think so.
Doyle on Moore: “He runs hard. He has pretty natural vision. So obviously, in his life, he doesn’t have that many reps from back there, being able to see those reads. He’s pretty natural back there. The biggest thing is he provides a challenge for a defense because you don’t really know what we’re gonna do when he’s back there. It’s not like he’s a one-trick pony.”
The Raiders’ defense is allowing 4.5 yards per carry through three weeks — 21st in the NFL.
INJURY CONCERNS: Five starters remained listed as non-participants on Thursday’s practice injury report.
T.J. Edwards and Kyler Gordon are both still nursing hamstring injuries. Assuming Gordon doesn’t play on Sunday, he’ll have missed the first four games despite not being placed on IR.
Grady Jarrett (knee), Colston Loveland (hip) and Darnell Wright (elbow) also did not practice. However, it’s worth noting that Jarrett played last week despite being a non-participant last Wednesday and Thursday, too.
The good news for the Bears? Caleb Williams’ development in Ben Johnson’s offense is coming along just fine.
“I think he's growing every week,” Doyle said Thursday. “That expectation doesn't really stop. He's getting coached just as hard this week as he was last week when the outside noise may have been a little bit louder in a negative way.
“The standard is the same, the process is the same. We still continue to expect him to prepare for this week and go out, play well on Sunday and have confidence to be able to go out and rip it and have confidence in the plan.”
DISASTER AVERTED…FOR NOW: As it turns out, Cade Horton’s MRI results weren’t as clean as the Cubs would’ve hoped.
Craig Counsell on Horton: “Cade is on track still. There are some areas of concern in the ribs on the MRI. We’re going to continue to get more information on it and see where that leads us. But right now, Cade is a go.”
THE LONG BALL: Unfortunately, umpires don’t award style points or bend the rules for cool plays. Dansby Swanson’s tumble into the netting that allowed runners to advance a base shouldn’t have been ruled as being out of play, regardless of what the rules say.
To make matters worse, Shota Imanaga’s second-half struggle with the home run ball reared its ugly head.
In 5.2 IP, Imanaga allowed eight earned runs, including two homers. Since the All-Star break, Imanaga has allowed at least one home run in 11 of his 13 starts.
In better news, Seiya Suzuki, who’d hit two home runs in the second half and hadn’t hit one since August 6th, clubbed two last night, tallying four RBI.
The magic number to clinch home-field advantage against the San Diego Padres in the wild card round remains at two.
Mets 8, Cubs 5
APPROVED: The Fire received approval from the Chicago city council to build their new $750 million stadium on the plot of land near South Loop known as “The 78.”
The stadium will be privately funded by club owner and chairman Joe Mansueto.
In a statement, team president of business ops. Dave Baldwin said: “Beyond Chicago Fire matches, the stadium will attract global concerts and events, creating thousands of jobs, fueling economic growth, and driving new energy into the South Loop.”
ONE MORE SERIES: Luckily for the White Sox, the end is near. Michael A. Taylor hit his ninth home run of the season, but the offense wasn’t particularly impressive.
Colson Montgomery singled and doubled, but was thrown out at third base in the sixth inning on a poor base-running decision.
Entering this series, Montgomery hadn’t strung together multiple hits in a game since September 5th. He did so twice against the Yankees on Wednesday and again last night. He also hit a home run on Tuesday. It’s a nice finish to a good year for the rookie.
But Davis Martin allowed three runs in 4.1 innings and Tyler Gilbert and Mike Vasil each allowed a run in relief.
Make it five losses in a row and 11 of their last 12 for the Sox.
Yankees 5, White Sox 3
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JSN on an open mic is fun 😉 #IYKYK
— #Adam Hoge (#@AdamHoge)
2:38 AM • Sep 26, 2025
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