👋 Good morning!
The stage is set.
Our date with destiny is on deck.
A prophecy is on the line.
Remember when Ben Johnson quipped that he enjoys beating Matt LaFleur twice a year?
I remember.
Make it happen.
The Biggest Tailgate of the Year.
Bears, Beers, Battlestar Galactica.
Cermak & Wabash.
Lions 19, Bears 16
Unfortunately, I believe Dan Campbell enjoys beating Ben Johnson twice a year, too.
The Bears simply sleptwalked through the first half on Sunday afternoon. It’s somewhat miraculous that this game didn’t feature a deficit beyond two scores.
But in the end, the offense’s 2.5-quarter absence and the defense’s inability to stop the Lions’ shallow crossing routes bit the Bears in the regular-season finale.
Decisions, Decisions: Ben Johnson is an AP Coach of the Year candidate. He’s completely turned this team around in less than a year since he was introduced as head coach.
He’s also not without his second-guessable moments.
His clock management at the end of the first half was questionable at best. Even if the Bears had converted on fourth-and-2 with 30 seconds left, they weren’t exactly positioned to put a touchdown on the board before the break.
And then at the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, from the Bears’ 31, Johnson elected to send his punt unit out on fourth-and-5.
Hindsight is always 20/20 for moments like that one, but predictably, the Bears never got the ball back. The Lions marched down the field and you know the rest of the story.
With 42 seconds left in the game, the FOX broadcast picked up Johnson seemingly muttering to himself: “Should’ve gone for it.”
After the game, Johnson said going for it was considered.
Johnson, however, explained: “We had three timeouts and we felt like we were going to get the ball back.”
It’s A New Record: Caleb Williams wasn’t spectacular. He also wasn’t awful.
Williams was let down more than once by his receivers, and anybody nitpicking his throw-away after Drew Dalman snapped the ball back to the Bears’ 2 needs a hobby.
He also set the Bears’ single-season record for passing yards, breaking Erik Kramer’s previous record of 3,838 yards set in 1995. Williams broke the record on his 25-yard touchdown pass to rookie Jahdae Walker in the fourth quarter.
With 212 yards on Sunday, Williams finished the season with 3,942 passing yards — 58 yards shy of becoming the first Bears passer to hit the 4,000-yard mark.
Williams on setting the single-season franchise record: “Need to win the game. … We didn’t execute the way we needed to. So that number is the number and so be it.”
D’Andre Swift also set a pair of career highs despite a lackluster day for the Bears’ rushing attack.
Swift broke his previous single-season high for rushing yards (1,049 in 2023), finishing the season with 1,087. Swift also set a new high in all-purpose yards this season with 1,386 yards, surpassing his 1,345 from 2024.
And now it comes down to Bears-Packers. Pure cinema.
Saturday night is probably the worst possible draw, though.
The Packers benefited from being able to rest their players because they were locked into the No. 7 seed. The Bears weren’t sure where they’d land, so everybody played.
In all likelihood, Rome Odunze will make his return on Saturday. He hasn’t played since November 28th. That’s a big one for the Bears. Maybe they can get nickelback Kyler Gordon off injured reserve, too (don’t hold your breath on that one).
But they’re still playing on a short week.
Yet something tells me this is going to feel like a very, very long week for all of us.
Blackhawks 3, Golden Knights 2 – F/OT: Don’t look now, the Blackhawks are only two points out of a playoff spot.
Tyler Bertuzzi’s having a hell of a year, and Sunday night was no exception. Bertuzzi’s second hat trick of the year brought his season total up to 22 goals in 39 games — enough to break his tie with Connor Bedard for the team lead with 19.
Suddenly, the Blackhawks have won three in a row and have points in five of their last six.
Considering they began their Bedard-less stretch 0-5-0, that isn’t too shabby.
And Bedard, according to Jeff Blashill, is expected back before the Olympic break.
Good news all around!
Injury Update: The Bulls have already ruled out Jalen Smith for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics. Smith is in the league’s concussion protocol after a collision with Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball forced him out of Saturday night’s loss.
From Sunday Night Football … IYKYK
🐻 Hoge & Jahns
9:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Bears
1:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Cubs
2:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO White Sox
4:30 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Bulls
Pregame at 6:00 on YouTube
🏀 Bulls at Celtics
6:30 on CHSN
📺 CHGO Bears After Dark
7:00 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.
