👋 Good morning!
Well, for the Cubs, it comes down to this.
Imagine telling a Chicago baseball fan back in June that come October, Kyle Tucker would be borderline unplayable and that Andrew Vaughn would be crushing incredibly clutch postseason homers.
In fairness, you could tell somebody who watched Monday night’s game and they still might not believe you.
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Bye-Bye, Bye
For some, next Monday night is about avenging last year’s season-derailing heartbreaking loss in Washington.
For others, like coach Ben Johnson, Monday is all about leaving the bye better than when the Bears entered it.
Committing to the Run: The Bears’ 102.3 rushing yards per game ranks 24th in the NFL. Lead back D’Andre Swift’s largest single-game output this season was 63 yards in Week 2.
While shuffling the offensive line due to performance and injuries, how can the Bears improve their ground attack? And could a solution come from the outside before the November 4th trade deadline?
Ben Johnson said Tuesday: “Our guys are going to be fine. It's not always the runners — it's everybody. It's the quarterback carrying out his fake. It's the receivers blocking down the field. It's the tight ends doing their job. The same thing with the offensive line. I think there’s a lot of times on that tape we're not giving our runners a chance. I think we're fine there.”
Speaking of the Line: Johnson wasn’t ready to publicly commit to a left tackle for Week 6, but did say, “We have a good idea who our left tackle's going to be.”
Last week in Las Vegas, Theo Benedet started at right tackle for an injured Darnell Wright before replacing Braxton Jones on the left side. Rookie Ozzy Trapilo slotted in at right tackle after the switch.
Though the Bears won’t release an injury report until Thursday, Wright was notably absent from Tuesday’s practice session. However, he did appear to be getting in some work with a member of the training staff away from the main practice field.
Other Injury Notes: CB Kyler Gordon reiterated on Tuesday that he will make his season debut on Monday night.
TE Colston Loveland and DT Grady Jarrett, who both missed the Week 4 win against the Raiders, were again absent from the practice field. S Jaquan Brisker and K Cairo Santos were also notably missing.
The team also opened the 21-day practice window for DE Austin Booker and RB Travis Homer to return from injured reserve.
My biggest concern for the Bears next Monday night doesn’t stem from anything that happened last season. Tyrique Stevenson and the rest of the Bears seem to have moved on from that moment.
After all, the Bears have bigger fish to fry.
Ben Johnson said during training camp that he hoped to see the offensive line gel as a unit around the bye week. Instead, the unit is already poised for personnel changes.
On top of all of that, despite the talk about the Bears’ rushing attack, this is a massive week for the run defense.
The unit has allowed a whopping 164.5 yards per game on the ground so far this season — good enough for 31st in the league. The Commanders own the league’s best ground game, averaging 156.4 yards per game in 2025, yet they don’t have a single runner getting more than 60 yards per contest.
Fail Mary be damned — can the Bears’ defense figure out how to stop the run before getting gashed on primetime television?
OPENING NIGHT L: All things considered, that could’ve been worse. Spencer Knight kept things close for the Blackhawks, stopping 34 shots, but the reigning champion Panthers’ forecheck was just a bit too much to overcome.
Frank Nazar and Teuvo Teravainen each scored and tallied an assist for the Blackhawks. Quite the start for Nazar, 21, who scored just 12 goals and 14 assists in 53 games last season.
The good news for the Blackhawks? Alex Vlasic, who missed Tuesday’s season opener due to a cut on his leg he sustained in the preseason, is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow night against the Bruins.
Panthers 3, Blackhawks 2
TIPPED OFF: Matas Buzelis kicked off the Bulls’ preseason slate with a heck of a showing in the first half last night. The second-year star-in-the-making scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-5 from three-point range.
The Bulls trailed most of the night but kept it close enough to strike late in the fourth quarter, with Jevon Carter and rookie Noa Essengue leading the charge.
Essengue’s overall performance was up and down, but he nailed two free throws when it mattered most and scored eight points in 14 minutes on the court.
Bulls 118, Cavaliers 117
PAIN-FREE: If the Cubs can somehow find a way to scratch and claw their way to the NLCS, it sounds like Cade Horton would be available to return.
Horton was placed on the 15-day IL with a right rib fracture at the end of September and hasn’t pitched this postseason.
On Tuesday, Horton said: “At this moment, I am pain-free.”
Excited to let you know that our @CHGO_Bears Pregame Show on Monday will be LIVE from the @vmjdnation Watch Party at Morgan’s on Fulton! Awesome venue and great cause as we remember two great friends who left us too soon.
Get your tickets 🎟️ here! 👇
tvmjd-fundraiser.eventlify.com
— #Adam Hoge (#@AdamHoge)
11:22 PM • Oct 7, 2025
🐻 Hoge & Jahns
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