👋 Good morning!

Football is back!

Tyson Bagent said that Ben Johnson’s message to the Bears before Sunday’s game was:

“The game doesn’t count but the game matters.”

I feel like that’s the approach we take when the preseason finally rolls around.

We might be watching guys that won’t be here in three weeks, but it’s nice to have it back in our lives.

28 days to Monday Night Football!

– Patrick Norton

Tailgate With Us!

What: CHGO Bears Official Tailgate

Where: Wabash & Cermak

When: Before every Bears home game

Perks: Beers, barbecue, vibes and a shuttle to the stadium

🎟️ Week 1 - Monday Night Football 🎟️

A tie?!

Ben Johnson still hasn’t lost as the head coach of the Chicago Bears. He hasn’t won, either. The Bears’ preseason opener against the Dolphins ended with a regulation tie on Sunday.

Some nuggets from the game:

HISTORY! It’s the Bears’ first preseason tie since 1973. Oddly enough, that game was also against the Dolphins.

Bears kicker Mac Percival and Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian provided the only scoring with three field goals apiece. Percival missed a go-ahead attempt from 35 yards out in the fourth quarter. 
SPEAKING OF KICKERS: How about Cairo Santos? Santos, the most accurate kicker (89.3 percent) in Bears history (minimum five attempts), nailed a 57-yard attempt to close out the first half on Sunday.

It won’t count toward Santos’ official stats, but it passed his regular season career-longs from 2020 and 2023 by two yards. Santos also hit from 58 yards in a preseason appearance with the Chiefs in 2016.

For those wondering, Percival was successful just 54.4 percent (99/182) of the time in his seven years with the Bears from 1967 to 1973. His career-long was a 50-yarder.
ROOKIE REPORT:
- Colston Loveland (1.10) played the first two series, hauling in one reception for eight yards.
- Luther Burden III (2.39) played parts of the first five series, making two catches for 29 yards. His best came on a third-and-15 conversion for 16 yards after running his route to the first-down marker. Novel concept!
- Ozzy Trapilo (2.56) played several series at left tackle behind Braxton Jones. Afterward, he described the feeling of his first professional game as having “good nerves.”
- Ruben Hyppolite II (4.132) picked up one tackle for loss on a fourth-and-goal from the Dolphins’ 1. Hyppolite and Noah Sewell crunched running back Jaylen Wright in the backfield for a loss of three and a turnover on downs.
- Luke Newman (6.195) started the game at left tackle. He was also placed in concussion protocol after the game.
- Kyle Monangai (7.233) looked good. Monangai kept his legs churning after contact and ran hard as the Bears’ starting back. He got pinballed a bit in pass protection, but overall, a solid outing for a seventh-round rookie.
- Shemar Turner (2.62) and Zah Frazier (5.169) did not play. Turner remains sidelined with an ankle sprain and Frazier is still out due to personal reasons.

The most important rookie of the day? Ben Johnson, who looked like he belonged. Pumped for Maurice Alexander’s touchdown reception, elated for Santos’ boot, and animated while repeating his play call to Tyson Bagent on fourth-and-goal in the second quarter…

It certainly looked different on the sideline.

Bears 24, Dolphins 24

MORE: Adam Jahns on the competition at left tackle

⚾️ FRIDAY 1:20 ROOFTOP ⚾️

We’re knocking the Friday 1:20 Club out of the park and onto a Wrigley Rooftop.

WHEN?

• Friday, Aug. 15 - 1:20 p.m. vs. Pirates

• Monday, Aug.18 - 7:05 p.m. vs. Brewers

One ticket gets you both games, plus all you can eat and drink, and a CHGO Cubs t-shirt!

🎟️ TICKETS 🎟️

OOF: The division race might be over. The Milwaukee Brewers are 9-0 in August and have gained five games on the Cubs since the beginning of the month.

Meanwhile, the Cubs lost two out of three to the Cardinals and had their hearts broken by an odd replay review in the ninth inning of last night’s game.

Jon Berti, pinch-running for Ian Happ, attempted to steal second but was called out by a poorly-positioned second-base umpire.

Upon further review, Berti clearly beat the tag but the replay crew in the New York office couldn’t determine if his hand popped off the bag. Therefore, the call stood for the second out of the inning.

Nico Hoerner singled to left on the next pitch, which likely would’ve scored the speedy Berti from second base. Instead, the Cubs lost two batters later.

Cardinals 3, Cubs 2

HE HIT IT WHERE? Colson Montgomery hit one of the longest home runs I’ve seen hit at Rate Field in a long time. The rookie shortstop clubbed one seemingly beyond the seats in right field and onto the concourse.

The ball left Montgomery’s bat at 114.5 miles per hour and traveled 452 feet — the longest at Rate Field in 2025. Just absolutely smoked.

Joe Borchard, who played parts of four seasons with the White Sox from 2002 to 2005, is still credited with the longest home run in the history of the ballpark (504 feet).

For what it’s worth, that number was pre-Statcast, and Montgomery’s landed in a similar spot. 50 feet apart? I’m not so sure.

The good news for the Sox? Sunday’s win stopped a six-game skid thanks to Montgomery and Lenyn Sosa’s home runs.