👋 Good morning!
Nobody knows how long the Bears’ time in first place will last.
Most playoff predictions still give the Bears a less-than-50 percent chance to extend their season.
But it’s like what a hammered Corey Crawford said during the Blackhawks’ 2013 championship parade: “Nobody can take this away from us.”
In the Bears’ case, they have until at least noon this Sunday. Might as well bask in the glory until then.
Evaluating Caleb Williams’ Week 11
Caleb Williams’ 68.9 passer rating on Sunday in Minnesota was his second-lowest of the season. His 50 percent completion rate was the third-worst of his career. Yet for all of his and the team’s shortcomings on Sunday, the Bears still won.
Coach Ben Johnson spoke to the media via Zoom on Monday afternoon to share his assessment of his quarterback’s performance.
The Blitz: Williams was blitzed on 66.7 percent of dropbacks, facing pressure 44 percent of the time, per Next Gen Stats. However, the Bears’ QB was sacked just twice.
Johnson on Williams’ handling of pressure: “The best thing he did was he kept the ball out of harm's way. He did a great job protecting that football. I can't say enough good things about (the Vikings’) defense in terms of how they create turnovers. All these forced fumbles; it's by design. It's very deliberate by them.
“I thought our whole crew did a great job taking care of that football. Caleb, in particular, did a good job throwing the ball away when things weren't present. And so, that was good to see.”
Everything Else…: Again, it wasn’t pretty but it got the job done. And it’s always easier to watch rougher film after a win.
Johnson said Monday: “We sat and we watched the tape and we had a couple opportunities there to really get some big plays potentially down the field, and we didn't capitalize on those. Those are a couple that (Williams would) like to have back, but I thought all in all, he played a pretty solid football game.”
Johnson on the missed opportunities: “The first one to Rome (Odunze) was just maybe a foot or two a little bit deeper than we would like. Sometimes that happens early in the game when you take a deep shot. You're not quite in a rhythm yet, and that can get away from you. So I wasn't too terribly disappointed by it. I thought he made a nice read. I thought Rome ran a good route. And, the more time on task we have on that, the more connections we'll get.”
Here’s the thing: Johnson and Williams talked up the challenge of facing Brian Flores’ staunch blitz-heavy defense for the entire week leading up to Sunday. They understood the task at hand.
And while Williams didn’t look nearly as decent as he did against the New York Giants a week prior, Sunday brought plenty of important lessons and learning experiences for the second-year quarterback.
After all, quarterbacks don’t often face the blitz on two-thirds of their dropbacks. Surviving and advancing with a division lead was really all you could ask for in that situation.
On top of all of that, however, is the fact that facing such an intense pass rush for an entire game like that seems like a great way to prepare for T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who come to town on Sunday — with or without Aaron Rodgers.
How Josh Giddey's signature shoe represents the rising star's self-belief, resurgence
Bulls 130, Nuggets 127: Excellent! The Bulls stopped their five-game skid with an incredibly impressive road victory in Denver.
Josh Giddey led the Bulls in points (21), rebounds (14) and assists (6). Ayo Dosunmu tied Giddey’s tally in points.
Jalen Smith added 16 off the bench, but missed some time with a shoulder stinger. Smith later returned but could not finish the game. Coach Billy Donovan said after the game that he didn’t believe the injury to be serious.
With another 66 points from the bench, the Bulls sit in second in the NBA in bench scoring (48.1 points per game), trailing only the Memphis Grizzlies (48.9).
The win also served the Nuggets with their first loss at home this season.
Tip O’ The Cap: The Cubs officially acknowledged RHP Kyle Hendricks’ retirement from baseball with a tribute video and a statement from club chairman Tom Ricketts.
Ricketts on Hendricks: "My family and I congratulate Kyle on his retirement after a great career. He was one of the best all-time Cubs pitchers. We would not have won the World Series without his incredible 2016 season where he won the Major League ERA title and started Game 7 of the World Series.
“The Professor was always calm, cool and collected on the mound but his great performances excited millions of Cubs fans. From his outstanding playoff starts in 2016 to his memorable final appearance at Wrigley Field in 2024, he gave our fans sweet emotions.
“Now, it is time for Kyle, his wife, Emma, and his family to make new memories in retirement and we hope they come back to Wrigley Field often."
Rule 5: Players eligible for the Rule 5 Draft next month must be on 40-man rosters by 5 p.m. today to avoid being exposed to teams in the draft.
The White Sox will pick second in the draft, which takes place on December 10th. Last year, the Sox selected RHP Shane Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers with the first pick.
Worked out pretty well if you ask me.
Moody, Moody: The Washington Commanders signed kicker Jake Moody off the Bears’ practice squad and onto their active roster on Monday.
Moody joined the Bears after he was waived by the San Francisco 49ers following Week 1. In two games of work while filling in for an injured Cairo Santos earlier this season, Moody was 8-for-9 on field goal attempts and 3-for-3 on point-after attempts.
Moody also hit one game-winning kick this season, walking off the … Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football in Week 6.
Roster Move: The Blackhawks officially placed captain Nick Foligno on injured reserve on Monday. Foligno suffered a hand injury in Saturday’s win after inadvertently deflecting a shot with it. Coach Jeff Blashill said after the game that Foligno would miss approximately four weeks.
📺 CHGO Bears
1:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Cubs
2:00 on YouTube
📺 CHGO Bulls
4:30 on YouTube
🏒 Blackhawks vs. Flames
7:30 on CHSN
📺 CHGO Blackhawks
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.
