If there is one thing that immediately jumped off the screen about the 2025-26 Chicago Bulls, it was their chemistry.
A young group lacking that clear No. 1 option, the team fully embraced an equal-opportunity system. They started the year punching teams in the mouth with their tempo and depth. Even in the wake of their four-game losing streak , the Bulls essentially have seven players averaging double-digit points per game. The group’s 67.5 assist percentage also ranks seventh in the NBA...
Back in Week 1, the Bears let one slip away. They were the better team for most of the afternoon against the Vikings, but they couldn’t land the knockout punch — and quarterback J.J. McCarthy made them pay.
Two months later, the rematch in Minneapolis offers Chicago a chance to show just how far it’s come. The Bears are 6-3, winners of four straight, and finally playing the brand of football Ben Johnson envisioned when he took over. The Vikings, meanwhile, are reeling, with McCarthy strug...
Caleb Williams still remembers how the Bears’ season against the Minnesota Vikings started with a surprise.
Williams expected Brian Flores’ trademark blitz-heavy attack. Instead, the Vikings defensive coordinator flipped the script.
“That’s why they get paid the big bucks over there, too,” Williams said during his weekly media availability on Wednesday at Halas Hall. “You expect them to do something when you’re going into a game plan and into a game. It’s kudos to them for being able...
The 1993 Cubs were a maddening team. (Not “Maddon” ing, incidentally.) In their second year under manager Jim Lefebvre, they had hoped to make a jump into contention, but struggled around .500 most of the year. One of the bright spots on the team was catcher Rick Wilkins, who had been a part-time backstop for […]
The 1993 Cubs were a maddening team. (Not “Maddon” ing, incidentally.) In their second year under manager Jim Lefebvre, they had hoped to make a jump into contention, but struggled around .500 most of the year. One of the bright spots on the team was catcher Rick Wilkins, who had been a part-time backstop for […]
The Anthony Davis snowball started rolling down the hill this week, and it’s finally become too big to ignore.
With the Dallas Mavericks finally moving on from general manager Nico Harrison , the Dallas Mavericks’ future has become a hot topic around the league. Many are staring at their win-now roster, wondering how ownership or a new front office management will choose to proceed. Is the plan to continue to build upon Harrison’s shaky post-Luka Doncic plan that centered around Davis and...
The Minnesota Vikings will host the Chicago Bears on Sunday, aiming to sweep the season series. After starting 0-2, the Bears have won 6 of their last 7. They’re currently in second place in the NFC North and have a realistic shot at taking the top spot with a win this week. The Detroit Lions […]
For the first time in a while, the Chicago Bears playoff odds (and not NFL Draft positioning) are a focus points for us in mid-November.
How refreshing is that for all of us?
Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season kicks off with a Thursday Night Football showdown between the New England Patriots hosting the New York Jets. So while the Chicago Bears will not kick off their game until noon on Sunday, this gives us time to take a look at the updated NFL playoff odds.
NFC North Standings:
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No matter what sort of reports emerge on the Cubs’ spending intentions for this offseason, I remain steadfast in a general position I think we all should share: I’ll believe it when I see it.
With that said, I will also continue beating the drum for them to spend more, citing reasons both (1) strategic ( read this one ) and (2) with respect to their market size, revenue opportunities, and relative financial austerity in the recent past ( read this one ). I will also continue sharing and c...
The Chicago Bears are traveling up north searching for their first division win of the Ben Johnson era. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings are trying to get back on track in a season that seems to have them play up to their expectations, but also down to the competition. Winning records have been rare for Chicago […]
There is no doubt that when it comes to the Los Angeles Rams, the benchmark for fans is always, “be better than the 49ers.” When it comes to rivalries in the NFL, Rams-49ers is certainly right near the top with Cowboys-Eagles, Browns-Steelers, and Packers-Bears. These are two teams that have played 154 times and reached […]
The Chicago Cubs are going to make a lot of moves this offseason. Some bigger. Many smaller. And they’ll come on all sides of the ball, from the positional group to the bench to the bullpen to the rotation. None of this is news.
But Cubs President Jed Hoyer was pretty candid about where he thinks the majority of the offseason work will come, and that’s on the pitching side. From his perspective, it’s not too difficult to look at the depth chart and see where most of the needs lie.
Cu...
Free agent projections are out, and so it is that time again — time for the annual “should the Rangers sign This Player” polls. Today, we are looking at outfielder Kyle Tucker. Tucker is a 28 year old right fielder who was with the Houston Astros prior to being traded to the Chicago Cubs this […]
I wouldn’t say Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai is the top starting pitcher on the free agent market this year, necessarily, and I wouldn’t say it’s a lock that the Chicago Cubs pursue him in any case. But I would say that, on paper, the 27-year-old appears to have big-league-caliber stuff, has dominated in Japan to a similar degree that we’ve seen from other starters who’ve come over and had success, and could give the Cubs a different look at the front of their rotation. The Cubs are not unique in ...
Most, if not all, of the players I’ve put in this series to date are guys the Cubs likely will not sign — too much money, too many years, or both. Here’s a pitcher who seems more up Jed Hoyer’s alley at the present time. Zac Gallen was originally drafted by the Cardinals (third round, […]
The NFL script writers outdid themselves on Sunday with that Caleb Williams to Colston Loveland go-ahead touchdown. The game was exciting from start to finish, with the lead changes, the fourth quarter comebacks, the Madden-like offensive stats, and that final moment was magical. That Chicago Bears vs Cincinnati Bengals game will be remembered fondly throughout […]
Our water heater died a couple weeks ago, so we had to get it replaced. It was incredibly old, so we kinda felt fortunate to have gotten as much run out of it as we did. The new one is working fine – or at least, it was, until this morning when I discovered the ever-expanding pool of water coming from it in our basement. So that’s been a healthy portion of my morning.
There wasn’t much suspense with the Cy Young Awards, with Tarik Skubal almost winning unanimously, and Paul Skenes winni...
I’m not sure how many people saw it and/or took note when the pregame lines went up yesterday, but Sam Rinzel went from skating on the Blackhawks’ top defensive pair to being the seventh defenseman. Louis Crevier was up with Alex Vlasic in rushes at the morning skate.
Then the game happened. The Devils needed overtime to beat the Blackhawks 4-3 . And, when the dust settled, Rinzel had skated only 11:29 — the lowest ice time among Hawks defensemen by almost three minutes.
When Rinzel ...
The latest Bears Banter Podcast has dropped! The Bears are 6-3 and are 6-1 after dropping the first two games of the season. Caleb Williams is finding ways to win, despite plenty of flaws throughout the roster. To talk about the Bears at this point in the season, Fox Sports’ Danny Parkins joins the podcast […]
Yep, it’s another pitcher advancing, this time the first of a few players you’ll see on the ballot this year who didn’t even play in 2025: Mason Adams. Adams, an incredibly-promising starting prospect, was injured during a Cactus League game last spring but is expected to be back in action at Birmingham or Charlotte sometime […]
The Blackhawks lost a game last night. They were out-shot again. In the words of their captain, Nick Foligno , the Blackhawks didn’t have their legs and didn’t play their best game. Their head coach agreed with that assessment. The Blackhawks came home from a long road trip and had a fairly flat performance.
The Blackhawks didn’t have André Burakovsky, Frank Nazar or Jason Dickinson available. Landon Slaggert got into Chicago a couple hours before the game. Sam Lafferty was skating in onl...
Caleb Williams’ second year as the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback is going far better than his rookie season. Not only in Williams on pace to become the first 4,000-yard passer in franchise history, but the last two weeks have seen him pull a rabbit out of his hat and lead Chicago’s football team to come-from-behind victories in games previous squads would have found ways to lose.
CHECK OUT A NEW EPISODE OF THE BN BEARS PODCAST: Apple | Spotify | YouTube...
The Arizona Fall League is winding down with the championship series coming up this weekend. But last weekend was the 19th annual Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park, spring training home of the Chicago Cubs. The Colorado Rockies were represented by two players: first baseman Charlie Condon and right-handed pitcher Cade Denton. Before the game, […]
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The Blackhawks are enjoying success at the NHL level right now, but the waves of talent in the pipeline continue to impress early this season. Three specific Blackhawks are off to remarkable starts to their 2025-26 collegiate campaigns.
Blackhawks prospect John Mustard will look to extend his personal point streak this weekend. He has a point in every Providence game thus far this year (6 goals, 5 assists in 9 games).
Blackhawks prospect Václav Nestrašil comes into this weekend’s act...