News Bears Team Notes

[Chicago Bears]

Bears vs. Steelers: TV schedule, game previews, odds, and more

The NFC North-leading Chicago Bears take on the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in one of two first-place vs first-place matchups this week in the NFL. The Bears have a chance to quiet the critics who have been going on and on about how they haven’t beaten any good teams, but with an injury-depleted defense, that may be a tall order.

GAME DAY INFO​

Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday, November 23, at 12:00 p.m. (CT) from Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. The weather will be mostly sunny with a high of 55.

TELEVISION​

The game will be on CBS, with Ian Eagle and J.J. Watt on the call, and if you live in the blue of this 506sports.com map, then you’ll get to see the game.

RADIO​

ESPN Chicago (1000 AM, 100.3 FM HD2) with Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, and Jason McKie on the call, and LATINO MIX 93.5 FM (Spanish) with Omar Ramos.

The Bears game can also be heard on SiriusXM.

GAME PREVIEWS​

Our team has a bunch of Bears vs. Steelers previews that you can find in this week’s story stream here.

Taylor Doll’s Making Monsters preview this week features Jarrett Bailey, who covers the Pittsburgh Steelers for SB Nation’s Behind the Steel Curtain, and Chris Emma, who is on the Bears beat for 670 The Score.

PODCAST:​

VIDEO:​

Our entire 2nd City Gridiron Podcast library can be found here: ​

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ODDS​

The last time I checked, the odds from our partners at FanDuel had the Bears favored by 2.5 points and the over/under at 44.5.

Bill Zimmerman has been on fire with his player prop bets all season long, so check out his latest for the Bears vs the Steelers game once that drops here at WCG.

POSTGAME​

This season, we have a brand new postgame show, so tune into our 2nd City Gridiron YouTube channel shortly after each Bears game for Wrap It Up with Jacob Infante! We’ll push it to our podcast channel as soon as possible after Jacob ends his live show.

Our day-after Bears game recap show is back for another season, so tune in for Bear & Balanced this Monday at 6:00 p.m. CT for a cooled-down review of the game with me and Jeff Berckes. Once we press stop on the show, you can catch the audio on our podcast channel.

Plus, we’ll have several articles here at WCG breaking down the game that you can find in our Chicago vs. Pittsburgh story stream.

Our 2nd City Gridiron Podcast Channel is available on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Audacy, and other popular podcast platforms, so be sure to hit subscribe wherever you get your audio. Our YouTube home is also called 2nd City Gridiron, so subscribe there for our pods and other video content.

The 2nd City Gridiron team now has a merchandise store! Support your favorite content creators right here!​

Click on our names to follow our Windy City Gridiron and 2nd City Gridiron teams on Twitter: Gary Baugher Jr.; Jeff Berckes; Dr. Patti Curl; Sarah DeNicolo; Ryan Droste; Eric Christopher Duerrwaechter; Dan Durkin; Taylor Doll; Donald Gooch; Kev H; Sam Householder; Jacob Infante; Aaron Lemming; Evan McLean; Dr. Ken Mitchell; Danny Meehan; Bryan Orenchuk; Ross Read: Jack R Salo; Steven Schweickert; Jack Silverstein; Khari Thompson; Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; T.J. Starman; Khari Thompson; Dr. Mason West; Bill Zimmerman; 2nd City Gridiron; Like WCG on Facebook; Like 2nd City Gridiron on Facebook.

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Let’s go! Some @2ndCityGridiron merch just arrived! #Bears #DaBears
Grab yours here: https://t.co/Zk44e7Ihih pic.twitter.com/Vmg4xQQs1k

— Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. (@wiltfongjr) November 8, 2025

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...w-to-watch-listen-game-previews-odds-and-more

 

[Chicago Bears]

Benchmarking Da Bears: Week 11

Week 11 marked the Chicago Bears first rematch with a divisional opponent this season as they made a trip north to Minnesota, seeking revenge against a Vikings team that ripped a primetime victory away from them in the first game of the season. Despite both teams feeling very different entering this matchup, the game itself actually played out fairly similarly to the Monday Night Football game that started the year (at least from a general game flow standpoint). The Bears were able to take an early lead over a struggling J.J. McCarthy-led Vikings offense, but weren’t quite able to put the game out of reach before a late comeback put Minnesota on top late. The difference in this one, of course, was that Chicago has seemingly found winning magic of late and following a key kick return from Devin Duvernay, a Cairo Santos field goal was enough to secure the first victory over a divisional opponent in the Ben Johnson era. This is a good thing, we’re here to check in on the offensive production:

Quarterback​

Caleb Williams

Comp: 2022 Jared Goff

Benchmark Statistics:

Games	Starts	Completions	Pass Attempts	Completion %	Pass Yards	Pass TDs	INTs	Pass Y/A	Pass Y/G	Pass Rating	Sacks	Rush Attempts	Rush Yards	Rush TDs	Rush Y/A	Rush Y/G	QBR	Fumbles	Awards
Goff	17	17	382	587	65.1%	4438	29	7	7.6	261.1	99.3	23	29	73	–	2.5	4.3	63.3	7	Pro Bowl
Williams	10	10	194	325	59.7%	2329	13	4	7.2	232.9	89.9	16	52	272	3	5.2	27.2	54.5	5	–
Williams – Projected	17	17	329.8	552.5	59.7%	3959.3	22.1	6.8	7.2	232.9	89.6	27.2	88.4	462.4	5.1	5.2	27.2	8.5	–

Immediate reaction to Caleb’s performance seemed to be negative, but reviews in the days since seem to have lightened up some based on drops, decision-making, etc. It’s safe to classify this outing as “mixed” overall for the young quarterback. He failed to account for a score, but you also have to give credit to the quality defense that he and Ben Johnson were facing in the Vikings and Minnesota Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores. Williams and Johnson both praised Flores leading up to and following the game and there’s a reason that the veteran DC is so highly-regarded around the league. In the big picture, we see Caleb’s completion percentage dip below 60% on the season and his projected passing yard total fall below 4,000 (for those invested in historical franchise benchmarks).

Running Backs​

D’Andre Swift

Comp: 2022 D’Andre Swift

Benchmark Statistics:

Games	Starts	Rush Attempts	Rush Yards	Rush TDs	Rush Y/A	Rush Y/G	Targets	Receptions	Rec Yards	Rec Y/R	Rec TDs	R/G	Rec Y/G	Fumbles	Awards
Swift (DET)	14	8	99	542	5	5.5	38.7	70	48	389	8.1	3	3.4	27.8	1	–
Swift (CHI)	9	9	134	634	4	4.7	70.4	33	23	210	9.1	1	2.6	23.3	1	–
Swift (CHI) – Projected	16	16	238.2	1127.1	7.1	4.7	70.4	58.7	40.9	373.3	9.1	1.8	2.6	23.3	1.8	–

D’Andre Swift may not have recorded a score, but he was the offensive standout on the day – especially if you value Tom Brady’s opinion. The recipient of Brady’s prestigious “LFG” award for week 11 rushed 21 times for 90 yards. His 4.3 yards per carry was a significant different change from the 3.1 he averaged when these teams first met at Soldier Field. Scoring production isn’t necessarily there (a trend for the Bears offense as a whole) but Swift has put in a very solid season after a slow start to the year.

Kyle Monangai, DJ Moore, Roschon Johnson, etc.

Comp: 2024 David Montgomery

Benchmark Statistics:

Games	Starts	Rush Attempts	Rush Yards	Rush TDs	Rush Y/A	Rush Y/G	Targets	Receptions	Rec Yards	Rec Y/R	Rec TDs	R/G	Rec Y/G	Fumbles	Awards
Montgomery	14	14	185	775	12	4.2	55.4	38	36	341	9.5	–	2.6	24.4	2	–
Bears	10	1	112	504	5	4.5	50.4	17	10	97	9.7	–	1.0	9.7	–	–
Bears – Projected	17	1	190.4	856.8	8.5	4.5	50.4	28.9	17.0	164.9	9.7	–	1.0	9.7	–	–

Monangai has a true complimentary game to Swift in that his yardage production wasn’t necessarily there, but he did punch in Chicago’s only touchdown of the day. The rookie clearly has the trust of the coaching staff, and while the reserve RBs don’t seem to threaten much in the passing game, the rushing production continues to chug along.

Tight Ends​

Kmet and Loveland, who we’ve largely talked about in conversations about when and how the tight end role would be expanded in this Bears offense, were the bright spots in the receiving game in Minnesota. Kmet caught all 5 of his targets and was Caleb Williams’ leading receiver on the day, while Loveland added 3 of 4 and was just a single yard behind 2nd place Rome Odunze. This was likely more indicative of a poor showing for the wide receivers than a sign of things to come for the tight ends, but we can hope!

Cole Kmet

Comp: 2021 T.J. Hockenson

Benchmark Statistics:

Games	Starts	Targets	Receptions	Rec Yards	Rec Y/R	Rec TDs	R/G	Rec Y/G	Fumbles	Awards
Hockenson	12	12	84	61	583	9.6	4	5.1	48.6	–	–
Kmet	9	8	28	16	192	12.0	1	1.8	21.3	–	–
Kmet – Projected	16	14	50	28	341	12.0	4.3	1.8	21.3	–	–

Colston Loveland

Comp: 2023 Sam LaPorta

Benchmark Statistics:

Games	Starts	Targets	Receptions	Rec Yards	Rec Y/R	Rec TDs	R/G	Rec Y/G	Fumbles	Awards
LaPorta	17	14	120	86	889	10.3	10	5.1	52.3	–	Pro Bowl
Loveland	9	7	33	24	329	13.7	2	2.7	36.6	–	–
Loveland – Projected	16	12.4	58.7	43	584.9	13.7	3.6	2.7	36.6	–	–

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Wide Receivers​

As mentioned above, this was a poor showing across the board for the Bears’ wide receivers. The top 4 players on the WR depth chart (Odunze, Moore, Zaccheaus, and Burden) were targeted 16 times and recorded only 6 catches for 86 yards. This includes a zero target day for OZ who was outsnapped by Luther Burden for the first time this season. The drops were a troubling trend to see linger again this week, and something we will definitely want to see an end to sooner rather than later if this team is going to remain successful now that they are facing tougher competition.

DJ Moore

Comp: 2024 Amon-Ra St. Brown

Benchmark Statistics:

Games	Starts	Targets	Receptions	Rec Yards	Rec Y/R	Rec TDs	R/G	Rec Y/G	Fumbles	Awards
St. Brown	17	17	141	115	1263	11	12	6.8	74.3	1	Pro Bowl, All-Pro
Moore	10	10	51	31	421	13.6	1	3.1	42.1	1	–
Moore – Projected	17	17	87	52.7	716	13.6	1.7	3.1	42.1	1.7	–

Rome Odunze

Comp: 2024 Jameson Williams

Benchmark Statistics:

Games	Starts	Targets	Receptions	Rec Yards	Rec Y/R	Rec TDs	R/G	Rec Y/G	Fumbles	Awards
Williams	15	11	91	58	1001	17.3	7	3.9	66.7	–	–
Odunze	10	10	75	39	600	15.4	6	3.9	60.0	–	–
Odunze (Projected)	17	17	127.5	66.3	1020.0	15.4	10.2	3.9	60.0	–	–

Olamide Zaccheaus

Comp: 2023 Josh Reynolds

Benchmark Statistics:

Games	Starts	Targets	Receptions	Rec Yards	Rec Y/R	Rec TDs	R/G	Rec Y/G	Fumbles	Awards
Reynolds	17	13	64	40	608	15.2	10	2.4	35.8	1	–
Zaccheaus	10	3	50	32	248	7.8	1	3.2	24.8	–	–
Zaccheaus – Projected	17	5.1	85	54.4	422	7.8	1.7	3.2	24.8	–	–

Luther Burden III

Comp: 2023 Jameson Williams

Benchmark Statistics:

Games	Starts	Targets	Receptions	Rec Yards	Rec Y/R	Rec TDs	R/G	Rec Y/G	Fumbles	Awards
Williams	12	10	42	24	354	14.8	2	2	29.5	1	–
Burden	9	1	23	19	249	13.1	1	2.1	27.7	–	–
Burden – Projected	16	1.8	41	33.8	443	13.1	4.3	2.1	27.7	–	–

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/chicago-bears-news/104375/benchmarking-da-bears-week-11

 

[Chicago Bears]

Most NFL fans believe the Bears are pretenders

If you signed up to participate in the weekly emailed SB Nation Reacts surveys, you would have had the chance to answer their question about whether the Chicago Bears are good or not. That was one of several questions sent to fans of all 32 NFL teams, and, as expected, most don’t buy the Bears as a legit contender this season. Seventy-one percent of all responses think the (7-3) Bears are bad.

I can’t blame them. The Bears haven’t been good for a while, so it’ll take time to change the national narrative. Even if the franchise holds on for its first winning season since 2018, some will call it a fluke. Even if the Bears make the playoffs, some will say it was luck.

I didn’t expect the Bears to have seven wins at this point in the season, but with Ben Johnson at the helm, I figured they’d be on the right track.

Sunday against the (6-4) Pittsburgh Steelers gives them another chance to shift the narrative, and while the national Reacts voters don’t think the Bears are legit…

… they do think the Bears can beat the Steelers.

So what does that say about the national narrative around Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers?

Are they frauds?

Here’s how we all voted in the weekly game picks that were emailed out.

The Windy City Gridiron vote earlier this week was much more complimentary of the Bears, with just 3% of respondents not confident the franchise is headed in the right direction. That’s the same vote as last week, and it’s also tied with fans of the Denver Broncos for second best, just behind fans of the New England Patriots, who are at 99% confident.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...ost-nfl-fans-believe-the-bears-are-pretenders

 

[Chicago Bears]

Chicago Bears vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Open Thread

The Chicago Bears, currently the three seed in the NFC, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the fourth-seeded AFC team, meet up in a battle of division leaders today, but this one won’t feel like an interconference game to the Soldier Field faithful.

Former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be on the sideline with a wrist injury for Pittsburgh, so that’ll take some of the vitriol away from Bears fans, but they’ll still let him have it every time he’s shown on the video board.

The last time Rodgers walked away from a Bears game with an L was in 2018, which was also the last time the Bears won the NFC North. The last time the Steelers won the AFC North was in 2020.

Beating Rodgers would have been a sweet ending for that chapter, but regardless, the Bears need to keep the good vibes rolling with the Dub.

It would be fitting close to the Rodgers chapter if they could send him home with a loss while picking up their eighth win.

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Hang out with us in our open thread to talk about the game, but keep in mind that all our open threads are rated WCG-MA.

Once the game ends, head over to our 2nd City Gridiron YouTube channel for our new postgame show — That’s a Wrap with Jacob Infante! — for Jacob’s unique take on the game while fielding plenty of questions and comments from our fans live.

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Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/g...ers-open-thread-fan-discussion-caleb-williams

 

[Chicago Bears]

‘Chicago found themselves one hell of a head coach’

The Chicago Bears need just one more win in their last six games to ensure their first winning record since 2018. Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and Chicago is not only in the playoff mix, but they’re in the three seed atop the NFC North, and they control their playoff destiny. The Bears are beating teams in a variety of ways, with all three phases contributing at times, and it’s all because of the belief head coach Ben Johnson has instilled in his team.

Since his first day on the job, Johnson has delivered a clear message to the franchise and his players.

“Get comfortable being uncomfortable,” Johnson said at his introductory press conference. “The bar has been set higher than it’s ever been set before. The only way for this team — and for you as individual players — to reach your potential is to be pushed and to be challenged. That’s exactly what I and my staff plan on doing. We’re going to push, we’re going to challenge. And along with those high standards, there’s also going to be a high level of support as well.”

The Bears wouldn’t be (8-3) with five comeback wins, and be (6-1) in one-score games if they weren’t all completely bought in.

Following the game, J.J. Watt, who called the Bears’ win on CBS, was asked on social media to share his thoughts on Caleb Williams and the Bears, and it turned into a Ben Johnson Tweet.

I thought he (Caleb) played really well today.

There are certainly a few throws he may be frustrated he missed, but 3 TD/0 INT on a day the run game wasn’t quite what it normally is, he stepped up and led the day.

OL did a great job protecting him today too, outside of the one strip sack TD.

Ben Johnson is the real deal.

Minimizes risk for his players while also taking full advantage of weaknesses in defenses. But not only that, his personality and leadership is phenomenal. He has been spectacular in our meetings so far this year.

It’s still early, but going off what we’ve seen so far, Chicago found themselves one hell of a head coach.

This game feels like it’ll bring another narrative shift from the national pundits, who are slowly all coming around on the Bears.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...elves-one-hell-of-a-head-coach-caleb-williams

 

[Chicago Bears]

Chicago Bears Week 12 Notes: It Takes a Village

Despite several starters out due to injury on defense in this one, the Chicago Bears gutted out a hard-fought win against the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers.

Let’s get right to my notes.

Offense:​

• Caleb Williams was just a bit off on his throws. Again. This seems to be a theme of the season, and while he bounced back and had himself a nice day, it’s hard not to imagine how lethal this offense can be once his accuracy is dialed in from the opening whistle.
• The run game did the Bears no favors in this one. Yes, Kyle Monangai had himself a few nice runs, but 63 total yards by the running backs is not going to cut it most weeks. Credit to the stout Steelers DL for slowing the Bears’ run game down.
• Darnell Wright seemed out of his element with T.J. Watt in this one. From a holding penalty early to the sack fumble TD a bit later, Wright had his hands full and hopefully learned a thing or two this week against one of the all-time greats. Speaking of all-time greats, he figures to see a fair amount of Myles Garrett in two weeks, who has a chance to break the all-time single-season sack record in that one.
• Ozzy Trapilo got the start and looked the part this week. The next three weeks feature some more elite talent at Edge, but you have to be encouraged by what you saw from the rookie in this one.
• I liked what I saw from Luther Burden II today. Both as a blocker and as a pass-catcher, and even as a runner. His explosiveness is field-altering, and we should continue to see him grow as the season rolls on.
• Speaking of rookies, Colston Loveland with another great game. Clutch catches, vice-grip hands, and routing up a safety in the red zone for a TD is exactly what you would expect to see from a first-round pick at TE. His chemistry with Caleb is improving each week, and it is clear Caleb trusts him when the game is on the line.
• Perhaps my favorite play of the game was when Caleb got emphatically pushed out of bounds by Jalen Ramsey, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson got in Ramsey’s face on the sideline. Was it illegal? No, technically Caleb was still in bounds. But did he need to push the QB like that? Also, no, he was well on his way out of bounds. However, that is exactly what you would expect from the player, and I was stoked to see C.J. stick up for his QB. I thought that play gave the offense a little life.
• I really liked a few screens in this one. Caleb is getting it out extremely quick and giving his weapons time to make something happen and the team is blocking their tails off. I thought Luther was going to score on his.
• After a first half of exceptionally dependable hands, Rome Odunze had two crucial drops in the second half. One was knocked out of his hands as he stepped out of bounds, and the other was just a bad drop on a first-down catch that would have been huge in the 4th quarter. Am I worried about his hands? No. But I am very annoyed that they seem to show up in bad ways nearly every week.
• As expected, DJ Moore had himself a hell of a ball game. Taunting penalty aside, this was arguably DJ’s best game of the season. Loved seeing Caleb look his way, matched up 1-1 against Ramsey in the red zone.
• Caleb is starting to hit his stride, people. And if Ozzy can lock down the LT spot a bit this season. Watch out.

Defense:​

• As feared, the Steelers’ run game dominated in this one. I, for one, was surprised they passed as much as they did. Especially early. Both Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell had great games, amassing 150+ yards and a score.
• Speaking of poor decisions to throw the ball, Nahshon Wright’s INT on the deep pass attempt to DK Metcalf was not only the best INT of the season, but arguably the most important play of the day for our team. Reminded me of the FF and FR by Turique Stevenson against the Cowboys when the early turnover set the tone, gave our offense life, and we never looked back. Massive play. And Wright ALMOST had a 2nd INT in this one.
• If Wright was not the player of the game on Defense for Chicago, it was because Sweat had that good of a game. Sweat had 2 sacks and missed his 3rd on the day when he went too easy on Mason Rudolph. Sweat earned himself a game ball from head coach Ben Johnson and has tied his career high for sacks in the first 11 games of a season with 7.5.
• Tyrique Stevenson has been playing some hard-nosed football, and his body is clearly paying the toll as he once again did not finish this contest. We need some reinforcements on the backend in a bad way. But Rique sure does make me proud to watch.
• Was anybody as annoyed by all the hype that 3rd string TE Darnell Washington was getting leading up to this game as well? Dude is a monster, no doubt, but is NOT the receiving threat so many national (and local) media personnel were claiming him to be. He had a whopping 2 catches for 2 yards, btw.
• Austin Booker continues to push the pocket and looks like a legit NFL-caliber player at times. That said, it would be nice to have a legit blue-chip NFL-caliber player opposite Sweat. But Booker is holding his own for sure and has plenty of room to grow.
• Another nice performance by vet Grady Jarrett. From chasing down running backs down the field to applying pressure on Rudolph and getting his hand up to bat a clutch pass down late in the game, he is playing winning football lately.
• Speaking of winning football, Brisker was a steady presence on the backend both in run support, after the catch, and on a couple of blitzes late, including the game-winner, where he knocked the ball down on the 4th down attempt. Huge play there with a banged-up secondary and great call by DA.
• Cannot talk about the D without mentioning the fantastic job by the reserve linebackers. D’Marco Jackson impressed with his instincts and pouncing on ball carriers in the run and after the pass. Amen Ogbongbemiga was all over the field, and I noticed both Ruben Hyppolite II and Daniel Hardy in this one. Did they let up a few plays? Sure. But they were not as much of a liability as many thought and helped secure the W.

Special Teams:​

• Decent day the the office for the kick return team. Nothing great, nothing bad. I have been critical of Josh Blackwell, but he had himself another solid day at the office.
• Cairo is just Mr. Dependable. Did you hear he nailed a 60-yarder in pre-game?
• Tory Taylor had a disappointing game from my vantage point. A couple of times, we needed to flip the field position and pin them back, and he failed to get it close or pin them deep. Have to wonder if all the injuries to the roster are making it hard to field a solid special teams unit, but I was pleased with the kickoff coverage today and thought they laid the wood throughout.

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Be sure to check out my postgame pod, filling in for Jacob Infante for some immediate reactions after the win!​

Audio version: ​

View Link

Video version:​

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...ams-colston-loveland-ben-johnson-montez-sweat

 

[Chicago Bears]

NFC Playoff Picture: Chicago Bears still the NFC’s three seed

With their last three wins coming against teams currently in NFC playoff spots, the Los Angeles Rams are playing outstanding football. Their six-game winning streak is the best in the Conference, and L.A. quarterback Matthew Stafford is the current favorite for NFL MVP.

With a better conference record, the Philadelphia Eagles have the edge over the Chicago Bears for the two seed, but they play each other this Friday. Head-to-head is the first tiebreaker, making this a huge game as they jockey for playoff position.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the four seed because they lead the NFC South, even though they have a worse record than the three wildcard teams.

NFL.com lists each team’s playoff probability, and at 61%, the Bears have a lower chance than the in-the-hunt Lions at 76%, but the games are played on the field and not on a calculator.

NFC standings following Week 12​

1. Los Angeles Rams (9-2)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (8-3, 7-2 NFC)
3. Chicago Bears (8-3, 5-2 NFC)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5)
5. Seattle Seahawks (8-3)
6. Green Bay Packers (7-3-1)
7. San Francisco 49ers (8-4)

In The Hunt​

8. Detroit Lions (7-4)
9. Carolina Panthers (6-6, win over DAL)
10. Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1, loss to CAR)
11. Atlanta Falcons (4-7, win over MIN)
12. Minnesota Vikings (4-7, loss to ATL)
12. Arizona Cardinals (3-8)
14. Washington Commanders (3-8)
15. New Orleans Saints (2-8)
16. e-New York Giants (2-10)

The New York Giants were eliminated from playoff contention with their loss.

NFC North standings after Week 12​

1. Chicago Bears (8-3)
2. Green Bay Packers (7-3-1)
3. Detroit Lions (7-4)
4. Minnesota Vikings (4-7)

The Bears are through with the Vikings, but they play the Packers in Week 14 at Lambeau and then again in Week 16 in Chicago, and they close the season against the Lions in the season finale at Soldier Field.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...re-chicago-bears-still-in-the-nfcs-three-seed

 

[Chicago Bears]

Caleb Williams’ completion percentage is low, but context is key

As of this writing, Caleb Williams has a completion percentage of only 59.2% in 2025.

Among the 34 qualified quarterbacks by Pro Football Reference, it’s the second-lowest completion rate in the NFL. Only J.J. McCarthy has a lower completion percentage than Williams coming out of Week 12, and it’s a far cry from the 70% completion percentage goal that Bears head coach Ben Johnson gave the second-year QB going into the season.

Let’s dig a little bit deeper into that. To the naked eye, that completion percentage isn’t very good at all. Certainly, there are some times on tape where Williams can airmail his passes. I’d argue there are a handful of throws a game where he just outright misses open targets with inaccurate throws.

But is Caleb’s inaccuracy as big of an issue as his completion percentage might indicate?

Among the top 32 quarterbacks in the NFL in drop backs — taking the player on each team with the most passing attempts this season — Williams has the sixth-highest depth of target average at 9.2 yards, per PFF. Coincidentally, in first place in that average is J.J. McCarthy, who has a brutal 54.1% completion percentage but has the most difficult task per average throw with a 10.1 yards depth average.

That’s not to entirely excuse Williams’ completion percentage. Ahead of him in the ADOT average rankings are the likes of Sam Darnold and Drake Maye, both of whom rank in the top four in the NFL in completion percentage. But it does provide some insight into why his completion percentage is low: he’s being asked to execute more difficult tasks than the average NFL quarterback.

In particular, the Bears are asking a lot from him to move the ball down the field. Going into Week 13, he has thrown 51 passes that have traveled beyond 20 air yards past the line of scrimmage. Only Bo Nix and Patrick Mahomes have thrown more deep balls this season. Of the 18 starting quarterbacks who have started in every game their respective team has played, Williams has the second-highest percentage of deep ball usage behind only Jalen Hurts.

When he’s being tasked with executing down the field, the Bears have seen tremendous efficiency on the deep ball. Here’s where Williams ranks in the NFL among quarterbacks on deep throws:

• 101.7 passer rating (9th)
• 5 touchdowns (T-8th)
• 90.4 PFF grade (13th)
• 45.5% adjusted completion percentage (11th)

Williams also has a 4.2% “big time throw” percentage, which ranks 15th in the league. That’s not incredible, but it certainly isn’t bad, either.

The adjusted completion percentage is arguably more telling than his actual completion percentage on the deep ball, which ranks just 24th at 35.3%. Reason being: the adjusted completion percentage accounts for dropped passes and throwaways. Caleb has had 21.7% of his deep passes on target yet outright dropped by his receivers, which is the fourth-highest rate in the NFL. When you’re throwing the deep ball as often as he is, that’s a lot of yards being left on the table.

Wow absolute dime by Caleb Williams dropped by Moore. Laser with more than 40 air yards on the move pic.twitter.com/LewNjmI2Av

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) November 9, 2025

This doesn’t answer every single question about Williams’ completion percentage, but it shows one thing: he’s throwing the ball down the field more than most quarterbacks — which naturally leads to a lower percentage of conversion than short dump-off passes — and he’s doing better on the deep ball than most other quarterbacks around the league.

There are valid criticisms of Williams’ game from a numbers perspective, too. His adjusted completion percentage on passes behind the line of scrimmage is 88.5%. That sounds great on paper, but it actually only ranks 31st among the 33 quarterbacks qualified for that statistic. For reference, Sam Darnold hasn’t thrown a single incompletion on his 25 passes behind the line of scrimmage, and Jalen Hurts’ only two incompletions of his 37 attempts were both dropped.

That checks out with what I’ve seen on film. Over the course of my weekly film breakdowns of Caleb on my Patreon, I’ve noted that his accuracy on short dump-off passes is more erratic than the average NFL quarterback. I believe this comes down to a lack of comfort in terms of his footwork, as he seems a little jittery at times when asked to execute a quick dropback to get the ball out quickly. It can lead to routine passes getting airmailed too often.

That jittery footwork isn’t as prevalent on throws further down the field, though. He looks comfortable going through five-step drops and even seven-step drops, and his cadence at the top of his dropback is poised and collected. That plays a big role in his success moving down the field.

can really see Caleb Williams getting more and more comfortable with operating under center and working over the middle.

progresses here from post to dig and his feet stay calm. With the intermediate defender not causing any hesitation on the throw. pic.twitter.com/mrCmEh9gFA

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) November 12, 2025

This chart from PFF shows where Williams has been most efficient this season. He’s been unbelievable on deep throws across the middle of the field, and he’s generally been doing a fantastic job of hitting targets up the middle. The intermediate throws to the outside show that route concepts like deep outs and corners have been an issue for him this season.

However, you can see that Ben Johnson has adjusted his gameplay accordingly to play to Williams’ strengths. There’s been an increase in deep passes over the course of the season, and in recent weeks, we’re seeing the Bears target the middle of the field on a higher percentage of those throws than they did earlier in the year.

The chart above shows that most of Williams’ deep/intermediate throws have happened across the middle, but that wasn’t always the case. In Week 1 against the Vikings, here was his directional stat line from 10+ yards out:

• Outside left: 1-for-2, 22 yards
• Between numbers: 3-for-5, 44 yards, 1 TD
• Outside right: 2-for-4, 47 yards

Here are the same statistics from Week 2 against the Lions:

• Outside left: 1-for-1, 11 yards
• Between numbers: 2-for-4, 39 yards
• Outside right: 3-for-5, 67 yards

For comparison, here’s the stat line from his Week 11 matchup against the Vikings:

• Outside left: 0-for-4, 0 yards
• Between numbers: 4-for-6, 70 yards
• Outside right: 0-for-3, 0 yards

And his most recent game on Sunday against the Steelers:

• Outside left: 0-for-0, 0 yards
• Between numbers: 5-for-9, 98 yards, 1 TD
• Outside right: 0-for-3, 0 yards

On those passes in between the numbers from 10+ air yards out, that’s an elite passer rating of 130.79, for those keeping track at home.

So when evaluating Caleb Williams’ low completion percentage, there are both valid criticisms and reasonable explanations as to why his numbers appear subpar. In all, though, I’d argue a lot of the reasoning makes sense. To summarize:

• Williams is throwing the ball deeper than most quarterbacks
• He’s actually been better on the deep ball than most quarterbacks
• Ben Johnson went through a feeling out period to get a sense of what Williams was most comfortable with, and he’s been more effective as the Bears play to his strengths more
• Caleb has been extremely efficient throwing across the middle of the field
• The accuracy outside the numbers needs to get better
• He has shown below-average accuracy on screens and flat routes

I hope this provides some context to Caleb Williams’ accuracy so far this season. At the very least, it provides more than a First Round Mock tweet.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c.../104726/caleb-williams-accuracy-2025-nfl-data

 

[Chicago Bears]

Bears vs. Eagles Injury Report: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon Full Participants

As the Chicago Bears prepare for their 12th game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, the first official team injury reports for week 13 have been released.

Altogether, six Bears were listed as DNP (did not practice) on Wednesday, including: LB T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring), LB Ruben Hyppolite II (shoulder), OL Luke Newman (foot), DL Dominique Robinson (concussion), LB Noah Sewell (elbow), and DB Tyrique Stevenson (hip).

The Bears’ Tuesday practice was just a walk-thru, so the DNP designation was an estimation.

#Bears Injury Report

The Chicago Bears conducted a Walk-Thru on Tuesday, participation is an estimation. pic.twitter.com/G9LezaQ2Ea

— Bears Communications (@BearsPR) November 25, 2025

OL Theo Benedet (quad), DB Kyler Gordon (calf), RB Travis Homer (hamstring/knee), DB Jaylon Johnson (groin), and RB Kyle Monangai (knee) were all estimated to be full participants. That is encouraging to see as Bears fans continue to hold out hope that both Gordon and Johnson can make a return for the Eagles game, giving the defense a much-needed boost.

The Eagles injury report had five players with the DNP designation, including: WR Xavier Gipson (shoulder) DE Brandon Graham (groin), OL Lane Johnson (foot), DB Andrew Mukuba (ankle), and WR Devonta Smith (shoulder/chest).

RB Saquon Barkley (groin), DB Reed Blankenship (thigh), and OL Landon Dickerson (knee) were listed as limited in practice.

OL Myles Hinton (back), DB Adoree’ Jackson (gameday concussion protocol evaluation), and OL Willie Lampkin (knee/ankle) were full participants.

Tuesday’s Injury Report#CHIvsPHI pic.twitter.com/H9aWasaP4j

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 26, 2025

The Bears take on the Eagles this Friday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. The game takes place at 2:00 p.m. (Chicago time) and will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...jaylon-johnson-kyler-gordon-full-participants

 

[Chicago Bears]

5 Bears scouting reports from win over Steelers

The Bears continued their winning ways on Sunday, defeating the Steelers 31-28 in a tight matchup that saw Chicago improve to 8-3 in front of their home crowd.

As the close score and high-scoring point would leave one to believe, it wasn’t a flawless performance from the Bears by any means in Week 12. The run defense struggled to stop plays outside of the tackles, the coverage was inconsistent, and the passing attack didn’t complete enough attempts. That said, the deep ball was still pretty efficient, the offensive line had a great outing, and two key turnovers helped them capitalize on their defense’s inconsistency against Pittsburgh.

As I did all of last year, I will be publishing five scouting reports on the performance of Bears players that fans want to hear about the most. All five of these scouting reports will go up on my Patreon every week as soon as I have finished breaking down the All-22 tape. You can join as a subscriber and receive all of my exclusive Bears and NFL Draft content for as low as $1 a month, or you can buy individual scouting reports for $4 each as you see fit.

Like last year, I will post one of my five scouting reports for free here on Windy City Gridiron for every game the Bears play. This week, I broke down the tape of the following players:

• QB Caleb Williams
• LB D’Marco Jackson
• CB Nahshon Wright
• WR Luther Burden
• LT Ozzy Trapilo

To give you a preview of what the scouting reports look like, here’s my one-page breakdown on how Ozzy Trapilo looked against Pittsburgh, stepping in for the injured Theo Benedet in the former’s first NFL start at left tackle:

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...770/chicago-bears-film-study-week-12-steelers

 

[Chicago Bears]

Braggs: Fans have the right mindset for this season

The latest Bears Banter Podcast has dropped!

The Bears face their toughest test of the year this week in Philadelphia to take on the Eagles, but as we head into Thanksgiving, the Bears sit at 8-3, and the vibes are at an all-time high.

To talk about the fans’ mindset and where this team is at, we talked to the voice of the fan, Greg Braggs from CHGO! We talked to Greg about how the fans have the right mindset this season, his thoughts on Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, and the Bears’ spot in the NFC playoff picture.

Don’t worry, we also challenged Greg on those suspect Thanksgiving food opinions.

If you want to check out a fun podcast, you can watch it on the 2nd City Gridiron YouTube page below:

If you want to listen to the podcast, you can do so on the 2nd City Gridiron Podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts, or by using the player below:

Our 2nd City Gridiron team is having a special Black Friday through Cyber Monday sale at our merchandise store! Just use the promo code HOLIDAY18 for 18% off everything! Show some support for our podcast/video team of content creators while getting a unique gift for the Bears fan in your life!

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...s-fans-have-the-right-mindset-for-this-season

 

[Chicago Bears]

NFL Films celebrates 40th Anniversary of Super Bowl Shuffle with Documentary

As we continue to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Chicago Bears here at Windy City Gridiron, we know it isn’t lost on the NFL that we are 40 years past one of the greatest teams in NFL history.

NFL Films also wanted to celebrate the 40th anniversary of that iconic Bears team, looking back at their unique personality through a documentary looking back at the Super Bowl Shuffle.

“The Shuffle” debuted on HBO on November 25th and is currently available to stream on HBO Max. It’s a 40-minute documentary looking at the making of the “Super Bowl Shuffle,” and discusses how it came to be, how they created the beat and lyrics, who were the main players, what it was like making the music video the day after losing to the Miami Dolphins, and, of course, its lasting impact.

On our special series, ‘85 at 40, we interviewed its director, Jeff Cameron, about what went into making this documentary and some of the things he found to be interesting.

If you would like to watch the interview, you can do so on the 2nd City Gridiron YouTube page below:

If you would like to listen to the interview, you can do so on the 2nd City Gridiron Podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts, or by utilizing the player below:

Our 2nd City Gridiron team is having a special Black Friday through Cyber Monday sale at our merchandise store! Just use the promo code HOLIDAY18 for 18% off everything! Show some support for our podcast/video team of content creators while getting a unique gift for the Bears fan in your life!

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...ersary-of-super-bowl-shuffle-with-documentary

 

[Chicago Bears]

WCG Predicts: Chicago Bears vs Philadelphia Eagles

Hello Bears Fans! Well, the alliance is off for this week, as the Chicago Bears face off against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have the best record for a Bears opponent this season, and they represent the toughest challenge yet for this young Chicago Bears team, its second-year quarterback, and its rookie head coach. To put the cherry on top, the Bears must face the Eagles on a short week on Black Friday and on the road in Philadelphia. Vegas doesn’t think much of the Bears’ chances, as the line is -7 as of Thursday night, with the moneyline at -360 for the Eagles, and the Bears are at +260.

But what do our WCG contributors think about this matchup? Read and find out below!

GOOCH: Bears 34, Eagles 32. I have predicted a Bears victory every week this season, but this week I am sorely tempted to pick against the Bears. The odds seem thoroughly stacked against this young and promising team. But when I sat down to make my prediction, I just couldn’t do it. As Ben Johnson says, when its close and late, this Bears team finds a way. And so I predict the Bears will be down yet again in the 4th quarter, yet somehow find a way past the Eagles in the end. I think the Eagles’ strong defense will limit the Bears’ rushing attack, but they will still find a way to grind out 150 yards on the ground, with a KM touchdown. The Bears secondary plays well, but the Bears yet again struggle to stop the run, and they have an inconsistent pass rush. Booker and Sweat notch sacks, along with Kyler Gordon. And Wright picks off Hurts to lead the NFL in interceptions. Caleb puts up 250 yards passing and two touchdowns passing, one touchdown rushing. He is, however, picked off in the first half. The comeback Bears do it again in the 4th quarter with a big punt return and some key runs that set up a Cairo Santos field goal to win the game.

Josh: I can see this getting away from Chicago in a hurry, and so I’m glad Caleb took his lumps on this last game. Chicago isn’t stopping the Eagles’ run game, which means Williams is going to need to make up the difference in the air. I’m not sure he’s there yet against a defense this solid. I think it’s 31-20 Eagles with Chicago having had chances.

TJ: 33-24, Eagles. I’m writing this without much knowledge of the Bears’ defensive health, so that’s could potentially shift things a bit closer. Still, I think this will be an opportunity for Philly to run all over the Chicago defense while Vic Fangio takes advantage of a still-developing Caleb Williams on the opposite side.

Jack R Salo: 34-23 Eagles. I think field goals keep this one somewhat close until the Eagles pull away in the 3rd quarter. There won’t be enough chances for the Bears in the 4th for their usual heroics.

Sam: While I am not the one to pick the upset, I just want the Bears to keep it close if they can. The Eagles have too much talent for where the Bears are right now. Eagles 31, Bears 27

Lester: I was all set to pick the Eagles, and then I did a Philly podcast where the host was concerned about this game. He said their secondary was all beat up, and their much vaunted offensive line was nowhere near what we’ve all been used to seeing. So then I flipped and saw a path to a Chicago win, and even made that prediction on another podcast. But then the injury report came out, and the Bears were missing all their linebackers again, and the more I thought about it, the more I could see the Eagles running the ball 30 times and grinding out a win. That said, I have a prediction on record, so I’m sticking to that: Bears 24, Eagles 21.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...predicts-chicago-bears-vs-philadelphia-eagles

 

[Chicago Bears]

Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles Open Thread

There’s been this strange online alliance between Chicago Bears fans and Philadelphia Eagles fans because the Bears have already knocked off the Eagles’ rivals in the NFL East (the Cowboys, Giants, and Commanders), and Philadelphia beat the Bears’ rivals in the NFL North (the Lions, Vikings, and Packers).

But I never got bought into that alliance b.s.

While the Bears lead the all-time series against the Eagles (30-17-1), they haven’t beaten the Eagles since 2011. Those six in a row for Philly include the Double Doink and the 50 Burger, but if we go back even further, I’m still annoyed by the 2001 playoff game where Philly’s Hugh Douglas took out Chicago’s Jim Miller with a cheap shot.

So screw the Eagles and the bus they rode in on.

Join the conversation!​

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This will be your open thread to talk about the game, and keep in mind that all our open threads are rated WCG-MA.

Once the game ends, head over to our 2nd City Gridiron YouTube channel for our new postgame show — That’s a Wrap with Jacob Infante! — for Jacob’s unique take on the game while fielding plenty of questions and comments from our fans live.

Our 2nd City Gridiron Podcast Channel is available on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Audacy, and other popular podcast platforms, so hit subscribe wherever you get your audio. Our YouTube home is also called 2nd City Gridiron, so subscribe there for our pods and other video content.

The 2nd City Gridiron team now has a merchandise store! Support your favorite content creators right here!​

• We’re running a Black Friday-Cyber Monday sale at the 2nd City Gridiron store! Use the promo code HOLIDAY18 for 18% off everything!

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/g...cago-bears-vs-philadelphia-eagles-open-thread

 

[Chicago Bears]

NFC Playoff Picture: Chicago Bears climb up to the 2 seed

The Chicago Bears did it again.

For the second straight week, they knocked off a first-place team, but this time, their 24-15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles moved them up to the number two seed in the NFC.

This Sunday, the top-seeded Rams play at the Carolina Panthers, and if they lose, the Bears will move up to the number one position in the NFC. That’ll hold true even if the Seahawks win, because Chicago is (6-2) in the conference, while Seattle is currently (4-3).

NFC standings during Week 13​

1. Los Angeles Rams (9-2)
2. Chicago Bears (9-3)
3. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5, 2-0 NFCS)
5. Seattle Seahawks (8-3, 4-3 NFC)
6. Green Bay Packers (8-3-1)
7. San Francisco 49ers (8-4)
8. Detroit Lions (7-5)
9. Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1)
10. Carolina Panthers (6-6)
11. Atlanta Falcons (4-7, win over MIN)
12. Minnesota Vikings (4-7, loss to ATL)
12. Arizona Cardinals (3-8)
14. Washington Commanders (3-8)
15. New Orleans Saints (2-8)
16. e-New York Giants (2-10)

The New York Giants were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 12.

NFC North standings during Week 13​

1. Chicago Bears (9-3)
2. Green Bay Packers (8-3-1)
3. Detroit Lions (7-5)
4. Minnesota Vikings (4-7)

On Thanksgiving, the Packers knocked off the Lions, and this Sunday, the Vikings travel to take on the Seattle Seahawks.

The Bears are in Lambeau Field on December 7 to take on the second-place Packers, with the winner leaving in sole possession of the NFC North lead.

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...-picture-chicago-bears-climb-up-to-the-2-seed

 

[Chicago Bears]

Chicago Bears Week 13 Notes: Signature Win in Philly

With an offensive performance that would make Walter Payton and Matt Suhey proud, the Chicago Bears went into Philadelphia and dominated the trenches in all four quarters and came out with a statement win. Here are my notes from the signature performance.

Chicago Bears Offense:​

• You all saw it, and by now you have heard Ben Johnson and others reveal it. The Chicago Bears’ offensive line put on a clinic, in bully-like fashion, against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. It was far from perfect, but it was incredibly impressive considering the size and talent of the Eagles’ DL.
• We all knew Ben Johnson was a huge fan of the play-action passing game and many were concerned that the lack of run game would force him to find another bread and butter strategy. But with the OL opening holes and running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai running with such violence, suddenness and vision, not only was this a statement win, but also one that has put the league on notice for who these Bears are. Bully Bears.
• Loved the screen calls – both from a timing and design standpoint. However, still not a fan of Cole Kmet being asked to read the hole, set up his blockers and gain extra yardage after the catch. More on his strong game later though.
• Caleb was once again off in this one. Either he failed to set his feet – like on the would-be TD to Rome – or he threw absolute dimes but his WR slipped on their routes and missed it. Considering he is still in his first year in this new system, you have to imagine he is nowhere near his ceiling. And that should be scary for the rest of the league.
• Early on, I noticed the Eagles’ top cover CB Quinyon Mitchell lined up man-to-man on Colston Loveland. And it turned out to be a theme throughout. Not every play, but on a handful, Eagles DC Vic Fangio opted to put his best defensive back NOT on Rome Odunze, DJ Moore, or even Luther Burden III, but our rookie TE. Let that sink in.
• Another missed TD by Caleb to Olamide Zaccheus, who came wide open in the back center of the endzone, and Caleb just missed it. Had to imagine the wind carried it away, but that’s easily another one CW would like to have back.
• However, when it mattered most, on an excellent play call (I personally feel this was Ben’s best game as a play-caller all season), Caleb executed a perfect play-action to Swift when the entire Philadelphia population expected a run and dropped an absolutely filthy dime to Kmet in the endzone. Kmet sold the run, ran a fantastic route and demonstrated soft hands to reel in the dagger. Play of the season so far from the offense, IMO. And the best part? How Colston Loveland was the first to celebrate with Kmet.
• Though they failed to convert a 4th-and-short with Monangai early, the entire offense would not be denied for most of the game. The OL, even rookie LT Ozzy Trapilo in his 2nd start at LT who left a lot of meat on the bone last week against the Steelers was mixing it up in the run game and climbing to the second level. But the entire OL, especially Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright, were bullying folks up front. Drew Dalman and Joe Thuney continue to look like All-Pro technicians who can simply do whatever they want against whomever they line up against. But the TE and WR also blocked their tails off for the RB. This whole team has bought in, and it is glorious to see.

Chicago Bears Defense:​

• As I recap my own notes, I am not sure why Philly didn’t run the ball more. It seemed to be working early, and despite corralling the All-Pro RB for a respectable 4.3 yards per carry, it seemed like he was close to breaking a long one a few times. Heck of a job by Dennis Allen and co. for slowing him down.
• Effort was the theme in this one. Hats rallying to the football with multiple defenders seemingly in on every tackle. That is the type of championship effort you need to win playoff games. And this team is looking like a legit playoff team.
• Speaking of effort, Austin Booker continues to impress and looks like he belongs. The play where he beat the double team and stuck Barkley for a loss was as impressive a DE play as you will see.
• You know how I mentioned above that it is scary how well the Offense is playing despite Caleb not being at his best? The same can be said for this defense without so many of their best players. But what we DID see yesterday from Dennis Allen when he deployed CJ Gardner-Johnson on one side, and Kyler Gordon on the other has me very excited. Throw in some lockdown corner skills with Jaylon Johnson (who had himself a tremendous game with limited snaps), and this could easily be the best defensive backfield in the league. Oh, and let’s not forget the return of Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards. The Monsters are back, people. And they have been meticulously crafted for this pass-heavy league.
• Liked what I saw from newcomer Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. His effort fit right in for this playoff-caliber team.
• Also liked what I saw ::checks notes:: for the THIRD consecutive game from Grady Jarrett! His play is beginning to match his locker-room leadership and that has been a much-needed revelation.
• Hopefully, Andrew Billings returns soon. He was also huge in this one, no pun intended, and will be greatly missed if his concussion lingers.
• Thought the LBs tackled very well. Better than the Eagles’ highly acclaimed LBs.
• Jaquan Brisker was a force. Physical at the point of attack and active all over the field. He and Byard III have formed one of the top S duos in the NFL.
• Speaking of Byard. How remarkable is it that in the two-time All-Pro’s 10th season, he is already within 2 INTs of his career high and looks to be having his best season?! The INT of Hurts was a game-changer. Not to mention an athletically spectacular play for anyone, let alone the 32-year-old team captain.
• Speaking of game-changing plays, when he had a pick-six in week 1, I knew Nahshon Wright was the real deal. But I had no idea he would be this much of a factor for this defense. To be leading the league in takeaways with 5 INT and 3 FR (8 total) and coming up with such timely plays, Wright has made himself an awful lot of money this offseason. And I don’t even want to think about where he and Al Harris might end up after this year.

Bears Special Teams:​

• On a cold and windy day, only one kicker was flawless with his FGs and Extra Points. Chicago’s Cairo Santos.
• The wind made it tough to drop the kickoffs into the desired spot inside the landing zone, but overall, Cairo did an excellent job there as well.
• I thought this was the best overall day for the special teams all season. Both kickoff and punt coverage seemed dialed in and rarely more than the first guy missed the returner with multiple hats to the ball each time.
• Tory Taylor perhaps left some meat on the bone with his punts, but considering the conditions, he had a great day.
• The onside kick recovery will go unspoken, but it was a massive play at a key moment.

---

What about you? Did this also feel like the most complete team effort you have seen so far? Sound off on what you noted in the comments below!​

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...en-hurts-cole-kmet-nahshon-wright-kevin-byard

 

[Chicago Bears]

Bears vs. Eagles Game Balls: A Two-Headed Monster

If you told me that the Chicago Bears would go into Lincoln Financial Field and defeat the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday, I would have thought it was plausible.

The Bears have been playing very good, and we just saw the Eagles blow a big lead against another team the Bears have defeated this year (the Dallas Cowboys).

But if you told me the Bears would go into Philadelphia and thoroughly dominate the Super Bowl Champion Eagles for pretty much the entire 60 minutes of the game, I’d have thought you had dipped into some spiked Egg Nog a little early.

But that’s exactly what happened. The stat sheet speaks for itself. Bears on the left, Eagles on the right.

The first downs and time of possession differences really leap off the page. I mean…damn. Sure, the Eagles had an advantage in the passing department (the sod at Lincoln Financial Field didn’t help, taking away at least two big completions for the Bears), but it turns out you don’t need a lot of yards passing when your running backs and O-line are completely dominant.

I don’t think that even the most optimistic Bears fan could have expected what we saw on Black Friday. It’s time the nation starts taking this team seriously; it should be scary to the rest of the league that the Bears are winning right now without even hitting their peak in so many phases of the game. There are many things to improve upon, yet the team is 9-3 and have totally bought in to what they’re building at Halas Hall.

That being said, this is a team on the ascension and they’re starting to play their best ball of the year at the perfect time. January could be a lot of fun.

Let’s get to the game balls.

Offense Game Ball: RBs D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai​

I don’t see any way to pick one over the other. Both Bears running backs were so dominant on Friday that they each deserve a game ball. This was the first time two Bears have rushed for over 100 yards in the same game since Walter Payton and Matt Suhey did it against the Detroit Lions on November 10, 1985.

Monangai finished the game with 22 carries for 130 yards rushing and one touchdown (5.9 YPC). Swift added 18 carries for 125 yards rushing and one touchdown (6.9 YPC). Swift also had one catch for 13 yards.

Looking at the stats, they’re pretty darn close to equal. Swift had a higher YPC average, but Monangai had a key 31 yard rush from the team’s own 13 yard line on a drive early in the fourth quarter that put the Bears up 17-9, a huge moment in the game. Again, there’s just no way I could choose one over the other

Of course, this kind of rushing attack doesn’t happen without the Bears ‘offensive line. That unit has really gelled this year and tons of credit goes to OL coach Dan Roushar. Plus, of course, some great running schemes from our head coach. The Bears O-Line thoroughly dominated the vaunted Eagles D-Line.

Bears run game.

Movement up front. Scheme/design to create blocking angles. Vision/downhill speed from Swift/Monangai. pic.twitter.com/OlLiSjTD5U

— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) November 29, 2025

As a team, the Bears rushed for 100 yards before contact and 185 after contact against the Eagles.

They have reached 100+ yards before contact and 150+ after contact twice this season, and no other team in the NFL has done so even once.

Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/jhKPtF9aHW

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 28, 2025

Defense Game Ball: CB Nahshon Wright​

Wright continues to be a wild story for 2025. Forced to play given the rash of injuries to hit the Bears DB room, he’s made the most of his minutes and shows up in a major way seemingly every single week. He’s still hit or miss in coverage, and AJ Brown had a big touchdown matched up against Wright on Friday, but man oh man does this kid just have a knack for the big moments.

This week, it was prying the ball away from Eagles QB Jalen Hurts on the team’s signature “tush push” play at a critical juncture in the game.

.@nahwrig said "I'll take that"

: @NFLonPrime | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/RaVHaop7FJ

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 28, 2025

The Eagles had the ball at the Chicago 11 yard line at the time, trailing by just one point, in the closing moments of the third quarter. This play halted their momentum, and on the very next play of the game, Kyle Monangai took off on the aforementioned 31 yard rush.

Wright finished the day with five total tackles (four solo), one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

Also, a major shoutout to Kevin Byard III, who had another interception to give him his league-leading sixth of the season. I also considered him for the game ball.

Special Teams Game Ball Coaching Game Ball: Ben Johnson​

I’m changing the rules this week and awarding a game ball to our head coach. Last year on Black Friday, the Bears fired Matt Eberflus. This year on Black Friday, the Bears earned a gigantic road victory and moved to 9-3 on the season. The culture that Johnson has brought to the Bears has completely changed the trajectory (and future) of this team. GM Ryan Poles got this hire right and it’s going to pay off, big time, for years to come.

The buy-in from the players is obvious and the results speak for themselves. As a fan, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see the Bears have a top of the league caliber coach again, but we have one. Johnson outcoached Super Bowl winning coach Nick Sirianni in every facet of the game on Friday.

And after all of that, Johnson still put the city of Chicago on his back in the post game locker room to earn free hot dogs for everyone. Mad respect!

That’s our coach. #DaBears pic.twitter.com/zs28M599su

— Ryan Droste (@ryandroste) November 29, 2025

On this Black Friday, Big Ben Johnson has another chance to do the right thing for da city #beardown https://t.co/DCKL4jWWPU

— The Wieners Circle (@TheWienerCircle) November 28, 2025

Is this real life, or is the just fantasy?! Free hot dogs again Tuesday motherfuckers! https://t.co/36J1gQwpl4

— The Wieners Circle (@TheWienerCircle) November 28, 2025

Bryan Orenchuk and myself will have plenty to say about this game next week on a new episode of Bears Over Beers. We’ll be live on Wednesday night on the 2nd City Gridiron YouTube channel, or available on demand via your favorite podcasting platform after. Our 2nd City Gridiron Podcast Channel is available on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Audacy, and other popular podcast platforms.

Who would have received your game balls? Let us know in the comments section below.

It's #SmallBusinessSaturday, so why not show a little support for our podcast channel by taking advantage of 18% off your entire order with promo code HOLIDAY18?#Bears fans, treat yourself or a loved one!LINK: 2nd-city-gridiron-shop.fourthwall.com/promo/HOLIDA…

— 2nd City Gridiron (@2ndcitygridiron.bsky.social) 2025-11-29T20:26:53.849Z

Source: https://www.windycitygridiron.com/c...elphia-eagles-game-balls-a-two-headed-monster