Bears Escape Las Vegas With A 25-24 Win

Cubs finish 92-70 and will host Wild Card Series, Bears 2-2 heading into the bye, and more

Author

Kyle Baum
September 29, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

GOOD MORNING, CHICAGO FANS

We finally made it! Playoff baseball is back at Wrigley Field for the first time since 2020! After a wild Bears blocked field goal win and up and down 2nd half for the Cubs, let’s enjoy some October baseball at the Friendly Confines 👏

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CHICAGO BEARS

2-2

T/3RD IN NORTH

W - BEARS 25 RAIDERS 24

WINNING AT THE BLACKWELL TABLE

Josh Blackwell blocked a 54-yard FG attempt to close out a wild win in Las Vegas!

The Bears were dominated in the trenches, lapped in the run game, committed too many penalties, and somehow stole a victory on the road.

Ben Johnson’s bag of tricks were ineffective in the first half as Maxx Crosby (1 INT, 3 TFL) singlehandedly wrecked every Bears drive. He attempted a fake flea flicker, the stumble bum play that burned the Bears last season, and misdirections that were immediately sniffed out.

4 takeaways, a long 4th quarter TD drive, and the clutch block helped the Bears break a streak of 27 straight losses when allowing 24+ points!

Standouts:

  • Kevin Byard had 2 interceptions in the 1st half!

  • Tyrique Stevenson had a fumble recovery and diving interception in a follow-up to his impressive outing last week

  • Cairo Santos went 4-for-4 on field goals (46, 43, 52, 51)

  • Tory Taylor actually landed a punt at the 2 yard line!

Quick Hits:

  • First Bears win since 2003 when allowing 200+ rushing yards

  • Rushing yards - Bears: 69, Raiders: 240

  • Ashton Jeanty had his welcome-to-the-NFL game with 138 rushing yards and 3 total TDs. Nobody on the Bears could wrap him up!

  • 8 penalties for 60 yards 🤮

  • Theo Benedet started at right tackle because of Darnell Wright’s injury, but Ozzy Trapilo ended up seeing time at RT with Theo shifting over to LT 👀

  • Kyler Gordon, TJ Edwards, Grady Jarrett, Darnell Wright, and Colston Loveland all missed the game due to injury

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Kevin Byard

2 INT, 2 PD, 7 tackles, 1 TFL

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Josh Blackwell FG Block

Caleb Williams was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his 4 TD game vs. the Cowboys 🎖️

Signed C/G Trey Hill to the practice squad

After an ugly start to the Ben Johnson era, a non-existent running attack, a plethora of injuries, and a sloppy brand of football…the Bears are 2-2 and heading into the bye week for a reset. Don’t look now, but their schedule doesn’t look too intimidating.

SCHEDULE 📅 BYE WEEK (Next: 10/13)

CHICAGO CUBS

92-70

WILD CARD SERIES

L - METS 9 CUBS 7

BATTLE OF THE BULLPENS

  • Cade Horton was removed after 3 innings due to back tightness - the Cubs later discovered he has a fractured rib

  • Cubs blew a 6-1 lead as the bullpen allowed 8 R and 9 H

W - CUBS 10 METS 3

NATIONAL TV REVIVAL

  • The offense came alive behind Michael Busch and Matt Shaw HRs

  • Matthew Boyd got back on track with a solid 5.0 IP start (2 ER)

L - METS 8 CUBS 5

THE SEIYA AND SHOTA SHOW: REMIX

  • Shota Imanaga was bombarded for 8 ER on 2 HRs as his struggles continue

  • Seiya Suzuki is BACK - he hit 2 HRs and had 4 RBI

W - CUBS 12 CARDINALS 1

THIRTY BY THE DOZEN

  • PCA and Seiya hit their 30th HRs as PCA reached 30 HR/30 SB/30 2B on the season

  • Busch and Nico Hoerner also homered in a 12-hit effort

  • Colin Rea struck out 7 hitters in 5.2 shutout innings

W - CUBS 7 CARDINALS 3

BUSCH THE CLINCHER

  • Busch went 4-for-4 with 2 HR, 1 2B, and 1 3B as the Cubs clinched home field advantage in the Wild Card Series

  • Jameson Taillon threw a gem in his final regular season outing (6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K)

W - CUBS 2 CARDINALS 0

GAME 162 SHUTOUT SWEEP

  • Javier Assad, Mike Soroka, and Jordan Wicks held the Cards to 6 hits and 1 walk in a dominant pitching performance to finish out the season

  • Seiya homered in his 4th straight game!

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Seiya Suzuki

7-for-22 (.318 AVG), 5 HR, 12 RBI

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 PCA scoring from 2nd on a wild pitch

PLAYOFFS

Wild Card Series vs. San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field (3-game series)

Tuesday @ 2:08PM / Wednesday @ 2:08PM / Thursday (if necessary)

  • Nick Pivetta will start Game 1 for the Padres

  • The Cubs rotation is COMPLETELY up in the air. Maybe Matthew Boyd gets Game 1? Jameson Taillon would be on short rest for Game 2. Do they trust Shota right now?

  • Potential Game 1 starter Cade Horton will miss the series due to his rib injury that was caused by…fatigue? coughing? He’s eligible to return in Game 5 of the Division Series if healthy.

Who has the advantage?

Rotation: Push

Bullpen: Padres

Lineup: Cubs

Who will win the Wild Card Series?

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NL Playoff Bracket:

Cubs vs. Padres - winner vs. Brewers

Dodgers vs. Reds - winner vs. Phillies

REGULAR SEASON 92-70

Craig Counsell wanted to close the gap and become a 90-win team. Well, how about 92?

I predicted an 88-win season and a division championship before the season. The Brewers surprised me, and the Cubs actually got to that 90-win threshold.

It was a rollercoaster of offensive production, rotation injuries, and bullpen personnel changes, but there was enough talent on the roster to stay competitive throughout the season. That huge 1st half carried them!

This was their best finish since 2018 (95 wins), and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. This is a very good baseball team, Cubs fans!

PCA is now in the 30/30 club with 31 HR & 35 SB. He’s the 2nd Cub in history to reach that mark (Sammy Sosa in 1993 and 1995)!

After searching for slug over the past few years, the Cubs finished with a trio of 30+ HR hitters (Busch, PCA, Suzuki) for the 2nd time in franchise history (2024: Sosa, Ramirez, Lee, Alou)

Longtime Iowa Cubs GM Sam Bernabe is retiring, and Randy Wehofer is stepping into that role

Carlos Santana will be on the taxi squad for the playoffs

SCHEDULE 📅 PLAYOFFS: T/W/TH*

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

OFFSEASON

PRESEASON

L - RED WINGS 3 BLACKHAWKS 2

W - BLACKHAWKS 4 BLUES 2

W - BLACKHAWKS 4 WILD 1

The Hawks looked sloppy in their first couple preseason games. They’re learning a new system under Jeff Blashill and were frequently out of position. Similar to the Bears under a new head coach, it will take time to become a clean operation.

  • Frank Nazar had a hat trick 🎩 vs. the Wild and looked electric!

  • Ethan Del Mastro struggled quite a bit in his games

  • Oliver Moore scored the game-winning goal vs. the Blues while a line brawl took place near center ice

  • Connor Bedard scored a power play goal vs. the Red Wings and had a sick spin-o-rama assist vs. the Wild

  • Impressive comeback vs. the Blues after being down 2-0 and looking lifeless

Regular Season Opener ➡️ 10/7 @ Florida

CHICAGO BULLS

OFFSEASON

Talen Horton-Tucker is no longer a Bull - he signed a contract with Fenerbahçe Beko in Turkey

Media Day ➡️ Today

Training Camp ➡️ Tomorrow

SAY WHAT?

“I was able to scan the field like our boy Caleb does.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong on scoring from 2nd on a wild pitch

“He’s fast. I thought he was really fast.”

Craig Counsell on PCA scoring from 2nd on a wild pitch

“He’s probably the best player I’ve ever played against so far in my career.”

Caleb Williams on facing Maxx Crosby

“Stay away from downtown.”

Rome Odunze on his advice to teammates about playing in his hometown Las Vegas

“He wrecks drives. That's what he does.”

Ben Johnson on preparing to face Maxx Crosby

“I've yet to cook one meal myself.”

Jeff Blashill on his time in Chicago so far

A CITYWIDE SALUTE

Scott Daly

The Bears long snapper’s film study led directly to a win for the team:

MILD TAKE

The Cubs sluggers will power them to the NLDS.

Baseball is unpredictable. Playoff baseball is a lottery drawing.

The Cubs’ 2nd half left no opponents intimidated by their lineup, and the Padres have a bunch of power righties on their pitching staff. The Cubs offense could be a complete non-factor in this Wild Card Series.

But, they did have 4 superstar performances in the 1st half (Tucker, PCA, Seiya, Busch) and contributions from all 9 spots. This past week, we saw a complete resurrection of a dead lineup. Seiya is back. Busch is back. PCA is regaining some swagger. Tucker is back from injury.

It’ll be afternoon baseball at the most beautiful place on earth in a playoff atmosphere. Baseballs will FLY out of the park, and these sluggers are locked back in at the EXACT right time.

It was a long slump for most of the lineup, but these are big-time hitters made for big-time spots. A lineup isn’t defined by its lowest point in the season. It’s defined by its overall numbers and its star power. The Cubs finally have elite bats again, and they’re going to shine in October (and on September 30th!).

HITTING THE LINKS

Shayna Goldman, Sean Gentille and Dom Luszczyszyn - Chicago Blackhawks 2025-26 season preview: Playoff chances, projected points, roster rankings (The Athletic)

Sean Hammond - Can Tyrique Stevenson step up and be the No. 1 corner the Chicago Bears need with Jaylon Johnson sidelined? (Chicago Tribune)

Scott Powers - Where to see Blackhawks prospects outside of the NHL, AHL: 10 players to watch (The Athletic)

The Pivot Podcast - Charles Tillman NFL legend on his FBI experience, Peanut punch & why he hates Super Bowl | The Pivot (YouTube)

TWO MINUTE WARNING

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