Packers Land Knockout Punches In Round 1 Against Bears

GOOD MORNING, CHICAGO FANS

I hope you buried your head in the sand this weekend. The Bears lost at Lambeau Field (per usual), the Bulls extended their losing streak to 7 games, and the Blackhawks were outscored 13-1 in just 2 games. Maybe it’s time to work for the week?

CHICAGO BEARS

L - PACKERS 28 BEARS 21

FINALLY PACKED A PUNCH

Looks of dismay as Bears players walked off of Lambeau Field felt too normal. Even after last season’s Week 18 win in Green Bay, each opportunity to turn the page on this one-sided rivalry holds so much weight. Now we know, in the Ben Johnson era, this rivalry will be one heavyweight bout after another.

Kyle Monangai shattered Edgerrin Cooper’s helmet. Luther Burden got away with choking out Keisean Nixon. DJ Moore got popped twice near the line of scrimmage. Scrums started whenever the ball wasn’t in play. Caleb Williams took questionably late hits, Matt LaFleur was screaming at the refs, and the war in the trenches was like a desperate last stand.

In the end, Caleb Williams underthrew Cole Kmet in the end zone with a chance to tie the game. Nixon got the last laugh. The Bears weren’t good enough in all three phases, but they made drastic halftime adjustments and ended up matching the Packers in nearly every statistical category. This was not an embarrassment. This was not the same old Bears.

This was a bone-chilling, hard-fought, old-school, physical game of football between two teams who hate each other. Luckily for the Bears, they get a shot at revenge in just 2 weeks. Ben Johnson’s “I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleur twice a year” and “We’re going to be playing our best football in December” quips fell just short. For now.

Standouts:

• The run game started working in the 2nd half as D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai accumulated 120 yards on 27 carries. Monangai kept his feet moving on an impressive 2-point conversion.

• CJ Gardner-Johnson had an early interception and finished with 10 tackles

• Luther Burden (4 receptions, 67 yards) was Caleb’s most targeted receiver with Rome Odunze inactive due to injury

• Caleb (19/35, 186 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) was under frequent duress or just kept surveying a blanketed group of receivers. He made a few showstopping throws and willed the Bears back into it in the 2nd half.

Quick Hits:

• The interception to end the game was the same Caleb to Cole play that resulted in a TD against the Eagles

• Packers went 8-for-12 on 3rd down and consistently beat the blitz

• The good Jordan Love showed up…17/25, 234 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

• Packers won the first half 14-3. Caleb had 32 passing yards at that point!

• Bears pressured Jordan Love 10 times BUT only had 1 sack, 1 QB hit, and had multiple breakdowns in coverage

• Josh Jacobs shook off 3 Bears defenders in the backfield on 3rd and 2 during the game-winning TD drive. Bears couldn’t wrap up for most of the game.

• After the Bears put together a 14 play, 59 yard drive to make it a 7-3 game, Cairo Santos placed the kickoff too short for a penalty, and the defense quickly gave up a TD in 4 plays. Any hope of momentum before halftime was gone.

• Bears only committed 4 penalties for 17 yards 😀

• The Bears haven’t been outcoached too many times this season…this was one of them

• Final numbers were so even! First Downs: 21-17, Total Yards: 315-337, Turnovers: 1-1, Time of Possession: 33:29-26:31

• Kyler Gordon injured his groin in pregame warmups and missed the game

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ CJ Gardner-Johnson

1 INT, 10 tackles, 1 PD

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Caleb Williams pass to Cole Kmet

Released LB Dominique Hampton from practice squad

Nahshon Wright was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November!

Kevin Byard and Joe Thuney are 1st at their position in the latest NFC Pro Bowl voting update! Drew Dalman and Nahshon Wright are 2nd.

NFC North

9-3-1 Packers

9-4 Bears

8-5 Lions

5-8 Vikings

SCHEDULE 📅 SUNDAY vs. Browns

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

L - GOLDEN KNIGHTS 4 BLACKHAWKS 3 (F/SO)

IN THE HART OF VEGAS

• Carter Hart appeared in his first NHL game in 2 years after being acquitted in the Canada World Juniors sexual assault case

• Goalie show: Hart and Spencer Knight made highlight reel saves in overtime, Wyatt Kaiser made a save with his glove and saw a puck go in off his skate, and Hart gave up a goal on a giveaway near his own net

• Connor Bedard had an unbelievable goal in regulation and a shootout goal

W - BLACKHAWKS 2 KINGS 1

KAISER KILLERS

• Blackhawks killed all 5 of the Kings’ power plays

• Wyatt Kaiser scored the eventual game-winning five-hole goal with 5.1 seconds left in the 2nd period

• Teuvo Teravainen sacrificed some teeth for the victory 😬

L - KINGS 6 BLACKHAWKS 0

REVENGE OF THE KINGS

• Kings ran away in the rematch after a night off in LA

• Knight kept the Hawks in the game after their solid 1st period gave way to a sloppy effort

• Defenseman Brandt Clarke scored his 4th and 5th goals of the year for the Kings

L - DUCKS 7 BLACKHAWKS 1

FLOODGATES, THE SEQUEL

• A 13-1 back-to-back was not how they imagined the weekend

• Ducks bombarded the Hawks with shots (53-20) in one of the most lopsided showings of the year

• Hawks had a 12.0 expected goals percentage at 5v5 (2nd lowest in NHL this season)

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Connor Bedard

2 goals and 1 assist (3 points) on 13 shots

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Connor Bedard top shelf goal

Activated Laurent Brossoit from injured non-roster and assigned him to the AHL. Brossoit hasn’t played a single minute with the Blackhawks due to injury, and the Hawks are actively looking to trade him with Knight and Soderblom inked on the NHL roster.

Connor Bedard was named the NHL’s 3rd Star of the Month for November! He had 23 points (10g/13a) in 14 games!

Hawks lost by 6+ goals in consecutive games for the first time since 1951

Prospect Roman Kantserov was named a KHL All-Star ⭐

Prospect AJ Spellacy was named to Team USA's preliminary roster for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship

SCHEDULE 📅 W/F/SAT

CHICAGO BULLS

L - MAGIC 125 BULLS 120

THE BANE OF THEIR EXISTENCE

• Bulls had a 15-point lead but allowed 40 points in the 4th quarter

• Desmond Bane scored 37 points on 12/17 FG shooting for the Magic

• 4 Bulls scored 20+ points, but the bench was too thin keep up down the stretch

L - NETS 113 BULLS 103

THROW AN L INTO THE OCEAN

• Bulls had their lowest scoring 1st half of the season (44 points) and struggled to make shots all night with so many injured players

• Bulls shot 38/90 (42%) FG and 7/30 (23%) 3PT

• Josh Giddey had his 5th triple-double of the season (28p/11r/11a)

L - PACERS 120 BULLS 105

A PASCAL PAINTING

• The reprise to Pascal Siakam’s game-winning shot against the Bulls was an easy 36p/10r night on 5/7 3PT shooting

• Bulls shot 7/13 from 3PT in the 1st quarter and 6/22 the rest of the game

• Turnovers and a non-existent offense made for exhilarating basketball after the 1st

L - WARRIORS 123 BULLS 91

SELF-INFLICTED WOUNDS

• Bulls’ lowest-scoring performance of the season (36% FG, 28% 3PT) against a Warriors team missing Stephen Curry and Draymond Green

• Matas Buzelis accidentally collided with Zach Collins and came away with a bloody nose

• A 14-1 Bulls run at the end of the 3rd wasn’t even enough to make it close

STAR OF THE WEEK ⭐ Josh Giddey

19.2p/7.5r/7.0a per game, 1 triple-double

PLAY OF THE WEEK 🎥 Matas Buzelis poster dunk

Noa Essengue will miss the remainder of the season due to surgery for a dislocated shoulder. Awful news for the 18-year old rookie who has a lot of development ahead of him and only saw 3 minutes of playing time in the NBA this season.

Lost 7 straight games and are 3-13 since starting the season 6-1

Anthony Davis may be on the trade block, and the Bulls have reportedly discussed attempting to trade for him

SCHEDULE 📅 F/SUN

CHICAGO CUBS

OFFSEASON

WINTER MEETINGS

• Main pitching targets appear to be Tatsuya Imai and Michael King

• Cubs tried to get Dylan Cease before he signed with the Blue Jays

• Continue to be linked to 3B Alex Bregman

• Zac Gallen is a starter option

• The Reds and Pirates are both expected to make offers to Kyle Schwarber, whereas the Cubs…don’t want the legend back in Chicago

Signed INF Scott Kingery to a minor league contract with an invite to major league camp

• Kingery is a 6-year veteran utility player who has only appeared in 71 MLB games since 2020

• Best season was in 2019 when he had 2.7 WAR for the Phillies, hitting .258 with 19 HR and 15 SB

• Interestingly enough, he was drafted at #48 in the 2015 MLB Draft, 1 spot behind the Cubs who selected OF Donnie Dewees, a player who never made it to the big leagues. The same draft as Dansby Swanson, Kyle Tucker, Ian Happ, and more.

Traded minor league RHP Nico Zeglin to the Houston Astros for international bonus pool space

Ryan Otero, former director of pitching, is leaving to work for the Boston Red Sox. Tyler Zombro will move into a larger role in the Cubs organization.

Matthew Boyd will play for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic!

SAY WHAT?

A CITYWIDE SALUTE

DJ Moore

DJ Moore is the Bears’ nominee for the 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year award!

MILD TAKE

The Bulls’ freefall can be attributed to injuries.

I get it. Injuries aren’t an excuse in any sport. The best teams have the depth and culture to overcome shorthanded stretches during the season. Just look at D’Marco Jackson and the rest of the Bears defense over the last few weeks!

The Bulls started stacking injuries, and the losses came quickly. Even though I don’t believe they’re a “good” team, they showed promise at the beginning of the year that they can excel when playing the right way. And that means relying HEAVILY on the bench.

Pace, pace, and pace only works when you’re running a 2nd unit that is better than the opponent’s. And this year’s iteration of the Bulls seemed so intent on playing physically on the defensive end just to see Isaac Okoro go down, followed by Ayo Dosunmu and Tre Jones. How can they guard anyone when their best defenders are out?

This losing streak has exposed their already-existing flaws. But a healthy roster can mask those issues. When the team starts to creep back towards full strength, the wins will return.

HITTING THE LINKS

Jamal Collier - From 6-1 to 9-10, what to make of this curious Chicago Bulls start (ESPN)

Brad Biggs - Column: Al Harris has made an impact on the Chicago Bears for years. And wherever he goes, takeaways follow. (Chicago Tribune)

Mark Lazerus - Spin class: How Teuvo Teräväinen’s hockey smarts keep the Blackhawks in awe (The Athletic)

Michael Cerami - Cubs Reportedly Have More Money to Spend This Offseason Than I Thought (Bleacher Nation)

TWO MINUTE WARNING

Thanks for reading! Will the Bulls win another game this season?