Slumping Cubs Instantly Swept Out Of The Playoffs In San Diego

The Wild Card Series against the Padres started and ended in the blink of an eye. Fernando Tatis hit the first pitch from Matthew Boyd over the center field wall in Game 1, and soon after, Mason Miller forced a groundout to end Game 2 and move on to the NLDS. The Cubs never led, barely ever rallied, and mostly looked hopeless over a bleak 18 innings of playoff baseball.

The Padres blanked them 8-0 as Michael King threw 6+ no-hit innings and won 4-1 behind their all-world bullpen. The Cubs offense totaled 1 run, 8 hits, and went a typical 2-for-15 with RISP. They were lifeless during the last week of the season and were even more outmatched in San Diego.

Playoff sweeps are becoming a trend. The 162-game rollercoaster season often comes to a screeching halt.

Everyone agrees this season was a unicorn with freak injuries, elite play followed by long slumps, and the laundry list of players who were forced to contribute. Even though it was a challenge, the Cubs prided themselves on their resiliency. They always bounced back. Well, when the spotlight shined in the playoffs, their resiliency, experience, mental fortitude, and every other intangible was buried in the ground.

MLB’s best offense was a no-show. The pitching staff was always going to be shorthanded and looked the part. My fears about history repeating itself proved true. This team wasn’t built or ready for playoff baseball. As we sit in our sorrows of an early offseason, the rival Brewers and cross-town White Sox are both winning games in the divisional series. The Cubs have been chasing the big brother Brewers for a decade now, and the White Sox lost 121 games just two seasons ago. They can’t be playing catchup to both of those teams.

This series was an embarrassing disaster. Jed Hoyer admitted fault and said the team would look different next year. There’s still an exciting core in place, but the step it will take to breakthrough in October looks increasingly insurmountable.

Without their star quarterback, the Bears set sail into a Monday Night showdown and Sunday matinee captained by two different backups. 2023 was the last time Case Keenum threw a regular season pass and the last time Tyson Bagent started a game. Both led dominant offensive attacks in convincing blowouts.

The entire squad pushed Luther Burden into the end zone from 5 yards out on the opening drive against the Eagles. That play set the tone as the Bears physically dominated all three phases of the game en route to a 27-7 win. They won the turnover battle 3-0 with an assist from former Bear Andy Dalton who threw an interception on his only pass attempt. Case Keenum fired quickly throughout the night, and he finished with an efficient line of 24/34, 247 yards, 2 TD. It should have been more lopsided: Rome Odunze dropped a TD, and the Eagles barely beat the first half buzzer with a tush push TD.

Momentum clearly carried over. They controlled the Eagles game, but they threw the Jets around like ragdolls. The 23-12 score is a bit deceiving thanks to untimely errors. The Bears had more 1st downs (34) than the Jets had offensive plays (32). They racked up 492 yards and allowed 157 yards. They didn’t give up a single 3rd down conversion, allowed 98 yards through the air, and ran for a walloping 232 yards. This was one of the most one-sided Bears victories of the last decade. Bagent impressively led the offense in a historic zero punt effort, but he also had a few errant throws. He was picked off by a team that didn’t have an interception since 2024! Kyle Monangai had 30 carries for 146 yards and 2 TDs.

I expected the Bears to play winning football (last week’s Wind Chill) without Caleb Williams, but this type of dominance was a surprise. The offense has been productive and efficient regardless of who is under center. Their explosiveness has been limited without Williams, but his return will only enhance their point scoring ceiling.

The defense has absolutely come alive. My prediction about their turnaround after Week 1 looks a bit timid now. They’re rarely on the field, so they don’t have to be elite throughout an entire game, but they’re putting a multitude of fears to bed. The pass rush is actually disrupting opposing QBs, the young defensive backs are swarming to the ball, and the rush defense has improved. This was poised to be a season of shootouts and a potentially historic offense. Now we’re looking at a legitimate contender that can impose their will in every facet of the game.

An intimidating schedule turned out to be more daunting on the ice. All of the excitement about a new season went out the window in an ugly two-game stretch in Vegas and Utah. The Hawks barely got a shot off in the 1st period against the Golden Knights but came within striking distance later on. Patrick Kane scored a goal in his first game as a Blackhawk (again)! Instead of correcting their mistakes, they shrunk back in a 6-0 drubbing against the Mammoth. It was impossible for them to hold the puck, clear the puck out of their defensive zone, or get a scoring chance anywhere near the net.

The monkey may have been coming off their back with an early 2-0 lead against the Sabres, but they ended up losing 4-3. Just like the Hawks of old, a multi-goal lead is never safe. They were outshot 97-56 on the 3-game road trip.

With a talented young core and legitimate playoff hopes, a dreadful start to the season was not in the cards. They were incomprehensibly bad out of the gates. I hoped some of the young players would carry their offseason work into Game 1 and prove their worth, but nothing clicked for anyone.

With the 84-game schedule this season, this road trip was basically an extension of training camp, so I don’t believe it’s a sign of things to come. Sudden line combination changes after training camp played into the lack of chemistry for a team featuring 2 rookies, a few new veterans, and a vacancy left by their captain Connor Bedard. They need to play a more united brand of hockey soon, and the puck needs to find its way towards the net at all costs.

At last Monday’s media day, one message was clear: Bryson Graham and Tiago Splitter want to establish championship habits during practices. If they can follow through within a tenth of what Ben Johnson instilled in the Bears, it will be monumental. It sounds like Splitter will demand aggressiveness on defense and allow more freedom on offense.

The Bears will beat the Packers by 20+ points.

Since the Packers blew a 22-10 lead against the Vikings in Week 1, they have been thoroughly outplayed. Outgaining the Vikings 419-239 yards should have led to an easy victory, but they ended up losing by 17 points. In the 3 games since, the Packers have proved they do nothing well.

They have committed 42 penalties in 4 games. They beat the Jets despite gaining 199 yards of offense and going 1/9 on 3rd down. They allowed 498 total yards, including 242 yards on the ground, to the Falcons. They beat the Bucs with an inefficient offense (3.4 yards/rush, 197 passing yards) that was matched by a Jalon Daniels-led team.

On Sunday, the Packers may run less plays than the Jets did against the Bears. They finally have a choppy operation full of undisciplined, ineffective football. Ben Johnson is about to coach circles around his friend (or foe?) Matt LaFleur, and we should see a third straight blowout for the Bears.