The Chicago Bears have tangled with Illinois lawmakers for three years over their pursuit of a new stadium. Governor J.B. Pritzker has been adamant throughout that he will not release any public funding for billionaire vanity projects, despite the Bears’ significance to the city. Team president Kevin Warren has tried all sorts of tactics to get the government to budge, including a promise from Roger Goodell and the NFL to help fund the construction. None has worked. So last month, he decided to take things a step further by announcing the team was open to a possible move to Northwest Indiana.

This is something that was revealed as a possibility early last year. Indiana government officials have been attempting to attract large businesses to the state for some time. Securing a massive sports franchise would be a huge victory for them, and they’ve already passed legislation that would help fund such a project. Everything is in place. All they need is a team to say yes and point to a site they want. People haven’t been willing to accept that the Bears are serious about this idea.

That changed when news arrived that Goodell was touring potential locations in Northwest Indiana before the big game against the Green Bay Packers.

Roger Goodell wouldn’t be involved if it weren’t serious.

He’s the commissioner and therefore has a major presence whenever a team is serious about building a new stadium. There is no way the Bears would’ve brought him to those locations for any other reason. Warren even sent out a survey to season ticket holders, with Northwest Indiana being one of the first things he asked about. The groundwork is already being laid for a move. If they get a green light from Goodell, which shouldn’t be an issue, this entire process could unfold quickly.

The timing of this move seems fortuitous. The Chicago Bears just got done pulling off the greatest playoff victory in almost two decades. They appear to be a team on the rise. The camera shots of that snowy sight at Soldier Field were magical. Is Illinois really prepared to risk losing them despite easily the most public-friendly funding offer of any NFL team in recent memory? The Bears have already promised to pay for the stadium construction. They just need infrastructure assurances. Pritzker has remained unmoved.

He’s running out of road.

Who would have thought that Ben Johnson screaming, “FUCK THE PACKERS,” after the Chicago Bears gave fans one of the most cathartic wins in this city’s history would lead to one of the most vicious public takedowns. No, I’m sure the war of words will continue between the Bears and Packers for many years to come, but on Monday ESPN 1000 featured an annihilation as Marc Silverman obliterated Bulls announcer Chuck Swirsky.

There was plenty of pearl-clutching going on after cameras captured the Bears’ head coach letting out a common battle cry in Chicago. He spoke for every fan who has suffered decades of being the nail to the Packers’ hammer. Well, not anymore.

Turns out that foul language was too much for some folks, a classless act by the head coach of an NFL team is what they claim. I can’t say for sure what Chuck Swirsky said exactly, but he went on Twitter and criticized Johnson and received so much blowback that the Bulls radio play-by-play man deleted his comments.

However, before Swirsky deleted the post it got on the radar of ESPN Chicago’s afternoon host Marc Silverman, who didn’t just call out Swirsky’s hypocrisy, Silvy destroyed Swirsky’s entire credibility.

And this was as personal as it gets. See, Silvy also brought up Dick Vitale, who wasn’t happy with Ben Johnson and also criticized the Bears’ head coach. However, all he said about Vitale is that he should stick to his lane and didn’t bash him because he’s actually a good dude. As for Swirsky? Yikes.

Strap in, this is an all-timer.

Silvy calls out Chuck Swirsky on air: “[Chuck] is a guy that will shake your hand and stab you in the back […] That guy is awful, he’s a bad dude, and he’s not good at his job […] what a rat, what a bad person.”
byu/fluxus inchicagobulls

That is one of the best rants we’ve ever heard on live radio.

Knee injuries are never good in the NFL, but they were really bad 20-25 years ago. Torn ACLs and torn patella tendons could not just end a season, but even a career. That is the fear surrounding Ozzy Trapilo. The Chicago Bears’ rookie left tackle was really coming into his own down the stretch of this season. So when the news dropped that he’d torn his patella, it was met with crushing shock and dread. Not only would he face 6-12 months of recovery, but there was a strong possibility in most people’s minds that his career would never be the same.

The careers of some notable names were all but ruined by patella issues. Cadillac Williams, Victor Cruz, Jerod Mayo, and LeCharles Bentley were some of them. Those stories have painted a gloomy picture of what the injury can do. However, recent history has been different. Tight end Jimmy Graham tore his in late 2015. Not only did he return to play the full season in 2016, but he also had over 900 yards. Nakobe Dean tore his in the wild card round last season. He missed the first seven games of 2025, but still had 55 tackles and four sacks. Yet there is no better example for Trapilo than Josh Simmons.

Ozzy Trapilo can follow the Simmons path.

The 1st round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs suffered his patella injury in October of 2024. He recovered enough to become the team’s opening day starting left tackle and played really well for the first five weeks. Then, family issues and injuries to other body parts shortened his season. Still, it was apparent he’d regained the range of mobility he’d been touted for in college. There is no reason to think Trapilo can’t do the same. He is only 24 years old. If the surgery goes well and he attacks the rehab process, he could be back sooner than people think.

Until then, the Bears must make plans for life without him. It is a safe assumption that they will look to retain Theo Benedet. He has done an admirable job as a spot starter for the offense this season. Don’t be surprised if they seek some veteran help. Much of this depends on the prognosis of Ozzy Trapilo. If the injury is typical, they will likely avoid any big moves. If it’s particularly severe, they may go back to the draft for help. Smart money says they will be willing to wait it out.

When you’re losing for a long time, the concept of curses becomes more and more prevalent in the psyche of fans. They can’t help but wonder if the football gods were angry with their favorite team. That has truly been the case for the Chicago Bears for the better part of the past 30 years. Often in these cases, you need somebody special with the talent and resolve to overcome such ingrained obstacles. Caleb Williams stood ready to face them all down on Saturday night at Soldier Field.

Nobody realized it until later, but the Bears quarterback didn’t have to overcome one curse, but three. Each of them carried all sorts of dread in their own right.

Caleb Williams overcame multiple curses in three hours of football.

#1 – All navy uniforms

The Bears had worn the all-navy blue uniforms a total of six times, dating back to their debut in 2002. It was against Green Bay, who crushed them 34-21. Since then, they lost six consecutive games in that color scheme, three of them to the Packers. So you can imagine how baffling it was that the Bears decided to bring those uniforms back for the playoff opener, against the Packers, no less. In hindsight, it was rather fitting that Williams took them down wearing those colors. Seeming jinx aside, it is a great look.

#2 – The Packers monkey

Since 1992, when Brett Favre arrived in Green Bay, the Packers have gone 52-18 against the Bears. This includes a 6-0 record in meaningful games. These are games either in the playoffs or determined the playoff fates of both teams. Every time the stakes were high, the Packers prevailed. Caleb Williams not only retook control of the division with that epic overtime win last month, but he put the exclamation point on it with his playoff debut, making the Bears 2-0 in such games since his arrival.

#3 – 4th and 8

Sports are often about symmetry. Many Bears fans likely know the phrase 4th and 8 well. It haunts their nightmares. That came on December 29th, 2013. Chicago and Green Bay were battling for the division title in the season finale. The Bears had a 28-27 lead with 38 seconds left. The Packers faced 4th and 8 from Chicago’s 48-yard line. Aaron Rodgers evaded pressure, scrambled to his left, and hit a streaking Randall Cobb down the field for a backbreaking touchdown.

Fast forward 12 years. It’s the same situation. Chicago trailed 27-16. They needed a touchdown. It was 4th and 8 at their own 43. Failing to convert likely ends all hopes of a comeback. Williams evades pressure, scrambled to his left, and lofts an absolute dot over Green Bay defenders to Rome Odunze for a gigantic 1st down. Like that play in 2013, it was a backbreaker. The Bears scored to make it 27-24, got the ball back on a defensive stop, and scored again to go ahead for good, 31-27.

It’s amazing how things come full circle.

The Chicago Bears did the job. Despite all the doubts about whether they belonged on this stage, they stunned the Green Bay Packers with an 18-point comeback, capped by a 25-point 4th quarterback. Caleb Williams was brilliant with two touchdown passes and the defense made the stops when they needed to. For the seventh time this season, the Bears rallied to win in the 4th quarter. Thanks to this result, they will advance to the divisional round. It was only a matter of determining their next opponent and when they play.

Information quickly arrived a few hours later. San Francisco stunned the Philadelphia Eagles 23-19, setting up a rematch with the Seattle Seahawks next week. That means the Bears will host the Los Angeles Rams and old nemesis Matthew Stafford at Soldier Field. The only thing left to determine is the date. Here is where things get interesting. Since both teams played on Saturday this past weekend, it felt logical that they would do the same next weekend. Instead, the NFL pulled a surprise, scheduling them for Sunday.

This is a significant development for two reasons. One is that it gives the Bears an extra day to prepare and heal up after that slugfest on Saturday night. Second, and perhaps most important, is the weather forecast.

The Chicago Bears are aware that Stafford hasn’t performed well in extreme cold.

He’s played his entire career either for a dome team (Detroit) or a warm-weather team (Los Angeles). This means he hasn’t played many games in extreme cold. When he has? Let’s just say it hasn’t been pretty. In nine career games where the temperature was below 20 degrees, he is 1-8 as a starter with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Chicago has played two such games already this season, falling to Green Bay 28-21 and crushing Cleveland 31-3. Caleb Williams had four touchdowns and one interception in those contests.

Does this guarantee a win for the Chicago Bears? Of course not. The Rams are a very good team with an excellent head coach. Stafford is one of the toughest quarterbacks in the NFL. He has way more playoff experience than most quarterbacks left in the playoffs. The Bears better not expect the weather to do the work for them. However, they can absolutely use it to their advantage. If they can deliver some good hits and play physical, L.A. may retreat into a shell. Stafford isn’t at his best in those conditions.

It could prove decisive.