Dec 14, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) runs onto the field prior to the game against the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
This isn’t just a gimmick — it’s a statement. With the division on the line, the winner of this matchup will likely take full control of the NFC North, and the Bears are doing everything possible to create a playoff-level environment. Chicago is calling on the crowd to be the fourth phase of the game, bringing noise and energy from kickoff to the final whistle.
The move immediately draws comparisons to the Steelers iconic Terrible Towel — a symbol that turned crowd participation into a legitimate advantage. Chicago embracing its own version feels overdue, especially for a rivalry as big and historic as Bears-Packers.
There’s also a redemption angle here. The Bears have a chance to flip the script, defend home field, and win a game that often hasn’t gone their way in past seasons. Add the crowd, towels waving in unison, and division stakes, and Soldier Field should feel electric.
If the Bears are going to make a statement in Week 16, it won’t just be on the field. The atmosphere at Soldier Field is set to be a major part of the story and that’s exactly how it should be.
Mar 1993; West Palm Beach, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner signs autographs in the stands during a 1993 spring training game at West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears have endured one of the most headache-inducing sagas of trying to build a new stadium in recent memory. It started with a plan to move to Arlington Heights, then it was pushing for a new downtown complex, then it was back to Arlington Heights. Now, team president Kevin Warren has pivoted again, this time openly stating the Bears are considering northwest Indiana as a potential spot. The state has been actively petitioning the franchise to entertain the idea, having already passed legislation to make such a move possible. This is the first time the Bears have openly mentioned the possibility. Some believe this threat is very real. Others believe it’s the classic George Steinbrenner move.
That is what Sports Mockery insider Jeff Hughes believes based on what he’s heard.
They’re not moving to Indiana. It’s an old George Steinbrenner trick. https://t.co/HUSuYrn7C9
For those who are unfamiliar, Steinbrenner was the late former owner of the New York Yankees. While his time saw the organization win seven World Series championships between 1977 and 2009, it was also characterized by constant controversies. Steinbrenner would feud with players, coaches, and even the New York media. Yet one of his most notorious moments came when he threatened to move the Yankees out of the city if they didn’t receive funding to build a new stadium. He eventually got his way in 2006. Dan Pompei of The Athletic, who has deep connections to the Bears, echoed what Hughes said as well.
Understand a few things here. 1. The Bears don't want to play in Indiana. 2. Almost every major stadium in America was built with some degree of a public-private partnership. This one will be too. 3. The Bears have been frustrated by stadium negotiations with Illinois/Chicago… https://t.co/lQhZa5LNJH
George Steinbrenner, for all his faults, understood politicians.
If you wanted their attention, you have to hit them where it hurts. There was no way he was going to get the money necessary for a new stadium unless he had the kind of leverage that threatened all of their chances at re-election. The Yankees’ departure from New York for another state would certainly have qualified. Eventually, the governor was forced to compromise, and George Steinbrenner got his funding. For the past three years, the Bears have been unwilling to bring out the big guns in their push for state help.
That finally changed this week. The threat of Indiana might be a bluff, but it’s one that Governor J.B. Pritzker and his democratic government cannot ignore. On the off chance it is real, imagine what happens if the Bears do move. It would be a public relations catastrophe. Fans will blame everybody in Springfield for letting the Bears leave. There is a strong possibility that many of them will lose their seats as a result.
In 1971, the New York Giants decided to move from the city to East Rutherford, New Jersey. They played their last game in Yankee Stadium two years later. That same year, both the sitting governor and mayor in New York City lost their respective elections. Pritzker needs to be very careful.
Nov 16, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson stands on the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
By any stretch of the imagination, the Green Bay Packers are a weakened football team right now. Things were going so well in Denver. Then they were slapped with a myriad of injuries. The biggest was Micah Parsons, who tore his ACL. Zach Tom left with a knee injury of his own, as did safety Evan Williams. Running back Josh Jacobs is also questionable this week. Those are four essential players for a team that had Super Bowl aspirations. Three of them are guaranteed not to play Saturday, and the fourth is a toss-up at best. One would think the Chicago Bears are confident they can finish the job this time. However, Ben Johnson isn’t fooled.
The Bears head coach was asked about Green Bay’s injuries this week, particularly Parsons. One has to think it gives Chicago a clear advantage in the rematch. Johnson refused to bite.
“I know you kind of lock in one player because he does garner a lot of your attention when you go against that defense and yet they have some high caliber players throughout on the defensive line, linebacking corps and on the back end,” Johnson said. “So just because one player goes down (that) doesn’t mean this is going to change a whole lot for them. They play relentless football. They pursue. They have a ton of team speed. The linebackers are thumpers.”
Johnson isn’t stupid. While the Packers might not be the same team they were in the first meeting a couple of weeks ago, you don’t automatically become a bad team after a few injuries. They’re still well-coached, have a good quarterback, and enough talent elsewhere to win this game.
Ben Johnson knows the NFL as well as anybody.
A wounded animal is arguably at its most dangerous. His Bears are a perfect example. They’ve been one of the most injured teams for much of the season, yet they’ve still found ways to pull off victories. There is no reason to think the Packers can’t do the same, especially since they haven’t lost at Soldier Field in seven years. Too many times, the Bears have entered these games too confident and been dismissed. Ben Johnson has no intention of giving Green Bay any ammunition to use against them.
It’s nothing but respect and praise, which is the right way to do it. If the Packers need motivation, they’ll likely find it elsewhere. He intends to have the Bears focused on one objective: winning the game. That means treating the Packers like the legitimate threat they are. Don’t approach this game as a sure thing. That is what losers do. If the Bears want to prove they’ve changed, it’s time to seize the moment. Go into Soldier Field and dictate the tempo from the start. Don’t give the Packers any room to breathe. It’s time.
Dec 14, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Green Bay Packers safety Evan Williams (33) runs downfield during the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The Green Bay Packers are dealing with a large assortment of injuries ahead of their rematch with the Chicago Bears on Saturday night. Most of it centers on Micah Parsons. His torn ACL ends his season and badly depletes the Packers’ pass rush. It doesn’t end there. Star tackle Zach Tom is also unlikely to play with a knee injury, leaving their pass protection weaker. Last but not least, running back Josh Jacobs is questionable with a knee issue as well. Green Bay beat writer Rob Demovsky told ESPN 1000 that there is a good chance he won’t play as well.
However, there was one other name mentioned in that group. Someone Bears fans may not be too familiar with.
Packers beat reporter @RobDemovsky just said on Carmen & Jurko that he'd bet good money that Zach Tom will be out, Evan Williams will be out & that Josh Jacobs is more doubtful than probable from what he's gathering but its up to gametime when they'll announce it to see how he…
Evan Williams is Green Bay’s starting safety. He was a 4th round pick for them in 2024 and has become a quality starter with three interceptions this season. Yet it’s not his pass coverage that has Packers experts worried about him missing the game on Saturday. His greatest value as a defender is his tackling ability, particularly in the open field. Williams has been the Packers’ secret weapon at helping limit opposing teams from big running plays all year.
Not having Evan Williams this week would be a very big deal. His ability to play the run from depth and consistently get ball-carriers on the ground at the second level was a BIG reason why the Packers didn't get absolutely gashed by the Bears in the first meeting.
The Chicago Bears already proved they could run against Green Bay at full strength.
They had 138 yards in the first matchup at Lambeau Field two weeks ago. D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai neither had runs longer than nine yards in that game, though. Williams was a big reason for that. He made several tackles to help limit the damage. With him out, the Packers must look to Zayne Anderson as a replacement. He has limited playing experience since arriving in the league in 2021, having spent most of that time as a backup. He did play 122 snaps last year, but only had one run stop. Williams has 16 this season.
Green Bay tends to make things work anyway. They’re still a well-coached team. Don’t expect them to come out flat in this game. Too much is at stake. Even so, the Chicago Bears know the situation. Ben Johnson is a smart enough coach to have a game plan tailored to attacking areas of the field Williams would’ve usually patrolled. If they can get D’Andre Swift or Kyle Monangai into space, the Packers could be in trouble. Just two long runs can change the entire complexion of the game.
Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) pressures Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) on Sunday, December 7, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers defeated the Bears 28-21.
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
If you tell me you’re calm about this Saturday night, you’re either a liar or you’re already six shots deep into a bottle of Malört.
This isn’t just “another chapter” in the NFL’s oldest rivalry. I don’t want to hear about history. I don’t want to hear about the 1985 Bears or the Aaron Rodgers “I own you” era. This Saturday night at Soldier Field is the single most important Bears game in a decade. We are looking at a straight-up street fight for the NFC North crown.
Here’s the reality: The Bears are 10-4. The Packers are 9-4-1. We win, and we basically lock up the division and punch a ticket to the playoffs. We lose, and we’re suddenly praying for help while staring down the barrel of a road playoff game.
After that Week 14 heartbreaker at Lambeau — where we decided to play football for only 30 minutes and still almost won — this is the revenge spot. And let me tell you, the football gods have shuffled the deck in a major way since then.
Let’s cut the crap and dive into what’s actually going to happen when these two hated enemies collide under the lights.
The Injury Report from Hell (And Why It Save Us)
Listen, I never cheer for injuries. It’s bad juju, and frankly, I want to beat Green Bay at their best so they have no excuses. But I’m also not going to sit here and pretend that the news coming out of Wisconsin didn’t make me do a double-take.
Micah Parsons is out for the season.
Parsons was on pace for a career-high sack total before tearing his ACL against Denver. Let’s be real: the guy is a monster. In Week 14, he was a nightmare. Without him, the Packers’ defense goes from “terrifying” to “manageable.” It’s like taking the engine out of a Ferrari and asking it to win a drag race.
But don’t pop the champagne yet, because our injury report reads like a casualty list from a medieval war.
The Bears’ WR Room is on Life Support:
Rome Odunze (Foot): OUT.
Luther Burden III (Ankle): OUT.
So, who is Caleb Williams throwing to? It’s basically DJ Moore and a prayer. We are rolling out a receiving corps that looks like a preseason depth chart. If DJ Moore pulls another disappearing act like he did in Week 14 (1 catch for -4 yards… seriously, DJ?), we are cooked.
The Week 14 Hangover: A Tale of Two Halves
We need to talk about what happened 13 days ago because it’s the blueprint for Saturday.
In the first half at Lambeau, the Bears’ offense looked like a high school JV squad trying to learn the playbook on the bus ride to the game. We had 71 total yards. It was embarrassing. It was pathetic. It was standard Bears-Packers trauma.
But then, Ben Johnson woke up.
According to the game logs, the Bears racked up 244 yards in the second half. We scored on three straight drives. Caleb Williams stopped looking like a rookie and started looking like the savior we were promised.
Second Half Explosion vs. First Half Nap
Metric
First Half (The Nap)
Second Half (The Awakening)
Total Yards
71
244
Points
3
18
Red Zone Trips
0
4
Hope Level
0/10
11/10
The problem? That interception. Look, Caleb is going to be great. I believe that. But throwing a pick in the end zone with 22 seconds left is the kind of young Q mistake that makes you want to throw your remote through the TV.
And let’s not forget Josh Jacobs. That man ran through our defense like he was angry at the grass. He bullied us. If we don’t fix the run defense, it doesn’t matter who is playing quarterback for Green Bay.
The Matchup & Strategy
With Parsons gone, the chess match changes completely.
The Packers also missed Christian Watson last game (questionable) and right tackle Zach Tom (out). According to Next Gen Stats, when Watson plays, the Packers have the #1 explosive play rate in the NFL (16.3%). Without him? They drop to 25th. That is a massive drop-off. It means Jordan Love has to play dink-and-dunk football, which gives our secondary a chance to suffocate them.
Chicago’s Strategy: Ground and Pound
We have the #2 rushing attack in the league, averaging 152.2 yards per game. The Packers’ run defense is solid (ranked 8th), but without Parsons setting the edge? It’s feeding time.
D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai have been a two-headed monster. Monangai, the rookie we stole in the 7th round (thank you, Ryan Poles), runs with the kind of violence that Bears fans worship. He doesn’t run to gain yards; he runs to hurt people.
Ben Johnson needs to look at that Parsons-less defensive front and lick his chops. Run outside zone. Run power. Run it until they prove they can stop it. And with Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson pulling? Good luck, Green Bay.
Caleb’s Redemption Tour
Caleb Williams has improved his pressure-to-sack rate from a league-worst 28.2% to 13.7% (5th best in the NFL). That’s insane growth. He’s processing faster. He’s moving better.
But he has limited weapons due to injuries.
This is where the “generational talent” label gets tested. Can you elevate Olamide Zaccheaus? Can you make Colston Loveland a star on national TV? Great quarterbacks win with what they have. Saturday is the night Caleb Williams earns his stripes.
The X-Factor: Josh Jacobs’ Knee vs. Bears’ Swiss Cheese Run D
I’m going to be blunt: Our run defense sucks.
We are allowing 5.04 yards per carry, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. That is soft. That is unacceptable for a team that prides itself on the “Monsters of the Midway” identity.
Josh Jacobs is banged up (knee), but the guy is a warrior. He’s on an 8-game touchdown streak. If he plays, he’s going to get the ball 25 times.
Scenario A: The Bears’ defensive line, led by Montez Sweat, wins the line of scrimmage. We force Green Bay into 3rd-and-long. We win. Scenario B: Jacobs rushes for 6 yards on every first down. Jordan Love hits play-action passes over our linebackers’ heads. We lose.
It’s that simple. If we can’t stop the run, we don’t deserve the division.
Final Verdict
I’ve been hurt by this team more times than I care to admit. Picking the Bears to beat the Packers usually feels like betting on the Washington Generals to beat the Globetrotters.
But this feels different.
The Soldier Field crowd is going to be feral. It’s Saturday night. Everyone will be sufficiently lubricated. The energy will be terrifying.
Green Bay is limping. No Parsons. No Watson. A hobbled Jacobs. They are vulnerable in a way we haven’t seen in years. Meanwhile, the Bears have the best offensive line in this matchup. We can control the trenches.
Final Score: Bears 24, Packers 20.
The Bears reclaim the North. The “same old Bears” narrative dies on the 50-yard line. And on Sunday morning, the city of Chicago wakes up with a massive hangover and a playoff berth.
For years, the Tampa Bay Rays have been the model in baseball for doing more with less. For a team like the White Sox, which also lacks a track record of heavy spending in free agency, poaching someone from their front office seems like a smart play.
Rodriguez is expected to join Josh Barfield and Jin Wong as assistant general managers, giving the White Sox three AGMs with experience from three different organizations. Barfield joined the club from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, while Wong came over from the Kansas City Royals during the 2024 offseason.
Adding Rodriguez to the front office marks another step by general manager Chris Getz to bring outside voices into a White Sox organization long known for internal hiring and promotion.
For more than a decade, the franchise was led by Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams despite inconsistent on-field results. Getz himself rose through the organization before being promoted to general manager, making the addition of Rodriguez part of a broader effort to diversify the team’s decision-making voices and modernize its baseball operations.
Rodriguez’s background in Tampa Bay should help accelerate that process. The Puerto Rican native left the Rays in October after 15 years with the organization, bringing extensive experience across scouting and player development.
He joined Tampa Bay in 2010 as a professional and international scout after a stint with Toronto in 2009, where he helped sign Yan Gomes, who later became the first Brazilian-born player to reach the majors. Rodriguez was then promoted to director of Latin American scouting in 2012 and, over the next two years, expanded the Rays’ global footprint while helping modernize their international evaluation and acquisition process.
That experience could be particularly valuable for the White Sox, who have a long history of signing players out of Cuba. Rodriguez’s arrival has the potential to both strengthen that pipeline and expand the club’s reach into other Latin American markets.
Rodriguez later oversaw player development and performance science, earning credit for expanding the Rays’ sports nutrition and individualized performance and wellness programs. Those initiatives helped lay the foundation for Tampa Bay’s farm system to post the best winning percentage in minor league baseball in 2021 and 2022, including a minor league-best plus-634 run differential in 2022.
He was promoted to vice president of player development and international scouting in 2019 and served in that role for three years before being named vice president of baseball operations and assistant general manager in 2022, focusing on major league operations, strategic initiatives, and international operations.
Rodriguez said in a statement when he left the Rays that he wanted to “explore other opportunities.” After his departure was announced, Tampa Bay president of baseball operations Erik Neander called Rodriguez “an invaluable presence in our organization” who made a “lasting impact across our operations.”
While the hire may not carry the splash of a marquee free-agent signing, it could prove to be a pivotal move for the White Sox. As the club continues efforts to modernize player development throughout its minor league system, Rodriguez brings a proven track record in scouting and performance sciences, areas the organization has prioritized under Getz.
Getz has also shown a clear affinity for talent coming from the Rays organization. Over the past year, the White Sox have traded for outfielder Tristan Peters, acquired infielder Curtis Mead, and minor league pitchers Duncan Davitt and Benjamin Peoples in the Adrian Houser trade. Chicago also selected Alexander Alberto from Tampa Bay in the Rule 5 draft and claimed pitchers Mike Vasil and Brandon Eisert off waivers, all within the last calendar year.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker speaks during the 2024 Midwest Aerospace Conference Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at the Embassy Suites in downtown Rockford.
JB Pritzker has drawn a hardline stance on the Chicago Bears’ pursuit of a new stadium since the process began in 2022. He made it crystal clear that no taxpayer money would be spent to help fund the project. If the Bears wanted to do it, they’d need to find the money elsewhere. For the most part, the Bears attempted to do that. They agreed to fund the stadium itself entirely on their own, with help from the NFL. However, they still needed help with property taxes and infrastructure. Both could be acquired without the green light from Governor Pritzker and his state government.
Not only did they refuse, but they went so far as to tell the Bears not even to bring it up next year either. That decision brought immediate consequences as team president Kevin Warren announced the organization is reopening their search for a new location, and this time they included northwest Indiana. No Chicago sports team has left the state of Illinois in 75 years. People refuse to believe the Bears would do something so drastic. The Illinois Review provided tangible data that suggests otherwise.
In 2025 rankings, Indiana consistently outperforms Illinois as a place to do business. CNBC ranks Indiana #9 among Top States for Business, compared to Illinois at #13.
The ALEC-Laffer Rich States, Poor States economic outlook places Indiana at #3 nationwide – while Illinois languishes at #46.
The Tax Foundation ranks Indiana #10 for state tax competitiveness; Illinois falls to #37.
The tax gap is even more telling. Indiana’s corporate income tax stands at 4.9 percent. Illinois’ corporate rate is 9.5 percent – second highest in the nation once the replacement tax is included.
Indiana’s property taxes average around 0.77 percent and are capped by law. Illinois property taxes are among the highest in the country, especially for commercial projects.
Indiana also offers lower workers’ compensation costs, cheaper unemployment insurance, and lower unit labor costs.
That reality explains why Indiana continues to attract investment – and why Illinois continues to lose it.
JB Pritzker is losing steam in the court of public opinion.
Even former governors are calling him out for screwing this situation up. Rod Blagojevich held the seat from 2003 to 2009, during the Bears’ last period of success. He called Pritzker out on Twitter (X) for being too stubborn and not recognizing what the franchise means to the people of Illinois.
The bumbling, stumbling, FUMBLING leadership of Gov.Pritzker & Mayor Johnson may cause the1st place Chicago Bears to move to Indiana. Bad enough the people of Illinois are plagued with high taxes & high crime. Losing the Bears would be unBEARable. https://t.co/5oUJEqsPe2
Naturally, Blagojevich is a shady character to take seriously since he spent eight years in federal prison for corruption charges before he was pardoned in 2020. Still, the man understands Illinois politics at a fundamental level, and he knows what the Bears mean to the people.
Jerking them around won’t win as many political points for JB Pritzker as he may think. Winning in the court of public opinion can shift on a dime. It feels like the Bears seized the narrative with their latest announcement, claiming, with not insignificant evidence, that they’ve exhausted every possible option to get a deal done. Pritzker has refused to budge. Unlike previous times, the Bears seem ready and willing to deploy the nuclear option of leaving the state entirely.
For a man who seems determined to run for president in the near future, it probably won’t look good that “forced the Bears to leave Chicago for the first time in over a century” is among his career accomplishments.
Caleb Willliams walks onto the field after the Bears beat the Las Vegas Raiders in week four of the 2025 season.
Feuds in sports are nothing new. Hell, a popular YouTube channel has a series called Beef History covering all sorts of them. They can range from player vs. player, player vs. coach, coach vs. coach, player vs. owner, owner vs. city, and so on. Beef can make for great drama, which is another thing that makes sports so alluring. However, Caleb Williams may have cornered the market on weirdest feud in modern history. The Chicago Bears quarterback is usually careful with his comments regarding media criticism, which is why he doesn’t get much attention.
His actions, on the other hand? That is a different story.
Most Bears fans probably remember the puzzling issue a few months ago when Williams supposedly ghosted ESPN’s announcer duo of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman before the Monday night opener against Minnesota. Players usually have pre-game production meetings like that. Williams insisted he just lost track of time. Aikman clearly didn’t appreciate it and made his displeasure known on the broadcast by repeatedly criticizing Williams.
Well, it seems the Bears quarterback decided to escalate the situation, because he did it to them again before the Monday night game in Washington in October. Buck revealed this on SI Media With Jimmy Traina.
“We had that same issue Week 1 with Caleb,” Buck told Traina. “And then we had it again. I guess he brought it up saying, ‘Well, I didn’t talk to Troy before the game.’ But we sat on a Zoom waiting forever and he just never came! I don’t know what else we can do…
…That’s the part that bothered me the most…this was on your guys’ schedule. And we sat there and we had it happen twice within the first six or seven weeks…I thought the intimation that we weren’t there or [Aikman] wasn’t there was not an accurate description of how that all went down.”
Caleb Williams certainly lives up to his reputation.
He has always come across as somebody a little bit different. He likes things you wouldn’t normally expect an NFL quarterback to like. Williams also keeps receipts. You’ll often find him retweeting or liking videos that criticize him, reminding everybody that he isn’t ignorant of what they’re saying, and he uses it as fuel. It is hard to know where this supposed icy attitude towards Buck and Aikman started. The only feasible explanation is from last year. Chicago played the Vikings in Minnesota on Monday night.
They were crushed 30-12.
Caleb Williams didn’t play poorly, finishing with 191 yards and a touchdown. However, that didn’t save him from some critical commentary during the broadcast. Maybe the Bears quarterback didn’t appreciate it. Or maybe he really did make a mistake the first time, bristled at Aikman’s retaliation, and decided to blow them off deliberately the second time. Whatever the case, this feud is by far the strangest fans have seen in years. There is no other recorded instance of a professional athlete beefing with a specific commentary team.
Dec 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan directs his team during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
After Wednesday night’s victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Chicago Bulls are now 11-15 on the year. After a blistering 6-1 start, they dropped five decisions in a row. They won three of the following four before losing seven games in a row and eight of nine. They’ve been everywhere from the first overall seed in the Eastern Conference to 11th. When comparing box scores from the wins to the embarrassing losses, two entirely different products are revealed. These specific results explicitly detail how up and down this season has been for the team.
Only Team To Beat The NBA Cup Champions
Tuesday night, the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs and were crowned NBA Cup Champions. During their NBA Cup run, they were 6-1, with a +74 point differential. Their lone loss? The Chicago Bulls. This was back on October 31st, when Chicago was 4-0, and facing their first difficult test. New York was fully healthy, and the Bulls were still without Coby White and Zach Collins. Despite being undermanned, they began the NBA Cup Group Stage with a 1-0 standing.
Two other notable wins on Chicago’s wacky resume include handing the Detroit Pistons one of their five losses on the season and giving Denver their first home loss of the year, one of just six losses on their record. Those two teams own the second and third-best records in the entire NBA.
Some Brutal Losses
On the flip side to owning some of the most impressive wins of any team this season, the Bulls also own some of the most excruciating losses. They’ve dropped two games to the six-win Indiana Pacers, two contests to the five-win New Orleans Pelicans, and also lost to the seven-win Brooklyn Nets and eight-win Charlotte Hornets. Despite besting some of the best teams leaguewide, they’ve fallen to some of the NBA’s worst clubs.
This wide range of parity between results is not atypical for the Chicago Bulls of recent memory. They have made a habit of landing in the NBA Play-In Tournament, finding themselves there for three consecutive years and pacing for a fourth, and their resume each season will usually feature a few stellar wins and brutal losses.
Can the Bulls use their first home victory since November 22nd as momentum to surge back up in the standings, or will this solid performance be followed by a lackluster one, continuing the trend?
Dec 7, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) looks for an open receiver during the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
It doesn’t get better than Bears vs. Packers ,but this matchup feels like a turning point for Chicago. After a sluggish start in the first matchup at Lambeau Field, expect the Bears to come out with urgency and confidence at home.
Fast start from the offense
One of the biggest differences this week will be how Chicago opens the game. Head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams are well aware of how costly slow starts can be, especially against Green Bay. Look for aggressive play-calling, quicker tempo, and an offense looking to strike early. This should be one of Chicago’s best first quarters of the season.
DJ Moore takes over
With Rome Odunze and Luther Burden both out, the spotlight shines even brighter on DJ Moore. Moore’s chemistry with Williams showed real growth last week against the Cleveland Browns, and that connection continues here. Expect Moore to be moved around a lot and targeted often. Tight end Colston Loveland also plays a major role, giving Williams a reliable option.
The Bears defense comes up big with two takeaways. Whether interceptions or forced fumbles, Chicago finds a way to flip the field and keep the Packers from pulling away.
Final score prediction
This game is tight until the end, but home field matters. The Bears win a game that past teams often didn’t.
