It turns out that celebrating Thanksgiving on a Wednesday night really opens up my Thursday. I enjoyed a wonderful Bears victory, participated in my traditional nap through the Cowboys game, and browsed the web for deals during the Saints-Falcons night cap. Here’s hoping your day was as good as mine.
With their Thanksgiving triumph, the Bears have now won three consecutive games against NFC North opponents – doing so in the last 11 days. To put that in perspective, the Bears won three divisional rivalry contests in the 840 days between John Fox’s first and last games as head coach.
No wonder they opened Club Dub on a holiday:
That was the Bears’ first Thanksgiving win in Detroit since 1993. Jim Harbaugh was the quarterback, Mike Ditka was coaching, and I was 7. Let’s not go 25 years between Turkey Day triumphs next time.
Thursday was a day for unexpected stars. Chase Daniel played as well as you could expect a backup quarterback to play (we’ll have more on him soon), especially considering the circumstances. And it was only fitting that the first Bears touchdown of the day went from Daniel (an undrafted season vet getting an opportunity in a pinch) to Taquan Mizzell (an undrafted second-year player who had an expanded role on Sunday). Daniel and Mizzell don’t spend much time with the first unit, so it wasn’t too surprising when they hooked up to give the Bears their first lead. But Mizzell had yet to find his stride since joining the active roster. Maybe this sparks him to bigger and better things down the stretch.
Of course, the biggest run of the day came from the smallest man on the field. Height doesn’t measure heart, folks:
James Daniels carrying Tarik Cohen to help the Bears seal the victory yesterday. He’s been another bright spot. The rookie has been solid since taking over as the starter at LG and he just turned 21 years old. pic.twitter.com/mLYnzJIlNw
It’s the play inside the play that really had me going as the Bears salted the game away with a 10-yard run on 3rd-and-9. James Daniels literally carrying his teammate past the sticks in order to get the game-clinching first down is everything that the 2018 Bears are all about. Teamwork and the ability to make game-changing plays at opportune moments. Way to go, rookie!
Speaking of unexpected highlights from stud rookies, here is Anthony Miller throwing to Chase Daniel. Yes, you read that right:
For the record: Miller (82.7) had a better passing day than Daniel (56.2) according to ESPN’s QBR metric.
Thursday’s win wasn’t just a team win, it was an organizational triumph:
Bears GM Ryan Pace deserves love. Aside from Khalil Mack trade and other maneuvers, in 2017 NFL Draft he got the QB of his choice (maybe not others’) but in 4th round grabbed Eddie Jackson and Tarik Cohen. Hired Nagy & persuaded DC Fangio to stay.
Think about this team’s construction for a moment. Anthony Miller, James Daniels, and Cody Whitehair were second-round picks. Eddie Jackson and Tarik Cohen were fourth-rounders. Jordan Howard, Adrian Amos, and Bilal Nichols were fifth-round selections. Bryce Callahan was an undrafted free agent. These are all key cogs in making this thing go. Everyone deserves a little something when you look at the 2018 Bears from top to bottom.
Oh, and the most-recent first-rounder has turned out to be pretty good:
Bears LB Roquan Smith has 4 sacks. On his latest hit, he took down Matthew Stafford in the 2nd qtr on a 3rd and 8 with the Bears down 7-3 to the Lions: "It was a dialed up blitz, and I got a one on one with the back, and that's what you pray for as a blitzing linebacker."
Roquan Smith secured 10+ tackles for the fourth time this season and third time in the last four games. That brings the Georgia product to 82 tackles in 11 games. Since entering the starting lineup in Week 2, Smith is playing at a 16-game pace that would result in a 125-tackle, five-sack season. Every week that passes shows Smith improving in one facet or another. As expected, his stellar play in solidifying the middle of the defense has made his lengthy holdout nothing more than a distant memory at this point.
Even on one of the Lions’ biggest plays in which Smith got caught up having to cover Kenny Golladay on a mismatch, it was Smith’s chase-down speed that prevented what looked like a sure touchdown. Every little bit helps!
This was a nice touch that might have otherwise gone overlooked or unnoticed:
Bears captains: Cody Parkey, Allen Robinson, Adrian Amos. Allen Robinson is a Detroit native.
Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.
I'll say this about Taylor Swift: Surprise dropping a double album (with the second installment dropping at 1 a.m. CT) prepared me for how to best piece together Bears content at an unholy hour next week while simultaneously trying to...
I'm starting to wonder if maybe University of Texas star Byron Murphy II fits the bill as a Chicago Bears draft target.. In his latest at NBC Sports Chicago, Bears insider Josh Schrock wonders if Chicago's football team could be...
The idea of the Chicago Bears drafting a butt-kicking offensive tackle is something that continues to pop up. Perhaps Notre Dame's Joe Alt is something on the team's radar. NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah opines Alt could be someone...
The winds of change are howling through Halas Hall. After years (decades) of searching, the Chicago Bears appear set to finally land their franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams, with the top overall pick. This signals a new era for the Bears, but the...
The Chicago Cubs finished a winning road trip with a series win against the defending NL champs. Taylor Swift has a new album that drops at 11 p.m. CT. And the Chicago Bears will usher in a new quarterback era...
Only one week remains until the biggest event of the NFL offseason — the 2024 NFL Draft. Caleb Williams is going first overall unless something totally unexpected happens. But outside of that, there are still so many questions left to...
I had a great visit with my therapist today. Between that and an afternoon cold brew, I've got enough in me to power through an evening Bears post. Let's dig into some recent mock drafts that are giving off a...
For all the discussion about the big three wide receivers who could be on the Chicago Bears radar on NFL Draft weekend, a different high-profile pass-catcher is apparently garnering some interest from the team. All-American tight end Brock Bowers had...
The Chicago Bears continue building out their organizational staff around President Kevin Warren. And their latest addition arrives to Halas Hall with three Super Bowl rings in tow. The team announced the hiring of Ted Crews, who has spent the...
Maybe it's just me, but Wednesdays are starting to feel like the new Mondays. Ick. There are just 8 days until the 2024 NFL Draft. We're almost there, friends. We've almost made it. The best pre-draft stat you'll see comes...
Alex Caruso could be missing a foot and would probably still suit up for a do-or-die game. The Chicago Bulls' defensive anchor told ESPN's Jamal Collier that he expects to play in tonight's Play-In Tournament game against the Miami Heat....
The St. Louis Cardinals (9-10), led by Willson Contreras on an 11-game hitting streak, will meet the Milwaukee Brewers (11-6) Friday at Busch Stadium. The Brewers are -122 favorites for the matchup, which starts at 8:15 PM ET on BSMW.Milwaukee's...
Two of the league's top power hitters meet Friday when the Baltimore Orioles (12-6) and Kansas City Royals (12-7) take the field at 7:40 PM ET, live on BSKC. Gunnar Henderson has six home runs for the Orioles (-139 favorites...
The Minnesota Twins (6-11) are -151 favorites to break their four-game losing streak when they face the Detroit Tigers (10-9), losers of two in a row. The game begins Friday at 8:10 PM ET on BSDET, live from Target Field.Joe...
On Friday at 7:00 PM ET, the Chicago Bulls meet the Miami Heat in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and Coby White's 3-pointer prop for this clash requires three trifectas.Coby White's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the HeatCoby White's over/under for three-pointers...
Nikola Vucevic's Chicago Bulls face the Miami Heat on Friday at 7:00 PM ET in the NBA Play-In Tournament, and to beat his 3-point prop, he needs to make two from beyond the arc.Nikola Vucevic's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs. the...
At 7:00 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, it'll be the Chicago Bulls against the Miami Heat -- with DeMar DeRozan needing to connect only once from beyond the arc to beat his 3-pointer prop.DeMar DeRozan's Three-Pointer...
At 7:00 PM ET on Friday, in the NBA Play-In Tournament, it'll be the Miami Heat versus the Chicago Bulls -- with Bam Adebayo needing to score just once from beyond the arc to beat his 3-pointer prop.Bam Adebayo's Three-Pointer...
Following a stretch of three consecutive wins, the Seattle Mariners (9-10) play the Colorado Rockies (4-15) at 8:40 PM ET on Friday.This contest's pitching matchup is set, as the Mariners will send Emerson Hancock (1-2) to the mound, while Dakota...
The Cincinnati Reds (9-9) will try to put a stop to their current three-game losing streak when they host the Los Angeles Angels (9-10) at 6:40 PM ET on BSOH Friday. Bookmakers consider the Reds to be -126 favorites to...