It was trippy to turn on a TV at noon and not have games kicking off and remembering you’re on the East coast. Whoops.
- The Chicago Bears cannot hurt us today. They cannot disappoint us. And they can’t lose. In fact, they were the first victors of Week 10. Huzzah.
- I’m still in Baltimore sleeping off wedding shenanigans. On CBS Chicago, you’ll be getting Packers-Steelers at noon CT. And on FOX-32, it’ll be Saints-Vikings at noon. That is a double dip of potential NFC North schadenfreude. FOX has Giants-Cowboys in the 3:25 p.m. CT afternoon prime window. This is not the greatest slate of games you could’ve thrown on TV for football fans. But I’ll keep my complaints to a minimum since I’m not parking in front of a TV today and will instead play tourist in Baltimore.
- You know what they say โ you can’t have all-day NFL tomfoolery if you don’t start in the morning:
- I guess a perk of early-morning football is that you can have your breakfast with a side of NFL ridiculousness.
- Speaking of ridiculousness, Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. has it in spades:
- If you’ve been watching or listening to me when I jump on with Patrick and Matt for the BN Bears Show, you already know I’ve been on the “take Marvin Harrison Jr. first overall” bandwagon for weeks. MHJ is college football’s best player. And a generational talent at an important NFL position. If there is absolutely, positively any uncertainty about the best quarterback prospect in this draft class, then don’t overthink it and take Harrison. In other words, if the Bears have pick Nos. 1 and 3 in the 2024 NFL Draft, I wouldn’t bat an eye if they took Harrison first and whichever quarterback went undrafted with their other pick.
SUBSCRIBE! Bleacher Nation NFL on YouTube
- While draft stuff is on our mind, I’ll throw this thought out there for consumption: I can envision a scenario in which the Bears take Harrison first, Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu third, give quarterback Justin Fields a Jordan Love type of bridge deal (instead of picking up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal), and use the 2024 season as a last chance to fully evaluate Fields. It might not be anyone’s favorite plan, but it is an alternative path we should be aware of that exists for these Bears.
- At a minimum, the Bears could be potentially stacked on offense with Marvin Harrison Jr., D.J. Moore, Cole Kmet, Roschon Johnson, a formidable offensive line (Olu, Braxton, Teven, Darnell Wright, and a center-to-be-named later). And if the Bears were to play their cards right, possibly a new head coach (or at least an offensive coordinator with an offensive game plan to utilize all of these pieces). Plus, pieces (Montez, TJ Edwards, Jaylon (maybe?), Kyler, and Jaquan) of a competitive defense.
- This will look like a hot take, but shouldn’t be considered one: The 2024 Chicago Bears have the makings of a team that could be competitive if someone with a forward-thinking vision is given the keys to the castle. Heck, the 2023 Chicago Bears should’ve been a team taking considerable steps forward. There are still seven games to play this season. So I suppose this team still can take steps of progress. But it blew the opportunity to take the type of sizable leap it could’ve (should’ve?) made going into this year.
- Let me just say this while I have the moment. It wasn’t just us who thought these Bears could’ve been a playoff contender. Remember, General Manager Ryan Poles *AND* Head Coach Matt Eberflus said they had those expectations for this team. Plus, respectable NFL reporters (such as ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio) pegged the Bears to win the NFC North. It’s not like Sal is the type to throw that around for clicks or engagement. When you see the Bears fall short of the expectations laid by respectable NFL reporters, then it is easy to understand why we’re disappointed with how this year is going.
- Something to note: The Bears had representation at USC-Oregon (another look at USC QB Caleb Williams?) and at Duke-North Carolina (checking out UNC QB Drake Maye?) on Saturday.
- Something I like about 1 p.m. ET kickoffs: It can be 12:56 p.m. where I am and still have four minutes to set my fantasy lineups. Whew. Got that last-second change in before the buzzer.
- Desean Jackson’s legacy will live forever:
- PFT’s Mike Florio shares that the Panthers reportedly tried to trade for receivers Davante Adams and Tee Higgins before the NFL’s trade deadline. With what draft capital, I’m unsure. After all, the Bears have Carolina’s first-rounder in 2024 and second-rounder in 2025. Heck. Suddenly, I find myself wondering what the Bears could get in a package that included a 2024 first and 2025 second.
- I want this for the Bears new stadium:
- To no one’s surprise, NFL viewership has surged to its highest level since 2015. The NFL seems to have the momentum of a runaway freight train. Why is it so popular? (Awful Announcing)
Bleacher Nation NFL: Week 10 Storylines
- Heads up! Brett says to keep Rhys Hoskins on your radar, because the Cubs are keeping him on theirs. (BN Cubs)