One thing about me when it comes to the sports I enjoy is that above all else, I am a man of hope.
It is a blessing and a curse. The hope that I put into my teams keeps me bought in through the good times and the bad, while also crushing me when things don’t pan out the way I hope they will.
No team that I root for personifies that dynamic more than the Chicago Bears.
Some of my earliest sports memories involve Da Bears. I remember watching them go on that long playoff run all the way to the Super Bowl back in 2006, right before the Colts crushed the dreams of myself and everybody else in the city. I remember Jay Cutler coming to town and taking the boys all the way to the NFC Championship game back in 2011 before suffering an injury and having to sit on the sidelines while the Packers of all teams ended our season.
Most recently of all, I remember the 2018 Bears putting together an unbelievable year, going 12-4 and winning the division. Of course, I also remember Cody Parkey ending all of that in the first round of the playoffs with the infamous “double doink.” How well do I remember it? Well, I was sitting behind the end zone it happened in.
Being a Bears fan for my entire 27 years of existence has weathered me quite a bit. I still have that hope for the team every single year, but now that hope is accompanied by caution. They’ve hurt me before, and they probably will again. But now, for the first time in a long time, that hope I have is getting stronger. I actually feel like I have a reason to believe again. The winds are changing in Chicago, and the Bears finally have something they’ve never had before.
His name is Caleb Williams.
Caleb Williams is the quarterback we have been waiting for. He is a bonafide stud. He is a player that has been in the NFL for six games and has already put almost every other quarterback this franchise has had to shame. Don’t believe me? The Bears’ offense has scored five offensive touchdowns in back-to-back weeks for the first time since 1956. That’s not a typo.
Sure, things started rocky, but more often than not, quarterbacks don’t come into the league and start lighting it up immediately. He’s gotten better every single week, and this past Sunday, he put together the game we might be able to look back on and say was his true arrival. Four touchdown passes. 23-29 passing. One bad interception sure, and it was the first thing he talked about in his post game interview. How humble.
Sure, many people will discuss the team’s he’s played against and the records they have. You can only play who’s put in front of you, so say what you want, but in years past, the Bears were those bad teams that the good teams padded their record against. I won’t apologize for anything, and if you’re a Bears fan reading this, you shouldn’t either.
We’ll see what he’s really made of when the divisional games roll around. The NFC North is the best division in the league right now, and it’s not particularly close. All teams in the North are at least two games above .500 and boast the top four point differentials in the entire league. Sure, these games are going to be tough, and I’m not counting on Caleb throwing for four TDs in all of these games while we win them all, but he’s going to give this team a chance to do so. With how good his defense is as well, I’ll take those chances.
I know I sound confident, maybe even cocky perhaps. Is there a chance he falls off and this blows up in my face? Sure. But you have to remember, I’ve waited 27 years to say I’ve got a guy under center. I’ve been through so many potential guys and believed in them just for them to let me down. This might end up the same way, but this feels different. Caleb Williams is not Justin Fields. He’s not Mitch Trubisky. He’s better, and he’s going to be the one to take us to the promised land.
Do I know that for sure? Absolutely not. But… I do have hope.
Anyway… let's do some quick hitters.
Congratulations to both of the Warsaw soccer teams, as well as the Lakeland Christian boys, for winning sectional championships this past weekend. It’s been a great season on the pitch in the area.
Football sectional pairings were announced on Sunday night and quite a few teams have some favorable draws. Triton, Tippecanoe Valley and potentially Manchester all have paths to championship games. The Tigers will be there too, in what will most likely be a big rematch with Concord.
Last weekend was awesome once again in college football. If you’re not paying attention yet, what are you waiting for?
This was finally the week I was looking for in the picks department. I dominated the board, including a perfect 4-0 in my dreaded afternoon slate as well as a 3-1 mark in standalone games.
Let’s keep it rolling.
THURSDAY NIGHT
Denver Broncos (-1.5) at New Orleans Saints
Quite an interesting matchup for Thursday night football. Two rookies will share the stage as Bo Nix (Denver) and Spencer Rattler (New Orleans) face off for the win. Both teams are coming off of losses this week, with the Saints giving up 51 points to Tampa and the Broncos falling into a 23-0 hole. I’ll be honest, this isn’t really a game that intrigues me personally, but starting off with a win on Thursday night is crucial. Give me the home underdogs.
The Pick: Saints +1.5
ACROSS THE POND
New England Patriots at Jacksonville Jaguars (-5.5)
This is another stinker of a standalone game. Drake Maye looked decent in his first game under center for New England, but suffered a tough loss to a really good Texans team. The Jags got pounded by my Bears last weekend in England, staying across the pond while trying to get right. I think already being in England is a bigger advantage than people realize, but it’s tough to see Jacksonville as this big of favorites when nothing has gone right for them this season. The Jags win, but it's a close one.
The Pick: Patriots +5.5
1 O’CLOCK SUNDAY
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts (-3)
Finally, a favorite that I like this week. The Colts under Joe Flacco have been a completely different team, staying in every game despite all of the injuries they are dealing with. Still no word on if Tua will be back for Miami this week, so my guess is not. Anthony Richardson is expected to be back for this one, which makes things a bit interesting, but this Dolphins team is bad right now. Give me Indy.
The Pick: Colts -3
Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers (-2.5)
What? Listen, I get that the Packers have been playing well the past couple of weeks, but Houston is a bonafide Super Bowl contender. I know the last time the Texans went up north it didn’t go so well, but the Vikings are better. Jordan Love has had his ups and downs this season, and going up against a lethal offense led by CJ Stroud, he can’t keep throwing interceptions. I love Houston in this spot, so much so that I’m not going to be surprised when it backfires.
The Pick: Texans +2.5
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons (-2.5)
These are two teams that are currently heading in different directions. The Seahawks have suffered a string of losses in a row, now sitting at 3-3 after a 3-0 start. The Falcons started slow, but are now 4-2. Kirk Cousins is looking more and more comfortable each week, and the offense is putting up the points to show for it. This has a chance to be an extremely high-scoring affair, and I like Atlanta to come out on top if that’s the case.
The Pick: Falcons -2.5
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings (-2.5)
This is going to be a doozy of a game in the early slate Sunday, probably the game second on my list of must-watch contests. (We’ll get to No. 1 in the late slate) If the Lions pick up the win in this one, they’ll move up in a first place tie in the NFC North. Aiden Hutchinson went down with a broken tibia for Detroit last week, a brutal loss for the team. The Vikings are coming off of a bye and are still undefeated, for now. I don’t see them improving to 6-0 this week. They’re good, but the Lions are the best team in the conference.
The Pick: Lions +2.5
Philadelphia Eagles (-3) at New York Giants
I can’t really put my finger on Philly this year. They’re good, but not great. Sometimes, they don’t even look good. The Giants are definitely better than in years past, but they’re still not a playoff caliber team in my humble opinion. I like the Eagles to pick up a win in this one, but wouldn’t be surprised at all if it goes the other way. I know that’s kind of a cop out, but these are two teams where you really don’t know what you’re getting on any given week. I’m picking the Birds.
The Pick: Eagles -3
Cincinnati Bengals (-5.5) at Cleveland Browns
On paper, I would expect the Bengals to absolutely throttle the Browns in this spot. Cleveland is in contention for one of the worst teams, if not the worst in football right now. The Bengals still don’t have a great record, but Joe Burrow is playing great. Despite this, I wonder if this might be a closer game. Cincy has blown a couple of games this season while also winning a few by too narrow of margins. Even still, Cleveland is such a mess, I feel wrong picking them here.
The Pick: Bengals -5.5
Tennessee Titans at Buffalo Bills (-8.5)
Make no mistake here, I’m very confident the Bills are going to win this game. It’s when the spreads are this lopsided that I begin worrying about things. The Bills are really good, Josh Allen is awesome, but I fear they don’t have the firepower to win this game in a blowout. Although the more I think about it, the Titans are bad. Really bad. Buffalo has faced off against some good teams this season and are 4-2 coming into this spot. I trust one of these teams more, so if I’m wrong, I’ll eat it.
The Pick: Bills -8.5
LATE AFTERNOON SLATE
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Rams (-6.5)
The Raiders are imploding over in Vegas. With nothing going right and losses stacking up quickly, it’s getting late early in Sin City. The Rams are coming off of a bye this week and are potentially getting Cooper Kupp back this week. I do think the Rams pick up the win in this one, but similar to the Jaguars being such heavy favorites in the London game, this is not a team that I trust to get it done by that many points. Raiders keep it close throughout.
The Pick: Raiders +6.5
Carolina Panthers at Washington Commanders (-7.5)
Now this is a team that I trust in this spot. The Commanders are playing some good, entertaining football this season with Jayden Daniels at the helm. It doesn’t seem to matter who is quarterbacking the Panthers at this point, the defense can’t stop a nosebleed and they don’t have enough weapons to stay in these shootouts for long enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a game where Washington not only covers, but wins by double digits.
The Pick: Commanders -7.5
Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers (-1.5)
Here we go, the game of the week. A Super Bowl rematch between two teams that wouldn’t shock me if they were back again this year. Both sides will be well rested, with the Chiefs coming off of a bye and the Niners not playing since last Thursday. Both teams are a little banged up, but not more so than Kansas City, who keep winning despite all of the injuries they’ve suffered. They find ways to do it every single week, but like the Vikings, they suffer their first loss of the season right here.
The Pick: 49ers -1.5
WAITIN’ ALL DAY FOR A SUNDAY NIGHT
New York Jets (-1.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers
Seriously? We have the Chiefs and the Niners playing this week and these two teams are headlining on Sunday night? Gross. The Jets made big waves this week by trading for Davante Adams from Vegas, reuniting him with Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers beat Adams’ former team last weekend, getting back on track with a victory. Justin Fields has been serviceable, good, not great. So pretty much what it’s always been. I’m not too surprised Pittsburgh is giving Russell Wilson his shot here, but kind of lame to bench a guy that’s gotten you to 4-2. I like the Jets here.
The Pick: Jets -1.5
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Baltimore Ravens (-3.5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This is another good matchup this weekend. I hope these games actually live up to the hype, it could end up being one of the best slates of the year so far. The Ravens are fully back after an 0-2 start, while the Bucs are battling with the Falcons for supremacy in the NFC South. Both teams have a lot to play for in this one, which I expect to be a shootout. Tampa’s offense has been rolling as of late, and while Baltimore has been putting up the points as well, I like the Bucs to get it done here.
The Pick: Buccaneers +3.5
Los Angeles Chargers (-2.5) at Arizona Cardinals
The two Monday night game slate returns with a cross-conference, west coast matchup. The Cardinals started off strong but have lost some steam over the past couple of weeks, while the Chargers are playing pretty well with Jim Harbaugh as their head coach. Justin Herbert is playing well, the defense has been good and the running game has been more than solid. These are two teams going in opposite directions yet again, and I like the team with more to play for right now.
The Pick: Chargers -2.5
On the bye: Bears, Cowboys
Hopefully I can stay hot with another good week. We’ve still got some more ground to cover to get back to .500. Enjoy some NFL football and some local sports this weekend.
Cheers.
Last Week’s Record: 11-3
Season Record: 36-40