Yeah, after firing rookie HC Jerod Mayo at the end of last season, the Patriots were completely overhauled from coaches to players to playbook. There has been a lot of optimism about the team from the local press with Vrabel in charge and Drake Maye entering year two, with a ton of money spent in free agency. Aaaaaand they looked as boring and ineffective on both sides of the ball as they did last year. Womp womp.
One other thing in last night’s game, one of the rushers on the FG got a clean shot around the edge and I was 100% sure it was going to be blocked. He might have thought so as well, because he immediately grabs his head in disbelief.
I guess you can block a kick but you can’t block destiny.
Barnwell at ESPN has a good summary. Hopefully they ESPN won’t drag it behind a paywall. He doesn’t cover every game however.
Redzone was on a free trial for most everyone with cable TV in Week 1. I’m sure they held back a lot to make sure the promo didn’t backfire and they could capture those subs.
Nobody expected Washington to lose that game and they didn’t. Wasn’t the dominating performance it might have looked like on paper, but the Giants and Commies played two pretty close games last season. New York never really threatened after that extended first half goal line series, and got a gift in Washington’s clock gaffes at the end of the half, but not sure there’s much to really analyze on Washington’s side. Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt ended up with a decent stat line but only really had a couple of standout plays, granted at the perfect time, scoring the touchdown and getting them from backed up on their own goal line to mid-field to ice the game.
D-line dominated but the Giants O-line has been terrible and largely unaddressed for years now. Von Miller never got his name mentioned. Marshon Lattimore didn’t get burned but didn’t stand out either. For what it’s worth, free agent acquisition Javon Kinlaw was their highest graded defender per PFF.
The real test comes in a few days in Green Bay.
It wasn’t a great game, but it wasn’t a bad game, and I’ll take the basic win.
My annual pilgrimage down this year will be in a couple of weeks for the Raiders game. It’ll be nice to be in FedEx and not have the stadium look like the visiting team’s road colors.
Sitting in the parking lot tailgating before tonight’s MNF game. Nervous and fired up to see what the Ben Johnson era brings us.
Today the Bears dropped an open letter to fans confirming officially the plan to move to Arlington Heights.
Dear Chicago Bears Fans:
Tonight marks the 106th season of Chicago Bears football. Our team has played almost 1,500 regular season games since our first game as the Decatur Staleys in 1920, 180 miles to the south in Decatur, Illinois. Since our inception, we have played under different names, with different uniforms, in different cities, at different venues. That said, one critical component has remained constant – the Chicago Bears belong to more than just Chicago. We belong to the entire state of Illinois. The Nation. The World.
This part is kind of gross to me. While the Bears have technically played in multiple venues they have been at Solider for over half a century and at either Wrigley or Soldier for a century. This feels like a middle finger to the city.
We are at a pivotal juncture of the Chicago Bears franchise to build a new stadium, our future home in Arlington Heights, which will require zero state money for construction. This is the year to finalize our stadium plans so we can officially bid to host a Super Bowl as soon as 2031. This is the moment to begin moving toward that future, and we want you with us.
The careful language about “state money” stands out here. I’m sure before it’s said and done the people will be paying for this one way or another. But the 5-year timeline is notable. But at the end of the day this is the first formal announcement of the plan.
The 2025 season marks an exciting time to be a Bears fan. We open the season tonight, on Monday Night Football, with a new Head Coach, a young, talented roster and a best-in-class staff. We are focused on competing for championships, and on building a transformative home for the future.
Since I was hired as President & CEO of the Chicago Bears in April of 2023, we have invested significant time, energy, and resources to strengthen our football operations, business operations, and stadium planning. Our formal head coaching search began in January of 2025, and we were fortunate to hire Ben Johnson, who has already provided leadership, accountability, and vision. General Manager Ryan Poles and Coach Johnson have built a stronger roster through free agency, trades, and an excellent draft class. Just as we have strengthened our team on the field, we have also remained focused off the field on delivering a world-class home for the future.
Yadda yadda.
In evaluating options for a new stadium, the focus of the McCaskey family has been clear: build a world-class stadium that requires zero money from the State of Illinois for its construction. We are partnering with political, labor, business, and community leaders across Illinois to develop a plan for property tax certainty and a fair contribution toward essential infrastructure that will benefit the entire community. Arlington Heights is the only site within Cook County that meets that standard. It allows us to better serve our fan base and deliver a truly transformative and elevated gameday experience.
Sounds like they don’t really have a property tax agreement locked. But the subtext here is that the choice to move to AH over Chicago had everything to do with the deal they cut, not any other strategic reason.
Our new stadium, with a fixed-roof and the corresponding mixed-use development, will be worthy of the most passionate fan base in the NFL and capable of hosting marquee events year-round – from the Super Bowl to the Final Four to global soccer games to concerts to community events to youth sporting events. After purchasing 326 acres in Arlington Heights in 2023, we thoroughly evaluated other sites within Chicago’s city limits, but none were viable.
I want 2 things from a Bears stadium. Natural grass and fresh air. I’m okay with a fixed roof to keep the sun, rain and snow off, but I really want them to allow fresh air in from some movable components. Sounds like neither is in the offing.
Moving outside of the city of Chicago is not a decision we reached easily. This project does not represent us leaving, it represents us expanding. The Bears draw fans from all over Illinois, and over 50 percent of our season-ticket holders live within 25 miles of the Arlington Heights site. The project provides us the opportunity to build a stadium and mixed-use development that will benefit our fans, our region, and our future together. Most importantly, the new stadium will elevate the fan experience with easy access, whether by Metra train directly to the site or a short drive with ample parking and tailgating, creating a vital connection between Chicago and the broader Cook County community, ensuring every fan feels at home.
Uh huh. This seems to contradict the opening. And I’ll be interested to see what this mixed use venue actually looks like. Phase 1 will be the he stadium. Whether Phase 2+ ever gets funded and built is a wait and see situation.
This is the type of venue and destination that you all have deserved for years, and we are working every day to make progress. This stadium will allow us to have the best home field advantage in the National Football League. While we do not yet have all the answers, we are optimistic about working with the Village of Arlington Heights to obtain necessary approvals and begin building our new home.
Again, it feels like nothing has changed since the last update. They’ve apparently closed the door on Chicago formally, but none of the details for AH seem to have concrete answers. This feels like it could come back to haunt them. Warren forced this because of the MNF attention.
Our new stadium and mixed-use district will generate lasting benefits for residents, workers, families, and fans in Arlington Heights, Cook County, and the State of Illinois. This development will create more than 56,000 construction jobs, and 9,000 permanent jobs. We are forecasting $10 billion in economic impact attributed to statewide construction, and $256 million in annual statewide new business and tourism impact. Chicago only has 10 cranes in the sky, which pales in comparison to other major cities. It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Chicago, its surrounding communities, and the state of Illinois to become the pinnacle of sports and entertainment destinations.
More shade at Chicago. Taking these stats with a grain of salt.
This is the type of venue and destination that you all have deserved for years, and we are working every day to make progress. This stadium will allow us to have the best home field advantage in the National Football League. While we do not yet have all the answers, we are optimistic about working with the Village of Arlington Heights to obtain necessary approvals and begin building our new home.
More uncertainty. Please don’t make this a shitty copy/paste or that awful Vegas stadium. And make it a minimum of 80,000 seats.
Right now, though, it is time to Bear Down. Have fun tonight, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl championship team. We need to make sure we create an incredible home field advantage.
For more than 50 years, Soldier Field has been our home. But so too were Wrigley Field, Memorial Stadium, and Staley Field. We hope Arlington Heights will soon join that list – not because of its steel, brick, or glass, but because it will house what is irreplaceable to this franchise: You. Our Fans. Our Family.
Take Care, and Godspeed.
Yeah, Godspeed you weirdo.
Interesting that there’s almost no mention of Virgina’s passing and the subsequent ownership change.
Anyways. Go Bears.
Putting a consistent winner on the field would have a bigger impact on home field advantage than a new stadium.
See: Steelers, Packers, Chiefs
ETA: Have a great time tonight!
I just saw video of them repairing the turf tonight after so many concerts in a row. It does not look good.
I would be very worried if I were a Washington fan. I thought they looked legitimately bad. Even the announcers were laughing about how badly the Giants were stinking up the joint and yet were still kind of in the game.
I am also very worried about the Giants defense, which I thought would be decent. My takeaway from that game is that the Giants didn’t stop Washington. Washington stopped themselves.
I think J.J. McCarthy thinks a QB needs to date the football for awhile, introduce it to his parents, and marry it before he throws it.
Well, he just released a relatively quick pass, and it resulted in a Bears TD.
Reminder, Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and TJ Edwards are all out hurt.
Seeing a northern stadium with a roof always makes me sad. The bears were among the classic football teams with a proper stadium before.
What the hell just happened.
I’m pretty sure that the Bears want to host the Super Bowl, and having an indoor stadium makes that feasible for a northern team.
The Bears happened.
Whelp, I had that coming.
“There is no way they’re going to pull this off.” Hamlet said.
They’ve had the cards stacked against them all game. The turnovers turning in to points. The special teams play. The inexplicable play calling.
“Trust them” said the voice of an angel.
“No.” I said. “Not even THIS franchise can pull this off.”
“They’re the Bears. Of course they can pull off this loss”.