2️⃣ Days Until the Season Opener!

Good morning, Bears fans!

Two days until kickoff and two days to get your confidence pickem pool entry in and invite a friend or two when you’re done.

By the way, say goodbye to the countdown until 2027.

It had a good run.

— Kevin Kaduk

Rome Odunze back at practice Fingers crossed, but it looks like all systems go for the offense on Sunday. Odunze was listed as limited on the practice report, but looked like his normal self.

Ozzy Trapilo return near? The OT was listed as limited on Thursday’s practice report and OL coach Dan Roushar says he’ll be back at team drills soon. (Bleacher Nation)

Josh Jacobs pleads no contest The Packers RB was facing misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property after an incident with his girlfriend. The league said there is no change to his exempt list status. (NFL.com)

Well, we’re finally here.

Back to Week 1 of a new season.

It’s been over eight months since the Rams froze you out in overtime at Soldier Field and the city of Chicago still woke up the next morning and said, “wow, we can’t wait until next year.”

That’s how fun the 2025 season was for us. I’ve been a Bears fan since 1984 and what you did was finally provide balance to all my good memories of the team. There’s Walter Payton and the Super Bowl Shuffle on one side, Caleb Williams connecting on impossible bombs to DJ Moore and Cole Kmet on the other.

Maybe that sounds crazy, but I’ll never forget the way Chicago exploded when you beat the Packers just before Christmas.

And then when you did it again in the playoffs a few Saturday nights later. 21-3 will mean something in this town forever.

You felt the energy all over the city then. You told us as much. You saw parents hugging their kids in disbelief in the stands and dancing with them over their heads at home. A guy singing “Monangai” became a social media sensation, so did a guy who smuggled a cheese grater into the game. Even if you thought you had an idea of how much the Bears meant to Chicago, it probably didn’t become really apparent to you until then.

You were the only thing anyone in Chicago could talk about. You were the only thing anyone could watch. For the first time in almost two decades, real pride and expectations had returned to the fanbase. With all the “Good Better Best” chants at wedding receptions and grade school basketball games came a feeling maybe this story might actually have a happy ending.

And I’ll be honest, that’s all I’ve ever really wanted. My Bears story started when the Monsters were the proud center of our Midwestern universe and an obsession so fierce it would create one of the defining Saturday Night Live skits. I figured it would always be that way.

And it was … until it wasn’t. The ‘90s ushered in an era where division titles became occasional treats instead of expected ones and Lovie Smith’s peak provided a short return to that singularity.

In between the Bears were less a point of pride and more something to be frustrated by until it was time to go do weekend yard work. Watch parties were fewer and far between. Grocery store conversations ended with shaking heads. The less said about our relationship with Packer fans the last 30 years, the better.

But again, you changed that last year.

And it’s why I say that your one job in 2026 is to prove it all wasn’t a mirage. That it was just the beginning of a lasting era that makes every game appointment television and gives my daughters a taste of what hooked me for the next four decades. (Both had ugly cries after the loss to the Rams, so I think it’s safe to say we got them.)

I don’t even need you to win a Super Bowl this season. Ben Johnson’s arrival has somehow given me a patience I didn’t know I had and the suspicion we’re still near the start of a multi-year journey with the right people in place.

What I want to see is consistency and then progression, which means competing for the first successful division title defense in 20 years and keeping us busy for at least half of January. Anything more will be gravy. At least in my eyes.

That’s obviously been easier said than done for most Bears teams in my lifetime, but you seem different. You restored the feeling that made me a fan so many years ago and quickly proved there’s nothing like Chicago when the Bears are winning.

So you do your job.

And we’ll do ours.

Kevin Kaduk: Bears 31, Panthers 21
Ben Johnson’s been waiting nine months for this. Heading into the game with decent health, the Bears offense outruns the first of many opponents on the 2026 slate.

Ryan Droste: Bears 31, Panthers 17
Carolina keeps it close early, but the Bears have too much firepower for them and pull away in the second half. Big game out of Colston Loveland.

Kacper Rajwa: Bears 27, Panthers 20
Despite forcing one interception, the Bears will show more defensive slippage than ideal but will come out as the clear winner offensively. Scoring 27 points would be a good start for the Bears, as they averaged 25.9 points per game in 2025.

• Yours truly on how the 2026 Bears can avoid the fates of the 2002, 2007, 2011 and 2019 teams. (🔒 Bears By 7)

• Kacper takes a close look at Bryce Young and his future with the Panthers as he plays without an extension. (Bears By 7)

• The Week 1-eve episode of 1920 Football Drive is out from the team’s excellent media staff. (YouTube)

• Caleb cracks the Top 10 of the NFL’s QB rankings. (NFL.com)

• Malik Muhammad says he’s up for the challenge in Carolina. (Chicago Tribune)

10/10 video, no notes