Good morning, Bears fans!
Gotta be honest: I miss the days of rooting for the Lions to beat the Packers when they were just spoilers looking for an upset.
Then again, this NFC North, where all four teams are playoff contenders and the Packers are in last place, is pretty fun, too.
HEADLINES
Khalil Mack reunion getting close?
Adam Schefter created plenty of excitement on Sunday morning when he asked if the Bears would “keep calling” about Mack’s services. That implies, of course, that they’ve already called. A better question, though, might be: What are the Chargers waiting for?
Caleb fined $12K for Caddix cleats
The Tom Brady-backed brand claims to reduce injury risk, but isn’t on the league’s approved list of partners.
Vikings down Colts, Lions outlast Packers
The bad news is that two NFC North teams won. The good news is that none of the three looked that good on Sunday, save for the Vikings defense.
Seahawks shut down Chiefs on Sunday Night Football
213 yards of offense for previously undefeated Kansas City and just 36 yards on 14 carries for the previously unstoppable Kenneth Walker. The Bears have their work cut out for them a week from today.
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THE BIG ITEM
Missing Cole Kmet
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There’s no two ways about it: Losing Cole Kmet for the season to a knee injury cuts pretty deep for the Chicago sports fan.
Kmet, after all, is one of us. He’s the kid who unwrapped a Brian Urlacher jersey under the tree one Christmas and still wears Cubs caps during his press sessions without it being a fashion statement.
He understood exactly what it meant to beat the Packers twice last season because he suffered through the wrath of Aaron Rodgers as both a fan and a player.
As a Chicago-area native, he was the perfect player to be on the receiving end of Caleb Williams’ miracle heave against the Rams or to join Mike Ditka as the only Bears tight ends with over 3,000 career receiving yards with the team.
Kmet has played in 107 of 108 games up to this point and has repped the franchise with both class and dignity since being drafted out of Notre Dame in 2020. As someone who worked with him at CHGO, I can tell you he’s the real deal and more.
But now, with the Bears on the brink of a special season that he predicted himself, his on-field role goes up in smoke?
Well, it’s just not fair and it sting a little bit more than the usual injury.
Or, as Ben Johnson said on Friday, “it stinks.”
It’s hard to imagine Kmet won’t author any more moments for the Bears this season and that his future with the team isn’t guaranteed without a team-friendly extension in the offseason. (His scheduled cap hit for 2027 is $15.5 million.)
But as Johnson also noted, “the train keeps on rolling.”
The 2026 Bears have already reached 5-2 after seeing missed time from Williams, Coby Bryant, Montez Sweat, TJ Edwards and Kyle Monangai.
Kmet’s offensive production became less important the minute the Bears selected Colston Loveland in the 2025 draft, but his development into a skilled blocker under Johnson’s system was hard to miss.
Johnson calls Kmet “one of the glue guys,” and whoever steps up to fill even half his role in the tight end room will be important.
Rookie Sam Roush has struggled during his opportunities so far, while classmate Hayden Large has been on injured reserve.
Stephen Carlson has been a Halas Hall mainstay since 2023, but it’s unrealistic to expect a practice squad player to play 62.1 percent of the snaps, as Kmet has this season.
Johnson will likely have to get more creative with his schemes and even get away from the 13 personnel that he’s used with success. He mentioned on Friday that we could see more “jumbo” sets with six offensive linemen now that Ozzy Trapilo is back in the mix.
But no matter the solution, it’ll be hard to replace what Kmet means in the locker room and to Bears fans.
QUOTABLE
“Cole was open arms when I first came in. Just seeing how he works and how he takes care of his body, on the field, run game, pass sets, routes, everything he does, he is a dog. I’m blessed to have that guy in the room.”
WORTH YOUR TIME
The Patriots film guy on why Ben Johnson was able to best Mike Vrabel. (Patriots.com)
Great note from Luis Medina: Caleb is now 4-3 against quarterbacks from his draft class after starting 0-3. (Bleacher Nation)
Lester Wiltfong Jr. on how Caleb Williams and the Bears keep crushing narratives. (Windy City Gridiron)
EXTRA POINT
It’s not quite “Chris Blewitt,” but nothing good will ever happen with a kicker named “Smack.”
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