Good morning, Bears fans!
Where were you 20 years ago today? I was in an Arizona press box, furiously rewriting my Bears-Cardinals story on deadline while hearing a rumor that Denny Green had completely melted down in his press conference. One of the most memorable games ever.
Before we get into the newsletter, a DVR reminder: “Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story” premieres on Hallmark Channel at 7 pm on Saturday night. If anything is going to get me to watch a Christmas movie two weeks before Halloween, it’s this.
HEADLINES
Caleb Williams confirms ‘serious’ hamstring tear, must pass tests before Sunday start
QB18 met with the media on Thursday, but said he will need to pass further medical tests before being ruled the starter in Atlanta. He was a full participant in practice, so it would seem a decent bet he’ll return against the Falcons barring a setback.
Key players remain on injury report
Kyle Monangai (thumb/toe), TJ Edwards (hamstring) and Dayo Odeyingbo (quad) have yet to practice this week. Tyrique Stevenson (hip) has been limited both days; Kyler Gordon has been a full participant.
Seahawks fall in OT on TNF
Could Seattle hold a losing record by the time the Bears visit in two weeks? Thursday’s 17-14 loss in Denver dropped the reigning champs to 3-3 with a Sunday night visit from the Chiefs on deck. They’re already 2 ½ games behind the undefeated Niners.
GAME INFO
Bears at Falcons
Sunday, Noon
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Fox 32 • ESPN 1000
Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady
Bears lead all-time series 16-14
Bears -1.5, O/U 51.5
Postgame on Bears By 7 YouTube
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BEARS BY 7 SHOUTOUT!
My friend Jon Finkel has a new book coming out called “Bear Brawl” and while it’s not about our Bears, it is about a bear … and the MMA fighter who’s training to seek revenge against him. If that’s not enough of a sell for you, well, maybe “Jaws Meets Rocky” is?
Anyway, Jon has the first two chapters up on his site. The book is available for pre-order and Jon is willing to send Bears By 7 readers a signed Bear Brawl bookmark. Just hit reply on this email with your address if you’d like one.
THE BIG ITEM
Three Questions For The Bears Offense
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Caleb Williams held an 18-minute press conference on Thursday and it was clear he wasn’t happy with the narrative that followed his hamstring injury in Week 2.
“Nothing that has come out has been right,” Williams said, while also correctly noting that his character has been unfairly attacked.
The Bears quarterback, however, did not reveal the grade on his hamstring tear, which led to a dodged follow-up question and some exhausting discourse from members of the fanbase who don’t understand what the journalists at Halas Hall are supposed to do.
I don’t have much interest in any of that, though. What’s important is that Caleb appears to be back after a three-week absence that started with two good-vibes-only wins and ended with a clunker in Green Bay that sent the Chicken Littles out into the streets.
Where our mood lands late Sunday afternoon remains to be seen. The defense’s ability to rebound against Michael Penix, Bijan Robinson and the rest of the Falcons offense will play the biggest role in deciding it.
But with Caleb presumably back, there are also three questions that I have for the Ben Johnson-led Bears offense.
1. What will we get out of Caleb?
His hamstring injury was apparently worse than whatever the national reporters put out there … or what Johnson intimated while not fully ruling Williams out for Week 3 from the get-go.
So does that mean he won’t be called upon to use his legs as often?
Williams’ ability to scramble and improvise while also hitting top speed is what truly sets him apart. He said on Thursday that he can move like he did before, but will Johnson play it conservatively with his play-calling? And will Caleb follow along?
2. Is a Colston Loveland game coming soon?
Five games into the season, and last year’s breakout player has 13 catches for 110 yards and no touchdowns.
Now granted, three of those games were with backup quarterbacks, one of whom was more interested in throwing into triple coverage instead of hitting his tight end for a safe throw. But still, those totals are really low for any tight end, let alone one in a top-rated offense.
With Kyle Monangai possibly out for a second straight game, it would seem like Williams could ease his way back into game play with the Loveland safety blanket. And maybe that gets #84 going. He had 11 total catches through six games his rookie season and then 47 the rest of the way.
3. Can they stop messing around in the red zone?
Despite Williams’ absence, the Bears still rank seventh in the league with 392 yards per game. But they’re dead last in the NFL with a red zone efficiency (TD only) of 42.8 percent. Zero in on the last three weeks — again, backup quarterbacks — and it falls to 37.1 percent.
The Bears were middle of the pack in this category last season and expected to improve in 2026. While they got off to a perfect start in Carolina, an awful rainstorm and a quarterback injury have since sent it plummeting. It can’t stay there if the Bears are serious about making a real run at anything.
THREE STANDOUT STATS
1
Left-handed quarterback the Bears have faced since 2012. Pat Finley of the Sun-Times wrote more about it here as a Falcons southpaw gets the call on Sunday.
580
Bijan Robinson’s rushing yards, most in the NFL this season.
119
The Bears and Falcons have scored the same number of points this season.
WORTH YOUR TIME
Rich Cohen’s “Monsters” is being adapted into a limited TV series about the 1985 Bears. No streaming service has been attached to the project yet, however. (AV Club)
“Mike Ditka Wore The F*** Out Of That Sweater Vest” (GQ)
How I Got Mike Ditka To Talk About An Erectile Dysfunction Drug (Chicago Tribune)
JB Pritzker expresses confidence the next Bears stadium will be built in Illinois. (NBC 5 Chicago)
EXTRA POINT
BEARS BY 7 POLL
Will you watch the Bears holiday Hallmark movie?
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Supply tighter, demand steady.
LNG exporters, pipelines, infrastructure getting paid on volume.
With AI data centers climbing gas demand and export capacity expanding, cash flow grows.
This briefing breaks down steady producers, midstream players, export names quietly compounding while tech obsesses over headlines.
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