Chicago Sports

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts have fired coach Frank Reich after another lackluster offensive performance in the team’s third consecutive loss.

The Colts announced the move on Monday, one day after it went 0 for 14 on third down and totaled just 121 yards of offense in an ugly 26-3 loss at New England.

Indy (3-5-1) has the league’s lowest scoring offense. Team officials are expected to speak about the decision Monday night.

Reich was hired in 2018 after serving as offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles. He led the Colts to the playoffs in two of his first four seasons and had them on the cusp of making it last season. But Indy lost its last two games to miss the postseason.

This is the third major move in three weeks for Indy. Two weeks ago, Reich announced the benching of longtime NFL veteran Matt Ryan, the league’s 2016 MVP. Last week, he fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady even though Reich was the one calling plays.

General manager Chris Ballard also traded running back Nyheim Hines last Tuesday, just before the trading deadline.

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The Chicago Cubs are entering an offseason of high expectations to spend and improve, here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 offseason for the north siders.

After having a down season, the Chicago Cubs have set themselves in a position where they can make some major moves this offseason. Starting with the promise of spending from owner Tom Ricketts there could be some major free agents that’ll land in Chicago.

“We will be active in free agency and have the necessary resources available to substantially supplement our current roster.” Ricketts stated in his letter to season ticket holders. Having all the resources and the blessing from the owner to spend in free agents is key but for GM Jed Hoyer is more about developing a more intelligent way of spending.

“To me, intelligent spending involves making decisions that make sense for the 2023 season but also aren’t going to hinder what we’re trying to build. The nature of baseball contracts is challenging that way. We’ve all seen contracts of certain lengths that can really bog a team down.” Hoyer told The Athletic’ Sahadev Sharma, “It’s easy to talk about the player you’re acquiring, but if that contract ends up hindering the ultimate goal here, which is to build something special and sustainable and lasting, then it wasn’t a good transaction.”

Regardless of the goal, the Chicago Cubs currently have a roster that could use some key players in most positions. As far as who’s in and who’s out here’s a quick breakdown of the current payroll for the 2023 season:

Guaranteed ContractArbitration EligibleFree AgentsSP Marcus Stroman – $25MOF Ian Happ – $10.6MC Willson ContrerasOF Jason Heyward – $24.5MDH Franmil Reyes – $6MSP Wade MileyOF Seiya Suzuki – $18MSS Nico Hoerner – $2.2MP Sean NewcombSP Kyle Hendricks – $14MSP Steven Brault – $1.7MOF Michael HermosilloC Yan Gomes – $6MOF Rafael Ortega – $1.7MOF Jackson Frazier3B David Bote – $4MRP Rowan Wick – $1.5M2B Nick Madrigal – $1.1MSP Alec Mills – $800KRP Brad Wieck – $800KSP Codi Heuer – $800K

As far as guarantee’s the Cubs are lacking some depth. Looking at this from a positional stand point the team currently has talent that are also pre-arbitration but this league is tough to win without key signings and big moves.

Starting pitching at this moment counts with Stroman, who has an opt-out clause after the 2023 campaign, Hendricks, injured for most of the year and hasn’t pitched since July, and had contributions from Hayden Wesneski, Justin Steele and Javier Assad. While there is some hopeful talent the Cubs will need a few arms to get them over the contender line, having big question marks like Hendricks’ health is big gamble and in the game today, pitching comes a premium.

Having said that, the Chicago Cubs pitching does have some momentum to build on as they finished the second half of the season with the third best ERA in the league at 2.89. They could go all out for guys like Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom or Astros’ Justin Verlander but they come at a high price range when there’s more needs to the team, taking a flyer on someone like Japanese star Koudai Senga could be a more realistic approach. Senga could slide into the third rotation spot and take quality innings throughout the year. An added bonus to signing Senga is that there is no posting fee, as Koudai is an outright free agent.

“I think it’s important that we continue to add quality innings,” Hoyer said, “We’re actively looking for quality innings, pitchers we feel like we can work with and potentially make better,”

Now other options include, guys like Jameson Taillon, Nathan Eovaldi, Chris Bassit and Tyler Anderson, cost controllable starters that can eat up innings, or the Cubs can also explore the trade market for either Guardians’ Shane Bieber and Marlins’ Pablo Lopez. One name that is on the rumor mill that the Cubs should definitely throw their name in the hat is Shohei Ohtani, yes he may be expensive but he’s worth it.

Now starting to look on the offensive side of the ball, the Chicago Cubs current options at catcher include Yan Gomes and P.J. Higgins. After surprisingly keeping Willson Contreras at the deadline, the Cubs are expected to extend a qualifying offer to Contreras which will most likely be rejected as the longtime Cub has expressed that he wants a multi-year deal.  Having prospect Miguel Amaya recovering from injuries and not being able to reach a level past Double-A, the Cubs might take a flyer on a veteran backstop that can provide some depth.

Having Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki locked in at the corner outfield spots, the Cubs have an opening in CF with Christopher Morel who had productive rookie season being the front runner. That being said if the Cubs are in a ‘win now offseason’ the might look for some short term help here while prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to shred the minors.

Someone like Cody Bellinger, who the Dodgers are expected to non-tender his contract, could become available and could give the Cubs a high-upside power hitter that may just need a change in scenery. Another option could be defensive gem, Kevin Kiermaier. Either of those players, wouldn’t financially hinder the Cubs like a Aaron Judge type contract would and it would leave the door open for PCA when he’s ready to be called up.

Shifting over to the infield, Alfonso Rivas is the current first baseman for the Cubs, no offense to Rivas who had a respectable season but this is where the Cubs make their first splash and bring in former White Sox slugger, Jose Abreu. Now, it is true that power number faded a bit last year and it could be a sign of age but Abreu is still one of the most productive hitters in the league and is a respectable defensive player that could give the Cubs that clean up hitter that they’ll need.

Other options include, Brandon Belt and J.D. Martinez both of whom are in the late stages of their career. Matt Mervis, who is a 25-year old rookie, could come up and take some at bats as well.

The rest of the infield is a question mark, Nico Hoerner could be slated to either of the three spots depending if the Cubs manage to acquire one of the ‘big four SS’ in the market in Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, Dansby Swanson or Trea Turner. The latter is whom the Cubs should target, having Turner gives you that leadoff hitter that they have been desperate to find since Dexter Fowler left and Turner has been the most consistent of the four players in terms of health. There’s still no wrong answer on those four players.

Which leads to third base where the Chicago Cubs currently have Patrick Wisdom, who posted a 1.1 WAR this past season and could also play some first base and left field which would open the door for the Cubs to potentially upgrade at third base.

Names like Brandon Drury and Evan Longoria come to mind there. While they are veterans a guy like Longoria would bring a leadership aspect to the clubhouse and teach the young guys like Morel, Hoerner and Madrigal a thing or two.

Having money to spend and being past two rebuilding years its time to see if the Chicago Cubs pull the trigger on the win now offseason and start seeing the team improve in more ways than one.

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Long before he actually acquired Jason Dickinson, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson had identified the 27-year-old defensive forward as a potential good fit in Chicago.

So when the Canucks began shopping Dickinson at the end of training camp, Davidson jumped at the opportunity. Converting salary-cap space into a second-round pick perfectly matched his long-term strategy, but Dickinson also matched his short-term vision for the Hawks’ roster.

“Dickinson was a guy we thought actually fit what we were trying to do, and would fit with Sam [Lafferty],” Davidson said. “They’re both bigger bodies. Both can really move. Both fill the checking line. They’re scoring lately and producing offensively, which is not necessarily what you’re looking at them to do. But [Dickinson] fit an aspect we wanted to bring.”

Davidson’s assessment of Dickinson as an undervalued asset has looked accurate so far. He has been one of the Hawks’ best players so far. Statistically, his seven points in 10 games trail only Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the team’s scoring leaderboard, and his 10 blocked shots lead the team’s forwards.

But Davidson’s intuition that Dickinson and Lafferty specifically would complement each other well appears even more astute in retrospect, because the two forwards — who’d never met each other before October — indeed have clicked immediately.

” ‘Laffer’ is a little bit faster than me, I would say, but definitely [we have] some similarities,” Dickinson said. “That’s why we’ve been able to create chemistry right away: I see what he sees, almost instantaneously.

“So it doesn’t take that time to figure out, ‘OK, what’s he going to do? What does he want?’ We play very similarly, so I can just assume that, ‘I would make this decision.’ And sure enough, he typically makes the same one.”

Added Lafferty: “It’s funny you say that, [because he makes] little plays where you know, ‘That’s a nuance that I definitely would do.’ We seem to have a lot of those in common.”

Currently on the third line with

MacKenzie Entwistle — as well as on the Hawks’ top penalty-kill unit — Dickinson and Lafferty both offer comparable mixes of speed, grit and defensive reliability. They memorably teamed up for two short-handed goals in Dickinson’s debut against the Sharks and have remained together since.

They did struggle Saturday, along with most of the Hawks, and their five-on-five scoring-chance ratio together dropped to 39.0% as a result. Part of that stems from the fact Hawks coach Luke Richardson often sends them out to defend opponents’ top lines, though.

“They’re starting to read and feel off each other a little better,” Richardson said. “When they stop having any kind of hesitation in the game and they just freely read off each other, that’s pretty lethal for us to have on the penalty kill. [With] their size, their reach, their speed and them both willing to be physical, that’ll be something . . . that can determine the score when the other team is playing sloppy.”

Richardson likes how they complement each other on faceoffs, too. With Dickinson being a left-handed shot and Lafferty right-handed, one will be on his strong side in any draw circle. They also can be more aggressive in the circle, knowing they have a capable substitute if they’re thrown out.

Dickinson is especially impressed that Davidson figured he would fit well with Lafferty because he has been fooled by such assumptions before. Chemistry can’t be determined on paper, he insisted.

But he and Lafferty know they’ve found plenty of it here.

“I see him finish checks in areas where I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s definitely a check I would finish,’ ” Lafferty said, grinning. “He flies around; he likes to carry the puck wide. Yeah, [we have] a lot of similarities, and we have a lot to build on.”

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The Blackhawks are deep in crisis as yet another goalie gets injured just a few weeks into the season.

For the umpteenth time this season, the Chicago Blackhawks found themselves in an emergency goaltender situation, Saturday, after Arvid Soderblom was ruled out after the second period in the team 4-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Soderblom stopped the first 19 shots he faced before giving up three goals on the next five shots and eventually exiting in an abrupt manner.

“I actually don’t know his status,” Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson told reporters. “The trainer came in after the second period and just said he wasn’t feeling good. It’s definitely concerning with our goalie injuries at this point, but hopefully he is not too bad.”

Arvid Soderbolm in action

Soderblom has been fantastic in goal per his short stint with the Blackhawks. He earned his first NHL victory in front of the home crowd on Thursday night as he backstopped a 2-1 overtime thriller against the Kings.

The Blackhawks were forced to turn to their fifth-string goaltender Dylan Wells, who signed an NHL contract earlier this week because of Chicago’s injury issues. He was previously on an AHL contract with the Rockford IceHogs and started the season in the ECHL with the Indy Fuel.

Less than a month into the season, the Blackhawks are down to their fifth-string goaltender with Petr Mrazek (groin), Alex Stalock (concussion protocol), Jaxson Stauber (concussion protocol) and Soderblom all out. Quite unbelievable that the team has already used four goaltenders in 12 games this season.

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The Chicago White Sox intend to pick up shortstop Tim Anderson’s $12.5M club option for the 2023 season.

The White Sox have plans to pick up shortstop Tim Anderson’s $12.5MM club option for the 2023 season, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Anderson, 29, will earn $12.5 million next season, with the White Sox also holding a $14 million option for 2024. Anderson made $9.5 million last season in the final year of his six-year $25 million deal that included the two options.

Last season was a forgettable one for both Anderson and the White Sox. The Silver Slugger played in just 79 games because of injuries, batting .301 with a .734 OPS and six home runs with 25 RBIs as Chicago finished 81-81 and missed the playoffs despite projections they could be one of the better teams in the American League.

Over seven major league seasons, all with the White Sox, Anderson is a career .288 hitter with a .759 OPS and 97 home runs with 313 RBIs while proving high-level range on the left side of the infield. The former first-round draft pick in 2013 was an All-Star in each of the past two seasons.

Additionally, during the past four seasons, Anderson has a wRC+ of 123 — the seventh-highest mark among shortstops. Unfortunately, he put up a weaker .301/.339/.398 slash line in 2022, and reduced his strikeout rate to an extremely low 15.7% — 7.5% lower than his career mark.

With the top free agent shortstops likely commanding salaries of $30MM or greater, Anderson is an amazing bargain for a White Sox team looking to return to playoffs after falling flat in 2022.

The White Sox hired Pedro Grifol as their new manager last week replacing Tony La Russa, who left during the 2022 season because of health considerations.

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Justin Fields just posted the greatest regular-season rushing game in the history of NFL quarterbacks. Patrick Finley and Jason Lieser break down his breakout showing in the Bears’ 35-32 loss to the Dolphins.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify and Stitcher.

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TORONTO – The Raptors defensive gameplan was simple, and one that DeMar DeRozan has become very familiar with over the last year.

When Zach LaVine is in street clothes, expect the opposition to throw everything DeRozan’s way. Blitzes, double-teams, heck, kitchen sinks if it was legal.

That left DeRozan in the position of getting what he could, but relying on his teammates to have those clutch moments.

Moments that never came.

On a night in which the Bulls had turnover issues and trouble dealing with Toronto’s size on the boards, they still had plenty of good looks thanks to the attention DeRozan got all night. Good looks, but with far too many bad results in the 113-104 loss at the Scotiabank Arena.

“It was like Milwaukee after he had that big Game 2 [in the playoffs],” coach Billy Donovan said, referring to the way the Bucks attacked DeRozan defensively. “I think one of the things that happens is he was so unbelievable last year carrying us in different ways, and what ends up happening is you start going deeper and deeper into the season, and teams start forcing other guys to have to make some plays.

“When guys aren’t in that situation and asked to do it later in the season, it’s a lot tougher. We’ve still got to be able to generate good shots, and we can’t be a team that says, ‘OK, if DeMar is not getting 35, it’s going to be hard for us to win.’ ”

It was against Toronto, especially late.

The Bulls (5-6) couldn’t have asked for a better first quarter, as the Raptors gameplan was being taken apart by DeRozan. He found an open Nikola Vucevic on 4-of-6 shooting in that first stanza, generated three three-pointers, and came out of the quarter with a 30-21 lead.

Then the careless turnovers started happening.

Six of them alone in the second, as the home team outscored the Bulls 34-19 going into halftime.

Despite entering the fourth with 13 turnovers, as well as being blocked on eight shots, the Bulls started the quarter down just one and the game sitting there for the taking.

It got taken, but by Toronto.

Not only did the Raptors turn the Bulls over four more times, but dominated them on the glass 19-10 in that final quarter, including 11 offensive rebounds that led to 11 second-chance points.

And yes, the double-teaming of DeRozan didn’t stop.

“It was expected,” DeRozan said of the defense he saw all night. “The first half, we played well out of it. Second half, we kind of made a lot of mistakes out of it. We didn’t take advantage like we could. It’s a great learning lesson for us, understanding how we can attack it. We just got to be aggressive with it, attack it, force them to switch it up a little bit, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to look at a lot of film [Sunday].”

They better, with the two teams meeting again Monday, this time at the United Center and with LaVine (left knee management) expected back.

What will DeRozan be expecting?

A lot of the same, especially with the “unorthodox” way in which Nurse attacks opposing teams.

“There were times [Nurse] was putting a bigger body in after another,” DeRozan said of his former assistant from his days with Toronto. “That’s just him. So unorthodox how he does everything, and it kind of makes you think a little bit.

“It’s not frustrating. It’s more so take what the defense gives us. It’s on us. For the most part, we’re getting an advantage when [they double-team]. We just have to execute.”

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Frustrated by the league’s best passing offense, Bears defenders huddled Sunday and uttered something that hadn’t been heard on the Soldier Field home sideline since, probably, Marc Trestman’s first season.

The defense needed to give the offense — and quarterback Justin Fields — something for which to be proud.

“Really, for us, it was just giving (Fields) help,” cornerback Jaylon Johnson said after the Bears’ 35-32 loss to the Dolphins. “We know what it’s like to be on the other end of that as well, and wanting some help.”

The Bears were consistently better on defense than on offense throughout the John Fox and Matt Nagy eras. That’s not the case anymore, after a week in which general manager Ryan Poles traded star linebacker Roquan Smith and gave Fields a potent offensive weapon in Chase Claypool.

As much was clear Sunday when the Bears spent most of the game on pace for the worst defensive showing in franchise history. Through three quarters, they allowed 9.07 yards per play, the most they’d ever given up in a full game by almost a half-yard. They gave up a franchise-worst 8.65 yards per play to the 49ers on Halloween last year.

Then they rallied.

After giving up four touchdowns on the Dolphins’ first five possessions — their only reprieve was kicker Jason Sanders pushing a 29-yard field goal wide left late in the first half –the Bears didn’t allow a single point the rest of the way.

After the Bears forced two turnovers on downs, head coach Matt Eberflus put his faith in his defense when, with 3:11 to play, he decided to punt on fourth-and-13 and hope to force a three-and-out. The Bears did, stuffing Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert on consecutive runs and using a timeout after each play, and then forcing an incomplete pass to Jaylen Waddle on third-and-11.

With 2:38 to play in the game, they forced their first punt.

“I feel like we started being more aggressive and playing our type of defense. …” safety Jaquan Brisker said. “The offense was giving us energy.”

The Bears played their linebackers deeper in the second half to curtail the damage on quick-hitting passes. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa helped them, too. On third-and-two with about two-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter, Tagovailoa fumbled a shotgun snap to set up fourth-and-six at the Bears’ 35. He threw wide of tight end Mike Gesicki to give the Bears the ball back.

The Bears forced another turnover on downs to end the next possession when Tagovailoa bounced a pass to tight end Durham Smythe in the flat.

Tagovailoa was excellent on the day, though, completing 21 of 30 passes for 302 yards, three touchdowns and a 135.7 passer rating. His receivers ran open for most of the game, thanks to creative play-calling — and plenty of pick plays and rub routes — by head coach Mike McDaniel. Tyreek Hill, the league’s leading receiver, had seven catches for 143 yards. Waddle, who was fourth in receiving yards entering the game, caught five passes for 85 yards.

The Bears mourned the trade of Smith to the Ravens this week, and could still sense his absence at the start of the game.

“He’s a great communicator, a great leader out there,” defensive end Trevis Gipson said. “So of course him not being out there is a difference.”

Eberflus was happy with undrafted rookie Jack Sanborn’s play in his place, particularly against the run. He played middle linebacker, while Nicholas Morrow moved to Smith’s old position on the weak side.

Eberflus’ defense gave Fields a chance — eventually. But it needs to be better than that to avoid a gruesome second half of the season.

“Just not good enough. …” Johnson said. “That’s just something we got to take on the chin: that we just weren’t good enough.”

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TORONTO – Dalen Terry finally earned meaningful playing time on Sunday.

With five minutes left in the opening quarter, in came the Bulls rookie for Patrick Williams, quickly getting in the box score with a back-cut for a lay-up.

So was the 18th overall pick going to read anything into his newly-found rotation spot and almost 10 minutes of work in the loss to Toronto?

Unlikely. Terry knew the Bulls were undermanned against the Raptors, and was just doing his part when called upon. What Terry is really looking forward to is a time when coach Billy Donovan makes him a permanent part of the rotation.

“I know once I get my opportunity, I’m not going to give it up,” Terry said Sunday. “I’m not going to give it up because of the way I feel right now.”

It hasn’t been an easy start to Terry’s NBA career so far, so when he talks about the way he’s feeling right now it covered a range of emotions from doubt and frustration to anxious understanding.

“It was pretty hard at first because all my life I’ve always played big minutes and been a big contributor on the team,” Terry said of the frequent DNP [Did Not Play] Coach’s Decision’s he’s been handed. “It kind of reminds me of my freshman year in college where I started half the year and then I went to coming off the bench, and it was kind of hard on me.

“Lately, I’ve been just trying to keep a positive edge and know that I get to watch all these games, be around these guys, the vets, and learn from everybody on the team. Just waiting my turn.”

That wait will have to continue.

Sunday’s playing time was not the norm, especially with Zach LaVine (left knee management) and Coby White (thigh contusion) out, and a back-end of the back-to-back being played on Monday.

And while Donovan cannot predict when Terry’s “turn” will come, he’s spoken to the rook about making sure he stayed ready.

“[Told him] ‘Here’s the possibility. You could be out of the rotation, you could not get in. The worst thing you can do is sit there and say, OK, this is my fortune for the rest of the year. Then the next thing you know there’s injuries and you’re being thrust into a position to play, and you have to keep yourself ready to play,’ ” Donovan said.

“He’s handled himself really well and I think he sees the situation. He sees that it just can’t be – for him or any young player – put one month in a vacuum, and ‘Oh my God, this is my career for the next five years.’ You’ve got to keep working and he has to make sure that he’s responsible and ready to play.”

That’s what Terry has been doing.

Whether it’s in the extra scrimmages with teammates after practices, off-days, or going to the gym on his own, Terry’s mindset remained he won’t be outworked.

“I’m trying to kill myself in my workouts,” Terry said. “Like I said, when I get my opportunity I’m not giving it back.”

‘Drum’ beat

Andre Drummond stayed in Chicago to get extra work done on his left shoulder sprain, and while there was positive progress reported to Donovan, the big man will remain out of the lineup entering this week.

“It’s responding pretty well,” Donovan said. “I don’t know how close he is to playing, but he’s doing more the last couple days prior to what he was able to do with us leaving [on the road trip].”

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The Bears can succeed without actually winning.

It’s time to recalibrate expectations to where they should’ve been from the beginning. The best thing that can happen for the Bears this season is to see steady, convincing strides from quarterback Justin Fields. That’s the most powerful determinant of their future.

As for their stripped-down defense? That’s a project for another season.

Nothing matters more than Fields flourishing into a franchise quarterback, and he was a dynamic force Sunday against the Dolphins despite falling 35-32.

He set the NFL regular-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 178 and a touchdown on 15 carries and continued his stretch of efficient passing, and that outweighs any frustration about taking another loss in a season that was sunk from the start.

“The quarterback was really amazing today,” Matt Eberflus said.

When’s the last time a Bears coach said that and no one laughed?

Eberflus went on to call it, “a huge step for Justin Fields and the franchise today.”

And it was. That’s the reality of a rebuilding season. The final score usually isn’t the point.

The standard for any team is to be contending for a championship or clearly headed toward doing so. In the Bears’ case, if Fields is headed the right direction, so are they. The rest of the roster is just details.

Along with his rushing total, which topped legend Michael Vick’s record by five yards and was three short of Colin Kaepernick’s 181 in a playoff game, he completed 17 of 28 passes for 123 yards and three touchdowns for a 106.7 passer rating.

Over his last five games, he has completed 63.3% of his passes and thrown for eight touchdowns against two interceptions for a 99.7 passer rating. He also has averaged 91 yards rushing per game and 7.9 per carry. The Bears have averaged 24.6 points per game.

“I’m just growing and getting better,” Fields said. “My main goal right now is just to continue to do that — continue to trend up.”

Fields’ highlight of the day was a 61-yard sprint down the left sideline for a touchdown, which was the longest quarterback run in Bears history and beautifully illustrated why he’s an exceptional athlete even in a league full of them.

Fields dropped back, saw the pocket instantly collapse and darted forward, still looking to throw. With no one open and two Dolphins closing in, he tucked and ran from them. A linebacker dove at his feet at the line of scrimmage. A cornerback had him squared up, but Fields cut right and lost him. Two defenders in the secondary couldn’t get an angle on him.

He was gone. The last 20 yards were a formality.

“Instincts took over,” Fields said.

“The Madden ratings better go up,” wide receiver Darnell Mooney said.

“He’s insane, bro,” running back David Montgomery chimed in.

There are more steps to take, though.

As clean as this five-game stretch has been for him, averaging 170.2 yards passing per game isn’t enough to win consistently because he’s not going to rush for triple digits every week. There’s no question about his running, but he needs to ramp up his passing production.

And Sunday, he had missed multiple chances to, you know, actually win. Down three with 7:50 to go, he couldn’t push the Bears past midfield. He got another shot with 2:38 remaining, same thing.

“That’s what you play this game for: to be in those moments and shine,” Mooney said. “[We want to] be a threat and have dominance and maketeams scaredto put us in that situation. Eventually we’ve gotta execute and shine in that position, and we will.”

It’s far more credible when someone says it about Fields than it ever was with Mitch Trubisky.

Fields and the Bears are turning into one of those fun upstart teams, and that’s a good place to start. Those teams are fun to watch as they take their shot each week and gradually grow together into something that offers optimism about the future.

It’s been a while since the Bears provided entertaining Sundays, let alone legitimate hope.

“Everything makes sense in what we’re doing,” Mooney said. “I don’t see any flaws in our organization. Everything’s going well.

“Except for the losing part.”

Oh right, that.

There will come a day when that becomes the only measure of whether the Bears are thriving, and there won’t be any rationalizing and clinging to positives amid defeat. That’s what life is like at the top.

The Bears have a long way to go, but with the way Fields has been playing, it’s conceivable that he’ll get them there.

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