Chicago Sports

As the Bears’ Matt Eberflus continues trying to establish legitimacy as a first-time head coach, he’s about to take on one of the legends of the profession in Bill Belichick.

As Belichick looks to overtake George Halas for sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list when the Bears visit his Patriots on Monday, Halas’ team has done little to slow his pursuit. The Bears’ lone win against Belichick was in 2000, when Shane Matthews outdueled Drew Bledsoe at Soldier Field.

That was Belichick’s debut season with New England, and everything changed when Tom Brady took over as starting quarterback the next year. Belichick is now a six-time champion with a 324-159 record and he has five consecutive wins against the Bears by a total of 71 points.

Belichick is 70, and depending on how long he plans to keep coaching, this could be the only shot Eberflus gets at him. The Bears don’t have another set matchup with the Patriots until 2026, though they could host them in 2024 depending on where each team finishes in the division the season before.

While Belichick certainly was fortunate to strike gold with Brady, his defensive mastery has been unmatched. The Patriots were top-10 in fewest points allowed the last 11 seasons and stand seventh this season at 18.8 per game. As someone who spent his entire 30-year coaching career on defense before taking over the Bears, Eberflus knows he’s up against true excellence.

“Look at the record,” he said. “We’re all really judged on wins and losses and championships, and certainly he has that… And his teams do the same thing — they’re fundamentally sound and they play football the right way.”

Under Belchick, the Patriots have been the model organization when it comes to that.

They draft and develop, they’re prudent in free agency and they identify talent where other teams miss it. Their contingencies are often better than other teams’ Plan A.

They constantly bring in quarterbacks and maximize them, making it little surprise that Mac Jones has been the steadiest of the 2021 draft class and even rookie Bailey Zappe seems instantly competent. Jones is questionable with anankle injury, and Belichick hasn’t said who will start Monday.

They’re an incubator for future head coaches and general managers,the Harvard of the NFL when it comes to player evaluation and scheme sophistication.

The Bears are more of a cautionary tale of what it looks like when a franchise can’t check any of those boxes.

That’s what makes wide receiver N’Keal Harry, for example, an intriguing case study. He was a rare draft miss by the Patriots, who took him in the first round in 2019 and couldn’t develop him.Theycut their losses by offloading him to the Bears for a 2024 seventh-round pick in July.

Can Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy — under the watch of general manager Ryan Poles — solve a riddle that stumped Belichick?

That’s more of a big-picture question. More immediately, Eberflus needs to show he’s able to hold his own merely in the game Monday.

He must prepare quarterback Justin Fields and the offense for the most unpredictable defensive strategist in the league. Eberflus has to prove he can use his defensive expertise to decode Belichick’s, and it shouldn’t be too much to ask of him to come up with a game plan that can flummox Jones (20 career starts) or Zappe (two).

If the Patriots overpower the Bears on the strength of their personnel, Eberflus will have to accept that. But he can’t allow Belichick to thoroughly outfox him. It’s not a valid excuse that Belichick is the NFL’s top coach. There are no weight classes in this league. Eberflus has to show he can trade punches with the best.

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KEY MATCHUP

Bill Belichick’s knack for taking away an opponent’s strength is legendary. Last week, the Browns came in leading the NFL in rushing (192.4 avg.) and the Patriots came in ranked 22nd in rushing defense (128.8 avg.) — yet the Patriots held the Browns to 18 carries for 70 yards in a 38-15 victory. Browns running back Kareem Hunt, who came in averaging 118.6 rushing yards per game, was held to a season-low 56 on 12 carries. Kareem Hunt had four carries for 12 yards.

So it’s pretty obvious what Belichick’s focus will be this week against a Bears’ offense that ranks 28th in yards and 31st in points — but second in rushing. Khalil Herbert (63 carries 402 yards, three touchdowns) leads the NFL in rushing average (6.4) and David Montgomery (62-246, one touchdown) has 100-yard potential despite a slow start.

“They’re very hard to tackle,” Belichick said.

It’s all starts up front. The Bears are expected to juggle their interior line, likely moving Lucas Patrick from left guard to center in place of Sam Mustipher, with veteran Michael Schofield starting at left guard and Teven Jenkins still starting at right guard.

The Patriots are banged up on their defensive interior. Defensive tackle Lawrence Guy (questionable) missed last week’s game with a shoulder injury and Christian Barmore (questionable) played just 20 snaps against the Browns because of a knee injury. But as usual, they found a way to get the job done, with defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, Pro Bowl linebacker Matthew Judon (six sacks) and emerging safety Kyle Dugger playing key roles.

TRENDING

The Bears not only were 0-for-3 in the red zone against the Commanders last week, but reached the Washington 5, 1 and 4 yard line without getting any points. They have scored two touchdowns in their last eight trips inside the red zone and are 28th in the NFL for the season (seven touchdowns in 15 trips).

PLAYER TO WATCH

Bears quarterback Justin Fields had 278 yards of total offense against the Commanders, including 12 rushes for 88 yards. But he’s 30th in the NFL in passing yards (869), 33rd in completion percentage (54.8) and 32nd in passer rating (72.7) — though 10th in yards per pass (7.6).

Field could get a boost from the return of wide receiver N’Keal Harry, the ex-Patriot who will make his Bears debut — perhaps on a limited basis –after injuring his ankle on Aug. 6. Aug 6. At 6-4, 225 pounds, he gives Fields a big target the second-year quarterback could use in an offense that has struggled to get receivers open.

X-FACTORS

The Bears are coming off a mini-bye after playing on Thursday night in Week 6 and are fully healthy — a rarity at any point of the NFL season.

The Patriots have not announced a starting quarterback. Mac Jones, who has missed the last three games with an ankle injury, is questionable. Rookie Bailey Zappe has a 111.4 passer rating in place of Jones.

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N’Keal Harry didn’t see Kevin White’s 64-yard catch for the Saints against the Cardinals on Thursday night.

“But I saw his stat line,” the Bears wide receiver said.

White’s big play may or may not be the start of something for the former Bears first-round draft pick. But just the one play was a reminder that if you have talent and hang in there, anything can happen. And Harry, like White a former first-round draft pick, is aware of the significance.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I watched [White] in college. I watched him coming out. So I know all about him.”

Harry will get a long-awaited opportunity to re-start his own NFL career on Monday night against the Patriots, the team that gave up on him and traded him for a 2024 seventh-round draft pick.

“I have a chip on my shoulder,” was the very first thing Harry said in his introductory press conference. But vindication is not Harry’s motivation Monday night. He doesn’t want revenge. He wants an opportunity — to prove himself right more than prove the Patriots wrong.

“It’s more about me,” Harry said. “I expect a lot out of myself. I know the way I can play. I know what I can bring to a team. So it’s just about [playing] the way I know I can play. Because I know I can play at a high level.”

Chicago, though, is one of the most challenging places for him to prove that. Muhsin Muhammad was overstating it when he said, “Chicago is where receivers go to die.” But Chicago is definitely not the place where receivers go to jump-start their career.

This season is a perfect example — with yet another Bears offense that looks like it’s being put together with instructions from IKEA. A first-year coordinator. A second-year quarterback. A pieced-together offensive line still in flux in Week 7. Five of six wide receivers who had not played with Justin Fields prior to this season.

Even Darnell Mooney –the best thing this offense had going for it –has struggled in this offense. He missed a chance at a touchdown against the Giants when he was open but ran the wrong route. He missed a chance at a touchdown against the Commanders last week — with a costly bobble –for the opposite reason.

“His route was almost too good,” wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said. “It’s a quick-in/back-out and he like killed the [defender] going in and left him behind. He had to fight to get back out, which he did and … he tried to make a play on the ball, bobbled it, caught it a second time. If he catches it the first time … we win the game. It didn’t happen that way.”

This is the kind of muck N’Keal Harry has to rise above, while trying to get his own stuff together. Even doing things right can lead to failure.

The odds are against him. It’s the Bears, after all. And Harry hasn’t played any real football since Jan. 15 — a cameo (five snaps) in the Patriots’ playoff loss to the Bills. And he hasn’t played much at all since injuring his ankle on Aug. 6.

But Harry has one thing going for him the others don’t. At 6-4 and 225 pounds with first-round athleticism, he can make himself open. “He’s more physical than I thought,” Tolbert said. “But don’t sleep on [his] wide receiver skills. He can catch the ball. He can make plays on the ball. He has an added advantage because of his size.”

Harry is counting on it. “I just want to be the player I know I always have been,” he said. “The type of guy that when a quarterback gets in a situation, he can throw it up and I can go get it. I can show my physicality, running with the ball — [doing] everything I grew up knowing I can do.”

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It will be quite the treat for the United Center crowd on Monday night.

They once again have the opportunity to plop down in a seat, grab some popcorn, and watch the best duo in the East go to work.

Bulls All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine will too, because it isn’t them.

While DeRozan and LaVine can make the argument about being a top five duo in the conference, Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown require no debate.

If the East is Gotham, Tatum and Brown are Batman and Robin, and it’s not really close.

Not only because of their age and scoring ability, but the one department that DeRozan and LaVine fall severely short in the comparison – the defensive end.

That’s what makes Boston (3-0) once again a threat to play into June. Not only are Tatum and Brown capable of lighting an opposing defense up for 30 a piece on any given night, but just as easily play prison warden and put opposing scorers in lockdown for 30-plus minutes of hard time.

That’s why their star power shines brighter than anything the Bulls have.

The latest concern coming out of the Saturday loss to Cleveland? How can the Bulls get enough defense from their two stars to make sure the bleeding stops after two straight losses?

DeRozan is what he is at this point of his career. He’s not a lockdown one-on-one defender, but his team defense is above average, and his IQ a strength.

That was on full display late in the loss against the Wizards, when DeRozan stepped in front of a Bradley Beal pass with 33.1 seconds left in the game, and took it to the house for the unopposed dunk. A play that was anticipation more than anything, but one that also gave the Bulls a chance by tying the game.

The issue for the Bulls remained getting LaVine to be a serviceable defender.

Last season at this time, that wasn’t a question. In fact, LaVine was coming off a summer showcase in Team USA’s run for an Olympic gold medal in which he not only emerged as one of the better defenders for that group, but embraced those duties.

That had a carryover effect when he put the red and white jersey back on.

Along with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso, LaVine helped the Bulls become one of the more disruptive backcourts in the league. Then when the left knee started flaring up for LaVine, his defense started trending down.

That was supposed to be a distant memory this summer, however, after LaVine had a cleanup surgery in the knee and claimed he felt 100%. The Bulls sure believed it, committing to a five-year, $215 million max contract.

Now, it’s hard to figure out what to believe.

LaVine’s knee issue has him back on a managing schedule, and his defense is back to shaky at best.

Look no further than the third quarter against Cleveland, when coach Billy Donovan pulled LaVine earlier than usual in his rotation. He wouldn’t admit that it was solely because of LaVine’s defense, but also didn’t deny it.

“I think for our team, not just Zach, but collectively as a team, we all need to be better defensively,” Donovan said. “I would throw Zach in there with our team.

“I took him out in the third because I left him in too long in the first. I just wanted to give him off to try and recover.”

Maybe, but it didn’t help that Donovan was also watching a 16-point halftime deficit stretch out to 19 when he made the move. And unfortunately for the Bulls, the uncertainty with LaVine’s knee doesn’t scream for the defensive issues to become a quick fix.

The good news? LaVine and DeRozan will get the opportunity to see how the best duo in basketball does it. Tatum and Brown will make sure of that.

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Mount Carmel at Loyola lived up to the hype, providing a spectacular ending to the regular season. The Caravan’s win also keeps things simple at the top of the Super 25.

Everything remains stable to No. 20, where Naperville North returns. The Huskies were highly ranked in the preseason and looked very good picking up a road win at Naperville Central on Thursday. The Redhawks have dropped out.

Two other teams fall after losing in Week 9: St. Francis and Kankakee.

The decision to drop St. Francis was easy, the Spartans lost to IC Catholic. The Knights are one of the most consistent programs in the state and slot into the rankings in St. Francis’ place.

It was more difficult deciding what to do with Kankakee. The Kays are loaded with individual talent and played in the Class 5A state championship last season. Kankakee lost to Nazareth early in the season and to Crete-Monee on the road in Week 9. Both games were close, but the Kays didn’t look like a team ready for playoff success on Friday. Too many penalties and far too much reliance on big plays. They remain a threat in Class 5A, but are out of the rankings for now.

Week 10’s Super 25

1. Mount Carmel (9-0) 17A: vs. Buffalo Grove

2. Loyola (8-1) 28A: vs. Plainfield South

3. Lincoln-Way East (9-0) 38A: vs. Conant

4. York (9-0) 48A: vs. Oswego East

5. Simeon (9-0) 56A: vs. Oak Forest

6. Glenbard West (8-1) 68A: vs. Lockport

7. Hersey (9-0) 77A: vs. Argo

8. Lemont (9-0) 86A: vs. Eisenhower

9. Prospect (8-1) 97A: vs. Reavis

10. Marist (6-3) 108A: at No. 20 Naperville North

11. St. Rita (7-2) 117A: vs. Geneva

12. Warren (8-1) 128A: vs. Stevenson

13. Maine South (7-2) 138A: vs. Bolingbrook

14. Crete-Monee (7-2) 146A: vs. Centennial

15. Prairie Ridge (8-1) 156A: vs. Crystal Lake South

16. St. Charles North (8-1) 167A: vs. Maine West

17. Wheaton North (8-1) 177A: vs. Willowbrook

18. Batavia (6-3) 187A: at Guilford

19. Lake Zurich (8-1) 207A: vs. Larkin

20. Naperville North (7-2) NR8A: vs. No. 10 Marist

21. Plainfield North (9-0) 218A: vs. Rich

22. Sycamore (9-0) 255A: vs. Westinghouse

23. Brother Rice (6-2) 237A: at Jacobs

24. South Elgin (9-0) NR8A: vs. Belleville East

25. IC Catholic (8-1) NR3A: vs. King

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Three people were killed and two others seriously hurt after gunfire erupted during a large unauthorized drag race early Sunday in Brighton Park, according to Chicago police.

Around 100 cars had taken over an intersection in a “drag racing and drifting incident” when about 13 shots rang out around 4 a.m. at Archer and Kedzie avenues, Police Cmdr. Don Jerome told reporters at the scene.

Five people were involved in the shooting, Jerome said. Three males, all around 15 to 20 years old, were killed, he said. Two others were listed in serious condition at hospitals.

The shooting happened at one of several “car caravans” that police were monitoring overnight, Jerome said. Police had been monitoring the one at Archer and Kezdie on surveillance cameras, he said. The other car caravans that night did not turn violent.

Police were still looking for one or two gunmen, Jerome said. No weapons were recovered at the scene, he said.

A man, 20, was shot in the chest and left thigh and went to Holy Cross Hospital, where he died, police said. Another man, also 20, was shot in the chest and upper body and went to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died. A third person went to Holy Cross Hospital with gunshot wounds to his neck and chest and was pronounced dead. Another man, 21, was shot in the right thigh and was taken to Mount Sinai in critical condition.A 19-year-old man was shot in the abdomen and was taken to Mount Sinai in critical condition.

Twelve people have been killed in Brighton Park this year, according to data kept by the Chicago Sun-Times. The community area recorded two fewer homicides last year in the same period.

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Loyola’s loss to Mount Carmel on Saturday dropped the Ramblers to a No. 6 seed. Lincoln-Way East, York, Plainfield North and South Elgin are unbeaten, so slotted in before Loyola. But the Ramblers are still the heavy favorites to win the Class 8A state championship in Champaign.

Class 8A pairings

#32 Conant (5-4) at #1 Lincoln-Way East (9-0)#17 Neuqua Valley (7-2) at #16 Lane (7-2)#25 Stevenson (6-3) at #8 Warren (8-1)#24 Andrew (6-3) at #9 Huntley (8-1)#29 Belleville East (5-4) at #4 South Elgin (9-0)#20 Bolingbrook (6-3) at #13 Maine South (7-2)#28 Lockport (5-4) at #5 Glenbard West (8-1)#21 Homewood-Flossmoor (6-3) at #12 Glenbrook South (8-1)

#31 Oswego East (5-4) at #2 York (9-0)#18 Marist (6-3) at #15 Naperville North (7-2)#26 Downers Grove South (6-3) at #7 Palatine (8-1)#23 Minooka (6-3) at #10 Glenbard East (8-1)#30 Rich (5-4) at #3 Plainfield North (9-0)#19 Naperville Central (6-3) at #14 Lyons (7-2)#27 Plainfield South (6-3) at #6 Loyola (8-1)#22 Edwardsville (6-3) at #11 O’Fallon (8-1)

Class 8A Preview

Favorite: Loyola

Top Contender: Lincoln-Way East

Darkhorse/Bracket Buster: Bolingbrook

Best first round game: Bolingbrook at Maine South

Toughest path to title game: Glenbard West

Class 8A Predictions

First round

Lincoln-Way East defeats Conant

Neuqua Valley d. Lane

Warren d. Stevenson

Andrew d. Huntley

South Elgin d. Belleville East

Maine South d. Bolingbrook

Glenbard West d. Lockport

H-F d. Glenbrook South

York d. Oswego East

Marist d. Naperville North

Palatine d. Downers Grove South

Glenbard East d. Minooka

Plainfield North d. Rich

Naperville Central d. Lyons

Loyola d. Plainfield South

O’Fallon d. Edwardsville

Second round

Lincoln-Way East d. Neuqua Valley

Warren d. Andrew

Maine South d. South Elgin

Glenbard West d. Homewood-Flossmoor

York d. Marist

Palatine d. Glenbard East

Naperivlle Central d. Plainfield North

Loyola d. O’Fallon

Quarterfinals

Warren d. Lincoln-Way East

Glenbard West d. Maine South

York d. Palatine

Loyola d. Naperville Central

Semifinals

Glenbard West d. Warren

Loyola d. York

Championship

Loyola d. Glenbard West

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As the curtain rose, revealing basketball was back at the United Center on Saturday night, cheers erupted at the sight of Zach LaVine in uniform, delivering the pregame address.

After two games in street clothes and some ambiguous messaging about ”management” for a left-knee injury that was supposed to be a non-issue this season, the relief from the Bulls’ fan base was palpable.

On the Bulls’ first possession, LaVine drove hard to the basket and dished to Nikola Vucevic, who put down a dunk to get things started. The next trip down the floor, LaVine made a 25-foot step-back three-pointer.

In the opening minutes of his season debut, LaVine played like a guy whose knee hadn’t come into question during the last 72 hours. By the half, he had 17 points while the rest of the starting lineup combined for 19.

In the end, it was all for naught in the Bulls’ 128-96 loss to the Cavaliers in their home opener.

“When I play, I’m not going to try and hold anything back,” LaVine said. “It felt good to get out there. My first real-time going 100% since last year.”

“He was really decisive and aggressive offensively,” coach Billy Donovan said. “Our team, Zach, everybody has to be better defensively.”

LaVine wasn’t playing on a minutes restriction against the Cavs, but Donovan said he wanted to avoid him playing anything beyond 38 minutes. After his 11 minutes in the first quarter, he was on the bench for most of the second.

There was no indication of any knee discomfort. LaVine moved confidently with the ball, was active off the ball and got out and ran in transition.

He led the Bulls with 23 points and had four assists and three rebounds in 28 minutes. Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell had a game-high 32 points.

In the Bulls’ first two games, there was no sign of rolling over. After a poor start against the Heat, they battled back to control the second half and pick up the unlikely victory. They trailed by 17 against the Wizards on Friday night and put themselves in position to win on the last possession.

DeMar DeRozan, who had 13 points against Cleveland, stressed the importance of not allowing opponents’ runs to extend beyond 17 points after the loss Friday. Even with LaVine back in the fold, they were down by 19 in the first half. Donovan’s starting five looked like they were trying to find their cohesion with LaVine back in the mix.

The Bulls mounted a comeback in the third quarter with LaVine on the bench, closing the deficit to nine. LaVine played only four minutes in the third, which Donovan said was a result of overplaying him in the first quarter.

Ultimately, the Bulls looked like a team that just couldn’t keep up with the Cavs, who shot 56.5% from the field, including 59.3% from three-point range. The Bulls shot 40.5% from the field and 24.1% from three.

“We struggled to shoot the ball,” Donovan said. “That cannot dictate our spirit defensively.”

Patrick Williams had another ineffective night, scoring only six points and shooting 2-for-5 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. His lone three came during garbage time. With four minutes left, DeRozan was ejected after picking up consecutive technicals as fans started heading for the exits.

Rookie Dalen Terry subbed in for LaVine in the final minutes and went 0-for-1 in his NBA debut.

As far as the plan for LaVine, it’s still hazy. But Donovan said they’ll continue to manage him in back-to-backs.Asked whether he’ll get to a point where he can play back-to-backs, LaVine answered with more ambiguity.

“I don’t know,” he said. “That’s for us to go and talk about. Obviously, you guys know I like playing all the time, but you have to think big picture.”

Lavine expects to play Monday against the Celtics.

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The Illinois High School Association state football playoff pairings have been revealed. Only the pairings have been released so far, dates and times of the games will be posted on Monday afternoon.

In the first round, the higher seed hosts the game. In subsequent rounds, the school that has hosted fewer times during the current playoff series hosts the game. If both teams have hosted an equal number of times, the higher seed hosts. The game must be played on Saturday, unless both schools agree to play the game on Friday.

One playoff round will take place each week, starting with the first round games on Friday, Oct, 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29. This season’s state championship games will be held at Memorial Stadium in Champaign. The Class 1A thru 4A title games will take place on Friday, Nov. 25. The Class 5A thru 8A title games will be Saturday, Nov. 26.

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