The Bears squandered their chance to topple the Packers, but Aaron Rodgers wasn’t the one who buried them this time. They did it to themselves with missed kicks, shoddy run defense and a brutal interception at the end by Justin Fields.

The Packers beat the Bears 28-19 as Mason Crosby put them ahead with 32-yard field goal with 4:49 left, and cornerback Jaire Alexander picked Fields at the Green Bay 28-yard line with 2:52 remaining as the Bears were looking for a field goal or more to win it.

The final blow came when the Bears needed a stop to get the ball back and have another shot, but gave up a 46-yard touchdown run to wide receiver Christian Watson. The Packers cemented it on a two-point conversion pass from Rodgers to tight end Marcedes Lewis, putting it out of Fields’ reach at 28-19.

On the Bears’ last, desperate push, Fields threw another interception, this time by Keisean Nixon at the Packers’ 5-yard line.

In his return from a separated non-throwing shoulder, Fields completed 20 of 25 passes for 254 yards and a 75.7 passer rating. He also ran six times for 71 yards, including a 56-yard scramble for a touchdown.Rodgers was unimpressive and erratic, completing just 18 of 31 passes for 182 yards and an 85.7 rating.

Bears kicker Cairo Santos, who set the franchise record by making 93.8% of his field goals in 2020 and was at 94.1% going into the game, missed an extra point on David Montgomery’s touchdown run in the second quarter and missed short on a 40-yarder with 11:40 remaining.

The Bears also allowed running back A.J. Dillon to go for 93 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

The win was the Packers’ 787th, moving them one ahead of the Bears for the NFL’s all-time lead.

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SAN DIEGO — On your marks, get set, go.

The winter meetings have set the stage for a whirlwind week, with the inaugural MLB Draft Lottery, Rule 5 Draft, manager press conferences, a charity auction benefiting the new Boys & Girls Club in Uvalde, Texas. And, of course, there’s always a spike in signings and trades.

“We’re in the market for good players,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said during the GM meetings last month. “So, we’re not that positionally focused.”

That answer has the benefit of not revealing too much. But the Cubs’ wealth of young players who are comfortable at multiple positions means the team isn’t as positionally restricted as the more established clubs in the league. The Cubs could add a power bat at a number of positions. They need reinforcements in both their rotation and bullpen.

Here are the Cubs’ most pressing needs entering the winter meetings on Monday.

Pitching

A top free agent pitcher came off the board early, with the Rangers signing Jacob deGrom to a five-year, $185 million deal. But as of Sunday afternoon, Carlos Rod?n, Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw still headlined a star-studded free agent class.

There’s also been buzz around Koudai Senga, the right-handed free agent coming to MLB from Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. Senga’s representation planned to meet with the Cubs at the GM Meetings last month, in an early survey of Senga’s suitors. The Athletic reported on Sunday that the Cubs had also checked in with two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber.

The Cubs will need to add plenty of “quality innings,” as Hoyer put it, this winter. They’ve shown a knack for getting production out of veteran relievers on short-term deals. For example, look at Chris Martin, who signed a two-year, $17.5 million contract with the Red Sox last week.

A year ago, he joined the Cubs on a one-year contract worth $2.5 million plus incentives. Then, he posted an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio (10), the Cubs traded him at the deadline, and he finished the season with the Dodgers in dominant fashion (1.46 ERA with LA).

So, while bolstering the bullpen will take more transactions, the Cubs’ rotation additions will be the bigger indicator of success next year.

Catching

Willson Contreras, who declined the Cubs’ qualifying offer last month to enter free agency, leaves a hole at catcher and in the lineup. So, who will join Yan Gomes behind the plate?

The Cubs have shown interest in World Series champion Christian V?zquez, according to multiple reports. And his defensive prowess lines up with the team’s priorities at that position.

Contreras headlines the free agent catcher class, which, along with V?zquez, also includes Gary Sanchez, Omar Narvaez, Mike Zunino and Tucker Barnhart.

Offensive boost

The Cubs have the flexibility to add power at a number of defensive positions: Shortstop, first base, center field. If they want to get a little more creative, the list could go on.

The strength of the shortstop free agent class this year has been well documented, and Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson are still available.

The Cubs are excited about power-hitting first base prospect Matt Mervis’ emergence this year. But they still could use someone with more experience to pair with Mervis at first base and DH next year.

Two top first basemen have already found landing spots. Last week, Anthony Rizzo re-signed with the Yankees for two years, $40 million guaranteed, and Jos? Abreu joined the Astros on a three-year, $58.5 million deal. But the Cubs were unlikely to compete with teams willing to commit that much to a first baseman when the North Siders hope their future at the position may already be in the organization.

The center field free agent pool got a little more interesting a couple weeks ago, when the Dodgers non-tendered Cody Bellinger. His offensive production has dropped off since his 2019 MVP season, but that also caps the market for a player with a sky-high ceiling. The Cubs could add a consistent center fielder or fill the position by committee, as they did last season.

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As expected, quarterback Justin Fields’ return changed everything about the Bears’ offense.

In his first game back since suffering a separated non-throwing shoulder, Fields led the team to a field goal on the opening drive and has the Bears ahead 16-10 on the Packers at halftime.

Fields has completed 7 of 9 passes for 126 yards for a 118.8 passer rating. He also has run four times for 71 yards, including a 56-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Running back David Montgomery added six carries for 23 yards and a touchdown.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, meanwhile, has completed 12 of 20 passes for 112 yards with a touchdown for a 92.1 passer rating.

If the Bears hang on to win, they will saddle the Packers with their first losing season since 2018.

Both teams are on a bye next week, then the Bears finish the season with home games against the Eagles and Bills, a visit to the Lions and the finale at Soldier Field against the Vikings.

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Well, the Super 25 currently contains no results nullification and that’s always great. Other than that I’m not sure how solid everything is. It’s a long, long season and we are still getting a handle on all the teams.

The biggest decision on the top end today was over the third spot. It was a tough decision between Joliet West and Young. The Tigers have a stronger overall resume with wins against St. Rita, Metamora, St. Louis Cardinal Ritter and Romeoville. But Young’s game against Kenwood came down to the final second and Joliet West lost to the Broncos by six.

I was at both games though, and there were long stretches where the Tigers outplayed Kenwood and that wasn’t the case in the Young game. So that, along with the better resume, has Joliet West in the three spot for now.

Benet received a fairly big jump, leaping from 13 to 8. I reserve the right to move a team up or down drastically the first time I seen them play. There is no reason to remain beholden to preseason rankings that were basically a guess. The Redwings looked very good.

Lincoln-Way East joins after beating Oswego East. West Aurora drops out after losing to the Wolves and to Yorkville.

The Foxes, Marist, DeKalb, Waubonsie Valley and Barrington are all teams I have an eye on that might have cracked the rankings if other teams had fallen out.

Super 25 for Dec. 4, 2022With record and last week’s ranking

1. Simeon (3-0) 1Wes Rubin is deadly from three

2. Kenwood (4-0) 3Calvin Robins delivered

3. Joliet West (5-2) 2Already battle-tested

4. Young (3-1) 5Two buzzer beaters already

5. St. Rita (2-3) 4Don’t give up on the Mustangs

6. Brother Rice (7-0) 6Hosts St. Rita Friday

7. Rolling Meadows (7-0) 7Beat Glenbrook South

8. Benet (7-0) 13Impressed at CEC

9. Hillcrest (5-0) 9Handled Oak Lawn

10. St. Ignatius (5-1) 8Faces R-B on Saturday

11. Curie (5-2) 10Talented but not clicking yet

12. Glenbrook North (6-0) 12Hosts Evanston Thursday

13. Bolingbrook (4-1) 14Keon Alexander stepping up

14. Bloom (4-1) 15Knocked off Thornton

15. Oak Lawn (5-1) 16Fell short vs. Hillcrest

16. Marian Catholic (5-1) 17Balanced group

17. Mount Carmel (5-1) 18Lee Marks adds a lot

18. New Trier (5-1) 20Faces Rolling Meadows Saturday

19. Evanston (6-0) 21Quietly coming together

20. Lincoln-Way East (4-1) NRKnocked off Oswego East

21. Oswego East (6-1) 11Beat West Aurora twice

22. Lyons (4-0) 22At Glenbard West Saturday

23. Hyde Park (4-1) 23Jurrell Baldwin can play

24. Proviso East (3-1) 24Had the week off

25. Lemont (6-0) 25Plays Lane on Saturday

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Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State were chosen Sunday to play in the College Football Playoff, giving the Big Ten multiple teams in the four-team field for the first time.

The defending national champion and top-ranked Bulldogs and fourth-seeded Buckeyes will meet Dec. 31 at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. The second-seeded Wolverines and third-ranked Horned Frogs, the lone first-timer in the final four, will play at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, the same day.

The national championship game is scheduled for Jan. 9 at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California, and it could be a rematch of rivals Ohio State and Michigan in what will soon be Big Ten country as the conference expands.

The rivalry dates to 1902, but the Buckeyes and Wolverines have never played outside of their annual regular-season game.

With some drama, but not much controversy, the CFP selection committee’s top four fell into place over the championship weekend. The most interesting part of the unveiling was whether the committee would pair Michigan and Ohio State in the semifinals and if Alabama might be able to slip in as the first two-loss playoff team.

In the end, the committee sprung no surprises.

Committee chairman Boo Corrigan, the athletic director at North Carolina State, said Ohio State’s big wins against Penn State and Notre Dame helped push the Buckeyes in over Alabama.

“As we looked at the total body of work, the committee was comfortable with Ohio State State at No. 4 and Alabama at 5,” he said in an interview with ESPN.

Corrigan also said the committee did not make any special effort to avoid having a rematch of Ohio State and Michigan in a semifinal.

Georgia (13-0) won the Southeastern Conference championship game in a rout and coach Michigan (13-0) similar took the the Big Ten title.

TCU (12-1) suffered is first loss of the season in the Big 12 championship, falling in overtime to Kansas State. The loss made it an uneasy night for Heisman Trophy contender Max Duggan and the Horned Frogs, but in the end they had already built enough equity during their improbable season to stay in the top four.

At a watch party for TCU players and staffers at its Fort Worth, Texas, campus, cheers broke out when the Frogs landed in the bracket during ESPN’s announcement show.

Ohio State (11-1) was given a second life in the playoff race when Southern California lost the Pac-12 championship game Friday night. A week after star quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes lost at home to coach Jim Harbaugh and Michigan, they slipped into the final playoff spot, the best of a flawed batch of contenders.

Alabama (10-2) was fifth in the committee rankings, missing the CFP for just the second time in its nine-year history. The Crimson Tide, with a little lobbying from coach Nick Saban, were hoping to become the first team to lose two games and make the playoff.

The committee instead simply moved Ohio State from fifth last week to fourth this week, setting up just the second matchup ever between the Bulldogs and Buckeyes. The only time Georgia and Ohio State have played was in the 1992 Citrus Bowl, a Buckeyes’ victory.

“They got a lot of really great players because we recruit a lot of the same kids,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said.

For Georgia, it is the second straight CFP appearance and third overall. This time, though, Smart’s Bulldogs enter as the No. 1 team and clear favorite after following up last season’s national title with a perfect season.

Stetson Bennett and the ‘Dawgs will try to become the first team to repeat as College Football Playoff champions.

Ohio State is making its fifth playoff appearance. The last time the Buckeyes were the fourth seed was 2014, when they won their last national title.

Michigan is in for the second time, again as the second seed after losing to Georgia in the Orange Bowl last season.

TCU becomes just the 13th different school make the field in nine years. That lack of variety is one of the main reasons the CFP will be expanding to 12 teams in the 2024 season.

The Horned Frogs, whose only national title came in 1938, have never played Michigan.

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The Chicago Bulls look to shake off a two-game losing streak on Sunday as they finish their west coast road trip in Sacramento against a buzzing Kings team.

The 9-13 Chicago Bulls will end their six-game road trip on Sunday against the 12-9 Sacramento Kings. Sacramento has been one of the darlings of the NBA this season with an exciting and high scoring roster, backed by a hungry and frenzied home crowd.

Working in the Bulls favor today will be the advantage of Sacramento having played yesterday on the road, optimistically allowing the potential for a tired Kings team late in today’s game.

The injury report is light today for both teams, with Alex Caruso once again ruled as probable.

The Bulls best bet of the day blog has been every bit of a roller coaster as the Chicago Bulls have been themselves. Regardless, I will be here rain or shine, with the intention of getting this thing well into the green sooner rather than later. Let’s keep the optimism levels as high as possible today, let’s see some damn red, and as always GO BULLS!!

2022 Bulls Best Bet Record: 9-13 (4L Streak)Last Pick: Patrick Williams Over 9.5 Points – L

Chicago Bulls +2.5 (Sportsbook odds may vary)

I understand I probably sound like a homer when I bring the Bulls spread or money line to these blogs, but I try to be as selective as possible, and in today’s case, I believe the Bulls are the right side.

Entering today, the Chicago Bulls are 4-2 against the spread following consecutive losses. Those two failed covers fell within the Bulls four game losing streak. Aside from that stretch, the Bulls have found success with their backs against the wall.

As mentioned in the intro, today will feature the second game of a back-to-back for the Sacramento Kings, and surprisingly this will be just their third such situation. They are 1-1 against the spread, but 0-2 straight up this season in those situations, having covered the spread the one time as double digit underdogs early in the season.

The Chicago Bulls have not yet been a very profitable team against the spread, but as a road underdog, they are 5-4-1 against the number. Contrarily, they have not fared well against Western Conference opponents, but with their backs against the wall, and frankly against a team that they match up well with defensively, a sense of urgency should be what the Bulls need to get this done.

On Friday night, the Bulls switched up their starting rotation, swapping in Alex Caruso and Javonte Green for Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams. The outcome of the game obviously did not go Chicago’s way, but hopefully the move will light a spark under Dosunmu and Williams. To open the game, they combined 5-6 shooting upon their initial entry to the game.

It is unclear if the same starting lineup will be seen today, but I would assume the same switch up will be in place today.

This game should provide some fireworks, as the game total sits just under 240 at 239.5, a frequent setting for Kings’ games this season. If I had to give out a player prop, I might suggest Demar Derozan at 27.5. After a light night on Friday in Golden State, I would be willing to guess he will be fairly aggressive against a team that shouldn’t have a clear answer for defending him tonight.

I do feel confident in the Chicago Bulls’ money line this evening, but I’ll happily take a couple of insurance points, protecting any late shots or anything of that nature. The optimism levels are certainly at a low for this fan base, and as I’ve said, this team isn’t a contender, but I do believe they have a much more successful brand of basketball to be played this season.

Let’s get back into the win column tonight! Best of luck, see red and GO BULLS!!

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SAN DIEGO — The White Sox announced their signing of free agent right-hander Mike Clevinger Sunday, the first official day of the Winter Meetings.

The deal calls for Clevinger to receive $8 million in 2023 with a mutual $12 million option for 2024 that includes a $4 million buyout.

Clevinger, 31, went 7-7 with a 4.33 ERA over 114 1/3 innings pitched in 22 starts and one relief appearance for the Padres in 2022.

In his first full season after recovering from a second Tommy John surgery, Clevinger from May 17 through August 1 posted a 3-3 record with a 2.81 ERA in 10 games (nine starts).

Clevinger joins an all-right-handed starting unit that also includes Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn, Michael Kopech and Lucas Giolito. Johnny Cueto, one of the Sox’ top starters in 2022, is a free agent.

Clevinger beat the Sox in his final regular-season start, pitching six innings of one-run, three-hit ball Oct. 1 in San Diego. But he lasted less than three innings total over two playoff starts, allowing seven earned runs. A sprained right knee suffered in spring training sidelined him for the first month of last season, and he also was sidelined by a strained right triceps in May.

Clevinger, who will turn 32 on Dec. 21, posted a combined 2.96 ERA in 2017-20 with Cleveland and the Padres.

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The Bears’ offense sputtered and stalled without quarterback Justin Fields last week in a 31-10 loss to the Jets. While they’re an underdog Sunday against the Packers, Fields’ return gives the offense a chance of keeping up with Aaron Rodgers.

Here are the Bears’ inactives:

QB Tim BoyleFB Khari BlasingameRT Larry Borom (ankle/knee)OL Ja’Tyre CarterCB Kindle Vildor (ankle)CB Kyler Gordon (concussion)S Jaquan Brisker (concussion)

Trevor Siemian had been the Bears’ backup quarterback all season and started the Jets game, but the pre-game oblique injury he suffered will keep him out the rest of the season.

The Bears signed practice squad quarterback Nathan Peterman to the active roster Sunday, making him Fields’ backup. They also picked up Boyle from the Lions’ practice squad Wednesday.

Wide receivers Chase Claypool and Equanimeous St. Brown, both of whom got hurt in the Jets game, are active against the Packers.

Right tackle is a significant concern with starter Riley Reiff dealing with a shoulder injury and Borom out. The Bears played guard Michael Schofield at right tackle last week when both players got hurt.

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