College Football week 10 continues during the 3:30pm window with the most anticipated matchup in a long time.

Here are the best bets for the 3:30pm primetime college football games.

Tennessee vs. Georgia on CBS

The hype is real with this one. The comparison of the 2019 LSU team to this current Tennessee team isn’t far off. While LSU’s team is so difficult to compare since we see the success of so many of those players in the NFL it’s hard not to think the same about what could be for Tennessee’s group of players coming to the NFL draft especially at wide receiver. Hendon Hooker is an older QB which is a turn off for many franchises but QB’s can play long into their 30’s and with Hendon’s arm talent and his mobility I don’t think he should be counted out. Cedric Tillman and Jalon Hyatt are two dynamic college football wide receivers that can very well find themselves to be first round draft picks like Chase and Jefferson.

The comparison of the defense is what seem to have people timid to compare the 2019 LSU Tigers against this Tennessee team. LSU’s defense in 2019 was ranked 30th in total defense in college football. Tennessee currently has the 40th ranked defense in college football. It just isn’t a big difference as some make it out to be. The great thing about this defense is the ability to stop the run. It has massively improved compared to other Tennessee defenses who couldn’t stop anything but now in a physical conference like the SEC stopping the run is paramount.

Heupel and Hooker as well as the offense as a whole are so in sync its unheard of. We see it with Ole Miss and their no huddle offense and I love it. After every play whether it is a loss or a big play or a penalty or the other team gets chippy they run the ball to the ref get set and snap the ball for the next play. It is incredible efficiency, it leaves the defense little time to react and keeps the offense sharp and the defense on their heels. It is awesome to watch and it’s the major reason why Tennessee is where they are.

Finally the offense is the most dynamic in college football with Heupel the way the receivers split out so wide and force one on one coverage and betting your receiver wins the battle is perfect and what many of us ask for when we yell at the TV. Just let your stars make plays. One on one coverage just throw it to the guy more than half the time it’s pass interference or they catch it. The way the offense is set up with wide receivers split so wide benefits the run game too. While Tennessee doesn’t live and die by the run it is extremely effective during hurry up and having the defense spread so wide and on their heels. I don’t think Tennessee has to change anything for this game and Heupel I have to imagine feels the same way.

As for Georgia they are at home in what will be a wild college football environment and they have Kirby Smart. While he’s not a player he is at this point easily the successor to dominate in college football after Saban retires. After all Kirby is a disciple of Saban so he has learned a lot from him. The preparation week in and week out Kirby has for his team is incredible. Having great players is one thing but to have the best players and the most intelligent football players in the country is another level. The defense is so great because they are so prepared and smart and very often know exactly what the offense is doing which comes down to the coaching and preparation. The issue is this Tennessee offense is so different and new that having only one week to prepare could be an issue. Now losing their best linebacker in Nolan Smith Georgia will need a good pass rush without him which they don’t have this year ranking last in the SEC in sacks.

Offensively this year has much to be desired as Stetson Bennett has been struggling throwing the ball this year effectively. He has solid numbers yards wise but he has only 9 touchdowns this year and 3 interceptions. Watching him this year there have been plenty of missed throws that he was quite solid with last year at least towards the end of last year. Their leading receiver is Brock Bowers who is effectively a tight end but he’s also a monster so it makes sense he would be the leading receiver. The issue is they don’t have that star wide receiver like they normally do in years past. Daijun Edwards has been solid at running back for them but not a star like they’ve had in years past. You don’t need stars technically to be great in college football it is a team game and normally the Georgia defense is the star but its hard not to notice at the core positions for Georgia offensively there are no stars currently.

The Bet: I’m super excited for this game and maybe I’m buying into the hype too hard but Tennessee +8 is the play here. Check out the other side of this bet from Delonte Smith in his Tennessee vs. Georgia preview. 

Oklahoma State vs. Kansas on FS1

The rest of the 3:30 college football games are ok but mostly containing mismatches with high spreads the aren’t very appealing. This game although Kansas has fallen off a bit and Oklahoma State took a beating last week has some intrigue.

Oklahoma State got smoked last week and to be fair it was coming. I didn’t expect a shutout but Spencer Sanders can only hang on for so long like I expected. Same thing I said with Max Duggan but he’s proven me wrong. Spencer Sanders just isn’t that great. Against these BIG 12 college football defenses he looks great but his arm talent isn’t there and the decision making is rough. While this Kansas defense is nothing like their neighbors at Kansas State I think Oklahoma State’s offense just isn’t that good and having to go on the road again this week could become an issue late.

Kansas has been on a slide ever since their Heisman hopeful QB Jalon Daniels went down earlier this year with an injury. Jason Bean has come in and has done fine. They had the thriller against TCU and then had to go to Oklahoma and the defense was abysmal but Bean played fine and then went to Baylor and he also played fine. All three have been losses and its hard to all put it on Bean but he’s done decent since coming in for Jalon Daniels. I have looked all over but can not find any definitive report on Jalon Daniels playing this week even though he has practiced. Either way Kansas is better at home for sure and Bean can do just fine against this Oklahoma State defense that is a shell of itself from last year in college football.

The Bet: Kansas is -1 and I think this game is actually a close one where Kansas will cover that spread but seeing the over at 63 I would add that as well. Both defenses are terrible this year in college football which will allow Bean and Sanders to move the ball well. Kansas -1 Over 63.

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Halloween is designed to be scary, but over the last seven years (or so), Election Day has become the scariest day in America, with repercussions that are far greater than toilet-papering someone’s home. And honestly, with the cost of a roll of Charmin, who can afford to TP someone’s home?

Now, while I desperately do care whom you vote for, it is incumbent upon me just to urge you to vote. If you have difficulty getting to the polls, there are loads of individuals and organizations who will give you a ride (and presumably a ride home). Don’t tell me you don’t like the choices. Frequently, I hear as an excuse for not voting, “I don’t like either candidate.” Vote anyway. If you don’t vote, you can’t complain, and complaining is a healthy release. Too many rights have been hard-fought to attain, and voting is high on that list.

So vote. And if you want to execute a protest vote, write in my name. Vote for Bill! The quizmaster will be happy to serve. Enjoy this week’s quiz.

1. There’s a Hall of Famer who won 224 games pitching primarily for the Tigers and Phillies. He lost 184 games, 12 to the Cubs and 12 to the White Sox. On Father’s Day in 1964, he pitched a perfect game against the Mets. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and in 1998, he was elected to the U.S. Senate. Who was this Republican from Kentucky?

a. Paul Bunyon

b. Jim Bunning

c. Chris Short

d. Rick Wise

2. Vinegar Bend, Alabama, provided an unusual nickname for Cardinals, Pirates, and Mets pitcher (7-8 against the Cubs) and Republican U.S. Congressman -“Vinegar Bend” Mizell. Mizell has one of those nicknames so attached to him that you can only find him on Baseball–Reference.com as “Vinegar Bend Mizell,” not Wilmer Mizell, his real first name. Where was Mizell born?

a. Leakesville, Mississippi

b. Biloxi, Mississippi

c. Vinegar Bend, Alabama

d. Albany, Georgia

3. Magglio Ordo?ez played 15 seasons in the bigs, eight with the White Sox and seven with the Tigers. He was with Detroit in 2007 when he won the batting title hitting .363. Ordo?ez finished his career with a .305 lifetime batting average (.307 with the Sox). He became the mayor of the Juan Antonio Sotillo Municipality in his native country of Venezuela in 2013. Ordo?ez did -something in the last 19 games of his career that no other player ever accomplished. What is it?

a. He hit .555.

b. He had an 18-game hitting streak.

c. He had a four-homer game.

d. He committed three errors on three separate -occasions.

4. This Yankees owner was a four-time -Democratic congressman from New York. He’s the owner who -purchased Babe Ruth from the Red Sox and -subsequently designed the Yankees’ uniform with pinstripes to make the Babe look slimmer. Who was this son of a brewing magnate?

a. Harry Pabst

b. Jacob Ruppert

c. Carl Ballantine

d. Drysdale Rheingold

5. The first real home for the Giants in San Francisco was the sparkling new — and incredibly windy — Candlestick Park. Opening Day was April 12, 1960, when the Giants, behind three RBI from Orlando Cepeda, defeated the Cardinals 3-1. Willie Mays scored twice for the team that had played its first two seasons in Seals Stadium. Who threw out the first pitch to christen the new ballpark?

a. Vice President Richard Nixon

b. President Dwight Eisenhower

c. Speaker of the House Lyndon Johnson

d. Future California Governor Ronald Reagan

6. Who was the first president to attend a World Series game?

a. Theodore Roosevelt

b. Woodrow Wilson

c. Herbert Hoover

d. William Howard Taft

7. These three members of Congress — Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D-Ark.) — each participated in an important baseball-related first. What was it?

a. Jointly threw out the first pitch at a World Series game.

b. Jointly threw out the first pitch at an All-Star Game.

c. Were the first women to participate in the -Congressional Baseball Game.

d. Were the first members of Congress to suggest a question for our weekly quiz.

8. President John F. Kennedy attended the first of two All-Star Games in 1962, the first one held in Washington, D.C. (The second one took place at Wrigley Field.) In Washington, Kennedy threw out the first pitch. While he was there, he said to a participating player, “A couple of years ago, they told me I was too young to be president and you were too old to be playing baseball. But we fooled them.” Who was this All-Star the president spoke to?

a. Jim Bunning

b. Stan Musial

c. Yogi Berra

d. Ernie Banks

9. The most home runs hit during the terms of any president is 364. Who hit those 364 while George W. Bush was president?

a. Alex Rodriguez

b. Albert Pujols

c. Jim Thome

d. Adam Dunn

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MESA, Ariz. — Developing homegrown power has its benefits, as the Cubs once enjoyed after Kris Bryant, Javy Baez and Kyle Schwarber blossomed as slugging standouts.

But since the departures of Anthony Rizzo, Bryant, Baez and Schwarber, the Cubs’ power has been zapped to the extent where White Sox free agent Jose Abreu serves as a viable option.

Internal help could arrive, albeit gradually, with 2022 breakout sensation Matt Mervis strengthening his case in the Arizona Fall League while talk of Abreu swells with the free-agency filing period starting immediately after the conclusion of the World Series.

“I try not to think about it,” Mervis said last month of the Cubs’ attempts to add power outside the organization. “I took everything during the season day-to-day and tried to have a good game. I’m doing the same thing here and controlling what I can control.”

Mervis, who hit 36 home runs at three minor-league levels last summer, can’t dictate how the Cubs will spend this offseason. Jed Hoyer, the Cubs’ president of baseball operations, has acknowledged the team’s need for more power — likely through the free-agent market with shortstop Carlos Correa and Abreu as attractive options.

The Cubs ranked ninth in the National League in home runs (159), slugging percentage (.387) and total bases (2,097) — all well below the league averages. They didn’t hit a homer in five consecutive games (July 13-17).

That added stress to a pitching staff that often had little or no margin for error.

“We have to be a little quicker-strike offense than we were,” Hoyer said last month at his season-ending news conference. “I like the fact we’re making more contact. I did think there were times we grinded at-bats. We lacked the ability to pull away in different games. And that’s something we have to get better about.”

The Cubs replaced hitting coach Greg Brown after only one season with Dustin Kelly, their minor-league hitting coordinator. But two of Kelly’s top pupils are rebounding from injuries.

Outfield prospect Alexander Canario suffered a broken ankle and shoulder dislocation in a Dominican Winter League game Oct. 27 that could sideline him through at least spring training. Canario, 22, hit 37 homers at three minor-league levels last season, and a return to Triple-A Iowa to start the 2023 season to cut down on his 147 strikeouts could accelerate his arrival at Wrigley.

Outfielder Brennen Davis was regarded as the organization’s top prospect before undergoing lower back surgery that sidelined him for 2oe months at Iowa, and recurring back discomfort caused Davis to shut down his AFL season after 14 at-bats.

Davis hit 19 homers in 100 games at three levels in 2021 and homered twice in the Futures Game at Coors Field. Davis will be protected on the 40-man roster later this month, but he will need to make up the at-bats missed at Iowa at the start of 2023.

Once Canario and Davis return to full health, they could provide power at a tiny fraction of what it could cost to sign Correa or Abreu.

Homegrown power produced by Bryant (43 homers in 2014), Baez (37 in 2013) and Schwarber (18 in 72 games in 2014) in the minors enabled the Cubs to spend much of their frontline money on pitching toward the 2016 World Series title.

Mervis, 24, could be the first homegrown power talent to reach the majors after an impressive season. Mervis has hit five home runs and struck out only five times in his first 51 at-bats for Mesa in the AFL –which often is viewed as a finishing school to the majors.

Mervis was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Duke in 2020 and won’t need to be added to the 40-man rosters this month.

Nevertheless, his production — which included 15 homers in 209 at-bats and a .977 OPS at Triple-A Iowa — along with the lack of stability at first base since Rizzo was dealt at the 2021 trade deadline and the Cubs’ multiple needs could enable the left-handed-hitting Mervis to receive at least a spring audition.

“He’s putting himself on the map,” said Hoyer, who characterized Mervis’ 2022 season (in which he batted .309 with 119 RBI) as “one of the best minor-league seasons I’ve been around.”

The 6-4, 230-pound Mervis possesses a power hitter’s frame and continues to mature at the plate after devoting much of his time on the mound during his first two seasons at Duke.

The COVID pandemic limited his senior season at Duke to 16 games, but he produced three home runs, 15 RBI and a 1.048 OPS.

Mervis needed little proding to sign with the Cubs after not being selected in the first five rounds, thanks to a plan mapped out by Justin Stone, the Cubs’ director of hitting.

“A lot of it was cutting my swing down, being as simple as I can and being repeatable, being consistent,” Mervis said. “It’s a more simple swing than I had in college and when I first signed. It’s just a matter of making it repeatable and find the same contact point.”

Before Davis’ latest back discomfort, he stressed the need to get stronger this winter.

Third baseman Jake Slaughter (23 homers) and second baseman Chase Strumpf (21) displayed power potential at Double-A Tennessee and are under consideration to be protected on the 40-man roster.

Catching remains a priority, especially if Willson Contreras rejects the team’s qualifying offer of $19.65 million, and Hoyer plans to add experience to a young but promising bullpen.

But adding more power would take pressure off the pitching staff.

“We played so many close games throughout the year because we couldn’t stretch games out,” Hoyer said. “That really taxes a bullpen and leads to more randomness. The best teams in baseball blow people out.”

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FIFA is holding the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and it is a controversial topic.

Because of Qatar’s harsh summers, the tournament was moved to the fall, disrupting the global soccer calendar. A country with little soccer -tradition, Qatar won the bidding under shady -circumstances.

But beyond those subjects, there has been extensive reporting on the treatment and living conditions of migrant workers who built the tournament’s stadiums. Fire midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, who is -expected to play for Switzerland later this month, sounded more focused on soccer than any of the outside concerns.

“Look, we are Switzerland; we stand for human rights and that everything goes right for humans,” Shaqiri said this week. “But we are really focusing on the performing. This is a political question I don’t want to answer because I’m really focusing only on my performance and from the team who is the most important, because when the World Cup starts, every player, every team wants to perform and to make their nation proud.

“For me, I’m really focusing only on the performance and not on the political stuff on the side.”

Perhaps not everybody will feel the same way when the games actually begin.

For some, the upcoming tournament is another example of a country using international sports to burnish its image. Outside of the methods the small nation used to build itself up to host the world’s biggest tournament, concerns exist about Qatar’s view of the LGBT community and its general human-rights record.

The Fire themselves got caught up in the sportswashing issue when they chose to keep Arlo White on their broadcasts after the famed announcer signed with the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf tour. White, who previously had aired concerns about the Saudi takeover of English -Premier League club Newcastle United, became the voice of the nascent golf league earlier this year while calling a handful of Fire games on WGN when his schedule allowed.

The debate over sportswashing is not new. The 2018 World Cup and 2014 Winter Games were held in Russia and the 2008 Summer Games were in China, among -recent examples. Politics merging with sports is common, and though he didn’t wade into that area Wednesday, Shaqiri’s past actions could be taken as political.

In 2018, Shaqiri scored the game–winner against Serbia in a World Cup group match. After the goal, Shaqiri crossed his hands in front of chest to make what looked like the double-eagle symbol of ethnic Albanians.

Shaqiri was born in Gjilan, Yugoslavia (now Kosovo) to Kosovar Albanian parents. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, and Shaqiri’s gesture was viewed as a political message. FIFA fined Shaqiri, the Serbian FA complained and then-Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic said politics and sports shouldn’t mix.

“It was a fantastic goal, an important goal for my team and I am very proud I was able to score it for them,” Shaqiri said in 2018, according to The Guardian. “I can’t discuss the gesture I’m afraid. We are footballers, not politicians. Emotions sometimes take over footballers and there was a lot of emotion out there.”

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Who is Pedro Grifol?

He’s not Tony La Russa, that’s who.

In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on Twitter, we asked for your first take on new White Sox manager Grifol. The former minor-league catcher and Royals coach, 52, was introduced to the media Thursday on the South Side.

“We’ll see on Grifol,” @RonaldVoigt4 commented, “but it’s nice to see [general manager] Rick Hahn taking charge again. Still lots of potential here.”

On the whole, respondents could be described as cautiously optimistic. Not all of them, though.

“Glad they hired a guy that’s coming from a team with a winning legacy of late,” @revot14 wrote, dialing up the sarcasm.

We also wanted to know how Bears trades — shipping off Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith in separate deals, and bringing in Chase Claypool — are going over.

“Love them all,” offered @mcfoster12, who has plenty of company.

Lastly, we asked for your Big Ten football champion. Illinois, anyone?

On to the polls:

Poll No. 1: What’s your first take on the White Sox’ hiring of Pedro Grifol as manager?

Upshot: Sox fans, bless ’em, have never been accused of being an overly cheerful lot. Credit respondents for being properly skeptical here. This is Grifol’s first rodeo as a skipper, and he’s inheriting some players who have much to prove themselves. The sensible, if boring, way to approach this hire is with a mindset of wait-and-see.

Poll No. 2: What’s your first take on the flurry of Bears trades involving Robert Quinn, Roquan Smith and Chase Claypool?

Upshot: Man, it must be nice being Ryan Poles with this kind of a honeymoon. Wasn’t Smith the Bears’ best player? Wasn’t Quinn a 100-sack man? Did Claypool become Jerry Rice at some point and we just missed it? Really, though, the young GM is making moves and it’s kind of exciting. It certainly makes us wonder how it’ll all play out. Is the Bears’ future bright? Jeez, let’s hope so.

Poll No. 3: On Dec. 3 in Indianapolis, the Big Ten’s football champion will be …

Upshot: One in four respondents went with the upstart Illini. We suspect that if we put that question to college football fans outside our realm, it would be more like one in 40. Sorry, make that one in 400. But who’s counting?

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Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams disputed the notion that an emotional letdown after the trade of defensive end Robert Quinn was the root of the collapse in last week’s 49-29 loss to the Cowboys. The Bears’ defense allowed 42 of those points.

“No. No,” Williams said. “People have asked me that before, and I would say you have to give some credit to Dallas. They are a really good team, so they get their fair share of credit.”

Sure, but 42 points? The Cowboys’ fair share of credit would be about 24 points, the amount they scored with quarterback Dak Prescott against the Lions the previous week. The other 18 points are at least arguably on the Bears and the inevitable letdown after losing a team captain, mentor and leader in Quinn.

It’s probably not a coincidence that the player most affected by Quinn’s departure also had the biggest drop in performance. Linebacker Roquan Smith, who was so overcome with emotion when asked about Quinn being traded that he cut short a news conference last week, had his worst game of the season: five tackles and some uncharacteristic errors that led to big plays.

It’s also probably not a coincidence that a defense that had consistently played well in the second half put up minimum resistance this time. The Bears came in allowing 4.6 yards per play and 5.0 points per game in the second half. They allowed 7.1 yards and 14 points on defense in the second half against the Cowboys.

“It’s one of those things where you look up and say, ‘What’s going on?’ ” linebacker Nicholas Morrow said. “Very uncharacteristic of how we’ve played throughout the season, especially in the second half. So you look at that and say, ‘That’s not us. That’s not how we’ve been playing all season.’ “

Be that as it may, the defense has an even bigger challenge Sunday against the Dolphins: rebounding from the Cowboys debacle five days after taking an even bigger hit when Smith was traded to the Ravens.

Quinn was a respected leader, but Smith was a vocal leader who elicited emotion with emotion.

“Kind of the lifeblood of the locker room,” tight end Cole Kmet said.

Said Morrow: “He’s one of those guys that’s hard to replace beads of the energy he brings, not only on the field but in the facility. He made a point to get to know everybody in the building. You definitely feel his absence.”

So, now what? Even if the Bears can weather the emotional fallout of Smith’s departure, the defense still has a huge hole to fill.

“I looked at Roquan’s stats, and I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness,’ ” Morrow said. “It’s hard to replace that production he had for 4 1/2 years and what he did in eight games this year. And I won’t sit here and say that it is. But at the same time, it’s a team game, so other guys have to step up and make plays. You have to find a way to play together.”

Therein lies the real hope — that the Bears’ defense can grow without its best player. When coach Matt Eberflus installed this defense with the Colts in 2018, it noticeably improved in the second half of the season, from 18th in points allowed (23.8 per game) to second (15.5), and from 21st in yards allowed (371.4) to seventh (308.0).

“The focus is execution — be where you’re supposed to be,” Williams said. “Alignment, assignment, key and technique. There are several big plays we’ve made where guys were just where they were supposed to be and . . . in the spot to make the play. If we do that at a high rate, we’ll be just fine.”

To Williams, it’s not just surviving the losses of Quinn and Smith but thriving. He believes the defense can still be better without them.

“I think so,” he said. “Yes. We will. [It’s] not ‘Can we?’ We will.”

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All of a sudden, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews — even at age 34, even while being hounded by trade rumors, even after being plagued by health problems in recent years — can’t stop scoring.

He has racked up seven goals in his first 11 games this season, including five in his last six games. He leads the Hawks in goals — Max Domi and Jason Dickinson are tied for second with four each — and entered Friday ranked ninth in the NHL.

This is the most prolific 11-game start to a season Toews has had, topping his six goals in 11 games to begin 2018-19. In his first 11 games last season, he scored zero goals; in his first 11 games of 2019-20, he scored one goal; in 2020-21, he didn’t play a game.

The reversal of that trend is almost unbelievable, but the pucks keep going in.

”When pucks aren’t going in, it’s usually a sign that maybe you’re overprepared and overthinking things,” Toews said Thursday. ”I tend to get myself into those positions a time or two over the years.

”But right now it’s fun to just go play. There weren’t really any [expectations] for our team and for myself, especially this year. I’ve been talking about taking it one day at a time and just going out there and playing — worrying about the next play, the next shift — and that’s what I’m doing. So it’s nice to see the puck luck and the bounces. It’s definitely a good feeling and something I want to keep going.”

Toews hasn’t been perfect, of course. He made critical late mistakes in two of the Hawks’ recent losses, committing a lazy turnover on an attempted defensive-zone exit that led to the Oilers’ game-winning goal and taking a pointless holding penalty during which the Sabres scored their game-winning goal.

In general, however, Toews has been far better than he was last season — building on the progress he showed last spring — and far better than anyone anticipated this season.

A month ago, the biggest narrative surrounding Toews was whether he would retire when his contract expired next summer. Even after his tremendous performance in the Hawks’ season opener, plenty of questions remained about his physical endurance and mental capacity to tolerate all their expected losses.

Now, he has looked like his old self for a long-enough stretch that most of that doubt has dissipated. The most pressing new question might be whether he’ll remain a capable top-six center just through this season or for several more to come. He looks more than capable anchoring the second line between Philipp Kurashev and Taylor Raddysh.

”He’s obviously scoring, but the way he possesses the puck down low in the offensive zone, it gives our team so much momentum,” fellow forward Sam Lafferty said. ”It sucks the life out of the other team and creates chances for us. He’s really leading the way for us.”

One of Toews’ attributes that never wavered, even in recent years, was his faceoff skill. He won 59.0% of his draws last season, above his impressive career average of 57.1%, and has won an even better 59.4% of his draws this season.

The value of faceoffs is a hot topic in the analytics-driven modern NHL, but Hawks coach Luke Richardson think Toews’ ability there benefits him more than most because starting with the puck reduces the physical wear-and-tear necessary to gain possession.

”It [means] less chasing around for him,” Richardson said. ”[For] a guy that’s later in his career, he’s got a lot of mileage, right? That adds up on a body. So when you can have the puck in our hands, you can focus more on offense. He’s a big body, and he’s strong around the net. He’s hard to handle.”

Most of Toews’ goals have beencreated by his dominance in the dirty areas around the net. Not since the season opener against the Avalanche has he scored via a conventional shot from a reasonable distance (and even that goal was a back-door one-timer into a wide-open net).

He scored on a breakaway against the Sharks, tucking the puck just inside the post on his backhand. He scored into an empty net against the Panthers, winning a race for a cleared puck and wrapping it around from behind the net. He posted up in the crease and deflected in a shot-pass from Domi against the Oilers.

Against the Wild, he poked a loose puck across the line after a centering pass from Kurashev. Against the Islanders, he tipped a point shot by Caleb Jones on its way through the slot (and eventually into the net). And against the Kings on Thursday, he tapped in a cross-crease pass from Jake McCabe for the overtime winner.

Adding it all up, five of Toews’ seven goals have left his stick within a few feet of the goal line. That suggests his production has some sustainability.

He won’t continue scoring on 26.9% of his shots forever (his career average is 9.1%), but he probably will keep scoring regularly. Encouragingly, 81% of his shots have made it on goal this season, the second-best rate on the Hawks and well above his 66% career average.

That backs up the strange-but-true conclusion that Toews in 2022-23 might be more dangerous offensively than ever.

”[Kurashev, Raddysh and I are] really starting to feed off each other,” Toews said. ”Even when our legs aren’t there, when you’re not bouncing off the walls with energy, we’re still finding ways to let the puck do the work. We’re staying patient. We know the offensive chances are going to come. So it’s nice to see us having success.”

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Key matchup

Some skeptics thought wide receiver Tyreek Hill would wither after leaving Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense, but he has been better than ever with the Dolphins. In eight games, Hill has 69 receptions for 961 yards (13.9 average) and two touchdowns. That’s 120.1 yards per game, well ahead of his high-water mark with the Chiefs — 92.4 yards per game in 2018.

Hill already has had four games of 160 yards or more, including 12 receptions for 188 yards in a 31-27 victory over the Lions last week.

It’ll be a supreme challenge for Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson — if the Bears decide to have Johnston shadow Hill. The last time they faced a receiver of Hill’s caliber, they mixed it up against the Vikings Justin Jefferson, and it was a huge bust. Jefferson had 12 receptions for 154 yards, including 10 catches for 138 yards in the first half as the Bears fell behind 21-10.

Hill’s raw speed makes it a particularly daunting task.

“It’s not something you can prepare for,” Johnson said. “Everybody knows he’s fast until you line up, and then it’s a totally different speed. I’ve got to play my game, play my style of ball and do my best to contain him.”

Trending

The defense has struggled to contain the best quarterbacks it has faced this season — the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers (131.1 rating), the Vikings’ Kirk Cousins (94.7) and the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott (114.5). Now it faces the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa, who leads the NFL with a 112.7 passer rating (279.7 yards per game, 12 touchdowns, three interceptions).

The Dolphins are 5-0 this season in games Tagovailoa has finished.

Player to watch

Wide receiver Chase Claypool is expected to make his Bears debut after being acquired in a trade with the Steelers.

“The level of what that looks like, we’re not quite sure,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said.

It might not be more than a token appearance, but all it takes is one play to excite the home crowd. At his best, the 6-4, 238-pound Claypool gives Justin Fields a big target who can win jump balls.

Claypool had 32 receptions for 311 yards and one touchdown for the Steelers, including five receptions for 41 yards against the Dolphins two weeks ago at Hard Rock Stadium.

X-factor

Whether it was a coincidence, the Bears had their worst defensive performance of the season in a 49-29 loss to the Cowboys — four days after captain Robert Quinn was traded to the Eagles. Now they face another challenge, emotionally and physically, against the Dolphins five days after an even bigger hit — the trade of linebacker Roquan Smith to the Ravens.On the flip side, the Dolphins figure to be energized by the addition of defensive end Bradley Chubb from the Broncos.

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Former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick couldn’t believe what he saw as he stood on the Soldier Field turf watching the Bears play the Commanders last month: Justin Fields was fast.

“I had no idea he was that athletic, that he was that good of a runner,” he said.

Fitzpatrick decided the Bears were using Fields wrong. And after the low point of the team’s season — a 12-7 loss in which wide receiver Darnell Mooney dropped what would have been the game-winning touchdown pass — he let the world know, ripping into the Bears’ scheme after the game from Prime Video’s on-field “Thursday Night Football” set.

“You are a guy who is an elite runner of the football!” Fitzgerald said of Fields. “We need to lean on and utilize that skill. Don’t sit in the pocket and try to be a pocket passer. That is not your strength.”

Fellow Prime Video analyst Richard Sherman, the five-time Pro Bowl cornerback, called out Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy by name.

“I don’t understand it — it’s like Luke Getsy is like, ‘Hey, I want to challenge [Fields] to overcome my play-calling,’ ” Sherman said. “Don’t make him overcome your play-calling! Put him in easy situations.”

During the Bears’ “mini-bye” after the Commanders loss, Getsy did just that. He has made the offense better fit Fields by calling designed runs, moving the pocket on passes and letting Fields use the athleticism that leaped out at Fitzpatrick. In the two games since, the Bears are averaging 31 points.

So what do Fitzpatrick and Sherman think about the Bears now?

“They’ve been getting creative and using [Fields’] skill set,” said Fitzpatrick, who played quarterback for nine teams over 17 seasons. “You now see they’re starting to design some runs. They’re starting to do stuff to get him out of the pocket to make him more effective. It’s been really fun to see.”

Sherman begrudgingly gave Getsy credit.

“It’s weird that it took ’til the [mini-bye] for them to look at Ravens tape,” Sherman said. “It’s weird that it took them so long. It’s like, ‘Hey, you just woke up and realized you have a quarterback that runs 4.3 [in the 40-yard dash],’ and that’s strange.”

Getsy said this week that the Bears have called “at least seven or eight” designed runs per game this season, although many have been read options in which Fields handed off or threw instead. What made the designed runs against the Patriots different, Getsy said, was the quarterback counter run scheme he installed after watching Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson shred the Pats earlier this year.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Fields ran 21.23 mph on one play against the Cowboys last Sunday, the fastest time of any ballcarrier all week and the 10th-fastest of any player all season. That speed gives the Bears a unique weapon. Even just the threat of it changes the game before he steps on the field.

“It forces you to prepare for every look,” Sherman said. “It forces you to prepare for him as a runner, which means the free safety has to be involved regardless of what the coverage scheme is because they can create an extra gap — 11-on-11 football, the same thing Baltimore does week in and week out. The quarterback has to be willing to do it. It sounds like Justin Fields has bought in.”

Fields didn’t ask to run more. But he didn’t fight it, either.

“I’m willing to do whatever for the offense to help us win games,” he said.

Until the Patriots game, the majority of Fields’ runs were scrambles. Fitzpatrick said young quarterbacks are quicker to run because of the “uncertainty” in what they see in pass coverage.

“That being said, there are a lot of athletic quarterbacks that are now coming into the league, and it’s part of their game,” Fitzpatrick said. “But you see, as guys get older, maybe less scrambling and more getting out of the pocket to make big plays down the field.”

Fields is only 23, but even he knows making the Bears’ passing attack more consistent is the next step for the offense. Adding receiver Chase Claypool from the Steelers will help.

“Running, I don’t think it correlates with me passing the ball,” Fields said. “I think it just gives the defense more things to worry about in terms of me running the ball or the running back running the ball. I don’t think me running the ball gives me more confidence passing the ball, to say the least.”

He’ll have to develop that with each completion.

“The top quarterbacks in the league, those guys all have the ability to scramble, look down the field and deliver the ball down the field,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “That always put an issue with the defense. You’ve got to pay attention to that. You’ve got to pay attention to your coverage down the field, and you’ve got to pay attention to the pocket. I just think it’s their style. You see more and more that type of style.”

The Bears’ style makes Fitzpatrick and Sherman happy — now.

“Sherm and I have been so pumped watching it,” Fitzpatrick said.

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