Two wide receivers open on the same play in the fourth quarter of a close game? This must be the dawn of a new era at Halas Hall.

Justin Fields’ 18-yard touchdown pass to Equanimeous St. Brown that gave the Bears the lead with 12:45 to play in a 19-10 victory over the 49ers on Sunday at Soldier Field was an embarrassment of riches to Bears fans who have suffered through a generation of disappointing, frustrating and often discombobulatedoffenses.

Byron Pringle was so wide open crossing over the middle on the third-and-two play that fans in the stands and reporters in the press box were pointing it out in real time. But as they were doing that, Fields was pulling the trigger to hit an open St. Brown in the end zone.

In Green Bay, that’s called Sunday. But in Chicago, it’s a revelation — a play that works even better than designed. The euphoria was reminiscent of Matt Nagy’s coaching debut in 2018, when Mitch Trubisky drove the Bears 86 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown against the Packers at Lambeau Field — a moment that seemed to signal an offensive renaissance.

But that was on the first drive of the game. The Bears scored just three field goals after that initial burst, lost 24-23, and the Nagy era became one big, teeth-pulling struggle on offense.

This time, the brightest moments came at the end instead of the beginning. The Bears outscored the 49ers 19-3 in the second half Sunday. In Nagy’s debut, they were outscored 24-6 by the Packers in the second half.

It’s too early to celebrate the dawn of a new era, but even skeptics have to admit that Eberflus’ season-opening upset was notable for two things: there was no fluke factor, and there were minimal red flags.

The Bears made adjustments on offense and defense that worked. They were disciplined — only three penalties and none on offense. They handled inclement conditions. The Bears were efficient on both sides of the ball.

Almost every facet the Bears controlled that contributed to the victory is repeatable. They got some breaks, but made the most of them. And while they can’t count on an opponent imploding with penalties like the 49ers did, the Bears’ imperfect performance — there was very little that was above average — left room for growth.

Let the record show that Bears fans were feeling pretty good after Nagy’s debut and a little giddy after Marc Trestman’s debut in 2013 — a 24-21 victory over the Bengals on Jay Cutler’s fourth-quarter touchdown pass. This is still a rebuilding year until further notice.

But even fate seems to be moving its huge hands for Eberflus’ Bears. In that 2018 opener, Kyle Fuller dropped a sure interception in the fourth quarter that would have all but clinched the game against the Packers. This time, 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson — a Nagy-era Bear — dropped a pick in the third quarter with the 49ers leading 10-0, and the Bears scored a touchdown two plays later.

And Mother Nature smiled on them for a change. The Bears have had some of their worst moments in bad weather at Soldier Field — the 33-6 loss to the Packers in the wind and slop on Halloween in 1994; a blowout loss to the Patriots in the snow in 2010; losing Cutler and a showdown with the Texans in the rain and mud in 2012. This time, a fourth-quarter deluge that turned Soldier Field into a quagmire in the final five minutes couldn’t have been better timed.

Is it possible that somebody up there likes the Bears? There’s no better time and place to find out than in prime time, at Lambeau Field and against Aaron Rodgers.

2. The Packers are coming off a dreadful performance in a 23-7 loss to the Vikings in their opener. For what it’s worth, Rodgers is 8-0 with 22 touchdown passes and no interceptions (a 120.0 passer rating) following a loss in the past three seasons, so …

3. After an impressive debut marked by discipline and effective adjustments on both sides of the ball, Eberflus’ star rose even more Monday night when Broncos first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett had a game-management meltdown in his debut against the Seahawks.

With the Broncos trailing 17-16 with 4:02 to play and Russell Wilson at quarterback, Hackett used none of his three timeouts as the Broncos ended up running the clock down for a 64-yard field goal attempt with 20 seconds left instead of giving Wilson a chance to convert a fourth-and-5.

It’s only Week 1, and Eberflus figures to have his own challenging moments — it literally happens to the best of them. But while Eberflus’ success still is most dependent on getting the quarterback right, Hackett’s failure in a moment of extreme decision was a reminder of how difficult and valuable game management is, and highlighted Eberflus’ encouraging early handle on that critical part of the job.

4. That said … the last time the Bears won their season opener at Soldier Field was Trestman’s debut in 2013 — the 24-21 victory over the Bengals. The Bears’ renewed focus and discipline was being heralded then, too.

The Bears, in fact, had the sixth-fewest penalties in the NFL that season, including just one false start in the first nine games. But they had seven false starts in the last seven games — a sign of fatigue or diminishing focus — and it was all downhill under Trestman in 2014.

5. Never underestimate the mediocrity of the NFL.

6. The Bears looked like a well-coached team on multiple fronts against the 49ers. Their defense held the 49ers to 4.0 yards per play in the second half (38 plays, 152 yards), after allowing 6.2 in the first (29-179).

“We changed things up on the back end, tried to give them a little different thing to look at and try to have more vision on the quarterback,”linebacker Nick Morrow said. “You could tell they were chasing certain things that we were doing. So we had to get out of it and gives ourselves a little more of a chance on some of the perimeter runs.”

7. Red Flag Dept.: The Bears averaged just 2.7 yards per carry (37-99) against the 49ers. David Montgomery gained 26 yards on 17 carries. His 1.5-yard average was the lowest of his career (46 games).

8. Trivial-but-not-trivial: The Bears converted a third-and-6 play for the first time since the 2020 season when Justin Fields, avoiding a sack, flipped the ball to David Montgomery for a 16-yard gain in the first quarter. The Bears were 0-for-15 on third-and-6 last season.

Overall, the Bears converted 5-of-14 third-down plays (35.7%), but their average distance was 7.1 yards. First down was the culprit — the Bears averaged 2.9 yards on 22 first-down plays (31st in the league in Week 1).

9. Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack had three sacks, four quarterback hits, a forced fumble and six tackles in a 24-19 victory over the Raiders. The 31-year-old Mack had six sacks in seven games with the Bears last season before missing the final 10 games with a foot injury.

The Chargers’ defense under former Bears linebackers coach Brandon Staley already suits him.

“The coverage guys were doing an excellent job. It has been a while since I got coverage sacks,” Mack told reporters after the game.

10. Bear-ometer: 8-9 –at Packers (L); vs. Texans (W); at NY Giants (L); at Vikings (L); vs. Commanders (W); at Patriots (L); at Cowboys (L); vs. Dolphins (L); vs. Lions (W); at Falcons (W); at NY Jets (W); vs. Packers (L); vs. Eagles (L); vs. Bills (L); at Lions (W); vs. Vikings (W).

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Some things will change for the Chicago Bears

The future of the Chicago Bears’ ownership and leadership has been a question mark hanging over the team since this summer. A report came out in August that the Bears’ principal owner Virginia McCaskey’s health condition was more serious. A couple of weeks later, news broke that the team’s CEO/President, Ted Phillips, would be stepping down near the end of the NFL season.

A changing of the guard is in the works for the Bears. It had to come after decades of the two working in the Bears organization. But even though some names change, the foundation may remain the same. The Bears have been in the same family since George Halas bought the Bears for $100 in 1920.

Per a report by Eben Novy-Williams and Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, the Chicago Bears are coming up with a scheme to keep the team in the family.

The Bears, whose owners declined to comment for this story, have a plan to keep the team in the family when Virginia McCaskey dies, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. Specifics of that plan weren’t provided, but would require re-consolidating control of at least 30% of the team, which is now worth $5 billion, into a single wing of the McCaskey family. It could also involve the sale of some equity.

Bears ownership appears to have cleared the first two hurdles of NFL succession planning—minimize tax impact and create a framework for the heirs. The final, and often most complex, step is successfully executing that plan when the time comes.

It’s worth reading the entire article to understand the family’s nuances with tax and estate law–and the NFL.

The Chicago Bears’ family history offers nostalgia but does it win?

If you read many Bears fans’ comments on social media, it would appear that most of the fanbase is inclined toward new ownership. The Bears might have had early success under Halas, but they’ve won one Super Bowl under Virginia’s ownership since 1983.

Reports on George McCaskey, the chairman of the Chicago Bears, are typically skeptical of his handling of the team’s affairs. (To get a hint of what that might mean, Roquan Smith publicly addressed him “McCaskey family” in his letter demanding a trade. Smith was hoping he could get more money from McCaskey than what general manager Ryan Poles was willing to offer.) The self-proclaimed “not a football evaluator” is currently the second in charge of the Bears. Former Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall considered the joint ran like a small business.

If the team stays in the family, more of these types of dynamics will be in the works.

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Some things will change for the Chicago Bears

The future of the Chicago Bears’ ownership and leadership has been a question mark hanging over the team since this summer. A report came out in August that the Bears’ principal owner Virginia McCaskey’s health condition was more serious. A couple of weeks later, news broke that the team’s CEO/President, Ted Phillips, would be stepping down near the end of the NFL season.

A changing of the guard is in the works for the Bears. It had to come after decades of the two working in the Bears organization. But even though some names change, the foundation may remain the same. The Bears have been in the same family since George Halas bought the Bears for $100 in 1920.

Per a report by Eben Novy-Williams and Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, the Chicago Bears are coming up with a scheme to keep the team in the family.

The Bears, whose owners declined to comment for this story, have a plan to keep the team in the family when Virginia McCaskey dies, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. Specifics of that plan weren’t provided, but would require re-consolidating control of at least 30% of the team, which is now worth $5 billion, into a single wing of the McCaskey family. It could also involve the sale of some equity.

Bears ownership appears to have cleared the first two hurdles of NFL succession planning—minimize tax impact and create a framework for the heirs. The final, and often most complex, step is successfully executing that plan when the time comes.

It’s worth reading the entire article to understand the family’s nuances with tax and estate law–and the NFL.

The Chicago Bears’ family history offers nostalgia but does it win?

If you read many Bears fans’ comments on social media, it would appear that most of the fanbase is inclined toward new ownership. The Bears might have had early success under Halas, but they’ve won one Super Bowl under Virginia’s ownership since 1983.

Reports on George McCaskey, the chairman of the Chicago Bears, are typically skeptical of his handling of the team’s affairs. (To get a hint of what that might mean, Roquan Smith publicly addressed him “McCaskey family” in his letter demanding a trade. Smith was hoping he could get more money from McCaskey than what general manager Ryan Poles was willing to offer.) The self-proclaimed “not a football evaluator” is currently the second in charge of the Bears. Former Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall considered the joint ran like a small business.

If the team stays in the family, more of these types of dynamics will be in the works.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

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Former second-round pick Teven Jenkins had an outstanding outing in his Week 1 start, according to Pro Football Focus

The Bears pulled off an amazing upset against the highly favored San Francisco 49ers this Sunday.  The Bears showed grit on an incredibly rainy afternoon at Soldier Field. The performance of several players has been widely praised, in particular Teven Jenkins in limited snaps,

In an unusual move, Teven Jenkins and Lucas Patrick took turns manning the right guard position on Sunday.  Lucas Patrick was injured early in training camp and needs to be worked into the lineup after missing the whole pre-season. Many thought Jenkins was being benched after missing a block, but this seemed to be the plan the whole way.

One of the most significant developments from training camp was Teven Jenkins’s place on this team.  There was even speculation at one point, that the Bears were looking to trade the Oklahoma State product.  Thankfully none of this came to fruition, and Jenkins has found himself a new home at Right Guard.  Now that may be paying off as PFF graded out his performance this week as the best Bears offensive lineman, and overall the 9th best of all NFL offensive guards.

I can’t help but think the grades for Jenkins performance against San Francisco will earn him more playing time. It has widely been known that Teven Jenkins, based on his draft status, is the most talented lineman on the Bears roster. Upon review of game tape, as well as the PFF grades, it would benefit this staff to let Teven man the right guard position full-time.

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“Dreamgirls” is purportedly the story of a Supremes-like girl group: Prodigiously talented teenagers rise to stardom at the hands of a ruthless Svengali, singing a jukebox worth of irresistible pop and R&B as they go along.

Paramount Theatre Aurora’s production of the 1981 musical by Henry Krieger (music) and Tom Eyen (book and lyrics), is memorable for its depiction of the calculated way the music industry takes a trio of naive teenagers and turns them into stars without much control over their careers.

There’s indeed a jukebox worth of showstoppers here, but director Christopher D. Betts’ ensemble seems too sparse in number making most of the all-hands-on-deck-chorus numbers less than spectacular. Even the largest chorus numbers seem overwhelmed by razzle-dazzle projections by projection designer Mike Tutaj onJeffrey D. Kmiec’s set.

For example, the dance ensemble that helps usher in a Las Vegas-style set at the top of the second act is essentially reduced to a trio for most of the song. That’s hardly enough for a showstopping ensemble no matter how energetic the dancers deliver Amy Hall Garner’s choreography.

The plot that is sandwiched around the score begins as we meet Effie Melody White (Naima Alakham, who alternates in the role for select performances with Breyannah Tillman), Deena Jones (Taylor Marie Daniel) and Lorrell Robinson (Maria Lyttle) — three giggly, easily awed teens competing at a local talent show.

The talent show acts lay the groundwork for what to expect from Krieger’s score. There’s smooth-as-silk rhythm and blues from the lanky Tiny Joe Dixon (Evan Tyrone Martin); James Brown/Little Richard-inspired bombast and theatrics from Jimmy “Thunder” Early (an energetic Juwon Tyrel Perry, stepping in for Ben Toomer at Sunday night’s performance); and the Stepp Sisters (Daryn Alexus, Shantel Cribbs, Aalon Smith and Shelbi Voss), another girl group with airtight harmonies much like the Dreamettes.

Backstage oiling palms and sizing up the talent, is car salesman/aspiring music producer Curtis Taylor Jr. (Lorenzo Rush Jr.). He spies in the Dreamettes something he can work with, and sells them as back-up singers to Jimmy . The fly in the ointment is Effie, who unapologetically, regally points out that they do not do back-up. The other girls pressure her as well, but Effie doesn’t change her mind until Taylor tells her how attractive he finds her. Their romance progresses as the newly named Dreams go on tour with Jimmy.

Spoilers alert!

If you haven’t already seen the 2006 Oscar-winning movie starring Jennifer Hudson, or the 41-year-old stage musical, know that Taylor’s machinations orchestrating the Dreams’ rise to stardom ultimately leave Effie behind in a betrayal that’s both personal and professional.

When Alakham’s Effie hears from Taylor that her voice is too “special” to cross over into the pop charts and that she’s being replaced as lead by the more wispy-voiced Deena, you can see the emotional gut punch — and you can hear it in her seat-shaking performance of “And I’m Telling You.”

In the movie, Effie’s downfall includes addiction and homelessness. But here , Effie simply vanishes for a few scenes and then shows up again, looking fabulous and acting contrite. Eyen’s book feels abruptly incomplete as far as filling in Effie’s journey.

Deena’s ascent to icon status is similarly perfunctory, outlandish photo shoots and headlining gigs playing out in swaths of taffeta, with Daniel going all-out disco for the club version of “One Night Only,” a song Effie had originally instilled with melancholy.

Beyond Alakham’s “One Night Only,” the choral highlight comes in the first act, with the smooth-criminal stylings of “Steppin’ to the Dark Side.” Led by Rush leading an army of sharp-suited promoters bearing briefcases filled with cash, it references the “pay-to-play” radio scandals of the 1960s with stylish ruthlessness. Tellingly, it follows a memorable scene that has Taylor fuming about the millions made by Elvis on the music of Moms Mabley and Big Mama Thornton. It also follows “Cadillac Car,” Jimmy’s raunchy, sharply satirical number about consumerism. It’s been released by a trio that sounds like they’re recording easy listening music for a mega-church elevator.

As scores go, Krieger wrote a fitting tribute to the artists whose work is referenced here. But the book has problems. The happy reunion at the end is not earned. Ditto Effie’s sudden, dubious redemption. Moreover, Paramount’s production lacks polish. The result is a less than reverie-worthy “Dreamgirls.”

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Rankings of any kind are supposed to start debates. They’re subjective, but they can lead to arguments.

But for St. Rita coach Roshawn Russell, the last thing he needs is a rankings debate or squabble.

All eyes will be on Russell’s program this season as his star-studded cast includes the state’s top two prospects in the junior class: James Brown and Morez Johnson.

These two coveted high-major targets have been the top two prospects in the Class of 2024 since they walked into St. Rita just over 24 months ago.

Fortunately, up to this point, there doesn’t appear to be any potential of tearing apart this team due to the fact its best players are vying to be the No. 1 ranked prospect in the state.

“The cool thing has been watching their relationship evolve,” Russell said. “They’ve come a long way and become close, so that is always going to help with this type of thing.”

And this “type of thing” is today’s infatuation in our culture with rankings and the fact individual players and those around them seem to be starving for social media and recruiting attention. Russell just hasn’t seen it with them. But he is fully aware of the potential distractions, namely from outside the program.

“It’s so different now with social media out there,” Russell said. “We know everyone will try to pit them against each other. We’ve seen that.”

Following a busy summer with various experiences with Meanstreets on the EYBL basketball circuit and USA Basketball, the two have separated themselves from everyone else in the class in Illinois. Now it’s about who’s No. 1 going forward.

Johnson shuts down the talk immediately when asked.

“I don’t think either one of us worry about the rankings,” Johnson said. “We are just focused on winning, playing together. No one is worried about rankings.”

Nationally, they are both top 50 prospects; Brown is No. 31 in 247Sports’ composite rankings while Johnson checks in at No. 42.

Brown is the City/Suburban Hoops Report’s top-ranked prospect in Illinois.

“I don’t pay attention to the rankings,” says Brown. “I know I’m not worried about who has me ranked where. Being ranked No. 1 or No. 2 is cool, but I’m not concerned with that. We want to make St. Rita as successful as we possibly can. That’s really all I’m concerned about. Getting caught up in rankings? That’s not really important to me.”

Russell is adamant that his two high-profile players can not only flourish together but take advantage of a unique opportunity.

“We have told them that they can both benefit from each other,” Russell has pointed out to them. “They are the same caliber player going through the same stuff together. Don’t view it as a competition. Compete against each other, make each other better every day and win together at a high level. Our communication to them has been to lean on each other.”

By the sounds of it, the two stars have bought in and are feeding off each other.

Johnson says they battle and “go at it in every practice in a real competitive way,” while Brown calls their relationship “great” and the competitive nature between the two an added plus.

“Morez is like a brother to me,” Brown said. “We’ve gone through a lot together already at St. Rita. I know he is going to give me everything he has in practice each day. That’s what helps us get better and develop.

“We are two high-level players who bring out the best in each other. We make each other uncomfortable. He knows my moves, and I know his moves. We put each other in a position where we have to adapt and adjust when we play against each other.”

Johnson and Brown are in different positions when it comes to their recruitments, with Johnson ending his early while Brown remains a red-hot commodity.

Johnson’s recruitment ended last November when as a sophomore he committed to Brad Underwood and Illinois. The Fighting Illini, who are still in the race for Brown, are getting a tough, high-motor forward in Johnson who brings athleticism and an improving skill set.

Brown has an endless list of high-major options from across the country. He’s in no hurry to make a decision, though trimming a lengthy and ever-growing list may be a necessity.

“I am in no rush,” Brown said. “We are starting to prioritize certain schools and plan to cut my list down just before the season or at the start of the season. I want to take some official and unofficial visits to help narrow the list. We were talking about cutting the list down near my birthday which is Nov. 16. Then we can focus on the season then and then re-evaluate college after my junior year.”

There is so much still to learn about each of these ballyhooed prospects, simply because they are still young in terms of being prospects. How much better will they get? Are they winners and big-game players? Are they terrific teammates? Will they rip your heart out as the best athletes in any sport do when they step on the court?

Those are tangibles that go beyond their talents, and they’re ones that are still in the process of being developed and proven.

For big names and reputations and all the offers and hype they’ve received, the Brown-Johnson tandem has played very little high-stakes basketball in high school; they played an abbreviated varsity season as freshmen during Covid and one full high school season a year ago as sophomores that ended in a sectional loss to Kenwood.

Their time is now, however, with the St. Rita hype train set to take off in November.

“We’re ready for a big year — both Morez and I and the program at St. Rita,” Brown said.

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