Once the trophy ceremony was over, Sky fans flooded the sidewalks around the Wintrust Arena. Some waved rally towels and banged noise makers while others screamed with excitement. | Madeline Kenney/Sun-Times

The Sky are the first Chicago sports team to win a title at home since the Blackhawks in 2015. They’re the first team to bring the city a championship since the Cubs in 2016.

Milton Jackson, decked out in Chicago Bears gear, sipped on his beer Sunday afternoon between cheers he started for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky with the other men sitting at his table in the corner of Fatpour Tap Works, a bar located a half-block from Wintrust Arena on the Near South Side, where the Sky were playing for the championship title.

“This is generating a great deal of energy… and they need to be recognized for what they’re doing,” Jackson said as he intently watched the final three minutes of Game 4 of the Sky’s championship series against the Phoenix Mercury.

As the Sky clawed back from a 14-point deficit in the second half, the cheers inside the bar got louder.

“Let’s f—-g go!” a man yelled when Kahleah Copper hit a layup to pull within three points of the Mercury.

One would’ve thought the Sky had won when Candace Parker hit a game-tying three with less than two minutes that sent the bar into a total frenzy, with strangers high-fiving one another. That excitement remained until the final buzzer.

“Oh my God, they did it,” a patron said after the Sky clinched their first title, winning 80-74.

Madeline Kenney/Sun-Times
Fatpour Tap Works erupted in cheers when the Sky won their first WNBA Finals title.

“This is as equally as big as the Bulls, the Blackhawks, the Bears, White Sox, and maybe, I guess, the Cubs,” said Jackson, who had been to only one Sky game before but plans to go more next year.

The Sky are the first Chicago sports team to win a title at home since the Blackhawks in 2015. They’re the first team to bring the city a championship since the Cubs in 2016.

“They’re at the helm of Chicago prominence,” Jackson said.

Former President Barack Obama was among the notable people who praised the Sky on social media.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this team — they worked hard for this moment, and have made our city proud,” Obama tweeted.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a season-ticket holder, tweeted that details about a rally for the champs were “coming soon.” She congratulated the team, saying the title was a “first but not the last” for the Sky.

And Gov. J.B. Pritzker tweeted: “Our hometown @chicagosky are world champions! You played with grit and determination and we’re so proud that you’ve brought a championship back to Chicago!”

Other prominent Chicagoans at the game include the Bulls’ Patrick Williams, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and Chance the Rapper, who raised the WNBA Finals trophy like Simba in “The Lion King.”

Fans — mainly ones donning purple and orange — trickled out of Wintrust Arena after the game. Roars from the sell-out crowd could be heard every time the door opened.

“They did it! What else needs to be said?” one woman in a Stefanie Dolson shirt yelled as she ran to her ride to the airport.

Once the trophy ceremony was over, Sky fans flooded the sidewalks around the arena. Some waved rally towels and banged noise makers while others simply screamed with excitement.

John Gorham and his 13-year-old daughter, Cassidy, were still buzzing with adrenaline more than 30 minutes after time expired.

“It was crazy, electric, unbelievable. The place went crazy,” Gorham said. “We didn’t sit in our seats for the last half hour.”

Madeline Kenney/Sun-Times
John Gorham and his 13-year-old daughter, Cassidy, plan to celebrate the Chicago Sky’s championship win by going out to dinner.

Gorham said the two often go to sporting events around the city, but this was the father-daughter duo’s first Sky game.

“We just found a new favorite team in Chicago,” Gorham said his daughter told him after the game. “We’ll be back. We’ll be getting season tickets after this one game.”

Cassidy said it was “inspirational” to witness Sky players compete and win at the highest level.

“It’s really nice,” she said. “They’re another role model for other girls and stuff.”

Davon Woodard, 25, said Sunday’s game changed his outlook on women’s sports.

“I’m not going to lie, it was my first female sporting event in general, and it was a good game,” said Woodard, who lives on the South Side. “I’m definitely a fan of the WNBA now, I’m gonna watch, I’m gonna tune in, especially since we’ve got a good team.”

Debbie Rios and Pedro Gutierrez were among a few fans who left the Bears-Packers game at Soldier Field early to go to the Sky game. They said they went to Game 3 on Friday and enjoyed the atmosphere so much that they “had to replicate it” Sunday.

“It was so much fun. Chicago all the way,” Gutierrez said.

Madeline Kenney/Sun-Times
Pedro Gutierrez and Debbie Rios left the Chicago Bears game at Soldier Field early to attend Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at nearby Wintrust Arena.Read More

Bears quarterback Justin Fields shakes hands with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. | Kamil Krzaczynski/AP

The Packers quarterback once again displays his domination of the Bears.

Patrick Finley, Mark Potash and Jason Lieser break down Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields and the Bears’ 24-14 loss to the Packers.

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

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Khalil Mack lines up against the Packers on Sunday. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

Khalil Mack recorded his sixth sack when he tackled Aaron Rodgers on the Packers’ first drive. At no point in his career has he ever had as many as six sacks through the first six weeks of the season.

Takeaways from the Bears’ 24-14 rivalry loss to the Packers on Sunday:

Hot start

Khalil Mack recorded his sixth sack when he tackled Aaron Rodgers on the Packers’ first drive. At no point in his career has he ever had as many as six sacks through the first six weeks of the season.

Fellow outside linebacker Robert Quinn, who had a sack on the second drive, can almost say the same. His 5 1/2 sacks are his most through six games since 2013, when he had six — and finished with 19 sacks.

Cole: not minor

As promised, tight end Cole Kmet had a larger role in the pass game Sunday, catching four passes on five targets for a season-high 49 yards. Before Sunday’s game, he had posted 10 catches on 19 targets all season — and hadn’t caught more than one pass in a single game in a month.

“If winning the game meant rushing the ball 45 times and no targets, I’d take that any day of the week,” Kmet said. “But obviously good to get the passing game going a little bit with the tight ends, and [I’m] kinda hopeful we can continue to grow with that.”

Run, run, run

Bears quarterback Justin Fields ran six times for a career-best 43 yards. Entering the game, he had 20 carries for 59 yards.

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Chance the Rapper cheers during the final seconds of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at Wintrust Arena. The Sky beat the Mercury to capture the championship. | Paul Beaty/AP

From Dwyane Wade to Barack Obama to the Cubs, Chicagoans join in the celebration.

The Sky brought another championship to Chicago, and fans on Twitter took notice.

The team received congratulations ranging from other athletes and teams to politicians and entertainers.

Former President Barack Obama offered his well wishes after the Sky’s win over the Phoenix Mercury in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday.

“Congrats to our new WNBA champs, @ChicagoSky! I couldn’t be prouder of this team — they worked hard for this moment, and have made our city proud.”

And Sky superfan Chance the Rapper shared his excitement.

“Congrats to @chicagosky on winning the WNBA Finals today, bringing us our first championship in franchise history!!!! The city appreciates yall!!”

Chicago basketball legend Dwyane Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, shared their emotions after the victory.

The Cubs (the city’s most-recent champions before Sunday) and the Bulls (who have more than a few trophies themselves) welcomed the Sky into the club.

And Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker joined in the celebration.

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The Sky’s Candace Parker and Kahleah Copper celebrate after winning the WNBA championship at Wintrust Arena. | Stacy Revere/Getty Images

As the buzzer sounded, blue and gold confetti blotted out the arena lights, falling to the floor in celebration of the Sky’s first WNBA title after beating the Mercury 80-74.

Tears welled up in Candace Parker’s eyes as her teammate, Courtney Vandersloot sank the final two free-throws of Sunday’s WNBA Finals Game 4.

Parker could taste it.

The WNBA Championship, a hometown championship that she had set out to win when she signed with the Sky eight months ago, was seconds away from being realized.

On the ensuing play, Parker lept to the rim to pull down her 13th rebound and the last of the night before streaking down the sideline, towards her mother, Sara, dribbling out the clock as she went.

As the buzzer sounded, blue and gold confetti blotted out the arena lights, falling to the floor in celebration of the Sky’s first WNBA title, after beating the Mercury 80-74.

“I had flashbacks to high school,” Parker said. “When I first realized we won the state championship. [That moment] was similar.”

Castles were built in the sky when Parker made her hometown return in the Spring, heightening the Sky’s already existing Championship expectations.

But what came next was less compelling and more adverse than anyone could have predicted for this team. The Sky’s season began incredibly low, before being resurrected by a franchise-best win streak.

The highs and lows of the Sky’s 2021 season didn’t end there. In their second-to-last game of the regular season — which they finished 16-16 — the Sky took a 33-point loss to the Las Vegas Aces, prompting a team meeting.

It was at that point the Sky readjusted their focus and commitment to their Championship hopes that had been years in the making.

“We asked each other ‘who are we going to play for?'” Allie Quigley said after her team-high 26-point performance Sunday. “The first thing Candace said was she was going to play for me. In the end, we all said we wanted to play for each other.”

Sunday afternoon, that’s exactly what the Sky did, they played James Wade’s team basketball.

Four players scored in double figures, including Parker who had a double-double with 16 points to go along with her 13 rebounds. Vandersloot finished with a near triple-double, 10 points, 15 assists and nine rebounds. Kahleah Copper, WNBA Finals MVP, added 10 points and two rebounds.

Trust permeated through the Sky, even as they fell to a 14-point deficit late in the third quarter. As Wintrust Arena’s spark began to fade, Parker knocked in a three from the top of the key. When her feet hit returned to the floor, arm still extended in a follow-through, she glanced around the stadium.

It felt like a signal direct from her to the fans that the game was far from over.

“[The second half] was a microcosm of our season,” Wade said. “Where you go down, but you keep pushing.”

Game 4 was physical through all four quarters. The Mercury’s Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner took the court with vengeance in their eyes. It’s what was expected after Diana Taurasi left the media room Friday night yelling, “FIFTY! We can’t be any worse than fifty.”

Griner poured in 28 points on 63.2% shooting. Despite the Sky’s best defensive efforts, they could not take her out of her game.

Even with Griner going off for a near repeat of her Game 2 performance, the Sky knew they would outlast the Mercury, specifically Copper.

“I knew we were going to win this championship yesterday when Allie was the only one in the gym shooting,” Copper said.

Quigley opened the fourth quarter with back-to-back three-point baskets to bring the Sky within five of the Mercury. Her 11 points in the last 10 minutes of the game invigorated not just her team but the 10,378 fans in attendance.

There is no questioning the role Parker played in bringing the Sky its first WNBA title. She, as her former teammate Lisa Leslie said, may not have played her best year statistically but it was her best leadership performance ever.

But this title truly required every piece of this 2021 Sky puzzle.

The Sky needed Vandersloot’s 11-year loyalty to the organization, Quigley’s sharpshooting and empathetic connection to her teammates, Copper’s fire, Azura Steven’s x-factor abilities and all the individual qualities of every member of the Sky’s bench squad.

They also needed Wade. Years ago, before she was even a member of the team, Parker knew the Sky needed him too.

“Candace told me ‘This dude is special,'” Vandersloot said. “I told Michael Alter ‘Candace Parker said we need to hire this guy.’ Now, she comes to play for him and the first year we win a championship. I don’t think you can write it better than that.”

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Breannah Ranger (left) is set to take in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday with her aunt, Marsha Brawner (middle), and mother Michelle Ranger (right). | Madeline Kenney/Sun-Times

The Sky hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series against the Phoenix Mercury. They have the chance to become the first Chicago professional sports team to clinch a title at home since the Blackhawks in 2015.

Marsha Brawner was hospitalized for more than three months after falling seriously ill this summer. She recently had surgery that made it so she can’t speak.

Still, she insisted on being at Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday.

“We’re supporting women,” her niece, Breannah Ranger. said. “It’s our time; it’s Chicago’s time.”

While thousands attended the Bears’ 24-14 loss to the rival Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field, many Chicago sports fans believe the biggest and most important game of the day was taking place one mile southwest at Wintrust Arena.

“I’m very confident,” Ranger said. “Candace Parker… after the game the other day, it looked like she was very serious and she’s moving on to the next and prepared for this game. I’m excited to see what they bring and I think they’re going to shut them out.”

The Sky beat the Phoenix Mercury 80-74 to clinch their first title. The victory made the Sky the first Chicago professional sports team to clinch a title at home since the Blackhawks in 2015.

But perhaps even more significant, they are generating a buzz in the city in a way the 16-year-old franchise and women’s professional sports in general have never seen.

The Sky played in front of back-to-back sold-out crowds at Wintrust Arena for Game 3 and 4 of the Finals.

“It was probably one of the most fun games I’ve ever went to,” longtime fan Susan Leitao said of Game 3.

Ranger played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, where she once went head-to-head with Brittney Griner. Being a former player, Ranger said it’s meant a lot to see the growth of the women’s game over the last few years.

“You can see a big difference now with the support… it’s amazing that this is starting to become more [mainstream]; it’s a lot better than what it used to be,” she said.

Ranger’s mother, Michelle Ranger, began to tear up as she discussed what it means for the Sky to be gaining attention in sports-saturated Chicago as they’re on the brink of winning their first title.

“It is emotional because we’re from Chicago — we’re a very diverse city, we’re a city that loves our sports, but we also represent women, and it’s about time now in 2021 that we give the women of the Sky and of the WNBA their just due,” she said.

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Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers rushes for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of Sunday. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

He raises his career record to 22-5 in a very lopsided series.

When Aaron Rodgers scored on a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter Sunday, the force of the play took him close to Bears fans at Soldier Field. This was both very convenient for him and very, very unfortunate for the paying customers. His message?

“All my (expletive) life, I own you!” he screamed. “I still own you! I still own you!”

It’s impossible to argue with him on this point. The Packers’ 24-14 victory gave Rodgers a 22-5 career record against the Bears. He owns them. He owns their coaches. He owns their players. He owns their fans. The Cook County Clerk’s Office was closed Sunday, but I believe he holds the lien on all their souls.

And, after running for that touchdown, he definitely owned this one lady.

“I looked up in the stands and in the front row all I saw was a woman giving me the double bird,” he said. “So I’m not sure exactly what came out of my mouth next.”

Just the truth.

I wish I had different information to pass along, but facts are facts. The Bears simply have no idea how to beat Rodgers or the Packers. They don’t know how to beat Green Bay at home, which is supposed to be a competitive advantage but isn’t. Twenty-four of the past 29 meetings at the Bears’ place have gone in the Packers’ favor. Trust me, it wouldn’t matter where they play, Soldier Field in Chicago or George S. Halas Stadium Brought to You by RC Cola in Arlington Heights. Whatever the words say on the Bears’ building, the meaning will always be, “Welcome to Wisconsin.” Or, more appropriately, “I own you, Love, Aaron.”

Rodgers didn’t even have to be spectacular Sunday. He just had to show up. He was 17 of 23 for 195 yards and two touchdowns. His fourth-quarter run wasn’t the dagger. The Bears supplied their own.

They had a chance, an alleged one, but a chance nonetheless late in the game. Down 24-14 with about three minutes left and needing a touchdown and a field goal to tie it, Bears rookie Justin Fields allowed himself to get sacked for an 11-yard loss on a third-and-15. What had been field-goal territory at the Green Bay 37 was now desperation territory at the Green Bay 48. An incomplete fourth-down pass followed. Ballgame, for all intents and purposes.

A quarterback can’t allow that to happen. Fields needed to get rid of the ball and allow the offense to live for another play.

“It’s about finishing,” coach Matt Nagy said. “It’s about those moments.”

“I think I should have played better,” Fields said. “… I’ve got to be better for my teammates.”

Like Rodgers’ words, it was another statement that couldn’t be debated.

The only thing different about this Bears-Packers game was the head-scratching nature of it. Fields and the offense started off well, scoring on their first possession. Eight plays, 80 yards. A big-boy drive. And then, for two quarters, nothing. It was as if their flight over the ocean had dropped off the radar.

Then a blip — they’re alive! — and another 80-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to cut the Packers’ lead to 17-14. Fields was 5-for-5 for 64 yards and had a 14-yard scramble on that drive. You could almost feel sportswriters cracking their knuckles and beginning to type, “Justin Fields grew up in front of our eyes Sunday.”

Then … a lot of nothing again.

What was all the inconsistency about? Bad pass blocking. Dumb penalties. Poor officiating. A rookie quarterback looking like a rookie quarterback. Questionable play calling. The whole ball of wax that is the 2021 Bears offense so far.

Sometimes Fields looks really good. Sometimes he looks unremarkable. The knee-jerk reaction in town has been to protect the kid at every turn, but he had a hand in his uneven play Sunday.

There was some good news emanating from Soldier Field, though. Rookie running back Khalil Herbert, fourth on the depth chart to start the season, was excellent again, rushing 19 times for 97 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Great. Wonderful. But Fields and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor should have been able to take advantage of the running threat. That good a ground game should set up the passing game. It didn’t Sunday.

Afterward, Nagy talked about the importance of being resilient after a loss, clearly hoping to send a message to his team that, with the Buccaneers next on the schedule, this wasn’t the time to crawl into a hole. But Sunday’s game wasn’t about his team. It was about the Packers and Rodgers, who have won five straight after a loss in the season opener. It was about one team owning the other for years.

After time expired Sunday, the veteran quarterback took the time to speak, nicely, to the rookie quarterback.

“He just said, ‘Enjoy this rivalry,’ ” Fields said.

How, exactly?

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Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrates with Randall Cobb (18) and Aaron Jones (33) after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Bears. | Quinn Harris/Getty Images

Rodgers’ taunt of Bears fans after applying the finishing touch to a 24-14 victory at Soldier Field punctuated another performance that illustrated the difference between the longtime rivals — the Packers have the better quarterback.

Aaron Rodgers was in the moment. And it was his moment, of course — celebrating with teammates after winning a race with linebacker Alec Ogletree to the corner of the end zone for a six-yard touchdown run that clinched yet another Packers victory over the Bears, this time 24-14 on Sunday at Soldier Field.

And as Bears fans — at least one of them anyway — were giving him the business, he responded.

“All my [bleeping] life, I own you,” Rodgers said as he looked into the Soldier Field stands. “I own you. I still own you.”

The truth hurts.

“Sometimes you black out on the field — in a good way,” Rodgers said. “I’ve definitely blacked out from a concussion, which isn’t a good way. But I looked up in the stands and in the front row, all I saw was a woman giving me the double-bird. So I’m not sure what came out of my mouth next.”

As much as any Chicago sports villain ever — and probably more — Rodgers has the right to crow. He did it again Sunday with a performance that illustrated the biggest difference between the Bears and Packers for most of the last 30 years — the Packers have the better quarterback.

Rodgers was more efficient than prolific Sunday, a performance that illustrates his dominance over the Bears — a 22-4 record in games he has started and finished, with 57 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 105.9 passer rating.

But if it’s any consolation to Bears fans, Rodgers meant no offense. His taunt came with a lot of love and respect — most of it sincere.

“I love playing at Soldier Field,” Rodgers said. “I have a lot of respect for the fans. I’m sure there’s a little bit of respect coming back my way — not a lot of love, I’m sure. But I have had a lot of great moments on the field, a lot of great battles.

“And today was much like those other ones. It starts out slow some times. We get rolling. Defense had some timely stops. We put a drive together — kind of withstood the first wave of [Bears] energy, and proud of the way we finished the last thee quarters.”

That’s actually the part that has to hurt. Rodgers has had his moments of absolute greatness again the Bears — six touchdowns in the first half in a 55-14 rout in 2014 at Lambeau Field; five touchdowns in a routine 35-14 victory in 2011 at Soldier Field. But even when the Bears defense makes him work for it, he usually finds a way to win.

Whether it’s his indomitable will or fate moving its huge hands, Rodgers always seems to get the upper hand against the Bears. Khalil Mack & Co. were hounding him in the first quarter — with sacks by Mack and Robert Quinn on the first two series. On the first play of the Packers next offensive series, Mario Edwards forced an incompletion with a pressure and landed on Rodgers. After Rodgers grabbed Edwards facemark, Edwards responded by taunting Rodgers. Guess who got penalized? You know who did.

“They usually get the second guy,” Rodgers said. “I don’t think my grabbing his facemark was that physical. It was a strange tackle from behind — one of those weird ones where you kind of go knee first, and he got up talking a lot of trash. So I wasn’t trying to grab his facemark necessarily, but that’s where my hand kind of stuck.

“The taunting, I don’t think was to me. I think it was more to the other guys who were coming to my defense. But it wasn’t any forceful contact on my part. But whatever it was, it got him a little heated.”

All just part of the Bears-Packers rivalry, except for the part with the Bear on top. Rodgers won that battle and, as usual, the war. “I own you,” indeed.

“Well, we’ve won a few in a row now,” Rodgers said. “I love this rivalry. It’s been a lot of fun over the years. That’s what I told Justin Fields — to enjoy this. It’s a special rivalry, unlike any other in our game.”

Rodgers said he thought about this perhaps being his final game at Soldier Field — pending his uncertain NFL future. But when it was, he was content to bask in the glow of being victories in a rivalry he cherishes.

“I don’t think this is my last one,” Rodgers said. “But I have enjoyed every single one of them.”

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Matt Nagy is 31-23 as Bears head coach. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

The Bears aren’t hopeless against Aaron Rodgers, but their mistakes and offensive struggles cost them an opportunity to prove that.

This is a different category of embarrassment for the Bears than what they’re used to against the Packers.

Ultimately, the 24-14 loss at Soldier Field just gets flung on the mountain of other defeats. Each is a reminder of the Bears’ perpetual ineptitude against their archrival, whether it was part of Brett Favre’s 10-game winning streak or the latest blow of Aaron Rodgers yelling, “I still own you,” at the crowd Sunday.

But the painful twist this time was that the Bears could’ve won.

Unlike last season, when the Bears were obviously overmatched, this was winnable — If only the Bears could stop self-sabotaging.

“We still gave ourselves the opportunity to win the game — and we didn’t,” wide receiver Darnell Mooney said. “We have to be able to put points on the board. The defense played well enough for us to win. I feel like it definitely was an opportunity.”

When coach Matt Nagy goes on his weekly search for “the whys” to explain yet another loss, he’ll trip over them constantly.

The Bears began with Robert Quinn committing a neutral-zone infraction on the very first snap and kept stumbling with disastrous consequences.

Their ugliest mistake was the most ironic, as rookie quarterback Justin Fields blundered brutally while trying to make a smart play late in the first quarter. He assumed, reasonably, that Packers nose tackle Kenny Clark would get flagged for jumping offsides and looked to cash in on the free play by taking a shot at the end zone.

Good thought, but the flag never flew. And Fields’ pass did, gliding over Allen Robinson’s head to safety Darnell Savage. The Bears were suddenly on defense and flailing as Rodgers led a game-tying drive.

They even helped him.

Defensive tackle Mario Edwards, who was fined the equivalent of a used car for extracurricular penalties last week, kick-started the Packers by committing a taunting penalty on the first play. It’s fair to criticize the taunting rule and to note that Rodgers grabbed Edwards’ facemask first, but this team doesn’t have enough margin for error to give away yardage.

There were other debacles. So many.

Safety Tashaun Gipson whiffed on a tackle as running back Aaron Jones helped himself to the end zone, Eddie Jackson missed similarly on a deep catch by Davante Adams, the Bears dropped out of field-goal range by committing a delay-of-game penalty coming out of a replay review, and Fields never saw Robinson waving as he ran open up the middle of the field.

The parade of errors ended with Fields taking a sack on third-and-15 at the Packers’ 37-yard line with 2:26 left as the Bears frantically pushed for a comeback.

Any short or medium gain would’ve given them a chance at a field goal, but tight end Jimmy Graham was the only option in that range as everyone else ran deep. When Clark took Fields down, it left him staring at a fourth-and-26 to save the game.

Just for good measure, right tackle Elijah Wilkinson committed holding on Fields’ final heave, so any potential miracle would’ve been negated anyway.

It all added up to Rodgers beating the Bears again despite a modest game: 17 of 23, 195 yards, two touchdown passes. He has beaten Nagy’s Bears four times with 24 or fewer points.

Counting the playoffs, the Bears have scored 20 or fewer points in 27 of 56 games under Nagy. That’s what killed them against Rodgers. Holding him to 24 points should be a win, but scoring just 14 won’t beat hardly anyone.

It was bittersweet. The Bears didn’t get drubbed, but they also did so much to undercut themselves. Is the net result progress? Barely, but yes.

They showed Sunday they aren’t necessarily hopeless against Rodgers. Their defense can manage him, and Fields has enough potential to make you wonder how much he’ll grow between now and the rematch in December.

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Once the trophy ceremony was over, Sky fans flooded the sidewalks around the Wintrust Arena. Some waved rally towels and banged noise makers while others screamed with excitement. | Madeline Kenney/Sun-Times

The Sky are the first Chicago sports team to win a title at home since the Blackhawks in 2015. They’re the first team to bring the city a championship since the Cubs in 2016.

Milton Jackson, decked out in Chicago Bears gear, sipped on his mug of beer Sunday afternoon between cheers he started for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky with the other men sitting at his table in the corner of Fatpour Tap Works, a bar located a half-block from Wintrust Arena on the Near South Side, where the Sky were playing for the championship title.

“This is generating a great deal of energy… and they need to be recognized for what they’re doing,” Jackson said as he intently watched the final three minutes of Game 4 of the Sky’s championship series against the Phoenix Mercury.

As the Sky clawed back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the cheers inside the bar got louder.

“Let’s f—-g go!” a man yelled when Kahleah Copper hit a layup to pull within three points of the Mercury.

One would’ve thought the Sky had won when Candace Parker hit a game-tying three with less than two minutes that sent the bar into a total frenzy, with strangers high-fiving one another. That excitement remained until the final buzzer.

“Oh my God, they did it,” a patron said after the Sky clinched their first title, winning 80-74.

Madeline Kenney/Sun-Times
Fatpour Tap Works erupted in cheers when the Sky won their first WNBA Finals title.

“This is as equally as big as the Bulls, the Blackhawks, the Bears, White Sox, and maybe, I guess, the Cubs,” said Jackson, who had been to only one Sky game before but plans to go more next year.

The Sky are the first Chicago sports team to win a title at home since the Blackhawks in 2015. They’re the first team to bring the city a championship since the Cubs in 2016.

“They’re at the helm of Chicago prominence,” Jackson said.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, a season-ticket holder, tweeted that details about a rally for the champs were “coming soon.” She congratulated the team, saying the title was a “first but not the last” for the Sky.

Other prominent Chicagoans at the game include the Bulls’ Patrick Williams and Chance the Rapper, who raised the WNBA Finals trophy like Simba in “The Lion King.”

Fans — mainly ones donning purple and orange — trickled out of Wintrust Arena after the game. Roars from the sell-out crowd could be heard every time the door opened.

“They did it! What else needs to be said?” one woman in a Stefanie Dolson shirt yelled as she ran to her ride to the airport.

Once the trophy ceremony was over, Sky fans flooded the sidewalks around the arena. Some waved rally towels and banged noise makers while others simply screamed with excitement.

John Gorham and his 13-year-old daughter, Cassidy, were still buzzing with adrenaline more than 30 minutes after time expired.

“It was crazy, electric, unbelievable. The place went crazy,” Gorham said. “We didn’t sit in our seats for the last half hour.”

Madeline Kenney/Sun-Times
John Gorham and his 13-year-old daughter, Cassidy, plan to celebrate the Chicago Sky’s championship win by going out to dinner.

Gorham said the two often go to sporting events around the city, but this was the father-daughter duo’s first Sky game.

“We just found a new favorite team in Chicago,” Gorham said his daughter told him after the game. “We’ll be back. We’ll be getting season tickets after this one game.”

Cassidy said it was “inspirational” to witness Sky players compete and win at the highest level.

“It’s really nice,” she said. “They’re another role model for other girls and stuff.”

Davon Woodard, 25, said Sunday’s game changed his outlook on women’s sports.

“I’m not going to lie, it was my first female sporting event in general, and it was a good game,” said Woodard, who lives on the South Side. “I’m definitely a fan of the WNBA now, I’m gonna watch, I’m gonna tune in, especially since we’ve got a good team.”

Debbie Rios and Pedro Gutierrez were among a few fans who left the Bears-Packers game at Soldier Field early to go to the Sky game. They said they went to Game 3 on Friday and enjoyed the atmosphere so much that they “had to replicate it” Sunday.

“It was so much fun. Chicago all the way,” Gutierrez said.

Madeline Kenney/Sun-Times
Pedro Gutierrez and Debbie Rios left the Chicago Bears game at Soldier Field early to attend Game 4 of the WNBA Finals at nearby Wintrust Arena.Read More