In the last year, Chicago sports have been on one of their hottest streaks in recent memory (except the Blackhawks or White Sox, to be quite honest). It’s easy to chalk up the success to just short-term luck, but across multiple teams, Chicago sports are seeing a serious shift in culture and leadership.
Bears
The Bears are coming off a 5-12 season and finishing last in the National Football Conference (NFC) North last season. But as of late, they seem to have found their future franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams (18). The hiring of Ben Johnson as the new head coach has turned around their offense and gotten the best out of Williams. Thanks to the hiring of Johnson, the Bears were able to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-2021 season.
Going into this year, the Bears were hoping Williams would be able to eclipse the 4,000 passing yard mark for the first time in Bears history. Williams came 58 yards shy of the mark with 3,942 yards on the season, the seventh highest in the league this year. Williams also threw 27 passing touchdowns, which was a significant improvement from the 20 last year. Number 18 threw seven interceptions, which was only one more than last year. But maybe the most impressive improvement from last year was the number of sacks allowed. It was made a point in the offseason to improve the offensive line, and it paid off. Chicago ranked third in sacks allowed all season with 24, compared to the 68 allowed last year, in which they ranked dead last.
The Bears finished the regular season with an 11-6 record and a first-place finish in the NFC North, managing to end as the 2nd seed in the National Football Conference (NFC). In the first round of the playoffs, Chicago faced off and won against their biggest rivals in the seventh seed, Green Bay Packers. However, in the next round, Chicago was at home once again playing as the Vegas underdog against the Los Angeles Rams, Led by MVP frontrunner, Matthew Stafford. The Bears had a good run and won the division for the first time since the 2018-2019 season, but ultimately fell in a 20-17 overtime loss.
Cubs
The Cubs ended the season last year with an impressive 92-70 and finished second in the National League Central Division, as well as clinching a wild card spot. Chicago faced the San Diego Padres in the fourth vs. fifth seed matchup in the first round of the playoffs. The Cubs moved onto the next round; however, they lost to the first-seeded Milwaukee Brewers in heartbreaking fashion after taking the series to five games after losing the first two of the series.
Chicago is looking to continue that success going into next season with the monster signing of Alex Bregman for $175 million over five years. This signing works great for Chicago, as now they have their third baseman to add to an already strong infield. Chicago will be getting a leader with much playoff experience, making the playoffs nine consecutive years in a row and winning the World Series twice with the Astros in 2017 and 2022. Overall, things are looking up for the Chicago Cubs.
Bulls
The Bulls started off the season red-hot by winning six out of their first seven games. That hot start to begin the season was fueled by an emphasis on upping the pace during games, as well as the emphasis on moving the ball around. Hoping to follow the same blueprint of the Eastern Conference champion Pacers, the Bulls tried to establish player growth from their young talent that they have in Josh Giddey and Coby White, while still getting the best ball they can out of 35-year-old Nikola Vučević, who’s currently averaging 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists. This momentum had been carried over from the last 20 games last season, where the Bulls went 14-6.
The Bulls have slowed down as of late, but the potential remains there for a post mid-season push over the next few weeks.
