Chicago is not a city accustomed to everything going well when it comes to sports.
The city has been through about five rough years, with the Bears rebuilding, the Cubs struggling to break through, the Blackhawks without a playoff spot since the 2019-20 season, and the Bulls and White Sox still owned by Jerry Reinsdorf.
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But Saturday provided a glimmer of hope, with the Windy City notching three wins, including a come-from-behind playoff win and the city’s biggest MLB signing in some time.
The most obvious victory was the Bears’ home win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Wild Card Round. Caleb Williams and his teammates after trailing 21-6 entering the fourth quarter. The 15 points put this team on a level that has been historically high in the last three decades or so.
The win solidified the Bears’ regular season victory over the Packers to capture their first NFC North title since 2018. The Bears went 11-6 under rookie head coach Ben Johnson, showing off a talent for dramatic wins all season long, but reached another level in their first playoff game.
Chicago has been waiting for a day like Saturday for a long time. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
(Associated Press)
The North End is the happiest team in baseball, thanks to the five-year, $175 million contract the Cubs signed free agent third baseman Alex Bregman to. It’s the third-largest contract in franchise history by total value and the largest average annual value ever.
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The move gives the Cubs talent in the hot corner who can make an impact on both sides of the ball. We don’t know yet how this contract will work out, but it solidifies the team’s status as BetMGM’s NFC Central favorite, with the team currently having +150 odds to beat the Milwaukee Brewers.
Bregman’s trade was reported early in the fourth quarter of the Packers-Bears game
The Bulls defeated the Anthony Davis-less Dallas Mavericks on Saturday as seven different players scored in double figures, led by Coby White’s 22 points. Chicago held a double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter.
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As for the Blackhawks, they got their first win since Connor Bedard returned. The talented player, who missed 12 games with a shoulder injury, dished out two assists in a 3-0 win over the Nashville Predators.
And the White Sox, well… they didn’t get any worse. Their big offseason move is still the signing of Japanese star Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34 million deal last December and winning the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft Lottery. They still have the Pope on their side.
Granted, no Chicago team won the championship on Saturday. The Bears are three wins away from the Lombardi Trophy, and neither the Bulls nor Blackhawks are contenders this season. The Cubs definitely have more talent now, but they’re still a long way from a World Series.
It’s still a great day.
