CHGO Digest: Previewing Bears vs. Titans, Cubs combine for no-hitter

Good morning, friends!

Bad news: Yet another CHGO Digest counting down the days until the Bears’ season begins (It’s three, FYI).

Good news: This is the last CHGO Digest before the Bears’ season begins.

I started writing this newsletter the week of the 2024 NFL Draft. At that point, we knew who the Bears were selecting No. 1 overall. Doesn’t it still feel like the No. 9 overall pick is being overlooked?

Yes, the Caleb Williams hype train feels more magical than The Polar Express, but I have this sneaking suspicion that train conductor Tom Hanks is punching “L-E-A-D-s the team in receiving yards” onto Rome Odunze’s rookie ticket.

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— Patrick Norton

How Caleb Williams’ Bears match up with Will Levis’ Titans

Caleb Williams has a chance to be the first to do a lot of things for the Bears. But in Week 1, the rookie also has the opportunity to break a nasty trend in the NFL. Since 2002, quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall making their first career start are 0-14-1.

Kyler Murray in 2019 is the only QB not to suffer a loss, tying with the Lions instead. If Caleb Williams wants to be a first instead of a fifteenth (or second), he won’t be able to do it alone.

• Offense: On paper, Ryan Poles has assembled arguably the greatest offense in modern Bears history. Stacked at receiver, strong at running back, and an offensive line that’s powerful when healthy, Williams is walking into a situation that most No. 1 overall picks don’t see in their rookie season.
  
  Will Levis enters his sophomore season without competition for playing time, but raised expectations. Adding Calvin Ridley to the mix with DeAndre Hopkins, and drafting JC Latham with the No. 7 pick should boost Levis’ game in 2024. But a questionable running game leaves enough to be desired.
  
  Edge: Bears
  
• Defense: The Bears’ defense is not only talented but fast and young. A linebacker corps headlined by Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, paired with a secondary overflowing with talent could make life difficult for Levis, who finished nine starts last season with just eight touchdowns and four interceptions. But it all hinges on the line’s ability to get to the quarterback.
  
  As for Tennessee, bringing in L’Jarius Sneed and Chidobe Awuzie adds significant pop to the secondary. Stability in coverage allows Jeffery Simmons and Harold Landry III to pin their ears back and get after Caleb Williams. And if Jamal Adams is healthy enough to go Sunday, it’s another star who’ll look to serve Williams with his “Welcome to the NFL” moment.
  
  Edge: Draw
  
• Coaching: Ten wins probably isn’t how Matt Eberflus envisioned his first two seasons as head coach. But his scheme and ability to develop talent has turned the defense into a vaunted bunch, and he’s played a major role in the camaraderie and culture that’s brewing in Chicago. While culture might breed winners, culture can’t manage the clock on Sundays. Can Eberflus put it all together in year three?
  
  Brian Callahan’s résumé is an interesting one, coming from Cincinnati where his role in developing Joe Burrow is somewhat murky. Beyond his father/o-line coach Bill Callahan, his staff lacks deeply experienced playcallers. Replacing Mike Vrabel in Tennessee is no easy task, either.
  
  Edge: Bears.
  

🔎 GO DEEPER | Nicholas Moreano spoke with members of the Bears’ revamped offense about what to expect from the Tennessee Titans in Week 1.

Cermak & Wabash

Join the CHGO crew at our exclusive tailgates at the corner of Cermak & Wabash throughout the season. Food, Miller Lite, and Chicago Bears football. First up: Sunday, September 8 vs. Tennessee. Celebrate the beginning of a new era with us!

Shota Imanaga, Cubs’ bullpen combine to no-hit Pirates

Welcome to the history books, Shota Imanaga, Nate Pearson, and Porter Hodge. What a way to get back on track. Despite dropping two pivotal games to the Pirates to begin the homestand, the Cubs were able to end the series on a massive high note. The bats propelled Chicago to an easy 12-0 win, but the real story came from the mound.

Shota Imanaga: 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K, 95 pitches
Nate Pearson/Porter Hodge: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 19 pitches

I guess the only question I have is… does catcher Miguel Amaya get one Rolex paid for by the three pitchers, or three timepieces of equal or greater value?

• It’s fair to assume that the team losing Justin Steele for multiple starts weighed on manager Craig Counsell’s mind when pulling Imanaga after the seventh: “He’s got starts left that are important. His long-term health is important, and we’re always going to prioritize that.”
  
• The combined no-hitter is just the 21st in MLB history, and second by the Cubs. The last time Cubs pitching combined to keep a team hitless came in 2021 against the Dodgers. Let’s hope history fails to repeat itself, as the Cubs dropped the following 11 games, ultimately resulting in the deadline sale of Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and three of the no-hitter’s pitchers — Ryan Tepera, Andrew Chafin, and Craig Kimbrel.
  
• Wednesday’s combined no-no also counts as the first Wrigley no-hitter by the Cubs since Milt Pappas in 1972. Cole Hamels no-hit the Cubs at Wrigley on July 25, 2015, which was the last time the Cubs lost a regular season game started by Jake Arrieta until May 31, 2016. Arrieta started 23 games in that span, picking up 20 wins, and no-hitting the Dodgers and Reds.
  

🎧 ​SPOTIFY​ | ​APPLE PODCASTS​ | CHGO Cubs Podcast: Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs’ bullpen combines for no-hitter against Pirates

Roundup: Cubs lose Steele to IL, Sox snap 12-game skid

• The Cubs added Justin Steele to the 15-day IL on Wednesday, retroactive to September 1, due to left elbow tendonitis. Steele was originally slated to take the mound on Tuesday against the Pirates but was scratched on Monday with what Craig Counsell described as “elbow soreness”.
  
  Imaging on the elbow yielded normal results. Steele said, “[he] was happy with the news.” Asked how long he’d felt the discomfort, the left-hander mentioned it was an issue he’d been “managing”.
  
  “Tommy [Hottovy] could kind of tell I was feeling a little something. … We just kind of made the decision, I’d been battling, so go ahead and figure out what it was, but from everybody’s understanding, it was good news.”
  
• The White Sox are back in the win column for the first time since August 21 in San Francisco, snapping a 12-game losing streak. The team still hasn’t won at home since August 12 against the Yankees, losing 12 straight at Guaranteed Rate Field. In the last 51 games, the White Sox are 6-45. With the Guardians’ loss, the White Sox gained a game in the division, shrinking the gap to 48.5 games behind.
  
  Luis Robert Jr. left the action early with trainers after taking the field in the sixth inning. The team later announced the center fielder experienced right hamstring tightness.
  

The Eighty Five with Cole Kmet

🎧 SPOTIFY | APPLE PODCASTS | It’s Finally Game Week! + Cole interviews Marcedes Lewis

Join us for an upcoming CHGO event!

⚾ 9/6: CHGO Cubs Takeover for Anthony Rizzo’s return to Wrigley!
🏈 9/7: ALL Big 10 Football Watch Party at Joe’s On Weed Street
🏈 9/8: CHGO Bears Tailgate in Chicago! – Week 1 vs. Titans

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