ELITE DATE: STARS OUT TODAY
Are the 5- 1 Bears Super Bowl contenders? Are they at least God’s- honest threats to win the NFC North? Is this team any good? Why is it our confidence seems to be crumbling with every word?
Man, it’s hard to fully buy into these Bears. We’ve taken the eye test six times, and it keeps reading R- E- C- O- R- D S- H- M- EC- O- R- D. The Bears have one of the best marks in the league, but they don’t steamroll opponents like Derrick Henry and the Titans. They don’t terrorize quarterbacks like T. J. Watt and the Steelers. They certainly don’t have a superstar running the show like, say, the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson or the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers.
Hey, speaking of those four guys — what are you up to Sunday?
The Bears don’t play until Monday. Sunday, though, is all about legitimately elite teams on display. The Steelers visit the Titans in a matchup of the AFC’s last two unbeaten squads. The league’s only other perfect record belongs to the Seahawks, who take on the impressive Cardinals in a key NFC West game. Packers at Texans also will be televised here, giving Bears fans a chance to watch and root for — unlikely, sure — a second straight miserable outing by Rodgers.
And then the Bears do their thing the next night against the Rams in Los Angeles. OK, we’ll admit it — that might even be a tiny bit fun, too. And we wouldn’t even think of sneezing at 6- 1.
Here’s what’s happening:
SUN 25 Steelers at Titans ( noon, Ch. 2)
Look, we already told you both of these teams are 5- 0. We’ve got to think you’re into that sort of thing.
Packers at Texans ( noon, Fox- 32)
Aaron Rodgers goes from last Sunday’s nightmare against the wicked Buccaneers defense to a frolicking- in- thepark few hours against the essentially nonexistent Texans defense. But Deshaun Watson and his guys can go off, too, as they displayed last time out in a 42- 36 overtime loss to the Titans.
Dodgers vs. Rays, Game 5 ( 7 p. m., Fox- 32)
Few major leaguers have known the kind of postseason disappointment Clayton Kershaw knows. The Dodgers’ Hall of Fame- bound lefty takes the mound in the latest all- the- marbles moment of his spectacular — though at times gut- wrenching — career.
Seahawks at Cardinals ( 7: 20 p. m., Ch. 5)
It isn’t their home turf, but the Seahawks have pretty much run things in Glendale, Arizona, in recent years. Some, though, believe the 4- 2 Cardinals are actually the best team in the division. If true, now would be the time to make it more widely known.
MON 26 Bears at Rams ( 7: 15 p. m., ESPN)
Excuse us while we warm up our vocal chords to yell at Matt Nagy for not running the ball enough in this one. “Come on, Coach! It’s only first down! Are you trying to get Nick Foles killed out there? Don’t you see that froth coming out of Aaron Donald’s mouth?”
TUE 27
Rays vs. Dodgers, Game 6 ( if necessary, 7 p. m., Fox- 32)
Are these truly the best two teams in baseball? Whatever. These Rays may not ooze talent like the Dodgers or the Yankees — among a few others — but you have to admire the heck out of them for backing up their 60game hot streak of a regular season with a tough- as- nails October.
WED 28
Juventus vs. Barcelona ( 3 p. m., Uni-Mas 60)
In a cruel twist, the great Cristiano Ronaldo most likely will be held out for Juventus in the wake of his positive test for COVID- 19. This is the match of the week in Champions League group- stage play regardless, but no Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi would indeed be a minor tragedy.
Fire at Philadelphia ( 6: 30 p. m., Ch. 9)
Talk about a fine time for the Fire to win their first true road game of the season. A playoff berth is still there for the taking, if a bit of a reach.
Rays vs. Dodgers, Game 7 ( if necessary, 7 p. m., Fox- 32)
How lucky are we if it comes to this?
THU 29 Falcons at Panthers ( 7: 20 p. m., Fox- 32, NFL)
The bad news for the Falcons is they’ve already lost to the Panthers once this season. The good news they fired their coach and general manager after that game, so it kind of can’t get any worse.
SAT 31
Purdue at Illinois ( 11 a. m., BTN)
We’re not about to guarantee an Illini win, but we’ll eat our hats and walk home backward if they allow another quarterback to complete all but one of his passes like Wisconsin’s Graham Mertz did in the hideous opener.
Northwestern at Iowa ( 2: 30 p. m., ESPN)
The Wildcats have won two straight at Kinnick Stadium. Come to think of it, maybe they should play there more often.
Notre Dame at Georgia Tech ( 2: 30 p. m., Ch. 7)
It’s fair to question whether or not the Irish deserve to be ranked toward the very top of the polls, but don’t hesitate to go all- in with coordinator Clark Lea’s playoff- caliber defense.
Ohio State at Penn State ( 6: 30 p. m., Ch. 7)
The last four meetings between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions have been grip- your- seat good. Barkeep? We’ll have another.