O’Donnell: Schedule slicers say ’26 Bears should draw closer to Lombardi thing
IF READING INTO AN NFL SCHEDULE RELEASE brushes exact science, Ben Johnson and his 2026 Bears will:
· Finish second in the NFC North behind the Packers;
· Make the playoffs as a wild card; and,
· Be wintered up and watching as the winner of the Bills-Chiefs AFC title game faces a sole survivor from the stacked NFC trio of the Rams, the Packers and the Seahawks for triumph in Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium in suburban Los Angeles next Valentine's Day.
ALL THE TOUTS AND ALL OF THE SPECULATORS HAVE picked over the rhythms and bones since the leaky schedule drop was finalized Thursday night.
One critical Chicago residual was a national acknowledgment of how lucky Caleb Williams and the ’25 Bears were en route to their 11-6 record and memorable wild-card victory over Green Bay.
That is understatement, like saying that the organization's pursuit of a new playpen is confused.
IF PRIME-TIME TV APPEARANCES for the upcoming campaign are a key criterion, the Bears can best be termed “bubbling under” the NFL's platinum tier.
That high video plain is topped by Sean McVay's Rams, who are slated for seven appearances in front of the league's brightest television lights.
Next at six are: the Packers, the Bills, the Chiefs and the Seahawks.
THE BEARS ARE A NOTCH BELOW, at five. They're joined in that “U.M.C.” — upper middle-class — by the Cowboys, the Eagles, the Patriots and the Forty-Niners.
For followers of the futile, the truly downtrodden — all with zero prime-time dates due — are: the Jets, the Cardinals, the Titans, the Dolphins and the Raiders.
Johnson and his Bears are widely perceived to be in a much better spot than they were last May.
Breaks will tell, especially on the health front.
Now will it be a case of even more spring forward, fall even further ahead?
STREET-BEATIN':
The WNBA returns to NBC properties in master-blaster mode Sunday with reigning MVP A'ja Wilson and Las Vegas vs. Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream (12:30 p.m.; NBC, Peacock) followed by Caitlin Clark and Indiana hosting the Seattle Storm (5 p.m.; NBCSN, Peacock). Summary of Reese's time in Chicago, from someone who would know: She didn't get the guidance here she got at LSU. …
As the Cubs-Sox crosstown series plays out on paywall-free WCIU-TV (“The U”), originator CHSN has been featuring a “Mune Cam” to focus exclusively on Munetaka Murakawi, the South Side's latest “Bright One.” Too bad Jerry Reinsdorf's flinty front office couldn't add on a “Mune Contract Extension Cam.” (Sunday's concluding telecast is set for a 12:30 p.m. start.) …
As if the NBA didn't have enough imaging problems, some exceptionally oddball officiating is leaving remaining viewers scratching their zappers. Finishes with highest eyeballs for the league and TV partners would be Jalen Brunson and the Knicks over CLE into the Finals vs. the winner of an OKC-San Antonio Western Conference finale. …
Speaking of the Cavs, DePaul alum Max Strus has been flooded with texts from old Lincoln Park mates during his recent run of outstanding play. Strus has battled through an injury-plagued season to provide Donovan Mitchell and crew some timely playoffs bench power as sixth man. Mother Debbie Brinkman-Strus was a star athlete both at DePaul and the old Forest View High School in Arlington Heights. …
Back to Jalen Brunson: The Stevenson High grad is touching the gods of glide at Madison Square Garden. Segments of the demanding NYC media are now listing him as the fifth-greatest Knick of all time, behind only — 1. Walt Frazier, 2. Willis Reed, 3. Patrick Ewing and 4. Earl Monroe. And, say some, he leapfrogs Monroe if he drives the Gothams to the '26 Finals. …
A pairing of Skip Bayless with Stephen A. Smith mornings on ESPN would be confirmation that the event-dependent operation has no idea what to do to pump its “Groundhog's Day” daytime programming. Smith's principal calling card is self-parody; Bayless — in print or broadcast — is as reliably engaging as the overheard voice at a minimart gas pump. …
Services for Larry Andres, long a lieutenant with the Buffalo Grove Fire Department, will be Monday morning at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Arlington Heights. Andres was of downtown AH royalty — his family owned the classic old Bill's Inn. He also held a seasonal gig as a paddock EMT at Arlington Park and had a unique bit of racing insight: “Any time a jockey came into the track nurse's office to get a vitamin shot, it meant bet his next couple of mounts. The pick-me-up could work wonders.” …
And for fans of soccer, sports gaming and Al Gore, select books already have it on the board at 35-1 that the World Cup championship knockout — scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — will be postponed for at least one day due to excessive heat. …
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.