From Bears' comeback win vs. Packers to Alex Bregman's Cubs deal, Saturday was Chicago's best sports night in a while
- - From Bears' comeback win vs. Packers to Alex Bregman's Cubs deal, Saturday was Chicago's best sports night in a while
Jack Baer January 11, 2026 at 7:36 AM
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Chicago is not exactly a city used to everything going right sports-wise.
The city has had a rough half-decade or so, with a Bears rebuild, the Cubs' struggle to break through, no playoff berths for the Blackhawks since 2019-20 and the Bulls and White Sox still being owned by Jerry Reinsdorf.
But Saturday offered a glimmer of hope, with three wins for the Windy City, including a comeback victory over a rival in the playoffs, and the city's biggest MLB signing in a while.
The most obvious triumph was the Bears' home win over the Green Bay Packers in the NFL wild-card round. After trailing 21-6 heading into the fourth quarter, Caleb Williams and Co. posted 25 fourth-quarter points to win 31-27 and stun a team that's had their number to a historic degree over the past three or so decades.
The win consolidated the Bears' triumph in the regular season, beating out the Packers for their first NFC North title since the 2018 season. The Bears went 11-6 under rookie head coach Ben Johnson and showed off a flair for dramatic wins all season, but reached another level in their first playoff game.
Chicago has waited a long time for a day like Saturday. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) ()
In the baseball world, the North Siders were the happy ones thanks to the Cubs' five-year, $175 million deal with free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman. By total money, it's the third-largest contract in franchise history and the largest ever by average annual value.
The move gives the Cubs an impact talent on both sides of the ball at the hot corner. We won't know how the contract will work out for a while, but it solidifies the team as the favorite in the NL Central at BetMGM, which is currently giving them +150 odds to unseat the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Bregman deal was reported early in the fourth quarter of the Packers-Bears game
The Bulls spent their Saturday blowing out a Dallas Mavericks team missing Anthony Davis, with seven different players scoring in double figures and Coby White leading the scoring with 22 points. Chicago had a double-digit lead for the entire fourth quarter.
As for the Blackhawks, they notched their first win with Connor Bedard back. The phenom, who missed 12 games with a shoulder injury, posted two assists in a 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators.
And the White Sox, well... they didn't get worse. Their big offseason moves remains the two-year, $34 million they signed Japanese star Munetaka Murakami to in December, as well as winning the 2026 MLB Draft lottery. And they still have the pope on their side.
Granted, no Chicago team won a championship Saturday. The Bears are still three wins from the Lombardi Trophy and neither the Bulls nor Blackhawks are seen as contenders this season. The Cubs definitely have more talent now, but they have a long way to go to a World Series.
It was still a good day.
Source: “AOL Sports”
