Staff writer Molly Hanley shoots her shot at this week in Chicago sports.
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Staff writer Molly Hanley shoots her shot at this week in Chicago sports.
A tough loss from the Bears, two wins for the Bulls and clinching the playoffs for the Chicago Fire, Chicago sports brought tears and cheers this week.
The Bears lost 30-16 against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium Oct. 26. The Bears led in the first quarter 6-0, but got demolished in the second and third quarters, getting outscored 16-0. Despite coming back in the fourth quarter and making the score 16-13, an interception to Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins, made Bears fans lose hope.
The Bears came within one score with 5:06 to play, but the Ravens answered with another touchdown. This loss ended the Bears’ four-game win streak and brought their record to 4-3.
The Bulls played their first games of the 2025-2026 season against the Detroit Pistons Oct. 22 and the Orlando Magic Oct 25, winning both games.
The Bulls came out on top 115-111 over the Pistons. Center Nikola Vučević made a notable impact with 28 points, 14 rebounds and four of the seven total three-pointers made. The Bulls maintained a lead through the game, but the Pistons came back from a 23-point deficit with 2:54 left to play.
Three straight scoring possessions for the Bulls in the last few seconds, and a missed three from the Pistons — which would’ve tied the score — allowed the Bulls to pull off the upset.
The Bulls beat the Magic with a final score of 110-98 to make their record 2-0 to start the season. Guard Josh Giddey tabbed 21 points and eight rebounds to contribute to the Bulls’ lead.
The Bulls held a tight 83-80 lead after three quarters before guard Ayo Dosunmu went three-for-three on 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. After the mirage of 3-pointers, the Bulls’ lead was held for the rest of the game.
The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Tampa Bay Lightning Oct. 23 and secured the victory with a final score of 3-2.
Center Frank Nazar scored the only goal in the first period to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead. Left wing Ryan Donato combated a Lightning goal to keep the leads at 2-1. The Lightning’s defenseman Ryan McDonagh tied the game in the second period.
A turnover in the last minute allowed Donato to score in the final minute, securing the Blackhawks’ victory.
The Chicago Fire clinched their ticket to the Major League Soccer playoffs in a wildcard game against Orlando City Football Club with a final score of 3-1. Midfielder Brian Gutiérrez scored the opening goal, and forward Hugo Cuypers added a brace.
Orlando City scored a lone goal in the 89th minute, which made no dent in the Fire’s lead. This is the Fire’s first playoff win since 2009 and first postseason appearance since 2017.
The Fire’s first game of a best-of-three series was against the Philadelphia Union Oct. 26. The match came to a 2-2 draw, forcing penalty kicks. Midfielder Sergio Oregel had a notable red card ejection in the 93rd minute.
The two Philadelphia goals came from midfielder Indiana Vassilev in the 70th minute and forward Milan Iloski in the 75th minute. The Fire responded with clutch goals from winger Jonathan Bamba — making this his first-ever postseason goal — in the 84th minute and defender Jack Elliott in the 93rd minute.
The penalty kicks resulted in a 4-2 win for the Union, with Gutiérrez and Cuypers scoring the two goals.
This is the first game of the best-of-three series, and the next game will be Nov. 1 at Soldier Field.
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