Twenty-plus years ago, I broke up with the Bears. I couldn’t take the heartache. It was an unhealthy relationship. Eventually I stopped watching football altogether.

Saturday night, I had my standing 6:30 p.m. appointment with my mom and dad for pizza at their place. They’re in their 90s and always eat in the dining room, no exceptions. There’s no TV there. Since the game would be historic — no matter who won — I brought my laptop and streamed the game.

My dad is a Bears fan. My mom too. Mostly she likes watching us watch — and provides color commentary, sometimes insightful and sometimes ridiculous.

In general, we all miss 1985 and the parties and fun those games gave.

We went through cocktails, dinner and dessert, all while watching the Bears trail. Before halftime, my dad wrote off the Bears, noting their defense wasn’t good enough to enable a win. Around 10 p.m., we watched the Packers get six more points: 27 to 16 with only six minutes left. I told Mom and Dad, “I’m taking my computer and going home.”

As I was packing, my dad walked to his den and turned on the TV. He called me, extended the remote and said, “Find the game for me.” I pressed the mic and said, “Bears game.” The game came up as 27 to 24. What? Somehow the Bears scored eight points during the brief blackout I imposed.

So there we were, my dad and me standing shoulder to shoulder, and my mom was now in the den too, in a chair that was facing us rather than the TV. She watched Dad and me standing and cheering for the Bears like we did so many decades ago.

We watched the Packers miss a field goal with less than three minutes left and the Bears get a touchdown with less than two minutes left: Bears ahead, 31 to 27. They held back the Packers to complete the win!

What a great time my dad, my mom and I had. Especially those last minutes of the game. It felt a bit like ’85.

Now I’m planning to watch the next game with them.

As for the Bears and me: Will I go back to being a fan? I’m telling myself to be strong. I’ve been hurt too many times.

— James Janus, Glenview

One for the history books

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has given Chicagoland a major historical victory over the Packers. Once again, the triumph of Da Bears in Soldier Field was both forceful and elegant in an unforgettable fourth quarter.

Definitely a Bears-Packers game for the sports history books. Congratulations to head coach Ben Johnson for his truly inspiring 21st century Bears team!

— Alejandro Lugo, Park Forest

Just give them 15 minutes

So, tell me: Why is it necessary for the Bears to show up for a game before the fourth quarter? All they need is 15 minutes to pull off a playoff win. Go Bears!

— Dean Dranias, Plainfield

Bears are going to be bears

Why is it that the Bears do not get going until the fourth quarter? Because they are the Bears, it is winter and they hibernate!

— Terry Shapiro, Lombard

Suggestion for nickname

It’s not a hard and fast rule, but for as far back as I can remember, the great athletic teams often seemed to be tied to a snappy nickname. Pro or amateur, whatever the sport, either for the team as a whole or a prominent segment of it, there might be one around somewhere.

So in light of the 2025 NFL season’s ongoing pattern, I’d like to recommend that the Bears be dubbed the Cardiac Kids. Time and again, they’ve clawed their way back (excuse the pun) from almost certain defeat to pull out a win. The fact that the Saturday night effort involved turning the lights out on their archrival Packers’ season made that latest episode even sweeter.

Well, may it continue. Although for the next month, if they were to reprise a dominance unseen since the Super Bowl Shuffle squad and actually blow somebody out, I wouldn’t be against it.

— Tom Gregg, Niles

Be loyal to Soldier Field

My connection to Chicago comes from my wife’s family and our oldest daughter. She lived and worked in Chicago for 14 years. We always enjoyed our visits to Chicago to see our daughter.

I never had the privilege of attending a game at Soldier Field, but I have a question for Chicago: After the electrifying win over the Packers on Saturday evening, why would anyone in their right mind even consider leaving this cherished stadium for another site?

Watching the game at home on television, I could feel the electricity of the crowd surging through the screen. That intensity was powerful. The stadium’s design, location and loyalty of its fans are legendary.

Ponder these questions about other similar athletic venues.

Do you think the Red Sox will leave Fenway, the Dodgers Chavez Ravine or the Cubs Wrigley? No.

Will Butler University leave Hinkle Fieldhouse or Duke leave Cameron Indoor Stadium? No.

Will the Packers leave Lambeau? No.

Soldier Field, just like these venues, is a classic. Da Bears deserve to play in no other stadium. A move to another location in Chicago would be an insult. That could cause Carl Sandburg’s “City of the Big Shoulders” to shrink. We can’t have that.

Soldier Field has been loyal to the Chicago Bears. Now, the Chicago Bears and Chicago must be loyal to Soldier Field.

Put on your thinking caps and figure this out. Take all options minus one off the planning table. The only viable option worthy of consideration — Da Bears play at Soldier Field forever.

— Bill Pike, Richmond, Virginia

New stadium a big mistake

Everybody had a good time at Soldier Field last Saturday as the Bears defeated the Packers with a miracle finish. The fans were deliriously happy. The playing field looked great. It was a reminder that it would be a big mistake, particularly in these difficult economic times, to waste money on a new stadium just so the McCaskeys can make sure their grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren live in comfort for the next hundred years.

— Robert Dolgan, Indian Head Park

Hammond a good option

In response to Rick Pearson’s story (“As Bears mull Indiana move, few parallels found in Kansas City,” Jan. 10), which differentiates a potential Bears move to Hammond from a Chiefs move to Kansas City, Kansas, here’s a short geography lesson: Hammond borders Chicago. As such, it is much closer to Chicago than Arlington Heights and most suburbs for that matter.

Culturally and geographically, if you are in Hammond, you may as well be on the South Side. Hammond would be a great home for the Bears.

— Joe Blaney, Bloomington, Illinois

Indiana offer is decent

I believe it is a ploy for the Bears to consider moving to Indiana. But as a lifelong fan of the Bears and a resident of Illinois, I would not be upset if they pick up and move across the state line.

Our state is in no fiscal position to help finance a new stadium for the team. We are still paying off the redo of Soldier Field, our pension system needs fixing, public transportation needs repair and schools need upgrades.

If Indiana wants to pay for a new stadium in the northwest part of the state, which is still the Chicago metro area, the Bears should accept their offer. Our state will still receive the taxes on ticket sales and hotels, as most visiting teams and fans will still stay in Chicago, and they will still fly into O’Hare or Midway Airport. The Illinois Tollway will see additional income as more fans will be using Interstate 294 on their way to the games. All Illinois will potentially lose is game day concessions.

Many Bears fans will disagree with this letter as they hate Indiana. The Bears need to do what is best for them and our state, which is to take advantage of the Indiana offer.

— Cary Riske, Grayslake

Put Richard Dent on the air

When the Chicago Bears’ 1985 defense is mentioned, it’s often spoken of in mythical term: monsters, legends, an era that can never be repeated. But myths are made of moments, and one of the most decisive moments in Super Bowl history belongs to Richard Dent.

Dent didn’t merely play in Super Bowl XX. He took it over.

One and a half sacks. Constant pressure. Total disruption. He was named Super Bowl MVP, an honor rarely given to a defensive lineman, because his impact was undeniable. The Bears didn’t just win that game; they imposed their will, and Dent was at the center of it.

Which raises an obvious question for today’s NFL media landscape: Why isn’t Dent still a prominent voice in football commentary?

Turn on a playoff broadcast now, and you’ll see familiar faces, former quarterbacks explaining quarterback play, studio analysts who never swung a championship and talking heads trained more in television cadence than in consequence. Meanwhile, a Hall of Fame pass rusher who defined what championship defense looks like remains largely on the sidelines of the conversation.

This is missed opportunity.

The NFL has no shortage of analysts, but it has a shortage of authority, voices shaped by moments when games were decided, seasons ended and legacies forged under pressure. Dent understands disruption, preparation and the mental edge required to dominate when everything is on the line. That perspective doesn’t age out. If anything, it becomes more valuable.

Today’s fans crave authenticity. They respond to voices that aren’t overproduced, overly cautious or filtered through branding committees. Dent represents an era when football was raw, physical and decisive, when excellence spoke louder than polish. That includes quarterback Jim McMahon‘s legendary wobbly spirals and William “the Refrigerator” Perry catching a pass for a touchdown.

If a network, podcast platform or media outlet had the wisdom to bring Dent into a regular commentary role, it might be surprised by the response. Bears fans remember. Football fans recognize truth when they hear it. And younger viewers, inundated with analysis, are hungry for voices that actually changed games — not just discussed them.

Dent earned his place in football history on the field. It’s time someone gave him the microphone.

— Jerry McGlothlin, formerly of Chicago, Hickory, North Carolina

No ‘Bears’ deal for some

Shame on Jewel, which touts its grocery chain to be “hometown” and “customer-friendly” and has operated in our neighborhoods for decades, for discriminating against its most loyal customer base.

In line at my Oak Park Jewel, I struck up a conversation with an elderly woman ahead of me. She was paying with cash, spoke to me about her dementia and most likely didn’t have a smartphone. When asked by the cashier if she was a member of Jewel’s shopping program, she replied, “I have been coming here for decades!” She cheerfully entered her phone number, soon learning that she is not part of Jewel’s digital coupon program, where you have to go into an app on a smartphone and “clip” the coupons prior to checking out to get a sale price. This week, one of the promotions allows customers to save $7 on their total purchase due to the Bears win on Saturday.

I asked the cashier if he could give this promotion to her after she asked to put back one item because she had only $20. He said she had to be part of the “program.”

Shame on Jewel, which is discriminating against elderly people and other people who do not have the wherewithal to own smartphones.

— Beth Shannon, Oak Park

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.