Chicago sports fans were disappointed this week with a Bears playoff loss and two losing games for the Blackhawks, but delighted with two Blackhawks wins and a four game winning-streak for the Bulls. 

The Chicago Bears competed in the NFC Divisional Playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams Jan. 18 after defeating the Green Bay Packers 31-27 in the Wild Card round. 

The Rams took hold at the end of the first quarter with a four-yard touchdown run from running back Kyren Williams, and a successful extra point from kicker Harrison Mevis. 

The Bears opened the second quarter with a touchdown off a three-yard pass from quarterback Caleb Williams to wide receiver DJ Moore, and an extra point by kicker Cairo Santos evened the score. With one minute remaining in the second quarter, Santos made a 48-yard field goal to put the Bears in the lead, but the Rams had just enough time to squeeze out a field goal of their own. 

Going into the fourth quarter even at 10, with no scoring during the third quarter, the Rams finally scored with a five-yard rushing touchdown from Kyren Williams and another extra point from Mevis. In the last 20 seconds of regulation, Caleb Williams completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet. An extra point by Santos sent the game to overtime. 

Caleb Williams’ pass — intended for Moore — was intercepted by Rams’ safety Kam Curl. The final possession for the Rams resulted in a successful 42-yard field goal for Mevis, securing the 20-17 win for the Rams. 

The Bears ended the season 11-6 and first in the NFC North. This was their first playoff appearance in five years, and it had been 15 years since they last made it to the second round of the playoffs and 40 years since the franchise’s lone Super Bowl win. 

The Chicago Blackhawks won their first two games of the week and lost their last two. Center Connor Bedard returned from injured reserve Jan. 9 and leads the team with 48 points this season. 

In their first game Jan. 19 against the Winnipeg Jets, neither team scored until the second period. Blackhawks center Jason Dickinson scored with a wrist shot off an assist from center Ryan Donato during the seventh minute. The Blackhawks secured a 2-0 win in the third period after a wrist shot from Bedard off an assist from right wing Ilya Mikheyev. 

The Blackhawks continued the week with a shootout win down in Carolina. Mikheyev scored in the first period with a solo backhand shot. Hurricane defender Joel Nystrom responded a minute later with a snap shot goal off an assist from center Jesperi Kotkaniemi. 

Left wing Nick Lardis scored in the second period with a snap shot off a pass from Donato. Hurricane left wing Jordan Martinook passed the puck three minutes later to center Jordan Staal, who buried it in the net with a wrist shot, to tie the game at two. 

Chicago defender Connor Murphy scored off an assist from left wing Tyler Bertuzzi in the third period, but it was quickly met with a goal by Hurricane right wing Jackson Blake. There were no shots completed in overtime, so the game entered shootouts. 

Hurricane right wing Andrei Svechnikov made a shot, and Bedard retaliated with one of his own. A buried shot by center Oliver Moore secured the 4-3 win for the Blackhawks. 

The Blackhawks returned to Chicago Jan. 23 to play against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but they fell 2-1 in a shootout. Chicago center Ryan Greene scored the only Blackhawks goal in the 18th minute of the first period off an assist from Lardis. 

Late in the second period, Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov buried a puck in the back of the net to tie the game. With no goals in the third period or overtime, the game entered a shootout. 

Kucherov made a wrist shot, which Blackhawks center Frank Nazar responded to with one of his own. Chicago defender Louis Crevier made a backhand shot, and Tampa Bay center Gage Goncalves buried another wrist shot in the net. Lightning center Dominic James sealed the victory for Tampa Bay with one final wrist shot. 

The Blackhawks remained in Chicago for their final game of the week against the Florida Panthers Jan. 25. After a scoreless first period, Panthers defender Tobias Bjornfot scored off an assist from right wing Cole Schwindt. Bertuzzi followed four minutes later with a wrist shot off an assist from Mikheyev. 

Despite going into the second period tied, the Blackhawks fell to the Panthers 5-1 — goals by Bjornfot, right wing Mackie Samoskevich and centers Carter Verhaeghe, Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart clinched the win for Florida. 

The Bulls pulled off a four-game winning streak this week with three wins in Chicago and one win away. 

Chicago beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-102 Jan. 18, with guard Coby White putting up 24 points for the Bulls and center Nikola Vucevic trailing with 17. At the end of the first quarter, the Bulls had a strong 39-22 lead over the Nets. 

The second quarter strengthened their lead 70-51, and the Bulls maintained their lead throughout the third quarter, finishing 95-71. The Bulls quickly pulled ahead further during the fourth quarter and secured the win.

The Bulls remained in Chicago during their Jan. 20 win against the Los Angeles Clippers. White tallied 27 points, and forward Matas Buzelis followed with 21 points. By halftime, the Bulls were leading 70-49 after scoring 45 points in the second quarter. The Clippers trailed in the third quarter 80-74, and by the end of the fourth quarter, the Bulls won 138-110. 

The Bulls traveled up to Minnesota to play the Timberwolves Jan. 22 and secured a close 120-115 victory. White led the Bulls with 22 points, and forward Jalen Smith tallied 17. 

The first quarter saw the Bulls down 32-26 after the first quarter, before gaining more ground in the second. The Timberwolves fought back and ended the second quarter trailing 61-60. Minnesota pulled ahead 93-90 in the third quarter, but the Bulls claimed their win by the end of the fourth quarter. 

Chicago finished the week in the city with another close win against the Boston Celtics Jan. 24. Vucevic led the Bulls with 35 points, and White trailed with 32 points of his own. 

The first quarter ended with the Bulls ahead 30-28, but the Celtics pulled ahead in the second quarter, ending 58-52. Boston lost the lead by the end of the third quarter, and the Bulls pushed forward throughout the fourth quarter to win 114-111. 

The Bulls’ next game is in Chicago Jan. 26 against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Blackhawks continue their season with road trips to Minnesota Jan. 27 and Pittsburgh Jan. 29.

Claire Bovino is a second-year student studying Political Science and Multimedia Journalism and is originally from Pittsburgh. This is her second year writing for The Phoenix. When she’s not writing or watching sports, Claire can be found reading long fantasy novels by the lake, eating hot dogs or complaining about the state of Pittsburgh sports teams.


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