The Chicago Bears Opening Dominance
The Chicago Bears' historic start, two NHL Captains named, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. snaps his drought.
Whiskey’s Garage
Sports Talk
Volume 18
16/09/2026
The Chicago Bears Opening Dominance
NFL
Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books, and with a few blowouts, a few upsets, and a few injuries, it was nothing short of entertaining. The Chicago Bears made history by scoring a historic 59 points, setting the NFL record for most points ever scored in a season opener. With a combined total of 96 points, the Bears and the Carolina Panthers also set the record for the most total points ever scored in a season opener. The Bears had a total of 552 offensive yards, with 261 passing yards and 291 rushing yards. It was a game that lacked defense, to say the least, with a final score of 59-37 in favour of the Bears. The Bears face the Minnesota Vikings in week 2, who are also coming off a big win over the Green Bay Packers in week 1. A divisional matchup that’s taking place on Sunday, September 20th, at 10:00 AM. Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers are facing the Atlanta Falcons, another divisional matchup, in week 2 on Sunday, Sept. 20th, at 10:00 AM. The Falcons lost their week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it is uncertain if they will have starting QB Tua Tagovailoa back for week 2, as he is still recovering from an oblique injury sustained in practice. Back in Los Angeles, the Chargers opened up their season at home in SoFi Stadium, hosting the Arizona Cardinals. The Chargers were a -500 favourite heading into the matchup, but that meant nothing as they went on to lose 26-14. The Los Angeles Chargers looked pretty awful in their week 1 opener, with a lot of defensive mistakes and no offense clicking. Justin Herbert went just 17/27, throwing for 209 YDS with 1 TD and 1 INT, while being sacked 3 times. RB1, Omarion Hampton had 12 carries, but for just 43 yards, although he had 1 TD. The Cardinals, on the other hand, looked like a completely different team compared to last season, with new starting QB Jacoby Brissett going 27/37 for 277 YDS and 1 TD. The Cardinals' backfield of Tyler Allgeier and Rookie Jeremiyah Love split work evenly, with 17 and 11 carries, 61 and 41 yards, and Love with a TD. Trey McBride looked phenomenal with 9 receptions for 95 yards and a TD. All around, a great start for the Cardinals, looking much better than last year, and a terrible start for the Chargers, looking much worse than last year. The Cardinals face the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday at 1:25 PM, while the Chargers face the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday at 1:05 PM.
There were a few big injuries in opening week, most notably Kyler Murray, QB for the Minnesota Vikings, and Zay Flowers, star WR for the Baltimore Ravens. Kyler Murray left the game in the 1st quarter, after taking a hit from Green Bay Packers safety Javon Bullard while scrambling for a first down. This was his first start for the Vikings, after being acquired from the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason. Murray was apparently knocked unconscious during the play and was helped off the field and down the tunnel into the locker room. He was taken into concussion protocol and did not return to the game. Not a lot of details have been released about his injury, but head coach Kevin O’Connell said that he is participating in team meetings and prep for week 2, but whether he will play or not is not yet confirmed. All things considered, he most likely will sit out week 2, so Carson Wentz will start, with J.J. McCarthy acting as backup. For the Baltimore Ravens, WR1 Zay Flowers had a great start to the game, with 5 receptions for 150 yards and 1 TD, but left the game late in the 2nd quarter and did not return. It’s been confirmed as a hamstring injury, and Flowers is day-to-day as of now, but the results seem positive according to head coach Jesse Minter. Whether he will suit up for week 2 against the New Orleans Saints is uncertain, but he is not expected to miss a significant amount of time from the injury. The Dallas Cowboys lost a few key defensive pieces in their Sunday Night Primetime matchup against the New York Giants. In a 28-20 defeat, the Cowboys had LB DeMarvion Overshown and safety Malik Hooker. Overshown suffered a hamstring strain that took him out of the game, but according to head coach Brian Schottenheimer, it could only take 1-2 weeks to recover from. As for Malik Hooker, he suffered a fracture in his forearm and will undergo surgery immediately to repair the damage. Head coach Schottenheimer said the recovery period doesn’t sound too extensive for this injury, and they are hoping Hooker can be back in the next couple of weeks as well.
NHL
Connor Bedard has now been named the 37th Captain of the Chicago Blackhawks! At just 21 years old, the first overall pick from the 2023 draft is now the leader of an original 6 franchise. He sits behind only Blackhawks legend Jonathan Toews (20 years old) as the youngest captain in the franchise's 100-year history. A monumental achievement for the young North Vancouver native. Bedard said this in The Players’ Tribune, “ The best way that I can put in words here what it means to me to be named Blackhawks captain ... it might be to say there are no words. Honestly, when Kyle and Jeff brought me in to tell me the news, I could barely get a full sentence out. I was just so excited, and so honored…” Bedard has carried a lot of weight on his shoulders since joining the WHL at just 14 years old, after being granted exceptional player status. From captaining the Regina Pats to winning gold with Team Canada at the World Juniors, the 21-year-old has had the media spotlight on him his entire career. Bedard has been dealing with injuries as of late, trying to rehab his shoulder back to 100% health, but let’s hope this young star can come back and have a phenomenal season, now not just as a player for the Chicago Blackhawks, but as the leader and face of the franchise.
The New York Islanders have chosen Bo Horvat as their 16th Captain in Franchise history. Horvat will replace former Captain Anders Lee, who left the team this off-season after signing a 3-year contract with the Utah Mammoth. Lee spent 14 seasons with the Islanders, captaining them for 8 of those seasons. Horvat has been with the Islanders for 3 seasons now, after being traded from the Vancouver Canucks back in January of 2023. Before being sent over, Horvat captained the Canucks for 3 seasons, so he has no shortage of leadership experience. After 12 seasons in the league, Horvat’s veteran experience was ultimately more enticing to the Islanders than naming the up-and-coming star Matthew Schaefer as Captain. Although Schaefer will without a doubt wear a letter at some point for the franchise, he’s not quite there yet. Ryan Pulock and Kyle Palmieri will wear the A’s for the Islanders this season.
Martin St. Louis, the former player and now Head Coach of the Montreal Canadiens, has signed a multi-year extension to stay behind the bench. A 3-year deal that will extend him as Head Coach through to the 2029-2030 season. The financial aspect of the contract has not been publicly disclosed yet. St. Louis led the Montreal Canadiens, with one of the youngest rosters in the league, all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they ended up losing to the Carolina Hurricanes, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. Exciting times in Montreal, as it seems they are just getting started for the years to come.
MLB
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finally ended his long drought at the Rogers Centre. Vladdy had not had a home run all season at the Blue Jays' home field, the Rogers Centre, until September 13th, when he hit a long bomb in the fifth inning against the Baltimore Orioles. The home run finally came in the Jays’ 150th game of the season, marking Vladdy’s 9th homer of the year. It’s been a slow season for Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays, after falling just 1 win short of the World Series last year against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They are currently 75-77, sitting 2 games back of the last AL Wild Card spot, battling it out with the Cleveland Guardians. The Texas Rangers are tied with the Blue Jays, sitting at just 2 GB, and the Baltimore Orioles are 3 games back. The Detroit Tigers are still in the mix too, sitting 4.5 games behind the last Wild Card spot. The Blue Jays and Tigers are in the midst of a 3-game series at the Rogers Centre currently, and the Tigers got the best of the Jays in games 1 and 2, winning 6-5 and a whopping 10-1. Both teams are in must-win scenarios if they want to make a playoff push, so let’s hope the Jays can turn it around in the last game. Toronto is in Texas for a 3 game series against the Rangers after they wrap up this series with the Tigers.
