Bears Playmaker ‘Hoping I Don’t Get Fined’ After Questionable Penalty vs. Saints
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Kyler Gordon of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears selected Kyler Gordon with the 39th overall pick in the 2022 draft, and he has become an invaluable member of their secondary in the years since.
The slot cornerback’s 2025 season has been delayed slightly, as he missed the first four games with a hamstring injury. He returned Week 6, and his presence has given a definite jolt to the entire defense.
Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints, he played lights out, finishing with four total tackles (one for loss), a QB hit and his first sack of the year.
Late in the second quarter of that October 19 matchup, Gordon was flagged for unnecessary roughness after a jarring hit on running back Alvin Kamara — a call that drew immediate frustration from Gordon and the entire Bears’ sideline. The play wiped out what would’ve been a key third-down stop, and drawing the flag was something that stayed with Gordon after the final whistle blew.
Kyler Gordon on Unnecessary Roughness Penalty vs. Saints: ‘Hoping I Don’t Get Fined’
GettyCB Kyler Gordon of the Chicago Bears hopes he doesn’t get fined for his unnecessary roughness penalty called against him Week 7 vs. the Saints.
“Gordon was still in disbelief after the game,” Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune wrote on October 20. “He clearly hit Kamara on the shoulder. Gordon’s left hand contacted the helmet when Kamara was going to the turf, but it sure didn’t look worthy of a penalty. Fortunately for the Bears, the Saints drive quickly stalled out after the penalty.”
“Blew him up,” Gordon said about the play, via Biggs. “Did my job and they didn’t like it. I don’t know what to say. You can review the film and I’m hoping I don’t get fined. I’m not trying to get fined. I think I did the right thing. We’ll review it.”
If anything, the Bears should ask the league to review the play, as it sure looked like Gordon did everything right only to get penalized for it.
Bears Defense Looking Dominant in Recent Weeks
Gordon’s return to the lineup has undeniably given Dennis Allen’s defense a ton of juice. In their win over the Saints, the Bears held Kamara and company to just 44 rushing yards, their lowest total of the year by far.
Chicago’s defense had nine takeaways over its first four games. The unit has forced seven turnovers over the last two games since Gordon returned to the lineup. With Gordon in the mix, Chicago can mix up looks, blitz more frequently and trust the secondary to hold its own.
Gordon’s return also carries a broader ripple effect — the defense has more options. They can stay in nickel without sacrificing coverage quality. They can shuffle Gordon between slot and outside. Pressure packages become more feasible because the secondary isn’t having to double-up on every dangerous receiver. That flexibility is exactly what Allen covets.
Return of LB T.J. Edwards Has Also Given Bears Defense a Boost
The return of linebacker T.J. Edwards has been just as impactful.
Edwards stepping back into the middle of the field means the defense isn’t just better on the edge and in the secondary — they’re stronger in the second level too. His run-stuffing prowess is a huge reason the team’s defense played so well against Kamara and the Saints.
Taken together, Gordon and Edwards both returning gives the Bears’ defense a far better shot at being more than just average. Weeks 6 and 7 offered a glimpse of what this unit can be. If this continues — if Gordon remains healthy and Allen keeps calling the aggressive stuff — the Bears will be a genuine menace on that side of the ball.
Former Steelers QB slams regrettable George Pickens trade
The Pittsburgh Steelers lack a quality No. 2 receiver, so it's easy to see why a former QB slammed the regrettable George Pickens trade.
The good news is the Pittsburgh Steelers don't need to sign George Pickens, since they traded him to the Cowboys. That's a move that made Dak Prescott happy. However, a former Steelers quarterback slammed his team for the regrettable trade of the star receiver.
Think about it. The Steelers could have been rolling along this season with D.K. Metcalf and Pickens. Instead, they have Metcalf, but nobody to support him on the other side.
So it’s easy to see why Charlie Batch is up in arms, according to a post on YouTube by the Up & Adams Show.
“They paired George Pickens up with arguably the worst coordinator [Matt Canada] in the history of the NFL,” Batch said. “And I’m not throwing shade. The numbers are what they are. So [Pickens] lost more games in Pittsburgh than he ever lost in his career. And he had a bad rap, and he didn’t know how to lose. And I’m okay with that.
“… Now you’re seeing him showcase in an offense that are now throwing the football around on what his skills are. Ultimately, he’s going to get a huge contract, whether that’s in Dallas or somewhere else, because this guy can flat-out play.”
Are Steelers missing WR George Pickens?
They do have a useless third-round pick, as far as this season goes. And they have a quarterback in Aaron Rodgers who’s already well past his prime. He will be another year older for whoever the Steelers bring in at the wide receiver position in 2026 — if he doesn’t retire.
The Steelers bungled the decision to trade Pickens. Some of it had to do with him clashing with Mike Tomlin. But here’s the reality, according to ESPN.
“Pickens is the sixth receiver in the Mike Tomlin era to be drafted by Pittsburgh and eventually traded to another team,” Brooke Pryor wrote. “Five of those players — Pickens, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, Martavis Bryant, and Brown — were dealt in part because of concerns involving their conduct. But Pickens had other issues than money.
“I think every team seems to have one or two guys in that room that you have to manage them correctly,” Steelers owner Art Rooney II said in January. “I still think George has enough talent that we've got to try to work and see if we can get him to fulfill the talent that he really has. Who knows if we can get there? We'll see. But when you have guys that are as talented as some of the guys you're probably thinking of, you try to work with them and have them help you be successful.”
But the Steelers didn’t wait. And so far, there have been zero problems in Dallas. So maybe the issue was Tomlin, not Pickens?
“I can't really change anyone's opinion,” Pickens said of outside perceptions during his introductory news conference call in Dallas. “Me, personally, I just continue to grow. I feel like everybody in the world has to grow. You get older and older as you grow, and I'm just trying to build a winning culture, which they already have at the Cowboys. I'm just glad to be joining it.”
All of those numbers where the Steelers trade a guy and he flops elsewhere are already out the window with Pickens. He’s on pace for 1,475 yards and 15 touchdowns. The touchdown total would be triple his previous career high with the Steelers. And his yardage total would beat his career high by 335 yards.
Yeah, not good, Steelers.
Chicago Bulls predicted to have All-Star after surprising upset win
The Chicago Bulls had an unenviable opening matchup: the Detroit Pistons without Coby White. Yet, Chicago pulled out a win and surprised everyone. They looked pretty great in doing so. In fact, the team looked so good that one insider is ready to say that this team will have an All-Star this year, and it’s not even clear which player that will be.
Chicago Bulls could have multiple All-Star-level players this season
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The natural All-Star candidate is second-year forward Matas Buzelis. He has limitless potential and started to really look good in preseason. That, plus the unknown factor of Buzelis, meant that he was a likely All-Star candidate, and through one game, that’s been the case. However,
“Even without Coby White, the Bulls opened their season with a 115-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday. And three different players were a big part of the upset,” Bailey wrote. “Buzelis had 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting and blocked three shots for good measure. Two-time All-Star Nikola Vučević had 28 points and 14 boards.”
Everyone looked pretty great, but the combination of a hot finish to 2024-25 and a really solid opening night suggests that one player is the most likely to get an All-Star nod. “But the likeliest All-Star might be Josh Giddey, who closed his 2024-25 averaging 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 9.6 assists over his last 18 games and had 19 points and 11 assists on Wednesday,” Bailey continued. “If he keeps stacking up lines like that, and the Bulls are around .500 when All-Star picks are made, he could sneak in.”
Regardless, the fact that Chicago won without White, who could also generate All-Star buzz himself, is impressive. Doing it in such a manner that it’s not clear who the best player on the team will be this season is an even bigger win, and it suggests that all the talk of another mediocre season in the windy city may be totally overblown. For at least one night, things are really looking up for the Bulls, which has been a long time coming.
