Bears Make a STATEMENT! Simmons Dominates Debut, NFC Playoff Race Heats Up

Vibes, energy, immaculate for Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears. What a statement victory. And ass kicking. Sheer domination. The Chicago Bears are a legit Super Bowl favorite. Okay, last one here. All right. Tied for the team leading tackles with six He had a sack. We'll be right back. Welcome to the Bears. I'm so happy to be a Chicago Bear. Woo! You're always going to be about us, man. Like I said, I'm happy to be here. Chicago, man, it's... We're just beginning, bro. You better bet Vibes, energy, immaculate for Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears. What a statement victory and ass kicking, sheer domination. The Chicago Bears are a legit Super Bowl favorite. And what did we say the second they traded for Jeffrey Simmons? This was a Super Bowl trade, a Super Bowl move. If you had doubts, do you believe me now? When I say statement win, the statement is, it's very easy to look into the crystal ball and see the Chicago Bears and Jeffrey Simmons and Caleb Williams hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. That was awesome. That was everything. The Chicago Bears marched into Seattle against the champs. A team that one week before destroyed, humbled, humiliated Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelsey, Kenneth Walker, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs, crunched them, suffocated them, and the Bears He smothered the Seahawks, the defending champs, in the toughest place to play. That was everything. Look at Jeffrey Simmons take over a game. This cat is unbelievable. This is why we had to go to the All-22 film on Jeffrey Simmons. And here's the beauty on Simmons. He makes everybody else better. This is exactly what we said. Jeffrey Simmons is the best defensive player in the NFL this year. Nobody's paying attention to it, because he was languishing for the irrelevant Tennessee Titans. Now he is a beast unleashed on the national stage, playing in a major market on a team that could win a Super Bowl. Look at these numbers. This is exactly what Ben Johnson was just talking about. In his post-game news conference and in the locker room after the game. Right from the jump, you saw in the opening drive for Seattle, a sack. Then he has a tackle for loss. These numbers, just unreal. And then Montez Sweat is able to rock and roll because all the attention's on Simmons. Simmons and Sweat basically living in the backfield for the Seattle Seahawks all night long. Sam Darnold couldn't function. The run game couldn't get going. The offensive line was just picked up Quenton Nelson, by the way, completely overmatched by the genius and domination of Jeffrey Simmons and the Chicago Bears. This was... A phenomenal win. This was a difference-making win in terms of changing the math and the equation on how maybe people who didn't know would view the Chicago Bears. We said last week this was a Super Bowl trade. And we said we love Chicago preseason. Oh, the Bears are going to take a step back. Nonsense! We don't have Caleb Williams in his prime year two with Ben Johnson, year three in the NFL. It's go time! And look at these numbers. I want you to stare at this here. First quarterback in Bears history to lead his team with 30 or more points, zero turnovers in three straight games. All coming back off an injury. Look at these numbers. 3-0, 32 points per game. Completing. 74% of his passes, four touchdowns, zero interceptions. Caleb Williams is a superstar. This is who he is. And by the way, it wouldn't matter if he was playing against the worst teams in the NFL. These three games, coming back since the injury. We're talking about a road game against a really good Falcons defense. We are talking about a game on national TV against the New England Patriots and Mike Vrabel coach team. And then in Seattle, against a loaded defense, a Mike McDonald defense, where you have to deal with crowd noise, the 12th man, toughest place in the league to play, this is unreal. How about the way Caleb Williams just started that game, that opening drive, 17 plays, 80 yards, that was absolutely incredible. Eight minutes, 32 seconds off the clock. How about the only moment that was difficult from a Bears perspective last night? Loveland with the fumble. Seattle is able to score. They cut it to three. Never in a million years did I think they were actually going to win the game. Ebb and flow. Chicago just crunched them. And man, I just love after they cut it to three. Caleb Williams just went to work. He had that flip to Kalif Raymond. 39 yards. Set up DeAndre Swift in his third touchdown of the game. Listen. Burden's a stud. Luther Burden's unbelievable. Roma Dunze was great last night. Loveland had that fumble. He was unstoppable last night. Swift runs the ball effectively. You look at it, it's just incredible and inspiring to watch. So the Chicago Bears, to me, are a co-favorite, if not the favorite in the NFC to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. Chicago, San Francisco, San Francisco, Chicago, they're the two best teams. I don't want to hear about anyone or anything else. There's no doubt about it here that the Bears and Jeffrey Simmons are a Super Bowl team. They have every element, including the star quarterback that you want. And if you can ultimately... Be this kind of team, and you can ultimately, and I don't care that Minnesota has the better record. We've talked about this. This is not an overreaction. This is not an overreaction Tuesday. The Bears are better than the Minnesota Vikings. We have said this. We've talked about it. I have the Vikings making the playoffs. I said it before the season started. And actually, they have outkicked my expectations, and they can play even better if they get anything on offense. But you look at this. Who's beating Chicago? Who's beating Chicago? That's the way we need to frame this discussion. And I think when it's all said and done, they're going to get up to the one or the two line when you start talking about the NFC Conference standings. And that changes everything. No one's going to want to come to Chicago in the first round or the second round of the playoffs if they get the one seed, which is possible. I mean, it's really ridiculously amazing. So if you're asking me to predict the NFC winner right now, it's Chicago number one and it's San Francisco number two. And then you draw a line and you have the conversation about everything else. By the way, take a look at the NFC North standings. If the season ended today, it doesn't, all four teams make the playoffs, which is kind of crazy and kind of wild here when you take a look at it. All four teams would make the playoffs. Now, I still think the Rams are in a great position. And Miles Garrett, Sean McVay announced in the press yesterday, is coming back to practice this week. And I still think that is a huge deal. And I'm going to tell you right here, right now. I think the Rams, and they have Green Bay on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I think the Rams are going to make the playoffs. In fact, it's crazy when you look at the NFC West standing. The Rams and the Seahawks are tied, which is wild. Because the feel is totally different around these teams, right? Rams with all these bad losses. And I can't believe this happened and that happened and the Arizona game. You know, you take a look at all these bad losses and the Denver collapse and, you know, the Buffalo game and all the special teams fumbles. Rams are back, and I feel better about the Rams than I do the Seattle Seahawks. And I feel better about the Rams at 4-4 than I do the Green Bay Packers at 5-3 or the Detroit Lions. So I think the Rams will make the playoffs here, okay? I think at 4-4 they make the playoffs. I am not taking the cheese on the Cheeseheads. I still don't think the Green Bay Packers make the playoffs. Monster game. I think it's the game of the week in the NFL. There's so much riding on the balance, AFC, NFC, with the Packers and the Patriots, NFL on Fox. That's the Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Aaron Andrews, and all of these specials coming up this week. That's going to be unbelievable. I'm still not taking the cheese on the Lions either. But I think the Rams are actually in a terrific position. I feel like the Rams win last night, Rams win on Sunday in conjunction with the Seahawks loss last night, with the news that Miles Garrett's coming back. Terrific. I mean, no margin for error, also no excuse. Rams have to make a run in the playoffs to the Super Bowl. In fact, if I'm ranking teams that could ultimately go to the Super Bowl out of the NFC, here's my ranking. Number one is Chicago, number two is San Francisco, number three the LA Rams. That's where I'm at right now when you start looking into the crystal ball. There's not a current power ranking. This is moving it forward. And prognostication when it comes to the NFC playoff picture. So I thought last night, I thought week eight in general was a big week for the LA Rams. Meanwhile, the Giants find themselves right in the thick of the NFC playoff picture. So does that make them buyers in the trade market? What does head coach John Harbaugh have to say about all this? Why? Because you're turning over every stone, you know, gonna, gonna try everything. I mean, I just, I'll put it out there, man. We're open for any call. Anybody wants to call us or call anybody? Call, you know, is there a song? There's a song like that. Call me. Is it like, who sings that? Well, that's one. That's from our generation. I'm thinking of a newer one now. I'll be leading. I'll be leading. Yeah, that's what I'm thinking of. Yeah, that's what I'm thinking of. That's what I'm here for. Let's put that out there. Put that out there. You know, it was kind of like fun to see the outpouring of interest in that. I enjoyed it. We're not like, we're not part of any secret society oath. That says you can only talk to somebody. We're not in that. We didn't get memoed on that, we're not in that agreement. So like I said, anybody can call us. We won't be adhering to that particular agreement. I'm obsessed with that soundbite. John Harbaugh going full Carly Rae Jepsen. Hey, I just met you. This is crazy. Here's my number. Call me maybe. I'm obsessed! I can tell right from the jump it wasn't talking about Blondie. That's Carly Rae Jepsen, baby! Let's go! And I love it. And if you're a Giants fan watching it like every single time the Giants play and Harbaugh's on the sideline or when he's at a post-game news conference or talking to the team, you want to run through a wall if you're a Giants fan. Hell yeah! He called the Tennessee Titans owner. And our good friend, the great Jonathan Jones from The Athletic, broke that story on Saturday. And it's awesome because Joe Shane can make calls and he can call the GM for the Tennessee Titans. John Harbaugh picks up the phone. It's his name, it's his team, it's his show. And I love that. And it shows the mentality. He had that press conference yesterday with a purpose. Basically telling the Indianapolis Colts, Hey, pull the Carly Rae Jepsen. Call me. Maybe. Let's do a deal for Jonathan Taylor. How would you like to see if you're a Giants fan, Jonathan Taylor in a Giants uniform? And honestly, I would pay the premium if I'm John Harbaugh and Joe Shane, because... It's about 2026, sure, and you want to make the playoffs, and you want, if you're ownership, a home playoff game, and you want to reward your long-suffering fans who have had to watch not only a bad football team, just an eyesore of a football team, an aesthetically unappealing football team, when you look at this football team and the New York football giants and how bad they've been to the eye, and they're not sexy in any way, shape, or form. So, listen. Not only have the Giants been bad, they've just been aesthetically atrocious for a long period of time. Jonathan Taylor would give them sex appeal. Here's JT bringing sexy back. I think that would be amazing for the Giants this year and for 2027 and for 2028. And Jonathan Taylor, that's a marquee guy. He's a future Hall of Famer, one of the best running backs in the NFL. And according to our friend Adam Schefter, the Colts want the Christian McCaffrey package. A two, a three, a four, a five. Would I do that for Jonathan Taylor? Hell yeah, I would. Absolutely, I would. And I think they should. And I think Jonathan Taylor, who grew up in Jersey, would be amazing. And I still think there's a real shot in the Giants' trade for Jonathan Taylor. Because John Harbaugh, with a purpose, did the whole Carly Rae Jepsen press conference yesterday because he absolutely, at the end of the day, and I firmly believe this, he wants Jonathan Taylor because that's a Harbaugh guy. That's someone that ownership can appreciate. I interview Jonathan Taylor all the time. He's super smart. He's got a future in broadcasting. He's great in the community, and he's a Hall of Fame running back in his prime. So you make that trade. Now, if they can't get Jonathan Taylor, it's pretty crystal clear the Giants doing something, right? He has that press conference with a point and purpose. So they already made a great trade for J.J. McCarthy, but they have a golden opportunity to make the playoffs. And that helps set the tone and the tempo for the future for the Giants. I think that Jonathan Taylor, if there's a real shot, he's going to be a giant. If not, who else could they get? Derrick Henry. And I think the educated guess on Henry is he stays in Baltimore. I firmly believe that. I think he stays in Baltimore, and I think he's the Ravens' running back for next season. The Ravens are done this year, and not only did they lose Lamar, they lost Snoop, and they play on Thursday, so they're going to be four and five before the trade deadline ultimately is next Tuesday. So I think that when it's all said and done, if you are the Baltimore Ravens, you have to ask yourself, do you want Derrick Henry as your running back, do you want that salary on your books for next year? If the answer is no, and if... The Colts don't want to trade Jonathan Taylor or don't want to trade him to the Giants. Minnesota offers him a first-round pick. Yeah, I think at the end of the day that Derrick Henry to the Giants makes sense. Credit to Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk, who was the first one who ultimately had that concept and that idea. I don't think it's likely, but I think it's worthy of conversation based upon the Henry Harbaugh history and if plan A doesn't happen with, obviously, Taylor and the New York Football Giants. I'll give you plan C, Breece Hall. And before anyone says, well, how can the Jets and Giants get together on a trade? Well, Leonard Williams and that happened. And it made sense for both teams. And by the way, Leonard Williams is now phenomenal playing for the Seahawks, just won the championship. So. Yeah. Can the Jets and Giants get together on a trade? Why not? I also am of the opinion that Brees Hall is fabulous. I think he's a fantastic, versatile running back who would be great for a Harbaugh. He can run the ball in a physical and slippery style and he catches it out of the backfield. He is also, and I think this is a different topic for conversation, but it coincides nicely with the potential of a trade. He might just be the second best running back on the Jets. Braylon Allen has been terrific. Now, the conundrum for the Jets, of course, is Aaron Glenn is the ex-coach of the Jets. Not officially, but he will be fired. So I would kind of love to know, if I'm the Jets, right, who's making the decision on the running back before you start trading, you know, Brees Hall to the rival Giants. By the way, I think the Jets and Giants, it's absolutely kosher and fair game for them to get together on a trade. It's worse to do it in the division. That's, I mean. You rarely see these kind of big-name divisional trades. That's more taboo. You've got to play the guy twice a year. Jets, Giants, I don't even think at this stage it matters. I don't think it's likely, but when Harbaugh has that kind of press conference, you know they want to do something, whether it's trading for a thumper on defense, whether it's trading for a big-time running back. Listen. We're showing you these pictures of the players in the Giants uniforms with a purpose. I think Jonathan Taylor is still the best bet. I think Derrick Henry, if and when the Ravens lose on Thursday, they don't have a quarterback in Jacksonville. If the Ravens decide, and there's a lot of ifs here. If the Ravens decide that they don't want to be in the Derrick Henry business and be on the hook for what the money will be for next year, then I think it makes a lot of sense. Brees Hall. There's logic here. So I love John Harbaugh's press conference. I love him going full Carly Rae Jepsen, obsessed with what he did talking to the press yesterday. Sorry to follow up on the question about the wine, but what happened there when you crashed into the fan? I spilled some of his wine. I crashed into him and spilled some of his wine. So I wanted to see if it was worth it on my arm, and how good it was. It was all right. When you're winning, you can drink on the job. Why not? Listen, here's the beauty of what's going on with the Philadelphia 76ers. And when I tell you this, I want you to do me a favor. I want you to keep this between us. I will never admit that I said this. This Sixers team is likable. If I didn't hate them, I'd love them. The Philadelphia 76ers are a beautiful basketball machine. They play the game the right way. They share the basketball. They're drinking wine. LeBron is in the middle of a game. And they can do it because they're winning. When you win, you can do anything. Even Joel Embiid has fit in. Did you see the numbers for this team last night? I mean, this is a five-star Philly special. Because you have five stars. And what do you know? Look who the leading scorer was again. Tyrese Maxey, one of my favorite players in all of sports. He's the team leader. He's the engine that makes this whole thing go. Tyrese Maxey, 26 points, absolutely sensational, distributing as well, 11 assists. He is the best player on the Philadelphia 76ers, which speaks volumes considering other players on the Philadelphia 76ers. Jalen Brown, phenomenal last night. Champion. Former Finals MVP. All-Star. I thought he should have gotten more cred for MVP last year. Still can't believe Brad Stevens traded him to Philly. 25 points, 11 rebounds. Look at the line for LeBron last night. Forget about the drinking of the wine, because that takes away from it. James was magnificent. 15, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, just incredible stuff. I'm obsessed with VJ Edgecomb. Loved him in college. Raved about him last year in the draft process. Raved about him in Philly his rookie season. And he fits in like a glove. He plays amazing defense. 21 points last night. He's so smart. He's so calculated. And then you have Joel Embiid. And listen, I am. Not an Embiid fan in isolation, I was completely correct on my take that they would never win big with Joel Embiid, never get out of the second round because Joel Embiid is not a winning ballplayer. And Embiid had a choice! Either embrace this and fit in, or... fit out and he's fitting in and he was even a game-time decision last night with an injury so the numbers on the screen he was absolutely dominant last night and Joel Embiid has become for this group a complementary star so what's not to love here we said the Sixers are going to get off to a great start because LeBron is you know obviously not only an all-timer he's still at the Top of his game. And he understands how to take over a game even when he doesn't score. The team goes through Maxey. Jalen Brown just wants to win. Embiid, even for someone like me, as I've always crushed him, deserves credit for being able to see the forest through the trees. It's kind of remarkable. And it's not a fluke. And in a lot of ways, because, you know. It doesn't even matter that there's one basketball for five superstars. The team chemistry is great. It's only going to get better. Everyone in the East, everyone in the NBA should be on notice. The Philadelphia 76ers are clearly the best team in the NBA. And I don't even know how it's up for discussion to the defending champs now, where OG and the Knicks took on the little bro, the Nets, at the Garden last night. All right, out to Ananobi, puts it up, puts it in, and the Knicks regain the lead, timeout Brooklyn. Yeah, I mean, this is just three guarantees in life, death, taxes, and the Knicks do the next, because... The Nets aren't in the same league. I mean, they're not in the same city. You know, the Nets... I don't get fired up about Knicks Nets, right? Knicks Celtics? Sure! Knicks Sixers? Absolutely! Knicks Pacers? Count me in! Knicks Nets? Knicks won, Brunson's great, Hart's great, OG's great, Bridges still can't shoot, Colen's making passes, and that'll do it for our coverage of the Knicks in the night. Out West, it's all Luka all the time. I told you he's going to win the MVP. It's Luka Doncic's world, and we're all living in it. As they're saying, only Wilt and MJ, you have Luka, Livin, LaVita, Luka. Take a look at these stats. I want you to look at this, because I told you before the season, Dontich was my pick for the MVP. Look at the numbers from last night. 42 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists, 14 of 24 from the field. That is his fourth 40-point game of the season. His fifth straight game scoring 20 or more points in the first half. This is not a misprint. He is averaging 39 points per game. Game. Last five, he's averaging 43 while shooting. 53% from the field, 45% from three, 89% from the line. This is unbelievable. He is a machine, and this is not a fluke. This is not an accident. And I want to kind of combine a couple of things here, right? Because I said this in real time on Shine Time, and I know you heard it, and I know you saw it, because I saw all the comments on YouTube, and I saw all the comments on Instagram. LeBron going to the Sixers was unbelievable. That would make the Philadelphia 76ers a real championship team. And it did. It was the icing on the cake after they traded for Jalen Brown and everything we just talked about. Next sentence. The Lakers would be better this year than last year. And that's not LeBron's shade. This is Luka Doncic's team. And Luka being on a heater without LeBron is not surprising, a coincidence, or an accident. Rob Pelinka building a team in the offseason brilliantly from Kessler to Grimes to everyone in between. Watching Austin Reeves do his thing. This is not an accident. Give Doncic credit. He's lost weight. He's a willing defender. The offense and the zone he's in right now, I'm pasting the heat last night. This is an all-time heater. It's also not a fluke or a surprise. He has the ability to sustain throughout the course of a season. This is under the umbrella for me, and we said it, of as expected. Luka Doncic is going to win the most prestigious single season honor of being the MVP. And the Lakers are going to be in contention to win the Western Conference. And we can talk about injuries in OKC and injuries in Minnesota. And the Lakers are genuinely great. And we said they would be a top four seed before the season started. And honestly, take a look at this right now. And you've got some teams in front that are overachieving. And obviously, we haven't even hit Thanksgiving yet. Or, you know, oftentimes you say you don't really check the standings in the NBA and make judgments until Christmas. Well, spoiler alert for Santa. The Lakers are unbelievable and this is not a fluke in any way shape or form. Doncic is special. There was a plan in the offseason. Give the Lakers credit. I'm obsessed with Luka and the Lakers. How about the defending Western Conference champs? Wemby has a squad on a winning streak. Now a mismatch down low. Victor and Clark. Victor off the bench. How about the Spurs running their fifth straight game? Victor Wembanyama doing unbelievable things. Victor Wembanyama's reputation was in the tank, in the toilet, based upon what he did and just how cranky he was and arrogant and thug-esque in the way that he played against the Knicks and unlikable against OKC and then New York. Let's also not get it twisted. Wemby's a star. Wemby's a freak. And obviously with Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs are going to be a force in the West. If you were a 30-30, you got a chance to go play these boys in overtime. Let's freaking go. You know, sign me up. Ah, yes. Gardner Minshew is a national treasure. But, will he make his way into this week's Shines Guys? Here they are for Week 8 of the NFL. Shines Guys. Number 5, my guy Drake May. I want to seize the moment and give our guy Drake May some love. Listen, and I started him in DFS. And by the way, I'm in a big league. A lot of money. Weekly prizes. Season long prize. I'm in first place for season long. And I was in third place. Top three get money. 25 dudes in the league. And I won money because of these stats. By the way, forget the stats, though. With 199 passing yards, the Patriots only had three points in the first half. Drake May, without A.J. Brown, with injuries all over the field, dominated the second half of this game. So, I know it's Miami, and the Dolphins aren't any good. But they did win against the Jets the week before. It was a rainstorm, and Drake May played his best and threw beautiful passes, ran the ball effectively, kept plays alive. I want to give Drake May some love. The stats? Really good. This is beyond the box score. People think I hate the Patriots. I don't hate the Patriots. I just don't think they're a truly great team. Drake May, my guy, number five. Number four, my guy, Jameer Gibbs. Now, this, in terms of stats, is absolutely incredible and unbelievable. Jameer Gibbs is awesome, and the stats great, and also the way that he was able to have consistent, maintained greatness. Third game of the 150 more rushing yards this season. And he salted that game away for the Detroit Lions. You know, they punted the ball. The Vikings did to Detroit. Gibbs was able to just run the puppy out. Absolutely obsessed with my guy, Jameer Gibbs. Number three, my guy, Brock Bowers. We didn't even talk Raiders yesterday because we just focused on the fact that the Jets are inept. Brock Bowers is one of the most special players in the NFL. Look at these numbers. Look at the touchdowns. Look at the receiving yards. Look at the catches. 11th career game, and this is his second year in the league. 90 or more receiving yards, third year in the league, 90 more receiving yards. Second most by a tight end, 23 or younger. I mean, this cat is a freak. My guy, Brock Bowers. Number two, my guy, Joe Burrow. And I know he threw three interceptions, but forget about that. Six total touchdowns. Also, the Titans just destroyed the Cincinnati defense. And Joe Burrow didn't really have any balance with Chase Brown running the football. This was a historic day at the office. Joe Burrow, five touchdowns in the air, one on the ground, 450-plus passing yards, five or more passing touchdowns, one or more rushing touchdowns in a game. That's NFL history. We'll be right back. Van Bracklin. Oh, baby. That's great stuff. My guy, Joe Burrow. And my number one guy, my guy, Gardner Minshew. And you know who agrees with me? My guy, Mr. LaFleur. And I love what Matt LaFleur did. He benched Jacoby Brissett and made him third string because of the way my guy, Gardner Minshew, played. And listen, Gardner Minshew's not a sustained starting quarterback. He's fun. He's got swagger. He doesn't know what day it is. That's what makes him great. That's why you want him as your backup quarterback. And obviously, he's been successful in the league, Jacksonville, Indianapolis. You know, he's bounced around a little bit. He's, you know, certainly, he's a different cat. He's a swashbuckler. Yeah, I was always going to let him sling at the Trey McBride and Wilson for the rest of the year. That's good stuff. Very happy for him. My guy. And he beats the Cowboys. He handed the Dallas Cowboys. Their worst home choke ever. First time ever in Dallas Cowboy history. They've been up 14 or more points, and they blew it at home. 14 or more points in the fourth quarter. My guy, Gardner Minshew. But wait, there's more. Left to Keyshawn Hall. Steps back. Fires a three. Knocks it down. This guy's still perfect. Six for six. Johnny's kicked off the 2026-2027 season with a win. My Syracuse Orange, Jerry McNamara, with a win last night. I love the start of the college basketball season. I love watching Duke and Florida, and I love watching UCLA last night and Texas. I'm always into November and the beginning of the college basketball season. And you asked for it, you got it. Our official college basketball Final Four predictions. I'm taking UConn to win the whole thing. They're plus 300 to go to the Final Four. Florida, plus 164. Todd Golden's team is loaded. I've got Duke. And I like Texas to make the Final Four. And you can get them at plus 475. That's the show. If you miss any portion of the show, just do what I do. We watch the show over and over again. Go to our new YouTube page at Shine Time. Make sure you subscribe to our page. And every piece of Shine Time content will go straight to your device. We'll see you tomorrow on Shine Time.