Mike Ditka, the former Chicago Bears coach who led the team to a Super Bowl win and became a Chicago legend in the process, has died. He was 86.

One of Chicago’s oldest rivalries is back this Sunday as the Bears face off against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. It’s their first meeting since a nail-biting playoff game last season.

The new Ryan Field is the most expensive college football stadium ever. It’s an $870 million development featuring closer seats, classic Chicago food and new game-day festivities.

Despite gray skies and rain at today’s game, the message among fans — at least before the game’s brutal end — was clear: this is a team on the upswing.

Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson said last month that winning the Super Bowl isn’t enough for him. He wants to have the highest-scoring offense in NFL history.

Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards and two more scores as the Chicago Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers 59-37 on Sunday.

The Chicago Bears will play their first game of the 2026-2027 NFL season this Sunday against the Panthers in Charlotte. The game marks the beginning of head coach Ben Johnson’s sophomore campaign after he led the Bears to an 11-6 record last season.

For Chicago State University, the first game will be about more than football. The university is hoping the new program can help build a new sports identity on Chicago’s South Side.

Chicago Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said that “at this time,” the team remains focused solely on potential sites in Hammond, Indiana as they continue working to finalize plans for a new stadium.

“(The Bears) haven’t said, ‘OK, we’re done. We don’t want to talk anymore, we don’t want to hear from you, we are moving to Indiana,’” state Rep. Dan Ugaste (R-Geneva) said. “There’s at least one site we know they’re very interested in, in Illinois, and that’s Arlington Heights.”

The Chicago Bears will build their next stadium in Hammond, Indiana — maybe. The team made the announcement Friday after years of negotiations with Illinois state lawmakers over a deal to build a stadium in either Arlington Heights or on the Chicago lakefront.

In a statement from Bears Chairman George McCaskey posted Friday afternoon, the team confirmed they will be heading to Hammond, Indiana, with an exact site still to be determined.

On the standard cover, Williams is depicted in a body position similar to his pivotal, scrambling, fourth-and-8 jump pass to Rome Odunze in a stirring comeback victory over Green Bay in a wild card playoff game on Jan. 10.

Despite a Hail Mary heave from the Illinois Senate in the final hours of the spring legislative session, state lawmakers ultimately failed to reach the end zone on a bill incentivizing the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium in Illinois.

The Chicago Bears dropped their schedule reveal video featuring Rome Odunze showing off some artistic flair. WTTW News was there for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the video.

With seven total picks, including four in the top 89, a major roster shakeup, and quarterback Caleb Williams entering his third season, the front office is under pressure to deliver immediate impact talent.