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Can the Bears make a big addition this offseason? | Chicago Sports Tonight
ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers joined Tina Nguyen & Cassie Carlson on a Super Bowl Sunday edition of CST. The panel looks ahead to the Bears offseason and weighs who is a more likely acquisition target, Trey Hendrickson or Maxx Crosby? They recap the Bulls trade deadline; should this current regime get another chance to build? Also, Jesse gives his thoughts on the Cubs and White Sox as the teams get ready to report to Spring Training this week. Are the Cubs title contenders and who will be the opening day starter? Plus, how much impact will Munetaka Murakami have on the White Sox lineup and what are some realistic goals for the team as they build off the 2025 season.
It was a suffocating performance.
The Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 to win Super Bowl LX behind a defense that held a clutch Patriots offense and scored points of its own.
The Patriots will be a contender for years to come with Drake Maye, Mike Vrabel and a stout defense of their own. But, it’s not their time.
It’s Seattle’s time.
Here are our takeaways from Super Bowl LX, where defense wins championships and an experienced quarterback won the day.
Defense wins championships
Chicagoans don’t really need to learn this lesson. The Bears’ defense in Super Bowl XX was historically good.
On Sunday, Seattle was historically good. At one point, the Patriots had more punts (eight) than completed passes (seven).
Even when the Patriots found some rhythm in the fourth quarter, Westchester, Illinois, native and Nazareth Academy alum Julian Love made them pay. A fourth-quarter interception helped stymie that rhythm and pushed the lead to 15 with 5:30 left in the game.
With 4:27 left in the game, Uchenna Nwosu’s pick-six sealed the win.
In all, it was a lesson.
Defense wins championships. With eight tackles for loss, seven sacks and three turnovers, the Seahawks stymied an offense that found ways to win.
It’s a lesson for teams that want to be contenders. You need to be able to force turnovers to win games. Nwosu is a player who exemplifies what teams need from a defensive line.
Seahawks win Super Bowl, defeat Patriots 29-13
Seattle took control of the game and never looked back, shutting down New England to secure the championship.
Nwosu had seven sacks in 2025. In Super Bowl LX, he had the decisive pick-six and a quarterback hit.
In Chicago, the Bears don't have to worry about turnovers. They forced the most turnovers in the league in 2025. If they can sustain that production, they’ll have a chance to win games.
The deeper lesson from the Seahawks' Super Bowl win is to fortify the defensive line. The Bears have an offseason to add to the defensive trenches.
With a defensive front that can stall the run and pressure the quarterback, the turnovers come with it.
QB experience is everything
Sam Darnold is on his fifth NFL team in his eighth season.
In season No. 8, his first with Seattle, Darnold led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win.
It’s a lesson for quarterback development. Darnold hit his stride in the NFL once he had a chance to sit back and learn. He went from Carolina to San Francisco, and then he led Minnesota to 14 wins. Once he was able to work with coaches like Kevin O’Connell and Kyle Shanahan.
Darnold is the first quarterback in the NFL to win a Super Bowl after playing with five teams or more. The experiences parlayed into a Super Bowl title.
Darnold is also the first USC quarterback to win a Super Bowl, until another USC quarterback can win a Super Bowl title. The Bears have a USC quarterback, too.
Year 2 of Caleb Williams set a franchise record with passing yards. Imagine what Williams can do in Year eight in the NFL?
The Bears need to continue trusting Ben Johnson and his plan to develop Williams. It could pay dividends in the future for a Bears team that was a play or two away from playing in the NFC Championship.
SANTA CLARA, CA - FEBRUARY 08: Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) gets away from New England Patriots defensive end Milton Williams (97) during the Seattle Seahawks versus the New England Patriots Super Bowl LX game on February 8, …
Skill players can change the game
Kenneth Walker won the Super Bowl MVP.
That’s the first running back to win the Super Bowl MVP since 1998, when Terrell Davis won the honor after Super Bowl XXXII.
Walker finished with 135 rushing yards and averaged five yards per carry. It was a signal that having one of the best skill players in the game can lead you to one to a Super Bowl title.
The Bears have D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai at running back. Those two were the tip of the spear in the Bears’ rushing attack that finished No. 3 overall in the NFL.
Investing in these skill players, or the skill players of the future, could pay dividends as soon as next season.
Local ties celebrate a Super Bowl title
Seven players with ties to Illinois played in Super Bowl LX.
Four of those players were Seahawks, and they took home rings.
Two of them were former Notre Dame players. Rylie Mills and Julian Love both made big plays Sunday, and they won rings.
Hoffman Estates native Eric Saubert, the Seahawks tight end, also won a ring.
With Weatherspoon’s win on Sunday, an Illini player has won a Super Bowl ring in four straight seasons, the second-longest streak in program history. Illinois players previously won Super Bowl rings in eight straight seasons from 2003 to 10.
Witherspoon joins Nick Allegretti (LVII, LVIII) and Sydney Brown (LIX) as former Illini who have won Super Bowls in the last four years.