Dan Bernstein Unfiltered – Episode Summary

Episode: Chicago Bears - Must Win Game in Minnesota

Date: November 14, 2025
Host: Dan Bernstein
Producer/Co-host: Matt Abbatacola

Overview

This episode of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered is a lively, free-wheeling “Feedback Friday” show centered around the pivotal Chicago Bears game in Minnesota—a contest with major playoff implications. Dan and Matt blend smart Bears breakdowns, pop culture asides, and reader/listener feedback into a signature, irreverent episode, capped with their “Top 10 Vikings of All Time” (in every sense of the word). The show emphasizes community, deep Bears fandom, and the hosts’ unique brand of sharp, Chicago-style humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bears vs. Vikings: Playoff Stakes

• Playoff Leverage Explained:
  Dan introduces the concept of playoff leverage—how much a single game impacts postseason odds. For the Bears:
  • If the Bears win and go 7–3: Playoff chances rise to 66%
  • If they lose (drop to 6–4): Odds fall to 35%
  • “This is a 31% swing. Does that make this a playoff game?” – Dan (03:00)
• Must-Win Territory?:
  Matt agrees the divisional context adds gravity:
  “You go 0–3 in your division… Yeah, that's—I mean, that makes sense for sure.” (03:38)
• Segment Tone:
  Joking about podcast thumbnails and labeling it “must-win,” the hosts riff with ease, but the playoff math gives fans a concrete reason to care.

2. Feedback Friday: Listener Mailbag

• Getting “Chipped”:
  A listener named Joe responds to Chris Collinsworth’s “most chipped human being” comment (about T.J. Watt) with a hilarious personal anecdote:
  “After my son's mom and I… started dating a guy named Chip, to whom she has since gotten married. I’d like to throw my hat into the ring for getting chipped.” (07:44)
  The hosts riff on “Chip” references, including the movie Hitch.
• Personal Notes:
  Joe mentions being a Moody Bible alum and relates to the pod’s “rock bottom and rebuild” narrative. Dan gets heartfelt (09:30):
  “A lot of personal stuff... I appreciate it deeply and meaningfully. I do. I read everything… it really is appreciated.”
• Mental Health & Community:
  Dan and Matt encourage emails as a kind of catharsis and community:
  “If it helps, if it makes you feel better... Feel free to fire them away.” (11:00)
  Matt jokes he archives all the “negative ones” about himself.
• Hairline Hysteria:
  Matt mentions a comment about him potentially going bald:
  “Going bald is never gonna be a concern for me.” (11:45)
• Bears Season Vibe:
  Aaron from Galesburg nails the shift in Bears energy:
  “As a Bears fan, I sure feel like I finally found a spot at the cool kids table at lunch,” crediting new hope in the Bears’ leadership (13:05).
• Wisconsin Water Parks & Body Image:
  The topic pivots to Midwest water park culture, with zingers about feeling fit at a Wisconsin Dells waterpark and war stories from traveling hockey parents.

3. Radio & Technology Feedback

• No More AM Radios in EVs?:
  Listener Todd writes in: “Many of the new cars, particularly electric vehicles, do not have an AM radio receiver… manufacturers are omitting it.” (19:13)
  Brief discussion of radio tech and the challenges listening to talk radio in new vehicles.
• Pistons Radio Confusion:
  Feedback on Detroit Pistons radio broadcasters—“Neither one is particularly good at keeping up with the action...” (20:36)
  Jokes about old broadcasters not knowing who or where they are.

4. Quirky and Offbeat Feedback

• Team Chaplain:
  “Father Nick” from O’Fallon is anointed as the official DBU “team chaplain” (21:54), prompting playful talk about the rising clergy listenership.
• MLB Bobs Extinction:
  A listener notes the extinction of “Bob” as an MLB player name—Dan corrects: “Last year, the Tampa Bay Rays had a Bob… Now, the majors are indeed, once again, Bobless.” (23:36)
• NIU Football Oddities:
  Adam flags a Huskies game with both QBs having identical 3/4 passing stats. “Have you ever seen anything like that?” (24:36)
• Notre Dame Scheduling Rant:
  Matt unleashes over Notre Dame’s “independent” football status:
  “Stop acting like you’re some elite program, because you’re not.” (25:51)
• Beer Church Pizza Worship:
  Multiple listeners validate the crew’s earlier review: “The pizza at beer church… is not blow. That’s 1A and 1B. The ingredients tasted the exact same.” (27:56)

5. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If the Bears win and go to 7 and 3, they have a 66% likelihood of making the playoffs. If they lose… drops to 35%.” – Dan (03:00)
• “Going bald is never gonna be a concern for me.” – Matt (11:45)
• “As a Bears fan, I sure feel like I finally found a spot at the cool kids table at lunch.” – Aaron from Galesburg (13:05)
• “Thank you for bringing to our attention the existence of Schrodinger’s Brian Kelly—a theoretical person who exists in a quantum state in which they both are and are not the coach of LSU football.” – Kevin in Jefferson Park (27:56)
• “That description of NBA All-Star insanity read like the instructions to a board game that ends in divorce.” – Kevin in Jefferson Park (29:10)
• “Our pizza is partially baked... Make sure you put the pizza in the oven cheese side up.” – Dan, reading a real warning from a Home Run Inn pizza box (31:38)

6. Bears, Food, and Life Tangents

• Dead Bunnies in the Window Well:
  Matt tells a morbidly funny story about finding dead rabbits in his basement window well, lamenting the effort to get rid of them and ingloriously humming “Circle of Life” from The Lion King as he disposes of critters. (38:59)
• Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder:
  On unique Chicago pizzas served “pot pie style”, the guys conspire a post-show lunch and share nap habits.

Segment Highlight: “Top 10 Vikings of All Time” (40:12–52:27)

A perfect storm of Chicago snark and trivia! Both hosts, and their "committee," blend real Minnesota Vikings, Norse legends, kitchen appliances, and pop culture.

Committee’s Top 10 Vikings

1. Hagar the Horrible (comic strip legend)
2. Tarvold (“Viking Quest” from Entourage)
3. The Northman (film)
4. Viking Cruises
5. Ragnar Lothbrok (Norse legend)
6. Viking Appliances (notably the stove/range)
7. Jim Marshall (NFL DE—“The Wrong Way Run”)
8. Eric the Red (Norse explorer)
9. Leif Erikson (first European in America)
10. The Vikings (1958 film)

• Honorable Mentions: Thor, Beowulf

Notable Quotes:

• “Whenever I’m watching a show… and I see a Viking range, I’m always like, ooh, that’s pretty.” – Matt (46:47)
• “Jim Marshall makes the list at number seven… 20-year NFL career, but remembered for that wrong-way run.” (45:09)
• “Thor played a prominent role in Norse mythology… dreamy blue eyes, Australian accent…” – Matt, editorializing, to Dan’s mock accusations (42:13)

Dan’s Counter-List Highlights

• Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (protagonist of How to Train Your Dragon)
• Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” Protagonist
• Andy ‘The Viking’ Fordham (darts legend)
• Elmer Fudd as a Viking in ‘What’s Opera, Doc?’
• Viggo Mortensen (just because he’s “awesome and big fan of Vigo”)
• Viking Award (for Swedish hockey players)
• Personalized Viking Range Story (Dan’s kitchen centerpiece)

Bears-Vikings Picks & Predictions (76:27–78:54)

• Matt’s Picks:

  • Pitt +11.5 vs. Notre Dame
  • Georgia -6 vs. Texas
  • Bears Game: J.J. McCarthy under 219.5 passing yards; Caleb Williams over 1.5 passing TDs

• Dan’s Picks:

  • Bears +3 (vs. Vikings): “I believe the Bears will be within that three-point margin at the very least.”
  • DeAndre Swift Over 58.5 rushing yards

Tone and Format

• Language/Tone: Chicago sharp, playful, direct, with frequent deadpan and inside jokes. The back-and-forth is casual but insightful, with Dan’s dry wit and Matt’s easy counterpunches.
• Listener Involvement: The show is built on listener/community engagement—serious emails, quirky comments, and personal stories.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Bears Playoff Math & Stakes: 02:25–04:14, 09:09
• Must-Win Game Debate: 03:38–04:14
• Feedback Friday Begins: 06:32
• Joe’s “Getting Chipped” Email: 07:25–08:59
• Sentimental Discussion on Listener Emails: 09:30–11:00
• Hairline & Hats Banter: 11:22–12:00
• Aaron on New Bears Vibes: 13:04
• Wisconsin Waterpark/Hockey Parents Stories: 15:00–17:18
• AM Radio in Electric Vehicles: 19:13
• Pistons Radio Announcer Feedback: 19:56–21:07
• “Schrodinger’s Brian Kelly & NBA All-Star Confusion: 27:56–29:39
• Home Run Inn Pizza Box Warning (cheese-side-up): 30:38–32:11
• Dead Bunnies Window Well Story: 36:21–39:59
• Top 10 Vikings Starts: 40:12
  • Jim Marshall “Wrong Way Run”: 44:53–45:54
  • Viking Appliances Discussion: 46:34–48:00
  • Northman Film: 49:38
• DBU Picks (Bears/Vikings): 76:27–78:54

Final Thoughts

For Chicago Bears fans and Windy City sports lifers, this episode delivers equal parts smart football analysis, cathartic fan therapy, towering irreverence, and offbeat humor. Whether you want locker-room playoff breakdowns or a serious debate about the greatest Vikings (Norse or culinary), Dan Bernstein Unfiltered delivers—with two decades’ worth of Chicago wisdom and wit.

Notable Episode Quote:
“Thank you for bringing to our attention the existence of Schrodinger’s Brian Kelly—a theoretical person who exists in a quantum state in which they both are and are not the coach of LSU football.” – Kevin (Listener), 27:56