Dan Bernstein Unfiltered | Bears Outlast Bengals 47-42

Episode Date: November 3, 2025
Hosts: Dan Bernstein & Matt Abbatacola
Podcast: Dan Bernstein Unfiltered on 312 Sports

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives into the Chicago Bears’ wild 47-42 home win over the Cincinnati Bengals, unpacking everything from the adrenaline swings of the game itself to broader implications for the Bears run game, special teams catastrophe, and defensive struggles. Dan and Matt also touch on the World Series Game 7, Bulls' recent action, college football and Heisman odds, and offer plenty of biting humor and Chicago sports honesty along the way.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bears-Bengals Wild Shootout

• Historical context: Dan states, “The Bears have never won a game in which they’ve given up that many points.” [01:22]
• NFL trends: “Welcome to the way the NFL is being played right now and having an offensive coach that can win a shootout.” [01:25]
• Win expectancy: “If you want to make yourself crazy with [the win expectancy chart], go ahead. Zigzagging, because we lived it…” [01:51]
• Emotional rollercoaster: Both hosts recount physically reacting to the swings. Dan compares it to the Greasy-Muhammad Philly game, “It’s been a long time since I have jumped up and screamed … a ‘Hell yeah’ for what was going on with the Bears game.” [02:58]
• End-of-game awareness: Loveland’s heads-up play: “When you realize that Loveland wasn’t down and apparently he realized it too ... and [he’s] aware of the clock, thinking if he keeps going and lands at the two, they lose because they don’t have time to clock it.” [03:53]

2. Offense, Running Backs & O-line Gelling

• Breakout performance: Kyle Manungai’s surprising impact as a 7th-round rookie, “I felt really good and felt really happy for Kyle Manunguy, a seventh-round pick from Rutgers, to have an impact on this game. And I felt terrible he didn’t score a touchdown though.” [06:29]
• RB room improvement: “We’ve been critical of the whole running back room...it was bad. And they’ve got it together.” [06:57]
• Ben Johnson’s patience: “When Ben Johnson said, it’s gonna take some time for the O-line to gel, it’s going to take time for these guys to get what we want them to execute. And it was really fun.” [06:57]

3. Defensive Frustrations

• Pass rush woes: Dan laments, “The Bears pass rush is getting stood up and stonewalled at every turn, with rare exception… it was immensely frustrating to watch how much time your guy, Frankenstein’s monster, had.” [05:02]
• Cincy’s WRs shine: “Watching [Joe Flacco] throw the ball to Jamar Chase and T. Higgins, really, T. Higgins was a man yesterday. That was just fun to watch.” [04:41]

4. Special Teams Meltdown

• Opening kickoff disaster: “What was your feeling? Opening kickoff goes back 98 yards for a touchdown, and the Bears are immediately down…7-0.” [15:06]
• Kickoff return stats: “Going into that game, 84 missed tackles led the NFL. The second worst team had 65 missed tackles…that takes effort.” [10:16]
• Onside kick debacle:
  • “What are you wrestling with someone for eight and a half yards deep? What are you doing? … You win the game if you don’t do that.” [19:27, 19:57]
  • “You can make mistakes. That is not one of them. The ball needs to travel 10. If it hits you before 10, we need to cover it.” [19:29]

5. Game Management, Trick Plays & Memorable Moments

• Three defensive returns wiped out: “So many firsts in a game. Three different occasions where a Bears defender was returning the ball the other direction and it didn’t count.” [21:00]
• Hot Potato trick play: “I don’t think I am ever against a trick play… any time, anywhere. Trick plays are always fun.” [21:14]
  • “And for a coach to just be like, look at his card, and be like, ‘Fuck it. Hot potato.’ That’s great. He’s doing that in an actual NFL game … that is not just videogame stuff.” [21:48]
• Notable quote: “[Ben Johnson] even says it in his press conference about having younger players on the outside edges for the Bengals. Get those younger guys get their eyes on something… not follow the quarterback out because there’s no one covering the QB in man coverage. You get the right coverage. He sees it. He knows it.” [22:22]

6. Broader NFL Observations

• NFC North standings: Bears now 5-3, “technically a half game off the lead with the Lions holding the tiebreaker.” [01:57]
• Chicago Bears Ownership Cam: Dan breaks down George McCaskey’s postgame fist pump, high-five, and unfortunately dorky run. “He had it, George. Or, editor, leave well enough alone. Just go with the fist pump.” [13:42]

7. Baseball: World Series & Cubs Gold Gloves

• World Series nail-biter: “To go from the experience of that World Series Game 7 and all the ups and downs and the inches and the maybes... and then have a memorably exciting Bears game.” [00:46]
• Baseball’s beauty: Dan reads a poetic take from Colin Sheridan of the Irish Examiner:

  “In that pause between pitch and contact, longer than logic, shorter than hope, we remembered why baseball existed long before we judged a sport’s value by viral moments and betting apps…” [41:33]

• Cubs’ defensive awards: “Congratulations to Chicago Cubs Gold Glove winners, plural… Nico Horner, Ian Happ, and PCA, the center fielder. Second time in Cubs history there's been three Gold Glove winners in the same year.” [31:47]
• Strategic reflections: Discussion of defense-first Cubs roster building and musings on whether the approach can lead to more playoff wins. [33:01–34:24]

8. Heisman Watch & College Football

• Heisman favorites discussion: Current odds favorites mentioned: “Julian Sayin... your new odds favorite... Fernando Mendoza of Indiana is second, Ty Simpson of Alabama is third, I believe.” [28:18]
• Voter philosophy: "Whose year is it? It's more than just stats. It's whose year is it? ... it's much more Mendoza because of what Indiana is doing... He's the best player on the team that is the story of the year." [29:13–30:08]
• Voting regret anecdote: “I should have voted for Christian McCaffrey and I didn’t... He was the best college football player in the country. To this day I regret [it].” [30:39–31:12]

9. Bulls Recap and NBA Notes

• Loss to Knicks: “The Bulls are no longer undefeated. They fell to the New York Knicks 128 to 116 … And there’s no shame in losing in Madison Square Garden to a team that very likely could win the entire East.” [45:22]
• Bulls playstyle: "They really move the ball, they really space really well, and there’s just a lot of constant hustle and movement [...] it's more entertaining. It's just more fun to watch." [49:09]
• Young players and acting/flopping: “Modest Bouzelis has got to learn some acting skill… Good veteran bigs know how to do that little push. Just learn how to evince that. Fall down. That’ll get called.” [51:41]
• NBA Cup Floors: “That floor hurts my eyes... That gray floor. I just, I don’t like it. It’s not enjoyable to look at.” [52:49]

10. Rapid Fire: Picks, Betting, Humor

• DBU Picks: Both hosts recap recent picks, results, and lament bad beats (notably Virginia Tech) [54:47].
• Monday Night Football pick: “Dallas -3, over 53.5… Hosting the Arizona Cardinals.” [55:57]
• NBA Prop: “Josh Hart to get over 3.5 assists… He doesn’t want to shoot it. They should get some easy basket opportunities.” [57:41]
• Signature banter: Offbeat riffs on window repairs, painkillers, opiate haze, the perils of Hugh Freeze, and Dan’s wildest nights out [section sprinkled from 23:43–25:51, 59:08].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On living through a sports rollercoaster:
  “It just takes the starch out of you… It’s been a long time since I have jumped up and screamed at… like a 'Hell yeah' for what was going on with the Bears game.” – Dan Bernstein [01:57, 02:58]
• On NFL current trends:
  “Welcome to the way the NFL is being played right now and having an offensive coach that can win a shootout.” – Dan Bernstein [01:25]
• On Bears’ special teams:
  “That ball cannot hit your foot. Like, it’s just… there are plays, you can make mistakes. That is not one of them.” – Matt Abbatacola [19:29]
• Hot Potato play-call approval:
  “Any trick plays are always fun. Yeah, I’m especially… for a coach to just be like, look at his card, and be like ‘Fuck it. Hot potato.’ That’s great.” – Dan Bernstein [21:50]
• On the beauty of baseball:
  “In that pause between pitch and contact, longer than logic, shorter than hope, we remembered why baseball existed… It’s the only sport where patience is a weapon and panic the surest death.” – Colin Sheridan via Dan Bernstein [41:33]
• On John Smoltz commentary:
  “He hates home runs. He would much rather see bunting and sequencing and trying to tie together multiple events to score a run than have a ball hit over the fence…” – Dan Bernstein [36:38]
• On the Heisman race:
  “It’s much more Mendoza because of what Indiana is doing… He’s the best player on the team. That is the story of the year.” – Dan Bernstein [30:08]

Key Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------------|------------| | Wild Bears-Bengals intro | 00:46–03:54| | Running back & O-line gelling| 06:29–07:11| | Defensive woes | 05:02–05:49| | Special Teams meltdown | 15:06–20:23| | Trick Play joy (Hot Potato) | 21:14–22:55| | McCaskey’s fist pump critique| 12:26–14:24| | Baseball/World Series wrap | 34:49–41:33| | Heisman talk | 28:17–31:43| | Cubs Gold Gloves | 31:47–33:01| | Bulls/Knicks, NBA talk | 45:22–53:16| | DBU Picks | 54:47–57:41|

Conclusion

This episode is a classic snapshot of Chicago sports fandom in its rawest, rowdiest form: cathartic Bears celebration (with hints of dread), trenchant scrutiny of every coaching unit, sincere joy at seeing breakout young players, all interwoven with nostalgia, witty digressions, and sophisticated baseball talk. Dan and Matt’s authenticity makes every moment both entertaining and insightful, especially for fans who crave the full, unvarnished ride.

For die-hard Chicago fans or anyone hungry for sports talk with both edge and heart: this episode is a must-listen.