Podcast Summary: Dan Bernstein Unfiltered

Episode: "What if the Bears win in Philadelphia?"

Date: November 25, 2025 | Host: Dan Bernstein with Matt Abbatacola

Episode Overview

In this episode of Dan Bernstein Unfiltered, Dan and Matt dive into the seismic implications for the Chicago Bears if they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the big Black Friday matchup. The conversation branches into national perceptions of the Bears, the quality of NFL narratives, shifting expectations for this Bears team, and what a signature win could mean for Coach Ben Johnson and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. They also detour into the fallout from a disastrous Bulls loss, ongoing legal drama around the Phoenix Suns’ ownership (with White Sox ties), local wildlife, and a record-breaking fish caught in Chicago waters.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Stakes: What If the Bears Beat the Eagles?

• Local vs. National Perceptions

  • Dan sets the scene: If the Bears pull off a win, “this is the kind of game where everybody's gonna be sitting around watching… you're gonna start getting a little different penetration into the football psyche. It's gonna be more than the hometown stuff.” (03:22)
  • National attention on rookie QB Caleb Williams and Coach Ben Johnson would skyrocket.

• Coach of the Year Race

  • “If the Bears were to win, watch Ben Johnson's coach of the year numbers jump… It'll become a two-man race if the Bears win this game.” (04:18)

• Media and Fan Dynamics

  • Matt and Dan riff on the Bears’ reputation, national media adoration, and Chicago’s odd inferiority complex.
  • “I am just telling you the truth, that if they win this game, it's going to be a Bears fest. And it's going to be an annoying one, too, because then it's going to be Italian beef and Ditka sweaters…” – Dan (06:28)

2. How Much Should Expectations Matter?

• Matt rejects projections: “I never have [believed in] this whole idea of what they were supposed to do… What the Bears were supposed to do this year was show up and play 17 NFL games.” (06:56)
• Dan: “There is such thing as expectations though… the country loves the story of probability… If the Bears win, [they’re] creeping toward national darling status.” (07:16–08:15)

3. What Actually Matters in This Game?

• Dan’s take: It’s less about the result, more about quality of play.
  • “I just think it's important that they play well… Compete for real, not fluky... That's more important to me than whether or not they eke out a win.” (09:20)

Notable Quote

“You can play like shit and win a game. You can play great and lose a game. Not a full season of games—but a game.”
— Dan Bernstein (10:04)

• Injuries both ways get some mention, but Dan refuses to use them as excuses: “There’s no injury mitigations for any of this stuff.” (11:11)

4. Anticipation & Joy of a Big Bears Game

• Dan: “There are few pleasures in life, like genuine anticipation for a Bears game when you really... get the butterflies in your stomach in a good way, remembering that you're looking forward to the Bears game.” (13:01)
  • He calls a Bears win “a Bearsgasm.”

5. Playoff Race and NFC North Outlook

• Matt notes the oddities of the schedule and playoff odds (14:30)
  • The Lions and Packers both play on Thursday, on a shorter week.
• Debate on projections and percentage odds — whether Chicago fans should buy into them.
  • “I'm not buying into this whole what they're supposed to do… Why can't the Bears win this year?” – Matt (15:59)
  • “This isn't Michael Jordan and the Bulls trying to grow up and beat the Pistons. This is the NFL in 2025.” – Matt (16:11)
  • Dan: “Learning how to win is almost always an ex post facto construct.” (16:45)

6. Caleb Williams: Early Assessment

• Discussion about why rookie QB Caleb Williams struggled last week:
  • He took more under-center snap dropbacks than shotgun for the first time in his career.
  • Matt: “If that threw off his rhythm and his footwork and his timing a little bit…” (17:45)
  • But his time to throw was actually his quickest all year, so the theory doesn’t quite fit.

Other Major Segments

7. Bulls’ Blowout Loss & Team Crisis

• Dan unloads after a “show of bad basketball,” citing Nikola Vucevic’s prescient comments about team flaws (20:08).
• Bulls allowed the 2–15 Pelicans to score 143 points (34+ in each quarter), were vastly outrebounded (55–33), and showed poor decision-making and effort.
• “This team needs a reckoning right now.” – Dan (23:20)
• Dan cites the need for “a couple of hard practices to be reminded of some of this stuff” and calls out lack of pride and poor fundamentals (26:19).

8. Phoenix Suns Ownership Lawsuit & White Sox Angle

• Matt Ishbia (Suns owner, brother to incoming White Sox owner Justin Ishbia) is being sued by Suns minority owners for alleged self-dealing and financial misconduct:
  • Allegations: Excessive interest loans, undisclosed leases, using the team as a “personal fiefdom.”
  • Dan: “Should this concern [White Sox fans]? Maybe. Maybe it should… At the moment, we’re going to treat them as two separate people... But watch it closely.” (38:56)
• Dan emphasizes vigilance for Sox fans, but expresses no immediate red flags.

9. Other Notable Segues

• NBA Scoring Trends

  • Matt and Dan discuss the historical rise in NBA team scoring averages and the evolution of the game (40:06–41:38).
  • “It's number of possessions too. It's not just three point shooting.” – Dan (41:26)

• Chicago Wildlife: Snowy Owls Return

  • Dan shares excitement about rare snowy owl sightings along the Chicago lakeshore (46:32)
  • Advice for birders: Don't spook the owls; respect the wildlife.

• Fishing: Record Chicago Walleye

  • Dan celebrates Leo Garza landing a 14.3-lb. walleye in Lake Michigan, nearly doubling the previous unofficial city record (56:20).
  • Matt: “Catching that thing with that bait. That's awesome.” (59:08)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On what a Bears win means:

  “If they win this game, it's going to be a Bears fest. And it's going to be an annoying one, too, because then it's going to be Italian beef and Ditka sweaters...”
  — Dan Bernstein (06:28)

• On expectations:

  “What the Bears were supposed to do this year was show up and play 17 NFL games.”
  — Matt Abbatacola (06:56)

• On national narratives:

  “The country loves inevitability... Without the Chiefs, there's a vacuum. There isn't a dominant team narrative who can beat the blank that doesn't exist this year because of the blob size that we've talked about all year. It's a blob year.”
  — Dan Bernstein (07:32)

• Quality over result:

  “Compete for real, not fluky... That's more important to me than whether or not they eke out a win.”
  — Dan Bernstein (09:20)

• On “learning how to win” in sports:

  “Learning how to win is almost always an ex post facto construct.”
  — Dan Bernstein (16:45)

• On Bulls’ defeat:

  “Make your damn free throws. They missed eight free throws and they got out-rebounded 55 to 33. I'm going to say that again. 55 to 33.”
  — Dan Bernstein (22:59)

• Advice for fans of teams with messy ownership:

  “If you are a White Sox fan, concerned about what you’re getting in your new owner slash steward, keep your radar attuned. Watch all of these filings carefully and especially stuff that's said under oath.”
  — Dan Bernstein (38:56)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:04] “What if the Bears win?” — Dan pivots to episode’s main theme
• [04:18] Coach of the Year discussion and impact of national attention
• [09:20–10:06] Dan emphasizes quality of play over result
• [11:11] No excuses for injuries for Bears or Eagles
• [13:01] The special joy of Bears game anticipation (“Bearsgasm”)
• [14:30] Playoff race, Lions & Packers schedules
• [16:45] “Learning how to win” is a myth
• [17:45] Brief breakdown of Caleb Williams’ performance and what affected him
• [20:08] Bulls post-mortem: Lack of talent, effort, and basketball IQ
• [31:28] Matt Ishbia lawsuit and what it could mean for the White Sox
• [40:06–41:38] NBA scoring trends and how basketball has changed
• [46:32] Chicago wildlife interlude: snowy owls are back
• [56:20] Leo Garza sets new unofficial Chicago walleye record
• [59:08] Congrats to Garza and discussion of record fish

Tone & Style

Dan Bernstein Unfiltered lives up to its name—forthright, biting, and funny, with sharp banter, especially as Dan gently needles both the teams and the city's sense of honor. Matt is more earnest and pragmatic, often questioning narratives and league projections. The show is intensely Chicago-centric, proudly blue-collar, and never shy about calling out BS in sports or media.

For Listeners: Why This Episode Matters

• Essential for Bears fans: Frame your expectations for the Eagles game and the rest of the season—don’t get blinded by national hype or despair.
• Great context for Chicago sports’ wider narratives: Hear why “learning to win” and “exceeding expectations” are hollow catchphrases.
• Valuable if you follow team ownership: Cautions about the Ishbia legal drama are must-knows for concerned White Sox fans.
• Rewarding for Bulls and NBA fans: Thoughtful (and frustrated!) analysis of a team straying from fundamentals and pride.
• Seasonal local color: From snowy owls to giant walleye, it’s a very Chicago sportsweek.