Rahimi, Harris & Grote Show - Bears reflect on their struggles in 9-3 loss to Vikings

Episode Date: September 21, 2026

Leila Rahimi and Mark Grote listened and reacted to postgame comments from a handful of Bears after the team's 9-3 loss to the Vikings on Sunday at Soldier Field.

Rahini and Grotty. Middays 10 a.m. to 2 on Chicago Sports Radio 1043, the score. But the premier locker room. Show in Chicago, inside the locker room. Our ratings on Inside the Bears Locker Room still not as good as inside the clubhouse nor hit and run. But we're climbing, Leila. It's going up. Their trajectory is pointing to the clouds. Yeah. I actually, yeah, our ratings are good, but don't tell that to the internet. They love to tell us how much we're struggling. We're good. It's for Hemi and Grotie on 104.3, the score. Yes, inside the locker room. I took the game in last night from a media perspective out at Soldier Fields.

As a matter of fact, my day could not have started better because riding up the elevator with me, among those in the elevator, such dignitaries. as Mama's boy Otis, Otis Wilson, the great 85 Bears linebacker. So I thought that that felt portend well for the Chicago Bears. So that was a nice way for me to start things off in the day. Obviously, watched 9-3 loss to the Vikings. We've been talking a lot about Garrett Bradbury and the four penalties that he had in the game. And the offense just not running very efficiently. He is part of that.

So that was the genesis of my conversation with Garrett Bradbury inside the Bears locker room. Offensively, why couldn't you guys get things moving today? What did you see out there? Yeah, we'll get in the film and see why some of those two-yard runs weren't eight or nine-yard runs. And I look in the mirror and I had too many penalties. That's just inexcusable. And, yeah, I felt like penalties shoot yourself in the foot. And then in terms of the run game or passing game, we got to get in the film and see why I wasn't working.

I felt like at times it was. I feel like put some good runs and drives together at times, but it wasn't enough, and you've got to finish the end zone in this league. You imagine the penalties? Can you figure that out on your part? I'm going to figure it out. It's just inexcusable. I've got no excuses.

I just got to be better. There's nothing the defense does. It's just shooting yourself in the foot. So got to stay on schedule, and I felt like we had a lot of second intends today. It's just it's all the coach-speak stuff. It's all the normal stuff where it's just you got to. be going first down that gives you a better chance at third down and got to run the ball and it's just we'll get in the film and and like I said see see why we didn't pop more and um and learn from it

what's the feeling when Caleb goes down what did you see on that play and what's the feeling about it yeah it's sending prayers his way that's the biggest thing and and he's the conductor of this whole thing and yeah yeah I don't really know what's going on but definitely going to be praying for And then Tyson comes in, you know, he's capable as well. How confident are you in him? Yeah, it's just his next guy up. Did a good job with that last two minutes and got to finish with a touchdown. I agree with him.

I think it's great that you got to talk to him. I don't expect him to say anything about what happened. You know, the film study or like what ends up being a blame game in a lot of ways sometimes when you're in that position? Unlike Aaron Rogers yesterday. So Bradbury, I think, appropriately, kind of doing what the job calls for, even when he's talking to you, right? Which is taking responsibility for penalties. And it is one of those situations where there were some various penalties that got called on somebody else, but it's because of how the line was set or somebody was uncovered on the line.

You know, that happened too, where somebody takes the hit for a penalty even though it wasn't really theirs. But you like what you hear out of him. He doesn't sound like he's in a place that's beyond repair or frustrated. He seemed very reasonable about his day. That's a good way to put it, that it doesn't feel like, okay, you know, while it's out, and I asked Anthony Heron about Logan Jones and could we see him sooner than we had anticipated. I doubt the bears are even thinking about that. And let's let this grow together.

Let's let this adjust. It's not ideal. It makes it worse because Drew Dalman was here and was very good and then retired. And so it doesn't look. good through two games, but I believe he can turn it around and the accountability is good. Let's move on in the locker.

I found myself pairing up with a guy by the name of Dan Weeter, he and I got kind of closed in on Sam Rausch at the same time, and so we did this one together, but this specifically is about the two big blunders he made in the game. A drop at the four-yard

line and a block which enabled the Vikings to block a potential field goal for the Bears. So he begins talking about the drop here in this sequence. I'm bluffing the linebacker and then getting some width just to create a better angle for the throw. Throw was great. Caught it. And then as I was, I haven't watched it on film yet.

I need to watch it on film. But, you know, felt like maybe I need to be faster the tuck. I was putting it away. I think he came in and punched it out. But, you know, I had it secured and I was, you know, ready to go score. But, you know, got to be faster the tuck and just have stronger hands. You do all the work to get down to the red zone and then, you know, have a, couple costly penalties or something happens and you don't end up putting points on the board and

you know that's that's obviously a challenge and you know everyone everyone can be better i think i could have done a lot of stuff better tonight and you know obviously not super happy with the way that you know i performed and you know going to go back to the tape it's a long season we're two games in we still have a lot of ground to make up yeah when on the field goal block yeah felt like I got a piece of him. Clearly, I didn't get enough. You know, he got around the edge pretty quick. And, you know, obviously that's another thing.

You got to go watch on tape. But we'll see what happened exactly there. I mean, he barely got a piece of him on the block. I mean, it was almost comical, unfortunately. For Sam Roush, from whom you just heard right there. Again, Leila, I guess the accountability is great. He sounds smart, like he can adjust and let's see how he rebounds from this game. That's it. It's week two. There are going to be bad games for rookies.

But some of that can be mitigated by your head coach. Was he the person to be in that position to catch the ball? That's where I asked the question. When you have two other very capable tight ends, one who was your leading receiver in yards last year. Colson Loveland. So that's that's kind of where I sit with this. Now you go to the open guy and you try to deal the hot hand. But a texter put it really well earlier. 312, 644, 67, 67 is our number. using Roush as a secret weapon, they thought was overcoaching. And I think Roush as a secret weapon is probably a good way to describe what we saw happening on. Yeah, that's the way it felt for sure. Last cut I have. We had a really good conversation about Jalen Johnson earlier in the show with Anthony

Haring, kind of an up and down day again for Johnson individually. But this was more about the collective and how he felt about the defense and how it performed. and Jalen Johnson wasn't having much of this. Take a listen to this. I mean, no, we didn't win, we didn't do enough to win, we didn't create turnovers, and we missed opportunities. Did you feel better? You said last week it didn't feel good physically or mentally. Did you feel better this week? It's not enough.

And now the conditions are never any excuse. Yeah. What are the conditions like today? It's just sloppy. I mean, both sides played in it, so there's no excuse. There's nothing to really talk about. We just got to figure out the way to execute. Did you have a chance to talk to Caleb after the game?

No. Your emotions are going to go down and know what you're into this team? Oh, and then figure it out from there. Just continue to battle. It's part of adversity as part of the game, but we need him, obviously, so hopefully he's able to get back as quick as possible. So you're actually frustrated, obviously, after something like this. Do you feel like this is a team that you guys should have played way better against?

I mean, I'm frustrated because we lost. That's it. That's it? No, a couple more, not even needed right there. I think that's the essence of it, Lail. Let the Bears go from 552 total yards to. Oh, bleep. I mean, isn't that just the perfect?

way to sum up the whole game. Oh, believe. This is not what we thought it was going to be. I missed the Jalen Johnson post game swearing. You know, that used to be, there used to be a regular part of our lives. Absolutely. And he's spicy.

He is. And he also gets away with cussing in a way that's funny. And I think at the Bears, that's still mattered because, you know, George and of course, Virginia Hallis or McCasky. So, you know, I feel like that was, that was something that Virginia did not like, but Jalen kind of got a...

He seemed to get away with it in a way that was fun. I guess he did, yeah. So I'm glad to see that that's back. Jalen Johnson's swearing post game is a good sign for me. So an appropriate reaction to your quarterback going down. Also on the Fox Call of the Commander's game when Jaden Daniels left the game injured, when he went down, Tom Brady had the same exact reaction on the air and said the same thing. The same word you can't say on the way.

He also read it. leap. They let it through. He also had another two-word combination that I'm not going to say on an FCC legislated show. All righty. Oh, Oh,

no. I was not expecting to see. So he's gotten more comfortable on the mic. That's great. And you know what I always say is people ask you guys, well, why aren't you cussing on take the north? But it's a dangerous,

dangerous game. We did last night in context. But the next thing you know, you could be on the air saying something you regret. Yeah, Like every once in a while we'll let a swear through Dan and I. But my philosophy on that is if like one person is going to not listen to the podcast because of swearing, like this, it's swearing is not necessary.

It's just not necessary for the content. My favorite Jalen Johnson swear was when he absolutely should have been in the NFL top 100. I was in on the podium. Oh, yeah. And the way he cussed was my favorite. Oh, yeah, man. And then they wouldn't even play it on hard knocks. Well, him and DJ Moore, man, like talking about the rest of the league.

I guess you got to be a diva to get into this pro bowl. I guess you got to talk a lot. DJ Moore going after people. Oh, by the way, well, I did, I don't, I didn't bring audio because we're going to talk to him tomorrow. I did have a quick chat with Neville Gallimore yesterday. Did you ask him how he liked his first appearance on our show? Well, I didn't think it was the time to do a show review. Oh, yeah, that's fair, yeah.

Although it would have been a good change of the subject, you know. No, but I did, I introduced myself. I said, Dan, thanks for coming on, looking forward to. And obviously he was very nice. But the first thing he said to me was, sorry, we let you all down in this game. I'm like, you don't have to apologize. You got to apologize to Bob from Downers Grove.

Not me, man. We're good. We're good. I don't, I think if you're doing the blame pie, 65% of this is on the offense. Yeah. I think there's about 15% on the defense. Yeah, they rebounded.

And 20% on specialties. Yeah. I never had a move put on them yesterday. For sure. Yeah, early. But you know, Tyreek Stevenson, I thought it was going to be a bad day for him, and it ended up not being. Yeah.

So people can rebound and adjust. Yeah, they can. They can. All right, we have to ask the question because the question was being asked. It was making its way through the press box yesterday. It was apparently making its way into everybody's home. It's in the DNA. Is Bears quarterback Caleb Williams a victim of the Madden curse?

Oh, no. Oh, my God. It's Rahimi and Grotie on 1043, the score.