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The Chicago Bears are riding a monstrous wave of hype heading into the 2024-25 season. They drafted Heisman-winning quarterback Caleb Williams first overall in the Draft and put him in with an equally monstrous arsenal featuring the likes of D'Andre Swift, Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, and Cole Kmet.
And that is not to mention their defense, which boasts recent Pro Bowlers Montez Sweat and Jaylon Johnson among its ranks.
These Bears' journey throughout the preseason is the subject of the latest iteration of HBO's Hard Knocks. But today's second episode has had to be delayed after crippling demand caused streaming service Max to crash:
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Max has since issued a statement on the matter:
According to veteran NFL journalist Peter Schrager, last week's premiere the series' highest-rated in five years:
One of the expected highlights of Episode 2 is safety Jonathan Owens discussing with his fellow defensive backs which Simone Biles-esque turnover celebration he should do.
Latest on Bears preseason: Montez Sweat practicing again after injury
Speaking of Montez Sweat, the Bears had been sorely missing his presence as he sat out almost two weeks of practice with an undisclosed injury. However, on Tuesday, defensive coordinator Eric Washington revealing that the defensive end was doing limited drills, remarking:
“He’s taken a step to getting back to practice.”
As for physical shape, he said:
“I don’t have any concerns as far as his readiness and availability on Week 1. He’s making progress and trending in the right direction as far as getting 100% healthy.”
Another key defender who has returned is Kyler Gordon, who had been dealing with tightness of an unspecified nature for around the same time as Sweat had been dealing with his injury. Head coach Matt Eberflus had said of the cornerback’s recovery last week:
“There’s a delicate balance here because we have to make sure it’s right. But he’s (also) working hard, diligently to get back because we know we have to have that conditioning level, playing with the other players in terms of the continuity for that unit to be able to thrive.”
The Chicago Bears host the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. Kickoff is at 1 PM ET on the NFL Network.
Chicago Bears Nation! Check out the latest Chicago Bears Schedule and dive into the Bears Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.
