A nice, stress-free win for the Chicago Bears. In the fourth coldest game in Soldier Field history, the Bears dominated from start to finish against a lowly Cleveland Browns team that has fallen to 3-11. The Bears, on the other hand, improve to 10-4, and head coach Ben Johnson becomes the third in Bears history to win ten games in his first season after George Halas in 1920 and Matt Nagy in 2018.

Offense

On the offensive side of the ball, Chicago was moving the pigskin effectively throughout the entire game. There was a healthy balance between the rushing and passing attacks as they combined for a solid 361 total yards (142 and 219, respectively). 

Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden (10) celebrates a first down during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (David Banks / Imagn-Images). 

The ground game was led by running back D’Andre Swift, who totaled 95 yards and a couple of touchdowns on the day, as he picked up the slack that his running mate, Kyle Monangai, who struggled with a case of butterfingers, left behind.

Quarterback Caleb Williams looked as cool as ice in the pocket as he threw for 242 yards and a pair of touchdowns, both going to wide receiver D.J. Moore. Moore received a game ball from Johnson after the game.

The second pass, in particular, was a real beauty. The Bears were at the Browns’ 22-yard-line, just shy of the red zone. Williams rolled to his right as he kept his eyes downfield for a receiver to throw to. He proceeded to commit the cardinal sin of NFL quarterbacking.

He threw across his body.

As the ball sliced through the air, multiple Cleveland defenders waited eagerly to pluck it out. However, D.J. Moore was also there to pluck it out. He leaped high into the air and snatched the ball for an improbable score. The epitome of “No, no, no, no, YES!” 

After the game, when asked if that was an ill-advised pass, Williams simply responded, “Nah, I can make any throw.”

If there was anything negative to say about his game today, though, it would be that he didn’t show his trademark escapability as he took three sacks on the day, including one and a half to edge rusher Myles Garrett, who inches ever closer to the single-season sack record. 

Williams looked noticeably slower during the game than he had in previous weeks, although this may be due to the injury he appeared to suffer just before halftime and the fact that it was very cold. Hopefully, not too much to worry about. 

Defense

Defensively, it was a superb performance. The unit tallied another three interceptions to add to their league lead and even managed to get plenty of pressure, resulting in five sacks. 

They were facing off against rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who last week had nearly 400 total yards and four touchdowns against the Tennessee Titans (yes, they’re at the bottom of the NFL, but still). This week, Sanders was held to less than half the yards and not a single touchdown. 

Two of the sacks were generated by defensive end Austin Booker, who must’ve had a great time celebrating his 23rd birthday and getting the win. His efforts also helped hold Cleveland to just 50 yards on the ground, freezing their rushing attack solid.

The interceptions all occurred in the second half as linebacker D’Marco Jackson tipped a pass to himself for one, and defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson got another. 

Star cornerback Jaylon Johnson even got one as Browns receiver Jerry Jeudy let a pass bounce off his chest into Johnson’s lap for a pick. Jeudy must’ve been in the giving spirit. 

The defense was burned a few times by some plays that were part of the Browns’ game plan called “Isaiah, go deep!”, referring to receiver Isaiah Bond, but you can never be mad at a defense for holding a team to three points.

Special Teams

The third phase of the game got in on the action as well.

Return man Devin Duvernay had multiple returns that set up the offense in great field position. Punter Tory Taylor also downed three punts inside the twenty to make the defense’s lives easier. Teamwork makes the dream work.

Chicago Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell (39) downs a punt at the 1-yard line during the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois (Matt Marton / Imagn-Images). 

The only struggle was kicker Cairo Santos missing a 35-yard field goal, which likely indicates that Chicago could be looking for a change at kicker in the offseason.

The Future

All in all, these factors total out to an efficient Bears win in what is certainly their last “easy” game of the season to get to ten victories. But as Ben Johnson said in his postgame presser, “Ten is great, but it’s not enough”. 

He’s right. In an NFC Playoff Picture that looks like a warzone, Chicago will likely need at least one or two more wins to secure their spot in the postseason. 

Next week, the Bears will have a rematch against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night at Soldier Field in a game that will likely decide the division. With the Packers dropping a game to the Denver Broncos, the Bears are back in first place.

But the biggest loss for the Packers is Micah Parsons, the star edge rusher who was just confirmed today to have torn his ACL.

To put it simply, the Packers are weak. They’re hurting. If you’re the Bears? It’s time to get revenge.

The post Wish It Was Colder: Bears cruise past Browns, 31-3 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

My introduction to “Synthscapes” came from sportswriter Jon Bois’ 2020 fiction piece, “20020,” a science fiction series about satellites launched in the 1970s gaining sentience. The piece also includes a college football variant cranked up to 11, featuring a playing surface consisting of just over ten dozen interwoven fields and balls in play. It was a multimedia kaleidoscope that required special software to host Bois’ unique vision.

While to the uninitiated this sounds utterly delirious, it gained a small but dedicated following in the fall of 2020. During the peak of COVID-19 isolation and the stressful election news coverage, absurdity was just an old friend.

Bois used parts of “Synthscapes” to soundtrack videos he included at the end of each chapter of “20020.” While not all the videos had Baker, Lodge, and Rainbird’s music, there were some really powerful moments. One in particular was the story of Eugene Jennings, a man who escaped from a Kentucky prison multiple times during his incarceration.

When I first listened to “Synthscapes” in its entirety, I found a versatile project fit for various moods and settings. While I’m writing this, I’m listening to the album track “Milk,” which only has 2,619 views on YouTube. Unfortunately, the video disabled comments, so we have no idea how many people came from “20020” to listen.

The album can be sad, angry, tired, or even somewhat happy if you listen to it. Songs like the aforementioned Milk let the listener conjure up their own mental image of what is going on. I always picture a tired factory worker driving home in a small town late at night. Without words to hold the listener’s hand, many interpretations are possible.

The lack of lyrics makes this album great for studying. The simple and atmospheric synthesizer work portrays a vast ocean of scenarios. Baker, Lodge, and Rainbird have done awesome work setting up a world for the listener to walk around in for the runtime of each track.

The subdued timbre of many of the songs perfectly suits the upcoming fall and winter nights around campus, where you might be greeted by fallen leaves, rain, wind, or snow with few around to distract you from the natural setting. Juxtaposed with the great architecture around campus, Iowa City provides great visuals to accompany the music.

Songs like A Quiet Moment provide a warped, bittersweet sense of happiness. The duller moments in between each swell of synth leaves room for contemplation. The listener can fill in the gaps with whatever they see fit.

A Quiet Moment sounds like a modern redux of Debussy’s “Clair de lune.” It’s a conflicting track that can be either a happy or sad song based on the listener’s desires, much like the rest of the album. The consumer is in total control each time they press play.

While mostly utilizing synthesizers, other instruments appear in some of the songs. But every song preserves the mood established by the cover art: a late-night drive. This makes it good background music for studying, a nighttime bus ride, or a winter walk in Iowa City.

The post “Synthscapes:” The Perfect Winter Album appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The advent of winter and the Christmas season makes me think about what sorts of music I inevitably return to around this time of year, other than the classic holiday jams. It’s part of an inner seasonal clock I faithfully follow in my music-listening life. This applies to classical music in particular. With the change of the seasons I shift from breezy Debussy in the spring, to steamy Vivaldi in the summer, and then to Bach in the fall.

Now winter, especially the early winter months, is a particularly unique situation. At least for many of us, early winter music has become rather synonymous with Christmas music. Particularly where the Nutcracker Suite and Swan Lake, both by Tchaikovsky, choral music in general, and Greensleeves. And unfortunately these pieces have become starkly branded by this association—I can’t listen to The Waltz of the Flowers in mid-June; it feels about as wrong as listening to Jingle Bells when I’m sweating in shorts and a t shirt.

But for those who are sensitive to seasons and music, what makes a piece of music particularly evocative of a specific season? I don’t know. But I would like to introduce a piece that I always listen to about this time of year. And in the process, we might approach something of an answer to this question.

The piece in question is Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor. It’s a vibrant and emotionally saturated piece, strongly flavored with music from Grieg’s homeland, Norway. You are probably familiar with this short little dude, most likely through two pieces: “Morning Mood” and “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” which have become commercial favorites. Grieg was one of the early composers to actively incorporate elements from his native culture

into his music, producing works with a mythical, and almost narrative quality that could only be the product of himself and his beloved country. Some have called this concerto his “love letter” to Norway. Grieg composed this concerto in Italy when he was still a green 25 years old, not intending it to be any sort of a hit. And yet it wrested its immense popularity from its premiere to its performances today.

It’s one of the most beautiful relationships between the concert piano and the orchestra. Against the arboreal, evergreen background that the orchestra constructs, the piano introduces a crisp and delicious breeze that brings the entire setting to life. With a dramatic beginning, the concerto hops into a jaunty second movement. The third movement begins with a stormy introduction; but about a few minutes in, a flute pierces the sudden silence, introducing a majestic theme that lingers with you for the rest of the movement.

As I mentioned before, this concerto is very wintery to me. It could be because of its Norwegian (and thus “Northern”) qualities. It could also be because I first heard this concerto in the winter. Nevertheless, it never ceases to feel like an icy and stoic façade broken through by emotional tremors from beneath.

I have no idea if anybody would share a remotely similar response to Grieg’s music as I have. And this brings us back to the question from before: what makes music seasonal to us? Is it purely circumstantial, a mere result of the context in which we listen to it? Or is it something much deeper, speaking to our individual interpretations and experiences of time and the seasons?

The post Bach Is Back: What to Add to Your Seasonal Playlist appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I’m going to be completely honest though, writing this month’s piece on January nineteenth, otherwise known as the eve of the presidential inauguration, it’s a little hard to find the humor.

While the more literal spring isn’t that horribly far away, we’ve got another long, cold winter ahead of us. You could benefit from knowing what is heat pump for house and why it’s essential during winter. So, while this month’s how-to guide can be used as a quick fix until the northern hemisphere shifts closer to the sun, it can hopefully also be used as something to warm your hands by until the longer winter breaks.

But let’s face it—if we’re going to get through these long, cold months, we need more than just humor; we need warmth. And not the kind of warmth that comes from layering yourself in every sweater you own, but real, reliable warmth, the kind that only a quality furnace can provide.

When winter stretches on and the wind howls outside, there’s nothing more comforting than knowing your furnace is up to the task. That’s where Climate Experts for outstanding services come in, making sure your home stays cozy and energy-efficient, even on the darkest, chilliest days. Because if we’re going to survive the next few months with our sanity intact, a dependable furnace is as essential as that first cup of coffee in the morning.

I’m getting really tired of hearing the word “snowflake,” but I have a feeling we’re going to be hearing a lot of it even when there’s zero chance of precipitation so we might as well jump right in:

1. Find what makes you happy.

I know, that’s a hefty first step, but if you can find the little things in your daily life that give you a flutter of joy or makes you smile even on the coldest days, hold on to it. For example: my plant hoard is probably going to keep growing, I’m going to try to paint more, and I’m going to be less reserved about singing along with my favorite songs.

2. Bask in whatever sunshine you can find.

That little kid that laughed at you in the grocery store, the person you saw bring food to a homeless person on your morning commute, the dogs that will gladly let you pet them. I know it’s easy to forget that there is good in the world when it seems like everything is dark and dreary, but look out for the little bits of sunshine peeking out from the clouds and soak them in.

3. Create your own sunshine.

Donate to a cause that is close to your heart, volunteer at the humane society or soup kitchen, clean out your closet and give your clothes to someone who needs them more. Don’t forget that you can be a ray of warmth for someone else!

4. Persevere 

If the grass and flowers can come back at full strength after devastating ice, snow, and frigid temperatures, so can you. Be resilient and carry on.

Good luck y’all.

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The post The Walking Contradiction’s How-to Guide: Surviving the Winter appeared first on KRUI Radio.

I’ve lived in Iowa my entire life and yet I still don’t know how we as a human species endure winter year after year. You’d think having some Swedish ancestry would help me cope considering they hail from the literal arctic, but I still despise winter with every fiber of my being.

To help break up the dreariness of winter I decided to make what I hoped would be a refreshing spirit-lifting recipe reminiscent of spring. I found a coconut lime cake recipe from Cotter Crunch that sounded very tropical and spring-like and also happened to be vegan, but I didn’t really want to go through the effort of making the coconut cream frosting even though it sounded delicious. Since I wanted the cake to stand out a little more instead, I used a glaze recipe from Daisy and the Fox and also made the candied limes from their recipe for decoration. I know, THREE whole parts?? I am so brave.

Time started: 8:30 pm

What I’m drinking: I’m not generally a huge fan of wine, but my mom sent me back from Thanksgiving break with four bottles of homemade rhubarb wine so I figured I might as well tackle some of that. I drank part of a bottle a couple weeks ago but it didn’t exactly go down the easiest, so this time I mixed it with some sprite and that was a pretty decent starter drink. After I finished the wine, I mixed Toasted Caramel whiskey with vanilla coke and it might have actually been the best thing I’ve ever done. SO GOOD, 10/10 would recommend. Then as a bonus spur of the moment drink, since I was using limes I figured I pretty much had to do a shot of tequila. Had to, not want to; don’t ever accuse me of not giving this column my all because tequila SUCKS.

Estimated difficulty: 4/5

Listen, I’ve never candied a lime—I didn’t know what to expect. Also three steps seemed pretty ambitious.

Challenges (besides being intoxicated): The grater we have did not work very well as a zester and I was struggling to get a decent amount of lime zest until I realized I could just kind of scrape it off with a knife. Also, doing shot of tequila. Always a bad decision.

Time finished: 10:30

Results

My drunk opinion:  It’s okay, the parts with a lot of glaze are good. It kind of tastes like coffee cake.

Rylee’s opinion: “Is there ginger in this?” (…No) “Oh, well it smells like gingerbread. I don’t know how to feel about it.”

My sober morning opinion: It’s slightly better this morning, but it still reminds me of coffee cake. Not very refreshing or springy.

Final deliciousness rating: 6/10

I combined two different recipes for this, so if you want to test it out the cake recipe is from here (it’s a gluten-free recipe but I just used regular flour instead of gluten-free flour) and the candied limes and glaze recipe are from here. The only other modification I did was adding lime zest to both the batter and glaze.

Looks like next month’s column will arrive just in time for Valentine’s Day, so that should be interesting, feel free to check back then.

(Bonus: me complaining about taking a shot of tequila)

Previous Episodes:

Episode 1: Orange Chili Brownies

Episode 2: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones

Episode 3: (Almost) Vegan Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Episode 4: Peppermint  & White Chocolate Brownies

The post Whisks + Whiskey: Episode 5 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

However, these harsh winters bring about some of the most intimate opportunities between a family, friends, or a couple: long days inside baking for the holidays, marshmallows floating in hot chocolate, the ever appealing escape of a movie marathon while being cocooned in a pile of blankets.

“Blankets”, a graphic novel by Craig Thomson, perfectly captures the harsh but surprising compassion present in Midwestern winters. An autobiographical tale interlaced with artistic license, “Blankets” chronicles the author’s life from childhood to young adulthood, with the setting of brutal Wisconsin winters as the backdrop to our narrator’s coming-of-age.

Rife with symbolism, metaphor, and allegory, the graphic novel explores concepts of child abuse, Catholic guilt, the consequences of familial estrangement, ambivalence toward one’s search for meaning in art, and the defining of personal spirituality.

The earlier chapters of “Blankets” can be harrowing and devastating, illustrating the struggles of a young man becoming increasingly unsure in himself, the religion he initially leaned upon, and fitting in at school.

Thompson bookends his graphic novel with an adult version of himself reflecting on those earlier years and ultimately coming to his own conclusions about God and the church (he used the project to come out as a non-Christian to his parents in real life). It’s thoughtful rumination filtered through the perspective of a very talented artist.

Despite the strengths of the introduction and the conclusion of “Blankets,” however, the body of the novel belongs to the relationship that blossoms between Craig and his love interest, Raina. Tender, poignant, and ultimately heart-breaking, Craig and Raina’s courtship is realized beautifully and vividly, capturing the bitterness and the warmth that define so many people’s experiences with Midwestern winters. I don’t want to spoil anything about their lovely tale, so I’ll say this: it reminded me of my own experiences with falling in love for the first time, for better or for worse.

The impact of “Blankets” is largely attributed to its art. While its writing is articulate and deeply felt (the graphic novel isn’t exposition heavy, and easily weaves its characters and overarching themes together), Thompson’s evocative black and white art is simply breathtaking. Surreal scenes involving stars and angels and kaleidoscopic imagery make the emotionally intimate scenes hit even harder than they already do, and his use of negative space is alternatively suffocating and liberating as the pages flew by.

Even twelve years after its release, “Blankets” is required reading for anyone who enjoys a good comic (or are fatigued by the medium being dominated by ass-kicking superheroes), a touching love story, or are looking for a great narrative to curl up with once the snow starts falling outside.

Mix up some hot chocolate, turn on the fireplace, and grab a couple blankets, including this one.

Grade: A

The post Bound and Proud: “Blankets” by Craig Thompson appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Simply because it isn’t reasonable or realistic that people would be sitting out in the cold and wet, I have had to look to the indoors. On a particular adventure into the lobby of Burge Residence Hall, I found Molly.

When I first approached Molly, she was hesitant to answer my questions. She appeared busy on her laptop and wary of the stranger who suddenly asked to take her picture.

I could tell right away that Molly was someone who got stuff done. Molly didn’t seem like the type to sit down and let life take advantage of her. I later found this to be true, as she told me that in the last week she had turned in four papers and taken a test on top of that.

I also learned from our conversation that Molly is in the same boat as a lot of us– still trying to figure things out. As a sophomore at the University of Iowa, she has decided to drop a journalism major and venture into a differing field.

“I was a double major in journalism and communications, but journalism isn’t really my thing,” Molly told me, “I’m thinking of going into some sort of marketing instead.”

Molly is a prime example of a University of Iowa student– trying to decide what the hell she’s doing with her life, weighted down by homework, and probably sleep-deprived. In fact, when I asked Molly what she was excited for, she replied, “I’m pretty excited to sleep.”

We get it, Molly. Thanks for sharing, and go take a nap.

Iowa City Observations is a continuing column in which I venture out into the streets of Iowa City and ask people to inspire me, as well as make probably irrelevant observations about Iowa City itself.

This column was inspired by Humans of New York. Check out their Facebook page and Instagram account.

The post Iowa City Observations: Molly appeared first on KRUI Radio.