The Bears’ tenacious defense turned four turnovers into 16 points, defeating NFC North rivals, the Detroit Lions, 26-24.

Jay Cutler led the Bears, completing 18 of 31 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown. Cutler’s lone touchdown pass came in the first quarter on a 60 yard screen pass to wide out Earl Bennett. Bennett led the Bears with five catches for 109 along with his touchdown catch.

Detroit’s defense kept wideout Brandon Marshall in check limiting him to five catches for 42 yards. Marshall finished the regular season with a team high 118 catches.

Running back Matt Forte carried the ball 24 times for 103 yards and punched a one yard run touchdown. Forte injured his ankle for the third time this season and withstood the pain in a must win game. This was Forte’s third game this season surpassing the 100 yard mark on the ground.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford broke Drew Bledsoe’s pass attempts record after completing 24 of 42 passes for 272 yards three touchdowns and one interception. He was intercepted by cornerback Tim Jennings. Jennings, ninth interception is a league best.

Stafford finished the season with 727 pass attempts and with 4,967 passing yards, just 33 yards shy of consecutive 5,000 yard seasons.

He connected with two year wideout Kris Durham on a 26 yard touchdown pass for his first touchdown catch of his career. Stafford and Durham were teammates at the University of Georgia. He also threw a touchdown pass to tight end Will Heller for his first touchdown of the season and his final touchdown pass came in the fourth quarter to wide receiver Brian Robiskie to pull within two points.

Wideout Calvin Johnson, led the Lions with five catches for 72 yards. Unfortunately, Johnson came short of setting a  2,000 receiving record finishing the season with 1,964 yards.

After starting 7-1, the Bears are not heading into the postseason finishing the year 10-6 because the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Green Bay Packers to earn the final wild card position.

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The Chicago Bears kept their playoff hopes alive with their 28-13 victory on the road against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Bears defense put them ahead in the first quarter after Arizona running back Beanie Wells fumbled and cornerback Zack Bowman recovered the fumble and easily got into the end-zone.

Cornerback Charles Tillman extended the Bears’ lead in the third quarter on a 10 yard interception return for a touchdown. All three of Tillman’s interceptions this season have been returned for touchdowns.

Cornerback Kelvin Hayden and safety Anthony Walters both recorded interceptions. The Bears defense also compiled four sacks and were without veteran leader Brian Urlacher.

Quarterback Jay Cutler led the Bears, completing 12 of 26 passes for 146 yards and one touchdown. Cutler and wideout Brandon Marshall connected on an 11 yard pass for pass in the second quarter. Marshall caught six passes for 68 yards along with this touchdown.

On the ground, Matt Forte led the Bears carrying the ball 12 times for 88 yards and punched in a four yard touchdown in the second quarter.

The Arizona Cardinals started quarterback Ryan Lindley. Lindley completed 17 of 30 passes for 141 yards and one interception. Lindley has yet to throw a touchdown pass since becoming a starter and was benched early in the third quarter.

Fourth year player Brian Hoyer entered the game and completed 11 of 19 passes for 105 yards and one interception.

Larry Fitzgerald led all wide receivers with eight receptions for 111 yards surpassing the 100 yard mark for the second time this season.

The Bears will finish their season on the road at Ford Field against NFC North divisional rivals the Detroit Lions and look to sneak into the playoffs. The Cardinals will end their season with a tough match-up against NFC West rivals the San Francisco 49ers.

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The Green Bay Packers clinched the NFC North division for a second consecutive season with their 21-13 victory over divisional rivals the Chicago Bears at Solider Field.

Aaron Rodgers helped the Packers continue their 12-game winning streak in the NFC North division by tossing three touchdown passes. Rodgers completed 22 of 36 passes for 291 along with his three touchdown passes.

James Jones was the recipient to all three touchdowns, catching a total of five catches for 60 yards. Also, wideout Randall Cobb caught a game high six reception for 115 yards.

The Packers featured a combination of running backs to help jumpstart the run game. Alex Green, Ryan Grant and DuJuan Harris combined for 94 of Green Bay’s 113 rushing yards. The run game has picked up in the recent weeks due to rotation they have implemented.

Green Bay was ecstatic with the return of linebacker Clay Matthews, who missed the team’s last four games with a hamstring injury. His presence on defense was known, finishing the game with six tackles and two sacks. Matthews has 11 sacks in the 10 games he has played this season. The defensive pressure stepped it up in his return, combining for four total sacks.

The gameplan for Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears was to run the ball, control the clock and keep Rodgers off the field. Their opening drive looked as if it would have been successful but they had trouble moving the ball.

Cutler finished the game after completing 12 of 21 passes for 135 yards one touchdown and one interception. Cutler connected with wide receiver Brandon Marshall on a 15-yard touchdown in the second quarter to give the Bears their early (and only) lead of the game.

The Packers secondary contained Marshall, who leads the league with 107 receptions, to only six receptions for 35 yards along with his score.

As for Chicago’s run game, Matt Forte had 20 carries for 69 yards. Forte also contributed in the pass game catching five passes for 64 yards.

Chicago’s tenacious defense was without Brian Urlacher but was still able to force two turnovers against Green Bay. Grant busted through the defense for a positive gain and was hit by cornerback Charles Tillman, who forced a fumble recovered by linebacker Nick Roach.

With less than eight minutes left, on a punt, returner Cobb attempted to throw a backwards pass to Jeremy Ross which he also fumbled — the Bears regained possession. The Bears were only able to kick a field goal on the horrendous Packers mistake.

With the victory, the Packers are in contention to earn a first-round playoff bye. As for the Bears, they have fallen to 8-6, along with four other teams in the NFC and will have to battle to earn a wild card playoff position. The Packers will be play their final home game of the season next week against the Tennessee Titans. The Bears will head west to take on the Arizona Cardinals.

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Adrian Peterson continued his MVP campaign and the Minnesota Vikings remained playoff contenders with their 21-14 victory over NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears.

Peterson, carried the ball 31 times for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdowns came in the first quarter, right outside the goal-line to help the Vikings take an early 14-0 lead.

Peterson has gone over the 100 yard mark in the last seven games and is atop the NFL with 1,600 rushing yards. He is also atop the NFL with 18, 20+ yard runs.

Not only is he in contention for MVP but also in the running for Comeback Player of the Year after last season’s gruesome knee injury.

Vikings’ quarterback, Christian Ponder completed 11-of-17 passes for 91 yards and one interception. Ponder’s favorite receiver was wideout Michael Jenkins who caught four passes for 36 yards. It is evident that Ponder is missing his number one guy, Percy Harvin who was placed on injured reserve last week.

As for the Chicago Bears, they were lead by quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler completed 22-of-44 passes for 260 yards a touchdown and two interceptions. Cutler’s lone touchdown pass was to rookie Alshon Jeffery. Along with his touchdown, Jeffery had three catches for 57 yards.

In the fourth quarter, Cutler exited the game after receiving a hard hit. According to reports, Cutler suffered whiplash and could not finish the game. As a result, back-up Jason Campbell tried to lead the team to victory.

Campbell, completed 6-of-9 passes for 64 yards and one touchdown. Campbell connected with wideout Brandon Marshall on a 16-yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, but that was not enough.  Marshall finished the game with 10 catches for 160 yards along with his touchdown.

Marshall has been the number one go-to-guy all season long and sits atop the NFL with 101 receptions, four shy of his 2008 career best while playing with the Broncos. This is Marshall’s fourth time in his career hauling in over 100 passes.

Unfortunately for the Bears, long-time favorite Brian Urlacher appears to be done for the rest of the regular season. Urlacher, injured his hamstring last week against the Seahawks.

With the loss, the Chicago Bears have lost their division lead to the Green Bay Packers but do have a wild card playoff position. The Bears will have a pivotal match-up next week against the the Packers. If the Packers win next weeks game they will clinch the NFC North division. As for the Vikings, they will head to St. Louis to take on the Rams and try to fight for their playoff lives.

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Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson, led his offense down the field in overtime and connected with wide receiver Sidney Rice for a 13 yard touchdown to defeat the Chicago Bears 23-17.

Wilson, completed 23-of-37 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson’s first touchdown strike came with less than 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter to wide receiver Golden Tate to take a 17-14 lead.

On the ensuing drive, Jay Cutler connected with Brandon Marshall for a 56 yard bomb to help put the Bears into field goal range. Kicker, Robbie Gould nailed a 46-yard field goal to send the game into overtime.

Cutler completed 17-of-26 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Cutler and Earl Bennett connected on a 12 yard pass to give the Bears an early 7-0 lead. His second touchdown pass was a 12 yard pass to running back Matt Forte in the third quarter. Forte also had 21 carries for 66 yards.

Wide receiver, Brandon Marshall caught 10 passes for 165 yards. Marshall has caught at least 10 catches in back-to-back games for the first time of the season.

Seattle’s Rice caught six passes for 99 yards along with his game winning touchdown. Also Tate caught five passes for 96 yards along with his touchdown catch.

Running back, Marshawn Lynch had a productive game on the ground with 19 carries for 87 yards and one touchdown. Lynch punched in his sixth touchdown of the season with his second quarter score.

Seattle’s cornerbacks, Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner, played after they were accused for using Adderall earlier in the week. The corners combined for 11 tackles for the Seahawks defense.

The Chicago Bear’s defense lost some key playmakers. Safety Chris Conte was ruled out because of illness, cornerback Tim Jennings left the game with a shoulder injury, and linebacker Brian Urlacher injured his hamstring in overtime. Cornerback, Kelvin Hayden had a fumble recovery for the Bears only takeaway of the game.

With the loss, the Bears fell to 8-4 and are no longer atop the NFC North Division because of the Packers victory against the Minnesota Vikings.  The Bears now hold one of the two NFC wild card positions. Chicago will take on the Minnesota Vikings at Mall of America Field next week. As for the Seahawks, they improved to 7-5 and also hold an NFC wild card position. Seattle will return home next week to take on the Arizona Cardinals.

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The Chicago Bears improved to 8-3 and 5-1 at Soldier Field with their 28-10 victory over NFC North rival the Minnesota Vikings, snapping a two game losing streak.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler had a quiet yet efficient game returning from injury completing 23-of-31 passes for 188 yards one touchdown and one interception.

His 74.2% completion percentage was a season best thus far for the  seven-year quarterback. Cutler connected with tight-end Matt Spaeth in the second quarter for his first touchdown of the year.

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall continues to be Cutlers favorite target each week. Marshall caught 12 passes for 92 yards in the victory. This was the second time this season Marshall caught 12 passes in a single game. His 81 catches is a team high and there is not another receiver on the team that has more than 30 catches.

In the third quarter, the Bears offense lost playmaking running back Matt Forte. Forte exited the game with a right ankle injury; the same ankle where he suffered a high ankle sprain earlier in the season. Michael Bush took over at running back and had 21 carries for 60 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears also lost wideout Devin Hester, who left the game with an apparent concussion.

The Bears defense bounced back this week after not forcing a single turnover in last weeks loss over the San Francisco 49ers. Safety Chris Conte caught his second interception, safety Major Wright and cornerback Charles Tillman both recovered fumbles.

As for the Vikings, quarterback Christian Ponder completed 22-of-43 passes for 159 yards, one touchdown, one fumble and one interception. Ponder connected with tight-end Kyle Rudolph in the third quarter for his long touchdown toss. Rudolph caught five passes for 55 yards along with his touchdown before exiting the game in the fourth quarter to be evaluated for a concussion.

Adrian Peterson continued his dominance, rushing with 18 carries for 108 yards. Peterson also caught six passes for 30 yards. Peterson’s only mistake against the Bears was a fumble. Peterson has rushed for over 100 yards for the fifth consecutive game and sixth time this season.

The Vikings were without wideout Percy Harvin, who was inactive again, nursing an ankle injury. As a result, rookie Jarius Wright took over the wideout spot. Wright caught seven passes for 49 yards.

The loss for the Vikings pushes them back to 6-5 but still keeps them well in contention in the playoff hunt. The Vikings will be on the road again next week against NFC North rivals the Green Bay Packers. The Vikings continue to struggle away from home, only recording one win this season.  The Bears will host the Seattle Seahawks next week as they fight for first place in the division.

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Colin Kaepernick led the San Francisco 49ers to an easy 32-7 victory over the Chicago Bears to improve to 7-2-1 on the year. Kaepernick completed 16-of-23 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start for the Niners.

Starting quarterback, Alex Smith, was inactive for Monday night’s game. Smith received a concussion in last week’s tie against the St. Louis Rams.

Kaepernick connected with tight-end, Vernon Davis, to extend an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Davis caught six passes for 83 yards along with his touchdown catch. In the third quarter, Kaepernick connected with wide receiver, Michael Crabtree, to put the 49ers ahead 27-0. Crabtree caught three passes for 31 yards along with his 10 yard touchdown catch.

As for the Chicago Bears, they were without starting quarterback, Jay Cutler. Cutler also received a concussion last week in a losing effort against the Houston Texans. Jason Campbell got the nod, but was not efficient. Campbell completed 14-of-22 passes for 107 yards one touchdown and two interceptions.

Campbell was knocked around the entire night and sacked a total of six times. 49ers defensive end, Aldon Smith, accounted for 5.5 sacks, pummeling through the Bears’ offensive line.

Campbell threw his lone touchdown pass to wide receiver, Brandon Marshall, in the third quarter. Along with his touchdown catch, Marshall recorded two catches for 21 yards.  This was the second time this season that Marshall was held to two catches and under 25 yards. The first time was against the Green Bay Packers in Week two.

The Bears also had trouble running the ball. Matt Forte carried the ball 21 times for 63 yards and back-up running back, Michael Bush, only had five carries for nine yards. Bush has yet to be as effective on the ground, as he was last season in Oakland. He has not scored a rushing touchdown since Week three.

Surprisingly enough, the Bears defense sits atop the NFL with 30 total takeaways and were unable to force a single turnover against the 49ers. As for the 49ers cornerback, Tarell Brown and safety, Dashon Goldson each had interceptions. Linebacker, NaVorro Bowman led the 49ers with 13 total tackles, pushing him to 4^th in the NFL with 94 total tackles.

With the loss, the Bears are now 7-3 and take a step back in the NFC North Division. The Packers are now in first place because they currently own the tiebreaker against the Bears. Chicago will be on the road next week against NFC North rivals, the Minnesota Vikings. As for the 49ers, they will also be on the road against the New Orleans Saints.

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Wins are wins, and the Houston Texans will take them however they come.

Matt Schaub had only 95 passing yards and one touchdown, Arian Foster accumulated 102 yards on 29 carries, and Houston (8-1) exited Soldier Field with a tooth-and-nail 13-7 victory over the Chicago Bears (7-2) on Sunday night.

Even with heavy rain, strong wind, brisk temperaturesa and all, the Texans tied with the Atlanta Falcons for the league’s best record by the end of the night.

“It’s huge for us, we were 7-1 going in, to come out 8-1 in a hostile place, given the weather and the team we were playing, that’s a tough group to go against,” said Schaub.

Sloppiness throughout the night didn’t come to a surprise for anyone with the weather being as brutal as it was. Chicago turned the ball over four times with two Jay Cutler interceptions and two fumbles. Schaub equaled as many picks as Cutler, making him responsible for all of Houston’s turnovers.

A 51 yard Robbie Gould field goal put the Bears on the board and tied the game at 3 with 12:52 remaining in the second quarter.

The Texans went into the locker room with a 10-3 lead following a 2 yard diving touchdown reception by Foster into the right pylon with about four minutes left in the half.

Cutler would not return in the second half due to a concussion suffered late in the second quarter. Texans linebacker Tim Dobbins laid a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cutler as he stood in there and let one go downfield. Dobbins was hit with a personal foul penalty.

Former Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders starting quarterback, Jason Campbell, replaced Cutler, who completed seven of 14 attempts for 40 yards.

Campbell made a handful of quality throws, but was unable to come through late in the fourth quarter, trailing 13-6.

Unsure of Jay Cutler’s status for the Bears next game, receiver, Brandon Marshall, stated “In the meantime, Campbell is more than capable. There was no heads hanged down when Jay was down. There was no complaining. We understand we have a starting quarterback in the backup so we’re fortunate to have him. There will be no drop off in our offense.”

For Houston, this was about a lot more than just one game.

“I think we showed them we can win any game, any situation, any time, any place, tough weather conditions, tough place on the road, a very good football team,” said defensive end J.J. Watt. “We won, so say what you want.”

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The Chicago Bears dominated on both offense and defense in a crushing 51-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans, improving to 7-1.

Chicago scored quickly and often to take early control at LP Field, scoring 28 points in the first quarter, a franchise record for most points scored in the first quarter. The first score was a result of a blocked punt, defensive end Corey Wootton recovered the ball for a touchdown.

Running back, Matt Forte, gave the Bears a 14-2 lead after his eight-yard rushing touchdown, his third of the year. The Bears’ defense came up with another big play on the ensuing drive. Linebacker, Brian Urlacher, picked off quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and returned the interception 46 yards to extend the lead to 21-2. The final score of the first quarter came thanks to quarterback, Jay Cutler, connecting with wideout, Brandon Marshall, for a 13-yard touchdown pass.

Cutler and Marshall connected two more times in the 4th quarter on a 39-yard touchdown pass and a 5-yard touchdown pass to finish off the Titans. Marshall finished the game with nine receptions for 122 yards, along with his three touchdown passes. This was the first time Marshall caught multiple touchdown passes since his 2009 season.

Cutler was extremely efficient, completing 19 of 26 passes for 229 yards and three touchdown passes. Forte finished the game with 12 carries for 103 yards and one touchdown. Forte also contributed in the pass game catching two passes for 45 yards. Forte’s 8.6 yards per carry was a season best, and it was his second time surpassing 100 yards on the ground this season.

The Bears’ defense is credited with their success this season, and they continue to play a vital role in each week’s victory. They have compiled a total of eight defensive and special team touchdowns, which are tied for the most in NFL history.

Chicago is currently one of the best NFL defenses with 27 takeaways. Cornerback, Charles Tillman, contributed to raising the defenses’ takeaways, with his four forced fumbles along with his team-high nine tackles. Tillman was just named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October, and continues to be a nightmare for offenses across the NFL.

Tennessee Titans’ running back Chris Johnson was their lone star in the crushing defeat. Johnson carried the ball 16 times for 141 yards and one touchdown. This was Johnson’s third game running for over 100 yards.

Hasselbeck finished the game, completing 20 of 35 passes for 194 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His touchdown pass came in the third quarter on a 30 yard pass to wideout, Nate Washington.

The Titans will be back in action next week against the Miami Dolphins. As for the Chicago Bears, they will look to continue their home dominance and take on fellow 7-1 opponents, the Houston Texans.

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The Chicago Bears squeezed past the Carolina Panthers 23-22 to improve to 6-1 and 4-0 at Soldier Field.

Running back Matt Forte took the lead early in the first quarter on a 13 yard rushing touchdown. Forte had 70 yards on 15 rushes along with his one touchdown. Forte also caught five passes for 24 yards.

In the 2nd quarter, after a Jay Cutler fumble the Carolina Panthers responded; Cam Newton scrambled and dove in the end-zone but was hit and fumbled. Luckily the ball was recovered by Louis Murphy for the touchdown to go ahead 10-7.

The Panthers took advantage of Chicago’s weak offensive line and sacked Jay Cutler six times in the first half. Panthers kicker, Justin Medlock kicked three consecutive field goals to pull ahead 19-7.

In the 4th quarter, Jay Cutler put the Bears back on board. Cutler and tight-end Kellen Davis connected on a 12 yard-pass for his only reception of the day. The touchdown cut the Bears deficit to 19-14.

On the ensuing drive, on 1st and 10 on Carolinas 20 yard-line Newton dropped back to hit wideout Steve Smith who slipped, Tim Jennings jumped the rout and intercepted the pass to take it back for seven and give the Bears the late 20-19 lead. Jennings recorded two interceptions, a total of six on the year.

The Panthers almost responded with an incredible catch by Smith, but the veteran was unable to hang onto the ball. As a result, Medlock kicked a 45 yard field goal off the goal pole to go back ahead 22-20.

Cutler and Brandon Marshall connected four times on the final drive to help push the Bears into field goal range. On 2nd and 7 with four seconds left, Robbie Gould nailed a 41 yard field goal for the win.

Cutler finished the game completing 19-of-28 passes for 186 yards one touchdown, one interception and two fumbles. Cutler favorite target Marshall, caught nine passes for 98 yards.

Newton completed 20-of-39 passes for 314 yards threw two interceptions and two fumbles. Steve Smith, caught seven passes for 118 yards.

Carolina will head to FedEx field next week to take on the Washington Redskins. The Bears will be on the road next week against the Tennessee Titans as they look to stay atop the NFC North division with the Vikings and Packers breathing right behind their necks.

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The Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions 13-7 at Soldier Field to improve to 5-1 and 3-0 at home this season.

The Bears defense did an outstanding job limiting the the Lions and creating turnovers to preserve the victory. Cornerback, Charles Tillman, locked up Lions star receiver, Calvin Johnson; holding him to three catches for 34 yards. Johnson and quarterback, Matthew Stafford, have only connected once for a touchdown through their six games.

The Lions had a very difficult time punching in a score inside the 20 yard-line. In the 2nd quarter on Chicago’s 18 yard-line, running back, Mikel Leshoure, was stripped by linebacker, Lance Briggs, and the fumble was recovered by defensive lineman, Julius Peppers. Also in the 3rd quarter, running back Joique Bell was stripped at the one yard-line trying to extend the ball for a touchdown, and the fumble was recovered by linebacker Brian Urlacher. Their third red-zone turnover came in in the 4th quarter when Stafford threw an interception to cornerback D.J. Moore on Chicago’s three yard-line.

Detroit, is atop the NFL for most turnovers in the red-zone this season with five.

Towards the end of the first half, Bears fans held their breath after Jay Cutler exited the game after he was thrown to the ground by Lions defensive lineman, Ndamukong Suh. Cutler returned to the game in the 2nd half and finished the game, completing 16-of-31 passes for 150 yards and one touchdown.

Cutler connected with number one wide receiver, Brandon Marshall. Marshall had six receptions  for 81 yards along with his score. Marshall leads the Bears in all receiving categories by significant numbers.

Running back, Matt Forte had a productive game on the ground. Forte had 22 caries for 96 yards along with three receptions for four yards.

Stafford completed 28-of-46 passes for 261 yards one touchdown and one interception. Stafford’s lone touchdown pass was to rookie Ryan Broyles in the 4th quarter for his first career touchdown. Broyles caught three passes for 51 yards and was featured after wideout, Nate Burleson, left the game with an injury. Burleson’s injury has been diagnosed as a broken leg and he could possibly miss eight months. Wideout Titus Young led the Lions receiving core with six receptions for 81 yards.

The Lions will have another tough matchup next weekend as they welcome the Seattle Seahawks to Ford Field. As for the Chicago Bears, they will remain home at Soldier Field and play the Carolina Panthers. Chicago will look to maintain a divisional lead as they currently sit atop the NFC North.

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After a 3-3 halftime stalemate, a 38 point second half Chicago Bears scoring eruption led the Bears to a crushing 41-3 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler completed 23-of-39 passes for 292 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the win. Cutler connected with rookie Alshon Jeffery for the first offensive touchdown of the game in the 3rd quarter. Jeffery had two receptions for 20 yards along with the touchdown catch. Brandon Marshall led the Bears receiving core with a season high 12 receptions, 144 yards and a 4th quarter touchdown.

As for the Bears rushing attack, Matt Forte led the pack with 107 yards on 22 carries. Forte also caught two passes for 20 yards. This was Forte’s first 100+ yard rushing game of the 2012 season. In addition, running back Armando Allen scored the first NFL touchdown of his career on a 46 yard breakout touchdown.

The Bears offense finished off the game with 501 total yards, compared to the Jaguars 189 yards. Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert struggled completing 17-of-33 passes for 142 yards, was sacked three times and threw two interceptions. This was Gabbert’s first week held without throwing a touchdown pass. Cecil Shorts led the receivers with two receptions for 43 yards.

Running back Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball 12 times for 56 yards. Jones-Drew has been held under 100 yards in four of this year’s five games.

The Bears defense continues to make opposing quarterbacks and offenses struggle. In the 3rd quarter, cornerback Charles Tillman picked off Gabbert for a 36 yard interception return for a touchdown. Linebacker Lance Briggs also picked off Gabbert for a 36 yard interception return for a touchdown in the 4th quarter. Tillman and Briggs have returned interceptions for touchdowns in two consecutive games. The Bears defense have scored four defensive touchdowns in the past two games.

Chicago improved to 4-1 on the season, and is on a three game winning streak heading into their bye week. The Bears will be back in action against divisional rivals Detroit Lions on Monday night, October 22. Jacksonville will also be on their bye week, and will be back in action Sunday, October 21 against the Oakland Raiders.

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The Chicago Bears forced Tony Romo to throw five interception to improve to 3-1 and defeat  the Dallas Cowboys 34-18.

The Bears defense had a busy evening, forcing turnovers the entire night. Bears safety, Major Wright, had two interceptions giving him a total of three on the season, and the second best in the NFL.  Cornerback, Charles Tillman, picked off Romo in the 1st quarter and ran it back 25 yards for a touchdown. Linebacker, Lance Briggs, picked Romo off in the 3rd quarter and took it back 75 yards for another touchdown. Cornerback, D.J Moore, also had an interception. The Bears lead the NFL with a total of 11 interceptions. Bears Safety, Chris Conte, led the Bears with 11 tackles.

Romo’s five interceptions tied a career high for the Dallas quarterback. Interestingly enough, Romo’s first five interception game was back in 2007, also on Monday night. Four weeks in, and Romo currently leads the NFL with eight interceptions. Romo did throw one touchdown to wide receiver, Miles Austin. Austin finished the game with four receptions for 57 yards.

Romo’s awful performance ended late in the 4th quarter and back-up, Kyle Orton, took over. On Orton’s only drive, he completed 8-of-9 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown. Orton’s lone touchdown was too tight-end, Jason Witten; Witten finished the game with 13 receptions for 112 yards. Cowboys running back, DeMarco Murray, struggled running the ball for a third straight week. Murray had 11 carries for 24 yards. Murray was featured in the pass game, catching seven passes for 57 yards.

Chicago Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler had a season best 75% completion percentage, threw for 275 yards and had two touchdowns. After being contained under 100 receiving yards the last two weeks, Brandon Marshall caught seven passes for 138 yards and one touchdown. Devin Hester caught Cutler’s first touchdown pass of the night, and Hester caught three passes for 38 yards. The Bears were delighted to welcome Matt Forte back after missing last week because of an injury. Forte had 13 carries for 52 yards.

The Bears are currently atop the NFC North Division with the Minnesota Vikings at 3-1. Chicago will be on the road again next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. As for the Dallas Cowboys, they are in a three-way tie at 2-2 in the NFC East Division. Luckily for the Cowboys, they can rebuild and get things together during their bye week. The Cowboys will be back in action in Baltimore to take on the Ravens October 14th.

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The Chicago Bears improved to 2-1 on the season, after defeating the St. Louis Rams 23-6 at Soldier Field. The Bears’ offense struggled last week against rivals Green Bay Packers, and their offense still seemed out of sync against the Rams.

Jay Cutler completed 17 of 31 pass attempts for only 183 yards, and threw one interception. Cutler had a passed rating of 58.9, and did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time since week 9 of last season. The Bears’ offensive line protected Cutler much better, only giving up two sacks. Wide receiver Brandon Marshall caught five passes for 71 yards, compared to his two receptions last week. Alshon Jeffery had five receptions for 45 yards. With running back Matt Forte still out due to an injury, Michael Bush led the Bears with 18 carries for 55 yards and one touchdown. Bush also caught two passes for 18 yards.

As for the the St. Louis Rams their points were produced by rookie kicker, Greg Zuerlein. Zuerlein booted a 56 yard field goal, and a 46 yard field goal. Zuerlein is now 6-6 on the season.  Rams quarterback Sam Bradford had a rough game, only completing 18 of 35 passes for 152 yards and two interceptions. Bradford was knocked around all of the game, and was sacked six times. Furthermore, Bradford had a career low of  39.2 quarterback rating. Danny Amendola was Bradford’s favorite receiver again, catching five passes for 66 yards. Running back Steven Jackson was limited to 11 carries for 29 yards. Jackson wasn’t 100 percent as he proclaimed to be, however he did not further injure himself. Daryl Richardson carried the ball four times for 16 yards.

The Bears’ defense was lead by linebacker Lance Briggs, who had seven tackles. Also Bears, cornerback, Tim Jennings recored his 4th interception of the year. In addition, safety Major Wright caught his first interception and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Rams’ defense was led by linebacker James Laurinaitis, who recorded a season high 11 tackles. Cornerback Cortland Finnegan caught his third interception of the year in the the 1st quarter.

Chicago is 2-0 at home this season, and will be back in action next Monday, October 1st, on the road against the Dallas Cowboys. As for the Rams they will be home against division rivals, Seattle Seahawks on September 30th.

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A highly anticipated offensive shoot-out at Lambeau Field turned into a  defensive gridlock on Thursday night. The Green Bay Packers defense had a huge target on their back following their weak performance in Week 1 against the 49ers. In Thursday nights rivalry game against the Chicago Bears, the Packers defense completely shut down the Bears explosive offense to earn an encouraging 23-10 victory.

The rampant defense of the Packers held the Bears to just 168 total yards. Jay Cutler was completely flustered by Green Bay’s aggressive defense, only throwing for 126 yards and one touchdown, whilst also giving up four interceptions. Cutler was also sacked seven times, and is now 0-3 at Lambeau Field. Green Bay also limited Chicago’s run game, especially after Matt Forte left the game in the 3rd quarter with an ankle injury.

Packers linebacker, Clay Matthews, had seven tackles, and 3.5 sacks. Matthews has already matched the amount of sacks he had last year in the first two games of the season, and should continue to harass quarterbacks all season. The secondary also shone with Tramon Williams picking up two interceptions, whilst Charles Woodson and rookie Jerron McMillian also both picked off Cutler. The Packers secondary was also able to lock-up Bears star wideout Brandon Marshall, and limited him to two receptions for 24 yards. Marshall had a touchdown opportunity in the 3rd quarter however, but was not able to hang onto the ball.

Interestingly enough, Green Bay’s punter, Tim Masthay, threw a touchdown pass before Aaron Rodgers. In the second quarter, on a fake field goal, Masthay pitched the ball to Tom Crabtree who followed his blockers all the way for seven. Rodgers finally threw his first and only touchdown pass of the game in the fourth quarter to veteran wideout Donald Driver. Rodgers finished the game completing 22 of 32 passes for 219 yards, one touchdown and one interception. In addition, the Packers run game proved to be far more effective than in Week 1, as they rushed for a total of 106 yards, and Cedric Benson lead the team with 20 carries for 81 yards. Benson also had four receptions for 35 yards.

Green Bay has now extended their winning streak against the Bears to five games. The Packers handled the pressure of an expectant home crowd extremely well to earn their first win of the season. Green Bay will be on the road for their next game, a tough clash with the Seattle Seahawks on September 24th. The Bears will be back at Soldier Field, September 23rd, against the St.Louis Rams.

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The NFL’s oldest rivalry will meet for the 185th time Thursday night at Lambeau Field. The Packers will try to bounce back from a Week One, 30-22 defeat by the San Francisco 49ers, and the Bears look to make an early divisional statement and improve to 2-0 on the season.

Green Bay had an extremely difficult time stopping the 49ers’ offense this past Sunday. Green Bay gave up a total of 377 yards: 191 via pass, and 186 on the ground. In addition, the Packers struggled running the ball, compiling a total of 45 rushing yards. Packers’ newly acquired running back, Cedric Benson, only had nine carries for 18 yards- not exactly what the Packers wanted to see from their free agent signing. Unfortunately, the Packers also may be without wide receiver, Greg Jennings, who is ailing with a groin injury.

As for the Bears, their offense looked explosive. The Bears had a total of 428 yards, sixth best in the NFL, against the Indianapolis Colts. Jay Cutler and wide receiver Brandon Marshall did not miss a beat. In a Tuesday conference, when asked about the Packers’ defensive backs pressing and being physical with receivers Cutler said, “Good luck.” A very bold yet confident statement to make just a week into play.

Chicago’s running back duo could possibly be the best in the NFL. Matt Forte and Michael Bush were very effective Week One combining for 122 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, the Bears were able to create turnovers, forcing three interceptions and two fumbles. Bears’ linebacker Brian Urlacher is expected to play even though he is still suffering knee problems. Also cornerback, Charles Tillman is expected to play. Tillman left Week One with an apparent shin injury.

Keys to Victory for the Packers:

Put pressure on Jay Cutler:

The Packers are going to have to be effective on the blitz and force Jay Cutler to make mistakes. They cannot allow him to settle in the pocket and find open receivers. Several times, Cutler threw questionable passes into double coverage in Week One against the Colts; Green Bay must capitalize on these mistakes, force turnovers and let their offense control the game.

Establish Some Type of Run Game:

The Packers had absolutely no run game Week One, which needs to change as the season progresses. By establishing a run game the Packers’ offense becomes more dangerous, and less predictable. This also gives Green Bay the ability to control the clock, and keep Cutler and his explosive offense off the field.

Keys to Victory for the Bears

Attack Green Bay’s weak Secondary:

The Bears have a talented offense and Cutler can definitely distribute and pass the ball. Cutler and the Bears should want to keep the ball in the air and see if the Packers are capable of stopping their receiving core revolved around Brandon Marshall.

Keep Aaron Rodgers off the Field:

Rodgers was not named MVP last year for nothing. He is extremely talented and executes very efficiently. The Bears must try and control the clock with Forte and Bush. The longer their offense is on the field the longer Rodgers is on the sideline. The Bears want to keep him off the field and put more pressure on the Packers’ defense to come up to make a big play.

The Packers will look to expand their current winning streak over the Bears to five games, but it definitely will not come easy. As coach Mike McCarthy said while addressing the press: “It’s a tough game every time we get together on the field, so we are expecting that, but yes we are focusing on winning the game.”

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The Chicago Bears made several offseason moves to improve offensively, including reuniting wide receiver Brandon Marshall and quarterback Jay Cutler, and adding more running back depth with the addition of Michael Bush. Both were important aspects in their 41-21 victory over a rebuilding Indianapolis Colts team/organization.

Bears fans held their breaths early after Jay Cutler was intercepted by linebacker Jerrell Freeman and scored to give the Colts their only lead of the day. However, the Bears offensive finally settled down and routed the Colts defense. Cutler threw for 333 yards, completing 21 of 35 passes for two touchdowns and one interception. Cutler and his number one wide out, Marshall made it seem they never stopped playing together. Marshall had nine receptions for 119 yards and one touchdown. Cutler targeted Marshall 15 times, several times in which were effective and others very risky passes into double coverage.

However, once the Colts began to attempt to cover Marshall better, Cutler began to spread the love. Rookie wide out, Alshon Jeffery caught three passes for 80 yards and also scored a touchdown. Jeffery will be a big target for Cutler especially when defenses are keen on covering Marshall. In addition, wide out Earl Bennett caught three passes for 50 yards.

As for Chicago’s run game, their duo consisting of Matt Forte and Michael Bush were also on point. Forte had 16 carries for 80 yards and one touchdown. Forte also caught three passes for 40 yards. As for Bush, he had 12 carries for 42 yards and punched in two goal line touchdowns. The Bears offense compiled 428 total yards, which thus far is in the top five for performances during the first week.

Defensively, the Bears forced five total turnovers, three interceptions and two fumbles. Cornerback Tim Jennings had two interceptions, and safety Chris Conte has one interception. Cornerback Kelvin Hayden and defensive lineman Julius Peppers had fumble recoveries.

Indianapolis rookie quarterback, Andrew Luck will want to forget about his first NFL start. Luck completed 23 of 45 passes for 309 yards, one touchdown, and threw three interceptions. In Luck’s defense he was up against a tough Bears “D”, but was very “unlucky.” Luck’s favorite receiver Sunday was veteran, Reggie Wayne. Wayne caught nine passes for 135 yards, and was targeted 18 times. Also rookie tight end, Coby Fleener had a busy day catching six passes for 82 yards. Fleener and Luck have a past history after playing together at Stanford University.

Chicago will be back in action on short rest, Thursday, Sept. 13^th at Lambeau Field against divisional rivals Green Bay Packers. Alex Smith had a fairly easy time passing the ball against the Packers weak secondary, Jay Cutler and the Bears offense could light up the score board once again come week two.

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The Bears finished last season with a record of 8-8 and just missed the playoffs after a late season collapse, which saw them lose five out of their last 6 games, but will be hoping for a much better showing in the 2012 NFL season.

Chicago reunited quarterback Jay Cutler and wide receiver Brandon Marshall this offseason. Both played together in Denver and were a very successful offensive duo. Cutler will hope for a bounce back season after only playing in 10 games due to injury, yet still managed to throw for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Brandon Marshall recorded over 80 receptions and over 1,000 yards in his last two seasons in Miami and will excite Bears’ fans who have been longing for a star receiver. Not a single Bears’ receiver last season recorded more than 52 receptions and no one had over 727 receiving yards. The addition of Brandon Marshall will make the Bears’ passing game more dangerous and help Cutler get back to his usual 3,000-yard passing season.

Matt Forte led the Bears in rushing last season, running just shy of 1,000 yards and scoring 3 touchdowns, but also suffered injury problems like Cutler. The Bears brought more running back support in, signing ex- Oakland Raider, Michael Bush. Bush played in 16 games and ran for 977 yards and 7 touchdowns last season, shining during Darren McFadden’s injury induced absence. The running back duo of Forte and Bush could possibly be the best one-two punch in the NFL.

Although the Bears have a multitude of offensive weapons, their biggest offensive concern is their offensive line. Chicago’s offensive line allowed the 6th most sacks in the NFL last season, 49, and also was 5th in the NFL for allowing quarterback hits, 87. A weak offensive line could mean trouble and lack of full production from the injury-prone Cutler and the rest of the Bears’ offense.

The Bears defense is led by veteran linebacker, Brian Urlacher. Urlacher has not featured at all this preseason because of knee trouble and has reportedly been in Europe seeking specialist treatment. However, he should be ready come the opening regular season game and after recording 102 tackles and 3 interceptions last season, will be eager to replicate those kind of numbers this season. Julius Peppers, Chicago’s defensive line anchor, is also coming off a great season in 2011, registering 37 tackles, 11 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.

Overall, Chicago has the potential to win 10 or more games this season and will likely be back in the playoffs providing they can hold their own against divisional rivals the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers.

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The Chicago Bears took on the Denver Broncos under the lights at Soldier Field to kick off their preseason play. Not only were Bear fans fortunate enough to see their team play, they also got a glimpse of Peyton Manning in his first game with the Broncos.

Manning completed 4 of 7 passes for 44 yards and threw an interception in the 31-3 victory. It was evident that Manning was grateful and excited to be back under center for the first time since missing all of last season. Manning connected with three different wide receivers within his first four pass attempts, already spreading the field and keeping defenses guessing. Denver’s offensive line kept Manning protected very well and did not allow him to get hit once. Peyton’s leadership and experience definitely makes the Broncos a team to look out for once the regular season comes along.

As for the Chicago Bears, their starting quarterback, Jay Cutler, warmed up, but did not play because of the birth of his first child on Wednesday. As a result, Jason Campbell started for the Bears and completed 4 of 5 passes for 13 yards. In addition, running back Matt Forte sat and watched from the sideline, giving the start to newly acquired Michael Bush.

Bush carried the ball three times for two yards and also fumbled. Also, wide receiver, Brandon Marshall, caught one pass for four yards in his Bears debut. The addition of both Bush and Marshall makes the Bears become an offensive threat this upcoming season. Not to mention that Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall are already very well acquainted with each other after playing together in Denver.

However, the only positive offensive note for the Bears from Thursday’s game was rookie receiver Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery led the Bears receiving core with four receptions for 35 yards. The former South Carolina Gamecock was drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft and signed a four-year deal in early May. Jeffery has been playing extremely well during training camp and is showing a ton of potential.

Defensively for the Bears, Julius Peppers also watched from the sidelines. In addition, linebacker Brian Urlacher did not play for reported personal reasons. However, Urlacher has been suffering from some knee soreness.

Chicago will welcome RGIII and the Washington Redskins Saturday, August 18, for their second preseason game. As for the Broncos, they will also be in action August 18 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Although the Bears finished last season with an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs, their offseason additions could possibly help make them the second best team in the NFC North Division behind the Green Bay Packers.

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The Miami Dolphins (6-10) refused to pass up a golden opportunity to end the season of the hated New York Jets (8-8), on New Year’s Day. A 19-17 victory by the Dolphins knocked New York out of contention for the sixth and final AFC postseason seed – meaning there will once again be no Super Bowl title for Gang Green, despite coach Rex Ryan’s preseason prediction.

But that didn’t sway Ryan to take the high road for a change. “I’m always going to chase the Super Bowl,” said Ryan. “I know I get criticized for it beyond belief, but if you don’t, then you’re probably a loser, OK? I’m not a loser.”

Two straight losses following an 8-5 start put the Jets in a position where they needed a significant amount of help to make a playoff run for the third consecutive season under Ryan. New York understood that a win against the Dolphins would be meaningless unless it was accompanied by losses for Tennessee, Cincinnati, and Denver/Oakland.

Scoreboard watching was unnecessary once this one was all said and done. New York had a slight advantage coming into the ball game, as 1,000 yard runner Reggie Bush and Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jake Long were both unable to play due to knee and arm injuries, respectively. Bush’s 5.0 yards per carry was the highest average among 1,000 yard rushers this season.

Fourth year running back, Steve Slaton, replaced Bush and had 55 yards on 11 carries. The Jets had the upper hand on the ground with 129 combined yards in comparison to only 82 for the Dolphins. LaDanian Tomlinson made history yet again, as he passed former Steeler great, Jerome Bettis, for 5^th on the all time rushing list with 56 yards on the day.

A 44 yard Dan Carpenter field goal gave Miami an early 3-0 lead with 9:31 remaining in the first. Mark Sanchez responded with a one yard play action touchdown pass to tight end Justin Keller to put the Jets ahead 7-3 with just under 6 minutes in the quarter. The drive covered 77 yards in 8 plays.

Unable to take advantage of an Antonio Cromartie interception later in the quarter, the Jets defense would nonetheless hold Miami at bay and allow their offense to extend the lead to 10-3 with a 31 yard field goal late in the second quarter. Safety Brodney Pool’s interception with 25 seconds remaining in the half set the Jets up at their own 45, giving them a chance to take a two possession lead before entering the locker room.

A crucial interception by defensive lineman Randy Starks quickly erased Matt Moore’s interception. Miami suddenly cut the lead to 10-6 with a 58 yard field goal as time expired. It was an atrocious first half passing-wise. Sanchez and Matt Moore had a total of just 106 yards while throwing the 3 interceptions.

Miami took their first lead of the game in the 4^th with a record-setting drive. It was the longest possession of the season in regards to both time and amount of plays. The Dolphins went 94 yards downfield in 12 minutes and 29 seconds. A one yard 3^rd and goal touchdown pass to Charles Clay on the 21^st play put them ahead 13-10 with 10:27 remaining in regulation.

“I didn’t realize how long it was,” said Moore. “It was unbelievable, just a great job on everybody’s part.” Not since 1993 had the Jets given up a drive consisting of 21 plays. A 41 yard field goal made the score 16-10 Miami with 7:11 left to go following another Starks interception of Sanchez.

New York moved the ball all the way down to the Miami 10 on the next possession, but Sanchez’s third interception of the afternoon cost them mightily. Linebacker Marvin Mitchell recorded the pick and returned the ball back to the Jets 36. Miami tacked on another field goal to take a two possession lead, 19-10 with 2:32 on the clock.

Brandon Marshall sealed the win for the Dolphins with an onside kick recovery after a late Jets touchdown. Receiver Santonio Holmes appeared to quit on his team and was benched during the drive. This marked the first time in 95 career games where he did not record a reception.

New York finishes the season at .500 and goes into the offseason with several unanswered questions concerning their leadership and identity. The Dolphins now know what they’re capable of, winning 6 of their final 9 after an 0-7 start.

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Reggie Bush has come a long way during his first season with the Dolphins. After leaving New Orleans he just wanted to prove that he can be an every down back in this league.

Safe to say that a career high 206 yard rushing performance in a 30-23 victory over the Bills in snowy, windy Orchard Park on Sunday didn’t hurt his efforts even one bit.

“It feels good. It means a lot,” said Bush. “It means that hey, I’m doing everything that I expect I was going to be doing. It’s not so much as me being surprised that this happened today or that I could rush for 100 yards. It’s more of the fact that this is something I expected.”

Although things certainly didn’t start out the way Bush envisioned them. A fumble on Miami’s second possession had to be discouraging as it was his fourth of the season.

However, he stood the course and before he knew it he regained his confidence after breaking out a nifty little spin move that led to a 28 yard run in the second. That carry would set the tone for his huge day which would end with a 76 yard touchdown run late in the fourth, leaving Buffalo with little hope.

After being knocked out of last week’s game with head and neck injuries, Matt Moore returned to the lineup and also played well in the inclement weather. Moore completed just 10 of 20 passes but did not turn the ball over while throwing for two touchdowns and 217 yards.

The Bills had a different offensive game plan. C.J. Spiller was effective out of the backfield with 91 yards and one touchdown, but Buffalo only allowed him to carry the ball 12 times. The strategy was to attack through the air and in the end that proved to cost them the game.

Ryan Fitzpatrick’s three interceptions heavily outweighed the 316 yards and two touchdowns he accumulated while going 31-47 on the day.

The Bills liked their chances of ending a six game losing streak after the early fumble by Bush at the Miami 42. An 18 yard run by Spiller was quickly followed by his 24 yard touchdown run to give Buffalo an early 7-0 advantage.

It was only the first touchdown surrendered in the first quarter by the Dolphins in their last nine games.

Miami would respond on the first play of the second quarter when Moore threw a wide open 22 yard touchdown to tight end Anthony Fasano. The drive went 52 yards and was set up by a 23 yard punt return by Davone Bess and long pass play to fullback Charles Clay.

Vontae Davis had a huge impact as well. During that same quarter the Miami cornerback recorded the first of his two interceptions and returned the ball to the Buffalo 25 after a field goal gave the Dolphins their first lead at 10-7. The pick would lead to another field goal, extending the lead to 13-7.

Davis’ third quarter interception was also his fourth of the season.

With a lead the Dolphins decided to take their shots downfield in the third quarter. This worked out perfectly when Moore opened the second half with an 80 yard drive that was highlighted by a perfect 65 yard touchdown throw to Brandon Marshall down the right sideline.

The catch was not only Marshall’s fifth touchdown of the season, but it also sealed his fifth consecutive 1,000 yard season.

The Bills kept trying to fight back but waited too long. By the time they scored their first down to make the score 23-13 the fourth quarter was already more than halfway over.

All the credit needed to be given to the Miami defense. They held Buffalo to no third down conversions, going a remarkable 0-11 throughout the entire 60 minutes.

An unsuccessful onside kick left Buffalo with almost no chance after cutting Miami’s 30-13 lead down to 7. They would force a punt and leave Fitzpatrick and the offense with one last chance. Unfortunately they needed a miraculous 80 yards in 16 seconds.

Miami wouldn’t let that happen with a tackle after the first lateral ending the game.

Tony Sparano may have been fired earlier in the week, but the Dolphins still took care of business and won their fifth game out of seven.

“Coach Bowles did a good job of keeping everybody together,” said Moore. “It was a sad day, but we’ve got to keep moving.”

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Andy Reid’s game plan definitely did not include allowing a blocked punt on the opening drive. It also did not embrace the idea of having a 16 yard Brandon Marshall touchdown reception occur just three plays later.

But in the end maybe that was all that he and his Eagles really needed to snap their two game losing streak on Sunday, moving their record to 5-8 with a 26-10 victory over the Dolphins.

Michael Vick’s return under center and Philadelphia’s 24 point second quarter outburst probably had a little more say, however.

“We’ve been through a lot, a lot of games we were supposed to win and didn’t finish,” said Vick. “I’m proud we won today.”

Vick finally played for the first time in a month after missing the previous three weeks due to broken ribs. After a prolonged absence he spoke of how he chose to respond to the physical effects of experiencing NFL action once again.

“I’m in a lot of pain, but I just wanted to finish and get through the game,” stated Vick. “I got hit a lot, and it kind of wore me down. I tried to hang in there.”

Getting back to game speed was certainly an issue for Vick, as he finished just 15-30 with one touchdown and one interception on 208 yards passing. Meanwhile, his legs were a non-factor, running for a mere nine yards on only two carries.

Miami’s defense did a solid job of containing Vick and the Philadelphia offense for most of the day. Unfortunately for the Dolphins the scope of the entire game changed late in the first quarter after missing a 55 yard field goal attempt that would have given them a 10-0 lead. The Eagles suddenly gained new life, and would respond with a 54 yard drive that ended with a two yard touchdown run by LeSean McCoy in the second quarter. Philadelphia then proceeded to score an additional 17 points during the quarter. That was all the scoring that would be necessary to win the ball game.

“The Eagles have been inconsistent like we have,” said Dolphins receiver Brandon Marshall. “But that’s a team with a lot of talent. At any moment they can be an undefeated team, or look like one.”

Philadelphia’s defense played an inspired second quarter following the team’s first score. On Miami’s next possession safety Kurt Coleman intercepted a deep pass from Matt Moore at the Dolphins 36 and returned it all the way to the one. The pass was intended for receiver Davone Bess.

The second play of the Dolphin’s goal line stand would result in McCoy’s second touchdown run of the day, giving the Eagles their first lead at 14-7. McCoy had a very unusual day. He did have two touchdowns but only rushed for 38 yards on 27 attempts.

Bess soon found himself in the middle of the Dolphins’ troubles once again. Eagles corner back Asante Samuel forced him to fumble after a 3^rd down completion on Miami’s next possession. Samuel also recovered the fumble at the Dolphins 34.

Luckily for the Dolphins they were able to keep it at just a two possession game by holding Philadelphia to a 40 yard field goal despite obtaining excellent field position.

But turnovers were Miami’s undoing in the second quarter. Matt Moore surrendered one right back to Philadelphia after the Dolphins recovered a fumbled punt return at the Eagles 24. It was a perfect opportunity for Miami to get right back into the game until Eagles defensive end Jason Babin forced Moore to fumble after sacking him at the Philadelphia 29.

Two minutes and five seconds later Vick connected with DeSean Jackson on a 34 yard touchdown throw to give the Eagles a commanding 24-7 lead going into the half.

Miami stopped turning the ball over in the second half and its defense returned to the strong form it established during the team’s recent 4-1 stretch.

But the story of the day was the Philadelphia defense. The Eagles had nine sacks, a late safety, and even knocked Matt Moore out of the game in the third quarter with a head injury. Moore’s final line was 11-19 for 95 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

His replacement J.P. Losman did not fare any better with 60 yards on 6-10 passing.

Philadelphia hopes to display more of that defensive firepower over their last three games for a potential playoff push.

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When looking at this game on paper, you couldn’t find two teams on more opposite sides of the spectrum. The Kansas City Chiefs had won four straight games to put themselves in a tie for first place in the AFC West after a dreadful 0-3 start, and the Miami Dolphins couldn’t win a game.

All that changed on Sunday as the Dolphins layed a beat down on the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The team waited until the final seconds to start celebrating their long-awaited first win of the season.

“I’m just happy for the guys in our locker room,” Dolphin’s head coach Tony Sparano said. “All I’ve wanted to do for seven weeks is see these guys smile.” Matt Moore was 17 of 23 for 244 yards, had three touchdowns and a 147.5 passer rating. This was the first three-touchdown game by a Miami quarterback since Chad Pennington did it in 2008.

Reggie Bush had another great game on the ground. He racked up 92 yards and a score on 13 carries. Wide receiver Brandon Marshall had his best game of the year, snagging eight passes for 106 yards and a touchdown, which added to his already-impressive stats against the Chiefs. He has 52 catches for 689 yards and seven scores in eight games against the Chiefs from his time with the Denver Broncos.

Matt Cassel finished the day 20 of 39 for 253 yards, even though he was facing one of the weakest pass defenses in football that was without cornerback Vontae Davis. He didn’t have much chance to throw the ball as he was under pressure all day, getting sacked five times and having to scramble even more times.

“They executed and we didn’t,” Cassel said. “We were able to put together some drives, but we weren’t able to sustain those drives offensively. We have to do a better job of executing. It starts with me and all the way down the line.”

Kansas City’s only points came on their opening drive when a 14 play 53 yard drive was capped by Ryan Succop’s 43-yard field goal. After that, it was all Miami as they answered with a touchdown later in the quarter when Moore found tight end Anthony Fasano open in the back of the end zone following a nice play action fake.

On the Dolphins next drive, Moore found fullback Charles Clay for two big gains of 21 and 22 yards, and then found Fasano again wide open down the sideline for the 35-yard score to extend the lead to 14-3.

In the third quarter, the Dolphins busted the game open after Moore hooked up with Marshall for 14 yards. Bush was able to bust a 28-yard run for the score. The Dolphins defense was able to snuff out any chance of a comeback with a stop on fourth and goal on the three-yard line.

“This was not the kind of performance we expected or wanted,” Chiefs coach Todd Haley said. “This was a very dangerous team that was playing a lot better than their record. It’s hard to win in the NFL, and they just did a better job than us.” Brandon Flowers put it more bluntly and no so calmly.

“We got beat,” he said. “We got beat pretty bad by the Miami Dolphins. At home.” The Chiefs look to rebound and keep pace with the Chargers and Raiders against the Denver Broncos who knocked off the Raiders this week. The Dolphins look to keep the good play rolling as they head home to square off with the Washington Redskins.

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Despite showing signs of losing to a team that has not won since last season, the New York Giants were able to rally back for a 17-20 win over the Miami Dolphins. The Giants’ running attack were not prepared today, only running for a total of 58 yards which came mostly from the help of Amhad Bradshaw.

On the other hand, the Dolphins ran for a total of 145 yards due to running back Reggie Bush. Bush ran for 103 yards on 15 attempts, breaking his personal record. Quarterback Matt Moore and running back Steve Slaton were able to rush for a touchdown apiece in the game.

The Miami Dolphins were not successful in the throwing game, with Moore throwing for 138 yards on 13 completed catches along with throwing an interception. Wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Davone Bess completed a total of seven receptions for a total of 98 yards, without any touchdowns.

The New York Giants were able to rally in the second half of the game, with quarterback Eli Manning throwing 349 yards and two touchdowns in 31 completions. Mario Manningham caught the first touchdown pass in the second quarter, along with catching six passes for a total of 63 yards.

Wide receiver Victor Cruz caught the game winning catch for the final touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, finishing off the game with 99 yards off of seven catches in the game. The Giants (5-2) travel to Massachusetts next Sunday to face the New England Patriots, while the Dolphins (0-7) travel to square off against the Kansas City Chiefs.

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There were just as many Tim Tebow fans in Miami on Sunday as there were Dolphin fans. Tebow’s fans were all very disappointed as he looked absolutely awful. It looked like Miami, to many fans’ dismay, were on their way to their first victory of the season. Then he did the unthinkable and led an improbable comeback.

Tebow led the Denver Broncos with two touchdown passes in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter in his first start of the season, which forced overtime. Matt Prater sealed the win with a 52-yard field goal in overtime to give Denver the 18-15 victory over Miami. Denver was trailing 15-0 with five minutes left in the game when Denver took over at their 20 yard line.

Tebow, who had been hearing it from fans all game, looked atrocious up to that point, and Denver had zero conversions on third down. “It was my fault we were in that position,” Tebow said. “Silly things kept happening. On the sidelines, we were still believing. We wanted it, and they believed in me for more than 60 minutes.”

Tebow managed to lead touchdown drives of 80 and 56 yards with a successful onside kick thrown in the middle. He scored the game tying two-point conversion untouched with only 17 seconds left on the clock. In overtime, it was Denver’s D.J. Williams who sacked Matt Moore, forced a fumble, and recovered it at Miami’s 36 yardline.

It only took three more plays, and Prater sealed the Dolphins’ fate as their winless streak continues extending the NFL’s longest streak to ninegames. If coach Tony Sparano wasn’t on the hot seat before, he sure is now after this disappointing loss. “Of course he’s the head coach, and he’s going to take a lot of heat,” receiver Brandon Marshall said. “But trust me, it’s not him. Not just him. It’s all of us.”

“I’m just discouraged for the players in the locker room,” Sparano said. “They work really hard, and we don’t have anything to show for it right now.” Tebow struggled for most of the game, suffering seven sacks, failing to pick up blitzes, and making several horrible throws nowhere near the intended receiver.

But this didn’t make him lose confidence, and he was able to lead an eight-play drive capped by a five-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas for the touchdown with three minutes left to make the score 15-7. The Dolphins failed to grab the ensuing onside kick, and Virgil Green recovered at their 44 with two and a half minutes left.

Tebow was able to find Daniel Fells for a 28-yard gain, brining them to the three yard line, Again, he found Fells for the three-yard score with time running out. As for the Dolphins, they are just looking for any sort of remedy to their season. “I’m trying to search for answers,” Miami running back Reggie Bush said. “I just keep coming back to embarrassing.”

This was a big win for Denver and Tebow. Midway through the third quarter, Denver had netted two yards on 10 pass plays, which is an average of seven inches a play. After that, Tebow went nine for 13 for 1,121 yards and finished 13 of 27 for 161 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 65 yards on eight carries.

Despite the salute to the Gators and Tebow mania, the stadium was almost half empty at the start — a sign of growing fan discontented with the Dolphins. The crowd was booing the home team before Miami’s first series ended, but Denver moved the ball no better. Together, the two teams failed to convert their first 16 third-down situations.

Miami is just looking for any answers as they fall to 0-6, and have to travel to MetLife stadium to square off with Big Blue.

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With their backs to the wall in the midst of a three game tailspin, the Jets needed a win in “the worst way” against the winless Dolphins on Monday Night just to stay relevant in the NFL playoff race. They got the win, but it wasn’t too convincing. However, ask the Jets and they’ll tell you its fine as long as it wasn’t another loss.

With the Dolphins knocking at the door, threatening to jump out to a 10-0 lead early in the first, Darrelle Revis ran back the first of his two interceptions 100 yards for a touchdown and helped kick start the Jets to do just enough to get a win at home. The Jets were sitting at a 2-3 mark coming into the game with a ton of turmoil going on in the locker room.

“Anytime you lose three games straight, you’re going to lack some confidence,” running back LaDainian Tomlinson said. “You’re going to start to question yourself a little bit.” However, the Jets did nothing to prove that they’ve turned things around, getting off to yet another slow start with their first four possessions ending in three-and-outs for the second straight game.

The Jets didn’t get their 1^st first down until 6:17 left in the half. Sanchez, while not playing a great game, was serviceable. He found Holmes for a 38 yard touchdown on a crossing pattern early in the fourth quarter. Sanchez finished 14 of 25 for 201 yards 1 TD and another touchdown coming on the ground when Sanchez ran a QB draw 5 yards for the score.

Shonn Greene had another decent outing rushing for 74 yards on 21 carries. The Dolphins came to town just in the nick of time for gang green, but they have a much better opponent in the 4-1 San Diego Chargers, coming into town next week with a bye following. For the Dolphins, they drop to 0-5 and this season is beginning to look like 2007 when they went 1-15.

Fans are hoping for no wins so they can get Andrew Luck in next years draft, but the heat for this seasons is falling on Tony Sparano. He didn’t help his cause by designing a game plan that had Matt Moore in his first start. The Dolphins were constantly throwing toward Revis’ side of the field which ended up burning them.

“It’s tough right now,” wide receiver Brandon Marshall said. “When you lose, everything looks bad. It’s a nasty feeling in the building and a nasty feeling every day. The only thing we can do is fight to get a win.” Marshall didn’t even live up to the promise that he’d get ejected during the 2^nd quarter. He didn’t start a fight with Bart Scott or Antonio Cromartie like he said he might.

The Dolphins were first on the scoreboard when Dan Carpenter knocked a 23 yarder midway through the opening quarter. The Jets fumbled and lost the ensuing kickoff when a short kick bounced off blocker Garrett McIntyre and was recovered by Austin Spitler. After Daniel Thomas rushed twice for 3 yards, Moore attempted to hit Marshall in the end zone.

Unfortunately for Moore, Revis was on Marshall, stepping in front of the pass and was off to the races, making it 7-3 and turning the game right around. Matt Moore, who was in for Chad Henne, had a horrible game. He was 16 of 34 for 204 yards and two interceptions. “It’s rough, kind of the same old story, trying to find answers and make plays down there in the red zone and we seem to hit a wall,” Moore said. “Just got to keep going.”

Marshall finished with six catches for 109 yards but no touchdowns. Five of the catches and 63 of the yards came against Revis who was matched up on Marshall for most of the night. He was targeted 19 times. Reggie Bush who left in the 3^rd quarter with a neck injury had 71 yards on the ground and two catches for 7 yards.

Carpenter hit a 21 yard field goal in the early 2^nd to make it a 7-6 game, but that would be the end of the scoring for the Dolphins. The Dolphins face the Broncos at home next week before heading back to MetLife stadium for a showdown with the other New York team Big Blue.

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The AFC East brings us some of the most popular and some of the most hated teams around the league at the same time. New York, New England, and Miami (sorry Buffalo), are some of the biggest markets in sports these days, and their respective teams rightfully get a lot of the spotlight. The Patriots are wrapping up their dynasty and now seem to be in a retooling stage. In the meantime, the Jets put themselves on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” and became what seems to be the most hated team in the NFL. The Dolphins continue to make key acquisitions such as Ricky Williams, Brandon Marshall, and even Bill Parcells, none of which can quite get them over the hump. Of course lastly, the Bills continue to struggle so much so that fans tune in assuming that they are bound to turn it around sooner or later. There is so much to be said about these four teams and the history they bring to the table.

So where do we even begin with this division? Let’s start with what we know, the bottom.

Buffalo Bills: Well, who even knows what to say about this franchise. Being notorious for losing is a tough spot to be in. The Bills are going to have a hard time attracting big free-agents to come play in Buffalo, and thus should look for young talent to rebuild this team. Is Ryan Fitzpatrick the guy? Well, don’t forget that he did throw for 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2010 and proved that he was the real starter for this team, so maybe, but they need much more than a quarterback. Maybe C.J. Spiller will show some of the explosion he had at Clemson and be a much needed weapon for their offense. Marcell Dareus should instantly make the Bills defensive line something to plan for. It’s hard to say that the Bills even could be contenders this season, but we’ve seen crazier turnarounds in sports. Let’s just call it a work in progress.

Miami Dolphins: Whereas everyone can peg Buffalo at the bottom of the division, Miami is probably the biggest question mark of the four. What do they bring to the table? It’s pretty difficult to say considering many of their main positions are unidentified. First of all, who is going to play quarterback? Chad Henne just doesn’t seem to be the answer everyone wanted him to be. When you have Brandon Marshall to throw to and you still can not significantly improve your numbers, the surroundings might not be the problem. As for running back, Ronnie Brown has somewhat fallen off. He hasn’t had a 1,000 yard rushing season since 2006 (when he barely squeaked over the mark with 1,008 yards), and we all know Ricky Williams can’t have all that much left in the tank. The one thing I liked out of the Dolphins last season was watching Cameron Wake rushing off the end and striking fear into quarterbacks while doing his best Julius Peppers impression. As for what to expect, who knows? We barely even have names to put on a depth chart, but the assumption is that they still won’t be able to lead this division.

New York Jets: Oh Rex Ryan, you sure do have a way of getting people to hate you. Since he got to town, the Jets have become a force in the AFC and also have become one of the most hated teams in the NFL because of the jolly loud-mouthed coach. As is, this team could be right back in position to compete for a Super Bowl next season, but don’t be blinded by those back-to-back AFC Championship appearances, this team does have holes. Ryan’s defense will always be one of the best in the league, and will undoubtedly annoy any offensive coordinator that tries to deal with their blitz schemes. They are aging quickly, and probably could use a new safety and some pass rushers, but that’s only if we’re getting picky. The offense has serious weapons, and if Mark Sanchez can continue his progression, we could see a lot more balance from them. Mike Westhoff is renowned as one of the best special teams coaches in the business, so there isn’t much worry there. They don’t have much more to do but go out and win the big game, but if I know the Jets, this is when a baffling 8-8 season happens. 2011 will be a very telling year for the direction of this team, and hopefully they can keep it up, Rex Ryan led teams are good for the league.

New England Patriots: This is not the same great team. I repeat, this is NOT the same great team. The dominant defense of old is gone by the wayside. Their secondary has big holes, and although their front seven is solid, they’ll need to address their secondary issues if they want to get back to an elite level. The fact is, Tom Brady is a hall of fame quarterback and probably won’t let Pats fans go a season without seeing a playoff game, the question is how deep can they get? The New England offense is dangerous because nobody knows where the ball is going to go. Unpredictability is a quarterbacks best friend. For example, they had two tight ends with over 500 yards receiving each, and 16 touchdowns between them. They will always be a throw-first team, but have no problem slashing defenses with a run when Brady catches some linebackers cheating. The Patriots are good, not great. I wouldn’t expect them to be a Super Bowl favorite going into these season, nor would I doubt a team with Brady and Belichick at the helm. Will they seed the reigns of the division to the Jets, or will they regain the dominance they held for so long over the past decade? Time will tell, as for now I’ll expect at least another playoff appearance for New England.

Ah The AFC East, this division definitely holds the keys to my heart. Growing up as a Jets fan, it was incredibly difficult to see the Patriots dynasty do what they did for so long. I now can admit that Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game (although that is always a bit tough for me to say), and that Bill Belichick is a hall of fame coach, no matter how much he may have cheated throughout the championship years (sorry folks, as a Jet fan, I had to). That being said this is a new time for this division. The Jets have reached back to back AFC Championship games under Rex Ryan and seem to be on the cusp on something great, and with young talent emerging from Buffalo and Miami in their rebuilding stages, this division should continue to be highly competitive in some of the biggest markets the NFL has to offer.

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