It had to end with a sack. How else would the Chicago Bears close out a game that began with a strip sack that led, a play later, to their only touchdown? How else to extend a winning streak that, in successive weeks, has engulfed two other superb defenses and established the Bears as more than just the most surprising team in the National Football Conference, but also as one of its best?
So, it was fitting that Tampa Bay quarterback Chris Simms went down in a heap as the final seconds slipped off the clock Sunday in the Bears' 13-10 victory over the Buccaneers.
As Simms ran into his locker room, Bears safety Mike Brown bellowed: "They still doubt us! They still doubt us!"
PHOTO: AP
Not for long. There were no caveats in this victory for the Bears -- no home-field advantage, as in last week's victory over the Carolina Panthers, and no weak opponent, as in every victory in the streak until then. Buccaneers place-kicker Matt Bryant missed a 29-yard field goal just inches to the right with 2 minutes 51 seconds remaining that could have sent the game into overtime, but this victory was more about the sacks (four), the passes defensed (six) and the forced fumbles (one) by the Bears that bested a Bucs defense that was nearly as successful.
The Buccaneers had won two straight, scoring 30 or more points each time, but it was clear as soon as Simms was sacked at his 1-yard line by Chicago right end Alex Brown on Tampa Bay's first drive that this would be no shootout. The Bears have won seven in a row, and, at 8-3, have a two-game lead in the NFC North. They have won the way Bears teams have traditionally won: by running the ball (118 yards rushing Sunday) and by playing devastating defense. They are allowing 11 points a game, which, statistically at least, puts them in the same league with the team by which all other defenses are judged: the 1986 Bears.
"How far can it carry us?" Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "Hopefully it can carry us all the way."
PHOTO: EPA
In the last two games, the Bears' defense has 12 sacks, despite their opponents using every kind of protection scheme short of a tank to protect their quarterbacks. Buccaneers tight end Anthony Becht, who stayed in to try to block Alex Brown on the opening drive, said he did not think Brown was that close to Simms before he smacked Simms's arm, causing the ball to squirt out.
Brown was much closer to the quarterback all day than the Buccaneers wanted. Tampa Bay, which dropped to 7-4 and into a second-place tie with Atlanta in the NFC South with three consecutive road games ahead, had not allowed a sack in two weeks. But the Buccaneers were overwhelmed by the Bears, who hurried or hit Simms repeatedly. And when that did not work, they simply swatted Simms' passes out of the sky. Tampa Bay finished with 168 yards passing and converted just 2 of 12 third-down attempts.
"When they feel they're blocked, they sit there and read the quarterback's eyes," Simms said. "They would just stop rushing, wait until I throw and jump up and knock the ball down. That shows they're a very aware team."
PHOTO: AP
And one that, if they are to continue winning, will have to do it with defense. The rookie quarterback Kyle Orton will almost certainly remain the lowest-rated quarterback in the league, after completing 14 of 28 passes for 134 yards Sunday, with a touchdown pass and an interception.
Orton bristles at the suggestion that he is asked to only manage the game, not win it with his arm, and he completed the most important pass of the day, a short slip screen with the Buccaneers blitz coming on third-and-long late in the third quarter that was caught by Thomas Jones and went for 41 yards. That drive ended with Robbie Gould's 36-yard field goal to give the Bears the 10-point lead that made them so comfortable.
Simms had led comeback scoring drives in Tampa Bay's last two victories, and he nearly did it again Sunday. But even after Mike Alstott tumbled into the end zone for the touchdown that closed the Bears' lead to three, the Buccaneers had to scratch for every yard. And when Bryant, who hurt his hamstring slightly on the opening kickoff, pushed the field-goal attempt right, the Bears' charmed season continued. When Tampa Bay got the ball back with just 15 seconds left, it was just enough time for another sack.
"It was two great defenses," Becht said. "Our offense was sparking. We felt if we didn't make mistakes, we'd have a chance. At times, we looked really good against them. But they rushed hard. We have to suck it up and block it."
Doubters, take note.
Seahawks 24, NY Giants 21
New York Giants kicker Jay Feely missed three field goals, including two in overtime, and Seattle's Josh Brown hit a 36-yarder as the conference-leading Seahawks barely won 24-21.
Feely failed on the final play of regulation from 40 yards, then couldn't hit from 54 and 45 yards in the extra session. Seattle used a 38-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck to D.J. Hackett to get close for Brown.
Shaun Alexander rushed 31 times for 110 yards, 94 after halftime, and former Giant Joe Jurevicius had eight receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns -- all before the frantic, seesaw finish.
"That was something, wasn't it?" Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said, sighing.
The Giants, led by quarterback Eli Manning's career day, fell to 7-4 instead of being 8-3 for the first time since their 2000 Super Bowl season. They are tied with Dallas for first place in the NFC East and host the Cowboys next Sunday.
The Seahawks (9-2) won their seventh straight. They have the best record in the NFC and need one win or a St. Louis loss to clinch their second consecutive NFC West title.
Jaguars 24, Cardinals 17
At Tempe, Florida, on a day when it lost starting quarterback Byron Leftwich with a broken ankle, Jacksonville (8-3) won its fourth straight as Derrick Wimbush returned a kick 91 yards for a touchdown, and backup quarterback David Garrard ran 16 yards for a score.
Greg Jones, subbing for the injured Fred Taylor, ran 25 yards for a touchdown to put Jacksonville (8-3) ahead 24-10 with 4:20 to play. Kurt Warner hit Larry Fitzgerald with a 5-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 24-17 with 2:56 remaining.
Neil Rackers' string of 31 consecutive field goals, tied for third-longest in NFL history, came to an end on the first series of the windy afternoon when his 43-yard attempt was wide left.
Chiefs 26, Patriots 16
At Kansas City, Larry Johnson tore through New England's injury-tattered defense for 119 yards and a touchdown and safety Greg Wesley had three of the Chiefs' four interceptions.
Two of Wesley's interceptions set up field goals by Lawrence Tynes, who tied an NFL record with four 3-pointers in one period for the Chiefs (7-4).
Brady finished 22-of-40 for 228 yards for the Patriots (6-5).
Johnson has 462 yards in three games since Priest Holmes went on injured reserve with a spinal injury. He had a 1-yard TD plunge in the first quarter and also caught five passes for 53 yards, including a 30-yard gain on a screen pass.
Panthers 13, Bills 9
At Orchard Park, New York, Jake Delhomme threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to third-string tight end Michael Gaines with 2:16 left to put Carolina (8-3) on top in the NFC North.
It was the only touchdown of a game dominated by defense and field goals.
The last chance for Buffalo (4-7) ended when Chris Gamble intercepted J.P. Losman's throw to Roscoe Parrish in the left flat in the final minute. Parrish appeared to slip on the play, and Losman's pass was underthrown.
Delhomme finished 20-of-27 for 191 yards, bouncing back after he had thrown four interceptions in his previous two games.
Vikings 24, Browns 12
At Minneapolis, Brad Johnson threw three touchdown passes to Marcus Robinson, each of them set up by Cleveland turnovers, and Minnesota (6-5) won its fourth straight.
Rookie C.J. Mosley and Keith Newman both forced fumbles by Trent Dilfer with sacks, leading to Robinson's first two scores. Dilfer, who hurt his right knee in the third quarter, was replaced early in the fourth by rookie Charlie Frye -- who was intercepted by Darren Sharper on the first play.
Dilfer came back in for the next possession by Cleveland (4-7) and Sharper picked him off in the end zone, sealing it.
Eagles 19, Packers 14
At Philadelphia, David Akers made four field goals and quarterback Mike McMahon played an efficient, error-free game to help the home side (5-6) snap a four-game losing streak.
Samkon Gado ran for 111 yards and one touchdown for the Packers (2-9), who are assured of their first losing season since Brett Favre took over as starter in 1992. That run of 13 years was the best in the league.
Rams 33, Texans 27, OT
At Houston, third-string quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Curtis in overtime to cap an improbable comeback by St. Louis in his first NFL action.
St. Louis (5-6) rallied from a 21-point halftime deficit and scored 10 points in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter to force overtime.
Isaac Bruce scored on a 43-yard pass with 26 seconds left and the Rams recovered an onside kick. Torry Holt caught a 19-yard pass that set up Jeff Wilkins' 47-yard field goal, tying the game at 27 with 4 seconds left.
Fitzpatrick, a seventh-round draft pick from Harvard, was 19-of 30 as Houston fell to an NFL worst 1-10.
Chargers 23, Redskins 17, OT
At Landover, Maryland, LaDainian Tomlinson's 41-yard touchdown run in overtime carried San Diego to a critical comeback victory and gave yet another former Washington coach revenge against Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.
Tomlinson broke free on the second play of the extra period. He finished with 184 yards on 25 carries and three touchdowns, including a 32-yard run that tied the game with 3:29 left in regulation.
The Chargers (7-4) recovered from a 17-7 fourth-quarter deficit to win their fourth straight and remain two games behind Denver in the AFC West.
Last week, former Redskins coach Norv Turner returned with Oakland and got his revenge with a 16-13 victory. This week it was Marty Schottenheimer, who was fired by Washington after one 8-8 season in 2001, who handed the Redskins (5-6) their third straight loss and sixth in eight games.
Bengals 42, Ravens 29
At Cincinnati, Carson Palmer took advantage of Baltimore turnovers by throwing three touchdown passes as Cincinnati (8-3) jumped to a 34-0 lead.
Kyle Boller threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, helping Cincinnati move a half-game ahead of Pittsburgh in the AFC North. The Steelers play on Monday in Indianapolis.
The Bengals and Steelers will then meet in Pittsburgh a week later with the division lead on the line.
The Ravens (3-8) kept the division knotted by upsetting Pittsburgh a week earlier. Their depleted defense didn't have a chance against a Bengals offense that's on a roll -- 79 points in the last two games.
T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught nine passes for 147 yards, and Chad Johnson had a 54-yard touchdown catch.
Titans 33, 49ers 22
At Nashville, Tennessee, Steve McNair took advantage of a soft San Francisco pass defense to throw for 343 yards and three touchdowns in the third quarter, including two within 80 seconds, and the Titans (3-8) snapped a five-game losing streak.
Chris Brown, who hasn't rushed for 100 yards in a game this season, caught three passes for 105 yards and a TD. Rob Bironas also kicked a career-high four field goals. Kyle Vanden Bosch had two sacks, and the Titans (3-8) forced four turnovers in winning for the first time since Oct. 16.
McNair finished 23-of-41 in his best game since October 2003, when he threw for 421 yards against Houston in the season he shared the league MVP award with Peyton Manning. San Francisco is now 2-9.
Dolphins 33, Raiders 21
At Oakland, California, Jason Taylor had three of Miami's seven sacks, including a key safety, Gus Frerotte threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns, and the Dolphins snapped a three-game losing streak.
Ricky Williams broke open for a 34-yard touchdown run with 3:50 to play, and Vonnie Holliday also had three sacks to give Miami (4-7) its sixth straight regular-season victory over Oakland (4-7).
Saints 21, Jets 19
At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Aaron Brooks threw three TD passes and New Orleans broke a six-game losing streak in its second visit to East Rutherford this season.
Brooks threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson with 8:32 remaining for the winning score, and finished 17-of-23 for 181 yards.
Former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin was charged with misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia after police searched his vehicle during a traffic stop, Plano police said on Sunday.
Irvin was arrested on an outstanding warrant for speeding in Irving after being pulled over on Friday for speeding in Plano, the Plano Police Department said.
Irvin paid a fine on the speeding ticket and posted bond on the drug paraphernalia possession charge.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
RSS