WELLY, WELL, WELL. Already, WEEK 15 and it's getting hot around the NFL. Sunday is a big tell for a lot of teams, including DA BEARS. Let's get this update started, I have a lot to say. I hope you all enjoy it. Remember, I have my blog posted weekly on  buzznews.net.  Thanks to Ken for posting it for me. A lot of people are reading the updates on buzznews so I guess I am doing something right.  Please pass it on. Just sharing the love!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS. BE SAFE AND ABOVE ALL WATCH SOME FB!!

MNF: 12/9/2013: CHICAGO BEARS VS. DALLAS COWBOYS

Neither the brutal cold nor the league's worst defense could stop Josh McCown & DA BEARS. Instead, Chicago jumped right back into the playoff race. In below zero weather, they took down the Cowboys, 45-28. For me to be one of the BIGGEST BEAR FANS, I have been really laid back on our wins, trying to be fair & impartial, that is soooo not the case for the next few blogs. This game against the Cowboys, brings me to say one thing. WELLLLLL, YOU MAKE ME WANNA SHOUT!!! The BEARS played a damn good game and the combination of Marshall & Jeffrey, well, it does a girls heart good.  Jeffrey has been the man though, who catches like that, 35-40 inch vertical leaps or more into the air and just catch anything coming his way. He had 2 catches that were just amazing, to talk about them would not do them justice. Look them up on you tube or SC. Josh McCown, what can I say, 5 TD's, 1 he made himself. DA BEARS scored on their first 8 possessions in this game. WE HAD to have this game and although the Lions hold the head-to-head sweep, the BEARS are back in the thick of the playoff race. We outscored the Cowboys 24-14 in the 1st half and did more of the same in the 2nd half, outscoring them 21-14, with no points at all for them in the 3rd Qtr.  McCown threw for 348yds & 4 TD's plus a 7yd run to make it a total of 5 TD's in this game. Forte had 20 carries for 102yds while Marshall laid his down his contribution of 6 receptions for 100yds. Jeffery added 84yds receiving, including a 25yd TD pass from McCown.  Romo threw for 104yds & 3 TD's. D. Murray had 18 carries for 146yds. We are pushing forward & can't stop now. The Cowboys have allowed 24.9 1st downs per game this season, on pace to be the worst by any defense since 1981. Note: At this game, they retired Mike Ditka's #89. I have never seen DA COACH at such as loss for words, it was cold as hell so he kept it short & sweet. 

TNF: 12/12/2013: DENVER BRONCOS VS. SAND DIEGO CHARGERS 
Its getting crazy ya'll. Going into this game the Broncos were 11-2 & the Chargers were 6-7, and guess who won, yep you guessed it, the Chargers, 27-20. The Broncos beat the titans 51-28 last week and then go on TNF & play like the Texans. SMH. Maybe they should have saved a few of those points from the win over the Titans. The Broncos found out what happens when they are slacking in their offense. The Chargers had possession for almost 40 minutes, they did not let the Broncos get too many chances to do anything. When the Broncos did get the ball, they didn't do much with it. The Chargers pretty much took the lead after the 1st half, 17-10 and stayed on top. Even though each team was held to 10pts in the 2nd half, that extra 7 in the 1st half put & kept the Chargers on top. It didn't hurt much for Denver except maybe their pride. Rivers threw for 166yds & 2 TD's, Matthews had 29 carries for 127yds & 1 TD. Manning threw for 289yds & 2 TD's. Caldwell had 6 receptions for a measly 59yds but had 2 TD's. Moreno, at what I am sure is his season low had 8 carries for 16yds. That sucks. I was surprised but not shocked. I have said it several times this year, you never know what Chargers team is going to show up each week. This week, is was the good one. LOL. 

*all standings, games won & loss are correct & up to date for these last few blogs of the season, including the MNF & TNF of 12/16 & 12/19. 

NFC NORTH:

CHICAGO BEARS: 8-6:

SAYYYY WHATTT??? Yep, there it is people. DA BEARS are in first place in the NFC NORTH. You can't even imagine how big the grin is on my face right now. Not only are we in 1st place, but I am writing about 2 BEAR wins in this blog. How sweet it is. We played the Cleveland Browns this Sunday, it was Cutler's first game in about a month and we came away with a 38-31 win. I am not going to lie, I was nervous, I didn't want him to come back. I wanted McCown to stay in. Jay started off shaky, had 2 interceptions in the game one which was returned for a TD. He was not doing too good. I was like, here we go again, this ain't looking good, why is he in here?  But by the end of the game, he proved me wrong and I am happy to be wrong in this case. He struggled a bit here & there, but throws 2 TD passes in the 4th Qtr to seal the deal. Alshon Jeffery, aka "The Human Highlight Reel," left us with our jaws hanging on some awesome catches as usual. His game tying, 45-yd TD catch in the 4th Qtr turned the tides of this game.  Shout out to Tim Jennings for holding receiver Josh Gordon in check. Gordon, who had an NFL record of 774 receiving yards in this last 4 games, was targeted 10 times but had only 3 catches for 67 yds. Most of those 67yds came on his 43 yd score in the final minute. Jennings shut him down. Matt Forte had a solid game against the Browns too. He had 127 yds on 24 carries. The Browns were allowing 3.5yds per carry before Sunday. Forte averaged 5.3 yds per carry. Devin Hester had 3 kickoff returns for 105yds & a 21 yd punt return that set up the BEARS go ahead TD in the 4th Qtr. Cutler threw for 265 yds, 3 TD's & 2 INT. Forte had 24 carries for 127yd & Marshall was in the mix with 6 receptions for 95yds & 1 TD. Jason Campbell threw for 273yds & 1 TD. Baker had 8 carries for 38yds & 1 TD. Nowwww, it's a party!!

Green Bay Packers: 7-6-1:

Ok, I watched this game and like everyone else, I thought for sure that Dallas had this one. But they managed to give it away as usual and looked pretty dumb in the process. The Packers came from behind and took this one right out of Dallas hands, 37-36. The Cowboys started off on fire and yes, I was hoping for a GB loss, I am hoping for any NFC team loss each week, except for the BEARS, nothing new there. So I was like yesss, the Cowboys got this one. How could they not, they went into the half with a lead of 3 TD's and 5 points to spare, 26-3. But a strange thing occurred in the 2nd half, the Packers showed up. Matt Flynn threw 4 TD passes in the 2nd half, Eddie Lacy scored the go-ahead TD on a 1yd plunge with 1:31 left and the GB Packers matched the biggest comeback in franchise history. It was just their half and they were not giving it up. The Cowboys however did a total retreat. I can't imagine that they thought the 26-3 would carry them through the 2nd half. But that is certainly how they played. Tony Romo threw 2 interceptions in the last 3 minutes of the game. I couldn't believe it. I just sat there watching and each time he threw an interception I was like, what is he doing?  I mean I have no love at all for Dallas, but this was just pitiful. Then Dez Bryant walks off the field with about 1:31 left. He later said he didn't want the fans to see him crying, he wasn't mad at his team mates, sure Dez, go with that excuse. Then Jerry Jones, he's such a loser, had this to say, "this is one of the hardest losses I've experienced,".  Say what, I don't see him running up and down the field. Why don't he just retire or something, sale the team and go North young man.  The Cowboy missed a great opportunity to make it an even series with the Eagles.  Matt Flynn threw for 299yds & 4 TD's. Lacy had 21 carries for 141yds & 1 TD and Boykin pulled up the end with 6 receptions for 83yds. Romo threw for 358 yds & 2 TD's. D. Murray had 18 carries for 134yds & 1 TD while D. Bryant had 11 receptions for 153yds & 1 TD. 

Detroit Lions: 7-7:

Detroit did not play today. They played MNF-12/16 against the Baltimore Raven's. That games recap will be in WEEK 16 Update. Let's just say, they blew that game. LOL. This is a quote directly from the mouth of a LIONS fan, one of my co-workers. "The Lions don't have a CLUTCH gene". Apparently even some Lions fans are realizing the deal.  I'm just saying, don't kill the messenger.

Minnesota Vikings: 4-9-1:

Will wonders never cease. The Vikings played the Philadelphia Eagles and not only did they win with an impressive 48-30 score, they did it without A. Peterson. Who knew? The Vikings played without Adrian Peterson, (sprained foot) & Toby Gerhart (strained hamstring) and Matt Asiata gladly stepped up and scored on runs of 1yd in the 2nd Qtr & 1 & 5 yds in the 4th Qtr to help keep the Eagles at bay. Nick Foles did his usual job but LeSean McCoy, who ran for a franchise record 217 yds last week, was held to 38yds on 8 carries. That's a big drop. Matt Cassel threw for 382 yds & 2 TD's. Matt Asiata contributed 30 carries for 51yds, which ain't much, but it was the 3 TD's he had that did the job. Jennings  Greg Jennings added 11 receptions for 163yds & 1 TD. Nick Foles threw for 428yds & 3 TD's. Foles also had 5 carries for 41 yds. D. Jackson had 10 receptions for 195yds & 1 TD. 

NFC EAST:

Philadelphia Eagles: 8-6:

The Eagles couldn't get pass the lowly Vikings. Read about their 48-30 loss in the Vikings game recap.

Dallas Cowboys: 7-7:

The Cowboys had 2 game recaps this blog. Read the MNF recap against the BEARS where they loss 45-28. Also, I am sure you already read the Packers game recap where the Cowboys loss 37-36, in a shameful manner I might add. 

N.Y. Giants: 5-9:

The Giants don't know from week to week if they want to win or lose. This week, it was lose and that they did, 23-0 against the Seahawks. The Seahawks intercepted Eli Manning passes 5 times & held the N.Y. Giants to 181 yds of total offense in this spanking. The Seahawks can clinch the top seed in the NFC playoffs by winning one of their last two games. R. Wilson threw for 206yds & 1 TD and he added 8 carries for 50yds. Lynch had 6 receptions for 73yds. Eli Manning threw for 156yds. Jernigan had 7 receptions for 67yds. I bet it is going to be so quite at the Manning Christmas Dinner. They have to take care not to hurt little Eli's feelings. He is playing like crap, plain & simple while big brother Peyton is doing his thing. Get Eli a bib for Christmas. 

Washington Redskins: 3-11:

LOL, I almost forgot about them, they still playing? They gave it a shot again against the Atlanta Falcons and loss, 27-26. This has got to suck. You have the Bucs & Jags who were the worst teams starting out. Now it looks like the Redskins & Texans will finish the season with the worst records. Matt Ryan threw for 210yds & 1 TD. S. Jackson had 15 carries for 38yds & 2 TD's. Gonzalez had 6 receptions for 62yds & 1 TD. K. Cousins threw for 381yds & 3 TD's. Morris had 18 carries for 98yds & Garcon had 7 receptions for 129yds & 1 TD. 

NFC SOUTH:

New Orleans Saints: 10-4:

I gotta say I didn't see this one coming. The Saints lossing to the St. Louis Rams, 27-16 and the Rams looked convincing while winning. It really means nothing for the Rams, they are 6-8 so they are done. But it meant a lot to the Saints, it could have given them a 1 game lead over the Panthers in this division. As it stands now, they are tied for 1st place. I told Drew the Panthers were coming. Nobody listens to me. I bet they hear it now. The Rams went into the half with a 24-3 lead. In the 2nd half, the Rams only scored 3 pts while the Saints scored 13, but the damage had been done at that point and the Saints could not pull this one out. The Saints even had 30 1st downs to the Rams 17 and still did nothing.  Clemens threw for 158yds & 2 TD's. Stacy added 28 carries for 133yds & 1 TD. Brees threw for 393yds & 1 TD. Colston added a receptions for 92yds & 1 TD. Watch out Saints, the Panthers are on the prowl.

Carolina Panthers: 10-4:

They are still rolling ahead, full steam. The Panthers took down the N.Y. Jets, 30-20 on their road to the playoffs. The Saints helped with their loss to the Rams. This ought to be a good one Sunday, they go heads up against the Saints and they will be in Panthers territory.  This is one game that I am not missing! Noon Sunday, check it out. So anyway, as I was saying, they took the Jets down and scratched that off their list.  C. Newton threw for 273 yds & 1 TD. Williams had 15 carries for 81yds. Olsen had 5 receptions for 88yds. Geno Smith threw for 167yds & 1 TD. Ivory added 11 carries for 66yds in this loss. Cumberland had 3 receptions for 50yds & 1 TD. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 4-10:

Every once in a while, you show up for work and it turns out to be a bad day. I am sure that is what the Buccaneers were thinking when they loss to the 49'ers, 33-14. I could say that it was a close game, but it wasn't, I could say that the Bucs had a chance to win it, but they didn't. And that's just it in a nutshell. The Bucs were down 17-7 going into halftime. In the 2nd half, it didn't get any better. They were outscored by the 49'ers, 16-7. End of story, boringgggg. Even more surprising, Kap threw for 203yds & 2 TD's. Gore had 22 carries for 86yds. Davis had 5 receptions for 79yds & 1 TD. Glennon threw for 179yds & 2 TD's while Wright added 7 receptions for 82yes & 1 TD. 

Atlanta Falcons: 4-10:

Read about their 4th win of the season over the Washington Redskins, 27-26. Maybe they will get lucky and catch win number 5 against the 49'ers on MNF, 12/23. I don't think so, but one can dream. 

NFC WEST:

X-Seattle Seahawks: 12-2:

Seriously, did you expect any other outcome. The Seahawks beat the N.Y. Giants, 

23-0. Read about this lite spanking in the Giants game recap. 

San Francisco 49'ers: 10-4:

They kept their record looking pretty good with their 33-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Read about that in the Bucs game recap. 

Arizona Cardinals: 9-5:

The Cardinals got away with this one by the hair of their chiny, chin chin. They did it in OT but they won over the Titans, 37-34. It was a close game all the way though. But the Cardinals prevailed over the Titans. C. Palmer threw for 231yds & 1 TD. Ellington did double duty, he had 10 carries for 71yds & 4 receptions for 87yds. Fitzpatrick threw for 402yds & 4 TD's, shame to lose this one with all this work he put in. Wright added 12 receptions for 150yds. 

St. Louis Rams: 6-8:

Will wonders never cease, the Rams beat the Saints, 27-16. Read about this miracle in the Saints game recap. 

AFC NORTH:

Cincinnati Bengals: 9-5:

The Bengals took on one of their division brothers, the Pittsburgh Steelers. You would think the division leading Bengals would have held the Steelers at bay, but they didn't.  The Steelers took this one, 30-20. That only gives them a 6-8 season so far. The victory kept the Steelers faint postseason hopes alive, even if simply avoiding the franchise's first losing season in a decade, is a more attainable goal.  Pittsburgh jumped out early, taking a convincing lead in the 1st Qtr, 21-0. By halftime, they were up 27-7. They didn't take any chances and let this big lead go like Dallas did recently. They added 3 more points while the Bengals added 13 more for the 2nd half. When all said and done. The Steelers came out on top. Big Ben threw for 191 yds, 1 TD and an interception. A. Brown had 5 receptions for 66yds & 1 TD. LeVeon Bell added 117yds of total offense to help the Steelers snap a two game losing streak. Andy Dalton threw for 230yds & 2 TD's. Coach Marvin Lewis said, "We didn't make anything happen," "We didn't make any plays, create any opportunities." No wayyyyyy, really???

Baltimore Ravens: 8-6:
The Ravens took the field against the Detroit Lions on MNF-12/16. That games recap will be in WEEK 16 Update. Let's just say, the Lions were NOT the king of the jungle that night. LOL.

Pittsburgh Steelers: 6-8:

Steelers added another win for the season. Read about their 30-20 win over the division leaders, Cincinnati Bengals. You just passed it in the Bengals game recap.

Cleveland Browns: 4-10:

Man, Cleveland loss again.  Read about their 38-31 loss to the Chicago Bears in the Bears game recap. 

AFC EAST: 

New England Patriots: 10-4:

I tell you about these Patriots, I think I have lost more points in the FB pool on them than any other team. They let me down again, losing to the Miami Dolphins, 24-20. They going to keep on and look up and lose 2 more and the Dolphins win 2 more and guess what? It's a whole new ball game in the AFC East at that point. The Dolphins won their 3rd game in a row to help their AFC wild card chances. They also snapped a streak of 7 consecutive losses to the Patriots. The Patriots missed a chance to clinch their 5th consecutive AFC East title. Brady threw for 364yds but was frustrated by several missed scoring opportunities. Brady threw for 364 yds, 2 TD's & 1 interception. Edelman had 13 receptions for 139yds & 1 TD. Amendola added 10 receptions for 131 yds. Tannehill threw for 312yds, 3 TD's & 0 interceptions. Wallace added 6 receptions for 105yds & 1 TD. Hartline contributed 5 receptions for 70yds. It's get'n hot in here!!!!!

Miami Dolphins: 8-6:

Read about the Dolphins win over the division leading Patriots, 24-20. The Pats are going to keep on dangling that division record in front of the Dolphins and they are going to grab it. Michael Thomas came through for the Dolphins, intercepting Brady's sure win 4th down pass in the end zone with 2 seconds left Sunday to seal the 24-20 Victory. 

N.Y. Jets: 6-8:

They lost this one to the Carolina Panthers, 30-20. Read about it in the Panthers game recap. 

Buffalo Bills: 5-9:

The Bills QB, EJ Manuel followed the worst game of his career with the best.  The Rookie threw 2 TD passes and ran for another score, leading the Bills to a 27-20 victory over the banged up Jacksonville Jaguars. EJ bounced back from a 4 interception game at TB last week and left his college state with his first win in 5 road starts. Doe's a youngsters heart good. Buffalo scored 10 pts in the final minutes before halftime, taking a 20-10 lead into the locker room.  The Jaguars rallied to tie it up in the 4th, evening the score on Henne's 13yd TD pass to Marcedes Lewis. They played a pretty good game from what I read and checking out some highlights. The Jaguars were in line to tie it up late, but a series of miscues proved costly. They even had 1 final chance, getting the ball back with 1:46 left in the game. They failed to pick up a 1st down. That's all she wrote after that folks. Manuel threw for 193yds, 2 TD's & 1 interception. Jackson had 17 carries for 80yds. Woods added his 5 receptions for 82yds & 1 TD. Henne threw for 237yds, 2 TD's & 2 interceptions. Todman had 25 carries for 109yds, that's only a little over 4yds a carry, hum, I guess it all adds up in the end. Lewis had 4 receptions for 54yds & 1 TD. 

AFC SOUTH:

Z-Indianapolis Colts: 9-5:

I still think they are over rated.  Anyway, they played the Houston Texans and easily won 25-3. Wow, that's a shocker. The Texans at this point are just showing up for the sake of honoring their NFL contracts. What's the point now, yes it's over, call it a day. The Colts merely took this win for extra padding in their division. One headline said, "Andrew Luck & Robert Mathis finally got the Colts out of their funk & back into their playoff grove Sunday."  Really, one game, and they are back, that remains to be seen. They are only the division leaders because they are in a weak division. Let's see what they do against the K.C. Chiefs Sunday. Andrew Luck threw for 180yds, 2 TD's & 1 interception. Whalen had 4 receptions for 45yds & 1 TD. Keenum threw for 168yds, 0 TD & 2 interceptions. That's it, that's all. 

Tennessee Titans: 5-9:

Read about their close encounter of the losing kind against the Arizona Cardinals,  37-34 in OT in the Cardinals game recap. 

Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-10:

Even though the JJ could wind up either 6-10 or 4-12 or a one other combo, they hung in there and did not give up. They were 0-8 or 0-9 before they had a win. Hang in there Snoopy, there is always next season. They lost this one to the Buffalo Bills, 27-20. Read about it in the Bills game recap.

Houston Texans: 2-12:

They had a good season last year and I guess they thought it would carry them in the 2013/2014 season. Sorry, it didn't. You don't pick up where you left off son, you start over.  Never cared for any Texas teams anyway. Well, they lost again, 33-14. Read about that in the Colts game recap.

AFC WEST:

X-Denver Broncos: 11-3:

I am sure you have read about their loss to the San Diego Chargers 27-20 on TNF 12/12 game recap. Both the Broncos & the Chiefs have playoff berths, so nothing too much to fight about right this moment. 

X-Kansas City Chiefs: 11-3:

The Chiefs stayed neck & neck with a 56-31 win over the Raiders, combined with a 27-20 loss for the Broncos. But both are still in the driver's seat and in control. I am pretty sure that the Raiders had a tingling feeling up their back by halftime with the score 35-17. But I guess they figured since they are being paid to play this game, why not finish it out. They didn't do to bad in trying to catch up in this one. OK, I'm lying, they lost by 25pts, that's 3 TD's with the FG to match, 1 3pt FG & just 1 pt. hanging around because it can. They got beat!!!! I am just going to finish this up with the stats and I'm done. Smith threw for 287 yds & 5, TD's. Nuff said right there, I could stop, but I will add a little more. Davis had less than stellar yardage this game but he had a TD. Now, Jamaal Charles was the man of the day for the Chiefs. He finished with 8 receptions for 195yds & 4 TD's. I guess he ate his Wheaties. McGloin threw for 297yds, @ TD's & 5 interceptions. They had 7 turnovers. That the most turn overs that the Raiders have had since 1998 against Miami. They had 7 then. That's just crazy. Jennings, to no avail had 23 carries for 91yds & 2 TD's. Oakland had more 1st downs, 26 to the Chiefs 19. Bad day @ black rock for the Raiders. Looking at the stats, the Chiefs had 8 TD's. 

San Diego Chargers: 7-7:

Like this 27-20 win over the Broncos did anything to boost their standings, it didn't. They are done for the Season. It may have boosted their morale, we are somebody, we are somebody. LOL. At least they are ahead of the Raiders in their division. 

Oakland Raiders: 4-10:

Read about this Smack down that the Raiders took from the Chiefs, 56-31. It's all there in the K.C. game recap.

Note: Letters by teams names.
If there is an X by a team’s name, it indicates they clinched a Playoff Berth. 
If there is a Z by a team’s name, that team(s) has clinched their Division. 

If there is a 

Y by a team’s name, that team(s) has clinched Wild Card.

If there is a *-by a team’s name, that team(s) has clinched Division & Home field. 

*info taken from Sports Center website*

THIS DATE IN THE NFL - 12/16:

• 1945 - The Cleveland Rams beat the Redskins 15-14 for the NFL Championship.  The deciding play turns out to be a 1st Qtr automatic safety when the Redskins Sammy Baugh passes from his own end zone and the wind carries the ball into the goal post. 
• 1973 - O.J. Simpson of the Buffalo Bills rushes for 200 yards in a 34-14 victory over the N.Y. Jets and sets an NFL record with 2,003 yards rushing for the season.  Simpson needed 61 yards to break Jim Brown's NFL single season rushing record of 1,863 yards set in 1963. 
• 2012 - New England loses for the first time at home in December in 21 games, falling 41-34 to San Francisco.  Tom Brady has a career high 65 pass attempts, completing 36, for 443 yards and a TD to lead the Patriots from a 31-3 deficit to tie the game at 31-all.  But the Patriots also have a season-high 4 turnovers, including two interceptions by Brady.  Wes Welker of the Patriots has 5 catches to reach 100 this season, the 5th time in his career he hits that number, an NFL record.