NFL 2008 RSS
Both the Bears and Saints trail the Dallas Cowboys (8-5) and Atlanta Falcons by one game for the NFC's two wildcard
playoff spots.
Expect young backs PIERRE THOMAS (New Orleans) and MATT FORTÉ (Chicago) to play main roles on this
cold December night.
Thomas was not drafted but signed as a rookie free agent with the Saints last year. Pierre comes off his second
career 100-yard rush game (102 yards and two TDs against Atlanta).
His first career 100-yard rush game last December in Chicago (Chicago Bears 33, Saints 25). With 105 yards on the
ground and 121 yards on 12 receptions in his debut as a feature back, Thomas became the first Saint to rush for over
100 yards and eclipse the 100-yard receiving mark in the same game as he racked up the third-highest yards from
scrimmage total in Saints history.
"He's a great young talent," says Saints FB MIKE KARNEY.
Chicago's Rookie sensation Matt Forté is the second-leading rookie rusher in the league this season with 1,081 yards.
Forté's 1,476 scrimmage yards (1,081 rushing and 395 receiving) are second most in the NFL this season.
Running back Matt Forté had 106 scrimmage yards (69 rushing and 37 receiving) in last Sunday's contest versus
Jacksonville, giving him 1,476 on the season, surpassing Gale Sayers (1,374 in 1965) for most in Bears
history by a rookie.
Forté needs 24 yards from scrimmage to become just the fourth player
in Bears franchise history with 1,500 scrimmage yards in a single-season: Hall of Famer Walter Payton (10 times),
Neal Anderson (twice) and Hall
of Famer Gale Sayers (once).
The rookie running back is on pace for 1,816 scrimmage yards for the season, which would rank eighth in team history
and only Payton would have achieved more.
New Orleans Saints (7-6) vs Chicago Bears (7-6)
The Saints come into the Thursday night contest playing their best football of the season.
The Saints have won three of their last four games, including last week's 29-25 NFC South division victory over the Atlanta Falcons at home.
The game between the Falcons and Saints featured seven lead changes, including three in a fourth quarter where the Saints
fell behind with less than eight minutes remaining before coming out on top.
The Bears victory over the Jaguars this past Sunday was the 700th in franchise history, including the postseason. The
Bears (700-514-42) are the first NFL franchise to reach the plateau.
In the race for the NFC North title, the Vikings hold the tie-breakers over the Bears, so Chicago must finish
with a better record than Minnesota to win the division crown. The Vikings take on the Cardinals in Arizona this Sunday.
The Series: Chicago Holds a 14-11 Edge
This will be the sixth meeting between the Bears and Saints over the past seven
seasons. Chicago holds a 14-11 edge in the series with New Orleans. The Bears are 9-6 at
home against the Saints and have won three in a row overall against New Orleans.
The Saints have not defeated the Bears since 2003. The past two losses, both of which
have been played in Chicago have been disappointing, the 2006 NFC Championship, and the 33-25 Bear win
last season that put an end to the Saints NFL 2007 postseason hopes.
Last Time: Chicago Bears 33, Saints 25 (Dec. 30, 2007)
Turnovers and big plays by Chicago's Devin Hester - who returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown
and hauled in a 55-yard TD pass - proved to be the Saints undoing as the Bears won at home 33 - 25.
The Bears got strong play as they closed out the 2007 season with back-to-back wins.
The Bears offense scored three touchdowns through the air as QB Kyle Orton threw a
19-yard scoring pass to Mark Bradley and a career-long 55-yard touchdown pass to Devin
Hester. RB Adrian Peterson hit WR Bernard Berrian on a halfback option for a nine-yard
touchdown strike, as well.
The Bears defense forced three turnovers, registered three sacks, recorded a safety and
made three key fourth-down stops to officially eliminate the Saints from the playoffs.
On special teams, Hester made history. Fielding a punt near the left sideline at his own 36,
the Pro Bowl return specialist hesitated for an instant, then broke to his right and knifed
through a seam for a 64-yard touchdown to give the Bears a 31-17 lead in the third quarter.
With his sixth kick return TD of the season (four punt returns, two kickoff returns), Hester
broke the NFL record of five he had set last year as a rookie.
Despite a memorable performance by rookie RB Pierre Thomas in his first NFL start, the Saints ended 2007 with a
defeat at Soldier Field. Thomas accounted for 226 yards in the loss.
New Orleans monopolized the time of possession by an over 10-minute margin, and also dominated the
offensive yardage (413-275).
NFL 2008 Week 14: Chicago Bears 23, Jacksonville Jaguars 10
Playing on a short week, the Jaguars couldn't overcome a slow start as the
Bears built a 20-3 lead at halftime.
Bears Safety Danieal Manning provided an early dividend on the 3rd play of the game as he picked off David Garrard and returned the INT 42 yards to
the Jacksonville 5. Two plays later, Kyle Orton connected with Desmond Clark on a 2-yard touchdown pass to give the
Bears an instantaneous 7-0 lead.
With temperatures hovering below 20 degrees, the Jaguars controlled the ball for 32:03 and outrushed the
Bears 119 to 86 but could not overcome a 20-3 Bears halftime lead. Robbie Gould kicked field goals of 22 and 36
yards and Orton rifled a 22-yard TD pass to Greg Olsen.
Maurice Jones-Drew finished with 102 yards from scrimmage (55 rushing, 47 receiving) and led the Jaguars with
seven receptions for 43 yards. Maurice Jones-Drew scored the Jaguars only touchdown on a four-yard reception early
in the fourth quarter.
The Bears (700-514-42) are the first NFL franchise to reach the 700-win plateau.
Chicago is (684-497-42) all-time in the regular season and 16-17 in the playoffs.
MOST OVERALL VICTORIES IN NFL HISTORY
1. Chicago Bears 700-514-42
2. Green Bay Packers 667-526-36
3. N.Y. Giants 637-531-33
4. Washington Redskins 559-509-27
5. Pittsburgh Steelers 551-520-21
CHICAGO BEARS FRANCHISE MILESTONE WINS
001 10/3/20 vs. Moline Tractors 20-0
100 11/26/31 vs. Chicago Cardinals 18-7
200 11/22/42 at Detroit Lions 42-0
300 10/28/56 at San Francisco 49ers 38-21
400 12/20/70 at New Orleans Saints 24-3
500 11/17/85 at Dallas Cowboys 44-0
600 10/15/95 at Jacksonville Jaguars 30-27
700 12/7/08 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 23-10
Chicago Bears Milestone 700th Win
NFL 2008 Week 14: Saints 29, Atlanta Falcons 25
QB Drew Brees tossed two touchdown passes and a
resurgent rushing attack piled up a season-high 184
yards on the ground to lead the Saints to a 34-14 victory
over the Atlanta Falcons at home.
It was the Saints third win in last four games to improve their record to 7-6 and
remain in the chase for a postseason berth.
The Saints run defense made an impressive performance against the second ranked rushing offense
in the NFL, not allowing them to gain 100 yards.
Brees was impressive and efficient the entire day, completing 18-of-32 passes for 230 yards and two
touchdown throws.
TE Jeremy Shockey had a team-leading five receptions for 64 yards, while WR Devery Henderson led the team
in receiving yardage with 72 on three grabs. RB Reggie Bush had a first quarter touchdown reception, while
also adding ten carries for 80 yards on the ground, including a career-long 43-yard rush.
RB Pierre Thomas had 16 carries for 102 yards, the first time a Saints running back reached the century
mark in rushing in 2008. Thomas also had a seven-yard touchdown reception that put the Saints
ahead for good in the contest, set up by his own 88 yard kickoff return. He finished the day with a total of
197 all purpose yards.
CB Jason David picked off Atlanta QB Matt Ryan for a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown.
The Saints defense held Falcons RB Michael Turner to 61 rushing yards on 18 carries.
The Saints split the 2008 season series with the Falcons with each team winning their home game.
The Saints have now won their last three home games against Atlanta and have not lost to them in the
Louisiana Superdome since the 2002 season. Since Sean Payton took over as head coach in
2006, the New Orleans Saints have a 5-1 record against Atlanta.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (7-6) Game Notes
The Saints lead the NFL in total offense (405.9 yards per game) this season In their past 2 meetings (including the 2006 NFC Championship), QB DREW BREES has passed for 674 yards (337.0 per
game) & 5 TDs. Since joining the Saints in 2006, Brees has passed for 12,941 yards, most in the NFL. This season, Brees leads the NFL
with 4,100 passing yards & has 320 or more passing yards in 8 of 13 games. In starts with 10 or more attempts, when Brees
has a 100.0 or better rating, his teams are 28-5 (.848) RB PIERRE THOMAS had a career-high 105 rush yards, 12 receptions, 121 receiving yards & 226 scrimmage yards in last
meeting. Thomas has 6 TDs in past 4 games (4 rush, 2 receiving). Had 102 rush yards & 2 TDs (1 receiving) last week.
RB REGGIE BUSH had 7 catches for 132 yards with 88-yard TD in NFC Championship meeting. In past 2 meetings, WR MARQUES
COLSTON has 3 TDs. Had 8 catches for 94 yards & 2 TDs in last meeting. WR LANCE MOORE has 6 TDs in past 6 S ROMAN HARPER tied career-high with 2.0 sacks & had 1 forced fumble in last meeting. CB JASON DAVID had INT in last meeting.
Has 3 INTs in past 3
CHICAGO BEARS (7-6) Game Notes
Bears QB KYLE ORTON is 13-2 (.867) as a starter at home. When Orton has 100.0 or better passer rating, the Bears are
4-0 RB MATT FORTÉ leads NFL rookies & ranks 2nd overall with 1,476 scrimmage yards & 71 1st downs. He is the
only rookie to lead his team in both rushing yards (1,081) & receptions (53). Matt joined Hall of Famer WALTER PAYTON
& NEAL ANDERSON as only the Bears with 1,000 rush yards & 50 catches in a single season WR-PR-KR DEVIN HESTER has 17 TDs (7 PR, 5 KR, 5 receiving), including playoffs. Hester returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown
in last meeting between the Bears and Saints. TEs DESMOND CLARK & GREG OLSEN each had a TD last week The Bears lead the NFL with 27 takeaways (19 INT, 8 fumble recoveries). LB BRIAN URLACHER had an INT in last meeting.
DT TOMMIE HARRIS had sack & forced fumble in last meeting. Has 3.0 sacks in past 3. Bears have won 12 of past 15 when Harris has sack.
Bears are 14-5 (.737) when CB CHARLES TILLMAN has INT. Tillman had INT in last meeting. DE ADEWALE OGUNLEYE has sack in 2 of
past 3 meetings (including playoffs). S DANIEAL MANNING had INT last week.
PREDICTION: Chicago Bears 16 New Orleans Saints 13
The Saints are clearly the better team with NFL 2008 MVP Candidate Drew Brees at the helm. But sometimes the
best team and player wind up not winning. This is clearly the case as the weather, home-field advantage and
the Bears defense will keep the Saints passing attack in check.
Drew Brees and the Saints top-ranked NFL passing offense will not perform up to its usual standard
Granted, the New Orleans Saints utilized a more balanced attack last week in topping the Atlanta Falcons 29-25.
However, the back-and-forth nature of that game coupled with so many lead changes will take its toll on the Saints
this week. Simply stated, the Saints exerted alot of energy last week which they may not be able to capture this week.
This week may wind up being Brees' worst preformance of 2008.
Expect a game of turnovers, lots of field goals and sometime sloppy play on offense.
In the end, the defense and special teams will be responsible for generating the Bears points in producing
the 16-13 victory.
RELATED NFL 2008 Week 15
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Mad Dash to the Playoffs as NFL 2008 Season Enters Its Final 3 Weeks
The final three weeks of the NFL 2008 season are upon us, and aside from the division-winning Arizona Cardinals (8-5),
New York Giants (11-2) and Tennessee Titans (12-1), it's a mad dash for the nine remaining playoff spots among the 19 teams still
eligible. There will be twists and turns in the remaining 3 weeks of the NFL 2008 regular season.
Giants & Cowboys Look to Get Back to Their Winning Ways
The NFC East champion New York Giants (11-2) look to clinch a first round playoff bye as they visit the
Dallas Cowboys (8-5) in Texas Stadium on Sunday Night Football. The Cowboys need to keep winning to insure a playoff berth as they hang on to
the last playoff spot in the NFC. The Giants are 5-1 on the road this season, and the Dallas Cowboys are 5-1 at home.
AFC North Division Rivals Set for Defensive Battle
NFL 2008 Week 15 presents one of the most heated rivalries in the NFL between two NFC North division foes as the
Steelers travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens this Sunday. On paper, this AFC North match-up should be one intense
defensive battle. Pittsburgh enters the contest ranked No. 1, while the Ravens are No. 2.
Real-Deal Panthers Set to Expose Broncos at Home
The AFC West-leading Broncos (8-5) face the NFC South-leading Panthers (10-3) in Week 15. Denver heads to Carolina
sporting a 3-game road winning streak and winners of 4 of their last 5. The Panthers come off their most
impressive victory of the season proving they are the real-deal this season.
No Place Like Home in the NFC South
Falcons host Buccaneers in Make-or-Break Game
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons look to rebound after both lost on the road last week to NFC South Division rivals.
Both teams are in need of this win to maintain their standing in the NFC Wildcard race and perhaps the NFC South Divsion Title.
AFC East Leading Jets Aim to Rebound Against Bills
After defining moment victories on the road against the Patriots & Titans, the Jets have fallen to lesser opponents over the
past two weeks. First losing to the Broncos at home (34-17) and then losing to the 49ers (24-14) in San Francisco, the Jets
now find themselves in a dogfight for the AFC East title.
NFC Division Leading Vikings & Cardinals Clash in Desert
This Sunday's game is a match-up of first-place teams with 8-5 records as the Vikings visit the Cardinals in Arizona.
The Minnesota Vikings have a one-game lead on Chicago in the NFC North. The Cardinals are the NFC West champions.
NFL Playoff Races Intensify as Season Enters Final 3 Weeks
NFL 2008 Weekend 15 - Playoff Races, Playoff Scenarios & Strength of Schedule
With three weeks remaining in the regular season only 3 teams have clinched playoff spots while the race to make the
playoffs is even tighter.
NFL 2008 Week 14 was a week in which three teams clinched NFL playoff spots. The Tennessee Titans (12-1) clinched the
AFC South by defeating the Cleveland Browns 28-9. The Arizona Cardinals won the NFC West by winning 34-10 over the Saint
Louis Rams. And even though, they lost to the Eagles 2-14, the Giants clinched the NFC East by virtue of the Dallas Cowboys
20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
NFL 1958 Championship: Giants vs Colts
The Greatest NFL Game Ever Played
50th Anniversary of the Greatest NFL Game Ever Played: 1958 NFL Championship at Yankee Stadium
Fifty years ago this December 28, 2008, what would become known as "The Greatest Game every Played" took
place -– the 1958 NFL Championship Game between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants at Yankee
Stadium in New York City.
And when Colts fullback ALAN AMECHE burst through a hole
for a one-yard touchdown with 6:45 left in overtime (left) – at 4:51 on a foggy, drizzly day –
he took the National Football League with him into a new era.
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NFL 2008 WEEK 14 SCHEDULE
(All times local)
Thursday, December 4
Oakland at San Diego, 5:00 PM (NFLN)
Sunday, December 7
Miami at Buffalo (Toronto), 4:05 PM
Kansas City at Denver, 2:05 PM
N.Y. Jets at San Francisco, 1:05 PM
Jacksonville at Chicago, 12:00 PM
New England at Seattle, 1:05 PM
Minnesota at Detroit, 1:00 PM
St. Louis at Arizona, 2:15 PM
Houston at Green Bay, 12:00 PM
Dallas at Pittsburgh, 4:15 PM
Cincinnati at Indianapolis, 1:00 PM
Atlanta at New Orleans, 12:00 PM
Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants, 1:00 PM
Cleveland at Tennessee, 12:00 PM
Washington at Baltimore, 8:15 PM (NBC)
Monday, December 8
Tampa Bay at Carolina, 8:30 PM (ESPN)
NFL 2008 WEEK 13 RESULTS – NOVEMBER 27, 30- DECEMBER 1
(Home team in CAPS)
Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 27, 2008)
Tennessee Titans 47 DETROIT LIONS 10
DALLAS COWBOYS 34 Seattle Seahawks 9
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 48 Arizona Cardinals 20
Sunday, November 30
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 23 New Orleans Saints 20
N.Y. Giants 23 WASHINGTON REDSKINS 7
Atlanta Falcons 22 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 16
Pittsburgh Steelers 33 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 10
Denver Broncos 34 N.Y. JETS 17
San Francisco 49ers 10 BUFFALO BILLS 3
Kansas City Chiefs 20 OAKLAND RAIDERS 13
Baltimore Ravens 34 CINCINNATI BENGALS 3
MINNESOTA VIKINGS 34 Chicago Bears 14
Indianapolis Colts 10 CLEVELAND BROWNS 6
Carolina Panthers 35 GREEN BAY PACKERS 31
Miami Dolphins 16 SAINT LOUIS RAMS 12
Monday, December 1
HOUSTON TEXANS 30 Jacksonville Jaguars 17
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