Bears Clinch Home Field Advantage With Overtime Win

It has been a long year for the Bears, having to deal with the idea that there could be a quarterback controversy between incumbent Rex Grossman and challenger Brian Griese, however somehow the team has fought through the controversy to post the NFC's best record and secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Chicago has quietly posted a 12-2 record, not bad for a team with a supposed weak spot at the quarterback position. The Bears have relied heavily on a powerful defense and timely offense to capture the conferences best record.

That same formula seemed to work today as the Bears ran to a 24-3 lead and appeared ready to cruise to victory. Someone forgot to tell the Bucs that they were supposed to lay down though, as Tampa used a huge second half rally to tie the game at 31 and send the game into overtime. The Bears, however, proved too much for the Bucs and prevailed in the end.

Also in the NFC, the New Orleans Saints clinched a playoff birth even with a loss to Washington. The playoff birth caps a remarkable turnaround from last year, when the team battled through Hurricane Katrina and finished with the Leagues second worst record. The team was even thought to have been relocating after the storm, but all that seems like a distant memory now as the team is back in New Orleans and back in the playoffs.



2006-12-18