Just a week after Tom Brady restructured his contract to clear $15 million in cap space it’s being reported that Wes Welker won’t resign with the Patriots without meeting with other teams first. (more)

-Mark Fuery  The long-time rivals will meet in the playoffs for only the second time, and the first time since 1941, when the Green Bay Packers travel to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears. The Packers are fresh off of an impressive win over the top-seeded Atlanta Falcons, 48-21, on Saturday night at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The Packers carved up Atlanta’s zone defense all night long and were able to move the ball at will, especially through the air. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers only missed on five passes as he threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns. Rodgers wasn’t the only one who played his best game of the year, as the Packers were firing on all cylinders as they outplayed and outcoached the NFC favorite. Coach Mike McCarthy’s game plan was among the best the league has seen all season, as the Packers wide receivers were seemingly wide open throughout the entire game, finding holes all over the zone defense that the Falcons had played so well up until that point. This week they will have a tougher task at hand when they have to brave the elements and play in the heart of winter in Chicago as opposed to playing in a comfortable dome setting. Once they get outside, they will also have a tougher team in front of them, as the Bears will bring one of the league’s best defenses out on Sunday. Their defense, led by Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher, allowed only 17.9 points-per-game in the regular season and held Green Bay to 10 points in week 17. (more)

-Mark Fuery If you are a football fan, you have heard the old phrase “defense wins championships.” The Baltimore Ravens really made that a point when they won the Super Bowl in 2000 behind what some call the best defense in league history and a borderline inept offense. Now, more than a decade later, the league has migrated to a more offensive style. Passing numbers have never been as high, and various league records have fallen in recent years, many right here in New England. But even with these offensive trends, it is still a great defense that will bring home a championship under most circumstances. Just look at the final four teams remaining this season. They are all ranked in the top six for points allowed, with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers being the top two. As for total yardage allowed, which is the criteria by which NFL defenses are ranked, only the Chicago Bears, who are ranked ninth, were outside the top five. So knowing that defense is still what wins in the NFL, is it any surprise that the top seeds in each conference will be watching the championship games on Sunday? Both the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots had great scoring defenses, in fact, they are the two who are missing from the top six, but when you look deeper you will find that they are not nearly as strong as the others. In yardage allowed the Falcons and Patriots ranked 16th and 25th respectively, which will not get the job done in the playoffs in most years. They were both teams who relied on turnovers and employed the “bend but don’t break” strategy. Defenses like that have won before, such as the New Orleans Saints last season, but most of the time it takes a truly strong defense, one that can stop the league’s best offenses in their tracks, to win a championship. Neither the Falcons nor the Patriots had that. Now they have to sit at home and watch four teams that do fight for a chance to play in the Super Bowl.

The New England Patriots and New York Jets are still battling for the top spot in the AFC East after a pair of hard fought victories on Sunday over the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. The Atlanta Falcons share the same 8-2 record to stand alone atop the NFC standings. The San Diego Chargers improved to 5-5 Monday night, scoring a TD in all four quarters en route to a 35-14 win over the 3-7 Denver Broncos. Check for all NFL Week 11 results below! Thursday, November 18, 2010 Chicago Bears 16, Miami Dolphins 0 – Robbie Gould notched three FG’s as the Chicago defense held Miami to 187 total yards. Sunday, November 21, 2010 Buffalo Bills 49, Cincinnati Bengals 31 – Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 316 yards and four touchdowns to rally his squad after being down 21 at the end of the second. Dallas Cowboys 35, Detroit Lions 19 – The Cowboys scored 28 second half points to win big at home. (more)

The Chicago Bears allowed just 187 yards and a single third-down conversion in Thursday’s 16-0 win over the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium. With quarterbacks Chad Henne and Chad Pennington sidelined with injuries, the depleted Miami offense has handed over all responsibilities to third string QB Tyler Thigpen. Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano refused to blame injury for the loss, saying “those are excuses. I’m not going to use them. I don’t want my team to use them. This is the NFL. The next guy has to step up.” Robbie Gould kicked in three field goals for the Bears. Matt Forte punched in the only touchdown with 1:57 left in the third quarter. QB Jay Cutler completed 16-of-25 for 156 yards. The recent victory puts Chicago ahead of the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North Division at 7-3. Miami is currently 5-5 behind the New York Jets and New England Patriots in the AFC East. Week 12 will feature the Bears at Soldier Field against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dolphins at Alamedia County Coliseum against the Oakland Raiders.

Week 3 was filled with exciting matchups between a number division rivals. The New York Jets prevailed over the Miami Dolphins to claim the top spot in the AFC East. The Atlanta Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints in OT, handing Drew Brees and Co. their first loss since January. This week’s final contest featured the Chicago Bears outdueling the Green Bay Packers on a late field goal to stay 3-0. Other teams that remain undefeated include the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers. Check for all Week 3 scores below. Sunday, September 26, 2010 Minnesota Vikings 24, Detroit Lions 10 – Adrian Peterson took charge from the ground with 160 yards and two touchdowns. Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Francisco 49ers 10 – Matt Cassel completed 16 passes for 250 yards and three TD’s for Kansas City to stay perfect. New England Patriots 38, Buffalo Bills 30 – Tom Brady and Randy Moss connected in the end zone twice to defeat the Bills for the 12th consecutive time. Atlanta Falcons 27, New Orleans Saints 24 – Matt Bryant sent one through the uprights from 46 yards out after Garrett Hartley’s missed attempt in overtime to stun the Saints at the Superdome. (more)

Brett Favre rallied his Minnesota Vikings for 17 fourth quarter points to tie up the Chicago Bears at 30 apiece, but it just wasn’t enough for them to clinch a bye week in their 15th game of the season. Jay Cutler was able to hit Devin Aromashodu with a 39 yard touchdown pass in overtime to shock the NFC North leading Vikings 36-30 Monday night at Soldier Field. Minnesota still has a chance to create a first-round bye with a victory next Sunday and loss or tie by the Philadelphia Eagles. Following the contest Favre spoke out about his team and their recent struggles, saying “I know we’re fortunate to be in the playoffs but we have to play better than we did the last few weeks or we’ll be home fairly quickly. I’m just being honest as I can be.” The 6-9 Bears are a few wins short of qualifying for the playoffs. Yesterday’s accomplishments will definitely serve as one of the highlights of their season. The organization realizes they have the potential to be a threat in 2010-2011 after making some minor roster adjustments. “It’s good for the team,” said Cutler. “It’s good for the morale of going out there and putting up points and answering the bell, especially in the fourth quarter and overtime when you have to do it.” The Bears are scheduled to ring in the New Year against the Detroit Lions Sunday, January 3rd as the Vikings host the New York Giants at the Metrodome.

The San Francisco 49ers defense picked off five of QB Jay Cutlers passes on their way to defeating the Chicago Bears 10-6 yesterday at Candlestick Park. Cutler threw for 307 yards despite gift wrapping two INT’s in the red zone. “It was tough. I have to apologize to the defense,” said Cutler. “I think the offense as a whole has to apologize. They played a great game and kept us in there even through all the turnovers.” Frank Gore earned the game’s only touchdown in the second quarter.  In total he rushed for 104 yards from 25 carries. Throughout the contest the Bears run game struggled to be recognized as a potential threat. Matt Forte led Chicago’s rushing and receiving efforts with 41 yards from the ground and 120 yards racked up from eight completions. The 49ers after claiming their first victory in five games moved to second place behind the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West standings. The Bears now at 4-5 fell to third place in the NFC North, trailing the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers.

Now almost halfway through the 2009 regular season, most NFL teams can better assess how they match up in regards to standings and potential postseason play.  After a Miami Dolphins win over the New York Jets, the New England Patriots during their bye week are more than a game ahead in the AFC East Division. The Indianapolis Colts are dominating the AFC South at 7-0.  The Colts and Saints are the only teams still taking a run at a perfect season.  New Orleans is set to battle the Atlanta Falcons tonight at 8:30 PM. Check for all Week 8 scores below. Sunday, November 1, 2009 Houston Texans 31, Buffalo Bills 10 – The Texans scored 22 fourth quarter points to dominate over the Bills by 21. Chicago Bears 30, Cleveland Browns 6 – RB Matt Forte ran for 90 yards and 2 TD’s as the Bears defense held Cleveland to 6 total points. Dallas Cowboys 38, Seattle Seahawks 17 - QB Tony Romo threw for 265 yards and 3 TD’s from 21 completed passes. St Louis Rams 17, Detroit Lions 10 – St Louis earned their first win of the season after Steven Jackson ran in the go-ahead TD with just over a minute left in the game. San Francisco 49ers 14, Indianapolis Colts 18- WR Reggie Wayne came up big for the Colts with 147 yards and a TD from 12 receptions. New York Jets 25, Miami Dolphins 30 - Ted Ginn Jr. returned two kickoffs to the end zone in the 3rd quarter to help Miami edge the Jets by 5. Philadelphia Eagles 40, New York Giants 17 – QB Donovan McNabb threw for 3 TD’s and 240 yards as the Eagles dominated Manning and the New York Giants. Baltimore Ravens 30, Denver Broncos 7 – Baltimore pulled away in the second half with 24 points to give Denver their first loss of the season. Tennessee Titans 30, Jacksonville Jaguars 13 – QB Vince Young was finally called to take the snaps and led Tennessee to their first victory over Jacksonville. San Diego Chargers 24, Oakland Raiders 16 – LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 2 TD’s and 56 yards from 18 carries. Carolina Panthers 34, Arizona Cardinals 21 – The Panthers scored 21 second quarter points and coasted from there to win by 13. Minnesota Vikings 38, Green Bay Packers 26 – Brett Favre in his return to Lambeau Field brought his A game with four passing TD’s to put the Vikings at 7-1. Monday, November 2, 2009 New Orleans Saints 35, Atlanta Falcons 27 - QB Drew Brees completed 25 passes for 308 yards and 2 TD’s to keep the Saints undefeated at 7-0. Bye Week Teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins

This week certainly backed the point that this is anyone’s season.  The AFC East seems to be stronger than ever knowing the New York Jets upset the New England Patriots, and the Buffalo Bills dominated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after last week’s heartbreaking loss.  The Miami Dolphins were fighting head to head with the Colts on Monday night, that is until Peyton Manning led his offense for 14 fourth quarter points. The biggest surprise so far has been the red hot San Francisco 49ers; starting the year off 2-0 after their win over the Seattle Seahawks.  Check for all NFL scores and updates below. Sunday, September 20, 2009 Atlanta Falcons 28, Carolina Panthers 20 – Falcons QB Matt Ryan threw for 220 yards and 3 TD’s to lead his squad to outscore Carolina. Minnesota Vikings 27, Detroit Lions 13 – Vikings stand-out RB Adrian Peterson ran for 92 yards with a TD from 15 carries. Cincinnati Bengals 31, Green Bay Packers 24 – Chad Ochocino was able to collect 91 yards, 1 TD, and 1 Lambeau Leap at Green Bay. Houston Texans 34, Tennessee Titans 31 – Houston’s Kris Brown kicked 2 through the uprights, including the go-ahead field goal in the fourth to stun the Titans. Kansas City Chiefs 10, Oakland Raiders 13 - The Oakland Raiders proved they can’t be beat too easily this season after competing last week and spoiling Kansas City QB Matt Cassel’s debut on Sunday. New England Patriots 9, New York Jets 16 – Rookie QB Mark Sanchez in his first game at home carried the Jets offensively with 163 yards and a passing touchdown. New Orleans Saints 48, Philadelphia Eagles 22 – Saints QB Drew Brees has been on fire to start the season, this week throwing for 311 yards and 3 TD’s. Washington Redskins 9, St. Louis Rams 7 – The Redskins scored the last points of the game with a field goal in the third quarter to win over the Rams in this defensive battle. Jacksonville Jaguars 17, Arizona Cardinals 31 - Arizona did most of their work in the first half, racking up 24 points before heading into the locker room. San Francisco 49ers 23, Seattle Seahawks 10 – Frank Gore led the charge in this upset with 207 yards from 16 carries with 2 TD’s. Buffalo Bills 33, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 – Buffalo scored 13 points in the final quarter to earn their first win of the season. Chicago Bears 17, Pittsburg Steelers 14 – The Bears looked to QB Jay Cutler to lead them pass the defending champs, who threw for 2 TD’s and 236 yards. Baltimore Ravens 31, San Diego Chargers 26 – Both teams were held to just a field goal in the fourth quarter, allowing Baltimore to keep their four point lead when the final horn sounded. Denver Broncos 27, Cleveland Browns 6 – The Broncos sealed the deal with 14 fourth quarter points to coast by Cleveland. New York Giants 31, Dallas Cowboys 31 – Giants franchise QB Eli Manning came through for New York with 330 yards and 2 TD’s thrown. Monday, September 21, 2009 Indianapolis Colts 27, Miami Dolphins 23 – Peyton Manning just needed the ball for under 15 minutes to help post 27 total Indianapolis Colts points last night at LandShark Stadium.