Members of the 1972 Dolphins had to put the champagne back in the cubboard after the Bears pulled out one of the most improbable wins in NFL history. Their 33-year-old record as the league's only undefeated team seems even more tenuous given the Bears' amazing comeback.

It has been said here before and it will be stated once again: There's a little magic surrounding these Bears.

Meanwhile, the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers might want to put some bubbly on ice as well. They are the only team to finish 0-14, but they may soon be joined on the NFL's all-time blooper reel.

That brings us to the one question that looms above all others in the NFL. It involves the best and worst the league has to offer and it echoes across the misty depths of history.

Is there a better chance of the Bears going undefeated or the Raiders going winless?
The Bears would appear to have clear sailing until they travel to play the Giants, Jets and Patriots in back-to-back-to-back weeks in November. If they survive that gauntlet, watch out for a potential land mine in St. Louis on Dec. 11.

The Raiders are the league's last winless team after the Bucs, Lions and Titans all won Sunday. Raiders fans are circling a Dec. 3 home game against the 1-4 Houston Texans. If the Raiders can't win that one they might not win at all.

If the Raiders remain winless, they could join the '76 Bucs as the laughing stock for the ages.
That means Art Shell, Andrew Walter, Randy Moss and the rest carry a heavy burden.
Meanwhile, here are 10 players, in no particular order, with the weight of the world, or at least the fate of their teams, riding on their shoulders:

10. Donovan McNabb: He's a leading candidate for MVP and his performance in Sunday's loss to the Saints only confirmed it. McNabb was merely good (19 of 32 for 247 passes and two touchdowns), but it wasn't good enough. He needs to be brilliant for the Eagles to be at their best. No pressure there.

9. Peyton Manning: Tony Dungy tried to take the pressure off him by building a championship-caliber defense. The problem is the defense is no longer championship caliber. The Colts can't stop the run. That means there's less margin for error for Manning.

Special feature Our top players at each position

8. Ben Roethlisberger: As Big Ben goes so go the Steelers. Roethlisberger had thrown seven interceptions and no touchdowns before Sunday's game and was among the league's lowest-rated passers, and for good reason. The motorcycle accident put him behind. The emergency appendectomy put him farther behind. He's finally catching up, as his performance against the Chiefs proved. He has to be at this best for the Steelers to be at their best.

7. Steve Smith: The Panthers were 0-2 without Smith. They are 4-0 with him. Is it that simple? Well, not exactly. Julius Peppers is playing as well as he has in his career. But Smith is the one person who makes this offense --- and this team --- tick. If he goes down again the Panthers are toast.

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