Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
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LIVE VIDEO: NBCSports.com shows Washington-New York, with alternate camera angles, HD views and more.
PBT: Jeremy Lin wasn't his hot self on Saturday, but he still led the Knicks to victory.
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) -England defender Joleon Lescott preserved Manchester City's two-point lead in the Premier League by scoring a second-half winner in a 1-0 victory at Aston Villa on Sunday.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
Getty ImagesThe Bears are in trouble
It appears, once again, there will be a new representative from the NFC in the Super Bowl. The Bears can’t be serious about getting back to the Super Bowl.
In fact, they really can’t be serious about getting back to the playoffs.
This team is floundering with no real chance of snapping back into shape. It looked like they had some life after an unlikely comeback at Green Bay under the lights of Sunday night football on Oct. 7. But Chicago, living up to its flat self, couldn’t counter its momentum and lost at home to an uninspiring Minnesota team on Sunday.
Chicago is 2-4 and in last place in the NFC North. There just isn’t a spark for Lovie Smiths’ team. Ironically, the biggest lack of fire is coming from the Bears defense, which has long carried the franchise. Even though the Bears defense is fighting through injury, it is getting eaten alive.
Minnesota star rookie tailback Adrian Peterson ran for 224 yards against Chicago. There was nothing Chicago could do to stop Peterson. The Bears defense has been bending all season showing that is no longer special. Clearly, the loss of former defensive coordinator Ron Rivera (he was let go after the Super Bowl) and the injuries are piling up.
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Griese is not ready to carry the team, though. And if the Bears defense continues to be a sieve, the Bears have no chance of making the playoffs.
Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
