Bears move toward No. 2 seed; Jets clinch playoff spot despite loss

CHICAGO -- Never mind the recent drama. Rex Ryan and the Jets are headed back to the playoffs, and they're not complaining even if they got in with a loss.

Jay Cutler threw three touchdown passes, Matt Forte ran for 113 yards and the Chicago Bears beat New York 38-34 on Sunday, sending the Jets to their third loss in four games. Chris Harris intercepted Mark Sanchez on a pass intended for Santonio Holmes with about a minute left to end New York's comeback bid, but the Jets' season won't be ending next week.

Jay Cutler established an impressive statistical benchmark that not a single quarterback in Chicago franchise history had reached. Find out what it was in our Milestone Tracker.

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The Jets (10-5) clinched their second straight postseason trip under Ryan when Jacksonville lost 20-17 in overtime to Washington. There was a loud roar from the coaches' locker room when the Jaguars lost, and Ryan stopped himself as he addressed the media.

"By the way, I think we're in the playoffs," he said. "Not the way I wanted it, but I'll take it."

LaDainian Tomlinson said Graham Gano's winning field goal for the Redskins was "like Christmas."

They'll have an extra night in Chicago to savor it after a snowstorm delayed their return to New York, and the Bears (11-4) might let this one soak in a bit, too.

They won for the seventh time in eight games after blowing an early 10-point lead and are in good position to lock up a bye. The Bears needed a win, coupled with a loss by Philadelphia and a loss or tie by the Giants. The Eagles won't play until Tuesday after their game against Minnesota got pushed back by snow.

Cutler completed 13 of 25 passes for 215 yards, with Johnny Knox catching four for 92 with two touchdowns, the second coming when he beat Antonio Cromartie on a 26-yarder that broke a 31-31 tie in the third quarter. He also caught a 40-yarder early in the third after a failed fake punt by New York.

"We came into it knowing we were going to have to take a few shots, go vertical on them," Cutler said. "We knew with our speed it would be hard for them to keep up."

Forte had a big game and, assuming those numbers stand, is the first opponent to run for 100 or more yards against the Jets this season. Pittsburgh's Rashard Mendenhall had a yard deducted after initially being credited with 100 last week.

Sanchez seemed to be just fine after playing most of last week's win over Pittsburgh with a shoulder injury. He threw for 269 yards and a touchdown, completing 24 of 37 passes after a sizzling start, but his interception sealed the win for Chicago and capped another wild week for New York that included more headline-grabbing distractions.

At the center of it was Ryan, who was the subject of an embarrassing foot-fetish report by Deadspin featuring videos of a woman -- who bears a close resemblance to Ryan's wife, Michelle -- displaying her toes to an off-screen cameraman who sounds a lot like the coach. Ryan had little to say about the report, repeatedly calling it "a personal matter." The week then ended on a somewhat sour note, with the Jets getting outplayed in the second half.

"To lose the game and I still make the playoffs, that's the best news you can ever have after a loss," said Sanchez, who will likely sit out next week's game against Buffalo.

Sanchez completed 13 of 15 passes for 156 yards in the first half, and the Jets led 24-17, but the momentum turned in a big way after halftime.

A fake punt by New York on the opening drive of the third quarter failed as Sanchez's pass to Brad Smith fell incomplete and things only got worse from there.

Cutler tied it on the next play when he hit Knox in the end zone with a 40-yard touchdown, and in a flash, the Bears were leading thanks to two big plays by Devin Hester.

He returned a punt 38 yards to the New York 32, putting a neat juke on James Ihedigbo as he turned up the right side that caused his leg to give way and left him with a knee injury.

Then, Hester beat Drew Coleman and caught a 25-yard TD pass from Cutler along the left side that gave the Bears a short-lived 31-24 lead.

"That was disappointing to say the least," Ryan said. "I understand you get a play or two, but we're going in there trying to kick away from that guy. We tried to do that all day and he got his hands on it and that's why you see how important it is to kick a way from that kid. He is the best returner in the game."

New York immediately tied it on a 23-yard pass from Sanchez to Holmes, but Knox put Chicago ahead for good when he beat Cromartie for that 26-yarder with about 6 minutes left in the quarter.

"We talk a lot about finishing. That's definitely what we did," coach Lovie Smith said.

As for the Jets?

"I'm a huge Redskin fan, I can tell you that right now," Ryan said.

Notes: Ryan said Ihedigbo, along with Sanchez, will likely sit out next week against Buffalo. ... S Eric Smith sat out his second straight game because of a concussion. ... The Bears had all their key players available, with LB Pisa Tinoisamoa active after missing the past three games because of a knee injury.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Raiders' Cable leaning toward sticking with Campbell at QB

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Jason Campbell might have done enough to win back the starting quarterback job for the Oakland Raiders even after Bruce Gradkowski recovers from a separated shoulder.

Just last week coach Tom Cable said the quarterback situation was "clear cut" and Gradkowski would be the starter when he was healthy. But Cable backtracked Monday and said he might stick with Jason Campbell, who just led Oakland to its first three-game winning streak since 2002 following a 23-20 overtime win over Kansas City.

"I really haven't wavered, but I do have a belief in me about, you know, when you're dealing it and you got the hot hand, and things are going in the right direction for your football team, you know, why would you make a change?" Cable said. "That's what I think right now, but in the back of my mind I also say, 'It's not really making a change. He was a starter before I made the change with Bruce and he's kind of come back and done a lot of good things for our team."'

Campbell opened the season as the starter after being acquired in a draft-day trade from Washington. That lasted all of six quarters before he was benched in favor of Gradkowski at halftime of the home opener against St. Louis.

Gradkowski rallied the Raiders (5-4) to a win over the Rams and started the next three games before being sidelined by a separated shoulder against San Diego.

Campbell led a rally against the Chargers to give the Raiders a win and then had a miserable performance in his first game back as the starter against San Francisco.

But Campbell has been much better since then. He completed 57.5 percent of his passes the past three weeks for 743 yards, five touchdowns and one interception and a passer rating of 104.3.

Cable said he would probably announce his decision next Monday when he has a better grasp of Gradkowski's health, but it's clear which way it's looking when the Raiders return from the bye to face Pittsburgh Nov. 21.

"What's the negative of this?' Cable asked. "Well I have another problem. I got two good quarterbacks healthy again. That's the only negative I see about it. I'm probably leaning toward staying with the hot hand. That's just where I'm at."

It's a far different tune than what Cable said a week ago after Campbell led the Raiders to a 33-3 win over Seattle.

"There's no issue there in my mind," Cable said last Monday. "What we've done is some nice things in the last two weeks. You got to take your hat off to Jason. ... It's a nice job on his part, as well as the rest of the offensive players. But, we know who our quarterback is."

The Raiders could have plenty of other players back after the bye as there's a chance that they could be completely healthy for the first time all season.

Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (sprained right ankle) and leading receiver Zach Miller (sore foot) missed the Chiefs game, but could be back Nov. 21 against Pittsburgh.

Oakland also could get defensive tackle John Henderson back from a stress fracture in his foot that caused him to miss seven games. Receivers Louis Murphy, who has missed two games with a bruised chest, and Chaz Schilens, who has not played since undergoing knee surgery in training camp also could be back.

The Raiders did well without those injured players, with Jacoby Ford catching six balls for 148 yards as a starting receiver. Chris Johnson and Jeremy Ware played well at cornerback, while Brandon Myers caught three passes and offensive lineman Khalif Barnes scored a touchdown on a tackle-eligible play as Oakland adjusted without Miller.

"Just seeing the guys go out there and perform has been great to watch," Murphy said. "I can't be more excited to be back a part of it. It's just good for the overall team. That's been our whole thing, receivers got to make plays, once we start making plays we'll be able to get this thing rolling and the last two weeks that's what's happened. It's just good to see that happened."

The Raiders will practice Tuesday and Wednesday before getting four days off to relax. Then they will return to focus on a trip to Pittsburgh and a second half of the season that looks much more promising than it did just a few weeks ago when they were 2-4.

The key now is maintaining that momentum following the week off.

"If you don't handle it right, it can be bad," defensive lineman Richard Seymour said. "You can gain a lot from it, and you can lose a lot but I think if we handle this thing the right way - the way things have been going - with the attention to detail and the ways guys have bought into what we're trying to do, I think it's going to be a really good thing for us."

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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Titans assistant Cecil makes obscene gesture toward officials

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Titans defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil expressed his anger at officials Sunday with an obscene gesture during a game against the Denver Broncos.

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Television cameras caught Cecil using his right hand to make the gesture when officials flagged the Titans' defense for a neutral-zone infraction during the second quarter. The penalty gave the Broncos first-and-goal, and Kyle Orton tossed a 2-yard touchdown pass on the next play for a 7-0 lead.

Last year, Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 by the NFL for making the same gesture. Adams repeatedly made the gesture from his owner's box and on the field last November while celebrating a victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press

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