Defending NFC Champs Not Done Yet

PHILADELPHIA--Don't count out the Chicago Bears just yet.

The defending NFC champions have looked oh-so-ordinary in the early going this season. Quarterback Rex Grossman remained so mistake-prone that Coach Lovie Smith finally, and reluctantly, benched him in favor of Brian Griese. The Bears' most dangerous scoring threat often has seemed to be kick returner Devin Hester. The defense that carried the team to the Super Bowl last season has been weakened by injuries and hasn't seemed quite so fearsome this season.

The Bears took a 2-4 record into Sunday's game at Lincoln Financial Field and appeared destined for also-ran status when a touchdown pass from quarterback Donovan McNabb to tight end Matt Schobel gave the Philadelphia Eagles a 16-12 lead with less than five minutes to play. The Bears got the ball at their 3-yard line with 1:52 left and no timeouts remaining for their last-gasp drive.

But, remarkably, Griese and the offense delivered, going 97 yards en route to Griese's game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad with nine seconds to go. The 19-16 triumph raised the Bears' record to 3-4 and left them envisioning another run toward the postseason.

"We'd love to go into our bye week at 4-4," Muhammad said after the game.

That would mean beating the Detroit Lions at home next weekend. The Lions scored 34 fourth-quarter points in a 37-27 win over the Bears last month in Detroit.

"We have a chance to redeem ourselves," Muhammad said. "That's our goal, to even our score and even our record up and go into the second half [of the season] with a purpose."

By Mark Maske |  October 22, 2007; 11:22 AM ET  | Category:  Bears
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