These Monsters of the Midway don't just stop you, though. They score on you. The Chicago Bears defense is the school bully who takes your lunch and makes you watch him eat it, too. Chicago came into this week No. 2 in the league in scoring defense, allowing 15 points a game. The Bears D has scored nearly half that. Linebacker Brian Urlacher (pictured) had the team's seventh defensive touchdown of the season Sunday in a 51-20 victory at Tennessee. The Bears forced four turnovers en route to their sixth straight win.


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The easy media storyline for this week was to make it all about Cam Newton vs. Robert Griffin III. OK, who are we not to take the easy way out? The QB battle was essentially a draw on yardage. Newton (pictured) ran and threw for 238 yards, RG3 for 268. Neither had a turnover. But Newton ran for a TD and threw for another, and RG3 was blanked. So Carolina came away with a 21-13 victory at Washington. That leaves the much-criticized Newton on a team with one win less than the much-celebrated RG3 (two vs. three). And serves as another reminder that franchise quarterbacks are QBs you build a franchise around. They are not the franchise all by themselves.

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Yeah, some have called him a noodle-armed, 20-yard passer. So, what? Peyton Manning's getting an awful lot done in that 20-yard window. His Denver Broncos teammates have adapted to his reads, and they are making plays when they need them most. The Broncos improved to 5-3 with a 31-23 victory at Cincinnnati on Sunday. Typically, they had the fourth-quarter scoring advantage, too, 14-10. That was a poor performance by Denver standards. It has a 103-23 fourth-quarter scoring edge this season. Opponents better get off to a good start against Denver, and even then, it's no sure bet. Just ask the Chargers about that 24-0 halftime edge of a few weeks back.

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Did you have your fantasy league's top pick? Did you take Cam Newton? LeSean McCoy? Here, take a look at this pic. That's the salt for your wounds. Despite Arian Foster's proven run/receiving skills and record of getting to the end zone, there was actual debate about whether he was worthy of No. 1 in the world of fake football. One line of thought was that the Texans would have so many leads that Foster would be rested a lot. Uh, and how were those leads going to be built, if not with a hand from Foster? Anyway, he had a touchdown in Houston's 21-9 walk in the park against the Bills on Sunday, the fifth straight game he has scored. Fantasy or not, he's the real deal.


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Baltimore beat the Browns 25-15 on Sunday. No surprise there. The Ravens are the better team, even with All-Pros watching in street clothes. It was the Ravens' 15th straight victory following a loss. Think about that. They just won't go on a losing streak. That speaks well of Ray Rice (pictured), Ed Reed, coach John Harbaugh and, yes, the injured Ray Lewis. This is a team blessed with leadership. The Ravens know how to respond to adversity, and to a challenge. Don't count them out.


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Even as he makes a name for himself in the NFL, Andrew Luck can't escape the name that preceded him in Indianapolis. Luck matched an NFL rookie record Sunday with his fourth 300-yard game of the season. Who did he tie? Peyton Manning, naturally. But Luck did something Manning did not as a rookie. In fact, Luck's 433 yards in a 23-20 victory over Miami is an NFL rookie record, bettering Cam Newton's year-old mark of 422. The more important number: The Colts are 5-3 and very much in the AFC wild-card picture.

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If you hear the Packers beat Arizona 31-17 and Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes, you would assume it was a classic Green Bay air-it-out victory. You would be wrong. Rodgers completed less than half his passes in this one (14 for 30) as injuries to the receiving corps took their toll. No, this was a ball-possession, field-position battle. James Starks (pictured) had 61 yards rushing and Alex Green had 53 to keep the Cardinals honest and keep the chains moving. The Packers are beat up, but they weren't beaten. And that's the most important thing as they head into the bye week to heal.

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The scuttlebutt is the Jaguars are the NFL team most likely to move to London should the league fully commit to confusing foreigners. Bubba Joe here and his fellow fashionistas should bid them good riddance. The Jags seem to be preparing for such a move by taking an afternoon tea time every Sunday. They have treated the home folks to an 0-4 record at EverBank Field, with each loss by a minimum 17 points. That was the margin Sunday as the Lions showed mercy, 31-14. The really bad news: The fans have to be back in only four days, as the Colts come calling for a Thursday night tilt. Might as well just keep the makeup on.

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The Seahawks started the season tabbing rookie Russell Wilson (pictured with head coach Pete Carroll) as their starting QB. They were also the beneficiaries of the mother of all blown calls (which led to the end of the replacement-official era) and beat the Packers in Week 3. And on Sunday, despite surrendering nearly 200 yards on the ground to Adrian Peterson, Seattle outgained the Vikings by almost 100 yards, weathered a blocked PAT and beat Minnesota at home 30-20, as Wilson threw for three scores.

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In Week 8, Tampa Bay rookie running back Doug Martin introduced himself to the NFL world (the part of it that doesn't play fantasy, anyway) with 214 yards from scrimmage and a pair of TDs in a Thursday night win at Minnesota. For anybody who missed it, they probably know about him now. On Sunday in Oakland, Martin shattered the Bucs' team record for rushing yards in a game, gouging the Raiders for 251 yards and four scores in a 42-32 win. The Bucs are now 4-4 and Martin is third in the league in rushing.


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With both Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Dwyer out due to injuries, the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday turned to Isaac Redman (No. 33) to carry the load on the road against the reigning NFL champs. Redman, who himself missed the previous two games due to injury, responded with 147 yards on the ground and this game-winning TD as the Steelers beat the New York Giants 24-20 on a day when they flew into New York just hours before the game because of troubles finding hotel rooms in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

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Members of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins (the only team to finish an NFL season unbeaten) had to wait until Week 15 of last season, when the 13-0 Packers lost at Kansas City, to pop the corks. And this season, the bubbly has to remain on ice for one more week at least. Despite facing a desperate Cowboys team and trailing 6-0 after a quarter, the Atlanta Falcons came back and won 19-13 at home on Sunday night to improve to 8-0 — the NFL’s only unbeaten team. Michael Turner (No. 33) broke a 6-6 tie with a TD run in the fourth, and a Matt Bryant 32-yard field goal put the game away in the final minute.

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