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The Bears: better, or blessed?

© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 6, 2001

By now, it ought to be obvious there's some sort of cosmic thing happening in Chicago. Either that, or the Dallas Cowboys no longer need that opening atop Texas Stadium, because God apparently has a new favorite team.

Da Bears.

Only divine intervention can account for the Bears' remarkable 6-1 start and their second straight comeback victory, which they pulled off with their backup quarterback.

Come on. Two touchdowns in 28 seconds? Tipped passes intercepted and returned for winning touchdowns in overtime in back-to-back games?

This is a team that's not only kissed by fate, it's dating her.

The Bears seemingly have the two things that can make a team virtually unbeatable: talent and luck. That's not to say they'll run the table. But their next opponents, starting Sunday against Green Bay, have to be wondering if the Bears are the only force they're up against.

"It's just weird," Bears safety Mike Brown said, "real weird."

LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM: Terrell Owens brings a lot of baggage with him. Just last week he took a verbal shot at coach Steve Mariucci. But is there a better receiver in the game at the moment?

Tampa Bay's Keyshawn Johnson is having a great season. So is Denver's Rod Smith. And Randy Moss is arguably the most talented.

But Owens might be slightly ahead of everyone else. Granted, Smith came into the week leading the league in catches (57) and yards (758). But Owens (48 catches for 668 yards) seems always to make the big catch, and he leads all receivers with eight touchdowns after catching two in the second half Sunday.

Feel free to argue otherwise.

GOING FOR 22: First we thought Green Bay's Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila might threaten the league's single-season sack record, but now it looks as if the Giants' Michael Strahan might have a better shot.

Strahan was credited with 11/2 sacks Sunday, giving him 14, eight shy of Mark Gastineau's mark of 22 set in 1984.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Patriots safety Lawyer Milloy talking about the vicious hit he delivered to Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Vick: "It was sort of like, "Welcome to the NFL, Mr. Vick.' I heard the squeal when I hit him."

GEEZ, WHAT'S EATING HIM?: Saints coach Jim Haslett was so disgusted after his team's loss to the Jets, you would have thought New Orleans was blown out 46-9 instead of just 16-9.

"We didn't deserve to win. We were bad. I apologize to the fans. That was bad football out there today," he said. "To be honest with you, we shouldn't have been in the game."

CALL A PRIEST: The Chiefs, who are struggling at 2-6, might want to consider giving the ball more to running back Priest Holmes.

The Chiefs are 2-1 this season when Holmes gets 20 carries. He had 30 Sunday for a season-high 181 yards in the Chiefs' 25-20 win, moving him into second in the league in rushing yards (711).

IT AIN'T OVER 'TIL ... : Sunday was a day of comebacks. Of the 13 teams that won, six (Chiefs, Ravens, Titans, Giants, Packers and Bears) had to rally in the second half and another (the Niners) pulled out of a second-quarter hole.

The Chiefs came back the furthest, erasing a 19-0 deficit in San Diego to win 25-20.

PLAY OF THE WEEK: It's probably a tie between the Bears' last-second desperation pass to James Allen to force overtime and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's touchdown pass that bounced off a Falcons defender and into receiver Troy Brown's hands.

WHY DOESN'T IT FEEL LIKE HOME, COACH?: The Saints' homefield disadvantage continues. They have lost seven of 12 home games under Haslett. They've won 10 of 13 on the road under him.

This week, the news is good and bad. The Saints will be on the road Sunday, but they're playing at San Francisco (5-2), which is 3-1 at home this season.

-- Information from other news organizations was used in this report.

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