>>Titans End Jets' Slim Playoff Hopes
(Nashville, TN) -- The Titans crushed the slim playoff hopes that remained for the Jets, beating New York 14-10 on "Monday Night Football." Chris Johnson ran for 122 yards, which included a 94-yard touchdown scamper. Jake Locker threw for 149 yards and ran for 43 more with a TD. Tennessee won despite committing 14 penalties for 111 yards. The Titans improved to 5-and-9 on the season. Mark Sanchez threw for 131 yards with a touchdown but tossed four costly interceptions and lost a fumble in the final minute to seal the game. Shonn Greene had 68 yards on the ground while Jeff Cumberland caught four passes for 53 yards and a score. The Jets fell to 6-and-8, officially eliminating them from playoff contention.
>>Pressure Building On Bears
Bears coach Lovie Smith is searching for a way to get a December victory and stop the skid that has put his team's playoff hopes and perhaps his job in jeopardy.
The Bears have lost seven straight December games and are only 15-19 in the month under Smith.
A 6-game losing streak against Green Bay, including Sunday's 21-13 loss at Soldier Field, has only heightened the pressure on Smith. He figures the Bears must win their final two on the road against Arizona and Detroit, and get help elsewhere against Dallas, the New York Giants, and Minnesota Vikings to make the playoffs.
>>Arizona Ends 2 1/2 Month Victory Drought; Host Bears Sunday
The Arizona Cardinals' 2 ½-month victory drought is over, thanks in large part to the thievery of the team's defense.
The relief that the 9-game losing streak had ended was palpable at coach Ken Whisenhunt's day-after news conference, and he credited a strong performance by the defense for leading Sunday's 38-10 victory over the Detroit Lions.
The Cardinals intercepted Matthew Stafford three times, returning 2 of them for touchdowns and setting up a TD with the other.
With the performance, Arizona leads the NFL in interceptions with 22. That's a dozen more than the team had all of last season. Patrick Peterson leads the way with seven, including one in each of the last four games.
The Cardinals play Chicago next Sunday in Arizona's final home game of the season.
