While the Minnesota Vikings can make the case that their defense is one of the best in the NFL, the Chicago Bears' is in danger of unraveling.
A week of rest would typically help teams regroup, but the Bears instead lost another contributor to a defense that is tied for last in the NFL with 29.8 points allowed per game. Chicago cut defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff after his animated discussion with general manager Ryan Pace was publicized, adding to a depleted unit that lost Ego Ferguson to a season-ending injury the week before.
The Bears signed former Pittsburgh and Jacksonville lineman Ziggy Hood to fill the spot, but coach John Fox's concern level keeps rising as his team searches for its first division win.
Alshon Jeffry returns to the offense for the Bears. Jeffery had been out since the opener with a pulled hamstring but returned before the bye week to catch eight passes for 147 yards and a touchdown.
Chicago totaled a season-high 444 yards with Jeffery back in the mix, 353 coming on the arm of Jay Cutler. The only other time the Bears' offense exceeded 400 yards was when Jeffery was active in Week 1.
The Vikings can win a third straight game for the first time since 2012 on Sunday, but to do so they'll need to earn their first victory in Chicago.
Minnesota (4-2) just finished off a season sweep of last-place Detroit with a 28-19 win, its first NFC North road victory in nine tries dating back to 2012. If their defense keeps trending upward, the Vikings can end another lengthy drought.
The Vikings have won three of five against the Bears, but they have lost their last seven in Chicago and 13 of their last 14 on the road in this series. The Bears averaged 32.9 points during their seven straight home wins over Minnesota, but a stout defense is the reason for the Vikings' early-season success.
The win over the Lions marked Minnesota's fifth game limiting opponents to no more than 20 points. The Vikings are tied with Denver at 17.0 points per game allowed, behind only division-leading Green Bay (16.8).
They held Detroit to 274 total yards and sacked Matthew Stafford seven times a week after the Lions poured 546 on the Bears.
>>Packers Clash With Broncos on Sunday Night Football
Though two records stand exactly the same, and equally unblemished, one just doesn't have the same feel as the other.
While the Green Bay Packers remain a favorite in the NFC, questions swirl around the Denver Broncos despite an identical record on the opposite side of the league.
Which team is a true contender might become more clear Sunday night when the conference powers come off bye weeks to meet in Denver.
This is just the fourth time in NFL history that two undefeated and untied teams have met this deep into a season, the last happening in 2007 when New England (8-0) beat Peyton Manning and Indianapolis (7-0). Minnesota and St. Louis met with 6-0 records in 1973 with the Vikings winning, and the Akron Pros (7-0) and Buffalo All-Americans (6-0) played to a scoreless tie in 1921.
It just doesn't feel like a dominant season for Denver (6-0), which posted a 26-23 overtime victory at Cleveland on Oct. 18 that was fueled again by a defense that ranks toward the top of the league in most major categories.
That unit has scored a touchdown in four of six games while racking up 18 takeaways and 26 sacks by a dozen players.
>>Rams Host 'Niners Sunday
The St. Louis Rams have never allowed the lingering talk of relocation to be a distraction.
Though that's been a hot topic around the city again this week, the Rams remain focused on trying to beat the visiting San Francisco 49ers on Sunday and move above .500 this late in the season for the first time in nine years.
The Rams (3-3) will try to build on last Sunday's 24-6 home win over Cleveland by capitalizing on their chance to be above .500 on Nov. 1 or later for the first time since sitting 4-3 in 2006.
After gaining nine yards on six carries in his NFL debut against Pittsburgh in Week 3, Gurley has averaged 6.4 per carry while rushing for 433 in the last three contests. He also scored his first two touchdowns.
Quarterback Nick Foles has thrown one TD while posting a 41.7 passer rating in the last two weeks. No receiver has more than 20 catches and the team ranks 31st while converting 28.8 percent of its third-down chances.
The Rams average 18 points and 298.8 yards per game. Only San Francisco (2-5) at 14.7 points and 295.6 yards is worse.
St. Louis has been held below 100 rushing yards in four of the last five meetings with San Francisco, but the 49ers yielded a season-high 176 on the ground in a 20-3 loss to Seattle on Oct. 22. They also lost hard-hitting safety Antoine Bethea to a season-ending shoulder injury.
Held to seven or fewer points for the third time this season, San Francisco totaled 142 yards - its lowest since recording 133 against Minnesota on Nov. 5, 2006.
>>Pats Crush Dolphins
Even when they look sluggish, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots still dominate.
Brady threw for 356 yards and four touchdowns - two to Julian Edelman - and the Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins 36-7 on Thursday night to become the first of the NFL's five unbeaten teams to reach seven wins.
Stephen Gostkowski broke Adam Vinatieri's franchise record for consecutive field goals by connecting from 52 and 36 yards to make it 26 in a row. Rob Gronkowski had 113 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Dion Lewis had 93 yards receiving and one score.
The loss was the first for Miami (3-4) under interim coach Dan Campbell. The Dolphins scored 82 points in wins over the lowly Titans and Texans in Campbell's first two games after replacing Joe Philbin.
But they were completely overmatched against the defending Super Bowl champions.
It could be an even bigger loss for the Dolphins because four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Wake was carted off the field with an Achilles tendon injury.
The Patriots are 7-0 for the second time in franchise history and first time since going 16-0 in 2007. They've scored at least 28 points in every game and 30 or more in six straight.
