By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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As if things couldn’t get any bleaker for the Bears in 2016, the latest news shows it can and has indeed worsened.

Head coach John Fox said Monday that linebacker Danny Trevathan, one of Chicago’s big offseason signings, suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his knee, ending his first season in the Windy City. Trevathan, who will be placed on injured reserve, suffered the injury during the Bears’ 27-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

It’s the latest blow to a team that has been walloped by injuries and suspensions, as the Bears continue their slog to a merciful end to the 2016 campaign. Continue reading →

By Around the NFL staff
NFL.com
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They’re not dead yet! With just five weeks to go in the 2016 regular season, teams are making their final playoff pushes, avoiding catastrophe in the process.

The AFC East contenders — Buffalo and Miami — both narrowly escaped home defeats to the Jaguarsand 49ers, respectively, two teams that are slated to have top-five draft picks. In the NFC South, the Falcons and Saints went ahead early and stayed ahead against the underperforming Cardinals and Rams. The Titans steered clear of disaster in the Windy City, keeping pace with the struggling Texans.

The postseason picture is clearing up. Here’s what we’ve learned from Week 12.

Oakland Raiders 35, Carolina Panthers 32

1. Derek Carr was at the head of the roller coaster the Oakland faithful collectively rode on Sunday. The quarterback led an offensive attack that had the Raiders ahead 24-7 at half, then suffered a gruesome right hand injury that knocked him out of the game for a series and sparked a Carolina response of 25 unanswered points. But Carr, wearing a glove on the injured hand and receiving snaps exclusively out of the shotgun, didn’t wilt, leading a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass to Clive Walford to tie the game at 32. He captained another drive that saw two acrobatic grabs from Michael Crabtree and ended five yards short of the end zone. We went from “business as usual Raiders,” to the injury-induced fall of Carr, back to another thrilling win for Oakland. The Raiders have made their living with heart-stopping victories this season. Why, on Sunday against the struggling but reigning NFC champions, should it have been any different? Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Tom Brady has won a lot of football games since replacing Drew Bledsoe way back in 2001.

He hit career victory No. 200 (including the playoffs), tying Peyton Manning for the most all-time wins in a 22-17 triumph over the New York Jets on Sunday. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Derek Carr left the field in a hurry in the third quarter with a gruesome hand injury, but returned to help the Raiders overcome 25 unanswered Panthers points and improve to 9-2 in a wild 35-32 win over Carolina (4-7). Here’s what we learned:

1. Derek Carr was at the head of the roller coaster the Oakland faithful collectively rode on Sunday. The quarterback led an offensive attack that had the Raiders ahead 24-7 at half, then suffered a gruesome right hand injury that knocked him out of the game for a series and sparked a Carolina response of 25 unanswered points. But Carr, wearing a glove on the injured hand and receiving snaps exclusively out of the shotgun, didn’t wilt, leading a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass to Clive Walford to tie the game at 32. He captained another drive that saw two acrobatic grabs from Michael Crabtree and ended five yards short of the end zone. We went from “business as usual Raiders,” to the injury-induced fall of Carr, back to another thrilling win for Oakland. The Raiders have made their living with heart-stopping victories this season. Why, on Sunday against the struggling but reigning NFC champion, should it have been any different? Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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All five fingers are important to each hand, especially for those who earn a living catching and defending passes.

The longest of those fingers left a couple of players a little lighter in the pockets this week.

Seattle’s Doug Baldwin and Cincinnati’s Vontaze Burfict were each fined $12,154 for separate unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, a league spokesman told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. Rapoport connected the fines to the public extensions of their middle fingers. Continue reading →

By Around the NFL staff
NFL.com
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Jay Ajayi gets reacquainted with the 200-yard club

Miami saw its season change for the better when it placed an added emphasis on the running game. Led by Ajayi and his back-to-back 200-plus-yard games, the Dolphins vaulted into the league’s top 10 in rushing. Miami went from relying too much on the arm of Ryan Tannehill to letting Ajayi’s churning legs to do the work, and suddenly the Dolphins are squarely in the playoff conversation.

But it’s been a couple weeks since Ajayi cracked 100-plus yards. Against the 49ers, the league’s worst against the run by a wide, nearly historical margin, there’s no better time to again get familiar with the NFL’s top runners. Powered by a zone scheme we broke down in this Next Gen Stats piece, Ajayi uses his bullish, one-cut running style to slice through the Niners’ defense, gaining 150 yards through three quarters. A big run in the fourth breaks 200 yards and ices another win for the Dolphins, who continue their charge toward the postseason.

— Nick Shook

To read the full Week 12 bold predictions from the Around the NFL writers, click here.

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The Patriots will be a bit thinner up the middle after the league has sidelined one of its interior defensive linemen.

Defensive tackle Alan Branch has been notified he’s facing a four-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on substances of abuse, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source informed of the situation. Branch will appeal the suspension, Rapoport added. Continue reading →