>>Bears Fall To Lions
(Chicago, IL) — Connor Barth missed a potential game-tying 46-yard field goal in the closing moments to send the Bears to a 27-24 loss to the Lions at Soldier Field. Chicago is 3-and-7 with five of their defeats coming by eight points or less. Mitchell Trubisky threw for 179 yards and TD, while Jordan Howard ran for 125 yards and a score. The Bears are the Eagles on Sunday. Philly has the best record in the NFL at 9-and-1.
>>Eagles Cruise Past Cowboys On “SNF”
(Dallas, TX) — The Eagles outscored the Cowboys 30-0 in the second half as they cruised to a 37-9 win on Sunday Night Football in Dallas. Carson Wentz led the way with a pair of touchdowns to break the game open after halftime. The Eagles piled up 215 rushing yards, led by Jay Ajayi’s 91, while Corey Clement and Kenjon Barner rushed for scores. Nigel Bradham took a strip-sack to the house to ice the game for the Birds as they improved to an NFL best 9-and-1. Kicker Jake Elliot did not play in the second half due to a head injury.
>>Bulls Lose To Suns
(Phoenix, AZ) — The Bulls fell apart late in the fourth quarter as they lost to the Suns 113-105 at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Phoenix held Chicago to 68 points after a 37-point first quarter. Lauri Markkanen paced the Bulls with a 26-point, 13-rebound, double-double. Justin Holiday missed 15 of his 20 shots as Chicago has dropped six-of-seven. The Bulls are at the Lakers tomorrow night.
>>Illinois Hoops Still Unbeaten
(Champaign, IL) — It was a strong weekend for Illinois hoops. The Fighting Illini dominated Marshall, 91-74, at home yesterday. That was after taking down DePaul, 82-73, on Friday. They’re 4-and-0. DePaul is 1-and-2. The Blue Demons face Michigan State in PK80 Invitational from Portland on Thursday. Illinois hosts Augustana on Wednesday.
>>Illinois Football Annihilated By Buckeyes
(Columbus, MO) — Illinois was no match for ninth-ranked Ohio State, getting blasted 52-14 by the Buckeyes Saturday in Columbus. Illinois was outgained 543 yards to 105. The Fighting Illini have lost nine in-a-row and are 0-and-8 in the Big Ten. They finish Saturday hosting Northwestern.
>>Cardinals Eying Kintzler?
(St. Louis, MO) — The Cardinals are eying free-agent Brandon Kintzler to fill their vacant closer’s role. MLB.com reports the Cards are one of four teams interested in the former Twins closer. Kintzler had 45 saves the last two seasons with Minnesota before being traded to Washington.
>>Danica Patrick To Retire After Indy 500 Next Year
(Homestead, FL) — Danica Patrick says she will compete in both the Indy 500 and Daytona 500 next year before retiring as a race car driver. The 35-year old is the only female to win a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series and has the highest finishes in both the Indy and Daytona races than any other female driver in history. Patrick says this year will be her last full season on the circuit. She’s had trouble landing enough sponsorship to continue after a difficult transition from IndyCar to NASCAR.
>>Truex Wins Cup Series Title
(Homestead, FL) — Martin Truex Junior won his initial NASCA Cup title, holding off Kyle Busch at the Ford EcoBoost 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in the final race. It was Truex’s eighth victory of the season. Kyle Larson, who was eliminated from the playoffs last month, finished third. It was also the final race for Dale Earnhardt Junior, who retired after his 25th-place finish.