rogs upset the Sooners again, they would have a clear path

CHICAGO -- Jay Cutlers halftime speech -- yup, that Jay Cutler -- helped the Chicago Bears turn a strong start into one surprising victory.Cutler threw for 252 yards and a touchdown after missing five games with a thumb injury, rookie Jordan Howard ran for a career-high 153 yards and a TD, and the Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings 20-10 on Monday night.Chicago (2-6) sacked Sam Bradford five times while handing NFC North-leading Minnesota (5-2) its second straight loss.Cutler was on target in his return from a sprained right thumb, and Howard easily surpassed his previous high of 118 yards. Alshon Jeffery got his first touchdown reception of the season while helping Chicago outgain Minnesota 403 yards to 258.I think it was more fun just to watch my teammates and see how hard they played and how well they played, Cutler said. One win coming into this one, they had a lot of outside noise.Cutler has faced criticism for his body language and leadership skills throughout his time in Chicago, but Jeffery said the quarterback told his teammates to keep our pedal to the metal at halftime.Everyone in there is from different backgrounds and different cultures, societies, Cutler said. Whatever it takes to find the inspiration -- because motivation usually wears off at some point during the game. Those guys played inspired football.Minnesotas performance was far from inspired.Were a good team, guard Brandon Fusco said. Its not us. Its not Viking football. Thats what is frustrating, were such a good team. What were putting out on the field is not us. We have to watch the film and get better from this.Cutler had not played since he left the second game of the season against Philadelphia. But with his future up in the air after coach John Fox wavered in his commitment to him as the starter, he made a triumphant return.Cutler completed 20 of 31 passes, including an 11-yard touchdown to Jeffery early in the third that made it 20-3. Whether he quieted fans who thought the Bears were better off with Brian Hoyer is another issue. But that became a moot point when Hoyer broke his left arm last week in a Thursday night loss at Green Bay.Howard had a 69-yard run, the longest for Chicago in seven years. Zach Miller added 88 yards receiving as the Bears stopped a three-game losing streak.Bradford, playing behind a porous line, had another rough game after getting sacked six times the previous week against Philadelphia. He was 23 of 37 for 228 yards.Matt Asiata ran for 42 yards with Jerick McKinnon sidelined by an ankle injury.With a sparse and quiet crowd looking on, the Bears led 13-3 at halftime. It was almost a bigger advantage, but Chicago settled for field goals on its first two trips inside the 20.GOING LONGHoward, a fifth-round draft pick, broke off a 69-yard run to the 13 on Chicagos first possession. It was the longest rushing play for the Bears since Kahlil Bells 72-yarder against Philadelphia on Nov. 22, 2009. But instead of a touchdown, the Bears got a field goal from Connor Barth.DENYING DISCORDFox denied a report of discord between the coaching staff and front office and that the organization has brought in an outside consultant to examine the football operation.Theres no truth to that. This is as unified of an organization and football team as Ive ever been associated with, Fox said.OFFICIAL INJUREDHead linesman Ed Walker was taken from the field on a cart after he slipped on the Soldier Field grass in the first quarter. Walker was injured running down the Vikings sideline as the Bears punted. His legs buckled, and he was tended to for several minutes by medical personnel before being placed on the cart.INJURIESVikings: G Alex Boone was being evaluated for a concussion. ... CB Captain Munnerlyn hurt his foot. ... SS Andrew Sendejo (ankle) sat out and Jayron Kearse started in his place.Bears: The Bears held out RG Kyle Long (strained triceps) and LG Josh Sitton (ankle). Ted Larsen started at right guard and Eric Kush at left guard.UP NEXTVikings: Face division rival Detroit for the first time this season when they host the Lions on Sunday.Bears: Have a bye before visiting Tampa Bay on Nov. 13.---AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Custom Tennessee Titans Jerseys . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. Corey Davis Jersey . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. http://www.authentictitanspro.com/Bruce-matthews-titans-jersey/ . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. Tennessee Titans Jerseys . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. Eddie George Jersey . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. No. 14 Washington | No. 16 USC | Top 25No. 15: TCULast Season: 11-2?(7-2 Big 12)The Horned Frogs trail only Washington among my surprise teams in 2016. They lacked that tough Gary Patterson defense last season, allowing 398.4 yards per game after pacing the conference with just 340.3 allowed over the previous three years. Last years unit brings back eight starters, putting the defensive line, linebackers and secondary position groups all in my top 20. Though they lose QB Trevone Boykin, WR Josh Doctson and RB Aaron Green on offense, I do like the replacements. Kenny Hill, who transferred out of Texas A&M, where he threw for 2,649 yards in 2014, fits well with the offense, while Kyle Hicks figures to take over at running back after averaging 4.8 yards per carry last year. TCU is an underdog against only Oklahoma (+3), which it beat in 2014. If the Horned Frogs upset the Sooners again, they would have a clear path to the Big 12 title and a playoff berth, assuming they handle a depleted Baylor team in a toss-up game late iin the year.ddddddddddddTCUs chances to win each game 09.03 vs. South Dakota State: 94.6% 09.10 vs. Arkansas: 56.2% 09.17 vs. Iowa State: 88.3% 09.23 @ SMU: 85.4% 10.01 vs. Oklahoma: 19.6% 10.08 @ Kansas: 88.1% 10.22 @ West Virginia: 41.7% 10.29 vs. Texas Tech: 71.9% 11.05 @ Baylor: 36.8% 11.19 vs. Oklahoma State: 39.8% 11.25 @ Texas:?39.0% 12.03 vs. Kansas State: 80.7%Dont sleep on these Horned Frogs. Experienced defense, lots of offensive weapons, favorable schedule, supremely well-coached. All they need is the best version of Kenny Hill to lead the charge. If they can beat Oklahoma on Oct. 1, an 11-1 season and a playoff bid are attainable. -- Max OlsonThe pieces are in place on both sides of the ball for the Horned Frogs to challenge in the Big 12. One of those is transfer QB Hill, who will be consistent enough for TCU to finish 9-3. -- Jake TrotterNo. 14 Washington | No. 16 USC | Top 25 ' ' '