NEU » 983-94), Detroit (2001-06), Oakland (2003-

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Nothing has come easy for the New York Giants this season, even the games they are supposed to win.The difference this year is they are winning the close games, a big change from previous seasons.Eli Manning threw a go-ahead 15-yard touchdown pass to rookie Sterling Shepard in the third quarter as the Giants rallied for their fifth straight win with a 22-16 decision Sunday over the Chicago Bears in a gusty MetLife Stadium.New York (7-3) remains two games behind the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East.We did find a way, thats the resiliency of this team, guard Marshall Newhouse said. In the past wed lose a lot of close games, now we are winning a lot of close games. People see that as a negative and I dont see why. Obviously there is stuff to improve on, but if you can play, maybe not playing your best, and you win, thats a positive.Manning (21 of 36 for 227) also threw a third-quarter touchdown to Will Tye, Rashad Jennings scored on a 2-yard run and Robbie Gould kicked a 46-yard field goal on a day he missed two extra points.The Giants got a second-half shutout from their defense and a game-clinching interception from Landon Collins .After taking a surprising 16-6 lead, injuries on the offensive line finally caught up with the Bears (2-8) and left Jay Cutler under constant pressure.The winning streak is New Yorks longest in the regular season since 2010, while the Bears starts matches their worst since 2002.This one is going to be a hard one to swallow, said Cutler, who was 17 of 30 for 252 yards and sacked four times. These games that you lose when you definitely have a chance at the end to win, those are the ones that kind of keep you up at night.Down 16-9 at the half, the Giants grabbed the lead in the third quarter, scoring on their first two possessions. The second featured a third-down scramble by Manning and 48-yard pass to Victor Cruz on the next play. Manning ran toward the line on what looked like another run, then found Cruz behind the defense.Shepard split a seam in the middle of the Bears defense three plays later, but Gould missed the extra point keeping things tense.Well take it as it comes, Cruz said. Were continuing to rally these victories and continuing to build on them. With every victory, with every week, were getting stronger as a team. Thats what you want to see.Chicago got to the New York 30 in the final two minutes but Jason Pierre-Paul had a 13-yard sack and Cutler was picked off by Collins, his fifth interception in the last four games.I even told some guys that it is time to blow up, it is on us, and guys responded, said Pierre-Paul, whose 2 1/2 sacks were his best performance since injuring a hand in a fireworks accident last year. I responded myself. I cant just do the talking, I have to show up and we came out with a win.Cutler found Miller for a 19-yard TD on the opening possession. A 34-yard pass to Miller set up Barths 40-yard field goal and Langfords short TD lunge put Chicago ahead halfway through the second quarter.GOING FOR IT: A couple of fourth-down gambles got the Giants nine points in the half. A 15-yard pass to Shepard on a fourth-and-2 at the Bears 17, set up Jennings TD run. A 5-yard pass to Jennings on fourth-and-2 at Bears 33 set up Goulds 46-yard field goal with 3:33 left in the half.INJURIES: Leonard Floyd, the Bears first round draft pick from Georgia, was removed from the field on a stretcher with 5:53 to go against the Giants with a neck injury. He gave a thumbs-up to teammates leaving the field and returned Sunday night to Chicago after being released from a hospital, the Bears said. ... Miller had to leave the game early in the second half with a possible broken foot. ... Giants receiver Roger Lewis Jr. and Bears cornerback CreVon LeBlanc left in the first-half with concussions.ACTIVE-INACTIVE: Cruz returned to the lineup after missing a game with an ankle injury. Tight end Larry Donnell was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. ... Bears right tackle Bobbie Massie (concussion), nose tackle Eddie Goldman (ankle) and defensive end Mitch Unrein (back) were inactive. ... Chicago receiver Alshon Jeffery served the first game of a four-game suspension for violating the NFLs policy on performance-enhancing substances. Bears also were missing guard Kyle Long, who was placed on injured reserve last week with an ankle and shoulder injuries.UP NEXT:Bears: Host the Titans and Marcus Mariota on Sunday.Giants: Start two-game road trip with a trip to winless Cleveland on Sunday.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Cheap Custom Rays Jersey . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. Authentic Custom Rays Jersey . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. http://www.customraysjersey.com/ . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Cheap Rays Jerseys . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. Wholesale Custom Rays Shirts . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Gus Bradley on Sunday, ending one of the least successful coaching tenures in NFL history.Owner Shad Khan announced the decision following a 21-20 loss at Houston, in which the Jaguars (2-12) blew a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter. Khan considered the move in late October, following a debacle at Tennessee on national television, but opted to keep Bradley for seven more weeks. During that time, Jacksonville lost to backup quarterbacks Tom Savage (Houston), Paxton Lynch (Denver) and Nick Foles (Kansas City).Bradley went 14-48 in four seasons in Jacksonville, the worst winning percentage (.225) of any NFL coach with at least 60 games.The Jaguars were supposed to be considerably improved this season, time for Bradleys always-positive approach to pay off with a much-improved roster. Khan spent big in free agency for the second straight year and felt he had all the pieces in place for a playoff push. Even before the free-agent frenzy, Khan said a winning record was everybodys reasonable expectation at this point.Instead, the Jaguars have lost nine in a row. Its the longest, single-season losing streak in franchise history.I dont know, really, for anybody in this locker room how much more frustrated you can be, quarterback Blake Bortles said. Once again we had all the opportunities in the world, chances in the fourth quarter to score, and we just dont do it.Bradley flew home on the team charter. General manager Dave Caldwell will name an interim coach for the final two games Monday. Its likely to be offensive line coach Doug Marrone or defensive backs coach DeWayne Walker.I thanked Gus Bradley today for his commitment to the Jacksonville Jaguars over the past four seasons, Khan said in a statement. As anyone close to our team knows, Gus gave his staff and players literally everything he had. Our players competed for Gus and I know they have great respect for him, as do I.Gus also represented the Jaguars, the Jacksonville community and the NFL in nothing less than a first-class manner as our head coach. That counts for a lot. It is unfortunately evident that we must make a change. I thought it would be best to do it immediately after todays result so Gus can step away, relax and regroup with his family during the Christmas and holiday season.Khan added that he and Caldwell will be charged with exploring all options to hire the best head coach possible to llead what I feel is an extremely talented team and reward a very loyal and patient fan base in Jacksonville.ddddddddddddA former Seattle defensive coordinator who had no head coaching experience when Khan hired him in 2013, Bradley spent his first two years in rebuilding mode. Bradley and Caldwell overhauled a talent-starved roster, revamping it through the draft and then supplementing it in free agency. The Jaguars spent more than $350 million (nearly $150 million guaranteed) the last two years in free agency, bringing in an influx of starters who were supposed to make a difference.Instead, the Jaguars showed little improvement, at least in the win-loss column.Bortles was mostly a mess, his sloppy mechanics causing inaccuracy every week. It didnt help that receivers dropped passes, tight end Julius Thomas was unreliable and the offensive line was far from stout.Jacksonville made a huge jump defensively, becoming a top-10 unit thanks partly to the addition of defensive tackle Malik Jackson, defensive end Yannick Ngakoue and rookie cornerback Jalen Ramsey. But the defense lacked a consistent pass rush and failed to create turnovers. Couple those shortcomings with Bortles penchant for interceptions and fumbles, and its no surprise the Jaguars ranked last in the NFL in turnover margin.Bradley kept his team playing hard down the stretch, even after it secured a sixth consecutive losing season. The Jaguars became the fifth team in NFL history to post double-digit losses six straight years, joining Tampa Bay (1983-94), Detroit (2001-06), Oakland (2003-09) and Cleveland (2008-13).Although Bradley will be remembered for his indefensible record, slow starts in each of his four years and an inability to win at home were major stumbling blocks.Jacksonville went 5-25 in September and October under Bradley, digging huge holes and essentially falling out of playoff contention before Thanksgiving. And the Jags failed to find success at home, going 7-20 at EverBank Field. They are 0-6 there this season.Jacksonvilles home finale is Saturday against Tennessee (8-6). Although the Jaguars technically won a home game in London in October, they have never gone winless in Jacksonville in a season.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '