Bears can win North by beating Packers
The Bears can clinch their first NFC North title since 2010 by beating the Packers on Sunday at Soldier Field.
The Vikings’ 21-7 loss to the Seahawks on “Monday Night Football” shrunk the Bears’ magic number to one, meaning they can win the division with one more victory or a Vikings loss in the final three weeks of the season.
The Bears are 9-4, and the Vikings, who have lost two in a row, are 6-6-1. They host the Dolphins on Sunday.
The 5-7-1 Packers are coming off a 34-20 victory against the Falcons in interim coach Joe Philbin’s debut. The Bears have lost nine of their last 10 to their rivals, the lone victory being John Fox’s win at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving night in 2015.
The host Seahawks broke open a close game by scoring two touchdowns in 18 seconds late in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks (8-5) were clinging to a 6-0 lead, courtesy of two field goals by Sebastian Janikowski, when Chris Carson scored on a two-yard run and Russell Wilson completed a two-point conversion pass to Tyler Lockett to make it 14-0 with 2:53 left.
Raiders fire GM McKenzie
The Raiders fired general manager Reggie McKenzie, less than two years after he was named the NFL’s executive of the year.
McKenzie was let go from the position he had held for almost seven seasons a day after the Raiders beat the Steelers 24-21 for their third victory of the season Sunday.
McKenzie’s status had been in doubt since coach Jon Gruden was given a 10-year contract in January to take charge of the Raiders’ football operations. McKenzie’s influence had waned since then, with the Raiders cutting ties with several players he had acquired, most notably edge rusher Khalil Mack and receiver Amari Cooper.
‘‘I’m not going to sit up here today and talk about any disconnect,’’ Gruden said. ‘‘We were connected. We were very good friends and very connected. I’ll leave it at that.’’
Jags RBs allege racial slurs
Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said running back Leonard Fournette was responding to racial slurs when he was caught on video yelling at a fan Thursday in Nashville, Tennessee.
Fournette declined to address the accusation on the advice of his agent, but teammate and fellow running back T.J. Yeldon said several Titans fans directed racial slurs at Jaguars players.
‘‘Did I hear it? Yeah,’’ Yeldon said. ‘‘All the running backs and people on the offensive side were hearing the exchange . . . . All day they was calling us racial slurs, all game.’’
Injury report
Redskins tight end Jordan Reed might be done for the season because of a strained toe muscle. He leads the team with 54 catches and 558 receiving yards.
The Cardinals put defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche on season-ending injured reserve with a knee injury suffered Sunday against the Lions.