The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Trubisky, Bears clinch No. 3 seed
Mentor graduate Mitchell Trubisky threw one touchdown pass, Jordan Howard ran for another score and the Chicago Bears survived a fight and a late fumble to earn their eighth win in nine games, 14-9 over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Danny Trevathan made a key interception in the fourth quarter and Chicago’s stout defense kept the 49ers out of the end zone to clinch at least the third seed in the NFC playoffs. The Bears (11-4) can earn a first-round bye with a win in the season finale and a loss by the Rams.
Robbie Gould kicked three field goals for the 49ers (4-11), who had their two-game winning streak snapped.
The game turned feisty in the fourth quarter, when San Francisco safety Marcell Harris hit Trubisky after he started sliding on a scramble near the Bears bench. Trubisky’s teammates took exception to the hit and a scuffle ensued with punches being thrown and San Francisco cornerback Richard Sherman and Chicago receivers Joshua Bellamy and Anthony Miller all getting ejected.
The Bears converted a fourth-and-1 sneak by Trubisky from their own 35 with 4:19 to go shortly after that. After the twominute warning, Chicago appeared ready to ice the game on a thirddown completion to Allen Robinson. But instead of going down to allow the Bears to run out the clock, Robinson kept running and had the ball knocked out of his hands by Tarvarius Moore.
Greg Mabin recovered at the San Francisco 24 with 1:52 to play, but the Niners were unable to convert when Nick Mullens threw a deep incompletion on fourth-and-4 from the Chicago 45 instead of scrambling for the first down.
The Bears struggled to do much offensively all game but managed a TD drive on their final possession of the second quarter and first of the third quarter.
Trubisky capped the first with a 4-yard pass to Miller and then completed all seven passes on a 90-yard drive that took 7:43 and ended when Howard scored on a 2-yard run that made it 14-9.
The Niners got in position for a possible goahead score in the fourth quarter before Mullens’ pass deflected off Marquise Goodwin’s hands for an interception by Trevathan with 7:37 to play. STEELERS SUFFER CRUSHING LOSS >> Drew Brees capped a 326-yard passing performance with 2-yard touchdown to Michael Thomas with 1:25 left, and the New Orleans Saints clinched the top seed in the NFC playoffs with a 31-28 victory over Pittsburgh that dealt a significant blow to the Steelers’ playoff hopes.
Alvin Kamara gained 105 yards from scrimmage and ran for two touchdowns for New Orleans (13-2), which rallied for the lead after two defensive stops in the fourth quarter. New Orleans ended one Steelers drive when Kurt Coleman forced Stevan Ridley’s fumble and ended another by narrowly thwarting a fake punt.
Ben Roethlisberger passed for 380 yards and three touchdowns for the Steelers (8-6-1), connecting 14 times with Antonio Brown for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Pittsburgh fell into second in the AFC North behind Baltimore and out of playoff position.