Don Pierson

The pressure is finally off in Minnesota. Now that the Vikings have won the NFC Central Division title, nobody expects anything more this season. Finally, the Vikings can be underdogs....

In pro football`s obsession with the Super Bowl, its greatest games are rarely anticipated, often ignored, and sometimes forgotten. While the Super Bowl hardly ever approaches its hype, the divisional...

For a minute, the Bears thought they could be the Team of the Decade. The San Francisco 49ers interrupted. So did the Washington Redskins, but Mike Ditka didn`t throw gum...

The Minnesota Vikings still rule the Pro Bowl, even though they are struggling to make a Super Bowl. Seven Vikings were named Wednesday to the NFC team that will play...

It`s a good thing Bears President Michael McCaskey and National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said they aren`t threatening to leave Chicago, because if they were, nobody would believe them....

The Bears could have been facing Barry Sanders this week just as easily as last week. Had the Green Bay Packers drafted Sanders instead of Tony Mandarich, they would be...

The Packers are used to being called names, so ''lucky'' won`t break their bones. They are the only National Football League team to win four one-point games in one season....

In the last year, Brent Novoselsky has played for the Bears, Packers and Vikings, so he has a unique perspective on the NFC Central Division. The Lions wouldn`t want him...

Philadelphia Eagles coach Buddy Ryan stayed on the offensive Tuesday in his ''bounty war'' with Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson. The Eagles meet the Cowboys Sunday in a rematch of...

The Vikings have defeated the Bears three of their last four games. The Bears have lost three playoff games in Soldier Field in the three years since the 1985 Super...