NFL Insider: Bears are missing 'Monsters of the Midway' moniker

One could tell which Vikings players had followed the media coverage of the Bears' historic back-to-back losses to the Patriots and Packers by the look in their eyes when asked, "So, whaddaya know about the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons?"

Defensive end Corey Wootton was drafted by the Bears. He played in Chicago for four seasons. He had 11½ sacks, including the one that knocked Brett Favre back to his tractor once and for all back in 2010.

Surely, Corey would have seen the news and done some research on the 1923 "Jeffs." Eh, Corey?

"The 1923 what?" Wootton asked with that "What-planet-is-this-guy-from?" look.

A day later, Wootton was asked if he had done some homework on the Jeffs, who had been the last team to surrender at least 50 points in back-to-back NFL games until the 2014 Bears came along and were tagged 51-23 by the Patriots and 55-14 by the Packers.

"Man," said Wootton, "I didn't even know the league went back that far."

Receiver Jarius Wright didn't either. But the Vikings offense is next in line to play the Bears defense Sunday. So he, too, was told he's preparing for a team that did something that hadn't been done in 91 years, back when the NFL was 2 years old.

The Bears were outscored 106-37 by the Patriots and Packers. Overlooked is the fact the Vikings played the same two teams and scored 20 fewer points while giving up 72 themselves.

Asked how it feels to be facing a team that sandwiched 106 points allowed around a bye week, Wright initially seemed at a loss for words.

"It's a good thing," said a member of the league's 26th-ranked scoring offense. "I wouldn't say we struggled with scoring points in the past, but early this season we struggled. But I'm definitely expecting a different Bears team. I've played them twice, and I've never seen them play the way they have the past two games."

In 16 possessions from the Patriots game through halftime of the Packers game, the Bears defense gave up 86 points in six quarters. Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers had 11 touchdown passes and 11 incompletions.

Put up numbers like that and reporters start calling the Pro Football Hall of Fame and googling "1923 Rochester Jeffersons, Wikipedia."

They lost 41-0, but earned enough respect to be included when the American Professional Football Association was started in 1920 in Canton, Ohio. Two years later, the name was changed to the National Football League.

The Jeffs went 8-27-4 before disappearing after the 1925 season. Their only wins against APFA or NFL opponents from 1920 to 1925 were against the Tonawanda Kardex and the Columbus Panhandles, who played only one NFL game before folding.

In 1923, the Jeffs opened with back-to-back road losses to the Chicago Cardinals (60-0) and Rock Island Independents (56-0).

If you're a Bears fan, there's good news and bad news about what happened in Week 3. The Jeffs held the visiting Toledo Maroons to 12 points. But they also scored just six points, lost again and suspended operations for the season.

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History, apparently.

For the first time since the 1935 Western Division, the NFL has a division in which every team is at least two games over .500. The AFC North — Browns (6-3), Bengals (5-3-1), Steelers (6-4) and Ravens (6-4) — achieved that feat last weekend to match what Detroit, Green Bay, the Bears and the Chicago Cardinals did 79 years ago.

Of course, it helps facing the league's two South divisions. Those eight teams have one winning record, a combined 24-49-1 record and a division leader with a 4-5 mark. That's helped the AFC North go 15-6-1 when not thumping each other.

The AFC North sent three teams to the playoffs in 2011 and very well could do the same again this season. Right now, the Bengals, Steelers and Ravens are Nos. 2-4 in line for the two wild-card spots. Kansas City (6-3) is first.

The Browns, who were 4-12 a year ago, are leading this year's charge of teams looking to make the playoffs a year after falling short. Since the 12-team playoff format began in 1990, at least four teams have qualified that didn't participate the year before.

• Aaron Rodgers averages 20.7 completions per game. Tom Brady averages 23.7. So when it comes to the Vikings' win over Washington, Norv Turner had a good reason to celebrate Teddy Bridgewater's 26 completions rather than dwell on Cordarrelle Patterson's one catch.

• The top three scoring offenses (Colts, Broncos, Patriots) are in the AFC.

• The three worst scoring offenses (Raiders, Titans and Jaguars) also are in the AFC.

• The Raiders will be 0-11 with a 17-game losing streak after playing the Chargers and Chiefs in a four-day span.

• Every division leader will be .500 or better when the Saints (4-5) bounce back at home against Cincinnati.

Tom Brady outdueled Peyton Manning, and now has to face the young gun, Andrew Luck (right). Key to this one, however, is if the Colts defense can stop Brady from picking them apart.

2 Cardinals flight disrupted: Detroit at Arizona

Drew Stanton takes over at QB for Arizona in the wake of Carson Palmer's season-ending injury. Coach Bruce Arians thinks the Super Bowl is still within sights. The Lions' nasty defense is a big test for Stanton.

3 Time for Da Bears to stand up: Minnesota at Chicago

Marc Trestman can avoid a lot of pointed questions if Chicago can beat the Vikings. If not, the hot seat gets hotter for the Bears coach and his staff.

The Eagles' quickly run offense and the Packers' pass-happy offense means trouble for both defenses and a line you might not have expected: Can Mark Sanchez keep up with Aaron Rodgers?

5 Still fighting the wind: Seattle at Kansas City

The Seahawks have a tricky little schedule this season as they struggle to regain the dominance they had at the end of last season. And the Chiefs are pretty tricky sometimes themselves. This is a hurdle for Seattle.

When you're not playing particularly well and someone points at you and says, "The first time since Sid Hartman was 3 years old …", well, let's just say that what follows can't be good.

The stat of the year, decade, millennium and/or ever has to be the 2014 Bears becoming the first team since the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons to surrender 50 or more points in consecutive games.

MIN +3 at CHI

Bears 24, Vikings 21

Vikings haven't won at Soldier Field since Captain Munnerlyn was Private Munnerlyn.

HOU +3 at CLE

Browns by 6

PHI +6 at GB

Packers by 3

Mark Sanchez loses for the first time since back when he used to play.

SEA +2 at KC

Seahawks by 7

ATL-1 at CAR

Panthers by 7

Atlanta might sack a quarterback for the first time since Cam Newton became a sitting duck.

CIN +7 at NO

Saints by 3

TB +7 at WAS

Redskins by 3

Washington's football team loses by 49 and renames itself the Mondales.

DEN -9½ at STL

Broncos by 7

OAK +10 at SD

Chargers by 14

With one more loss, the Raiders will resign, move to Rochester and call themselves the Nixons.

DET +1½ at ARI

Cardinals by 3

NE +3 at IND

Patriots by 3

The Colts lead the league in points, yards and passing yards. The Patriots lead the league in QBs who make the Bears look like the 1923 Jeffersons.

PIT -6 at TEN

Steelers by 7

SF-4 at NYG

Giants by 3

The 49ers are the better team, but since when has that mattered in the NFL?

Record

Last week/overall: 7-5/ 83-53-1

Vikings picks: 6-3