A Cyber Bookie

Bears edge Bucs in OT to earn homefield advantage

Football Betting Lines

12/18/2006 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robbie Gould connected on a 25-yard field goal with 3:37 remaining in overtime, and the Chicago Bears cut short a stunning rally by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, hanging on for a 34-31 victory at Soldier Field. With the win, the Bears clinch homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Bucs (3-11) forced the sudden-death session after signal-caller Tim Rattay orchestrated an improbable comeback, turning a 24-3 deficit in the third quarter into a 31-31 tie at the end of regulation. Rattay took over for the struggling Bruce Gradkowski late in the first half and completed 20-of-35 passes for 268 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

In overtime, the Bucs won the coin toss and elected to receive, starting at their own 20 after Gould's kickoff sailed through the end zone. Cadillac Williams carried for four yards on first down, and Rattay hooked up with Alex Smith for a ten-yard gain before Smith had the ball ripped from his grasp. On the bottom of a pile of players, Ian Scott recovered for Chicago, and a booth review was called to determine whether Scott was inbounds, with the original ruling upheld.

Three plays later, Gould came on for a 37-yard, game-wining field-goal attempt and hooked the ball wide left, giving the Buccaneers life.

The Bucs, however, couldn't move the chains and elected to punt, with Devin Hester picking up eight yards on the return for Chicago (12-2). The Bears then went three-and-out, pushing Tampa Bay back to its own one-yard-line to start its next march, which also stalled.

Hester took the ensuing punt at his own 46 and avoided an initial hit before gaining four yards to set Chicago up at mid-field. Cedric Benson picked up two yards on a rush around the right end on first down, and Rex Grossman's pass fell incomplete on second down before the quarterback hit Adrian Peterson in stride for a 29-yard pickup. Peterson got the next two handoffs, picking up 13 yards on the ground, and Gould connected from 25 yards out to give Chicago the victory.

Grossman finished the game 29-of-44 for 339 yards passing, which are all career highs. He also became the first Bear's quarterback in 73 games to throw over 300 yards.

Desmond Clarke had seven catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns for Chicago, which has won three in a row and five of six. Thomas Jones carried 17 times for 68 yards and also had one score.

Joey Galloway led the Bucs' receiving corps with three catches for 107 yards and one touchdown. Tampa Bay has lost four in a row and seven of eight.

Already up 21-3, Chicago carried that momentum into the third quarter, opening a commanding 24-3 lead with 5:22 remaining. Gould's 38-yard field goal came at the end of a 10-play, 48-yard drive for the Bears, who took advantage of back- to-back 15-yard penalties against Tampa Bay during the march.

The Bucs, however, came storming back, scoring two touchdowns just 72 seconds apart, to spark talk of a potential upset.

First, Mike Alstott took it in from 14 yards out to snap a streak of 15 scoreless quarters by Tampa Bay, cutting the Chicago lead to 24-10.

On the ensuing kickoff, Hester, who returned two kickoffs for TDs last week, fumbled at his own 15 after an eight-yard return. Wesley Mallard scooped up the ball and Tampa Bay was in business, starting its drive 28 yards from the end zone. Three plays later, a nine-yard strike from Rattay to Smith pulled the Bucs within a score, 24-17, just inside the fourth quarter.

Benson attempted to dash any hopes of a Tampa Bay comeback, capping an 8-play, 77- yard drive with a four-yard burst to give the Bears a 31-17 cushion with 9:23 left in the contest.

A pass over the middle from Rattay to Galloway turned into a 64-yard score, bringing the Bucs to within 31-24.

The Bears went three-and-out, and on Tampa Bay's next possession, Rattay hit Ike Hilliard in stride, and the wide receiver rumbled 44 yards for the touchdown to tie the game, 31-31, with 3:44 left.

Chicago got the ball back but elected to run out the game clock, taking its chances in the extra session.

Both sides traded punts to start the contest before Chicago marched into Bucs' territory on their second possession. Jones had five touches on seven plays, carrying four times for 18 yards and also hauling in a short pass on first down, and Grossman capped the 62-yard drive by floating a pass to Clark, who scampered 24 yards to the end zone to give the Bears a 7-0 lead at 7:42 in the first quarter.

Chicago also caught a break toward the end of the stanza. On first down, Grossman attempted a lateral to Clark, who rumbled 15 yards before fumbling the ball. Tampa's Derrick Brooks recovered at the Chicago 44, went nine yards and then lost the ball before it rolled out of bounds. The Bears then challenged the call, saying Clark was down on contact, and the ruling was reversed after a video review.

Tampa Bay finally scratched the scoreboard on its fifth possession, as Matt Bryant connected on a 45-yard field goal. The kick cut the Bucs' deficit to 7-3 with 8:24 to play in the half before Chicago scored 14 unanswered points.

Jones capped an 8-play, 56-yard drive with a five-yard scoring rush at 4:21, giving the Bears a 14-3 edge, and Clark's 12-yard touchdown reception made it 21-3 lead heading into the break.

Game Notes

Gradkowski was just 5-of-11 for 37 yards before being replaced by Rattay in the first half...The Bears lead the all-time series 35-17. They have won five of the last seven meetings...Chicago is 13-1 when Grossman throws a TD pass...The Bears improved to 6-1 at home this season, after a 7-1 mark in 2005...The attendance was 57,661 with 4,599 unused tickets.

For those that feel that a site like My Sportsbook is only a sportsbook we would like to introduce you to a place where a single login allows you to not only bet on every major sporting event in the world but also to bet on horses at over 90 different tracks or play at over 20 Las Vegas style table games in their top online casino. My Sportsbook has won many awards for it's site design and ease of use as well as it's 24/7 customer support. Get all your gaming done in one spot - try My Sportsbook Today!

Since 2000, Best eCasino has maintained a 98.5% payout rate on all their more than 20 Las Vegas style games. Each of their award winning games including, blackjack (and blackjack super 7s), Baccarat, Roulette and Craps are available as either a downloadable program or as java programs that can be played directly within your browser. Don't know how to play a certain game? Read the details and strategy here and start with their Play for Fun section which allows you to practice a game before taking on the casino. Let's see any Vegas casino do that...

Best eCasino doesn't stop there, they now offer horse wagering and sportsbook lines to round off all the online gaming industry have to offer. They are consistently at the forefront of the industry with new innovations consistently starting with their site. These guys are the entrepreneur's of the online gaming world and they set the standard for others to follow. So bet with a leader that's backed by the largest online gaming company in the world with 24 hour customer support, Best eCasino.