Bears

ARLINGTON, Texas — Jay Cutler threw three touchdown passes to guide the Bears to a stunning 27-20 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday, the second straight loss for the highly touted hosts. Cutler was 21 of 29 for 277 yards and outdueled Tony Romo (34 of 51, 374 yards, TD), who threw two interceptions. Dallas also lost the ball on a fourth-quarter fumble and fell to 0-2 for the first time in nine years. "Any time you get in this position it's very difficult," Romo said.

Al says … "The Eagles are what the NFL has become: very unpredictable. They were playing pretty well, then inexplicably lost to Oakland - how did that happen? - come back and kill the Giants, close game against Dallas but can't deliver, fall way behind in San Diego and rally but lose again. The one thing about the Eagles that people should know by now - the last few years this has happened - is they'll look like they're dead, and all of a sudden they play extremely well down the stretch."

Don't look for Michael Holmes to slash his wrists just yet.OK, Morgan State's rookie basketball coach is off to a stumbling 0-12 start. Since all 12 were on the road, the first glimpse Morgan's students will get of the Bears will be tomorrow (8 p.m.) when Maryland-Eastern Shore comes to Hill Field House.Keep in mind that Holmes didn't arrive until July, that there was no time to recruit, that he is stuck with the remnants of last winter's squad and that he inherited a program that has endured 10 losing seasons in the last 11 years.

Justin Black made big baskets at the end of regulation and overtime, helping fifth-seeded Morgan State beat fourth-seeded Savannah State, 64-61, in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament Thursday night at Norfolk (Va.) Scope Arena. Black scored 20 points for the Bears (16-14), who will play eighth-seeded Bethune-Cookman in today's semifinals. Bethune-Cookman ousted top-seeded Norfolk State, the MEAC's regular-season champion, 70-68 in overtime Wednesday.

The Baltimore Bears semipro football team will play its home opener tomorrow at 1 p.m. against the Arbutus Big Red. The game will be at Patterson High, at 100 Kane Street in East Baltimore.

The Baltimore Bears, 3-0 in the Mason-Dixon Football League, are ranked No. 9 in the nation among American Football Association semipro football teams. The top-ranked team is the DuPage (Ill.) Eagles (7-0).The Bears' next game is Saturday at 7 p.m. against Arbutus (1-3) at the Arbutus Middle School.

CHICAGO -- It was not a totally lost weekend for the Chicago Bears.In a sense, Sunday was a day of triumph from the Bears' perspective on the NFC playoff picture.While the Bears (9-4) licked their wounds after their 16-6 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions, they saw the New Orleans Saints (9-4) drop a 38-24 decision to the San Francisco 49ers.Because they defeated the Saints earlier this season, the Bears retain their second seed in the NFC playoff race with three regular-season games to go.If the playoffs were to begin next weekend, the Washington Redskins and Bears would enjoy first-round byes while the Saints would have to play a wild-card team the weekend of Dec. 28-29.

PSINet Stadium, 1 p.m., Ch. 45 Ravens rushing vs. Bears run defense -- BEARS The Ravens' running game sputtered in the preseason with 3.9 yards per carry. RB Terry Allen receives the start and will try to improve upon his two-game preseason total (16 rushes, 37 yards). The Ravens will turn to Jason Brookins to change the pace and to Moe Williams in certain third-down situations. The effectiveness of the run game boils down to how the Ravens' interior linemen take care of the Bears' beefy tackles, Ted Washington and Keith Traylor.

No. 1 Hammond set its third scoring record in three games as it routed Fairmont Heights, 88-24, in a Class 2A South Region semifinal last night.The top-seeded Golden Bears (20-1) will play host to second seed Glenelg tonight at 7 for the region title.The fourth-seeded Hornets (11-10), from Prince George's County, simply were not equipped to deal with Hammond's sticky defense and its 52 percent shooting.Tameka Harrison led the Bears with 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Tiki Nicholson added 22 points and 16 rebounds.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Their mission, which the Chicago Bears have chosen to accept, is to go 8-0 within the Central Division this season.They are more than halfway there (5-0) after last night's 34-17 dismantling of the Minnesota Vikings."That is the goal we have set for ourselves. We feel it is very important to control our division," said Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh, who completed 18 of 27 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown.Winning for only the second time indoors on a Monday night, the Bears broke open a close game with a pair of touchdowns in the fourth period.