NFL roundup Monday’s news & notes

Bengals: In their first time as an overwhelming favorite, the first-place Cincinnati Bengals fell flat. The only consolation was that it didn’t cost them in the AFC North standings. A day later, it wasn’t very comforting. For the first time since their bizarre season-opening loss to Denver on a tipped pass, the Bengals let one slip away in the closing minutes. A 20-17 loss in Oakland was the product of their pratfalls — eight penalties, three fumbles, a missed field goal and a defensive collapse. It was uncharacteristic of the rest of their season. It also showed that the Bengals (7-3) have a lot of growing up to do. “Learning how to win in those situations is what good teams do,” offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “That’s why they say the last-stretch games, the last eight games, is where good teams come out and win those games.” The rest of the division let games slip away at the end, too, leaving the AFC North locked in place with one less week to go. The Bengals are a game up on Pittsburgh (6-4) and two ahead of Baltimore (5-5) heading into a home game on Sunday against last-place Cleveland (1-9).

Rams: St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger will be sidelined three to six weeks because of a fractured left leg sustained in Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The team said it would not place Bulger on injured reserve. Bulger underwent two MRIs on Monday, one on his groin and hamstring and a second for what the team believed was a swollen knee. He also was to be tested for concussion-related symptoms.

Chargers: Police are investigating a claim that San Diego Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie hit someone in the head with a champagne bottle at a bar shortly after the team returned from a victory in Denver. Detective Gary Hassen said officers answered a report of a fight at Bar West in Pacific Beach on Monday shortly before 1:30 a.m. Cromartie is under Giants: Just how much did the Giants’ 34-31 overtime win over Atlanta help the team’s psyche? Plenty. “Frankly, winning like that makes it easier to do everything,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said after his team went through a rare Monday afternoon practice in preparation to face the Denver Broncos on Thanksgiving night. “Even the coffee tasted better this morning.” The overtime win snapped a four-game losing streak Sunday for the Giants (6-4), who had won their first five games. It kept them in the playoff chase in a three-way donnybrook for NFC East supremacy with front-running Dallas (7-3) and Philadelphia (6-4). Both teams come to Giants Stadium in successive games after the Giants return home from Denver.

Vikings: Brett Favre has been fueling Minnesota’s passing game with remarkable efficiency, a rhythm reflected by the 40-year-old’s career-high completion percentage of 88 posted over the weekend. The Vikings (9-1) wouldn’t be thriving, though, without the success Favre’s new pass-catching friends are having up and down the field. Sidney Rice has become his favorite receiver, and rookie Percy Harvin and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe also are consistently finding openings with sharp, smart routes. They’re all making their share of tough catches, too.

Associated Press