导出博客文章The showdown between two of the NFLs hottest teams could be decided by a single
digit. In this case, that digit happens to be the middle finger on Matthew
Staffords throwing hand.Stafford reportedly suffered torn ligaments and a
dislocation in the first quarter of the Detroit Lions 20-17 win over Chicago
last Sunday. He threw two interceptions, including a pick six, after having the
finger taped and putting a glove on his hand. Stafford still led his club to its
eighth fourth-quarter comeback victory, the most by any team since the AFL-NFL
merger in 1970.Detroit, which leads the NFC North, will try to extend its
winning streak to six games when it faces the New York Giants at MetLife
Stadium. The Giants have won seven of their last eight games, including a gritty
10-7 victory over NFC East leader Dallas last Sunday night.I expect it to be
extremely competitive, Stafford said. Theyre playing for a lot and were playing
for a lot. Its an NFC game and its going to be a big one. So were excited for
the opportunity. Its great to be in this position; weve just got to go out there
and play well.His finger complicates that process. The Lions pedestrian running
game puts added pressure on Stafford to carry the offense. Hes ninth in the
league in both completion percentage (66.7) and passing yards (3,447). Hes also
tossed 22 touchdown passes and was intercepted just five times prior to the
injury.Stafford, who scored the game-winning touchdown against the Bears with a
7-yard scramble, hopes the injury will be less of an issue with a week to
experiment on equipment and treatment options. Hes unsure whether hell wear a
glove against the Giants. An early forecast of inclement weather could force
another in-game adjustment.Its never fun when its on your throwing hand but Ill
figure it out and well go from there, he said. (The glove) is not really for my
state of mind, its for whats going to be functional. So whatevers most
functional, with what I can perform the best with, thats what Ill go
with.Staffords job wont be any easier if Detroit is missing its leading rusher
once again. Theo Riddick, who is most effective as a receiver out of the
backfield, sat out against the Bears with wrist and ankle injuries and is
doubtful. One of his backups, Zach Zenner, is in the leagues concussion protocol
and is questionable.With three games remaining, the Lions (9-4) could wrap up
their first NFC North title with a victory on Sunday and a Green Bay loss. The
Packers and Minnesota Vikings are tied for second place with 7-6 records and
Detroit already holds the tiebreaker over Minnesota after sweeping the season
series.The Lions dont have any soft touches remaining on the schedule. They have
to play the Cowboys in Dallas the night after Christmas, then face the Packers
at home on New Years Day.In head coach Jim Caldwells mind, the upcoming games
arent any different from the ones his team just played.It didnt matter what the
Bears record was last week, he said. That game still had a lot of magnitude. It
was very, very important. This one is exactly the same. It just so happens, and
thats how its going to be down the stretch, that youve got a team thats playing
very, very well and thats riding high.The Giants (9-4) kept their division title
hopes alive by defeating the Cowboys for the second time this season. They
diffused the Dallas attack despite the absence of defensive end Jason
Pierre-Paul, who underwent sports hernia surgery last week and is expected to
miss the remainder of the regular season. New York forced three turnovers,
sacked rookie quarterback Dak Prescott three times and held Dallas to 260 total
yards.Other than the crossing route that wide receiver Odell Beckham turned into
a 61-yard touchdown reception, the Giants offense was a virtual no-show on
Sunday. Quarterback Eli Manning threw an interception and lost two fumbles and
the rushing game averaged 2.8 yards per carry.Ive got to play better, Manning
said. Got to find completions, got to protect the football better. Thats whats
got to happen in these types of games. You get into December, youve got to
protect the football. Thats the most important thing right now.Manning was also
picked off twice the previous week in a 24-14 loss to Pittsburgh and has thrown
for fewer than 200 yards in the last three games. Fortunately for him, the
defense has masked the offenses struggles. Opponents have been held to 20 or
fewer points in five of the teams last six victories.Weve got to keep finding
ways to win, he said. The defense is playing outstanding, so weve got to help
them out. Weve got to score more points, give them a lead and dont make it hard
on them.
JaVale
McGee Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I
(@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night
32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which
side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter.
Youth Lakers Jerseys .
"Theyve both been real good," said Babcock. "Havent changed our minds." A
decision has seemingly been made - Sundays Group B-deciding tilt against Finland
ahead - but it could not have been an easy one. Price opened the tournament with
a sturdy 19-save performance against the Norwegians, yielding just one goal.
http://www.cheaplakersjerseyschina.com/
. -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside.
Anthony Davis
Jersey . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on
Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot
of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
Authentic Lakers Jerseys . "I
dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just
think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont
know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I
would say we continue to have dialogue.ST. LOUIS -- Just a few days ago, the St.
Louis Cardinals had no wins when trailing after eight innings and just one
extra-inning victory. They certainly showed the Pittsburgh Pirates they can go
the extra mile. "We did a good job of bouncing back," said Matt Holliday, who
hit a game-ending RBI single in the 12th inning of St. Louis 6-5 victory over
Pittsburgh on Thursday. "Winning this game could be very important for us." Matt
Carpenter had four hits and scored the winning run in the Cardinals second
extra-inning triumph over the NL Central leaders in three days. "Anytime having
a walk-off win, its a big deal," manager Mike Matheny said. "Jumping on it again
it today is just the resiliency of this club. "You could sense it on the bench.
The guys werent going to give in, werent going to stop pushing." The Cardinals
took two of three in the series to pull within two games of the sagging Pirates,
who have dropped five of six. St. Louis won 4-3 in 14 innings in the opener on
Tuesday night. "We had a number of guys that had opportunities," Pirates manager
Clint Hurdle said. "The great thing about what were going through is the
challenge and opportunities were all getting. "Its playoff atmosphere baseball."
The Cardinals lost the division lead when they dropped four of five in
Pittsburgh from July 29-Aug. 1. Rookie Kevin Siegrist (1-1), St. Louis seventh
pitcher, struck out two in a perfect 12th against the heart of the order.
Russell Martin and Clint Barmes homered for Pittsburgh, which blew a 4-0 lead in
one inning. Jose Tabata had three straight hits after entering as a pinch
hitter. Carpenter sparked the winning rally with a one-out walk. He went to
third on Jon Jays single before Holliday grounded a single up the middle off
Bryan Morris (5-6). Carpenter, the Cardinals leadoff man, leads the National
League with 48 multihit games and 40 doubles. He entered with league-leading
averages oof .dddddddddddd366 at home and .367 in day games. Holliday also had
an RBI double and is batting .452 during a 12-game hitting streak. Martin hit a
tying leadoff drive off Trevor Rosenthal in the eighth, handing the setup man
his second blown save of St. Louis 4-6 homestand. The Pirates hit for the cycle
against Lance Lynn in a four-run fifth that featured rookie Andrew Lambos first
hit and RBI on a double and Barmes two-run homer. The Cardinals responded by
knocking out A.J. Burnett with five runs in the bottom half on a two-run single
by Daniel Descalso and RBIs in consecutive at-bats from Carpenter, Jon Jay and
Holliday. "As good as it looked early, its never easy against this group,"
Burnett said. "They figured me out early." Both managers put a heavy stamp on
the game. Hurdle hit for two regulars in the sixth and emptied his bench, and
Matheny used three relievers in the sixth and seventh. St. Louis activated
All-Star catcher Yadier Molina from the 15-day disabled list, and he announced
his presence almost immediately. He threw out Starling Marte trying to steal
third to end the first. NOTES: The Pirates begin a three-game homestand Friday
against the Diamondbacks. Pittsburgh rookie Gerrit Cole (5-5, 3.95 ERA), who
opposes Brandon McCarthy (2-6, 4.73 ERA) in the opener, has lost five of his
last six decisions. ... The Cardinals open a three-game series at Chicago, with
St. Louis Jake Westbrook (7-7, 4.11 ERA) opposing minor league callup Jake
Arrieta. It will be Westbrooks first appearance since giving up nine runs in 4
2-3 innings of relief on three days rest after Shelby Miller was knocked out by
a liner off his elbow on his second pitch of the game. ... Cardinals reliever
Seth Maness, who grounded into a double play and struck out to strand five
runners Tuesday night, got his first career hit in the sixth. ... Pirates
reliever Tony Watson worked three scoreless innings and retired the heart of the
order in the 10th. ' ' '
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace