les require that Team Canada retain a

JM Dragon's Scrolls

les require that Team Canada retain a

Postby lw789 » Tue Jan 02, 2018 9:51 pm

(SportsNetwork.com) - A lot of people love heading south this time of year but for the Miami Dolphins, a trip due south in the AFC East standings has been anything but fun. A 3-0 start for the Dolphins is now all but forgotten as Joe Philbins team returns home in an attempt to halt an ugly four-game skid against the AFC North-leading Cincinnati Bengals on Halloween Night. Miami hasnt tasted victory since Sept. 22 just as the Bengals have gotten red-hot, winning four straight to take a 2 1/2-game lead over Baltimore in their division. The Dolphins thought they had solved their problems early on in Foxborough last Sunday but the game turned out to be a tale of two halves, as New England rebounded to completely dominate things after intermission en route to a 27-17 victory over Miami at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots managed a meager 59 yards in the first 30 minutes and trailed by 14, then scored 24 unanswered points -- highlighted by a pair of touchdowns in a span of less than two minutes that tied the game. "We dug a big hole for ourselves at halftime. We really havent played good in the third quarter all year but we did today," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "We got it from all three phases of the game. We had contributions from everyone in the second half." Tom Brady struggled through his worst first half in 10 years and finished with just 116 yards and a touchdown on 13-of-22 passing but New England overcame that to beat Miami for the seventh straight time. Ryan Tannehill threw for 192 yards with a pair of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions for the Dolphins, who are now 2 1/2 games in back of the Pats in the AFC East. A trio of turnovers and two missed Caleb Sturgis field goals -- one that hit an upright and another that was blocked -- in the second half led to disaster for Miami. "They clearly deserved to win the game, they played better than we did," said Philbin. "We didnt play well in the second half. We didnt make stops, we turned the ball over." The Bengals, on the other hand, kept rolling on Sunday thanks to a breakout performance from second-year receiver Marvin Jones. Jones caught a franchise record four touchdown passes in Cincinnatis 49-9 rout of the New York Jets at Paul Brown Stadium. "Hes had the potential since hes been here," QB Andy Dalton said when talking about Jones. "I think hes just comfortable with everything that were doing and everything that were asking him to do." Dalton threw for 325 yards and five scores on 19-of-30 throws in just three quarters. He found Jones eight times for 122 yards, while A.J. Green added 115 yards on just three catches. "We knew we were going to have to take some shots," said Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. The Bengals defense also took back two Geno Smith interceptions for touchdowns. "That was ugly, to say the least," said Jets coach Rex Ryan. "Were fortunate it only counts for one loss because you get your butt kicked like that, youre fortunate thats all it is." Miami leads its overall series with the Bengals by a significant 15-5 margin, with the Dolphins winning the last two contests. The most recent meeting was a 17-13 Miami victory on Oct. 7, 2012 in Paul Brown Stadium. The Dolphins are also a perfect 5-0 when playing on Halloween. WHAT TO WATCH FOR Dalton and the Bengals have been firing on all cylinders recently, piling up 103 points in their last three games. Over that span, the third-year signal caller has thrown for at least 325 yards in each contest and tossed 11 TD passes, becoming the first Bengal ever to throw that many in a three-game stretch. "This is where I want to be," said Dalton. "This is how I want to be playing." Its not all about offense with Cincinnati, though. In fact the Bengals defense remains the strength of the team led by All-Pro interior lineman Geno Atkins. Cincys D is currently ranked eighth in the NFL, allowing 322.5 yards per game and its even better in scoring defense, coming in at No. 5 by giving up only 18 points per contest. That shapes up as trouble for Miamis young quarterback Tannehill, who has plenty of talent but remains a very inconsistent player from down to down never mind game to game. Tannehill can wow you with the big play (hes thrown five TD passes over the prior two games) but also make the game-changing mistake (seven of his nine interceptions have come during the Dolphins current skid). He has been particularly ineffective in the guts of a game, amassing an awful 60.9 fourth- quarter passer rating, something that has contributed mightily to the fact that Miami has been outscored 67-24 in the second half of their losing streak. Apologists for Tannehill point to his shaky offensive line, which has allowed the Texas A&M product to be sacked a league-high 32 times. The Dolphins tried to address that issue by trading for veteran left tackle Bryant McKinnie before the New England game and the former Vikings and Ravens starter did prove to be a significant upgrade on short notice. Miami will also get a bit of a break with the absence of Bengals middle linebacker Rey Maualuga, who will not play in Thursdays game after spraining his left knee against the Jets. The fifth-year pro is expected to miss multiple weeks. Cincinnati will also be without a few other defensive contributors. Cornerback Leon Hall (torn Achilles) and safety Taylor Mays (shoulder) were each placed on injured reserve in the last couple of days, while backup tackle Devon Still has also been ruled out due to an elbow injury. Miamis offense will also be hampered by the season-ending knee injury receiver Brandon Gibson suffered against the Patriots and the fact that former left tackle Jonathan Martin reportedly went AWOL this week, something the Dolphins have labeled as an undisclosed illness. Despite all of Miamis problems, however, Lewis is still worried on a short week. "Weve got to be the best team Thursday night, plain and simple," the Cincinnati coach said. "Its us and the Dolphins and, weve got to be the best team. Theres no other challenge. We knew the schedule. Thats the way it is. Theres no ifs, ands or buts about it. You come, be ready to go." Philbin, meanwhile, is staying positive in an effort to get his team back in the win column. "I have a lot of faith in our guys," he said. "I believe in them. I think well get this thing right and fixed. We have to do it quickly; this is a good team coming in here on Thursday night." OVERALL ANALYSIS The Dolphins current four-game hiccup is their worst since a seven-game slide to open the 2011 season while Cincinnati is coming off its most lopsided victory in Lewis 11-year tenure. "Obviously we arent at an all-time high right now," Tannehill said. "But weve got to get back on track. Thats the only option we have with a short week." Its also an unlikely option. These are teams heading in polar opposite directions and expect that to continue on "Thursday Night Football." Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Bengals 27, Dolphins 20 Roosevelt Nix Jersey . At times during a solid but not spectacular season, they looked all three. Still the defending AFC champions persevered, riding their top-ranked defence and key contributions from younger players to a 12-4 record and their eighth playoff appearance since 2000, remarkable consistency in a league where change is the only constant. Terry Bradshaw Jersey . During halftime, Love told The Associated Press he would receive treatment Saturday night and hoped to play Monday night against Houston. "I knew that my quad was bothering me pretty bad so I went out there and tried to move around a little bit and it just wasnt quite right," Love said. http://www.footballsteelerstore.us/Blac ... ll-Jersey/. Its not intended to be some magical formula and doesnt apply any context, like, for example, taking injuries into account. This remedial statistical method has gone 9-5 in picks through the first three rounds. Bud Dupree Jersey . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Heath Miller Jersey . Dr. James Andrews is to operate next week on the 24-year-old pitcher, who made the AL All-Star team last year. Moore will be the first Rays pitcher to undergo Tommy John surgery since Jason Isringhausen in June 2009. KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. After struggling a little to make the final game, Koe emerged with his second Canadian mens curling championship, after a dominating 10-5 win over John Morris and British Columbia. "Thats the way we kind of do it sometimes," Koe said. "We cant seem to get firing on all cylinders all the time." Koe could have finished first at the Tim Hortons Brier this week but he lost his last round-round game to Quebec and created a three-way tie for top spot with B.C. and Manitoba. The tiebreaking formula gave B.C. hammer and choice of rocks in the 1-2 Page playoff game, which they won. Koe then had to play Quebec again, after they beat Manitoba in the 3-4 game to get into the final. Hes used to it, since he had to fight even harder to win his first title in 2010 when he came up from the 3-4 game. Alberta capitalized on B.C.s mistakes to score three big three-enders. If not for the needs of television, the handshakes would likely have come in eight but they played nine ends. It was a crushing end to a Cinderella week for Kamloops native son Jim Cotter, who throws fourth stones for B.C. and had been solid all week but made some of those mistakes that cost his team the game Sunday. "Jimmy had some uncharacteristic misses there and we were fortunate and when it did happen, we really capitalized," said Koe. "The first three was the big one." The numbers told the tale. Koe shot 92 per cent, Cotter 82 and B.C. skip and third stone Morris was at 72 per cent. "We just missed a couple of too many shots early," said Morris. "We were just a little bit fooled by the ice." This is the second loss in the big game in four months for the Morris-Cotter rink. They also lost the final at the Olympic trials to Brad Jacobs in December in Winnipeg. "Whether its in front of your home fans or in front of Winnipeg fans or wherever, its no fun," said Cotter. "Obviously you want to win, but thats curling, thats the way it goes. "They were bang on. They were making everything. Its tough to come back from that." As for what the future holds, he couldnt say. "I really havent thought too much about the future. . . I guess over the next few weeks or what not well reflect a little bit and kind of see wwhere things are at and go from there.dddddddddddd" Uncertainty also hangs over Alberta, which, with the win, is now only one behind Manitobas record 27 Brier victories. Second Carter Rycroft, whose wife is pregnant, has said hes taking a year off curling and the win didnt change his mind. He was also named the most valuable player and shot 96 per cent in the final game. "This is it as far as me not curling next year," he said emphatically. Koe doesnt know what he future holds either. "I dont know what will happen with that, we havent talked about it, we havent even thought about," he said. "Nows the time to celebrate this win and well look forward to (being) Team Canada (at the world championship) in China and whatever happens, happens." Canadian Curling Association rules require that Team Canada retain at least three players to return to the Brier. Next year in Calgary is the first year Team Canada will automatically get a berth in the Brier. Its also the first year the bottom finishers will have to play their way in. Over the last three years, thats Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, as well as new entrants Nunavut and a separate Yukon team. The Brier went well for B.C. until Sunday night, although they finished in a three-way 9-2 tie with Manitoba and Alberta at the top of he round robin. They beat Alberta in the 1-2 game to move straight to the final and opened well with a deuce in the first end, setting the sellout home-town crowd into a frenzy. But Alberta responded with a three in the second end after Morris was heavy and rolled through. Cotter did the same thing in four when he flashed on a freeze attempt, had to draw for one and accomplished that only by a slim margin. In five, with rocks scattered around the 12, Cotter lost his shooter, letting Koe gently tap a B.C. rock back to score another three. A final three in the sixth end made it 9-4. Earlier in the day, Manitobas Jeff Stoughton took the bronze medal winning 9-5 in nine ends after scoring two in the first and stealing two in the second on a missed Quebec runback. But both Stoughton and Quebec skip Jean-Michel Menard said it was a game they dont even think should be part of the Brier. "Ill try to be nice, but this game shouldnt exist," said Menard. "Its useless." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
lw789
 
Posts: 924
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2017 7:56 pm

Return to JM Dragon

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests