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| their lead to 40-20 in the second before the Kings outscored |
| PITTSBURGH, Pa. - It seems borderline surreal, a role reversal as stunning as it is definitive. A year ago, the Cincinnati Bengals came to Heinz Field in December and emerged with a 13-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. That propelled Cincinnati to a second straight post-season berth and sent its longtime nemesis into a downward spiral from which it is still trying to recover. Watch the Bengals vs. Steelers live on TSN with coverage starting at 7pm et/4pm pt. "I think (it was big)," Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green said. "The Steelers had our number every year, even when I first got here." Not anymore. Not by a long shot. If anything, the gap between the two franchises has only widened over the last 12 months. Cincinnati (9-4) can assure itself a third consecutive trip to the playoffs in Sunday nights rematch. The Steelers (5-8) need to win out just to avoid the clubs first losing season in a decade. Welcome to the new AFC North, the one where the balance of power is 60 minutes away from sitting well west of Pittsburgh and Baltimore — at a place that has spent most of the last two decades serving as fodder for the rest of the league. Those days are over. The Bengals, not the Steelers, are the ones with the young and athletic defence. The Bengals, not the Steelers, are the ones with the dynamic running game. The Bengals, not the Steelers, are the ones with the swagger of a champion. What better chance to show the world just how far theyve come than on national television? "Theres going to be more people watching," quarterback Andy Dalton said. "We have to put our best foot forward and be playing our best, show everyone what this team is and what were made of." The Steelers are trying to do the same. The meaningful portion of their season came to an end in a 34-28 loss to Miami last week that all but mathematically eliminated them from the chase for the AFCs second wild card berth. They insist, however, theyre not going to just play out the string. "Im motivated to play as hard as I can," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "Im sure everyone else is." Five things to look for as Cincinnati tries to cement its newfound perch atop one of the leagues better divisions. HARRISONS HOMECOMING: Bengals linebacker James Harrison returns to the place where he forged a career as one of the most talented and menacing players in the league. The Steelers cut Harrison last spring after failing to reach agreement on a restructured contract. He landed in Cincinnati, where hes found a niche as a role player on a defence that is one of the NFLs most aggressive. PITTSBURGHS PATCHY D: The Steelers are in danger of finishing outside the top 10 in total defence for the first time this millennium. Pittsburgh is 13th in yards allowed with three weeks to go. The biggest culprit has been an inability to stop opponents from ripping off chunks of yardage. The Steelers have given up 11 plays of 50 yards or more this season, the most in the league. DYNAMITE DALTON: Dalton is having the best season of his brief career thanks in part to an offensive line that makes sure his No. 14 jersey looks the same at the end of the game as it did at the beginning. Dalton has gone three straight games without taking a sack. Its not a coincidence the Bengals are 3-0 in those games and have gone over 40 points twice. "I think any quarterback throws the ball better when theres not a lot of people around him," Dalton said. "Our line has done a good job, and we have to keep that going." BALANCE WITH BELL: The Steelers rank just 31st in the league in yards rushing, though they insist theyre happy with the ground game. Rookie LeVeon Bell is averaging over 90 yards from scrimmage per game thanks in part to his versatility. He already has 39 receptions, most of them on what are basically extended handoffs. GREEN VS. TAYLOR: Green has emerged as one of the top wide receivers in the league, but hes had trouble at times against Pittsburgh veteran cornerback Ike Taylor. Green caught six passes for just 41 yards in a 20-10 victory over the Steelers at home back in September. If Taylor can keep Green under wraps, the Steelers have a chance to postpone Cincinnatis party, at least for a bit. ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org wholesale nfl jerseys . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. wholesale nfl jerseys china . "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. http://www.wholesalejerseysdeals.us.com/ .35 million, one-year contract that avoided salary arbitration. Plouffe batted .254 with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs in 477 at-bats last season, his second as a regular in the lineup. wholesale jerseys china .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action.LOS ANGELES -- The Clippers and the Kings were both mad about the 20-point difference in their game. The Clippers were angry about blowing a big lead; the Kings didnt like being in that kind of hole and nearly digging themselves out only to lose. Chris Paul scored 22 points, hitting a go-ahead free throw with 2.5 seconds left, to help Los Angeles win 103-102 Saturday. "Weve got to put teams away and not keep being in all these dogfights," Paul said. "It was kind of fitting we won with a defensive stop because weve been trying to improve our defence. Hopefully it gives us some confidence." Paul got fouled and made the first, putting the Clippers ahead 103-102, but missed the second. After a timeout, DeAndre Jordan appeared to alter DeMarcus Cousins jumper to preserve the win. "The only thing they could get was a jump shot," Jordan said. "I was just praying they didnt call a foul. They gave me a block? Thats awesome, Ill take it." Actually, although a block was immediately posted in the statistics, officials took it away in the final box score, leaving Jordan with two blocks for the game. Jordan had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and Blake Griffin finished with 16 points and 10 boards for the Clippers, who have won 11 of their last 13 against the Kings. J.J. Redick added 15 points. Pauls NBA-record streak of 13 straight games with at least 10 points and 10 assists to start a season ended when he finished with nine assists. Cousins had 23 points and 19 rebounds for the Kings, who had won two in a row. Isaiah Thomas added 22 points, making 11 of 13 free throws, and Patrick Patterson scored 21 points off the bench, combining to outscore the Clippers reserves. Afterward, Cousins tried to pull Thomas away from Jamal Crawford as they went to shake hands. "Thats just DeMarcus," Thomas said, laughing. "He gets upset. He doesnt like anybody on the other team, and thats how he is. Im all for it, but I just had to shake my guy Jamals hand." Jared Dudley didnt think much of Cousins move. "Its bad sportsmanship," he said. "Hes better than that. Someone will talk to him." Thomas and Patterson carried the Kings in the fourth, when Cousins was limited to four points and picked up two fouls on the same play. "Im tired of being a part of going down 20 and then trying to come back later in the game," Cousins said. "The way we played the last stretch of that game, weve got to staart games off the same way so that we wont be in those situations and wed have a better chance.dddddddddddd" Dudleys 3-pointer pulled the Clippers to 96-95 and then Pauls 3 tied it at 98-all with 1:29 to play. Cousins missed a pair of free throws before Pauls driving layup put the Clippers, who led by nine earlier in the fourth, back in front 100-98. Thomas made two free throws for another tie at 100-all. Griffins driving dunk gave the Clippers back the lead 102-100 with 44 seconds left. Paul fouled Thomas, who made both for a 102-all tie with 24 seconds left. Thompson and Patterson combined on a 10-point run to open the fourth and give Sacramento a 79-78 lead. Travis Outlaw got called for a flagrant-2 foul for pulling down Redick on a fast break and was ejected. "I dont think Outlaw is a dirty player despite his last name," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "But it was just that he was trying to stop the play and he got (Redick) around the neck. You have to throw the guy out." Thomas disagreed. "I didnt think it was a flagrant-2," he said. "Travis is a guy whos never even looking to do anything like that, and the first thing they think of is throwing him out of the game. We tried to play through it, but we just couldnt get the win." Redick made just one of two free throws, tying the game at 79-all. The Kings chipped away in the third and twice cut their deficit to two points before Cousins scored their final four points to trail 75-69 going into the fourth. The Clippers were 7 of 18 from the floor, got outrebounded 15-10 and missed 7 of 9 free throws. The Clippers extended their lead to 40-20 in the second before the Kings outscored them 28-17 to end the half trailing 57-48. "Its a mental thing. You have to stay locked in," Griffin said about blowing the big lead. "They played well in the second half, but I felt like it was on us. We relaxed too much." The Clippers shot 62 per cent in dominating the first. They ran off 16 unanswered points, including four 3-pointers in a row, to go up 21-8. Dudley hit back-to-back 3s in front of the Clippers bench before they closed the quarter with six straight points to lead 29-13. Notes: The Clippers wont have to face Derrick Rose when they play the Bulls on Sunday in a second consecutive 12:30 p.m. PST start. He hurt his right knee on Friday night in Portland and is out indefinitely. ... The Kings have just four win streaks of three games or more since December 2009. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' ' |
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posted on: 11/26/2015 02:44:14 AM
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