Skip to main content

Author: Russell Dowden

Astros open camp with bar ‘set incredibly high’

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in MLB.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — When you have this many stars and this much talent, you can’t help but have visions of playing baseball deep into October. And considering it was only a year ago the Astros were talking about defending their World Series title, their window to win another one remains wide open.

Those crisp late October nights are a long way from the sun-splashed back fields of Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, where Astros pitchers and catchers reported Wednesday morning with their gear and expectations in tow. Spring Training is underway for the Astros, a loaded club that followed up its 2017 World Series championship with a club-record 103 wins last year.

Astros pitchers and catchers will work out for the first time Thursday, with position players slated to report Monday. The first full-squad workout is Tuesday. The Astros open Grapefruit League play on Feb. 23 against the Nationals at Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

“The bar is set incredibly high, and we need to have a good, productive spring,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said.

By Brian McTaggart MLB.com @brianmctaggart Feb. 13th, 2019

Sponsored by The Lodge Poker Club: The largest club in central Texas, you’ll love our fun and inviting atmosphere outfitted with 20 tables fully equipped with charging stations for your laptop, phones or tablets. With over 30 big screen TV’s, you can watch your favorite teams while playing or lounging in our comfortable waiting area.

Harden runs 30-point streak to 30, Rockets beat Mavs 120-104

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NBA.


By KRISTIE RIEKEN, AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON (AP) — There was only a little over a minute left in Houston’s game and it looked as if James Harden’s streak of 30-point games would be ending.


Harden brought the ball down the court and was enveloped by two defenders near the 3-point line, so he passed to Chris Paul, who drew the defense away. After a couple of dribbles Paul turned and got it back to Harden, who stepped back and sunk a 3-pointer over Dorian Finney-Smith to keep the streak alive.


Harden scored 31 points for his 30th straight 30-point game despite dealing with a shoulder injury, leading the Rockets to a 120-104 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.


Paul was asked if he was determined to help Harden extend the streak.
“For sure. He had what 28, so yeah, why not? We was up,” Paul said.
Harden, who had eight rebounds and seven assists, seemed to be a bit slowed early by the strained left shoulder that he injured on Saturday against Oklahoma City, making just one of his first seven shots. But he warmed up after that and finished 9 of 23, capped by his sixth 3-pointer with 52.9 seconds remaining. Fans chanted “MVP! MVP!” after he sunk the shot.


Harden denied that he was concerned about getting 30 points, but he did say it was a “credit to” Paul that he got the ball back to him.
“I was worried about winning,” Harden said. “They were making their shots. They were coming back, cut the lead to I think 10 or nine points … so I just wanted to get the proper shots … I was just trying to make the right play.”


He’s now just one game from tying Wilt Chamberlain for the second-longest streak of 30-point games in NBA history. Chamberlain also holds the top 30-point game streak with 65 in a row.

Houston Rockets’ James Harden (13) drives past New York Knicks’ Noah Vonleh (32) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)


Harden, who usually shies away from discussing any ailments, acknowledged that his shoulder was bothering him on Monday night and said he’d been receiving treatment around the clock since Saturday night.
“I couldn’t get the lift that I usually have from my shot,” he said. “But that’s no excuse. I’m just happy we won the game.”


Coach Mike D’Antoni could see that Harden’s shoulder was slowing him, and when he had just 20 points with less than three minutes left he thought Monday would be the end of the streak.


“I didn’t think there was … (a) way,” D’Antoni said. “But he was amazing.”
Houston had a 14-point lead entering the fourth quarter and was up 106-90 when Harden entered the game for the first time in the period with about 6 1/2 minutes left. The Mavericks went on a 7-0 run after that, with a 3-pointer from Jalen Brunson, to get within 106-97 with about 3 1/2 minutes remaining.


Harden heated up after that, making two 3-pointers in a 9-3 run to extend the lead to 115-100 with about 2 minutes left and put the game out of reach.
“We had a couple of good runs in the fourth and then they would come down and make a play,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said.
Luka Doncic had 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Mavericks, who lost for the first time this season to Houston after winning the first two meetings.


Paul added 17 points with 11 assists, and Gerald Green scored 19 points with five 3-pointers to help Houston to its fourth win in five games.
The Rockets were up by 14 at halftime and Harden scored seven points in the first few minutes of the third quarter to help push the lead to 76-58. Harden later dished to Green for a 3-pointer to make it 85-66.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Dwight Powell scored 12 points. … Brunson had 13 points and five rebounds. … Dallas made 13 of 36 3-pointers.
Rockets: Kenneth Faried had 17 points and eight rebounds. Eric Gordon scored 18 points. … Iman Shumpert had six points in his second game in Houston since a trade last week. … Houston made 23 3-pointers.
PAUL’S ASSISTS
On a night Paul moved into eighth place on the career assists list with 8,972, he reminisced about his goal of passing John Stockton for first place in steals and assists when he entered the league in 2005. No one is even close to the 15,806 assists and 3,265 steals Stockton had in his 19-year career with the Utah Jazz.
“I don’t like saying never but ain’t nobody catching him. I don’t know who the statisticians were who used to do the stats in Utah, but ain’t nobody catching that,” Paul said only half-jokingly. “That’s out.”
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Host Miami on Wednesday night.
Rockets: Visit Minnesota on Wednesday night.

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

EA Sports Madden NFL 19 Predicts LA Rams will Block Patriots Sixth Title Hopes to Claim First Championship since 2000. This is at least in the 2019 Simulation of this weekends Superbowl 53.

NFL playoff ‘do-over’ lawsuit moved to federal court

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.


By KEVIN McGILL, Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Six days before the Super Bowl, the court battle has begun in a longshot lawsuit seeking a possible do-over of the NFC game that ended with a Los Angeles Rams victory over the New Orleans Saints, a game affected by what the NFL concedes was a blown “no-call” by officials.
A Monday hearing in federal court did not result in an immediate ruling. It dealt largely with a jurisdictional question.
The two Saints season ticket holders who filed the lawsuit want it heard in state court in New Orleans. The NFL filed to have it heard in federal court, where U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan heard initial arguments at midday. She was expected to meet with attorneys on both sides again in the evening and it was unclear when the jurisdictional issue, or the case itself, would be resolved.


Officials failed to call interference or roughness penalties when a Rams player leveled a Saints receiver with a helmet-to-helmet hit at a crucial point in the in the final minutes of regulation time. The Rams won the Jan. 20 game in overtime and are set to play the New England Patriots in Sunday’s Super Bowl.


The lawsuit by two Saints season ticket holders, Tommy Badeaux and Candis Lambert, says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell should implement a league rule — Rule 17 — governing “extraordinarily unfair acts.” Remedies include reversal of a game’s result or the rescheduling of a game — in its entirety or from the point when the act occurred.


NFL lawyers say the lawsuit belongs in federal court for reasons including the possible scope. They argued that the suit takes the form of a class action that could mean millions of dollars in damages for Saints ticket holders and others in what the suit calls “the Who Dat Nation,” a reference to Saints fans and a popular team cheer.


Attorney Frank D’Amico, who filed the lawsuit two days after the championship game, said that, while the lawsuit recounts damages suffered by Saints fans, it doesn’t specifically ask for monetary compensation. Instead, D’Amico said, it seeks a court order, under state law, forcing Goodell to investigate the blown call under the never before invoked Rule 17.


D’Amico also insisted that he wasn’t specifically asking for a court-ordered do-over or reversal of the game, although that could be the result if the rule is invoked. “We’re not trying to keep the Super Bowl from going forward,” he said.

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines during the second half of the NFL preseason game between the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on August 20, 2016. The Texans beat the Saints 16-9.


That appeared to surprise Gladstone Jones, a New Orleans attorney arguing for the NFL, who said it would be “big news” that D’Amico’s clients aren’t trying to stop or delay the big game.
As to D’Amico’s call for an investigation, Jones said there is no need. League officials, he said, have clearly reviewed the calls. “They have done their due diligence.”


His arguments tracked positions taken in weekend briefs filed by NFL lawyers. “The NFL parties do not dispute that they have previously advised the Saints, including the club’s head coach, that one or more penalties — for pass interference or illegal helmet-to-helmet contact — were mistakenly not called late in the NFC Championship Game, and that the NFL would like its officials on the field to make these calls,” an NFL filing says.


But it also says Goodell, a defendant in the lawsuit along with the league itself, does not have the authority to overrule a referee on the field. Even if the rule did apply, the NFL attorneys argue, a decision on a remedy is up to the commissioner, not a ticket-holder.


Morgan had to step away from a jury trial in an unrelated case to preside over Monday’s hearing. Records show she got the case after it was initially assigned to U.S. District Judge Barry Ashe — who removed himself from the case because he has Saints season tickets.

On Basketball: Will Harden’s run end when he gets help?

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NBA.


By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Basketball Writer
This play midway through the fourth quarter of James Harden’s historic effort at Madison Square Garden was largely reminiscent of what the Houston Rockets’ offense has looked like lately:

He got the ball.
He kept it for 16 seconds.
He dribbled it 21 times.
He shot.
He scored.


What Harden has done in his last five games — 261 points, 52.2 points per game, zero assisted by a teammate — is astounding by any measure. He’s averaged 43.1 points in his last 21 games, keeping Houston in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race. The Rockets have alternated wins and losses in each of their last 10 games, despite Harden’s greatness of late.
Earlier this month, Houston guard Austin Rivers described the Rockets’ playbook like this to Sports Illustrated: “James Harden. Just get the (bleep) out of his way. Let him do the heavy lifting.”


That philosophy should be coming to an end before long.
Rockets point guard Chris Paul will be back soon from his latest tale of hamstring woe, maybe even as early as Friday against Toronto. When that happens, Harden will no longer have to take on so much of the scoring load.
His numbers should dip.


The Rockets should rise because of that, strange as it sounds. Fantasy players won’t like it so much, but for Houston, it’s vital.
Over the last five games, Harden has scored 44 percent of Houston’s points, taken 35 percent of its field-goal tries, attempted 57 percent of its free throws. It’s simultaneously a Herculean and unsustainable undertaking, and when Paul comes back Harden should get some relief — and take it happily.


“Whatever it takes to win,” Harden said, repeating a familiar refrain.
Houston was at its best last year — remember, the Rockets did have the NBA’s best record and was probably a hamstring strain by Paul away from winning the NBA title — when Harden was great and part of a system. He’s been the entire system, or so it has seemed, since Paul got hurt in Miami a few weeks ago. On the play where he dribbled 21 times against the Knicks on Wednesday, three of his four teammates basically stood around and watched, while a fourth thought about setting a screen that wasn’t going to get used anyway.


“He’s such a good scorer,” Orlando’s Nikola Vucevic said earlier this month of Harden. “You have to stay aggressive but you can’t foul him. He’s going to score. You’re not going to stop him. He has the ball so much and they run everything for him.”


Soon, they might not have to run so much for him. A lot, yes. But not everything. And if the Rockets are going to emerge from the West, that’s the way it’ll need to be.


This run has probably lifted Harden back atop the MVP race. He’s as close to a lock to be the scoring champion as one can be in January — he leads Anthony Davis by 7.0 points per game. Harden’s average of 36.3 points is the highest since Michael Jordan averaged 37.1 points in 1986-87, and his lead over the No. 2 scorer is the league’s largest gap since Jordan outscored Dominique Wilkins by 8.1 points for that ’86-87 title.


“Everybody wants to do different schemes on him to try to slow him down and he still scores,” Rockets forward P.J. Tucker said. “It really doesn’t matter. I think it’s just up to us to try to figure out the spots we want to get into.”


Harden scored a career-high 61 points against the Knicks on Wednesday night, one of the most memorable performances at Madison Square Garden. The Rockets needed darn near every one of them, as they eked out a four-point win. And Harden often went it alone, single-handedly bringing back the iso ball scheme that hasn’t really been part of today’s wide-open, five-out NBA.


It’s been great fun to watch.
It’ll be better for Houston when normalcy returns.

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Sponsored by The Lodge Poker Club: The largest club in central Texas, you’ll love our fun and inviting atmosphere outfitted with 20 tables fully equipped with charging stations for your laptop, phones or tablets. With over 30 big screen TV’s, you can watch your favorite teams while playing or lounging in our comfortable waiting area.

Harden the Paint

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NBA.

Harden scores 48 points, Rockets beat Lakers 138-134 in OT
By KRISTIE RIEKEN, AP Sports Writer


HOUSTON (AP) — James Harden was the star for the Houston Rockets as usual on Saturday night, but he and the team got a big boost from Eric Gordon in his second game back after recovering from a bruised knee.
Harden scored 48 points, Gordon added 30 and the Rockets overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 138-134 in overtime.
The Rockets trailed for most of the night and were down by 18 in the second-half. Gordon sent it to overtime with a 3-pointer, and made four free throws in the last seconds of the extra period.


“He’s playing unbelievable,” coach Mike D’Antoni said of Gordon.
Coming off 57- and 58-point games, Harden had his 19th straight game with at least 30 and he’s had 40 in 10 of the last 13. He was 14 of 30 from the field, going 8 of 19 on 3-pointers, and hit 12 of 15 free throws.
Harden was asked if Gordon being back after missing eight games before his return on Wednesday night eased the burden on him a little bit.
“A little bit? It takes a lot of burden off me,” Harden said. “He’s so offensively gifted and talented being able to shoot the basketball, being able to get to the rim, being able to make plays for others. You get a guy like that on the floor with you it makes it easier for not only myself but for everybody.”


Brandon Ingram missed a 3 for Los Angeles before Harden hit 1 of 2 free throws to make it 132-130 with less than a minute left. Ingram tied it with a basket, and Harden again made 1 of 2 free throws to make it 133-132.
Los Angeles missed a 3 before Gordon also made just 1 of 2 free throws to leave Houston up by two with 12.6 seconds left. Kyle Kuzma lost the ball and it went out of bounds to give Houston the ball back. Gordon added four free throws after that to secure the victory.


It was the second straight overtime game for both teams after Houston lost to Brooklyn on Wednesday night and Los Angeles beat Oklahoma City on Thursday night.

Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) drives to the basket as Los Angeles Lakers center Tyson Chandler defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 19, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)


Kuzma had 32 points for Los Angeles and Ingram added 21 in a game where coach Luke Walton was ejected in the third quarter.
Already without LeBron James and Rajon Rondo, the Lakers have another injury concern after Lonzo Ball sprained his left ankle in the third quarter. Walton said his X-rays were negative but that he’d have an MRI and “we’ll see where we are after that.”


Four straight points by the Lakers stretched the lead to nine in the fourth quarter, but Harden and Gordon made consecutive 3-pointers cut it to 112-109 with about two minutes remaining.


Los Angeles made four free throws to make it 116-109 about a minute later, but Harden made two 3-pointers around a basket by Ivica Zubac to get Houston within three with about 30 seconds left.
Lance Stephenson missed a 3-pointer and Harden made two free throws to cut the lead to 118-117 with 5.7 seconds left.


Zubac made two more free throws before Gordon’s off-balance 3-pointer with 2 seconds left sent it to OT.


“I saw Kentavious Caldwell-Pope running out to me and I thought he was going to fly right by me, but he stood right there,” Gordon said. “So I had to try to shoot it with confidence and I’m glad it went in.”
The Lakers built a huge lead early and were up 64-46 at halftime, with Kuzma scoring 24 points.


They were ahead by 17 with about eight minutes left in the third quarter after scoring five straight points capped by a basket from Kuzma before Houston scored the next 15 points to cut it to 74-72 three minutes later. James Ennis had five points in that stretch and P.J. Tucker capped it with a 3-pointer.


Ball was injured just before Houston’s run began. He remained on the court for a couple of minutes talking with trainer’s before he was helped to his feet where he hopped on his right foot for a few steps before being carried off the court and to the locker room by Stephenson and Michael Beasley.
Walton was ejected a couple of minutes after that when he got two technical fouls after yelling at officials during a timeout.
Ingram pointed to losing Ball as when things started to get away from the Lakers.


“Right when Lonzo went out,” he said. “That’s exactly when it went away. We lost momentum a little bit.”


TIP-INS
Lakers: James was out for the 13th straight game with a strained left groin and did not make the trip. … Stephenson finished with 16 points.
Rockets: Harden also had eight rebounds, six assists and four steals. … Ennis returned after missing Wednesday’s game after cutting his left leg in a fall at his house. … Chris Paul missed his 14th game in a row with a strained left hamstring … Clint Capela had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks.


THEY SAID IT
D’Antoni on Houston’s comeback: “Words don’t do it. That was just our guys showing a lot of heart.”


UP NEXT
Lakers: Host Golden State on Monday night.
Rockets: Visit Philadelphia on Monday night.

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Patriots make 3rd straight Super Bowl, beat Chiefs 37-31 OT

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.


By BARRY WILNER, AP Pro Football Writer


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The New England Patriots are headed to their third straight Super Bowl, once more thanks to Tom Brady’s brilliance.
The five-time NFL champion guided the Patriots 75 yards after winning the overtime coin toss, and backup Rex Burkhead’s 2-yard TD lifted New England past Kansas City 37-31 for the AFC championship Sunday night.


The drive, during which New England had three third-down conversions, against an exhausted defense was reminiscent of when the Patriots beat Atlanta in the only Super Bowl to go to OT two years ago.


“Overtime, on the road against a great team,” Brady said. “They had no quit. Neither did we. We played our best football at the end. I don’t know, man, I’m tired. That was a hell of a game.”


New England (13-5) benefited from two critical replay reviews and made its ninth Super Bowl with Brady at quarterback and Bill Belichick as coach.
“This is crazy,” Brady said. “What a game.”


Awaiting them in Atlanta are the Los Angeles Rams, who won 26-23 in overtime in New Orleans for the NFC championship. The Rams last made the Super Bowl in 2002 while based in St. Louis, losing to the Patriots.
It’s the first time both conference title games went to OT. The last time both visitors won conference championship matches was 2012.
Several times, the Patriots appeared to have it won, only to see Kansas City (13-5) come back in spectacular fashion.


Brady, at 41 already the oldest quarterback to have played in a Super Bowl, drove New England 65 yards in 1:24 to Burkhead’s go-ahead 4-yard touchdown with 39 seconds left in regulation. That was enough, though, for his far younger counterpart, the 23-year-old Patrick Mahomes, to take the Chiefs 48 yards to Harrison Butker’s 39-yard field goal with 8 seconds left to force overtime.


It was a sizzling offensive showing in the fourth quarter after defense had been in charge most of the way. Indeed, the Chiefs were blanked in the opening half for the first time all season.
And they never saw the ball in overtime, which along with the two replay decisions might call into play NFL rules and officiating.


No matter to New England, which became the third franchise to reach three Super Bowls in a row. And Belichick now has 30 postseason victories, more than Bill Walsh and Don Shula combined. That Hall of Fame coaching duo also won five Super Bowls; Belichick shoots for No. 6 in two weeks.
COIN TOSS
Reid’s decision to defer after winning the opening coin toss proved unwise as New England had 22 plays in the opening period, and Kansas City had seven. Then, the Chiefs lost the more important toss before overtime. Less than five minutes later, they were headed to the offseason.
UP NEX T
The Patriots head to Atlanta to play the Rams in the Super Bowl.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady calls signals at the line of scrimmage during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Rams Escape Big Easy: Advance to Superbowl 53

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.


By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP National Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A big comeback. A blown call. And, finally, a booming kick that sent the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl.
After rallying from an early 13-0 deficit, the Rams stunned the New Orleans Saints with Greg Zuerlein’s 57-yard field goal in overtime for a 26-23 victory in the NFC championship game Sunday — an outcome that might not have been possible without an egregious mistake by the officials in the closing minutes of regulation.


Los Angeles cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman committed a blatant interference penalty with a helmet-to-helmet hit inside the 5, forcing the Saints to settle for Wil Lutz’s 31-yard field goal that made it 23-20 with 1:45 left in regulation.


That was enough time for Jared Goff to lead the Rams down the field for Zuerlein’s tying field goal, a 48-yarder with 15 seconds remaining.
New Orleans won the coin toss and got the ball first in the extra period. But, with a Rams defender in his face, Drew Brees fluttered up a pass that was picked off by John Johnson III, who was able to hang on to the interception while stumbling backward. Johnson hopped up and celebrated by doing with the “Choppa Style” dance popularized by New Orleans rapper Choppa, whose namesake song had become a Saints’ rallying cry and was even performed during the halftime show.


The Rams weren’t able to do much offensively, but it didn’t matter. Zuerlein booted through the winning field goal from just inside midfield with plenty of room to spare.


“It’s unbelievable, man. I can’t put it into words,” Goff said. “The defense played the way they did to force it to overtime. The defense gets a pick and Greg makes a 57-yarder to win it. That was good from about 70. Unbelievable.”


The Superdome, which had been in uproar all afternoon, suddenly turned eerily silent. It was the first home playoff loss for the Saints with Brees and coach Sean Payton, who and been 6-0 in those games since their pairing began in 2006.


The Rams (15-3) and their 32-year-old coach, Sean McVay, capped a remarkable rise since moving back to Los Angeles three years ago. The team will be appearing in its first Super Bowl since the 2001 season, when the “Greatest Show on Turf” was still in St. Louis.
“Shoot, I don’t even know what day it is,” McVay said. “All I know is we’re NFC champs, baby!”


It was another bitter end to the season for the Saints, who lost the previous season in the divisional round on the “Minnesota Miracle” — the Vikings’ long touchdown pass on the final play of the game.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” said Brees, who was denied a shot at adding to the Super Bowl title he won during the 2009 season.
This time, New Orleans (14-4) couldn’t hang on to the lead or overcome a mistake by the officials.


The Saints were on the verge of blowing out the Rams, scoring on their first three possessions and taking advantage of an interception off a dropped pass by Todd Gurley.


Then a fake punt early in the second quarter gave Los Angeles its initial first down of the game. Sparked by that play, the Rams finally came to life offensively and drove into position for the first of four field goals by Zuerlein. Gurley made it 13-10 at halftime on a 6-yard touchdown run just before the intermission.


INJURY REPORT:
The Saints lost tight end Josh Hill to a concussion in the first quarter.
Hill was injured after hauling in a 24-yard pass from Brees. While making the tackle, Los Angeles Rams linebacker Cory Littleton delivered a forearm to Hill’s head.


No penalty was called, but Hill staggered off the field to be evaluated by the medical staff. Just before halftime, the Saints announced he was done for the game. The loss of Hill led to a much bigger role in the offense for Garrett Griffin, who spent most of the season on the practice squad. He caught a 5-yard pass for his first career touchdown.


UP NEXT:
The Rams head to Atlanta in about a week for the Feb. 3 Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They will face either the Kansas City Chiefs or the New England Patriots, who met Sunday night for the AFC title.

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paul%20newberry

For more AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Patriots-Chiefs, Saints-Rams in conference championships

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.


By JAY COHEN, AP Sports Writer
Tom Brady versus Patrick Mahomes. Drew Brees against Jared Goff.
Two high-profile rematches with the Super Bowl on the line.
The NFL’s highest-scoring offenses face off in the conference championships next Sunday. Brady leads the New England Patriots into Kansas City to take on Mahomes and the Chiefs, and Brees and the New Orleans Saints host Goff and the Los Angeles Rams.


“We’ll see how it goes,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “Well-coached, they have a lot of explosive players. We had a tremendous game with them here earlier. That was a long time ago. We’ll see where we are now, see where they are.”


New England hosted Kansas City way back on Oct. 14, and Brady passed for 340 yards and a touchdown in a 43-40 victory that was the Chiefs’ first loss of the season. Mahomes’ 75-yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill tied it with 3:03 left, but Brady drove the Patriots to Stephen Gostkowski’s 28-yard field goal as time expired.


The AFC championship game is Brady’s first trip to Kansas City since he threw two interceptions and was sacked twice in an ugly 41-14 loss on “Monday Night Football” on Sept. 29, 2014.

New England Patriots quarterback TOM BRADY (12) runs for a first down during the second half of an NFL game between the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots. The Patriots beat the Texans 27-6 at NRG Stadium in Houston.


“It’ll be a tough game,” Brady said. “They’re well-coached. They’ve got a good offense. … It’s going to be a lot of fun to go back there and play in a championship game and try to advance.”


New Orleans (14-3) and Los Angeles (14-3) played their own wild shootout on Nov. 4. Wil Lutz’s 54-yard field goal got the lead for the Saints with 6:23 left, and Brees found Michael Thomas for a clinching 72-yard touchdown in a 45-35 victory.


“When we come out there, we feel like no one can stop us,” Thomas said of his connection with Brees. “I just feel like we keep building every week. We have a thing, and it’s hard for the other team to stop.”


The Saints averaged 31.5 points this season on their way to the NFC South title, ranking third in the NFL behind the Chiefs (35.3 points per game) and Rams (32.9) and ahead of the Patriots (27.3).


It’s the first time in the Super Bowl era that the NFL’s top four scoring offenses all reached the conference championships. But New Orleans’ defense played a crucial role in its 20-14 win over Philadelphia in the divisional round on Sunday. Marshon Lattimore had two interceptions, including one on the Eagles’ final drive, and the Saints erased an early 14-0 deficit.


“We were real calm and poised and we knew we were going to get things done,” Brees said.


Los Angeles advanced by powering its way to a 30-22 win against Dallas on Saturday. C.J. Anderson had 123 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and Todd Gurley rushed for 115 more yards and another TD.
“Our sense of focus and the sense of urgency have gone up tremendously,” guard Rodger Saffold said.


New England (12-5) also showed off its rushing attack in a 41-28 win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Sony Michel rushed for 129 yards and three TDs. The Patriots scored on their first four possessions on their way to a 35-7 halftime lead.


“The ability to execute early and get things going sets a lot of things up,” wide receiver Julian Edelman said. “It shows that we had a good week of practice, executed well in practice and it carried over and went into the game.”


Kansas City (13-4) is headed for its first AFC title game in 25 years after rolling to a 31-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday. Mahomes, who is one of the favorites for the NFL MVP award, passed for 278 yards and rushed for a score in his playoff debut.


“This is what we work for,” Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford said. “We just want to keep this thing rolling. Enjoy it now but keep it rolling.”

Jay Cohen can be reached at https://twitter.com/jcohenap

Risk-taking Saints advance to host Rams for NFC title

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.


By BRETT MARTEL, AP Sports Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Coach Sean Payton the New Orleans Saints are anything but risk averse.
After all, Payton’s Saints won a Super Bowl with the help of a surprise onside kick nine years ago, and now New Orleans is one home victory away from its first Super Bowl since then — thanks to a pair of aggressive and pivotal fourth-down play calls when the Saints were trying to come back from a two-touchdown deficit.
“We needed to shift momentum and we were able to, fortunately, and take advantage of it,” said Payton, who’s bound to carry that approach into the NFC title game against the Los Angeles Rams next weekend.
Facing fourth-and-short on their own 30, Payton called for a fake punt on which third-string quarterback and special teams virtuoso Taysom Hill took a direct snap as the up back.
So when the Saints faced another fourth down on the Eagles 2 later that same drive, it only seemed fitting that they dialed up a touchdown pass from Drew Brees to rookie receiver Keith Kirkwood instead of settling for a field goal.
That marked the beginning of 20 unanswered points scored by New Orleans in a 20-14 triumph in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs on Sunday.
“It’s that play-to-win mentality,” Brees said. “I’ve been with Sean long enough now to say that he’s always been like that. From ’06 until now, I think it’s something that he knows the offense and the team feeds off of.
“When you get that in guys’ minds that we are going to be aggressive, we are going to play to win, it allows guys to relax and cut loose,” Brees added.
Payton’s gambles often occur with Hill on the field, perhaps because they seem to think alike. Hill had the option to check out of the fake and let the snap sail to punter Thomas Morstead if the defensive alignment looked unfavorable. But Hill was in no mind to wait for a better opportunity. He had seemingly nowhere to go when he got the ball, and powered through anyway.
“At the end of the day I’m going to error on being aggressive. I’m going to error on taking the opportunity to create some momentum and have a game-changing play for sure,” Hill said. “It’s all about taking calculated risks. It’s finding that balance and that was a look that I felt like we could get it. That was a look that the coaches felt like we could get it, and I think at the end of the day it shows how much trust coach has in us.”
Eagles coach Doug Pederson said the Saints’ risk-reward propositions had less to do with the element of surprise than simply New Orleans ability to call a good play situationally and execute.
“You kind of expect it in that situation,” Pederson said. “You’ve just got to be prepared for that. We had our defense stay on the field. It was a great play by them.”
Some other story lines surrounding the Saints’ first divisional round playoff victory since their last Super Bowl title in the 2009-10 season:
LOST LEADER: The Saints stopped short of confirming that top defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins would miss the rest of the postseason with a low leg injury in the area of his Achilles, but when he punched the turf before being carted off the field, it looked serious. Afterward, Payton and players insinuated that Rankins’ injury was season-ending.
“It’s gut wrenching,” Payton said. “He’s played so well for us.”
Rankins was a first-round draft choice in 2016 and his eight sacks this season ranked second on the team .

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on the sidelines during the second half of the NFL preseason game between the Houston Texans and the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on August 20, 2016. The Texans beat the Saints 16-9.


“To see him go down really hurt,” fellow Saints defensive lineman Tyeler Davison said. “But I think it’s going to give us some fuel as well to play for him and pull this thing out for him.”
ALSHON’S ABBERATION: Normally reliable Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery might have been the least likely candidate to have an accurate Nick Foles pass bounce off his hands and into the waiting arms of cornerback Marshon Lattimore in the final minutes, sealing the result right when Philadelphia was threatening to take a lead in the final minutes.
Jeffery dropped to the turf, face down, after the turnover, but the Eagles tried to console him. Before that fateful play, Jeffery had five catches for a team-high 63 yards.


“He’s so down, but for me it’s about staying positive,” Pederson said. “He’s made many, many big catches for us throughout the season … I told him to keep his head up and don’t let one play define him.”
GROUND GAINS: The Saints outgained the Eagles 137-49 on the ground, with the elusive Alvin Kamara rushing for 71 yards, including a 12-yard, first-down run that let the Saints run out the clock. The hard-charging Mark Ingram added 53 yards. The running back tandem also combined for six catches for 44 yards.
WORN DOWN: If it wasn’t tough enough for the Eagles to have three defensive starters — end Michael Bennett, tackle Fletcher Cox and cornerback Rasul Douglas — leave the game intermittently with minor injuries, Philadelphia’s defense also spent far more time on the field than the Eagles would have liked. During the last three quarters, the Saints possessed the ball for more than 32 minutes and had one 92-yard drive that took 18 plays — or more than 20 plays when counting plays wiped out by penalties.


Brees pointed to that possession as “the turning point in the game.”

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL