Page 20 - ARUBA TODAY

A20 SPORTS
Thursday 15 November 2018
Saints on top of Pro32 poll; KC stays 2nd; Rams up to 3rd

By SIMMI BUTTAR stead, the dominance of
AP Sports Writer both the AFC West rival
NEW YORK (AP) — For the Chiefs and their neighbors
past two months, the rest in LA, the Rams, has re-
of the NFL has tried to slow ceived most of the head-
down Drew Brees and the lines.
New Orleans Saints. “Shaking off a 1-2 start, the
And no one has been able Chargers have remained
to figure out how. firmly in KC’s rear-view mir-
The Saints (8-1) rolled to ror with a well-balanced at-
their eighth consecutive tack and impactful rookie
victory with a 51-14 pum- safety Derwin James,” said
meling of the Cincinnati Ira Kaufman of Fox 13 in
Bengals on Sunday. Tampa, Florida.
The Saints kept the No. 1 The New England Patriots,
spot in the latest AP Pro32 who were tied for No. 2
poll . They received 10 of last week, dropped to No.
12 first-place votes and 382 6 after their 34-10 loss at
points in balloting Tuesday Tennessee on Sunday. The
by media members who Titans made a major jump,
regularly cover the NFL. moving five spots to No. 12.
The Kansas City Chiefs re- The Patriots (7-3) have a
ceived the other two first- New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas celebrates his touchdown in the first half of an bye this week before fac-
place votes and remained NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, in Cincinnati. ing the New York Jets on
at No. 2 with 368 points. The Associated Press Nov. 25.
Los Angeles Rams were a but because of concerns 4. The Steelers (6-2-1) have season. The Minnesota Vikings (5-
close third with 366 points. about the playing field at surged to the top of the The Los Angeles Chargers 3-1) moved up a spot to
These two 9-1 teams are Azteca Stadium after re- AFC North despite the ab- moved up a spot to No. No. 7 during their bye week
scheduled to meet on cent rain and several big sence of two-time All-Pro 5. The Chargers (7-2), who and return to action on
Monday night in a highly events, it was moved to the running back Le’Veon Bell. have quietly won six in a Sunday night at NFC North
anticipated matchup to Coliseum in Los Angeles. Bell missed a 4 p.m. dead- row, have not garnered rival Chicago. The Bears (6-
close Week 11. The game The Pittsburgh Steelers, who line on Tuesday to sign his much attention despite 3) rounded out the top 10
was originally set to be have won five in a row, one-year franchise tender having one of the top re- for the second consecutive
played in Mexico City, climbed three spots to No. and is ineligible to play this cords in the league. In- week.q

Le’Veon Bell trademark while helping

Pittsburgh to four straight
Continued from Page 17 the 2013 draft and helped playoff berths.
mold him into one of the Bell is one of only three
The unprecedented move league’s most dynamic players in recent NFL history
sets Bell up for the poten- threats. to be franchise tagged in
tially big-time payday he “Even when we don’t un- consecutive seasons. The
has long been searching derstand it, we’re sensitive first two — linebacker Karlos
when he becomes a free to it, so we’re not shocked Dansby and quarterback
agent in the spring, pro- when things happen from Kirk Cousins — played all 16
vided there’s a team will- a business standpoint, no,” games during their second
ing to splurge on one of the Tomlin said. seasons under the tag then
league’s more talented if The Steelers (6-2-1), who went and cashed in else-
mercurial players. have won five straight to where in free agency.
While TV cameras set up sprint to the top of the di- As his profile rose, Bell insist-
outside the team’s prac- vision heading into a visit ed he wasn’t merely a run-
tice facility on Tuesday to to Jacksonville on Sunday, In this Dec. 25, 2017, file photo, Pittsburgh Steelers running back ning back, pointing to his
catch Bell if he decided to will turn to second-year Le’Veon Bell (26) warms up before an NFL football game against success as a receiver — he
show up for work for the first back James Conner and the Houston Texans, in Houston. finished 10th in the league
time in nearly 10 months, reserves Stevan Ridley and Associated Press with 85 catches in 2017 —
the 26-year-old never rookie Jaylen Samuels to ered by the idea of Pitts- satility. Along with wide as proof that he should be
pulled up to the gates, help shoulder the load with burgh’s quest for a post- receiver Antonio Brown, paid far above his peers.
ending — for now — one Bell out of the picture. season berth continuing Bell became the linchpin When Bell and the Steelers
of the more unusual labor Conner, third in the NFL without Bell. in which the Steelers re- failed to reach an agree-
standoffs between a team with 771 yards rushing, re- “That train has left the sta- built themselves on the fly ment on a new deal last
and a player in the era of mained in the concussion tion,” Tomlin said. “We’re as the franchise’s identity summer, he said “both sides
free agency. protocol on Tuesday af- comfortable with how we shifted from away from the worked extremely hard” in
Pittsburgh coach Mike ter leaving last Thursday’s function, the people at our defense that fueled three an attempt to get some-
Tomlin seemed resigned to blowout win against Caro- disposal, the division of la- Super Bowl appearances thing done. When it didn’t
Bell’s decision shortly be- lina but could practice as bor and our ability to ready in six years from 2005-2010 happen, he skipped train-
fore the 4 p.m. deadline, early as Wednesday. ourselves for the challeng- toward an offense that ing camp again, just as he
saying simply “so be it” All season Tomlin stressed es.” ranked among the most did in 2017. His teammates
when asked about the pos- he was focused on the The Steelers drafted Bell explosive in the league. stressed it was no big deal,
sibility of Bell not returning players in the locker room with the 48th overall pick The makeover relied heav- confident Bell would show
to the team that selected and not the ones outside five years ago, won over ily on Bell, whose patient up in time for the regular-
him in the second round of it. He hardly seemed both- by his youth, size and ver- running style became his season opener.q