Page 22 - ARUBA TODAY

A22 sports
Monday 4 February 2019

Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants accepts the award for
AP offensive rookie of the year at the 8th Annual NFL Honors at
The Fox Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019, in Atlanta.
Associated Press
Mahomes honored as MVP

and top offensive player

Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask (40), of Finland, stops the puck against Washington Capitals Continued from Page 18 ate fan base is something I
left wing Alex Ovechkin (8), of Russia, and right wing T.J. Oshie (77) during the third period of an get the luxury of doing.”
NHL hockey game, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, in Washington. Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara (33 With only one previous start, Rams defensive tackle Aar-
looks on.
Associated Press Mahomes entered the sea- on Donald, who will play
son as something of a curi-
in Sunday’s Super Bowl
Bruins shut out Capitals to end osity in Kansas City after the against New England, took
Chiefs traded veteran Alex his second straight Defen-
14-game skid vs. Washington Smith to open up the job. sive Player of the Year
It didn’t take long to erase award.
any doubts as Mahomes Donald, the only unani-
led the Chiefs to their first mous All-Pro this season
By STEPHEN WHYNO have blown them out if not many ways, the Capitals AFC title game since the and the first Rams player
AP Hockey Writer for the play of goaltender had themselves to blame. 1993 season, throwing for selected for top defensive
WASHINGTON (AP) — Bos- Braden Holtby, who made Fed up by mental mistakes, 50 touchdowns, 5,097 yards honor, joins Lawrence Tay-
ton Bruins players could 37 saves. Holtby was help- Capitals coach Todd and had a 113.8 QB rating, lor and J.J. Watt as players
feel themselves making less to stop Krejci’s shot on Reirden used ice time as trailing only Brees. to win the award in back-
progress in recent games a one-timer after a tic-tac- a weapon to punish play- Mahomes’ ingenuity — the to-back seasons. Donald
against the Washington toe puck movement and ers. He benched Evgeny guy can throw from all an- led the NFL with 20½ sacks.
Capitals even as the losses a cross-ice pass from Torey Kuznetsov and Dmitrij Jaskin gles and make plays inside “Any time you put a body
piled up. Krug midway through the for much of the first period and outside the pocket of work into it and then
All it took was finishing one second. after each took a penalty — energized the Chiefs’ it pays off,” Donald said,
play, a commitment to Rask earned “TUUK!” and Andre Burakovsky for fan base and excited fans “and you’re rewarded for
team defense and a hand- chants rom Bruins fans in the first few minutes of the across the league. it, it means a lot. It’s a bless-
ful of timely saves by Tuuk- attendance, no louder second for a defensive- “The play is never dead. He ing.” Nagy has overseen
ka Rask for the Bruins to end than when he flashed the zone turnover that almost can find new ways to get the development of quar-
their 14-game skid against glove to snare a shot from led to a goal. “I think as you you the ball,” Chiefs All-Pro terback Mitchell Trubisky,
the defending Stanley Cup Travis Boyd in the slot in the get past the All-Star break tight end Travis Kelce said. who blossomed in his sec-
champions with a 1-0 vic- third period. The Finnish and you start making a “It may look like a screw- ond pro season, and saw a
tory Sunday. Boston beat goalie picked up his 253rd push toward the playoffs, ball, a slider here or there, defense befitting the “Mon-
Washington for the first time career victory to take over that’s an area we have but it’ll get to you eventu- sters of the Midway” domi-
since March 29, 2014, and first place on the Bruins’ all- to get better in, as we’ve ally.” Mahomes is the sixth nate opponents at times.
its 14 consecutive victories time list. “He was in control taken far too many minor straight quarterback and He is the fifth Bears coach
against Arizona are now all night,” coach Bruce penalties with our sticks,” 11th of the past 12 years to win the award, joining
the longest active winning Cassidy said. “We were Reirden said. “We have to win MVP. No Kansas City team founder George Ha-
streak against one oppo- pretty clean in front of him to be more disciplined if player had won the award las (1963, 1965), Mike Ditka
nent in the NHL. there till the end, and when we’re going to have suc- since the Chiefs joined the (1985, 1988), Dick Jauron
“We’ve had some tight we weren’t, he was there cess moving forward from NFL in 1970. (2001) and Lovie Smith
games,” said Rask, who for us. Happy for him, I think here, and I thought the last Earlier, he was selected as (2005).
made 24 saves for just his the guys in the room are 30 games is a good time to the top offensive player, “It’s crazy to think this is one
second career victory in as well and hopefully he implement that.” beating Brees 30 votes to person, so for me, it’s being
19 appearances against keeps building on it.” Alex Ovechkin returned 16. “Yeah, I mean, it’s awe- a part of this organization
Washington. “It’s one of Boston defenseman Bran- to the lineup after be- some ... I got put into a and for our players,” Nagy
those things that just hap- don Carlo didn’t believe ing forced to sit out Friday great situation,” he said. “I said. “Just being able to
pens in sports where you there was necessarily a against Calgary for skipping got to learn behind a great believe in what we wanted
get into these streaks of ei- theme or specific problem All-Star Weekend. Ovech- quarterback in Alex Smith. to do with our culture and
ther winning or losing and that led to such a lopsided kin powered around Cha- I got to be on a team with then follow through with it.”
at some point they’re go- stretch against Washington ra for a scoring chance in a lot of playmakers who Colts quarterback An-
ing to snap.” and thought his team was the first period but couldn’t helped me excel my game drew Luck was chosen the
Outscored 45-21 during getting closer to breaking crack Rask. He will need and make me look re- Comeback Player of the
their 14-game run of futility, through. Afterward, cap- to wait at least one more ally good on a daily basis. Year, following a lost 2017
the Bruins dominated the tain Zdeno Chara said the game to pass Sergei Fedo- And, then, to be able to go season to a shoulder injury
Capitals in almost all fac- Bruins “finally” got the win rov for the most points by a out there and win football with a sensational 2018
ets of the game and would against Washington. In Russian player.q games in front of a passion- campaign. q