Page 20 - aruba-today-20170107

A20 SPORTS
Saturday 7 January 2017

NFL Preview

Rodgers on a roll and has

Packers looking unstoppable

The Associated Press games in 2008 and 2012, team using a backup quar-
Forget Dak Prescott, Tom both at Lambeau Field, terback, Matt Moore, after
Brady, and Matt Ryan. and went on to win the Su- starter Ryan Tannehill was
Aaron Rodgers has prob- per Bowls. ruled out on Thursday be-
ably been the NFL’s top The Packers’ weakness is cause he wasn’t ready to
quarterback since Thanks- in defense, where the sec- practice on a sprained left
giving in late November. ondary is depleted. The knee. If Jay Ajayi can run
He’s re-established that dy- offense has been on a re- wild again, Miami has a
namic connection with re- markable run of mistake- solid chance.
ceiver Jordy Nelson for the free football during their six- However, the Steelers are
Green Bay Packers, and Ty match winning streak, but a tested bunch and got
Montgomery’s emergence they could be hard-pressed to rest several key players
as a receiver-turned-run- to keep up in high-scoring in the regular season fina-
ning back has been a rev- games like they were dur- le, including Ben Roethlis-
elation. ing a midseason four-game berger, Antonio Brown and
Rodgers is on a roll, and slump. Le’Veon Bell.
when he gets going, the The Giants are showing ele- Wild-card weekend begins
Packers look unstoppable, ments of the frenzied pass with the Oakland Raiders,
capable of building big rush and opportunistic de- one of the AFC’s powers
leads and coming back fense that won them their until the past three weeks,
from any deficit. After a last two NFL crowns. Over traveling to the Houston
1-2 start in 2014, Rodgers the last 11 games, oppo- Texans on Saturday, fol-
famously admonished fans nents have averaged just lowed by the Detroit Lions
to R-E-L-A-X. This season, af- 16 points against the Gi- at the Seattle Seahawks.
ter a 4-6 start, he promised ants. Raiders rookie Connor
to “run the table” and led They need that stingy de- Cook will become the first
them to another NFC North fense because of their in- quarterback in NFL history
division title. effective offense. The Gi- to make his first start in a Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, right, talks with
quarterback Matt Moore (8) and quarterback Brandon Doughty
They feature in the show- ants didn’t score 30 points playoff game. Derek Carr (6) during NFL football practice, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2017 in Da-
case of wild-card playoffs in any game, and haven’t and Matt McGloin remain vie, Fla. Tannehill didn’t take part in practice, making it unlikely
weekend, when they host even reached 20 points injured. Cook had 150 yards he’ll return from a left knee injury. The Dolphins play the Pitts-
Eli Manning and the New since Nov. 27 against the passing and a touchdown burgh Steelers in an AFC Wild-Card game Sunday.
York Giants on Sunday. hapless Cleveland Browns. in his NFL debut last week. Associated Press
The playoff history between The running game is so-so, Meanwhile, the Texans are a bye by splitting its final six Earl Thomas broke his left
the Packers and Giants is and Manning seems com- going back to the so-far- games. leg a month ago.
rich. For the record, the fortable throwing only to underwhelming Brock Os- These are two of the worst Detroit’s Matthew Stafford
Packers have a 4-3 edge. Odell Beckham Jr. Not that weiler after Tom Savage running teams in American is the first quarterback to
The Giants won the first it’s a bad idea. was concussed last week. football, but Seattle has lead eight game-winning
matchup and the NFL title In the other game on Sun- Neither the Seahawks nor gotten back Thomas Rawls, drives in the fourth quar-
in 1938, beating the Pack- day, Pittsburgh hosts the the Lions have been inspir- which could make for a dis- ter or overtime since the
ers 23-17. The Packers won Miami Dolphins, who turned ing in the past month, with tinct edge. 1970 merger, but he’s been
the next four games and around their season with Detroit throwing away the The Seahawks also have sacked an NFL-most 37
NFL championships in 1939, an Oct. 16 victory over the NFC North crown with three the better defense, though times. The Lions are also
‘44, 61 and ‘62. The Giants Steelers. straight closing defeats, its been vulnerable against down to their third running
won the last two playoff But Miami is yet another and Seattle kicking away the pass since star safety back.

Landry fined $48k for post-TD celebration

NEW YORK (AP) - Jarvis loss to the Patriots . round bye in the playoffs.
Landry’s post-touchdown Packers wide receiver Da- Avoiding a fine for his ac-
celebration in a game vante Adams was fined tions in that game was
against New England last $12,154 for celebrating a Broncos All-Pro cornerback
weekend came with a touchdown score against Aqib Talib, who snatched
hefty price tag: The NFL Detroit with a 360-degree the gold chain off wide re-
fined the Miami Dolphins dunk over the goal post, a ceiver Michael Crabtree’s
wide receiver $48,618. move the league outlawed neck in the first half.
Half the fine was for grab- a couple of years ago. Also avoiding a fine was
bing his crotch. The other Raiders linebacker Bruce Ir- Seattle’s Jarran Reed, who
half was for spiking his hel- vin was docked $18,231 for was ejected for throwing a Miami Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills (10) congratulates
met after he bounced off unnecessary roughness in punch with about five min- wide receiver Jarvis Landry (14) after Landry scored a touch-
a linebacker to score on the fourth quarter of Oak- utes left in the Seahawks’ down, during the first half of an NFL football game against the
an 8-yard catch just before land’s 24-6 loss at Denver 25-23 win over the 49ers. New England Patriots, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2017, in Miami Gardens,
halftime of Miami’s 35-14 that cost the Raiders a first- Fla.
Associated Press