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Sean Payton is known for his screen plays and getting the ball in his play-makers’ hands. Over the years we have become used to seeing players like Reggie Bush http://www.authenticsneworleanssaints.com/cheap-tyeler-davison-jersey , Pierre Thomas, and more recently Alvin Kamara gain huge chunks of yards on these screens. But sometimes, the best person to catch a screen is the one that is least expected.Josh Hill has caught 3 screens this year for a total of 43 yards. Screens, inherently have a layer of deception to them, but the Saints add wrinkles that add to this level of deception.Hill’s first reception of the year came week 1 against Tampa Bay. The Saints line up in 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends), with Mike Gillislee in the backfield and Watson and Hill as the tight ends. On his play, the Saints will use play action to freeze the linebackers. Right Guard Larry Warford (#67) will “pull” as if they are running a power run play. To further sell the play action, Hill will block the defensive end momentarily before releasing into the flat. Max Unger and Ryan Ramzyck will lead block on the screen and Hill is able to break a tackle and pick up 15 yards.Hill’s second screen came in week 2 against the Cleveland Browns. This time, the Saints will roll out their 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end). Much like the previous play, this one will feature play action as well, but this time Ted Ginn will run a jet sweep motion from right to left behind the line of scrimmage. The purpose of this motion is to make the defense flow to the opposite side of where the play will happen. One defender who is in man coverage will follow GInn, but the linebackers and safety for Cleveland do a good job at staying disciplined. The offensive line is the same as above, with Warford pulling and Unger and Ramzyck lead blocking for Hill Color Rush Sheldon Rankins Jersey , who is only able to gain 5 yards on this play. The third tight end screen for Hill has the most window dressing and is possibly my favorite play design so far of this season. The Saints have their three most dangerous offensive weapons on the field—Mark Ingram in the backfield, Kamara will lineup as a receiver to the outside of a bunch formation to the right, and Michael Thomas split out to the left. This play is not much different than the one called against Cleveland, but having Kamara run the jet motion rather than Ginn presents an even bigger threat to the defense, so naturally they are more likely to flow in his direction. This flow is only aided by having Ingram in the backfield rather than Gillislee. Another subtle detail is that Thomas is split out wider here than in the previous play. This will stretch the defense further out and take players even further away from the playside. By the time Hill peels off of his block and makes the reception, he has nearly 15 yards of open space and ultimately picks up 23 yards. Another thing to note on this play is the nice block from rookie Tre’Quan Smith on the safety. Smith has been a reliable blocker in the run game so far this year and will only help him to stay on the field.Screens are a good way to make over-aggressive defenses pay for that aggressiveness. They are also a good way at slowing down the pass rush from the opposing defense, and with the Saints facing one of the best defensive line in the NFL this weekend, we may see a few more of these tight end screens dialed up. While Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan stressed that New Orleans doesn't fear going on the road in the playoffs, he readily acknowledged the advantages of staying in the Superdome.New Orleans (12-2) can lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with a victory over visiting Pittsburgh (8-5-1) on Sunday."That would be huge," said Jordan, referencing what he calls "dome-field advantage."The Saints did fine on the road this season, going 7-1. They won't finish any better in the Superdome, where they are 5-1 with two regular-season home games left. But New Orleans' offense generally has been better at home, where Drew Brees' pre-snap instructions 鈥?and center Max Unger's line calls 鈥?are easier for teammates to hear. The Saints have averaged about 38 points at home, but their road scoring average dipped about nine points below that after three straight road games in which they were held to 28 or less in each game and to 12 or fewer points twice."It's been almost a month since we've been at the dome Youth Mark Ingram II Jersey , so it'll be nice to be back in there," Brees said. "Obviously we've got a lot going for us right now 鈥?a lot at stake."In reality, the Saints don't have that much riding on Sunday's game 鈥?certainly not as much as the Steelers, who could still win the AFC North but haven't clinched a playoff berth yet. New Orleans already has won a second straight NFC South crown and will finish as a top seed even if it splits its next two games. But from the standpoint of offensive production, playoff history and promoting optimal health, the Saints know they'd be best served by beating Pittsburgh.In franchise history, the Saints are 1-7 in playoff games away from the Superdome. Since coach Sean Payton and Brees arrived in 2006, the Saints have not lost any of their five home playoff games. The one season they won the Super Bowl, they were the NFC's No. 1 seed.In fact, no Super Bowl participant has won a single road playoff game since the 2012 Baltimore Ravens won at Denver and New England en route to their title-winning tilt with San Francisco in New Orleans.Meanwhile, key Saints players could get as much as two weeks rest 鈥?the regular-season finale and the playoff bye 鈥?if New Orleans wins this week."Rest is much needed to get our bodies right," Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore said. "Take a week, or two (off) if we clinch it this week. Hopefully rest the starters for the last game."The Steelers can't worry about rest 鈥?not even after improving their postseason outlook with a victory over New England last week."We just want to get into the playoffs," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "It doesn't matter how you get in, we just want to get in. Obviously Youth Alvin Kamara Jersey , the first and second seed you would like, but I don't think we can get that now. So, let's just find a way to get in."Some other prominent story lines surround the Steelers' visit to the Superdome:BOWING UPDespite a significant slowdown offensively during their past three games, the Saints went 2-1 during that stretch because of strong defensive play.New Orleans, which struggled defensively early this season, has not allowed any of its past six opponents to score more than 17 points and has held two teams to less than 10."The offense was really getting us through the games at the beginning of the season and the roles flipped," Lattimore said. "Nobody pointed fingers. We just got the job done. That's the biggest thing, just playing as a team."JAYSAM'S JOURNEYSteelers rookie running back Jaylen Samuels will start his third straight game in place of injured Pro Bowler James Conner, who is hobbled by a sprained left ankle.Samuels, a fifth-round pick, lit up New England for 172 total yards. Not bad for a player who was asked to work out as a tight end at the NFL combine. The going could get considerably tougher against New Orleans, which leads the league in rush defense (79.1 yards per game).RESPECTBrees is the third high-profile quarterback the Steelers have faced in four weeks, joining New England's Tom Brady and Philip Rivers of the Los Angeles Chargers. Roethlisberger, who only knows Brees casually from run-ins at the Pro Bowl, isn't sure Brees has gotten enough credit for his record-setting career."He's incredibly athletic ... and a tireless worker http://www.authenticsneworleanssaints.com/cheap-ken-crawley-jersey ," Roethlisberger said. "Not really known for a huge arm, but can pretty much make any throw. I have a lot of respect for that guy."JORDAN'S JUDGMENTJordan, the Saints' sacks leader, sounded incredulous when a media member referred to Roethlisberger as a "future Hall-of-Fame quarterback" during an interview in New Orleans' locker room.Grimacing and turning his head sharply, Jordan said: "It that true? Really? In this era? You'd put him at like a top three of this era? Top five of this era?"Jordan listed Brees, New England's Tom Brady, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, the Los Angeles Chargers' Philip Rivers, the retired Peyton Manning and the Giants' Eli Manning as QB's he'd place above Roethlisberger.This season, Roethlisberger's 4,462 yards rank second behind only Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes in the NFL.Jordan, a first-time All Pro last season, has 12 sacks to go with 17 tackles for losses, a forced fumble and fumble recovery.AP Sports Writer Will Graves in Pittsburgh contributed. www.nflshopoutlet.com/jacksonville-jaguars

Keenan Allen Doesn't Return vs. Chiefs After Suffering Hip Injury - Adam WellsAllen's 16 games played in 2017 surpassed his total from the previous two seasons combined (nine). That health translated into an excellent performance for the 26-year-old http://www.chargersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-derwin-james-jersey , who set career highs with 102 receptions and 1,393 receiving yards.Chargers finally end streak, shock Chiefs on Thursday Night Football - Travis WakemanThe win ties the Chargers with the Chiefs at 11-3 in the AFC West. By virtue of a better divisional record, the Chiefs still control their own destiny and will win the division if they win out. However, this win did clinch the Chargers their first playoff berth since 2013. In addition, it also broke the team’s nine-game losing streak against the Chiefs.Twitter reacts to Los Angeles Chargers’ 29-28 victory vs. Chiefs - Gavino BorquezWhat a game that was! The Chargers were able to rally back from being behind 14 points to shock the nation by defeating the Chiefs in the final seconds, which was led by wide receiver Mike Williams’ outstanding performance.Two-point conversion propels Chargers into postseason - Eric Williams"The touchdown to Mike Joey Bosa Jersey , our first touchdown was that same play," Rivers said. "We dressed it up a little bit, put Travis over there, put all three receivers over there, motioned Travis and hoped they wouldn’t recognize it. And, they busted a coverage."Refocused, NFL Week 15: Los Angeles Chargers 29 Authentic Austin Ekeler Jersey , Kansas City Chiefs 28 - PFF Analysis TeamIt was a game of many ups and downs for Philip Rivers. His first throw of the night was underthrown and intercepted. He had two more inexplicable throws to defenders on the night, one of which was intercepted in the back of the end zone. In the end, Rivers led his team on two well-managed touchdown drives that won the game for the Chargers. The best throw of the night came on fourth down where he laid it out perfectly for Travis Benjamin with the game on the line.Social Media Information:BFTB Facebook Page: Click here to like our pageBFTB Twitter: Follow @BFTB_ChargersThe Lightning Round Twitter: Follow @Lightning_RoundThe Lightning Round Facebook: Click here to like our pageBFTB Manager: Richard Wade: Follow @RichardWadeTop Ten Offensive Performances of 2017: #8 Hunter Henry v. DAL Wk. 12 #8.) Hunter Henry - 5 catches, 76 receiving yards, 1 touchdown Jerry Jones is a proud alumni of the University of Arkansas. So much so that he helped the Razorbacks put together an alternate jersey that easily resembled a red version of the Cowboy’s uniforms for their match-up against Texas A&M this past season which happened to take place at AT&T Stadium.This fact probably didn’t sit well with Jones as he watched Hunter Henry, a former All-American with the Razorbacks, help demolish his team in a primetime match-up on Thanksgiving Day in the house that he built Youth Darius Philon Jersey , himself.From the very first play, Henry was making his presence felt. On 1st & 10, Henry and Antonio Gates were both lined up on the left side of the formation which created an overloaded look for the defense. Going against the grain, the Chargers decided to pass, calling a Smash-concept to the boundary.Gates immediately released to the flat while Henry pressed linebacker Anthony Hitchens vertically before breaking on a corner-route to the sideline. The TE’s speed was too much as he was able to separate and make the catch in front of the safety who was coming over the top or a 17-yard gain.His second splash-play came at the end of the first quarter with the Bolts at midfield. Lined up on the left side, the Bolts used an end-around motion from wideout Travis Benjamin to occupy the eyes of the secondary in order for Henry to come open on a deep crossing route behind the coverage. Rivers hit him in-stride for a 27-yard gain.After two more catches of 7 and 22 yards, respectively http://www.chargersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-isaac-rochell-jersey , Henry used some outstanding basketball skills to get the Chargers their first score of the game.At 6-foot-5 and 250-pounds, he used every inch of his massive frame to box out the defender for a 3-yard touchdown grab.This was Henry’s final catch of the game but it was his biggest as it opened the floodgates to an offensive barrage that allowed the Bolts to walk away with a 28-6 victory and ignite the momentum that certainly helped the Chargers finish the regular season with a 9-3 record in their final 12 games. nflshopoutlet.com

Tom Brady has made it well known he wants to continue playing in the NFL into his mid-to-late 40’s. And with a chance to win his sixth Super Bowl ring next Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams Antonio Garcia Jersey , his future plans remain unchanged. In an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Darlington, Brady said there is “zero” chance Super Bowl 53 will be his last game played.At the age of 41, Brady has showed no signs of slowing down. A year after an MVP campaign, Brady and co. bested the leagues MVP favorite in the AFC Championship Game to reach his ninth Super Bowl.In what many considered a “down” year for Brady, in which had analyst across the nation proclaiming he was “falling off a cliff” or had a “noodle arm”, Brady completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 97.7 passer rating.So why would Brady retire? His TB12 method has kept him pliable and healthy, all while he’s proved to still be one of the leagues elite quarterbacks. And just ask the Kansas City Chiefs, there’s no better quarterback in crunch time.Brady often discussed the topic last offseason, and shared in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that retirement is coming “sooner rather than later”.“I think about it more now than I used to. I think I’m seeing that there’s definitely an end coming, sooner rather than later Dont'a Hightower Jersey ,” Brady told Winfrey. “As long as I’m still loving it. As long as I’m loving the training and preparation and willing to make the commitment.”In an ESPN Instagram post that followed about the subject, Brady responded in the comments by writing “Cuarenta y cinco,” which is 45 in Spanish.With Super Bowl 53 in the near future, Brady likely isn't focused too much on retirement. He has the Patriots in their third straight Super Bowl, and nobody would be surprised if they made it four next year.A sample of the interview with Darlington and Brady can be seen here: Another day, another perplexing mystery of the universe solved, and for once, the answer isn’t “ALIENS”.(Don’t take it personally, George. I still believe.)When you’ve been building your own legend from almost going undrafted for as long as Tom Brady has, you’re bound to rack up nickname after nickname in the process, especially as society’s sense of humor evolves over the years. Not to mention that sports dorks really, really like alliteration, so you get stuff like this:Ah, Tom Terrific. That’s some 101-proof nostalgia right there Authentic Joe Thuney Jersey Salute to Service , before everybody hated New England and decided we were the combined scum of the Evil Empire New York Yankees and the Iceland Junior National hockey team from Mighty Ducks 2 because the Patriots figured out that if you trot out 5 wide receivers against a base defense, there’s probably going to be some mismatches. Ah, simpler times, when iPods only played music and Justin Timberlake ruled the land, my friends.Anyway, for as much as my fellow nerds and I here at the Pulpit use Pro Football Reference for any and all nerd-related foozeball research, the one part of Brady’s page that never ceased to grind my gears was that “The Pharoah” nickname. The rest of them all make sense, and I honestly assumed that “Sir” was someone with a sense of humor at PFR adding it in there after that Seth Wickersham ESPN “bomb” that said Brady supposedly got Fight-Club-level-pissed if rookies didn’t call him “Sir”.Which, yeah, that’s totally the vibe in these videos where Brady’s acting like he’s the regional manager. You just keep doing you, ESPN.Meanwhile, the heck is “The Pharoah” supposed to mean? For as much as the word “literally” has been callously abused over the last couple years, the word “Pharoah” has literally never been used in reference to TB12, ever. Not on broadcasts Limited Brandon Bolden Jersey , not in interviews, not in Madden, not even in the player introductions where players can get away with saying their high school or Hogwarts or Ball So Hard University.*SI’s Robert Klemko pulls up in a Corvette convertible*“You guys got a mystery that needs solving?”And solve it he did! Buried in Klemko’s Sports Illustrated article about how Brady cares about Pro Bowls approximately as much as he cares about getting Patriot of the Week, former Patriots middle linebacker and violent run-thumper Brandon Spikes finally cracked the code:(warning: if you’re going to the gym today, read this BEFORE you take your pre-workout energy supplement, combining the two could be more power than one human can control)Hey, like they said in another cinematic classic of our generation, “Heroes get remembered, but legends never die”.(also, gratuitous plug: if YOU have a blog, Pro Football Reference has a player link tool that lets you hit just one button and all the players in your story automatically get linked to their stats page. It’s legit!)

Kirk Cousins was happy with the victory Linval Joseph Jersey , of course — a road win against a team Minnesota had never beaten away from home.But the star quarterback knows the Vikings' offense can be even better.Cousins threw two touchdown passes, Latavius Murray ran for two scores, and the Vikings pulled away in the second half to beat the New York Jets 37-17 on Sunday for their third straight victory."Any time you score 37 points on the road, you're doing something right," Cousins said. "But there are times where it wasn't good enough. We are so grateful for defense and special teams today because it gave us the opportunity to go out and score points."The Vikings (4-2-1) intercepted Jets rookie Sam Darnold three times and also recovered a fumbled snap to help lift them to their first road win against the Jets after losing the first five meetings away from home."We did some good things, but there are a lot of things we can work on," wide receiver Adam Thielen said. "We were not moving the ball enough and there were a lot of plays I want back, but it's always good to get a win."Minnesota couldn't get much going consistently on offense, mostly because of going 2 of 15 on third downs.In his first game against the Jets (3-4) since spurning their massive offer in free agency, Cousins was far from spectacular, but made some big plays late. With the game still hanging in the balance and the Vikings facing fourth-and-8 from the 34 Authentic Laquon Treadwell Jersey , Cousins connected with Aldrick Robinson for a TD to seal it."We had so many opportunities to put that game away earlier in the game, and didn't do it," coach Mike Zimmer said. "We have to overcome ourselves on some of those things."Cousins, 25 of 40 for 241 yards, opted to turn down New York's three-year, $90 million deal in the offseason and instead chose to go to Minnesota, which signed him to a deal worth $6 million less.After Cousins' decision, the Jets turned their attention to the draft, where they selected Darnold with the No. 3 overall pick.As expected, Cousins was the target of criticism of Jets fans and New York-area media."I never read it, so I don't even have any knowledge to process it or incorporate it into my approach Youth Andrew Sendejo Jersey ," Cousins said. "I believe ignorance is bliss and I try to stay as ignorant as possible."Here are some other things to know about the Vikings' win over the Jets:SAM STRUGGLESIn their first meeting, Cousins came out on top — while Darnold had arguably his worst game on a cold, windy day .The rookie was 17 of 42 for 206 yards with a TD pass to Chris Herndon and a TD run, but was intercepted three times as New York's two-game winning streak ended.After going 6 of 9 for 87 yards and a touchdown with a 135.0 quarterback rating in the opening quarter, Darnold finished with the three INTs and a dismal 34.4 rating."I've just got to find completions," Darnold said. "That's really it. And, we've got to do a better job executing."THIELEN STILL DEALIN'Thielen became the fifth player in NFL history to get at least 100 yards receiving in seven consecutive games, catching nine passes for 110 yards and a touchdown.He reached the milestone with a 21-yard catch in the fourth quarter. He joined Detroit's Calvin Johnson (eight, 2012), Denver's Demaryius Thomas (seven, 2014) http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-ben-gedeon-jersey , Dallas' Michael Irvin (seven, 1995) and Houston's Charley Hennigan (seven, 1961) to accomplish the feat.He and Hennigan are the only players to do so in his team's first seven games to open the season."Stats don't necessarily say how good you played," Thielen said. "I'm looking forward to looking at the film and making sure I continue to get better."THIRD-DOWN TERRORSBoth the Vikings and Jets will need to improve in third-down situations after this one.Minnesota was 2 of 15, while New York was 2 of 13.The Vikings' first conversion didn't come until midway through the third quarter on Thielen's 13-yard catch after being 0 for 8 up to that point. The Jets' first conversion came late in the third on Darnold's 6-yard run on third-and-5.HURTINGJets running back Bilal Powell (neck) and safety Doug Middleton (chest/shoulder) left with injuries and were scheduled to undergo tests.New York could be severely short-handed at safety. Middleton was starting in place of Marcus Maye, who's sidelined with a broken thumb. That leaves only Jamal Adams and Terrence Brooks as healthy players at the position.Minnesota cornerback Xavier Rhodes left with a sprained ankle, but Zimmer said, "I don't think it's a big deal." Same for linebacker Anthony Barr, who injured a hamstring.WHOOPSJets receiver Robby Anderson apologized for tossing the ball at an official late in the fourth quarter after an incompletion, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty — and a possible fine from the NFL later in the week."It was just frustration and wanting to make a play and us losing a pretty tough game," Anderson said Sheldon Richardson Jersey , adding that he didn't intend to hit the official with the ball. "It wasn't anything malicious. It was just a reaction." With their second consecutive victory, the Minnesota Vikings are continuing to make their move back up the Power Rankings that are put out by football pundits across these vast interwebs of ours. They’re not quite approaching the heights they had reached in the early portion of the season, but they’re getting closer.Let’s take a look at our Power Rankings Roundup for this week and see where, exactly, the Vikings find themselves.Associated Press: #7 (Last week: #9)No Vikings-centric commentary from the AP this week.Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football: #9 (Last week: #12)Yep, same link.SB Nation: #7 (Last week: #10)The MMQB, Sports Illustrated: #5 (Last week: #7)Bleacher Report: #5 (Last week: #8)Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: #8 (Last week: #11)Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: #5 (Last week: #6)Elliot Harrison, NFL.com: #5 (Last week: #9)ESPN: #10 (Last week: #11)Vinnie Iyer Authentic Matt Wile Jersey , Sporting News: #6 (Last week: #9)USA Today: #9 (Last week: #12)Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: #8 (Last week: #13)Well, all 12 precincts that reported in for this week moved the Vikings up at least a little bit. Some only moved them up one spot, while others gave them a significantly larger bump. Overall, it means the Vikings are back to being a Top 10 team across the board, and their average ranking this week comes in at an even 7, nearly a three-spot leap from last week’s average of 9.75.Here’s a look at this week’s chart, which you may click to embiggen as always.That’s a look at the Power Rankings for the Minnesota Vikings around the internet this week, folks. Hopefully next week we will continue to see an upward trend for the Vikings in these rankings.

Once again White Mike Hughes Jersey , the time for Minnesota Vikings football is nearly upon us. The Vikings will take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon out on the East Coast, and are going to try to win their first game in nearly a month. . .yes, it has been almost a month since the Vikings won a football game. That’s sort of depressing to think about, isn’t it?So, if you’re wondering about how you can follow along with all of the action on Sunday afternoon, we’ve got everything you need here in one place.Television InfoThis game is actually part of the late slate of Sunday afternoon games this week, which means that it will be kicking off at 3:25 PM Central on Sunday afternoon. This game will be broadcast on FOX, which is KMSP-9 in the Twin Cities, and the play-by-play will be handled by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.If you’re wondering whether or not you’re in the main broadcast area for this week’s game, below is the map from 506 Sports. The Vikings/Eagles game is in red.For our friends over in the United Kingdom, this game will be broadcast on Sky Sports, specifically on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event. Coverage of this game will start on those channels at 9:00 PM UK time.For our men and women in uniform overseas White Laquon Treadwell Jersey , this game will actually be shown LIVE on the American Forces Network on AFN Prime Atlantic. Kickoff is scheduled for 2100Z, which means is a 2200L kickoff for everyone in Central Europe, Monday morning at 0030L for viewers in Afghanistan, and 0500L for anyone watching in Japan and Korea.Radio InfoIf you’re not going to be anywhere near a television for this one, you’ll be able to hear the call from Paul Allen and Pete Bercich on the Vikings Radio Network. That link goes to a list of Vikings Radio Network affiliates across the Upper Midwest. See if yours will be carrying the game. There are a couple of other places you can find it online as well, including the TuneIn radio service as well as the KFAN site (if you’re on a desktop or laptop computer only. . .it won’t work on phones or tablets).For those that have satellite radio (which, I’ll admit, has been a life saver for me the last two weeks as I’ve been traveling), you can find the Vikings Radio Network feed on Sirius Channel 127. If you have XM Radio, you can hear the game on XM Channel 225, but be advised that it will be the Eagles’ radio feed. If you’re using the SiriusXM Online App, the Vikings’ permanent home there is Channel 819.Referee InfoAccording to the folks from Football Zebras http://www.authenticsminnesotavikings.com/cheap-xavier-rhodes-jersey , the officiating crew for this week’s contest will be led by Walt Coleman. The Vikings last saw Walt Coleman in December of last season, as his officiating crew was responsible for calling the Vikings’ 34-7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at U.S. Bank Stadium.Weather InfoFrom what the good folks at WeatherNation are saying about this one, it’s going to be another warm one in Philadelphia on Sunday. In fact, it looks like the weather conditions will be similar to what the Vikings saw last Thursday in Los Angeles. Temperatures at kickoff are forecast to be in the low 80s with some light winds and mostly cloudy skies.Streaming InfoThere are several legal subscription services that are available in order to stream the game legally. Among them are Fubo.tv, USTVNow, and Sling TV. If you’re overseas, your best bet is going to be NFL GamePass.Since it has recently been brought up, I want to make it perfectly clear that streams from Reddit or other places are not. . .I repeat, not. . .legal. If you’d like to argue about that, you can argue it somewhere else, because the moderators won’t listen to that garbage. Until Reddit, or anywhere else http://www.authenticsminnesotavikings.com/cheap-matt-wile-jersey , has a deal with the National Football League, those streams are illegal and not welcome to be put up on this site. If you want to use them, go find them on your own and don’t be plastering them in the comments section here unless you’d rather not be in the comments of the Game Thread. . .or any other thread. . .here at DN.That should be all of the information you need in order to keep track of all the action from Lincoln Financial Field between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon. We’ll have our Open Thread for the first quarter up about an hour before kickoff or so, and we hope that you’ll join us here for all of the fun! Good Morning!It’s Thorsday and game day?Yes, it’s time for that annual hate fest I have with the league schedule as I don’t care for Thursday night games but I will watch if the Vikings are playing, really this is one (of many) issues the Player’s Union needs to find a way to negotiate getting rid of when the next CBA rolls around in 2020.As we’ve all read in multiple places DE Everson Griffen is out for the time being, good luck to him as he gets the help he needs for whatever the cause is.The game starts tonight at 2030 ET and I think there are a couple of legal streaming options available for this game, I’ll be watching via Amazon Prime as I want to check out the play call of Andrea Kremer and Hannah Storm and I don’t want to watch on mute due to Troy’s sidekick yammering on and on about his hearthrob.In the meantime, while we’re waiting for the next Vikings game to start we’ll continue with our thread full of beer and rib recommendations, nap strategies, crock pot and smoker recipes.Have another cup of coffee and drop by for some fan wisdom and snark.Rams fan Ramsrock stopped by again this year, always nice to have great fans from other teams in our Open Thread.With that White Tom Compton Jersey , let’s do this.Around the DN since our last thread:Chris has a spot where you can keep up with all the latest Vikings-Rams news.Five Good Questions from Turf Show Times with Joe McAtee and the Rams perspective on the game, Welcome Aboard Joe!One of my favorite weekly articles, Eric has his game preview with Vikings at Rams: Changing Perspective, while you’re there check out the GPOTW, this week a cheerleader, not a “pick.”From Chris, Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer will make history as they’ll be the first all female duo to call an NFL game. Congratulations to them.Finally, Norse Code Podcast Episode 247: A Work In Progress (featuring. Joe McAtee of Turf Show Times).Vikings news from other sources:At Vikings.com they take a look back on the life and career of former HC Dennis Greenwho made a profound impact with players both on and off the field.He entered the team’s Ring of Honor, becoming the 24th member of the distinguished group.DE’s Stephen Weatherly and Danielle Hunter are prepping for a quick turnaround vs. the Rams.What’d They Say: Rams Talk About Vikings.Head Coach Mike Zimmer addressed the media from the TCO Performance Center on Tuesday.At 1500espn they ponder the question if OT Riley Reiff can’t play, how will Vikings align their O-line?At the espn NFC North blog:Resetting NFC North: Impact of Khalil Mack, who’s the favorite, more.League news: From NFL.com Los Angeles Rams place Aqib Talib on injured reserve.Jameis Winston on his return: ‘I’m not a selfish player’Joey Bosa says he’ll likely be out until midseason.What to watch for in Vikings vs. Rams on Thursday.We come to today’s media selection: It’s Game Day.Led Zeppelin-The Immigrant SongAgain White Trae Waynes Jersey , we all know the rules, but in case someone is new:-No discussion of politics or religion-No feeding of the trolls-This isn’t a male version of The View, so leave the gender hatred at the door-Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must)-Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags-No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer-If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away-While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm.

Did you ever wake up on a Monday morning http://www.minnesotavikingsteamonline.com/sheldon-richardson-jersey , peel open your eyes, muster the will to lift your head from the pillow and wonder “what the hell happened this weekend?”That has to be the feeling Chicago Bears fans had this Monday.As of Sunday morning, the Bears were cruising along at the top of the division, with a shiny new toy on the defensive side of the ball, a dashing young quarterback running the offense behind a wunderkind head coach, and they held sole possession of first place in the NFC North.When that collective head lifted from the pillow on Monday, Bears fans found their team dead last in the division.The Bears lost in excruciating manner, as Mitchell Trubisky launched a Hail Mary as time expired against the New England Patriots.Kevin White - the former first-round pick whose professional career has been marred by near-constant injury - leaped high above the defenders and hauled in the pass鈥?and was tackled a yard short of the end zone.That stop sealed the New England Patriots 38-31 victory.The Bears now sit at 3-3, last in the division. #sadfaceIn Miami, the Detroit Lions were in no mood for lederhosen, and spoiled Brocktoberfest for everyone by defeating Brock Osweiler and the Dolphins 32-21.Kerryon Johnson gained 158 yard on the ground - the Lions’ highest total in 21 years - and Matthew Stafford was efficient, if nothing else.The Lions improved their record to 3-3 with their first road win of the season, and pulled into third place in the division.The Lions find themselves at 3-3, good for third in the division, ahead of the Bears based on the Bears division record.The Green Bay Packers (3-2-1) were on a bye this week.Chicago BearsIn a strange twist, Bears fans are now calling for more playing time and touches for the aforementioned Kevin White.Before the Hail Mary, White had one reception for ten yards.A quick recap of White’s career stats shows that in three years, he’s now caught 23 passes for 257 yards and zero touchdowns.I used the comparison earlier in the year Authentic Ben Gedeon Jersey , but Laquon Treadwell’s stats over that same period are 43/406/1.Somehow, I just don’t see Vikings fans being quite as frothed up over Treadwell as Bears fans are over White.Pro Football Weekly points out that the Bears Pass rush has gone away. Star linebacker Khalil Mack injured his ankle in the Bears game versus the Dolphins in week six, and has been ineffective since, notching no sacks, forced fumbles, or interceptions.But Mack isn’t the only problem.Leonard Floyd has yet to notch a sack on the season.Other than linebacker Roquan Smith’s sack of Tom Brady on Sunday, the team hasn’t gotten to the quarterback since week five.If you like cool animation, Mitchell Trubisky was the man for you on Sunday, notching two runs which covered 39 yards and 8 yards officially.Unofficially, the runs covered a total of 137 yards.First, the 8-yard touchdown run.Then his near-touchdown.Running Back Tarik Cohen has put up some fairly impressive statistics for the Bears - especially in the passing game, where he is undoubtedly more effective.So far this season, he is second on the team in receptions with 29, yards, with 328, and total touches, with 67.Head Coach Matt Nagy seems to be recognizing this, as Cohen’s snap count this week reflects:Not-afraid-to-make-a-prediction Prediction: The 3-3 Bears take on the 3-4 Jets in a matchup only a mother could love.Bears win by six.Detroit LionsOne of the Lions’ strengths coming in to the season (oh God http://www.minnesotavikingsteamonline.com/laquon-treadwell-jersey , I can feel the comments coming already) was their offensive line.Led by tackles Taylor Decker and Ricky Wagner, the team bolstered the line by adding Chanhassen, Minnesota’s own Frank Ragnow - a player many Vikings fans wanted desperately to see fall to the Vikings at pick number 30.Well, Ragnow has developed faster than perhaps anyone could have predicted, earning Player of the Week honors from FMIA’s Peter King.Check out the block that Ragnow puts on the Dolphins defender on this play (hint: Ragnow is the one driving his man towards the yellow line):Another Lions rookie who has shown he belongs is defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand (no relation).Hand was taken in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, twelve picks after the Vikings took defensive end Jalyn Holmes.The Alabama product the highest rated rookie D-Lineman according to the folks at PFF.The Lions now have another big defensive lineman to pair with Hand, as they acquired Damon “Snacks” Harrison from the Giants on Monday for a fifth round pick.Fans are鈥?uhh鈥?excited!From the “All he does is catch touchdowns” department, Lions tight end Michael Roberts pulled into a virtual tie with Vikings receiver Aldrick Robinson.Roberts and Robinson both have four catches on the season with three of them for touchdowns.Roberts caught two of his touchdowns on Sunday versus the Dolphins.Not-afraid-to-make-a-prediction Prediction: The Lions host the 3-3 Seattle Seahawks.Conventional wisdom tells us never bet to stop a streak, but I’ve never even been to a convention.Despite their recent play, this game has all the feels of a Lions letdown game.The Seahawks win in a fluky way.Green Bay PackersThe Packers come out of their bye week healthier than they’ve been in some time.Aaron Rodgers is still rehabbing the portion of his knee affected by flesh-eating disease, but said he expects to return to practice this week.And, honestly鈥?that’s literally ALL the Packers news right now.That’s it.Aaron Rodgers is back at practice.Seriously, folks.Isn’t there anything interesting going on with the team right now?I’ve spent wayyyyy too much time this week looking around the interwebz for something - anything - interesting to write about this team, and frankly I’m done.This complete lack of news or notes is probably the reason that my Twitter feed is full of things like the following:That’s, uhh鈥?that’s pretty neat.Not-afraid-to-make-a-prediction Prediction:I’m not sure that I’m going for the reverse-psychology angle here, or not.But I think the Packers actually beat the Rams on Sunday afternoon.Close, but I think they do.Here’s hoping I’m wrong!R.I.P., Fred Zamberletti Today Womens Eric Kendricks Jersey , the Minnesota Vikings have lost one of the biggest pieces of their franchise history.Fred Zamberletti, who served as the Vikings head athletic trainer for nearly four decades and served in various other capacities for the team, passed away on Sunday at the age of 86.Zamberletti came on board with the Vikings at the inception of the franchise in 1961 as the team’s head athletic trainer, a capacity that he served in until 1998. He then served as the team’s head of medical services from 1999 to 2001, and then as a senior consultant and team historian from 2002 to 2018. He attended every game in franchise history until 2011, when he finally missed one. His overall streak added up to 1,049 games attended in some capacity.Zamberletti played such a role in the history of the franchise that the team inducted him into their Ring of Honor in December of 1998. He is one of just five non-players to have been given that honor, along with coaches Jerry Burns, Bud Grant, and Dennis Green, as well as former General Manager Jim Finks.Prior to getting into the field of medicine, Zamberletti served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Infantry. He then graduated from the University of Iowa, and went on to become the head of physical therapy at Hibbing General Hospital and the head athletic trainer at the University of Toledo before joining the Vikings.Here is a list of the honors that Zamberletti received, courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings’ official website:We want to send our condolences to the Zamberletti family on the event of Fred Zamberletti’s passing. He truly is one of the biggest pieces of Minnesota Vikings history, and had an impact on the Minnesota Vikings that few could match.

Get Your Hate On: Final Injury Report Saints at Falcons For the Saints DT Tyeler Davison (foot) and LB Manti Te’o(knee) are ruled out.G Andrus Peat(ankle) Authentic Kurt Coleman Jersey , T Terron Armstead(knee), and WRTed Ginn Jr. (knee),were listed as limited with no game day designation. Andrus Peat was not seen in the portion of practice open to the media. Since no designation was given it is expected that they will play. With Manti Te’o listed as out I would expect a heavy dose of Craig Robertson. This could actually help the defense in my opinion. Especially against the run. Hopefully others will step up and bring some pressure on Matt Ryan. For the Falcons WR Julio Jones (calf) officially set to play. Ruled as out are DE Takk McKinley (groin), RB Devonta Freeman (knee), DE Derrick Shelby (groin) and LB Corey Nelson (calf).Good to go are CB Isaiah Oliver (ankle) Patrick Robinson Jersey Salute to Service , WR Russell Gage (knee), and G Ben Garland (calf).Five quick observations from Preseason game 3 The showing in Los Angeles this week was much cleaner than the sloppy game the Saints played last week. Drew Brees did throw one interception on a pass intended for Ted Ginn, but that was the only turnover, which is encouraging. Marcus Davenport made his debut and did not disappoint. Taysom Hill had a better outing and the wide receiver depth chart may be the hardest one to finalize. Hill’s RedemptionTaysom Hillhad 4 turnovers last week when he was given the start over Tom Savage. He needed to bounce back tonight and he did that in a big way. He once again had a nice completion percentage going 7 of 8 for 66 yards and 1 touchdown. He also added 35 rushing yards and one touchdown. His rushing touchdown came in the redzone when he scrambled out of the pocket. He did a good job at going through his progression before deciding to take off. This is the kind of thing coaches like to see and could possibly keep Hill in the back up conversation, although Tom Savage looked good in his time on the field. Jake Roth-USA TODAY SportsDavenport and the D-LineThe controversial first round pick finally made his NFL debut and did not disappoint. He made a nice tackle on an end around where he used his long arms to tackle the wide receiver and displayed his pass rush skills. He used a rip move and showed flexibility to bend the edge and run the arc around the left tackle. Davenport got pressure throughout his snaps and combined for a sack with Onyemata. Trey Hendrickson continues to show his progress and his ability to key off the ball and explode off the line of scrimmage as the ball is snapped. He should get a large amount of playing time while Okafor is out and could possibly start even when he does return.Offensive Rookies continue to impressTre’quan Smith continues his stellar preseason hauling in 4 receptions for 39 yards and showing his football IQ by finding a soft spot in the zone coverage where Hill threw a laser to him in the endzone. Smith also caught a pass for a successful 4th down conversion. Boston Scott got some extra snaps this game and made the most of them. He showed off his elusiveness an ability to break tackles and the ability to catch passes out of the backfield. He could add some fun wrinkles to this already loaded offense. Kickoff CoverageThe kickoff coverage was pleasantly adequate this game Limited Jermon Bushrod Jersey , keeping the Chargers from reaching the 25 yard line two out of the three returnable kicks. This was a point of emphasis during the offseason and draft. Mike Westhoff was also retained this offseason for his special teams acumen. Its encouraging to see the team adapting well to the new kickoff rules.Jake Roth-USA TODAY SportsWide Receiver DepthSean Payton is going to have a tough time deciding how many and which receivers to keep. Michael Thomas, Ted Ginn, Cam Meredith, And Tre’quan Smith are all locks. The fifth and possible sixth spot are still up for grabs. Austin Carr had a nice game, playing primarily in the slot DeMario Davis Jersey , he was able to snag 3 receptions for 38 yards, including one long catch for 29 yards. Tommy Lee Lewis is the guy who won’t go away. He led the team in receiving with 36 yards. His best play came on a deep pass from Tom Savage where he was able to beat the corner back and make an impressive over the shoulder catch. Brandon Tate looks to be the punt returner which gives him a spot on this roster. Based on the snaps in this game, it look like the sixth spot is coming down to a battle between Carr and Lewis. Custom New Orleans Saints Jerseys

When a New Jersey racetrack and a casino start taking bets on sporting events Thursday http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-orlando-brown-jr.-jersey , they will be part of an industry primed for tremendous growth, much of it taking place on smartphones, according to a panel of national gambling experts.

Speaking Wednesday at the east Coast Gaming Congress at Harrah’s casino in Atlantic City, a panel of sports betting and technology company representatives predicted the fastest-growing segment of sports betting will be bets made on smartphones as games are being played.

While bettors always will want to bet on the outcome of a game before it begins, many also want to predict particular plays or developments within a game, the panelists said.

So in addition to wagering on whether the New York Yankees would beat the Boston Red Sox, many gamblers also would want to bet on whether Yankee Aaron Judge would hit a home run just as he arrives at the plate, or how many batters Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale would strike out in a particular inning.

Such betting is the main element of growth in the European sports betting market.

”The growth of in-play has been a huge driver,” said Neale Deeley, vice president of Sportradar US, a data company that works with more than 70 sports federations and leagues around the world on fraud detection, including the NBA, NHL and Major League Soccer.

”Mobile and in-play were absolutely made for each other,” added Lee Richardson, CEO of Spectrum Gaming Group, a gambling consulting firm near Atlantic City. ”It’s what customers want to do.”

The forum came a day before New Jerseyans were to begin placing their first legal sports bets. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy was to place the state’s first legal sports bet at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Monmouth Park, a horse racing track near the Jersey shore in Oceanport.

Thirty minutes later and about 70 miles to the south, Atlantic City’s Borgata casino will start taking sports bets.

No other New Jersey racetrack or casino has announced plans to begin taking bets within the next few days, although most if not all are expected to do so eventually. The Golden Nugget casino and the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, near New York City say they’ll have sports betting operations up and running by the start of football season in September.

New Jersey’s Division of Gaming Enforcement issued its regulations for sports betting providers Wednesday, clearing the last major obstacle for it to begin.

The state won a U.S. Supreme Court case last month clearing the way for all 50 states to offer legal sports betting if they choose.

Experts at the conference cautioned against unduly optimistic projections of sports betting revenue and tax money for states; the activity accounts for about 2 percent of Nevada casinos’ total winnings. In New Jersey, Moody’s has estimated sports betting could initially bring in $108 million http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kenny-young-jersey , or about 4 percent of the state’s annual gambling revenue.

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The list of players sitting out this weekend’s conference championships is almost as impressive as the starting lineups: Julian Edelman. Carson Wentz. Dalvin Cook. Dont’a Hightower. Allen Robinson. Sam Bradford.

Following the NFL’s season of carnage that claimed the likes of, among others, Aaron Rodgers, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, J.J. Watt, DeShaun Watson, Odell Beckham Jr. and Joe Thomas, this year’s final four all overcame not only the odds – ”Minneapolis Miracle , anyone?” – but devastating injuries to key starters.

”We have a tough and resilient team,” Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long said of the NFC’s top seed , which is missing its second-year QB in Wentz, an MVP hopeful when he blew out a knee in December.

Even before Wentz’s injury thrust backup Nick Foles into the starting job for the playoffs, the Eagles lost nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, playmaking middle linebacker Jordan Hicks, versatile return specialist Darren Sproles, and special teams captain Chris Maragos.

Yet, here they are, 60 minutes from Minneapolis and Super Bowl 52.

”I think that starts at the top with Doug, because he sets the tone for being resilient and even keeled,” Long said of his coach, Doug Pederson. ”At the end of the day http://www.ravensauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jaleel-scott-jersey , we have a tough group of guys.”

So do the Minnesota Vikings, who are trying to reach their first Super Bowl in more than four decades and fulfill mantra to ”Bring it Home” and become the first NFL team to play the title game in its own stadium.

And they’re doing so behind Case Keenum, who crashed Tom Brady’s playoff party along with fellow perennial backup Foles and Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blake Bortles.

Together, the four quarterbacks left standing have a combined five Super Bowl rings, two NFL MVP awards and four Super Bowl MVP trophies. Brady, of course, owns all of that hardware himself.

Such is the panorama of these playoffs following a season of pain in which so many superstars were rendered sideline spectators with broken bones, snapped ligaments, torn muscles.

Keenum replaced an injured Bradford, who had replaced an injured Teddy Bridgewater. Bradford, now back in uniform as Keenum’s backup, blew out a knee in the first month of the season, as did rookie running back in Cook, who needed reconstructive surgery to repair a torn ACL.

Behind resilient coach Mike Zimmer , who resisted the urge to quit just before he got the Vikings’ head coaching gig in 2014, Minnesota rolled right along. Keenum deftly took over for Bradford, and Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray became a productive backfield tandem.

”We’ve got a bunch of fighters on this team,” Zimmer said. ”They’ve been a resilient bunch all year long. I expect it to continue to be that way.”

The Patriots are also a bunch of fighters; they reached their seventh straight AFC title game despite losing Edelman, Brady’s top target, to a torn ACL in the preseason, and Hightower to a torn chest muscle in November.

Play caller Josh McDaniels and Brady, who led New England to a fifth Super Bowl title last year despite the absence of Rob Gronkowski http://www.bengalsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jessie-bates-iii-jersey , adjusted accordingly to Edelman’s absence with another terrific year.

Linebacker Kyle Van Noy stepped in for Hightower and ranked third on the team with 73 tackles and second with 5+ sacks despite missing three of the final five games with a calf injury.

Van Noy’s sack total was just a half-sack shy of Hightower’s career high set in 2014.

”The thing about K.V. is he’s very versatile,” said Patriots safety and defensive captain Devin McCourty. ”So we’ve used him a bunch of different ways. … He’s been a big asset to our team.”

The Jaguars are the healthiest of the remaining playoff teams. They have only one opening-day starter on injured reserve: former Pro Bowl receiver Robinson, who tore his left ACL on Jacksonville’s opener.

Four months removed from reconstructive surgery, Robinson is now traveling with the team, so he’ll be on the sideline Sunday at New England, serving as a mentor to a raw receiving corps.

”Every person in this locker room put in a lot of work to get to this point, with me being one of them,” said Robinson, who was poised for another big year after dominating the league’s best secondary in training camp.

His injury on Jacksonville’s third offensive snap created a huge void for the offense. Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns tried to pick up the slack, but they ended up on the sideline at one point with injuries, too, leaving rookies Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook to assume bigger roles.

Cole, an undrafted rookie from tiny Kentucky Wesleyan, had 42 catches for 748 yards and three scores in the regular season. He added a clutch 45-yard catch that set up a late TD in Jacksonville’s 45-42 stunner at Pittsburgh last week.

”I wish I could just wake up tomorrow and feel like I did Sept. 9,” Robinson said, ”but I understand it’s going to be a process. I know I’ll be back to that point and better.”

Like so many other stars, Robinson will be in street clothes Sunday, cheering on his teammates in hopes of getting a sideline pass to the Super Bowl.

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Monday night’s 4-0 blanking of the Cleveland Indians marked the 10 http://www.jaguarsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-taven-bryan-jersey ,000th win in St. Louis Cardinals history.

Number 10,001 might come a bit tougher on Tuesday night.

That’s because St. Louis (41-36) will have to deal with Cleveland ace Corey Kluber in the middle game of the teams’ three-game interleague series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

Kluber (11-3, 2.10), who at this point might be a favorite to win his third American League Cy Young Award, is coming off one of his standard dominating outings. In a 12-0 win Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox, Kluber permitted just one hit and one walk in seven innings, fanning seven.

Following a rare hiccup in a June 15 loss to Minnesota, which touched him for four hits and four runs in five innings, Kluber was back in form.

“It seems like every five days, you try to come up with something different to say,” Indians manager Terry Francona said to mlb.com. “But his level of consistency is so high that, man http://www.dolphinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-minkah-fitzpatrick-jersey , it’s just fun to watch.”

The Cardinals got a taste of Kluber’s level of consistency three years ago on a cold May night in Cleveland, and it went down about as well as a bottle of pesticide. Kluber fanned 18 and walked none over eight innings, ceding just one hit in a 2-0 victory that was the highlight of a 9-16 season hampered by a lack of run support.

That St. Louis lineup bore little resemblance to the one that Kluber will face Tuesday night, just like the Cardinals’ starter bears little resemblance to the one that opened this season pitching at a Cy Young level.

Carlos Martinez (3-4, 3.24) has seen his earned run average double since coming off the disabled list on June 5, failing to make it past the fifth inning in four straight starts. Martinez was pummeled for eight hits and seven runs, five earned, over four innings of an 11-3 defeat Thursday night in Milwaukee.

But St. Louis manager Mike Matheny says Martinez is getting closer to the pitcher that pitched to a 1.62 ERA in his first eight starts.

“I thought his stuff was better last game than his line suggested,” Matheny said of Martinez. “He knows how close he is to getting locked in, so I’m excited to see him pitch tomorrow.”

Martinez, who will face the Indians (43-34) for the first time in his MLB career, has usually delivered shutdown efforts in interleague outings. In 16 career games http://www.saintsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-marcus-davenport-jersey , 12 of them starts, against American League competition, Martinez is 4-4 with a 1.97 ERA.

The Cardinals became the seventh MLB franchise to reach five figures in victories with a good all-around outing. They held an explosive offense to four hits, scored all their runs with two outs and played a clean game defensively.

“I’d take that every night,” Matheny said. “Give them a zero, give us a few runs and I’ll trust our bullpen. Guys came through with big hits. We did a lot of things right … it was a big day.”

A little rest did Kris Bryant a lot of good.

Bryant ended a 24-game homerless drought, the longest of his career, and Ian Happ and Kyle Schwarber also went deep as the Chicago Cubs routed the St. Louis Cardinals 13-5 on Friday night.

”I know that there’s probably going to be plenty more times in my career when that happens and it’s all part of the journey,” Bryant said about his power outage. ”As much as we hate it as players, everybody goes through it at some point in their careers. It’s nothing new to me, so on the surface everything has been peachy and pretty easy for me, but it never felt easy.”

Bryant drilled a 448-foot http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-saquon-barkley-jersey , two-run shot to left field off an ineffective Michael Wacha in the third inning for his first home run since May 14. The 2016 NL MVP capped a six-run fifth with an RBI single and drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. His four RBIs were a season high.

Bryant had been hitless in his four previous games. Cubs manager Joe Maddon sat the All-Star slugger on Wednesday and Thursday.

”It looked like the ball was coming (off his bat) hotter,” Maddon said. ”I thought KB looked good. He looked good. I loved the base hit, I loved the sacrifice fly.”

Jon Lester ran his scoreless streak to 17 innings before giving up a solo home run to Marcell Ozuna in the fourth as the Cubs won for the first time in four tries at Busch Stadium this season. Lester (8-2) allowed two runs in six innings to earn his fourth straight win.

”That might be the best stuff he’s had all year from my angle,” Maddon said. ”That velocity was there. He just continues to trend in the right direction.”

Lester helped himself at the plate, too, driving in a run on a bunt in the fourth and reaching on catcher Yadier Molina’s throwing error that led to a second run as the Cubs extended their lead to 5-0.

Anthony Rizzo had three hits, was hit by a pitch and scored a run. Schwarber launched a three-run homer that traveled a projected 465 feet to straightaway center in the fifth, the third-longest homer by an opposing player in Busch Stadium III history.

Happ led off the third with a home run to right field. His first homer since May 22 snapped a 20-inning scoreless streak for the Cubs.

”We hit homers but we also did the little things well, too,” Maddon said. ”We ran the bases well.”

Wacha (8-2) allowed a career-high nine runs, eight earned, in a season-low four-plus innings. The three home runs he gave up tied a career high.

”I was just falling behind in the counts http://www.jetsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-sam-darnold-jersey ,” Wacha said. ”A lot of 1-0, 2-0s and just too many mistakes and they didn’t miss too many of them.”

Matt Carpenter homered in the sixth and drove in two runs, but the Cardinals lost their third consecutive game.

”Bottom line, we lost and it wasn’t pretty,” manager Mike Matheny said. ”And it’s a matter of trying to conserve arms, trying to get a couple guys off their feet and figure out a way to have some individual things that are done well and build on and have some confidence that will put us in a better spot tomorrow.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cubs: RHP Yu Darvish (right triceps tendinitis) threw a 35-pitch bullpen. He is scheduled to throw another one when the team returns home next week.

Cardinals: 1B Luke Voit was recalled from Double-A Springfield and RHP Matt Bowman (right hand finger blisters) was activated from the 10-day disabled list. 1B Jose Martinez was placed on the paternity list and RHP Daniel Poncedeleon was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

UP NEXT

Cubs RHP Kyle Hendricks (4-6, 3.48 ERA) starts Saturday night against RHP Carlos Martinez (3-2, 2.96). Hendricks has dropped three straight decisions for the first time in his career. Martinez has walked 12 over 7 2/3 innings in two starts since returning from a lat strain.

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First http://www.chargersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kyzir-white-jersey , it was third-string catcher Kyle Higashioka getting the silent treatment in the dugout after a home run. Then, the same for Aaron Hicks when he hit homer No. 3.

On a 91-degree night with the pennant race heating up, the New York Yankees enjoyed some more yucks against their biggest rival.

Hicks launched three home runs and the Yankees pummeled David Price again, connecting five times in the first four innings Sunday on the way to an 11-1 rout of the Boston Red Sox.

”It feels awesome,” Hicks said. ”I blacked out after the third one. Kind of didn’t know what to do. But I mean, it’s exciting.”

Luis Severino became the first 13-game winner in the majors, cruising through 6 2/3 shutout innings of two-hit ball after the Bronx Bombers quickly built him a big cushion. With the teams trading blowouts all weekend, the Yankees (54-27) took two of three from Boston to regain baseball’s best record and first place in the AL East.

”It’s going to be a dogfight. We have a good team, they have a good team,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. ”A weird series, honestly. It was very weird. Weird games.”

Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres also homered for New York, which leads the 19-game season series 5-4. The next time the teams meet is early August at Fenway Park.

”I’m sure it’s going to be a fun few months,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

The first Yankees leadoff batter to hit three home runs in a game, Hicks connected twice from the right side of the plate and once from the left. He smacked a two-run shot to right field in the second inning and a solo drive to center in the fourth that chased Price (9-6) and made it 8-0.

Hicks pulled his 14th of the season into the right-field stands in the eighth off Hector Velazquez. It was the first three-homer game by a Yankees player since Alex Rodriguez, part of the ESPN broadcast crew Sunday, accomplished the feat at Minnesota in July 2015.

The only other Yankees hitter to go deep three times at the current Yankee Stadium was Curtis Granderson in April 2012 against the Twins.

Judge had three hits and scored three times. Torres socked a three-run shot that gave New York a 4-0 lead in the first, and the Yankees finished with a season-high six homers to boost their major league-leading total to 137 http://www.dolphinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kalen-ballage-jersey , setting a franchise record for before the All-Star break.

Exactly halfway through its season, New York is on pace to surpass the 1997 Seattle Mariners’ mark of 264 homers.

”That’s probably as good a night as we’ve had all year,” Boone said. ”Obviously, a big series to grab it on Sunday here. That’s a peak at what we can do.”

Higashioka homered into the second deck in left field off Price for his first major league hit after an 0-for-22 start to his career. Higashioka, wearing No. 66 in pinstripes, received the silent treatment when he returned to the bench before happy teammates finally engulfed him.

”The feeling is indescribable,” Higashioka said at his locker, the team’s championship belt for the night draped over his chair. ”I laughed. I didn’t expect that, but I mean, obviously it was amazing. It was just a great feeling.”

Price was rocked for eight earned runs – matching a career high – and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings, his latest flop against the Yankees. He had never given up more than three homers in a game.

Severino (13-2) lowered his AL-leading ERA to 1.98 and improved to 8-0 at home this season. He walked off to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 46,795 and tipped his cap , right on track to become the first Yankees pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Roger Clemens in 2001.

”It means a lot,” Severino said. ”Facing the Red Sox is one of the best things in baseball.”

Boston (56-29) was outhit 16-4 and didn’t score until the ninth.

THE PRICE IS WRONG

Making his 40th career appearance (39th start) vs. the Yankees, Price fell to 2-6 with an 8.43 ERA in nine starts against them since signing a $217 million contract with Boston before the 2016 season. He has faced New York twice this year, allowing 12 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, and is 0-5 with a 10.44 ERA in his last five starts at Yankee Stadium.

”Honestly http://www.dolphinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-durham-smythe-jersey , I felt fine. They put some good swings on what I felt like were pretty good pitches,” said Price, who entered 7-1 with a 2.72 ERA in nine starts since being diagnosed with a mild case of carpal tunnel syndrome that caused him to miss a scheduled turn at New York in May. ”I’ve faced the Yankees many times. It’s time for me to kind of go back to that drawing board.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: Right-handed reliever Tyler Thornburg is expected back this week after rehabbing from surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome last June.

Yankees: Higashioka started at catcher for Austin Romine, who exited Saturday’s game with tightness in his left hamstring. A precautionary MRI was negative, and Romine was available off the bench. He could return to the lineup Monday night against Atlanta. Romine has been filling in for All-Star backstop Gary Sanchez (groin), who might be able to come off the disabled list right after the All-Star break July 20-22 against the Mets. … GM Brian Cashman said if everything goes well, RHP Masahiro Tanaka (two strained hamstrings) will make a minor league rehab start this week and rejoin the Yankees early next week in Baltimore – perhaps in time to pitch in a July 9 doubleheader.

UP NEXT

Red Sox: Three interleague games at Washington, where RHP Rick Porcello (9-3, 3.60 ERA) faces former Detr A teenager among men, Juan Soto has impressed his teammates on the Washington Nationals with his maturity and, even more so, his potent bat.

Soto hit a tiebreaking two-run double in the eighth inning, and Washington beat the Baltimore Orioles 4-2 Thursday night in the deciding matchup of a three-game interleague series between neighboring rivals.

Soto, a 19-year-old rookie, is batting .326 with 16 RBIs in 28 games. Starting in the cleanup spot for the first time, he drew a walk and delivered the game’s pivotal hit.

”I think we’re all amazed every single day,” Washington ace Max Scherzer said. ”He puts together great ABs. He has antics and has some flair. He’s a great young player. He’s just enjoying himself.”

Bryce Harper led off the eighth with a double off Mychal Givens (0-4) and Trea Turner followed with a single. After Anthony Rendon struck out http://www.dolphinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jason-sanders-jersey , Soto hit a liner into the gap in left-center.

”He’s got unbelievable poise,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said of Soto. ”No matter what the situation is, he goes out there with a game plan.”

Whatever that plan is, it’s effective.

”I just try to be focused and keep working,” Soto said.

Rendon homered for the Nationals, who received seven strong innings from Scherzer and flawless work from their bullpen.

Newcomer Kelvin Herrera (1-0) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning and Sean Doolittle got three straight outs for his 20th save in 21 tries.

Seeking to end a rare run of two straight losses, Scherzer left a tied game after allowing two runs – both on solo homers – and striking out nine.

Afterward, the right-hander heaped praise upon Soto for the manner in which he’s adapted to playing in the big leagues.

”He has a great feel for the strike zone,” Scherzer said. ”To have that type of eye, it’s remarkable for him to be able to do that at this time and this age and this level.”

Activated from the 60-day disabled list before the game, Colby Rasmus homered for the Orioles in his first at-bat since April 6.

”Me and Max, we go way back, so I felt real good,” said Rasmus, who had been sidelined with a hip injury.

In addition, Rasmus made an outstanding throw from right field to the plate, nailing Wilmer Difo on a tag-up play in the seventh inning with the score tied.

Mark Trumbo also homered for Baltimore http://www.vikingsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-mike-remmers-jersey , his sixth of the season and third in four games.

Baltimore starter Kevin Gausman gave up two runs and four hits over six innings. The right-hander was lifted with the score tied, leaving him winless in his last seven starts.

WALK THIS WAY

Martinez put Harper in the leadoff spot for the first time since May for this reason: ”The thinking is if he’s hitting up top, he’ll start taking his walks again and it will get him going.” It worked. Harper walked twice.

DAVIS COMEBACK

Struggling Orioles slugger Chris Davis will start Friday night in Atlanta, manager Buck Showalter said. Davis hasn’t played since June 11, when an 0-for-5 outing against Boston dropped his batting average to .150. Since then, he’s been working on his swing and mental approach in an effort to turn around his unproductive season.

ROSTER SHUFFLE

In addition to activating Rasmus from the DL, the Orioles optioned OF Joey Rickard to Triple-A Norfolk and moved LHP Richard Bleier (latissimus tear) to the 60-day DL. Also, DH Pedro Alvarez cleared waivers and accepted an assignment to Norfolk.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: RHP Chris Tillman (back) will next pitch for Class A Delmarva after allowing three runs in two innings for lower Class A Aberdeen on Wednesday night.

Nationals: RHP Brandon Kintzler (flexor strain) is close to coming off the DL. Martinez hopes the reliever can pitch an inning on a rehabilitation assignment before being is activated. … Martinez said RHP Jeremy Hellickson (right hamstring strain) will soon go on a rehab assignment and pitch five or six innings.

UP NEXT

Orioles: Alex Cobb (2-9, 7.14 ERA) helps Baltimore open a three-game series on the road Friday night against the Braves, who lead the NL East.

Nationals: Tanner Roark (3-7, 3.87) takes the mound in the opener of a three-game set against the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, who entered play Thursday in a second-place tie with Washington.

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