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4B Sunday, November 18, 2018
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
SPORTS
NFL
GOLF
ED ZURGAI Associated Press
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts to his touchdown pass during
a game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Nov. 11 in Kansas City, Mo.
Battle of the best
Chiefs and Rams to meet Monday night
in potential Super Bowl LIII preview
BY BARRY WILNER
Associated Press
What some are calling the NFL’s Game
of the Year already has made huge head
lines by being moved out of Mexico City
because of poor playing conditions. Chiefs-
Rams is back in Los Angeles, in prime time
and, if it lives up to its billing, could be a
wild, high-scoring affair.
Regardless of who wins, both clubs
figure to be in the Super Bowl mix. And
because of the extracurriculars associated
with Monday night’s meeting, perhaps it
won’t be a fair measurement which is the
superior team.
Who cares?
For a mid-November match, fans can’t
ask for much better than a pair of 9-1 teams
with powerhouse offenses and stars galore
— leading MVP contenders Todd Gurley of
Los Angeles and Patrick Mahomes of Kan
sas City for starters — going at it as the only
show in town. No matter which town.
It’s the first meeting in NFL history this
late in a season between two teams averag
ing 33 points per game.
“He’s made some plays that you sit back
and you can’t help but just say, ‘Wow, what
a great play,”’ Rams coach Sean McVay
says of Mahomes, who leads the NFL in
yards passing (3,150). Rams QB Jared Goff
is second (3,134).
Mahomes set a Chiefs record
with an NFL-best 31st TD pass of
the season last week. Len Daw
son had held that KC record since
1964.
Gurley paces the NFL in scoring
(108 points), yards rushing (988),
carries (198), yards from scrim
mage (1,390) and touchdowns (17).
He has scored a touchdown in 13
consecutive games, extending his
own franchise record.
“He is a heck of a player. A great player,”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid says when asked
how to slow Gurley. “You have to be dis
ciplined. They’re a disciplined offense, so
you have to be disciplined from a defensive
standpoint.”
OK, guys, go play. Let America watch
what could be a classic.
The weekend began Thursday night with
Seattle’s 27-24 home victory over Green
Bay.
Russell Wilson threw for 225 yards and
his 15-yard touchdown pass to Ed Dickson
with 5:08 left was the difference. Seattle
(5-5) snapped a two-game losing streak.
Green Bay dropped to 4-5-1.
Off this week are New England (7-3), the
New York Jets (3-7), Miami (5-5), Cleve
land (3-6-1), San Francisco (2-8) and Buf
falo (3-7).
MINNESOTA (5-3-1) at CHICAGO (6-3):
We soon will find out if the Bears are for
real. They are on top of the NFC North,
now face the defending division winners,
then in a ridiculously short turnaround
from Sunday night, they play the early
Thanksgiving Day game at Detroit. They
also have the Rams and Packers on the
road in December.
Two of the NFL’s stingiest and most
physical defenses should be main factors
Sunday.
Minnesota has allowed an average of
only 252.5 yards over last four games, win
ning three. It did so missing some starters.
Safety Harrison Smith likes seeing the
Bears: Smith has four interceptions and
six passes defended in 10 career games vs.
Chicago.
Chicago dropped 10 in a row against
the NFC North before beating Detroit last
Sunday.
HOUSTON (6-3) at WASHINGTON
(6-3):
Two also-rans of 2017 now leading their
divisions.
The Texans have won six in a row and
come off a bye. Key personnel such as DE
J.J. Watt and QB Deshaun Watson were
injured last year and are now playing at
peak efficiency.
If Watson gets time to throw — Houston
has surrendered 30 sacks — DeAndre Hop
kins will be the biggest challenge
to cover. He has four games with
10-plus catches, 100-plus yards
and a touchdown through the air.
That’s most in the league since
the start of 2017, and Hopkins has
five TD catches over the past four
games..
Washington has showed some
balance on offense, but the
defense has been a major factor in
its strong year. It has forced a turn
over in 13 consecutive games, the NFL’s
longest active streak.
TENNESSEE (5-4) at INDIANAPOLIS
(4-5):
Suddenly, there’s a race in the AFC
South, and the Colts could get even more
involved with a fourth consecutive victory.
But the Titans, coming off their best game
by far in an upset of the Patriots, have won
six straight within the division.
Of course, Andrew Luck was not in the
lineup for any of those; Luck is 9-0 in starts
against Tennessee.
“I’m aware of it,” Luck says. “But what’s
happened has happened, and good, bad or
ugly, it doesn’t really matter.”
The Titans have the league’s No. 1
scoring defense, allowing 16.8 points a
game, and have yielded a league-low 16
touchdowns.
Gurley
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Reed, Willett share lead at
European Championship
Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates
— Patrick Reed and Danny Willett
each put on a green jacket the last
time they won a tournament. Now
they have their eyes set on another
significant prize.
Reed, the reigning Masters
champion, and Willett, who won
that event two years earlier, closed
Saturday at 14-under 202 and will enter the
final day of the European Tour’s
season-ending DP World Tour
Championship as co-leaders.
Willett, one stroke off the lead
after the second round, shot a
4- under 68, and Reed carded a
5- under 67 to move one stroke
ahead of Jordan Smith.
Lee Westwood, who won the
Nedbank Challenge last week, shot
a 65 and moved into a tie for fourth
place with Dean Burmester.
Reed, who had just one three-putt
bogey — on the long par-3 fourth
hole — made four birdies when the
wind started picking up on the
7,675-yard Earth course at
Jumeirah Golf Estates.
“I feel good,” said Reed, who
entered the week ranked 17th in
the world. “I feel like the consis
tency of my game is where it needs
to be.”
“I feel like my low points are
getting better, and they are more
manageable and I can miss the
golf ball where I need to miss it. When you
can do that, you’re able to elimi
nate a lot of the big mistakes and
keep the bogeys off the card and I
think that’s key.”
Reed, who said winning would
be “a little early Christmas gift,”
will have to get past a resurgent
Willett, was ranked No. 462 in May
but entered the event 276th.
Willett was 1 under through 13
holes before making three consec
utive birdies for a 68.
“It would be nice to win, but there’s a lot
of golf left,” Willett said. “A lot can happen
in 18 holes.”
Reed
Willett
FALCONS
■ Continued from 1B
season-ending surgeries
for starting safeties Keanu
Neal and Ricardo Allen
have been too much for the
Falcons to overcome. They
rank third-worst in average
yards allowed and fourth-
worst in scoring average.
Elliott is coming off a
dazzling performance —
19 runs and six catches for
187 yards from scrimmage
and two touchdowns — in
a win at Philadelphia. But
the Cowboys had
to stay the course
early when Elliott
had just seven
yards through the
team’s first two
possessions.
“Honestly, at the
beginning, it was a
little bit tough sled
ding,” Elliott said.
“We made some
good adjustments.”
Dallas’ defense faces a
tough challenge in match
ing up against Atlanta
quarterback Matt Ryan and
star wideout Julio Jones,
who has reached 10,000
yards receiving quicker
than any player in NFL
history.
So, there isn’t much wig
gle room for either team.
Both are 4-5 and trying to
stay in the playoff hunt.
Here are things to know
about the Cowboys-Falcons
matchup:
THIN D-LINE
The Cowboys started
practice this week with
five defensive linemen
sidelined by injuries:
David Irving
(ankle), Taco
Charlton (shoul
der), Maliek Col
lins (knee), Daniel
Ross (calf) and
Antwaun Woods
(concussion).
Collins and
Woods both played
more than 60 per
cent of the snaps
against Philadelphia. If
either can’t play against the
Falcons, the depth on the
interior line will be tested.
Dallas might not be able
to use Tyrone Crawford
outside as much to ease
the load on DeMarcus Law
rence and Randy Gregory.
Lawrence, who has battled
shoulder issues this season
and has a history of back
trouble, played a season-
high 90 percent of the snaps
against the Eagles.
FIGHTING FOR
RESPECT
Falcons cornerback Des
mond Trufant is enduring
his toughest year as a pro
with five dropped intercep
tions, the worst coming on
Cincinnati’s game-winning
drive in Week 4. Trufant,
a first-round pick in 2013,
takes the blame for not
playing consistently sound
fundamentals.
“I’m judging myself
harder than anybody else
can,” he said. “So it is what
it is. It’s the league. I’m in
the spotlight. I’m earning
what I’m earning. It just
comes with it. That’s just
how it goes.”
Elliott
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