The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current, November 21, 2018, Image 12

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The times., November 21, 2018, Image 12

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Newspaper Page Text2B Wednesday, November 21,2018 The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com SPORTS GOLF Phil Mickelson follows his shot from the second tee of the Silverado Resort North Course during the final round of the Safeway Open on Oct. 7 in Napa, California. ■ Continued from 1B — Woods was the only rival Mickelson had, not the other way around — has been dormant for five years. This feels old, and the relentless promotion at times has made it feel contrived. Is it a bad idea? Not at all. There is no downside to Woods and Mickelson squaring off in a pay-per- view event on a beautiful golf course at Shadow Creek that everyone seems to know but hardly anyone has seen. But when the big gest upside is that there’s no downside, selling it becomes an uphill battle. There will be plenty of talking, and Mickelson is rarely without words. There will be side action. That’s part of what makes this dif ferent from the “Showdown at Sherwood,” a Monday night exhibition between Woods and David Duval in 1999 when they were in their prime and battling for No. 1 in the world. The question is whether it has a future. That’s about the only thing that piques the inter est of Alastair Johnston, vice chairman of IMG who knows a little about these golf exhibitions. Johnston was deeply involved with the Skins Game when it began in 1983 until it had run its course in 2008. In the midst of that run were the Monday night matches that featured Woods against Duval, Sergio Garcia and then a team format that ended — thank fully — when it had Woods, Mickelson, John Daly and Retief Goosen. “It’s very tough for me to criticize it, but it’s very tough to praise it,” Johnston said. That covers a lot of ter ritory for a lot of golf fans. Those who live to criticize will be reaching for low- hanging fruit. Those who want to watch Woods and Mickel son go head-to-head will have no trouble finding entertainment. “I’ll be interested, from a professional standpoint, in how many viewers it gets, how many pay,” Johnston said. “How many people actually care to spend money on that, and does it lead to other opportuni ties and different delivery systems? Golf hasn’t been tested like that. That’s what intrigues me.” The PGA Tour has approved only one of these matches, even as there is talk of a franchise. History suggests this won’t have much staying power. The Skins Game was ideal for Thanksgiving weekend, and there was plenty of star power among Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Fred Couples and others. Golf has that now with a strong core of young major champions, and perhaps ERIC RISBERG I Associated Press that’s in the future. But more episodes of Woods and Mickelson will get old, and history suggests that Woods and any collec tion of players might not be enough. In the old Monday night exhibitions, Woods went from a 7.6 national rating with Sergio Garcia to a 3.0 in the last of the team events. So the only outcome on Black Friday is how many care, even when it involves the one player everyone loves to watch. Johnston recalls not so fondly the time he put together a unique concept in 1997, the year Woods set 20 records at the Masters and won by 12. He was to play against Michael Jordan, Ken Griffey Jr. and Kevin Cost ner. For every hole Woods won, they could choose which club to take out of his bag. The forecast is for sun shine and mild weather in Las Vegas on Friday. That’s a start. Doug Ferguson is golf columnist for the Associated Press. He can be reached at dferguson@ap.org Football/NFL AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA New England 7 3 0 .700 280 236 Miami 5 5 0 .500 199 256 Buffalo 3 7 0 .300 137 251 N.Y. Jets 3 7 0 South .300 208 254 W L T Pet PF PA Houston 7 3 0 .700 239 205 Indianapolis 5 5 0 .500 298 249 Tennessee 5 5 0 .500 178 189 Jacksonville 3 7 0 North .300 176 219 W L T Pet PF PA Pittsburgh 7 2 1 .750 299 225 Baltimore 5 5 0 .500 237 181 Cincinnati 5 5 0 .500 256 312 Cleveland 3 6 1 West .350 218 263 W L T Pet PF PA Kansas City 9 2 0 .818 404 294 L.A. Chargers 7 3 0 .700 262 209 Denver 4 6 0 .400 228 235 Oakland 2 8 0 .200 170 293 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East W L T Pet PF PA Washington 6 4 0 .600 197 198 Dallas 5 5 0 .500 203 190 Philadelphia 4 6 0 .400 205 231 N.Y. Giants 3 7 0 South .300 215 263 W L T Pet PF PA New Orleans 9 1 0 .900 378 239 Carolina 6 4 0 .600 260 252 Atlanta 4 6 0 .400 263 276 Tampa Bay 3 7 0 North .300 267 329 W L T Pet PF PA Chicago 7 3 0 .700 294 195 Minnesota 5 4 1 .550 241 229 Green Bay 4 5 1 .450 247 243 Detroit 4 6 0 West .400 222 263 W L T Pet PF PA L.A. Rams 10 1 0 .909 389 282 Seattle 5 5 0 .500 246 216 Arizona 2 8 0 .200 145 248 San Francisco 2 8 0 .200 230 266 Monday’s Games L.A. Rams 54, Kansas City 51 Thursday’s games Chicago at Detroit, 12:30 p.m. Washington at Dallas, 4:30 p.m. Atlanta at New Orleans, 8:20 p.m. Sunday’s games Seattle at Carolina, 1 p.m. New England at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m. Jacksonville at Buffalo, 1 p.m. San Francisco at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. Oakland at Baltimore, 1 p.m. N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Cleveland at Cincinnati, 1 p.m. Football/college Top 25 schedule Thursday’s game No. 22 Mississippi State at Mississippi, 7:30 p.m. Friday’s games No. 6 Oklahoma at No. 12 West Virginia, 8 p.m. No. 7 Washington State vs. No. 16 Washington, 8:30 p.m. No. 8 UCF at South Florida, 4:15 p.m. No. 11 Texas at Kansas, Noon Saturday’s games No. 1 Alabama vs. Auburn, 3:30 p.m. No. 2 Clemson vs. South Carolina, 7 p.m. No. 3 Notre Dame at Southern Cal, 8 p.m. No. 4 Michigan at No. 10 Ohio State, Noon No. 5 Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, Noon No. 8 LSU at Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. No. 13 Florida at Florida State, Noon No. 14 Utah State at No. 21 Boise State, 10:15 p.m. No. 15 Penn State vs. Maryland, 3:30 p.m. No. 17 Kentucky at Louisville, 7 p.m. No. 18 Utah vs. BYU, 10 p.m. No. 19 Syracuse at Boston College, Noon No. 20 Northwestern vs. Illinois, 3:30 p.m. No. 24 Pittsburgh at Miami, 3:30 p.m. No. 25 Iowa State vs. Kansas State, 7 p.m. Football/college Thursday’s games SOUTH MVSU (1-9) at Alabama St. (3-7), 3 p.m. Mississippi St. (7-4) at Mississippi St. (7-4), 7:30 p.m. FAR WEST Colorado St. (3-8) at Air Force (4-7), 3:30 p.m. Friday’s games EAST Oklahoma (10-1) at West Virginia (8-2), 8 p.m. SOUTH Houston (8-3) at Memphis (7-4), Noon Coastal Carolina (5-6) at South Alabama (2-9), 3 p.m. Virginia (7-4) at Virginia Tech (4-6), 3:30 p.m. UCF (10-0) at South Florida (7-4), 4:15 p.m. MIDWEST Buffalo (9-2) at Bowling Green (3-8), Noon Nebraska (4-7) at Iowa (7-4), Noon Texas (8-3) at Kansas (3-8), Noon E. Michigan (6-5) at Kent St. (2-9), Noon Akron (4-6) at Ohio (7-4), Noon Cent. Michigan (1-10) at Toledo (6-5), Noon Arkansas (2-9) at Missouri (7-4), 2:30 p.m. East Carolina (3-7) at Cincinnati (9-2), 3:30 p.m. FAR WEST Oregon (7-4) at Oregon St. (2-9), 4 p.m. Washington (8-3) at Washington St. (10-1), 8:30 p.m. Saturday’s games EAST Syracuse (8-3) at Boston College (7-4), Noon Maryland (5-6) at Penn St. (8-3), 3:30 p.m. Temple (7-4) at UConn (1-10), 3:30 p.m. SOUTH Marshall (7-3) at FIU (8-3), Noon Florida (8-3) at Florida St. (5-6), Noon Georgia Tech (7-4) at Georgia (10-1), Noon W. Kentucky (2-9) at Louisiana Tech (7-4), Noon NC State (7-3) at North Carolina (2-8), Noon Navy (3-8) at Tulane (5-6), Noon Wake Forest (5-6) at Duke (7-4), 12:30 p.m. NC Central (4-6) at SC State (5-5), 1:30 p.m. Georgia Southern (8-3) at Georgia St. (2-9), 2 p.m. New Mexico St. (3-8) at Liberty (4-6), 2 p.m. Troy (9-2) at Appalachian St. (8-2), 2:30 p.m. Louisiana-Lafayette (6-6) at Louisiana- Monroe (6-5), 3 p.m. UAB (9-2) at Middle Tennessee (7-4), 3 p.m. Auburn (7-4) at Alabama (11-0), 3:30 p.m. Pittsburgh (7-4) at Miami (6-5), 3:30 p.m. Tennessee (5-6) at Vanderbilt (5-6), 4 p.m. Grambling St. (6-4) vs. Southern U. (6-3) at New Orleans, 5 p.m. Charlotte (4-7) at FAU (5-6), 6 p.m. South Carolina (6-4) at Clemson (11-0), 7 p.m. Kentucky (8-3) at Louisville (2-9), 7 p.m. MIDWEST Purdue (5-6) at Indiana (5-6), Noon Michigan (10-1) at Ohio St. (10-1), Noon Illinois (4-7) at Northwestern (7-4), 3:30 p.m. Minnesota (5-6) at Wisconsin (7-4), 3:30 p.m. Rutgers (1-10) at Michigan St. (6-5), 4 p.m. Kansas St. (5-6) at Iowa St. (6-4), 7 p.m. SOUTHWEST Baylor (5-6) vs. Texas Tech (5-6) at Arlington, Texas, Noon Old Dominion (4-7) at Rice (1-11), 1 p.m. Texas Southern (2-8) at Prairie View (4-6), 2 p.m. Southern Miss. (5-5) at UTEP (1-10), 3 p.m. SMU (5-6) at Tulsa (2-9), 3:30 p.m. Arkansas St. (7-4) at Texas St. (3-8), 4 p.m. North Texas (8-3) at UTSA (3-8), 7 p.m. LSU (9-2) at Texas A&M (7-4), 7:30 p.m. Oklahoma St. (6-5) at TCU (5-6), 8 p.m. FAR WEST Wyoming (5-6) at New Mexico (3-8), 2:30 p.m. Arizona St. (6-5) at Arizona (5-6), 3:30 p.m. Stanford (6-4) at UCLA (3-8), 3:30 p.m. Colorado (5-6) at California (6-4), 7 p.m. San Jose St. (1-10) at Fresno St. (9-1), 7 p.m. Notre Dame (11-0) at Southern Cal (5-6), 8 p.m. Nevada (7-4) at UNLV (3-8), 9:30 p.m. BYU (6-5) at Utah (8-3), 10 p.m. Utah St. (10-1) at Boise St. (8-2), 10:15 p.m. Hawaii (7-5) at San Diego St. (7-4), 10:30 p.m. FCS Playoffs First Round Duquesne (8-3) atTowson (7-4), 2 p.m. Elon (6-4) at Wofford (8-3), 2 p.m. Stony Brook (7-4) at SE Missouri St. (8-3), 2 p.m. Incarnate Word (6-4) at Montana St. (7-4), 3 p.m. Delaware (7-4) at James Madison (8-3), 3 p.m. San Diego (9-2) at Nicholls St. (8-3), 4 p.m. Lamar (7-4) at N. Iowa (6-5), 5 p.m. ETSU (8-3) at Jacksonville St. (8-3), 7:30 p.m. Transactions BASEBALL American League CHICAGO WHITE SOX — Selected the contracts of RHP Dylan Cease and LHP Kodi Medeiros from Birmingham (SL) and RHP Jordan Stephens and C Seby Zavala from Charlotte (IL). HOUSTON ASTROS — Selected the contracts of RHP Rogelio Armenteros and C Garrett Stubbs from Fresno (PCL) and RHP Bryan Abreu from Quad Cities (MWL). KANSAS CITY ROYALS — Selected the con tracts of RHPs Arnaldo Hernandez and Josh Staumont from Omaha (PCL) and RHP Scott Blewett from Northwest Arkansas (TL). MINNESOTA TWINS — Signed 3B Randy Cesar and RHPs Preston Guilmet and Zack Weiss to minor league contracts. Selected the contracts of SS Nick Gordon and OF LaMonte Wade from Rochester (IL). SEATTLE MARINERS — Added RHP Erik Swanson to the 40-man roster. Shifted first base coach Chris Prieto to third base coach. Named Perry Hill first base/infield coach. TEXAS RANGERS — 3B Adrian Beltre announced his retirement. Claimed INF Jack Reinheimer off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. Assigned RHPs Eddie Butler and Ronald Herrera outright to Nashville (PCL). National League ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — Assigned RHPs Artie Lewicki and Braden Shipley outright to Reno (PCL). ATLANTA BRAVES — Selected the contracts of C Alex Jackson and RHPs Jacob Webb, Patrick Weigel and Huascar Ynoa from Gwinnett (IL). MIAMI MARLINS — Claimed RHP Julian Fernandez off waivers from San Francisco. NEW YORK METS — Released RHP Jenrry Mejia. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS — Designated RHPs Conner Greene and Derian Gonzalez for assign ment. Agreed to terms with LHPs Tommy Layne and Hunter Cervenka, C Joe Hudson and RHPs Mike Hauschild, Williams Perez and Harold Arauz on minor league contracts. Selected the contracts of LHP Genesis Cabrera, RHP Ryan Helsley, OF Lane Thomas and INF Ramon Urias from Memphis (PCL). WASHINGTON NATIONALS — Agreed to terms with C Kurt Suzuki on a two-year contract. FOOTBALL National Football League CINCINNATI BENGALS — Signed DE Kasim Edebali. Placed LB Preston Brown on injured reserve. Signed WR Hunter Sharp and DE Aaron Wallace to the practice squad. Placed DT Andrew Brown on the practice squad/injured list. DENVER BRONCOS — Placed G Max Garcia on injured reserve. Signed OT Cyrus Kouandijo. Waived CB-KR Adam Jones. GREEN BAY PACKERS — Signed WR Teo Redding to the practice squad. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Placed CB D.J. Killings on injured reserve. Waived CB Arthur Maulet. Signed C Josh Andrews from Philadelphia’s practice squad. HOCKEY National Hockey League ANAHEIM DUCKS — Reassigned G Kevin Boyle to San Diego (AHL). ARIZONA COYOTES — Assigned D Robbie Russo to Tucson (AHL). CALGARY FLAMES — Assigned D Dalton Prout to Stockton (AHL) for conditioning. NEW JERSEY DEVILS — Assigned D Steven Santini to Binghamton (AHL) for long-term injury conditioning. COLLEGE NOTRE DAME — Announced senior F Elijah Burns is leaving the men’s basketball program. TODAY ON TV BASKETBALL HOCKEY ■ Oklahoma vs. Florida, noon, ESPN ■ Flyers at ■ Wisconsin vs. Stanford, 2:30 p.m., ESPN Buffalo Sabres, ■ Tennessee vs. Louisville, 5 p.m., ESPN2 7:30 p.m., NBCSN ■ Fort Myers Tip-Off third-place match, 5 p.m., FS1 ■ Marquette vs. Kansas, 7 p.m., ESPN2 ■ Fort Myers Tip-Off championship, 7:30 p.m., FS1 ■ NBA: Lakers at Cavaliers, 8 p.m., ESPN ■ NBA: Thunder at Warriors, 10:30 p.m., ESPN GOLF ■ PGA Tour Golf, Handa Melbourne World Cup of Golf, 8 p.m., GOLF MEN’S COLLEGE BASKCTBALL No. 1 Duke wins 78-72 Barrett, Reddish each scored 18 for unbeaten Blue Devils Associated Press R. J. Barrett and Cam Red dish scored 18 points each, and top-ranked Duke sur vived its stiffest challenge of the season, holding off No. 8 Auburn 78-72 Tuesday night to reach the Maui Invita tional title game. The Blue Devils (5-0) got off to another stellar start, looking as if they run another top-10 team out of the gym. The Tigers (4-1) clawed back, trimming a 17-point deficit to 61-56 in the second half by fearlessly attacking Duke at both ends. But every time Auburn tried to get closer, the Blue Devils answered with an alley-oop dunk or step-back jumper. Duke will play No. 3 Gon- zaga or Arizona Wednesday night for a chance at an unprecedented sixth Maui Invitational title. Marques Bolden anchored Duke’s defense, blocking seven shots while finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds. The Blue Devils blocked 11 shots overall. No. 16 CLEMSON 64, GEORGIA 49: Marcquise Reed scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds, Eli jah Thomas had his second straight double-double and No. 16 Clemson beat Geor gia on Tuesday to advance to the championship game of the Cayman Islands Classic. Thomas finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for Clemson (5-0), which is off to its best start since the 2013- 14 season. Shelton Mitchell, who scored a season-high 22 on Monday, chipped in with 13 points and David Skara had three of the Tigers’ nine steals. Coach Brad Brownell won his 154th game at Clem son, three away from pass ing Bill Foster for second in program history. Derek Ogbeide led Geor gia (3-2) with 11 points. Nicolas Claxton, who scored 22 points in an 80-68 win on Monday, was held to three points on l-of-9 shooting — but he had nine rebounds and five blocks. LIPSCOMB 73, No. 18 TCU 64: Garrison Mathews had 23 points, Kenny Cooper scored 17 with a couple of breakaway layups off steals and Lipscomb held on to upset No. 18 TCU on Tues day night, giving the Bisons their first win over a Top 25 team. Lipscomb (4-1), the ASUN Conference preseason favor ite, had been 0-13 against ranked teams since 2006. All of those losses were by double digits. Alex Robinson had 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for TCU (3-1), which lost a November game for the first time since 2015. The Horned Frogs’ 18-game winning streak during the month had been the second- longest among Division I programs, behind only Vir ginia’s 21 in a row. The Bisons built a 12-point lead before Mathews rebounded a missed 3-pointer by Kouat Noi that would have tied the game with just more than a minute left. Mathews then made a 3 at the other end. No. 23 OHIO STATE 68, Top 25 Men’s Top 25 Tuesday’s results 1. Duke (4-0) vs. No. 8 Auburn. Next: vs. No. 3 Gonzaga or Arizona, Wednesday. 2. Kansas (3-0) did not play. Next: vs. Marquette, Wednesday. 3. Gonzaga (4-0) vs. Arizona. Next: vs. No. 1 Duke or No. 8 Auburn, Wednesday. 4. Virginia (3-0) did not play. Next: vs. Middle Tennessee, Wednesday. 5. Tennessee (3-0) did not play. Next: vs. Louisville, Wednesday. 6. Nevada (4-0) did not play. Next: vs. Tulsa, Thursday. 7. North Carolina (5-0) did not play. Next: vs. Texas, Thursday. 8. Auburn (4-0) vs. No. 1 Duke. Next: vs. No. 3 Gonzaga or Arizona, Wednesday. 9. Michigan (5-0) did not play. Next: vs. Chattanooga, Friday. 10. Kentucky (3-1) did not play. Next: vs. Winthrop, Wednesday. 11. Michigan State (3-1) did not play. Next: vs. No. 17 UCLA, Thursday. 12. Kansas State (5-0) did not play. Next: vs. Lehigh, Saturday. 13. Virginia Tech (4-0) did not play. Next: vs. Saint Francis (Pa.), Saturday. 14. Florida State (3-0) did not play. Next: vs. UAB, Thursday. 15. Mississippi State (3-1) did not play. Next: vs. Utah State, Wednesday. 16. Clemson (5-0) beat Georgia 64-49. Next: vs. Creighton or Georgia State, Wednesday. 17. UCLA (4-0) did not play. Next: vs. No. 11 Michigan State, Thursday. 18. TCU (3-0) vs. Lipscomb. Next: vs. Eastern Michigan, Monday. 19. LSU (4-0) did not play. Next: vs. College of Charleston, Thursday. 20. Iowa (4-0) did not play. Next: vs. Alabama State, Wednesday. 21. Oregon (3-1) vs. Green Bay. Next: vs. Texas Southern, Monday. 22. Buffalo (3-0) did not play. Next: vs. Dartmouth, Wednesday. 23. Ohio State (5-0) beat Samford 68-50. Next: vs. Cleveland State, Friday. 24. Purdue (4-1) did not play. Next: vs. Robert Morris, Friday. 25. Wisconsin (3-0) vs. Stanford. Next: vs. Florida or Oklahoma, Thursday. Associated Press SAMFORD 50: Kaleb Wes son scored 17 points, Key- shawn Woods added 14 and No. 23 Ohio State shook off a sluggish first half to beat scrappy Samford 68-50 on Tuesday night for its fifth straight victory to begin the season. Ohio State seemed out of sync from the opening tip, as coach Chris Holtmann benched four starters for being late to “game-day preparation,” according to the school. The Buckeyes shot just 37.5 percent from the field in the first half while Samford shot 50 per cent and led 32-29. SCORES ■ Continued from 1B Joelle Snyder scored 10 points and Jasmine How ard finished with nine for the Lady Lions (2-2) in the Keller Williams Raider Clas sic on Tuesday at North For syth High in Cumming. Maddy Towles added eight points and four steals for Lakeview Academy, while Eliza Snyder scored eight and picked up five assists. Savannah Kinsey had six points and six rebounds, while Sadie Thrailkill added five points and five boards. Next up, Lakeview Acad emy faces Athens Academy on Nov. 28 in Athens. LAKEVIEW ACADEMY BOYS 57, NORTH FOR SYTH 54: Blake McIntyre scored a game-high 33 points (nine 3-pointers) in the third- place game of the Keller Williams Raider Classic on Tuesday in Cumming. Adam Cottrell racked up a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Lakeview Acad emy hosts St. Francis at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. BANKS COUNTY BOYS 85, NORTH OCONEE 73: Pierce Martin scored a game-high 31 points and hit nine of the Leopards’ 18 3-pointers on Tuesday. Carl Cleveland scored 20 points with 10 rebounds for Banks County. Also for the Leopards, Clay Gosnell added 11 points. On Saturday, Banks County faces Stephens County in Toccoa. DAWSON COUNTY GIRLS 48, SOUTH FOR SYTH 33: Clemson Univer sity signee Kaylee Sticker had a game-high 24 points for the Lady Tigers in the championship game of the Tiger Tipoff Classic on Tues day. The Lady Tigers (3-0) outscored the War Eagles 22-2 in the second quarter to take a 17 point lead at the half. Maddie Anglin added eight points for the Tigers. Dawson County will visit Flowery Branch on Nov. 29. RIVERSIDE MILI TARY ACADEMY BOYS 54, OCONEE COUNTY 51: Led by tournament MVP Isaac Teasley’s 27 points, the Eagles finished first in the East Jackson Tipoff Tour nament Tuesday in Com merce. Also for the Eagles (3-1), Shad Dabney scored 11 points, while Orlando Stevens had seven for the Eagles in the win. High school scores can be reported each night by 10:30 p.m. by calling 770- 718-3409 or email sports@ gainesvilletimes.com. FALCONS ■ Continued from 1B In the first meeting against mighty New Orleans, safety Ricardo Allen went out with a sea- son-ending Achillies injury, just three weeks into the 2018 campaign In each of the first three games, Atlanta had a key cog to its lineup being helped off the field, then handed a diagnosis that would take them out of play the rest of the season. In Week 1, fellow safety Keanu Neal was lost when he went down with a season ending knee injury against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. That same night, the anchor to the linebacking corp, Pro Bowler Deion Jones, went down with a foot injury. As injuries started to com pound, Atlanta found itself in the tenuous position of having to try to score every time it marched down the field. While the Falcons have made strides under second-year offensive coor dinator Steve Sarkisian, they haven’t been able to make up for a short-handed patchwork defense Atlanta has had to march out on the field. The injuries on the offen sive side have been nearly as problematic, starting with starting guard Andy Levitre going out against the Panthers in Week 2. His injury was diagnosed as a season-ending tricep injury. Atlanta’s other starting guard, Brandon Fusco, was lost in the win against the New York Giants on Mon day Night Football. The running backs group has been thin since often- injured Devonta Freeman went down with a groin injury against the Steelers. He was placed on injured reserve but could still return before season’s end. It feels like everyone for Atlanta has been injured for Atlanta this season, except for Ryan and prime-play- maker Julio Jones at wide receiver. Despite all the injuries, it’s also the constant repeat this season with the Falcons failing to convert on offense in the final minute of the game. Four of Atlanta’s six losses came on the final pos session of the game. Against Philly, the season started with Ryan’s pass to Jones short of the end zone on the final play, which made the Falcons 0-1. Atlanta also had a chance against New Orleans in Week 3, but a promising drive late in the fourth quarter that started with Ryan throwing the ball well stalled abruptly around midfield in the final min ute, sending the game to overtime. New Orleans made Atlanta pay on the next drive as quarterback Drew Brees ran it in for the game winning 1-yard score. At that point, the Falcons were 1-2 and looking at an aggra vating trend in the making. Despite the rocky start, the Falcons season didn’t go completely off the rails with the pitiful performance against the Cleveland Browns, losing 28-16. Atlanta couldn’t stop the running of Browns running back Nick Chubb, who we all remember from his days with the Georgia Bulldogs. Falcons fans were left tired and defeated, but still clinging to hope after that one on Nov. 11. Then Sunday, Atlanta was crushed by Dallas’ last-sec ond field goal to escape with a 22-19 win at the Mercedes- Benz Stadium. At that point, the Falcons went from the playoff bub ble to longshot, at best. Now, Atlanta can still make the playoffs. Six straight wins to end the season is possible, just not probable, given the injury bug that has loomed like a dark cloud over the Falcons all season. Certainly, if the Birds can get over the first hurdle against the Saints on Thanksgiving, if would give them a glimmer of hope down the stretch. However, this ugly sea son with one player after another leaving the field on a cart or under the assis tance of trainers doesn’t feel promising to finish with a playoff berth. For that, no one is to blame. Just chalk it up to Atlanta always coming out exces sively bruised and battered in what is a violent sport. Bill Murphy is sports editor of The Times. He can be reached at bmurphy@gainesvilletimes. com or email sports@ gainesvilletimes.com.