Newspaper Page Text
4B Sunday, November 25, 2018
The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com
NFL
GERALD HERBERT I Associated Press
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) attempts a pass against the New
Orleans Saints on Sunday, Nov. 18, in New Orleans.
Eagles looking to
salvage season
BY BARRY WILNER
Associated Press
Enough of this.
If the Eagles are going to
make a respectable show
ing after their first Super
Bowl title, it’s time to do so.
They have lost three of four.
They turn over the ball too
often and can’t make big
defensive stops.
They are heavily injured
physically and, perhaps
psychologically, by a 4-6
record as they host the New
York Giants (3-7) on
Sunday.
“It’s uncharted
territory a little
bit,” coach Doug
Pederson says. “I
think the guys have
really handled it
well. They’re dis
appointed, they’re
frustrated, quite
frankly, as we all
are. We haven’t played up
to the caliber that we’re
capable of playing.
“Nobody is going to feel
sorry for us, and we’re not
going to do the same. We
just have to come to work
ready and practice, and pre
pare, and as they say, try to
go 1-0 each week.”
Six weeks of 1-0 might be
good enough to win the NFC
East, in which they trail
Washington by two games
and Dallas by one. The
Eagles have two games left
with the Redskins and one
with the Cowboys, to whom
they have lost in Philly.
New York has won two in
a row to temporarily quiet
the social media and tabloid
complaints about Eli Man
ning. The veteran quarter
back has shown that given
time to throw — the
O-line has vastly
improved the past
two weeks — he
still can produce.
And he has tal
ented teammates
in Saquon Barkley,
Odell Beckham Jr.,
Evan Engram and
Sterling Shepard.
“I think we’re
running the ball better
than we did, so I feel like
we’re playing better foot
ball, but we got to continue
doing that,” Manning says.
“They’re a good team,
they’re a good defense, they
got a good front four and
they’re a little banged-up
in the secondary, but they’ll
have a good plan and we just
got to go execute.”
Seattle (5-5) at Carolina
(6-4):
The winner could place
itself in strong position for
a wild card. Neither the
Seahawks nor Panthers
figures to catch their divi
sion leaders, the Rams
and Saints, respectively. A
Seahawks loss clinches the
NFC West for LA.
Carolina has lost two
straight in entirely differ
ent manners, a blowout at
the hands of Pittsburgh and
then a one-point defeat at
Detroit when a 2-point con
version failed.
Both teams will want to
run; Seattle leads the league
in yards on the ground
despite not having a stand
out running back.
Pittsburgh (7-2-1) at
Denver (4-6):
A sign of a contender
is playing poorly — very
poorly at times — and still
winning. The Steelers did
that last week at Jackson
ville, a game that could cat
apult them to bigger things
in a division they already
control.
Pederson
NFL divisional standings
already starting to solidify
BY BARRY WILNER
Associated Press
Sorry, Yogi. Maybe it is over before it’s
over.
Just look at most of the NFL division
races.
The NFC West will be over if Seattle
loses at Carolina today. The AFC West
looks done in favor of Kansas City.
Both South divisions are runaways for
the Saints in the NFC, the Texans — yes,
the formerly 0-3 Texans — in the AFC.
Pittsburgh appears to be more in a race
for the top overall AFC seed than any chal
lenge in the North. Chicago has a choke
hold on the NFC North.
And did anyone think New England
would be challenged in the AFC East?
Combine the three other rosters in that sec
tor and the resulting team might not chal
lenge Tom Brady and the Patriots.
That leaves one division in seri
ous doubt, and with some serious
turmoil: the NFC East.
You’ll never hear a coach or
general manager or owner claim
anything is in the bag until, well,
it’s in the bag, tied up and secured
in a safe place. So don’t ask Sean
Payton or Sean McVay or Matt
Nagy about playoff byes and home-
field advantages.
“For us, there’s so many different things
we can get better at,” McVay says, “and
that’s the exciting thing about it is with foot
ball, there’s this never-ending goal of con
tinuing to improve and focus on the little
things. Whether that’s situational football,
whether that’s taking care of it or taking it
away defensively.
“Then, it’s going to be about continuing
to improve and playing team football. If
we do that, then we think good things are
going to happen, but it’s going to be a tough
stretch. We’ve got some great games com
ing up. For us, when we get back, the No. 1
focus will be on the Detroit Lions and then
we’ll go from there.”
But it’s crystal clear what’s going on,
even before we reach December.
Barring major injuries — the kind of
thing that is destroying the season for
Philadelphia and Atlanta and Cincinnati —
here’s what is going on:
AFC
The most interesting race is for which
teams will wind up with a week off in the
postseason. Kansas City (9-2) has the inside
position, followed by Pittsburgh (7-2-1),
New England and Houston, both 7-3. Sure,
the Chargers (7-3) could sneak through
in the West, and the Colts or Titans in the
South. Does anyone really believe that will
happen?
Home field is a huge edge for the Patri
ots, of course. They almost never lose at
Foxborough in January.
Oddly, the Chiefs rarely win in KC in the
postseason. They have lost their last six
and haven’t been victorious at Arrowhead
in the playoffs since 1993, when Joe Mon
tana was their quarterback.
The Steelers aren’t particularly domi
nant at Heinz Field in the playoffs, either,
but Houston is 3-1 at home in January.
The Chargers have a nice cushion for a
wild card and do have a Thursday nighter
at KC remaining. No other team has a win
ning record in the conference.
Pittsburgh has the least enviable remain
ing schedule, with home games with the
Chargers and Patriots, and a visit to New
Orleans. New England’s only other likely
test is against up-and-down Minnesota at
Gillette Stadium.
Kansas City has that home game with the
Chargers and a trip to Seattle as its
most challenging contests, while
Houston has no one remaining that
has a winning record and has won
seven in a row.
Look for the Chiefs and Patriots
to lock up byes, with the Chargers
and — a wild stab — the Colts
grabbing wild cards.
NFC
Chicago’s victory on Thanksgiving Day
with backup quarterback Chase Daniel
said a lot about the Bears (8-3). They are as
opportunistic as anyone, and their defense
is the best of any contender. They do get
the Rams (10-1) on Dec. 9, but at Soldier
Field, and still have matchups with the
Packers and Vikings — neither of whom is
balanced enough to put together a closing
streak.
With that defense, Chicago usually
should be capable of winning anywhere,
except that’s not how NFL 2018 is built.
Playing at the offensive machines from
New Orleans (10-1) or Los Angeles would
prove hugely difficult.
The Saints own a victory over the Rams,
which could be decisive in the race for top
seed and, eventually, a spot in the Super
Bowl. Still, New Orleans has trips to Dallas
and Carolina, home games with the Steel
ers and Panthers, perhaps the most-testing
schedule remaining.
The Rams, meanwhile, face only one
opponent currently with a winning mark
(Chicago) the rest of the way.
Dallas (6-5) unquestionably has the
inside track in the East, especially owning
wins over Washington (6-5), which has lost
QB Alex Smith, and struggling Philadelphia
(4-7). That might be the only division race
in doubt come late December. Don’t count
on it being undecided.
McVay
1. If you’re due for a tune-up, have it done before
winter sets in. Winter magnifies existing problems
such as pings, hard starts, sluggish performance
or rough idling.
2. Have the battery and charging system checked
for optimum performance. Cold weather is hard
on batteries.
3. Clean, flush and put new antifreeze in the
cooling system. As a general rule of thumb, this
should be done every two years.
4. Make sure heaters, defrosters and wipers work
properly. As a general rule, wiper blades should
be replaced every six months.
5. Check the tire tread depth and tire pressure.
During winter, tire pressure should be checked
weekly.
6. Have the brakes checked. The braking system
is the vehicle’s most important safety item.
7. Have the exhaust system checked for carbon
monoxide leaks, which can be especially
dangerous during cold weather driving when
windows are closed.
8. Check to see that exterior and interior lights
work and headlights are properly aimed.
9. Be diligent about changing the oil and filter at
recommended intervals. Dirty oil can spell trouble
in winter. Have your technician check the fuel, air
and transmission filters at the same time.
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