Bewerbung » Ryan Kelly Jersey

What America saw last weekend from the Atlanta Falcons was similar to what the team showed for 2+ quarters of last year’s Super Bowl.

Can they keep it up as they head on the road again Saturday to Philadelphia?

The Falcons have that balanced offense – if Matt Ryan is efficient – to challenge any opponents. Where they made their mark against the Rams was on defense.

”We don’t have a (complicated) defense Authentic Alex Cappa Jersey , but we are very detailed,” says defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel, a former NFL player who got the job last February. ”And the detail of expectations of understanding that they have to make our defense come to life, and they’re doing an awesome job at it.”

Philadelphia’s defense has been up and down recently, and it has dealt with a bunch of injuries. Depth has been a plus for Jim Schwartz’s unit.

The edge here belongs to Atlanta at quarterback – if Ryan is efficient – with backup Nick Foles running the offense for the Eagles. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Foles fly. Or struggle.

The Falcons are 2-point favorites over the top-seeded Eagles, a highly unusual occurrence. But one that, with Carson Wentz on the sideline, makes enough sense.

FALCONS, 23-19

Tennessee (plus 13) at New England, Saturday

The Patriots are rested. They’re supposedly ticked off. They’re pretty healthy.

And they are miles better than the Titans.

Still, let’s give Tennessee tremendous credit for how it rallied in Kansas City. The Titans showed resolve and an ability to come up with big plays on offense that few expected.

”You’ve got every team fighting to play for the next week,” Patriots safety Devin McCourty says. ”Nobody’s going to go out there – and I don’t care if you’re down, if you’re up – like no one is going to quit. So, that’s something I think we always talk about, and obviously you could see it in that game against Kansas City.”

But this one is in New England. Yes, it’s gotten tiresome to travel (and travel, and travel) to Foxborough for playoff games. There’ll be another one up there next weekend.

BEST BET: PATRIOTS, 30-10

Jacksonville (plus 7+) at Pittsburgh, Sunday

One thing about the Steelers: They tend to play much closer games than they should. Based on talent alone, they probably are the NFL’s most skilled squad.

Here comes Jacksonville, following an offensive stinker in beating outmanned Buffalo. Logic says this should be a rout.

Forget logic and remember that Ben Roethlisberger was so victimized in a 30-9 Week 5 loss to the Jaguars that he had one of the worst games of his career.

There’s also the Antonio Brown factor: How healthy is the unanimous All-Pro receiver, who was injured in Week 15?

Jacksonville has a staunch defense with a terrific pass rush, too. Its secondary is among the league’s best.

OK, enough of that. We can’t make a case for Blake Bortles winning in Pittsburgh.

STEELERS, 21-16

New Orleans (plus 4) at Minnesota, Sunday

What figures to be the best game of the divisional round, a redux of the Vikings’ 29-19 home victory in the season opener.

Both sides are balanced and have enough experience to handle the pressure. While the Saints have the Hall of Fame-level skills of Drew Brees at quarterback, Minnesota’s Case Keenum has been among the most pleasant surprises in the league.

Look for this one to come down to which defense asserts itself. Coach Mike Zimmer has built quite the unit in the Twin Cities.

”Well, you want to have pass rushers, you want to have guys that can cover,” he says. ”Without giving away all my secrets, I like a certain body type with guys. You can kind of look at most of them and tell what we’re trying to get. Athleticism, guys who can think quickly on their feet, safeties that have versatility, corners who can cover.”

Sounds like a winner.

VIKINGS, 20-17

—

2017 RECORD:

Last week: Against spread (2-2). Straight up (1-3)

Season Totals: Against spread (119-122-10). Straight up: (163-95)

Best Bet: 9-9 against spread Authentic Jordan Whitehead Jersey , 10-8 straight up.

Upset special: 10-8 against spread, 9-9 straight up

—


CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians will attempt to run their winning streak to a season-high seven games Sunday against the slumping Detroit Tigers in the final game of a three-game series.

For the Indians, it’s also the end of a nine-game homestand in which they’ve gone 6-2.

The Tigers have lost four in a row and go into Sunday’s game with a 3-9 record against the Indians this year. They’re 6-28 since June 25, 2015.

The staggering Tigers made a flurry of roster moves before Saturday’s game, starting with activating pitcher Francisco Liriano off the 10-day disabled list. Liriano pitched four innings and took the loss Saturday in a 4-1 Cleveland victory.

The Tigers also optioned infielder Ronny Rodriguez to Triple-A Toledo. They placed pitcher Johnny Barbato on the 10-day disabled list with right shoulder rotator cuff tendinitis. To replace Barbato on the roster, Detroit recalled right-handed pitcher Artie Lewicki from Toledo.

The pitching matchup Sunday will be Detroit left-hander Matthew Boyd (4-5, 3.63 ERA) vs. Cleveland right-hander Adam Plutko (3-1, 5.04).

Boyd will make his second start against the Indians this year. His first one was a good one. On April 10, the Tigers lost to Cleveland 2-1. Boyd worked seven innings, giving up one run and three hits with four strikeouts and one walk.

Boyd comes into Sunday after a loss in his last start, 9-5 to Cincinnati on June 19. In that game, he pitched four innings, giving up five runs and six hits with five strikeouts and three walks. In six career appearances against the Indians, Boyd is 1-2 with a 1.78 ERA.

Plutko’s last appearance was a two-inning relief stint during the Indians’ 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on June 16. In that game, Plutko pitched two innings, giving up one run and two hits with one strikeout and no walks.

Plutko’s last start was a 5-1 loss to the White Sox on June 12 in which he pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs and eight hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

Sunday will be Plutko’s second career appearance against Detroit. He made a relief appearance against the Tigers on Sept. 27, 2016, allowing three runs and three hits, including a home run, with one walk and one strikeout in two innings.

Sunday was supposed to be Mike Clevinger’s day to start, but Indians manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Carl Willis decided to tweak the rotation. Clevinger will instead pitch Monday in St. Louis. Corey Kluber, who’s day to pitch would have been Monday, will now pitch Tuesday against the Cardinals.

“Somebody was going to get an extra day,” Francona said. “Just talking to Carl, we felt like Clev’s thrown 100 (or more) pitches in nine (of his last 10 starts). So giving him an extra day, we just thought it would help us more than anything. So that’s why we changed it.”

Plutko will be backed by a Cleveland bullpen that is much improved since the additions of newcomers Oliver Perez and Neil Ramirez. Ramirez has a 2.57 ERA in 16 games, and in his nine appearances with Cleveland Perez has a 1.17 ERA.

“The reliever world can be very volatile, so when you hit on guys like that, it sure helps,” Francona said.

The Tigers, meanwhile, are trying to get their offense started. Detroit has scored three runs or less in four of its last five games, being outscored 29-12 in those games.