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ARAB TIMES, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2014
52
Sports
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Bills seek chance to gain respect in facing Chiefs
Browns tame Bengals to claim share of top spot
WASHINGTON, Nov 7, (Agencies): The
Cleveland Browns maintained their surprising push for a playoff berth with a
dominant 24-3 road win over the
Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday to climb
into a rare share of first place in the division.
The Browns controlled the game on
the ground and intercepted Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton three times to join
Pittsburgh at the top of the AFC North.
Cleveland (6-3) has not been in first
place this late in the season since 1986
and took another step toward a first playoff berth since 2002 by knocking
Cincinnati out of the lead.
“This is a new team, new Browns,”
said Cleveland cornerback Buster Skrine,
who hauled in two interceptions. “We
hear it every week: ‘the surprise Browns.’
We’re not a surprise anymore. We proved
we’re a solid team.”
The Browns got touchdowns from running backs Ben Tate, Isaiah Crowell and
Terrance West, who paced the attack with
94 rushing yards.
Cleveland quarterback Brian Hoyer
tossed for just 198 yards but made key
completions that set up points for the
road team.
A Dalton interception led to
Cleveland’s opening score, a four-yard
run by Tate, and they built on the lead
with 10 points in the second quarter and a
third-quarter score from West.
The Bengals (5-3-1), meanwhile, man-
aged just 165 total yards on the night.
It was a disastrous game for Dalton
who completed just 10-of-33 passes for
86 yards in the cold and windy conditions.
“I missed a couple early and could
never get into a rhythm,” Dalton said.
“We didn’t start fast and that’s on me.”
Cincinnati played a second straight
game without top running back
Giovani Bernard, out with injury.
Rookie running back Jeremy Hill was
not as spectacular as he was in last
week’s spot start, and managed 55
yards on the ground.
FOOTBALL
They are thinking playoffs in Kansas
City, which makes some sense even after
the Chiefs got off to a poor start in the
NFL.
After all, the Chiefs qualified for the
postseason last year.
They’re also thinking playoffs in
Buffalo. Wait, Buffalo?
Yes, at 5-3, like the Chiefs, the Bills
are in the race, seeking to end a 14-season
playoff drought.
“I mean, 5-3 is only the beginning,”
Bills defensive back Corey Graham says.
“We’ve still got a long way to go. It’s not
really how you start, it’s how you finish
the season.”
NFL Standings
WASHINGTON, Nov 7, (RTRS): Standings from the NFL on Thursday
New England
Buffalo
Miami
NY Jets
Pittsburgh
Cleveland
Cincinnati
Baltimore
Indianapolis
Houston
Tennessee
Jacksonville
Denver
Kansas City
San Diego
Oakland
American Football Conference
AFC East
W
L
T OTL
PF
7
2
0
0
281
5
3
0
0
178
5
3
0
0
211
1
8
0
0
154
AFC North
W
L
T OTL
PF
6
3
0
0
248
6
3
0
0
209
5
3
1
0
197
5
4
0
0
240
AFC South
W
L
T OTL
PF
6
3
0
0
290
4
5
0
1
206
2
6
0
0
137
1
8
0
0
141
AFC West
W
L
T OTL
PF
6
2
0
1
245
5
3
0
0
200
5
4
0
0
205
0
8
0
0
129
The Bills usually finish as an also-ran,
which means their success so far isn’t
likely to go to their heads.
“I can understand the question,” coach
PA
198
165
151
252
Pct
.778
.625
.625
.111
Philadelphia
Dallas
NY Giants
Washington
PA
219
172
211
174
Pct
.667
.667
.611
.556
Detroit
Green Bay
Minnesota
Chicago
PA
211
197
202
251
Pct
.667
.444
.250
.111
New Orleans
Carolina
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
PA
185
138
186
211
Pct
.750
.625
.556
0
Arizona
Seattle
San Francisco
St. Louis
National Football Conference
NFC East
W
L
T OTL
PF
6
2
0
0
234
6
3
0
1
230
3
5
0
0
178
3
6
0
0
197
NFC North
W
L
T OTL
PF
6
2
0
0
162
5
3
0
0
222
4
5
0
0
168
3
5
0
1
180
NFC South
W
L
T OTL
PF
4
4
0
1
227
3
5
1
0
177
2
6
0
0
192
1
7
0
2
150
NFC West
W
L
T OTL
PF
7
1
0
0
192
5
3
0
0
202
4
4
0
0
168
3
5
0
0
149
Doug Marrone says. “I don’t think that’s
the case at all when you haven’t been to
the playoffs in such a long time. The one
message I tried to tell them ... it doesn’t
PA
177
195
209
229
Pct
.750
.667
.375
.333
PA
126
191
199
222
Pct
.750
.625
.444
.375
PA
198
236
221
245
Pct
.500
.389
.250
.125
PA
156
174
178
220
Pct
.875
.625
.500
.375
get easier, it gets harder.”
Starting with Sunday. Kansas City
go to Buffalo rolling, winning five of
six — the only loss was a tight one at
San Francisco — and with a defense to
be feared. Justin Houston leads the
NFL in sacks with 12, and the Chiefs
have yielded only 66 points in their
five victories.
One oddity: Kansas City has not had a
wide receiver catch a touchdown pass
from Alex Smith.
“When you’re out there playing, that’s
not something I’m thinking about,”
Smith said. “When a play gets called,
there’s reads and things that go into it.
We’re not trying to press and force it to
this guy or that guy.”
When Detroit Lions coach Jim
Caldwell outlined all the problems the
Miami Dolphins may pose on Sunday, he
could have just as easily been describing
his own team. “They have an outstanding
pass rush,” Caldwell said. “They’re beefy
up front, linebackers that can run — and
obviously a skilled and athletic secondary
as well.”
The Lions and Dolphins have exceeded expectations this season, and they’ve
done it in a similar fashion. Detroit has
the top-ranked defense in the NFL, while
Miami’s is No. 1 in the AFC.
Both teams are in position to make a
run at the playoffs — but they each face a
decent amount of skepticism heading into
Sunday’s matchup at Ford Field.
The Lions should look a bit more
threatening on offense, with Calvin
Johnson and Reggie Bush both expected
back from injuries.
Dinamo, Salzburg, Legia reach
next round of Europa League
Spurs survive in Greece; Celtic & Inter held
PARIS, Nov 7, (AP): Dinamo
Moscow, FC Salzburg and
Legia Warsaw won to reach
the next round of the Europa
League, while defending
champion Sevilla took a step
closer to qualifying after
beating Standard Liege 3-1
on Thursday.
Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill (32) is tackled by Cleveland
Browns' Karlos Dansby (56) and Donte Whitner (31) during the first half of an
NFL football game on Nov 6, in Cincinnati. (AP)
Saints host Leicester
Reds face surging Blues
LONDON, Nov 7, (AFP): Brendan
Rodgers insists there is no chance Steven
Gerrard will crack under pressure when
the Liverpool captain bids for redemption
against Chelsea on Saturday.
Gerrard endured one of the worst
moments of his career when the Reds
midfielder last faced Chelsea in April as
his disastrous slip allowed Demba Ba to
score the goal that shattered Liverpool’s
challenge to win the title for the first time
since 1990.
Liverpool vs Chelsea beIN SPORTS 1 HD
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United vs Crystal beIN SPORTS 1 HD,
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QPR vs Man City beIN SPORTS 11 HD
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Sunderland vs Everton beIN SPORTS 1
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16:30 Local (Sun)
Tottenham vs Stoke City beIN SPORTS
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West Brom vs Newcastle beIN SPORTS
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Swansea vs Arsenal beIN SPORTS 1
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16:30 Local (Sun)
The 34-year-old has been well below
his best since that agonising mistake and
his spluttering campaign, which mirrors
his team’s own struggles, suffered another blow on Tuesday when he was restricted to a 20-minute substitute appearance
in the 1-0 Champions League loss at Real
Madrid.
Reds boss Rodgers also rested several
other key players and said he was trying
to keep Gerrard, who has been bothered
by a hamstring injury, fresh ahead of the
Chelsea showdown.
But with Liverpool languishing 12
points behind leaders Chelsea, Gerrard
desperately wants to erase the bitter
memory of last season’s mistake and this
week’s demotion by delivering a dominant display against Jose Mourinho’s
team, who will swagger into Anfield
unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions
this season. Gerrard has risen to the occasion many times before and Rodgers is
banking on another inspirational display
from his talisman.
Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic
reignited the feud this week when he said
Liverpool had only themselves to blame for
failing to prise open the Blues defence.
If Liverpool do avenge last season’s
loss, it would be a welcome tonic for
champions Manchester City, who trail
Chelsea by six points and are in severe
danger of crashing out of the Champions
League following their shock midweek
defeat against CSKA Moscow.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side travel to second bottom QPR on Saturday with captain Vincent Kompany conceding his
team-mates will have to improve quickly
if they want to overhaul the leaders and
also progress in Europe.
Second-placed Southampton have provided the most uplifting story of the season
by defying predictions of a relegation battle
following the departure of manager
Mauricio Pochettino and five star players.
But boss Ronald Koeman, whose team
host Leicester on Saturday, has little hope
Saints will keep pace with Chelsea and
City in the title race.
On Sunday, fourth placed Arsenal will
look to put their midweek meltdown
against Anderlecht, when they conceded
three goals in the final 29 minutes of a 33 Champions League draw, behind them
with a victory at Swansea.
Forwards Kevin Gameiro and Jose
Antonio Reyes pounced in the first
half for Sevilla either side of a goal
from midfielder Paul-Jose Mpoku,
before Carlos Bacca sealed the win
late on.
Earlier, striker Jonathan got a hat
trick — making it five goals in two
games — as Austrian side Salzburg
won 5-1 at Dinamo Zagreb to top
Group D, with two more points than
Scottish champion Celtic.
Former Germany forward Kevin
Kuranyi scored for the first time in 12
games in Dinamo’s 1-0 home win
against Estoril to make it four straight
wins for the Russian side.
Dinamo is five points ahead of
Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, which won
3-2 at Greek side Panathinaikos.
Polish side Legia left it late before
beating Ukrainian side Metalist
Kharkiv 2-1, courtesy of an 84thminute winner from 19-year-old
Slovakian forward Ondrej Duda.
Celtic, meanwhile, missed the
chance to join Salzburg in the next
round as Romanian side Astra Giurgiu
fought back to draw 1-1.
Stefan Johansen put Celtic ahead in
the first half only for midfielder
William to level with 10 minutes
remaining.
Inter Milan stayed in control of
Group F but it was another unconvincing performance.
Left back Dodo put Inter ahead in the
EPL Standings
P W D L GF GA Pts
Chelsea
10
8 2 0 26 10 26
Southampton 10
7 1 2 21 5 22
Man City
10
6 2 2 20 10 20
Arsenal
10
4 5 1 18 11 17
West Ham
10
5 2 3 19 14 17
Swansea
10
4 3 3 13 10 15
Liverpool
10
4 2 4 13 13 14
Tottenham
10
4 2 4 13 14 14
Everton
10
3 4 3 19 17 13
Man Utd
10
3 4 3 16 14 13
West Brom
10
3 4 3 13 13 13
Newcastle
10
3 4 3 11 15 13
Stoke
10
3 3 4 10 12 12
Hull
10
2 5 3 13 14 11
Sunderland
10
2 5 3 11 18 11
Aston Villa
10
3 1 6
5 16 10
Crystal Palace 10
2 3 5 14 19 9
Leicester
10
2 3 5 11 16 9
QPR
10
2 1 7
9 20 7
Burnley
10
0 4 6
5 19 4
Note: Standings read as Played, Won, Drawn, Lost,
Goals For, Goals Against and Points. (AFP)
Sevilla's midfielder Vitolo (left), vies with Standard Liege's defender from Colombia Darwin Andrade (right), during the
UEFA Europa League football match Sevilla FC vs Standard de Liege at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Sevilla
on Nov 6. (AFP)
33rd before center half Moustapha
Bayal Sall equalized shortly after halftime to give Saint-Etienne its first goal
of the competition following three 0-0
draws.
Inter is close to qualifying, with four
more points than Saint-Etienne,
Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk
and Qarabag of Azerbaijan, who are
locked together.
Meanwhile,
Dutch
midfielder
Jonathan de Guzman scored a hat trick
as Napoli won 3-0 at home to Swiss
side Young Boys Berne to take some
pressure off coach Rafa Benitez.
Sparta Prague, which beat Slovan
Bratislava 4-0 at home, tops Napoli in
Group I on goal difference.
Italian side Fiorentina sealed qualification from Group K after drawing
1-1 with Greek side PAOK, although
it needed a last-gasp free kick from
left back Miguel Pasquale to move
three points ahead of French side
Guingamp, which beat Dinamo
Minsk 2-0.
Tottenham leads Besiktas of Turkey
on goal difference in Group C.
Promising striker Harry Kane made
it 10 goals in 14 games this season as
Tottenham won 2-1 away to Greek side
Asteras Tripolis.
Kane, who scored a hat trick in the
corresponding fixture two weeks ago,
THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT
Editor-in-Chief
AHMED AL JARALLAH
headed home to make it 2-0 before
halftime, after winger Andros
Townsend put Spurs ahead from the
penalty spot. Demba Ba got both goals
as Besiktas beat Serbian side Partizan
Belgrade 2-1.
After drawing 0-0 away to Lille
two weeks ago, Everton had little
trouble winning the return fixture 3-
0 with midfielder Leon Osman and
center back Phil Jagielka scoring in
the first half. Steven Naismith got
the third. Everton tops Group H by a
point from Wolfsburg, which routed
Russian side Krasnodar 5-1 at home,
thanks to two goals each from midfielder Aaron Hunt and striker
Nicklas Bendtner.
Borussia Moenchengladbach moved
to the top of Group A thanks to a 2-0
win at Cypriot side Apollon Limassol.
Spanish side Villarreal was one point
behind Moenchengladbach after losing
3-2 away to FC Zurich, with all of the
goals coming in a frenetic opening half
hour.
SOCCER
Serhiy Rybalka (left), of FC Dynamo
Kyiv fights for a ball against Rasmus
Wurtz (right), of Aalbog BK during
their UEFA Europa League Group J
match in Kiev on Nov 6. (AFP)
Israel midfielder Lior Refaelov got a
first-half hat trick as Belgian club Bruges
won 4-0 at FC Copenhagen to move top
of Group B. Italian side Torino was one
point adrift following a 2-1 loss at Finnish
side HJK Helsinki, which was last.
Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev leads
Group J after winning 2-0 at home against
Danish club Aalborg. Romanian side
Steaua Bucharest was two points behind
after rallying from 2-0 down to draw 2-2
at Portuguese side Rio Ave.
See Also Page 49
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