TotalBroncos

(Reuters) – The pressure mounts this week for the rejuvenated New Orleans Saints as they top a list of teams facing crunch time in their bids to secure a spot in the National Football League (NFL) playoffs. The Saints, Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers are among the teams that can remove roadblocks on their path to the playoffs or face a harrowing final home stretch to the schedule. “Look at the time of the year,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin told the team’s website. …

Read more:
NFL: Saints face crunch time in bid to make playoffs (Reuters)

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin (ankle) did not practice this week and is considered “doubtful” to play against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Harvin sprained his ankle in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 4, an injury that kept him out of a Nov. 11 win over the Detroit Lions. If Harvin is unable to play, rookie Jarius Wright is expected to see more action against the Bears. Wright caught three passes for 65 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut against the Lions. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (concussion) was limited in this week’s practices and is listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game against the Vikings. Cutler will be examined by an independent neurologist on Saturday, which will determine his availability on Sunday. If Cutler is not cleared, Jason Campbell, who is “probable” with a rib injury, will make a second start under center. In addition to Cutler, tight end Kellen Davis is listed as “questionable” with an ankle injury. Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews (hamstring), cornerback Sam Shields (ankle) and safety Charles Woodson (collarbone) have been ruled “out” for Sunday night’s game against the New York Giants, but wide receiver Greg Jennings (groin/abdomen) is “questionable” and could play for the first time since Sept. 30. Jennings has just 12 receptions for 78 yards and a touchdown this season, which is the final year of his current contract. In addition to hurting his market value next offseason, Jennings has lost $175,000 in “per game active” roster bonuses and a $25,000 incentive for being active for at least 12 games this season. The Giants will be without wide receiver Domenik Hixon (ankle) and listed safety Kenny Phillips (knee) and linebacker Keith Rivers (calf/knee) as “questionable”. Like Jennings, Phillips has not played since Sept. 30. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger (right shoulder) and Byron Leftwich (ribs) were officially declared “out” for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns. 37-year-old Charlie Batch will start for the Steelers, with Brian Hoyer serving as the No. 2 quarterback on Sunday. The Steelers also declared right tackle Marcus Gilbert (ankle) out for a sixth consecutive week, but safety Troy Polamalu is only “doubtful” after missing all but 77 snaps this season due to a calf injury. Wide receiver Antonio Brown (ankle) is “questionable”, which could be bad news for a Browns secondary that will be without Dimitri Patterson (ankle) and has Joe Haden at less than 100 percent with an oblique injury. After missing last Sunday’s overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Haden is “probable” to face the Steelers after practicing fully on Friday. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith has yet to be cleared from his concussion and is listed as “questionable” on the team’s injury report. Jim Trotter of Sports Illustrated reported this week that even if Smith were cleared, the 49ers would start second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The Saints will get a key cog of their offense back as running back Darren Sproles is listed as “probable” after missing the last three games following surgery on his left hand. Protecting Drew Brees could be complicated as the Saints ruled out Charles Brown (knee) and listed Zach Strief as “questionable” with a groin injury. If Strief can’t play, undrafted rookie Bryce Harris would start at right tackle against a 49ers’ pass rush that produced six sacks on Monday night, including 5 ½ from outside linebacker Aldon Smith.

Visit link:
Jay Cutler, Alex Smith and Percy Harvin headline Week 12 injury reports (Shutdown Corner)

It appears two of the Kansas City Chiefs’ three injured starting offensive linemen have a chance to play Sunday against visiting Denver. Center Ryan …

Go here to see the original:
Branden Albert likely won’t face Denver

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears After missing last Monday night’s 32-7 loss the San Francisco 49ers, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler could return from his concussion this week. If Cutler does return, he’ll be protected by an offensive line that replaced two starters this week. Left guard Chilo Rachal left the team after he learned he was being replaced by Chris Spencer and the Bears have also decided to bench right tackle Gabe Carimi, the team’s first round pick in 2011 who has struggled in his first full season in the NFL. Journeyman Jonathan Scott will start at right tackle. Good luck with that, Jay (or Jason Campbell…or Josh McCown). Pick: Vikings 20, Bears 17 Oakland Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals Following a four-game losing streak, the Bengals have reeled off back-to-back wins to pull even at 5-5 on the season. The Bengals are currently in the middle of an easy five-game stretch that began with a road game against the Chiefs and continues this week against the Raiders before a trio of games against the league’s biggest underachievers — at the Chargers, home against the Cowboys, at the Eagles. Seeing the Bengals at 9-5 entering the final two weeks of the season would not be a major surprise, and getting there will take more 100+ yard efforts from BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who topped the century mark for the first time as a Bengal in last Sunday’s 28-6 win against the Chiefs. Pick: Bengals 27, Raiders 16 Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns The Steelers are down to 37-year-old Charlie Batch and newly-signed Brian Hoyer at quarterback and are so banged up at the wide receiver position, they went out and signed Plaxico Burress on Tuesday. Despite the turmoil in the passing game, the Steelers are averaging 138.8 yards per game on the ground over the last five weeks. With Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer healthy, the Steelers could ride their rushing attack and defense to remain in the AFC Playoff race. Pick: Steelers 23, Browns 16 Buffalo Bills at Indianapolis Colts Through his first five games at Lucas Oil Stadium, Andrew Luck is completing 56.9 percent of 209 pass attempts for 1,518 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. The Colts are 4-1 in those games, but should be 5-0 as the lone loss came when the secondary allowed Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert and wide receiver Cecil Shorts hook up for an 80-yard touchdown pass with less than 45 seconds remaining in the game. Both teams rank near (Bills) or at (Colts) the bottom in Football Outsiders’ defensive DVOA , and are the two worst teams defending the run, so expect a high-scoring affair. Pick: Colts 34, Bills 31

Read the original post:
Week 12 Sunday Picks: Packers look to avenge playoff loss to the Giants (Shutdown Corner)

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) – Champ Bailey insists the script in Denver is finally going to flip this year. For most of the last decade, the Broncos have made late-season swoons an annual rite of winter in the Rocky Mountains. Altitude. Aptitude. Attitude. Whatever the reasons, the Broncos have followed strong starts with fading finishes. In the six seasons before this one, they were 23-34 in November, December and January. It’ll be different this season, vows Bailey, who points to a new strength and conditioning coach who uses cutting edge techniques and philosophies, and a new quarterback who won’t allow anybody to let up. The Broncos (7-3) can wrap up a 4-0 November with a win at Kansas City (1-9) on Sunday, and their December slate includes a rematch against the Chiefs and just one game – at Baltimore – in which they might be underdogs. After a brutal early-season schedule when Peyton Manning was still finding his new bearings, the Broncos have built a three-game cushion in the AFC West on the strength of a five-game winning streak, and their remaining opponents are a combined 20-30. A walk through the Broncos locker room, however, doesn’t reveal any let-up, no sighs of relief or perilous swagger that was evident in other years following their AFC championship game appearance after the 2005 season. The Broncos lost five of their last seven in 2006, four of their last six in `07, and Mike Shanahan was fired after they blew a three-game lead over San Diego with three weeks to go in `08. Josh McDaniels’ first team lost eight of its last 10 after a 6-0 start, missing the playoffs in 2009. He didn’t even make it through the next season, getting fired in the midst of a franchise-worst 4-12 campaign that was marked by an embarrassing videotape scandal and six losses in their last seven games. John Fox entered the fray last year, but after going 4-0 in November during the height of Tebowmania, the Broncos lost their last three games, backing into the playoffs at .500. The Broncos also started strong and staggered down the stretch from 2001-04, so this nasty habit goes back a ways. Bailey figures this group is better prepared both physically and mentally to handle the stretch run, and the two biggest reasons for this optimism are the arrivals of Manning, with his notorious high standards keeping everybody on point, and strength and conditioning coach Luke Richesson. Richesson, 38, replaced longtime strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten. He followed defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio to Denver from Jacksonville, where he worked for three seasons after an eight-year stint as the performance team director at the renowned Athletes’ Performance in Tempe, Ariz. A former safety at Kansas and the husband of 1992 Olympic gold medal swimmer Anita Nall, Richesson uses new-fangled techniques in his training programs, including MMA drills during offseason workouts. His program focuses on flexibility, stretching and maintaining core strength, which the Broncos say have reduced pulled muscles and other soft-tissue injuries and which they believe will help them avoid late-season fatigue from all of their training at mile-high altitude. “I think he’s done a tremendous job,” Fox said. “I think the science of strength and conditioning, in particular in football, has changed quite a bit. It’s differed over history from maybe some other sports, whether it be baseball or basketball. I think football is coming back to a little bit more of that style and that science.” Fullback Chris Gronkowski , who has played in Dallas and Indianapolis, said he was surprised when he first worked out in Denver in the offseason because players stretched for half an hour before picking up a single weight. Rather than trying to stretch out tight muscles in the cold weather, the Broncos also conduct their walkthroughs at the start of practice now and only after their blood is pumping 30 minutes later do they gather for stretching exercises. The muscle pulls that dogged them in the past are fewer and farther between nowadays. They’ve had 100 percent participation in practice several times this month, almost unheard of for NFL teams once the leaves begin to fall. “This is the healthiest team I’ve been on,” Gronkowski said. “Either we’re getting lucky or this stuff is working.” Bailey has become a big fan of Richesson’s. “His program is more structured. I think what we did in the past wasn’t bad. It’s just making sure everybody gets the right work done. We focus on that, so we know everybody’s doing the same thing, straying strong,” Bailey said. “That’s the main thing, just trying to be strong this time of the year. So, he really measures your strength to see how you are, if you’re backing down or whatever.” That’s why Bailey said the usual late-season swoon isn’t on the Colorado horizon this year. “And it’s a lot more mental than people say. It’s not all physical,” Bailey said. “As the season goes on, you kind of get caught up in that routine, just forget how you got there, what it takes to get going, getting better. And I think now we’ve got a mentally strong team, so I don’t see that happening.” Helping form that mental tenacity is Manning, who is such a stickler for detail and efficient preparation that nobody dares slack off in practice or meetings, wide receiver Brandon Stokley said. Bailey, Stokley and other veterans who have been through the fading finishes that ruined strong starts in Denver, such as Wesley Woodyard , D.J Williams and Elvis Dumervil , have another drill sergeant on their side now. “Yeah, all the leaders have got to play a role in that because we’ve been here, done it,” Bailey said. “We’ve seen it go bad. Now, we’re seeing it get better.” – By Arnie Stapleton, AP Sports Writer (© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

See the original post:
Broncos Vowing To Avoid Annual Late-Season Swoon