ot, plus McGregors willingness to accept a last

ot, plus McGregors willingness to accept a last

26.12.2018 14:25

PITTSBURGH -- No chaos this time. No meltdowns either.The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals stuck to football this time.And Ben Roethlisbergers sharp second half gave the Steelers an early leg up in the race for the AFC North title by shaking off a pair of first-half interceptions to finish with 259 yards and three scores and Pittsburgh held on for a 24-16 win on Sunday.DeAngelo Williams churned out 94 yards on a career-high 32 carries and added a 4-yard touchdown grab with 6:48 remaining to give the Steelers (2-0) all the breathing room they would need.Tight ends Jesse James and Xavier Grimble also caught scoring passes from Roethlisberger as Pittsburgh kept Cincinnati in check at rainy Heinz Field.The rematch of the Steelers ugly 18-16 win in the wild-card round in January was downright tame by comparison. The teams combined for just 10 penalties and only one personal foul, a marked departure from that messy night in Cincinnati nine months ago that included more than 220 penalty yards and a series of nasty hits that cost the players involved thousands in fines and Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict the first three games of the 2016 season.I think theyre all civil, Williams said with a laugh. Sometimes you have civil disputes. We just didnt have any of those.Andy Dalton passed for 366 yards and a touchdown but needed 31 completions to reach that total, working almost exclusively on dump offs to running backs and tight ends while Pittsburgh clamped down on star wide receiver A.J. Green, who finished with just two receptions for 38 yards.We were able to take (Green) out of the game, Steelers safety Mike Mitchell said. We knew if we could minimize his impact, the outcome was going to be good for us and it was.Pittsburgh controlled the tempo throughout and after Roethlisberger shook off a so-so first half in which he tossed two interceptions and the Steelers pulled away.Roethlisberger hit Sammie Coates with a pretty 53-yard pass to set up a 9-yard toss to James. The quarterback later used a 14-yard scramble -- his longest run in three seasons -- to set up a flip to Williams that put Pittsburgh up 24-9.SLOPPY FINISH: Dalton found Giovanni Bernard for a 25-yard touchdown with 3:25 left, but each of Cincinnatis last two drives ended in turnovers. Tyler Boyd fumbled after getting hit by James Harrison in Pittsburgh territory with 1:50 to play even though replays appeared to show Boyd -- who grew up in suburban Pittsburgh and played collegiately on the same field for Pitt -- was down well before the ball came out.I should have done a better job with ball security, said Boyd, who finished with six catches for 78 yards. I still believe I was down but the call didnt say so. All I can do is go out there and keep playing.Cincinnatis second turnover came on a last-ditch lateral by Bernard that ended up in Pittsburgh defensive end Cam Heywards hands after time expired.NO SHOW: Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was the relatively conservative game plans or maybe it was just pretty solid defense. Whatever it was, the expected duel between superstar wide receivers Antonio Brown and A.J. Green never materialized .Brown caught just four passes for 39 yards and even had a rare drop while running free in the middle of the field in the first half.Green, guarded almost exclusively by Pittsburgh cornerback Ross Cockrell at the line, struggled to find much room to move. The only impact play Green made came on drawing a pass interference play against Cockrell that set up Mike Nugents field goal. A week after dominating Darrelle Revis for 12 catches and 180 yards and a touchdown against the Jets, Green was a nonfactor and one of the reasons Cincinnati went just 4 of 16 on third down.We converted one or two, but not enough of them that mattered, Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis said.THEY SAID IT:We were never planning on our role being diluted down, but we feel good about where we are now. James on the contributions of the reserve tight ends following the retirement of Heath Miller and a lingering injury to free-agent signee Ladarius Green.There were times when A.J. Green would catch 12 balls and there are other times when other guys will get involved. Thats just how it is. -- Dalton on Greens lack of production.UP NEXTBengals: Welcome Denver to Paul Brown Stadium in their home opener.Steelers: Travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Nike Sb Shoes For Sale Cheap .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. Nike Sb Outlet Store . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. http://www.nikesboutlet.com/ . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. Nike Sb Shoes Discount . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Nike Sb Shoes Sale Online . Instead of dwelling on the negative, Oates focused on what was good about the clubs recent play. It worked. Each week, ESPN.com writer Brett Okamoto provides his take on the hottest topics in the world of mixed martial arts.This week, Okamoto squares off with former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis to debate all things MMA ahead of his Saturday showdown against Charles Oliveira at UFC Fight Night in Vancouver, British Columbia. Pettis (18-5) is in a three-fight losing streak for the first time in his career but hopes to stop it against Oliviera.1. UFC president Dana White has said he will not book a trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz immediately. Is the UFC taking a risk by not doing so?Pettis: The risk is people forgetting about it and not caring anymore. It was a close fight. It could have gone either way. There was a case for either side winning that fight. Im not sure exactly what the UFCs plan is on it. It was a good fight, so Id watch it again. Why not? A trilogy fight would be a hard one to call. They both had some strong points. If Diaz can put some more pressure on him in the second and third round when he gasses, I think Diaz could take it. Conor, I dont think he can finish Nate. If he could he would have early in that fight; he had him wobbled twice.Okamoto: Absolutely not. I know everyone has McGregor/Diaz fever right now, but honestly, I wouldnt even like the idea of cramming this trilogy into one year. Its unnecessary. A third fight will be insanity whenever it happens -- let it sit for now. To me, it can only get bigger. Imagine if one wins a title at lightweight and their final chapter plays out with a belt on the line. And if the worst happens -- both stumble and lose between now and then -- you can still revisit this rivalry. Play the prefight, postfight highlights and well all come back. Zero risk in skipping this trilogy fight for now.2. Whom should McGregor fight next?Pettis: Conor McGregor should be fighting ... I dont know, Jose Aldo is the one with the interim belt. Id like to see that get figured out before he starts moving around different weight classes. Yeah, I would say Jose Aldo. Most definitely a rematch would look different. I think Aldo would not come out as crazy as he did last time, not be as stupid as he was. Conor is one of them guys, though, who definitely has some skills. Hes a big dude to be making 145. Im similar size to him and Im making that cut to 145 now, too.Okamoto: Lightweight champ?Eddie Alvarez. As Ive said before, this entire thing started with a 155-pound championship between McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos. A broken foot, plus McGregors willingness to accept a last-second change in opponent, took us on a serious detour. Im in favor of heading back to the starting line. McGregor can fight very comfortably at lightweight -- hes not killing himself to make weight, nor is he facing guys who are too big for him. Alvarez wants a big name, and as deep as that lightweight division is (and as good as Khabib Nurmagomedov is), theres not a must-see title fight that would prevent McGregor from getting the next title shot.3. If McGregor does not return to featherweight to defend his title, whom should interim champion Jose Aldo fight next?Pettis: I have no idea. I honestly havent even looked that high up. I know he just beat Frankie Edgar, so whoever is behind Edgar. Ive got to go handle business this weekend and then we can start putting my name in the mix.Okamoto: A ranked lightweight. If McGregor says, Eh, Im not interested in featherrweight anymore.dddddddddddd Keep the toy belt, Im heading to lightweight, Aldos response should be, In that case, Im heading to lightweight, too. Lets be real for a minute: McGregor punked Aldo in 2015. Beat him up, verbally, at one press conference after another and then dropped him in 13 seconds. Its on Aldo to get that fight back. McGregor chased him for two years because he was the champion. Now its Aldo who needs to chase. Accept and win fights that force that rematch. Aldo is more than capable of doing that. Hes one of the best fighters in the world. What if Aldo chased McGregor to 155, beat anyone that dared stand in his way and set up that second fight? Can you imagine how big that would be?4. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency is gathering information on Nate Diazs admitted use of CBD oil at the UFC 202 press conference. Should USADA be investigating this?Pettis: No, I dont think so. Im not really familiar with the rules on how they test for that, but its after the fight. Im pretty sure the amount of THC from that wouldnt be high enough that it would matter. He was kind of pushing the rules, I guess, hes doing it right in front of everybody, but yeah -- I dont know. I dont have a strong opinion on it.Okamoto: The unfortunate answer is yes. And the reason for that is thats what theyre here for. UFC partnered with USADA to establish a strict drug testing environment. Under USADAs rules, what Diaz did is a potential violation -- so for them to just ignore it? They cant. HOWEVER. Any kind of suspension for this would, in my opinion, go against the spirit of the program, which is made to be strict but is not made to bury an athlete who is not seeking any performance-enhancing ability whatsoever. If USADA finds a rule was violated, the punishment should be a public warning and that is it. Rules are rules and Im all for upholding them, but there is also room for common sense to prevail in this program, and I hope that will be the case.5. UFC Fight Night this weekend features a main event between Demian Maia and Carlos Condit. What is more difficult to prepare for: Maias ground game or Condits striking?Pettis: Theyre both dangerous. Ive trained with Carlos; to see the way hes attacking this fight is interesting. I think both of them, you cant catch up to these guys. Condit has years and years of striking experience and Maia, years and years of grappling. Only difference is grappling changes when youre getting punched in the face, so it all depends on how Condit uses his striking to an advantage when it comes to the grappling.Okamoto: Have to say Maias ground game. That doesnt mean I think Maia is better than Condit -- Im just saying, in terms of which strength is most difficult to prepare for ... its Maia. Condits volume is dizzying. Hes outclassed some phenomenal fighters with the angles he creates, the movement, versatility. Its a difficult style to beat. But Maias ground game, you really cant make a mistake. You let Maia into your hips for half a second, hes glued to you the rest of the round. Especially when hes fresh at the start of the fight, Maia will take advantage of any physical or mental pause his opponent takes. Again, doesnt mean Im calling him a better overall welterweight than Condit, but his grappling is one of the most menacing skills this sport has. 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