12-05-2019, 08:07 AM
CINCINNATI - The AFC North race, just like so many Bengals games, is far from finished. Ben Simmons Jersey . Cincinnati has lost back-to-back games in overtime, wasting a chance to take a commanding lead in their division. Now the Bengals (6-4) are only one game ahead of the Ravens (4-5) and the Browns (4-5) in the loss column. Stirring comebacks have led to hollow endings in each of the past two games. And now, first place is no longer such a secure place. The Browns come to town on Sunday with a chance to sweep their season series and elbow their way into the front of the pack. "We pushed things forward very positively, now weve dug a little bit of a hole and weve got to climb out and play better this week against the Browns," coach Marvin Lewis said on Monday. Theyve become good at digging themselves out of holes, only to fall back in during overtime. They overcame a 17-3 deficit in the second half at Miami before losing 22-20 in overtime when Andy Dalton was sacked in the end zone for a safety. They overcame a 17-0 halftime deficit on Sunday at Baltimore, tying the game on A.J. Greens tipped catch with no time left in regulation. It wasnt enough as the Ravens won 20-17. Two strange endings. Rare ones, too. The Bengals are only the 16th team in NFL history to lose back-to-back games in overtime, according to STATS LLC. Miami was the last team to do it, dropping two in a row in OT last season. Cincinnati has played three overtime games this season, all on the road. The Bengals won in Buffalo 27-24, leaving them 1-2 in OT games. The NFL record for overtime games in a season is five by the 1983 Packers. Most overtime losses in a season? Three, by six different teams: 1983 Packers (2-3), 1983 Buccaneers (0-3), 1983 Oilers (0-3), 1997 Cardinals (1-3), 2010 Bills (0-3) and 2012 Jaguars (0-3). Theyre getting a lot of practice at it. "You cant simulate overtime," safety George Iloka said on Monday. "Weve had three overtime games this year, so that will come in handy later in the year with the P word, if were in that." He meant the playoffs. And Cincinnati is still in good position to get there. The Bengals have four of their last six games at home, where theyre 4-0. They also have a bye week coming. Only one of the last six teams they play has a winning record — Indianapolis, which has to play at Paul Brown Stadium. "We know what we have in front of us," cornerback Terence Newman said. "We just have to win some football games." One of the common themes in the two has been the offences horrible start. The Bengals managed only three points total in the first half against Miami and Baltimore. Dalton has followed the best three-game stretch of his career with two subpar games. Dalton has completed only 54 per cent of his passes in the past two games with two touchdowns, four interceptions and 10 sacks. His combined passer rating for the two games is 64.9, well below average. He repeatedly sailed passes on Sunday and took a sack in the closing seconds, forcing the Bengals to make a desperation throw. The pass was swatted around before it deflected directly to Green, who was to the side of the scrum for a 51-yard touchdown catch that sent it to overtime. Dalton was 24 of 51 for 274 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions on Sunday. Lewis defended his quarterback, saying he made a "brilliant" play to spike the ball with 2 seconds left after taking a sack with no timeouts left. Lewis said his receivers dropped five passes that made things much tougher. He noted that rookie tight end Tyler Eifert couldnt make a diving catch in the end zone while getting hit, forcing the Bengals to settle for a field goal on the opening drive of the second half. "But the great location of the ball by Andy, just where it needs to be against a defence he saw — again, another great play by Andy," Lewis said. "Weve got to help him out and finish the deal." Notes: The Bengals signed DE Aston Whiteside, a first-year player from Abilene Christian who spent most of last season on Chicagos practice squad and was released by the Bears on Oct. 8. The Bengals released DE DeQuin Evans, who has spent part of the past three seasons on their practice squad. ___ AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org Amari Cooper Jersey . The Sioux Falls Canaries scored two in the seventh and three more in the eighth to come back from a 3-0 deficit and defeat the Winnipeg Goldeyes 5-3 in front of 6,769 at Shaw Park on Sunday afternoon. Allen Iverson Jersey . 22 because of a bruised foot and have added forward Sean Collins to the roster on emergency recall from Springfield of the AHL. https://www.sportsstarsjerseys.com/tom-brady-jersey/ .com) - Eric Fehr and Marcus Johansson each registered a pair of goals, as Washington spoiled the head coaching debut of Peter Horachek by picking up a 6-2 victory in Toronto on Wednesday.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- With the Anaheim Ducks bearing down on him all night, Jaroslav Halak couldnt relax for even a moment in front of the Washington Capitals net until the horn sounded on another victory. None of the Caps can afford to take many more breathers if they hope to make it back to the post-season. Alex Ovechkin scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and the Capitals kept up their playoff push with a 3-2 victory Tuesday night. Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer also scored for the Capitals, who have won three straight to pull into an eighth-place tie with Columbus for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They barely held off the Ducks, who threw 45 shots at Halak and pressed right up to the final seconds. "We cant worry about anything else thats going to happen except for our games," said Halak, who made 43 saves in his sixth consecutive start. "Right now, two points are all huge, any way we can get them." The Caps havent trailed during their winning streak. But even after Ovechkin scored his 46th goal early in a power play, they were in a nail-biter against Anaheim. "That was a huge game," Ovechkin said. "We prepared for it, and we were ready for it. We played one of the best teams in the league." Ovechkins goal was just the second in seven games for last seasons NHL MVP, but the Capitals need every goal and victory possible on their three-game California road trip. The Blue Jackets and Detroit, one point back in ninth place, both have two games in hand on Washington. Ben Lovejoy and Mathieu Perreault scored for the Ducks, who have lost four straight home games while falling out of first place in the overall NHL standings. Anaheim is still near the top of the Western Conference playoff race, but San Jose has caught the Ducks atop the Pacific Division standings. The teams meet Thursday at the Shark Tank. Jonas Hiller stopped 27 shots, but the Ducks have lost to the Capitals in each of their last four visits to Honda Center. "I think we had a lot of looks and were shooting the puck, but we werent getting to any loose pucks," Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau said. "You can make a million and one excuses, but were just not getting the job done." Washington hadnt visited Honda Center since Feb. 16, 2011, nine months before the Cappitals fired Boudreau, who was hired by Anaheim two days later. Josh Allen Jersey. "This was a big one for Bruce, and we all knew it," Lovejoy said. "I think we came out with a lot of passion. When were skating and playing tough hockey, we get our forecheck going, and we had that going tonight. We just werent able to put more than two in the net." Ward got his 21st goal on a fat rebound just 2:11 in, scoring in his third consecutive game. Lovejoy tied it 59 seconds later on an unobstructed slap shot set up by a terrible Washington line change. Brouwer scored on a power play in the final seconds of the first period for the Caps, getting his third goal in two games off another rebound. Anaheim generated nothing from a two-man advantage for 1:51 early in the second period, adding to the power-play woes of an otherwise powerful offensive club. The Ducks entered the game in a 2-for-42 slump in their previous 13 games, and they went scoreless in their first four chances against Washington. "At the end, it came down to the fact that our special teams werent special," Lovejoy said. Perreault, the former Capitals centre, put a wrist shot past Halak, who was thoroughly screened by Patrick Maroon, to tie it right after a power play expired early in the third period. But just 1:12 later, Nicklas Backstrom won a faceoff and John Carlson got the puck to Ovechkin, who put a typically vicious one-timer past Hiller. Stephane Robidas played more than 13 minutes in his debut for the Ducks, who acquired the veteran defenceman from Dallas two weeks ago for the playoff push. Robidas filled in for Cam Fowler, who missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. "It wasnt my best, but the first one is out of the way now," Robidas said. NOTES: Dustin Penner returned to Honda Center for the first time since Anaheim traded him to Washington on March 4. Penner had 13 goals and 19 assists in 49 games this season in his second stint with the Ducks, but was a frequent healthy scratch. ... Halak was in Anaheim with the Blues on Feb. 28 when he was traded to Buffalo, forcing him to leave Honda Center early while St. Louis faced the Ducks with a locker room attendant as their backup goalie. ... Boudreau won his first game against his former team when the Ducks beat the Capitals 3-2 on Dec. 23. ' ' '