data-mm-id=”_9wozb2wwa”>The Pittsburgh Steelers won their 10th game in a row on Sunday when they took down the Jacksonville Jaguars by the score of 27-3. The defense was its usual dominant self against an ugly Jags offense, notching four picks and two sacks on the day. The offense was not terribly efficient but took advantage of the short fields given by their defensive counterparts to score three touchdowns. The Steelers remain perfect. Now, they are far from a perfect team. The defense is one of the best in the league, but Ben Roethlisberger and Co. are hit-or-miss as a unit. Roethlisberger is not the Big Ben of old, capable of carving up careless defenses. He and the Steelers rely heavily on the YAC ability of their talented receiving core and well-schemed plays to create yards. That can get the job done, as we've obviously seen, but this is not a flawless squad. However, where we sit right now, they have a very good chance of finishing the season flawless regardless. Of Pittsburgh's six remaining games, three can be considered likely victories: the Washington Football Team, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Cleveland Browns. The WFT just aren't that good, the Bengals just lost Joe Burrow for the year, and the Browns, while 7-3, should not scare anybody and lost 38-7 to the Steelers in their first matchup of the season. That leaves three other games against teams with winning records that the Steelers will have a tough time winning, but can still do so. The Ravens are up on Thursday Night Football on Thanksgiving, and they've been relatively exposed over the last two weeks. They blew a big lead over the Titans this past week and lost in overtime, made worse by the fact that they were coming off a loss to a New England Patriots team that just dropped a game against a bad Houston Texans team. Everything feels different when it's Steelers-Ravens, as Ryan Clark has attested to numerous times on ESPN, but the Steelers defense owned Lamar Jackson in their first meeting this year. It's not an automatic W, but it's a very winnable game. That leaves the Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills as the two biggest remaining obstacles to an undefeated season. The Colts have a legitimate claim to the best defense in the NFL and just beat the Packers thanks to an untimely fumble by Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Philip Rivers, however, has shown a similar decline this season to his draft classmate, Roethlisberger, and has struggled against good pass-rushing defenses, which the Steelers most certainly are. The Bills have a lethal offense when Josh Allen is feeling it and an improving defense, but one that has been exposed at times this year. Both teams will give the Steelers a serious challenge, but neither will be considered favorites. It takes as much luck as anything to go undefeated over the course of a full season. Pittsburgh has already gotten their share of lucky breaks, and it'll take a few more to finish the job even if they play flawlessly down the stretch. They also have not exactly had a difficult schedule in 2020. But even for those like me who doubt if the offense is good enough to make a Super Bowl run, it's impossible to deny that a 16-0 regular season is very much in reach. These Steelers are not the 2007 Patriots, seemingly immaculate in every way and striking fear into the hearts of opposing coordinators. So far, though, they've been just good enough to avoid all losses. The final six weeks of the season will determine if "good enough" will be enough.
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Kane fell to the floor holding his face as Doucoure was given his marching orders.
At a press conference on Thursday, Stellini said: I think it s strange that some ex-players said something wrong about Harry. They are ex-players and they know the difference between seeing something in slow motion and living it in real motion.
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The Spaniard was a very important player in Arsenal s late surge of form last season, which ended with the FA Cup and the Community Shield being put on their shelf when not many would have expected them to win a trophy just a few months before. However, manager Mikel Arteta shook his midfield section up after that, bringing back Mohamed Elneny from the cold on top of signing Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid at the end of the summer. Granit Xhaka is also going through a spell of good form at the moment, and all of that combined has caused Ceballos game-time to be significantly reduced this term.
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Southgate then oversaw England s qualification for Euro 2020 and his side are among the favourites for European Championship glory.
In a question and answer session with Sky Sports, Southgate – who was in the past linked with the Manchester United job was asked if a return to Premier League management is of interest.
For now, though, Southgate s immediate focus remains on the Three Lions.
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Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has turned the club s recent form around after a poor start.
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Hull look a beaten side already this season, and off-field distractions as well as a broken spirit between the players could well lead to their demise come May. So can Stoke take advantage this weekend?
Tigers giving up the goat already
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Ibrahima Konate was left lost for words after making his first Anfield appearance for Liverpool in Monday s pre-season win over Osasuna.
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The 22-year-old now cannot wait to experience a competitive game on Merseyside, with the Reds first home game of the 2021-22 season coming against Burnley on August 21.
To be honest, I don t have the words to explain my feelings when I put my first foot on the pitch, he told Liverpool s website. It s amazing and I m very happy to have my first game at Anfield with fans.
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There was still time for Maxwel Cornet to see a fine strike disallowed for West Ham, but Chelsea ultimately held on to bounce back from Tuesday s loss to Southampton after an enthralling match.
WHAT. A. TURNAROUND! |
FC Porto have become the sole proprietor of forward James Rodriguez, having bought the final 35% of the player’s rights.
The Portuguese giants said in a statement to Portugal’s stock exchange that they had acquired 35 percent of the economic rights of James Rodriguez for €8.75 million.
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James Rodriguez, 21, is widely regarded as one of world’s most talented forwards, with top European clubs already lining up for his signature.
The Colombia international joined FC Porto in the summer of 2010 from Banfield and quickly become a key member of the side at Estadio do Dragao.
Rodr…
Athletic Bilbao have rejected a €30 million bid from Manchester United for former Spain Under-21 international midfielder Ander Herrera, understands.
Herrera, who has previously been linked with big-money moves to FC Barcelona and Manchester City, is believed to be on United s transfer shortlist, which has seemingly gotten longer (and longer) by the week.
The former Spain youth international, 24, has a €36 million buy-out clause in his current contract, which expires in the summer of 2016.
Bilbao president Josu Urrutia has made it clear the club are unwilling to allow Herrera to leave for any figure less than his release clause, meaning United will have to increase their bid by €6 million or move on and pursue other targets.
…
Geoffrey Kondogbia remains committed to Inter despite comments from his agent hinting the Nerazzurri are merely a stepping stone in the France
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international s career.
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He made his first Serie A start since September in the Milan derby on Sunday, the 23-year-old playing the full 90 minutes as Inter rescued a point late on in a 2-2 draw.
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