Herausforderungen » im a shot at a solid top-10 finish and a potentia

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Panthers coach Ron Rivera admits hes hoping for some bad weather on Thursday night.He figures maybe that might help slow down Saints quarterback Drew Brees. Well, that and a seemingly much-improved defense.Brees pounded the Panthers secondary on Oct. 16, throwing for 465 yards and four touchdowns as the Saints built a 21-0 lead and held on to win 41-38 on the Louisiana Superdome turf.In the three games since, Carolinas defense has clamped down, allowing only four combined offensive touchdowns while getting 15 sacks with four takeaways.Carolinas young secondary, which was racked by injuries in the previous meeting, has gotten healthy and is starting to mesh.Drew is a great quarterback and he was able to find those holes, find those mismatches, find the mistakes that were being made on our defense last time, Panthers safety Kurt Coleman said.But we have been able to correct those things over these last few weeks. I feel like our chemistry, the communication aspect that you need as a defense as a whole has been much better.Added Panthers defensive end Kony Ealy: What we had last year was a swagger, and were getting our swagger back.Saints coach Sean Payton said he can see on tape the Panthers are playing with renewed confidence.Theyre playing outstanding defense, Payton said. Their pressure on the quarterback has increased.Said Brees: They thrive on giving you a lot of different looks at times and they have a pressure package, and try to force turnovers.But stopping Brees wont be easy.He is completing nearly 70 percent of passes and has thrown 24 touchdown passes with only seven interceptions. His QB rating is second in the league behind Atlantas Matt Ryan.Some things to watch in Thursday nights game:DOUBTING THOMAS: Saints second-round draft choice Michael Thomas has emerged as the NFLs leading rookie receiver, but is coming off one of his worst games as a pro. He fumbled twice in the fourth quarter -- both resulting in Denver points -- and had a pass ripped from his grasp for an interception in the Saints 25-23 loss to Denver last Sunday. Thomas has been quiet since, disappearing from the locker room after the game and declining to speak with reporters on Tuesday. Emotionally hes great, Brees said. Hes chomping at the bit to get back out there and perform.KICKING THEMSELVES: Major breakdowns on kicks have figured prominently into two Saints losses, including last Sunday. The decisive play in the loss to the Broncos was a blocked extra-point kick that was returned for a defensive 2-point conversion with 1:28 to go. Earlier this season, the Saints had a field goal blocked and returned for a TD in New York against Giants, who pulled out a three-point victory in that game despite not scoring an offensive TD.ON THE MEND: The Panthers are anxious to get two-time All-Pro center Ryan Kalil back on the field after missing the past two games with a shoulder injury. Carolinas running game has struggled in Kalils absence.Panthers quarterback Cam Newton called Kalil his secret jewel, saying he does more for a quarterback than any offensive lineman in the league.Defensively, outside linebacker Shaq Thompson is expected to play after missing two games with a knee injury.NEWTON RUNNING: Newton only ran twice against the Saints on Oct. 16 in his first game back from a concussion. But the mobile QB is expected to see more designed runs this time around against the Saints. Newton carried a season-high 12 times for 54 yards and a touchdown in Carolinas 20-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Rivera isnt tipping his hand when it comes to Thursday nights strategy, saying its just about the game plan more than it is anything else.SAINTS DEFENSE: The Saints could have as many as four defensive regulars on the field for their rematch against Carolina who were unable to play in the previous meeting. Those include rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins -- a first-round pick last spring -- and veteran linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who each had sacks last weekend.Also back is top cornerback Delvin Breaux and defensive end Paul Kruger. Getting those guys back into the mix always helps, Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said. .... Theyre talented, they play fast. Theyve been playing well as of late, thats for sure.---AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLCustom Dallas Cowboys Jerseys . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No. Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. https://www.cowboysjerseysale.com/ . From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. Cowboys Jerseys 2021 . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Stitched Cowboys Jerseys . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action.JOLIET, Ill. -- When "The Captain" asked, Joey Logano answered. Did he ever. Logano held off Sam Hornish Jr. to win the NASCAR Nationwide race at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, leading a sweep of top two spots for Roger Penske after the owner asked him to drive the No. 22 car on a rare weekend off for the Sprint Cup series. "Really big for us to get a 1-2 finish for Penske. Thats awesome," Logano said. "To come out here, our goal is to win this thing. Thats why I came out here on my off week, it was to come out here and win." Penske, nicknamed "The Captain," approached Logano this month during the NASCAR stop at Daytona and asked if he would drive in the first of two Nationwide races at Chicagoland this season. Penske wanted a boost in the race for the owners championship, and Logano sure delivered on the request. "How do you say no to R. P.?" Logano said, grinning. "Im glad I did it." Logano, the lone Sprint Cup regular in the race, earned his second Nationwide win of the year and No. 20 for his career. He also won at Dover in June. Hornish held on for second and moved into the top spot in the series standings, seven points better than Regan Smith. Austin Dillon led two times for a total of 24 laps and finished third to earn a $100,000 bonus. Dillon is third on the points list, but is still looking for his first victory of the year. "We just keep inching on this first win," he said. "Were getting closer and closer. These top-threes, well take them all day, we just want to get that win here pretty soon." Elliott Sadler had the lead on a restart with 24 laps remaining. But the defending race winner faded as Hornish moved in front on the track where he won consecutive IndyCar races in 2002 and 2003. Hornish looked in position to secure the victory when Logano roared into the lead and went on to the win. "Im glad it wasnt three or four more laps longer, because he was catching us," Logano said. "And it was getting to the point that I was going to have to move around to find some speed again. But just about the right amount of laps." Sadler finished fourth, and was followed by Brian Vickers, Parker Kligerman and Trevor Bayne. Illinois native Justin Allgaier, Brad Sweet and Matt Crafton rounded out the top 10. The series to Chicagoland returns in September on the same weekend that the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship begins at the track.dddddddddddd Sadler and Smith did not see very much of each other one week after their collision at New Hampshire led to a midweek phone call to clear the air. Sadler confronted Smith right after the race, promising he would not win the series title, and then said he would race the No. 7 Chevrolet differently in the future. There were no such problems at Chicagoland, with Sadler racing near the front and Smith struggling with the feel of his car all day long. Smith, who entered the race with a five-point lead over Hornish in the series standings, slid into the infield on Lap 129 and finished 13th. Hornish won his second career pole earlier in the day, and then led the first 49 laps. But he was flagged for speeding into pit road and sent to the back of the field for a restart on lap 54. He quickly climbed back into contention, but was unable to get to Logano at the end. The penalty was the result of a mixed message on the radio that ended with Hornishs team abruptly calling him into the pits. "I knew exactly when I went across the line I was going to be speeding and there were no ifs, ands or buts about it," Hornish said. "Theyre like, Oh, I think were good. Im like, Were not good. Were going to go to the back. "We had 150 laps to get it done, we knew we had a good race car. The biggest thing was just maintaining the composure getting back up in the field." Sadler was still upset with Smith when the series arrived in Chicagoland this week. The dispute started when Smith spun Sadler around on the final restart in last Saturdays race at Loudon, costing him a shot at a solid top-10 finish and a potential $100,000 bonus. Smith took responsibility for the accident, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., the co-owner of Smiths car, also reached out to his longtime friend Sadler. But it did little to assuage Sadlers anger. Perhaps fueled a bit by the incident, Sadler led three times for a race-high 81 laps on the 1.5-mile, D-shaped track right outside of Chicago. But he just couldnt stay with Logano and Hornish at the end. "By the time that his car started falling off, it was too late for me to do enough," Hornish said. "Ran him down, only finished a couple car lengths behind him, but really good day for the Penske organization." ' ' '