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Panthers avoid 'trap game' loss, keep alive a showdown with New Orleans

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera warned his players coming off their bye weekend about not overlooking the New York Jets on Sunday in anticipation of an NFC South showdown against New Orleans.

Rivera said he believed in “trap games.”

The Panthers had one foot in the trap early in the fourth quarter.

In stepped middle linebacker Luke Kuechly and special teams to save quarterback Cam Newton and the offense from a disastrous day.

Kuechly returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown and then Kaelin Clay returned a punt 60 yards for another score to turn an early fourth-quarter deficit into a 35-27 victory at MetLife Stadium.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was a much-needed win as the Panthers make their playoff push.

“It is big to win ugly, and when you can rely on a big play happening for your defense or on your special teams, that helps,” Rivera said.

Most of the ugliness on this day came on offense.

Panthers wide receiver Kaelin Clay returned a punt 60 yards for a key fourth-quarter touchdown. Abbie Parr/Getty Images

Newton had one of his worst days of the season, overthrowing wide-open receivers and completing only 11 of 28 pass attempts for 168 yards two weeks after throwing four touchdowns in a 45-21 victory against Miami. He was particularly ineffective on third down, at one point going 1-for-7 on third-down passes.

The running game outside of a career-best 40-yard run by Christian McCaffrey and a 29-yard reverse by wide receiver Clay was almost non-existent after consecutive games of 200-plus yards.

The team also lost Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen for the second half when his foot that was broken in Week 2 became sore in his first game back after being activated from injured reserve. The long-term impact of that remains to be seen, although the initial prognosis was good.

“I always hear often it was an ugly win, but I never heard of saying such a thing as a pretty loss,” Newton said. “So either way it goes, we would prefer to get a win at the end of the day. It wasn’t a blockbuster outing offensively for us, but at the end of the day we found ways to win the football game and that’s what you have to have.”

The defense struggled at times as well, allowing the Jets to top 22 points for only the fourth time this season.

But a week from now all that will matter is the Panthers (8-3) are facing the New Orleans Saints, who fell to 8-3 with Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, for the outright division lead.

After losing six games by a field goal or less a year ago, the Panthers will take any kind of victory that keeps their playoff hopes alive.

“You’ve got to be able to win games like this to get to where you want to go,’’ outside linebacker Thomas Davis said. “It’s not going to always been a 20-, 30-point victory. You’ve got to squeak by and win some games like this. Last year we weren’t able to come away with those victories. That ended up being the difference in our season. We just found ways to win this week.’’


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As unimpressive as it was, the win kept the Panthers from falling further behind the Saints and kept them a game ahead of the Atlanta Falcons, who improved to 7-4 with a victory against Tampa Bay.

Carolina can’t hope to stay with Drew Brees and the high-powered Saints if they have another performance like this in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. They can’t expect to be consistent offensively unless they get Jonathan Stewart and the running game on track.

They can’t depend on two non-offensive touchdowns to save the day.

But on a day when they needed to avoid falling into a trap, the most important thing is they found a way to win.

“A win is a win,’’ safety Mike Adams said. “You can say ugly win because of their record (now 4-7). If they were 10-0, would we say an ugly win?’’

Probably not. But because of this win the Panthers have a lot more to look forward to facing a New Orleans team that beat them 34-13 earlier this season in Charlotte.

“It’s on,’’ Adams said. “We’ve got to be ready. We’ve got to play better than we did today. Obviously, we’ve got to bring our A game.’’

Soccer

Watch: Ajax's Kluivert completes stunning treble

Ajax prodigy Justin Kluivert has done something his celebrated father Patrick never did: bagged an Eredivisie hat-trick, with the youngster's trio making the difference against Roda at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam on Sunday.

The 18-year-old's third on the afternoon cemented the 5-1 victory, but his second was the pick of the lot, a stunning right-footed effort that curled away from a helpless Hidde Jurjus. Get in, lad.

Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

NFL

Can these two Hollywood QBs save New York football?

LOS ANGELES — Jerry Reese stood alone in the back of the USC end zone, leaning against the goalpost as he watched the Trojans’ quarterbacks warm up. The New York Giants’ embattled general manager was dressed casually, looking as if he wanted to blend into the SoCal crowd. He wore jeans, a dark baseball cap and earphones that presumably weren’t streaming New York talk radio.

While his ears were occupied, Reese’s eyes focused on the future: Sam Darnold, a 20-year-old prodigy who will be some team’s future.

Reese’s intense stare was interrupted by a gentle tap on the shoulder from his New York Jets counterpart, Mike Maccagnan, who stopped to say hello. They exchanged pleasantries for about two minutes, creating this oddly appropriate scene:

Here were the top football men in New York, both in search of a young franchise quarterback, standing about 10 yards away from the potential top pick in the 2018 draft. On the other side of the field was UCLA’s Josh Rosen, another elite quarterback prospect.

NFL executives aren’t allowed to comment about underclassmen — a mind reader from the Venice Beach boardwalk might have helped for our purposes — but you can assume Reese and Maccagnan wouldn’t have made the cross-country trip if they weren’t intrigued.

For the Jets, Giants and 18 other teams, it was one-stop scouting Saturday night at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It was Darnold versus Rosen, and each delivered in his own unique style. For the quarterback-needy franchises in attendance, the soundtrack to the evening was probably similar to a lyric from the movie “La La Land.”

City of stars

Are you shining just for me?

New York should be a city of stars, especially when it comes to quarterbacks. But two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning, 36, is in the twilight of his Giants career, and the Jets haven’t had a transcendent player at the game’s most important position since Joe Namath. Broadway Joe is 74, old enough to be Darnold’s or Rosen’s grandfather.

Now we have a rare storm developing on the horizon. The Giants (2-9) could have a top-three draft pick and the Jets (4-6) could be in the top 10, setting up some New York-style quarterback drama come April. The last time the Jets and Giants used top-10 picks on quarterbacks in the same year was … never.

Wouldn’t it be cool if Darnold and Rosen took their rivalry to New York?

“They’re both can’t-miss guys,” said former Super Bowl champion Trent Dilfer, a California-raised quarterback who has known both players since they were in high school in Southern California. “Without speaking in hyperbole, they’re two of the best prospects we’ve had in a while.

“Sam is intuitive. He’s cool. His best stuff comes out in the clutch. Josh is just pure. He’s like a golfer who hits everything in the middle of the face. And I don’t think New York would be too big for either one of them.”

Sam Darnold could opt to wield his sword at USC for another season. Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Keyshawn Johnson, a former No. 1 overall pick who made the jump from USC to the New York stage as a member of the Jets, believes both players have the talent and mental toughness to survive the glare of Gotham.

“I think Sam would be perfect in New York,” said Johnson, who knows Darnold through his alma mater and coached Rosen in a 7-on-7 summer league that traveled the country in high school. “Sam doesn’t say anything, and he’s a football guy. Josh has a little more Broadway Joe in him, a little Keyshawn Johnson in him. He’s gonna bite back. He’s a little more colorful.”

No fewer than 30 NFL representatives turned out to watch the first (and probably last) college showdown between Darnold and Rosen. The game was a microcosm of their careers. Rosen made the “wow” throws and posted the gaudy numbers (421 yards and three touchdowns), but Darnold delivered timely plays and won the game 28-23.

Darnold wins. Rosen dazzles.

“The most talented passer in the country,” one AFC scout at the game said of Rosen.

The golden boys, who grew up 65 miles from each other, both experienced rough patches this season. Darnold’s turnovers (an FBS-high 17) became a national story, with some critics saying the weight of immense expectations got to him around midseason. Since then, Darnold has rallied with four strong games.

“I’d be concerned if he continued to struggle, but he rebounded and looks like the player from last year,” the scout said. “He erased some of the doubts that had crept in. This will help him going forward. He showed he can handle struggles and adversity.”

Josh Rosen dazzled NFL scouts with 400-plus passing yards in a loss to USC. John Cordes/Icon Sportswire

The knock on Rosen, something that has followed him since he was a freshman, is that he lacks maturity. He can be difficult to coach. He has a sense of entitlement. His infamous hot-tub photo from 2015 remains the focal point in every conversation about his football character.

Memo to Josh: You can expect to be questioned about it at the NFL scouting combine.

“People say he’s spoiled because he’s a private-school kid from Manhattan Beach who drove an Audi in high school. That’s what that is,” Johnson said. “So he had a hot tub in college. That’s what everybody’s looking at? If I were him, I’d have a hot tub, too.”

Dilfer acknowledged Rosen’s personality “can be edgy and polarizing,” but he said the UCLA star has matured in recent years. In high school, Rosen was a participant in Dilfer’s Elite 11 quarterback camp and returned last summer as a counselor. Dilfer said Rosen “really grew” as a person in that time.

New York can be a vicious place for quarterbacks. Ask Mark Sanchez, the former USC hotshot who flamed out after three promising years. Ask Geno Smith, who was verbally abused by fans and physically abused by one of his teammates. In 2015, he was sucker-punched by linebacker IK Enemkpali, resulting in a broken jaw and effectively ending Smith’s career as a starter.

That Manning has lasted 14 years in the market is remarkable. His stoic, even-keeled personality has a lot to do with it. In that sense, Darnold is more like Manning than Rosen, but Dilfer interjected, “Sam has way more dude in him than Eli. Sam isn’t an, ‘Aw shucks, gosh-darn it’ guy. He’s the coolest guy in the room. He’s humble in a nonabrasive way, and people gravitate to him.”

Darnold is a rock star on the USC campus. After defeating UCLA, he enjoyed the ultimate Trojan moment. He climbed the band leader’s stepladder and led the marching band in its post-victory celebration. When he was done, the crowd chanted, “One more year! One more year!”

Later, speaking to a few reporters outside the locker room, Darnold was asked about his debut as a conductor and the chant. He jumped into his answer, saying, “I’m not going to say anything about that last part …”

Darnold refuses to discuss his looming decision. As a third-year sophomore, he has two years of eligibility remaining. The draft deadline for underclassmen is Jan. 15. People who know him believe he will return for another season, disappointing quarterback-starved fans in New York and Cleveland, among other cities.

Why stay? He has only 21 career starts, and he happens to like college life, even without a hot tub in his room. Others say his decision could hinge on which team has the No. 1 overall pick. Right now, the winless Browns are the heavy favorites, which could dissuade Darnold from turning pro.

As for Rosen, 20, it would be an upset if he remains at UCLA. He was born to play in the NFL. In pregame warm-ups, he drew the attention of Maccagnan, who spent most of the time on UCLA’s side of the field, jotting notes. The Jets GM watched the game from the stands, where he saw Rosen make several NFL-caliber throws. One pass in particular left scouts buzzing: a 46-yard completion that went off like a rocket and returned to earth like a feather.

Rosen and Darnold will take their rivalry to the NFL. The only questions are when and where.

New York could use a little Hollywood.

Soccer

Messi finally signs new Barcelona deal until 2021

Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Lionel Messi’s protracted contract saga is over.

Barcelona’s spellbinding forward inked fresh terms until the end of the 2020-21 season on Saturday. The Argentinian’s release clause is set at €700 million.

The Blaugrana announced in July that Messi was set to sign a new deal in Catalonia in “the coming weeks,” but the 30-year-old didn’t adhere to that deadline, prompting speculation about his future. Manchester City, overseen by Messi’s old Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola, was linked to dribbling wizard’s signature, with reports dating back to March 2016 stating the English outfit was “confident” of snapping up Messi if he decided to leave the Camp Nou.

But now, if Messi stays for the full duration of his deal, Barcelona has its talisman’s services until he nears his 34th birthday. His previous contract expired in the summer of 2018.

Messi joined Barcelona in 2000 as a 13-year-old from Newell’s Old Boys, one of the leading clubs from his native Rosario. He made his competitive debut against Espanyol at the age of 17, and has gone on to represent the Spanish giant for 14 seasons.

For the club, Messi has contributed to eight La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, five Copa del Reys, and three Club World Cups. His total of 30 titles is tied with Andres Iniesta, 33, for the most in Barcelona’s history. He’s also collected a series of individual awards, including five Ballon d’Or gongs and four Golden Shoes, and often spars for those honours with Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

The records he’s claimed at Barcelona may go untroubled for the rest of the club’s existence. He’s the club’s and La Liga’s all-time top goalscorer, and is yet to show signs of decline after scoring 12 goals and assisting three times in the current league campaign.

Messi is still a passionate follower of Newell’s Old Boys, and assertions throughout his career suggest he’s considering spending the swansong of his career with his boyhood club.

“I would like to play at Newell’s, play in Primera, be able to be inside of that pitch where I went to see so many games. But I don’t know what will happen from here to a few years, where I’ll be, how I’ll be to return,” he said earlier in November. “I can’t say I’m going back and I’m going to play. I would love it and I always said it but I don’t know what will happen. I hope it can be like that and I can play at Newell’s, which is what I dreamed about since I was a kid.”

For the next few years, Barcelona is blessed with the services of “the best player in the history of football,” as described by club president Josep Maria Bartomeu. Messi will take the pitch under his new terms for the first time on Sunday, when the league leader travels to second-placed Valencia for a tantalising clash.

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