Giants reporter Jordan Ranaan and Packers reporter Rob Demovsky take an in-depth look at Sunday’s wild-card game between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field (4:40 p.m. ET, Fox).
New York Giants
11-5
2nd, NFC East
The Giants return to the playoffs for the first time in five years, and it seems only appropriate their road goes through Green Bay. Two of their past three playoff appearances have included victories at Lambeau Field on their way to Super Bowl triumphs.
Aside from quarterback Eli Manning , there aren’t many players left from those teams (two from 2007 and six from 2011). This is a much different group of Giants, led by a stingy defense that allowed the second-fewest points in the league this season. The Giants are going to rely on that defense and hope Playoff Eli returns — after a bumpy regular season — for an extended postseason run. « Having a guy like Eli is exactly what you want, » wide receiver Victor Cruz said. « And exactly what you look for in a team that wants to make a deep run.  »
It begins Sunday against a Packers team they already lost to earlier this season in Green Bay.
Giants X factor
RB Paul Perkins. The rookie has increased his rushing total in each of the past six games. He even made his first career start in Week 17 against the Redskins, when he became the Giants’ first 100-yard rusher of the season. If Perkins can give the Giants any sort of rushing attack (they had 54 yards rushing as a team in their first meeting with the Packers), it will help open passing lanes against a depleted secondary that can be exploited. And Packers all-world quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be kept off the field.
Why the Giants will win
Their defense plays at an extremely high level. They’ve held three of their past four opponents to 10 points or fewer, and two of those teams (Cowboys and Redskins) were top-10 offenses. So are the Packers. If the Giants keep Green Bay and Rodgers in check and under 20 points, Manning & Co. will leave Lambeau Field with a win. Even during the final three games of their six-game winning streak, Green Bay has given up 24 points or more. The Packers are an average team (5-5) when they don’t score 30 points this season.
Why the Giants will lose
The Giants haven’t scored more than 20 points in a game since late November. That won’t get it done against a Green Bay offense that has topped 30 points in four straight games. If the Giants are unable to run the ball against a stout Packers run defense and Manning plays poorly with consistent pressure coming off the edges, it’s going to be a long afternoon in Green Bay.
Giants prediction
Odell Beckham Jr . is a big-game player, and it will show in his first playoff game. Beckham saved the Giants’ season with 211 yards and two touchdowns in the second half against the Baltimore Ravens, and he has more catches (33) and touchdowns (4) this season in the fourth quarter than any other quarter. He also scored the winning touchdown in the Giants’ biggest game of the season last month against the Dallas Cowboys. Beckham will make enough big plays on Sunday at Lambeau Field to supplement a Giants defense that will limit Rodgers and the Packers just enough to escape with a dramatic victory.
Giants 24, Packers 23
Green Bay Packers
10-6
NFC North champs
The Packers indeed ran the table, as quarterback Aaron Rodgers suggested was possible, even though they had a 4-6 record in late November and were mired in a four-game losing streak.
They don’t intend to let up now.
« The energy that this team has is unique, » Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. « That is not a concern at all. It’s about as ambitious a group of men as I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with. That’s been evident from day one on the journey. But at the end of the day, it’s about winning this Sunday against the Giants.  »
History should have no bearing on Sunday’s NFC wild-card game at Lambeau Field unless, of course, the ghost of playoffs past revisits Green Bay. The Giants have twice upset the Packers in the playoffs at Lambeau — the 2007 NFC Championship Game and in a 2011 NFC divisional-round game — both times with Eli Manning as New York’s quarterback and with Mike McCarthy as Green Bay’s coach. Manning is 2-0 in playoff games at Lambeau Field and has as many postseason wins there as Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (2-2).
Packers X factor
When the Giants came to Lambeau Field in Week 5, they probably didn’t even know Geronimo Allison ‘s name. The undrafted rookie receiver was still on the Packers’ practice squad. In his past two games, Allison has eight catches for 157 yards and a touchdown while playing for the injured Randall Cobb. Even if Cobb comes back this week from his left ankle injury, the Packers would be wise to keep Allison in their plans. At 6-foot-3, he’s a matchup problem for shorter cornerbacks, and he has shown an ability beyond his years to grasp the Packers’ complex offense and win the trust of Rodgers. « He’s made plays consistently in practice over the last five or six weeks, which gives you the feeling that if he gets an opportunity or we need him to be in there, he’s going to make a play, » Rodgers said. « And that’s why he’s been a big part of our success and I’ve gone to him in certain situations, because I’ve seen it in practice.  »
Why the Packers will win
Momentum, sixfold. The Packers’ six-game winning streak can’t be dismissed as a nonfactor come playoff time. Veteran pass-rusher Julius Peppers said: « Momentum is a real thing, and we have a little bit of it.  » A little? No one in the NFC went into the playoffs with a longer winning streak and no one has a quarterback who is as hot as Rodgers. He hasn’t thrown an interception in his past 245 attempts — the longest streak of his career — and he has 15 touchdowns without an interception in the past six games.
Why the Packers will lose
The cornerback position is a mess; it has been all season, really. They finished the regular season ranked 31st — second to last — in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (269.3), and they have more questions about the health of their cornerbacks. Quinten Rollins appears unlikely to play because of a neck injury and a concussion, and Damarious Randall couldn’t finish last Sunday’s game at Detroit because of a knee injury. They held Odell Beckham Jr. in check (five catches for 56 yards and one touchdown) during the regular-season meeting but might struggle to do that well again.
Prediction
Jordy Nelson had one of his worst games (four catches for 38 yards and one touchdown plus a dropped pass that turned into an interception) in the first meeting against the Giants, but he has been on fire of late. During the six-game winning streak, Rodgers has completed 83 percent of his passes to Nelson, compared with 55.9 percent in the first 10 games. The Rodgers-Nelson connection could be what sends the Packers into the second round.
Packers 23, Giants 20

Similarity rank: 1.1

Sentiment rank: 2.2

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The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has lifted the provisional suspension of four Russian skeleton athletes, including Sochi gold medallist Alexander Tretiakov and bronze medallist Elena Nikitina.
The Russians were suspended following the second McLaren report which alleged « a state-sponsored doping programme » in the country.
The IBSF said there was currently insufficient evidence to continue with the provisional suspension.
Further investigations will be carried out by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and IBSF into alleged doping.
The two 2014 Winter Olympic medallists, along with Maria Orlova and Olga Potylitsyna, will be free to compete at next month’s bobsleigh and skeleton World Championships in the German resort of Konigssee.
The championships were due to take place in the Russian city of Sochi, but it was stripped of its hosting rights by the IBSF in December, following the publication of the McLaren report.
Britain’s Lizzy Yarnold, who won gold in Sochi, is due to compete in Germany.
Redcar Junior parkrun
Walking Basketball

Similarity rank: 2.1

Sentiment rank: -2.6

© Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-sports/38548269
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Multiple NFL players with local ties had strong games as the playoffs kicked off with two wild-card games Saturday.
Former Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner, named an All-Pro earlier in the week, led Seattle with 10 tackles in the Seahawks’ 26-6 win over Detroit. Wagner led the NFL with 167 tackles during the regular season; that season total was a career high for the former Aggie.
Eight of Wagner’s tackles against Detroit were solo tackles. He also had a tackle for a loss when Wagner teamed with K. J. Wright to stop Matthew Mulligan for a loss of 2 yards on a fourth-down pass at the Seattle 40 on the first play of the second quarter. That stop helped lead to the Seahawks’ first touchdown of the game.
He added a quarterback hurry in leading a Seahawks defense that didn’t allow the Lions a touchdown.
On the losing end, former BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah had his best game of the year as the Detroit pass rusher finished with two sacks on Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson.
The first sack, a loss of 4 yards, came on a third-and-8 at the Seattle 41 near the end of the first quarter. The second sack, also a loss of 4 yards, came on a third-and-11 at the Detroit 35 and forced the Seahawks to punt the ball.
Ansah had nine tackles, including five solo tackles, in the game and also had five quarterback hurries.
Here’s a look at how the other Utah ties performed in Saturday’s games:
NFC: SEAHAWKS 26, LIONS 6
Seattle
Bobby Wagner, LB, Utah State: See above.
On injured reserve: Will Tukuafu, FB, East High
Detroit Lions
Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU: See above.
Miles Killebrew, SS, Southern Utah: Had a solo tackle in his first postseason appearance.
Nevin Lawson, CB, Utah State: Started at cornerback and had seven tackles, including five solo tackles. One of his solo tackles, for a gain of no yards on a second-and-1 early in the second quarter, helped forced a Seattle punt.
Haloti Ngata, DT, Highland High: Had a sack when he tackled Wilson for a loss of 6 yards on a second-and-2 at the Seattle 47 in the first quarter. He also had three tackles, including two solo tackles, and a pair of quarterback hurries, as well as a tackle for no gain on a third-and-1 in the second quarter.
AFC: TEXANS 27, RAIDERS 14
Houston
Tony Bergstrom, C, Utah and Skyline High: Came on as a reserve in his first postseason appearance.
Xavier Su’a-Filo, OG, Timpview High: Started at left guard, his second start in a playoff game.
Oakland
James Cowser, LB/DE, Southern Utah and Davis High: Played but did not record any statistics in his first playoff appearance.
Keith McGill, DB, Utah: Played but did not record any statistics in his first playoff appearance.
Donald Penn, T, Utah State: Penn, the starter at left tackle all season, missed the game after injuring his knee in the regular-season finale. It was the first missed game for Penn in 10 seasons.
Sean Smith, CB, Utah: Started at cornerback and had two tackles, including a solo tackle, and a pass deflection. His solo tackle stopped Houston wide receiver Will Fuller 1 yard short of a first down on a third-and-4 in the third quarter.

Similarity rank: 2.2

Sentiment rank: 0.7

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SEATTLE — The playoff misery continues for the Detroit Lions.
The Lions fell 26-6 on Saturday to the Seattle Seahawks. Before falling to Seattle, the Lions lost three straight regular-season games to playoff teams.
The Lions have gone 25 seasons without a playoff victory. They’ve gone 60 seasons without a road win in the playoffs.
Their nine-game playoff losing streak is the longest in NFL history, breaking a tie at eight with the Kansas City Chiefs (1993-2014) and Cincinnati Bengals (1990-present).
And in the Super Bowl era, Detroit still has only one win in the postseason, continuing a streak of futility and failure. Detroit is winless all time in the wild-card playoffs, with losses to Washington (1982, 1999), Green Bay (1993, 1994), Philadelphia (1995), Tampa Bay (1997), New Orleans (2011), Dallas (2014) and Seattle (2016).
The Lions also are the first NFL team since the 1999 Detroit squad to enter the postseason on a three-game losing streak and proceed to lose their first playoff game. Five other teams had gone into the playoffs on three-game losing streaks in that time frame, and all won their first playoff game.
Saturday’s defeat also showed how not-ready-for-prime-time these Lions were. They lost at night on national television for the third straight week and are 1-9 in their past 10 prime-time games.
Simply, here’s how the blowout loss happened:
Yes, the Lions made the postseason for the second time in three seasons, but once they arrived, so many players seemed to not show up. Detroit’s offense couldn’t score a touchdown and crossed midfield only three times.
Detroit’s defense, knowing it had a specific mission to stop the run, couldn’t do it, as RB Thomas Rawls ran for 161 yards and took over the momentum of the game.
And the Lions’ veteran players made boneheaded mistakes. WR Anquan Boldin was called for two personal fouls and DT Haloti Ngata had one, crushing Lions drives and extending a Seattle drive.

Similarity rank: 2.2

Sentiment rank: -2.8

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By Cody Westerlund–
CHICAGO (CBS) — Prior to Saturday night’s game, Raptors coach Dwane Casey, unprompted, called Bulls wing Jimmy Butler “elite.” Afterward, the superlatives reached even loftier heights.
Scoring 32 of his 42 points after halftime, Butler willed the Bulls to their third straight victory and second consecutive against a top-notch Eastern Conference team, as Chicago rallied from a 19-point deficit for a 123-118 win in overtime against the Toronto Raptors (24-12) at the United Center. It was Butler’s third game third 40-point game in the past six contests, and it left coach Fred Hoiberg using a modifier in front of the usual “star” description.
“You can put Jimmy up with the superstars in this league and put him in that category,” Hoiberg said. “There’s no doubt about that.”
In a season in which the Bulls (19-18) have hovered around .500, failed to string together consistent play and been met with questions about their future direction, Butler’s rise has been the feel-good storyline. He’s been on a rampage lately, averaging 34.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.7 assists on 46.5 percent shooting in the past six games. For the season, he’s averaging career highs of 25.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
Butler is fond of attributing his success to his hard work, a point backcourt mate Dwyane Wade backed up when he credited Butler for going to the gym to work on his game nearly every evening, whether the Bulls already had a practice earlier in the day or whether it was an off day. For his part, Wade is also fond of pointing out that it’s the mental fortitude that has spearheaded Butler’s transformation.
“Everyone in this league has talent,” Wade said. “There’s a lot of things that separate guys. That’s one of them, the mentality that it takes to — even if you’re having a bad game, like in Cleveland, he wasn’t shooting it well — to still be able to do that in the clutch. That’s big time. Those are special players right there. He’s putting himself in the category of being special.”
Butler’s signature moment Saturday night came late in overtime. With the Bulls leading 118-116, he isolated on the right side of the court, guarded by Kyle Lowry, who gave up six inches. Lowry did well to hold his ground against the bigger Butler, cutting off his path to drive, but it mattered not. Butler spun, then authored a stepback 25-foot 3-point over Lowry’s outstretched hand for the dagger with 17.3 seconds left.
“Me and (trainer) Chris (Johnson) actually worked on it last night and the night before last,” Butler said of his stepback 3-pointer. “You never know when you’re going to have to use moves like that. Luckily, I made it.”
It’s plays like those while carrying such a heavy two-way burden for the Bulls that led to this postgame question: Does Butler deserve MVP consideration?
“I think so,” Hoiberg said. “I just think what he’s done for this team and again, this stretch that he’s got going right now, he just continues to add to his game. He’s really playing with the ball in hands a lot now, which is something he didn’t do a lot of (before Rajon Rondo’s benching). We’d run him off screens, get him a live catch, a pick-and-roll situation. But he’s just pretty much straight up our point guard for a lot of the games right now. And he’s been phenomenal.”
Butler wouldn’t yet enter the fray on the MVP discussion. He just wants to keep up his high-level play, which has come as he also finds himself cast into trade rumors recently.
“I don’t know about all that,” Butler said of the MVP talk. “I’m taking one day, one step at a time. All that is way down the road from here. We got to continue to win if that’s ever going to be a question.”
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for CBSChicago.com and covers the Bulls. He’s also the co-host of the @LockedOnBulls podcast, which you can subscribe to on iTunes and Stitcher. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.

Similarity rank: 3.1

Sentiment rank: 0

© Source: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/01/07/bulls-fred-hoiberg-jimmy-butlers-one-of-this-leagues-superstars/
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SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks , grounded by a stagnant running game during most of the regular season, hit the ground running in their playoff opener on Saturday night.
Thomas Rawls ran for 161 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown as the Seattle Seahawks continued their home playoff success with a 26-6 victory over the Detroit Lions .
« This felt more like old times, » cornerback Richard Sherman said. « This felt great.  »
Seattle advanced to an NFC Divisional Playoff game at Atlanta after winning for the 10th consecutive time at home in the postseason. The Seahawks haven’t lost a playoff game at home since 2005.
The winner of Sunday’s Green Bay- New York Giants game travels to Dallas to face the top-seeded Cowboys in the other NFC divisional game.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson , playing without a knee brace for the first time since Week 3, completed 22 of 30 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
Rawls had 107 of his 161 rushing yards before halftime and broke the game open with a 4-yard touchdown run with 8:49 remaining. That score, which was followed by a failed point-after kick, put Seattle up 19-6.
Rawls had 27 carries after an injury-plagued regular season that saw him accumulate just 349 rushing yards.
The Lions failed to get across midfield on their next possession and the Seahawks ate up almost four minutes of clock before Wilson threw his second touchdown pass to put the game away with 3:36 remaining.
« We’ve got to play better, » Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. « We just didn’t play well today.  »
Detroit receiver Anquan Boldin , who had a frustrating night of dropped passes and had a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, was frustrated with some of the officiating in the game.
« Any time you come into a place like this, you know you have to play more than just the team, » Boldin said.
Detroit held Seattle to one touchdown in the first three quarters and pulled within 10-6 on Matt Prater ‘s 53-yard field goal with 4:08 left in the third quarter.
Seattle’s Steven Hauschka kicked a 27-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Prater, who booted a 51-yarder just before halftime, became the first kicker in NFL history to make two field goals of at least 50 yards in a playoff game.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 18 of 32 passes for 205 yards for the Lions, who have lost their last nine playoff games — an NFL record — and are 1-11 in postseason play since 1957. Detroit’s only playoff win in a span of nearly 60 years came in 1992 over Dallas.
The Lions had only 231 yards of offense. Detroit scored only one second-half touchdown during its season-ending four-game losing streak.
Wilson threw two highlight-worthy touchdown passes to Paul Richardson and Doug Baldwin. Richardson’s one-handed catch of a 4-yard touchdown was one of two receptions the wide receiver made with one hand while a defender was called for pass interference.
Wilson finished by throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Baldwin, who reached out to take the ball away from intended target Jermaine Kearse with 3:36 remaining.
Baldwin caught 11 passes for 104 yards, and Richardson added three receptions for 48 yards and the touchdown.
Seattle advanced to the divisional round for the fifth year in a row and will play a playoff game in Atlanta for the second time since the 2012 postseason.
« It’s awesome, » Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril said of the five-year streak of playoff success. « But it doesn’t mean anything until you’re the last man standing. At the end of the day, we want to win the Super Bowl championship.  »
Richardson’s touchdown catch gave the Seahawks a 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
On fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, Richardson reached across Detroit safety Tavon Wilson with his left hand while Wilson, who was flagged for pass interference, pinned down Richardson’s right arm. The acrobatic catch resulted in a touchdown with 7:07 left in the first half.
The Seahawks added a 43-yard Hauschka field goal with 1:55 left in the half to open a 10-0 lead.
Detroit used a 30-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to Boldin to set up Prater’s first field goal with 20 seconds left in the half, pulling the Lions within 10-3.
Detroit receivers dropped four passes in the first half, which played a part in Stafford completing 9 of 17 attempts for 97 yards in the opening 30 minutes.
« That’s uncharacteristic of us, and we’ve got to get better at that, » Caldwell said.
The Seahawks were plagued by mistakes for most of the regular season but turned in one of their cleanest games. They hope to perform at a similar level next weekend against an Atlanta team that almost upset Seattle at home during the regular season.
« We’re looking forward to the challenge, » Sherman said. « We feel like we made some mental errors the last time. We feel like it’s going to be a great ballgame.  »
NOTES: The last time the Seahawks lost a home playoff game was after the 2004 season, when the St. Louis Rams won at the University of Washington. … Seattle TE Jimmy Graham came out of the game temporarily in the first quarter after taking a big hit from Detroit S Tavon Wilson. Graham had to be helped off the field but was back in action by the middle of the second quarter. … Veteran KR/PR Devin Hester and LS Tyler Ott made their debuts for the Seahawks after signing earlier in the week. … The previous Seattle record for rushing yards in a playoff game was 157 by Marshawn Lynch.

Similarity rank: 3.2

Sentiment rank: 4.6

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