corners, its high speed because its so narrow. Its better for the fans because it looks more sketchy and will bring a better show.Newgarden, meanwhile, is still driving with a wrap on his right hand from the break he suff

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Two weeks ago, when the Green Bay Packers were scuffling along at 4-6, quarterback Aaron Rodgers made a bold proclamation.I feel like we can run the table, Rodgers said on Nov. 23.With victories over Philadelphia and Houston the past two weeks, the Packers are one-third of the way to that target. Sundays game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX) looms as by far the biggest barrier.Green Bay (6-6) remains two games behind Detroit in the NFC North but has gotten back into the wild-card chase, where it trails Tampa Bay (7-5) by one game.I think theres a lot of confidence in the locker room, Rodgers said Wednesday. I think guys really believe that this team has the potential to make a run. Weve shown it the last two weeks -- a tough road win and then holding serve at home.But, obviously, this is a little bigger game with the opponent. As every game progresses, theres more on the line for us to play for. So Im confident in the guys that were up to the challenge.With Dallas (11-1) running away in the NFC race for home-field advantage, Seattle (8-3-1) is battling Detroit (8-4) for a first-round bye. The Seahawks have won four of their last five games, including a blowout of Carolina on Sunday night in which Russell Wilson threw for 277 yards and Thomas Rawls ran for 106 of the teams 240 rushing yards.While the Seahawks appear to be surging, they did suffer a significant loss when safety Earl Thomas sustained a broken leg against the Panthers. Steven Terrell is expected to replace Thomas.The Seahawks are still confident that the beat will go on for a defense that is trying to lead the NFL in points allowed for the fifth consecutive season, which would be unprecedented in the Super Bowl era.A team thats not great, they try to have everyone lift their play and do more than what theyre supposed to do, said Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett, who returned last week after missing five games with a knee injury. When youve got people behind them, you expect them to do their job. We expect whoever plays where Earl is, theyre going to do their job.Nobodys going to try to do more than what theyre supposed to do, and thats how you play great defense.The Packers no doubt will test Thomas replacement, but within reason.The way he plays the position is extraordinary, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. He has tremendous range, anticipation and hes a big part of their leadership of the football team.You have to look at how the new guys going to fit in, but were not going to drop back and throw 50-yard post routes all day because theyve got a new free safety. I dont think thats practical.Injuries will be a major storyline for the Packers, too. Starting outside linebacker Nick Perry, the teams leader with eight sacks, has been ruled out with an injured left hand.Fellow starter Clay Matthews, to use McCarthys words, was extremely limited against the Texans with an injured shoulder. Starting inside linebackers Jake Ryan (ankle), who returned last week from a two-game absence, and Blake Martinez (knee), who has missed the past two games, are ailing, too.Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is battling a hamstring injury -- not particularly good news for the Packers, considering Seattle ranks fourth in the league with 31 sacks.After a relatively slow start to the season, Rodgers is heating up in the nick of time. In the past seven games, he leads the NFL in touchdown passes and 100-plus rating games.Weve watched him all year, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. Hes being what he is. Hes an extraordinary football player, a great leader, an amazing competitor, such a creative player.This isnt a new guy to me. We played him back when he was in college a lot. Feel very familiar with him and have watched his career. If you want to break up this season by what he did early and what he did late, hes a great football player and, because of that, hes going to wind up showing you that if you watch him enough. Custom New York Mets Jerseys . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Custom Texas Rangers Jerseys . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. http://www.customjerseysbaseball.com/custom-los-angeles-angels-jerseys-424x.html . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. Custom Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Custom Seattle Mariners Jerseys . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. TORONTO -- It hasnt been the fastest race to the checkered flag for Josef Newgarden, the rising star of IndyCar.Newgarden, coming off a dominating win on the oval at Iowa Speedway last weekend, returns to the street course of Toronto this weekend as the defending race winner. Its a far cry from four seasons ago, when as a rookie he led only one lap all year while driving for a small, single-car team.About halfway through that year it got really difficult at certain points to have faith and motivation in what you were doing, Newgarden said Friday. I just remember thinking, `What is going on? I dont know what Im doing, I dont know what we need from a big picture, whether thats a team thing or a car set up standpoint. There was a lot going on. If you can imagine loving something so much, more than anything else in life and then losing your love for it -- its kind of an odd thing to happen. And then you regain it.Newgarden believes things really began clicking two seasons later, in 2014, and have been steadily rolling upward since. He now drives for the two-car team at Ed Carpenter Racing and was in the championship hunt last season, when he won two races and finished seventh in the final standings.You learn the ups and downs, he said. You learn the emotional roller coaster of racing.Newgarden enters Sundays race on the temporary street course as one of the favorites. His win last weekend at Iowa, where he led all but 18 of the 300 laps, helped him close the gap on IndyCar Series points leader Simon Pagenaud. Hes climbed from 12th to second in the standings over the last five races and the Tennessee native trails Pagenaud by 73 points.I think thats racing, he said. You have one weekend where youre like the biggest jerk on the planet and everyone hates you and theen the next weekend you have an amazing weekend and youre like the messiah again.dddddddddddd.Hes already experiencing that at Toronto, where he was 16th on the speed chart after Fridays practice sessions. Pagenaud was fastest, while his Team Penske teammates Helio Castroneves and Will Power were second and third. The fourth Penske driver, Juan Pablo Montoya, was in a crash during practice.Pagenaud had praise for the course.I like it because I find it more exciting, Pagenaud said. You got to be so precise and its narrow, its technical in the last section but it also meets speed corners, its high speed because its so narrow. Its better for the fans because it looks more sketchy and will bring a better show.Newgarden, meanwhile, is still driving with a wrap on his right hand from the break he suffered in a crash at Texas last month. Hes been downgraded from a brace because it took up too much room in his car and he couldnt grip the wheel. Although he also broke his clavicle, Newgarden said his hand is the issue.The hand is really whats bothering me, its going to be a problem, Newgarden said. Its healing. I just went and got X-rays this week.Newgardens best finish on a street course this year was fourth at Detroit, and he struggled to a 22nd-place finish to start the season in St. Petersburg. He was 10th on Long Beach. Because of his struggles on street courses, he doesnt believe his victory last year makes him the driver to beat.I dont think were going to walk away. (The) goal this weekend is to finish in (the) top six, Newgarden said. If we can do that then we just need to have a clean race and then well fight for a podium or a win. ' ' '