allowed after first contactDont let the focus on tackling and

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- American Sam Querrey edged Finlands Jarkko Nieminen 4-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (12) on Wednesday to advance to the Winston-Salem Open quarterfinals. Querrey had 19 aces, but lost the first set to the left-handed Nieminen after leading 4-1. Querrey then had to overcome five match points in the third-set tiebreaker to advance to his fourth tournament quarterfinals this season. "I just played some sloppy points (in the first set)," Querrey said. "I missed a few when I was up 4-2, and I missed some easy forehands later on. That kind of got me down, and it took a while for me to get back into it. "That was just a lack of confidence right out of the gate ... but I knew that if I could get into a tiebreaker, I could win my serve and grind out a few points on his serve." The 29th-ranked Querrey will face unseeded Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Spains Roberto Bautista Agut. "Its always painful to lose a tight match," Nieminen said. "When it got to 6-6 (in the third-set tiebreaker), I saw that he looked tired. Thats when I stopped playing the way I did before, and missed some shots. I wanted to make him run, but I should have gone for my shots like I did before." Querrey is the lone American player remaining in the final hard-court tournament before the U.S. Open next week. Qualifier Steve Johnson, who upset second-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy on Tuesday, lost to Taiwans Lu Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3, 6-2. In other third-round results Wednesday, Jurgen Melzer of Austria beat Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-4, 6-3; Dmitry Tursunov topped fellow Russian Alex Bogomolov Jr. 6-3, 7-5; and Spains Fernando Verdasco downed Robin Haase of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-7 (10), 6-3. Tommy Robredo, at No. 22 the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament, faced Frances Gael Monfils in the night match. Bob Lilly Cowboys Jersey .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Dak Prescott Jersey . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. http://www.cowboysfootballgearshop.com/daryl-johnston-jersey/ . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. Dak Prescott Youth Jersey . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. Terrell Owens Youth Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. We have reached the month of December, the time when the best NFL teams begin pulling away from the pack, and to that end: Look out for the Baltimore Ravens.The Ravens have won four of their past five games and sit a game outside of first place in the AFC North?entering Monday nights showdown with the New England Patriots. While the Ravens made news earlier this season by changing offensive coordinators, and averaging 23.1 points per game since, the overriding force in their turnaround is a defense that in some aspects is challenging the historic 2000 group that led it to victory in Super Bowl XXXV.Largely unnoticed outside Baltimore, the Ravens defense is destroying opponents running games and hasnt been much worse against the pass. Lets take a closer look at the numbers, with a huge assist from ESPN Stats & Information senior statistics analyst Jacob Nitzberg, as well as some custom crunching from Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders.First, just for kicks, well look broadly at what the Ravens have done this season alongside numbers from that 2000 unit through 12 games.Comparing 2016?Ravens defense to 2000 unitPoints allowed are the most important statistic for any defense, and the Ravens are tied for No. 2 (with the Patriots) in the league this season. When comparing that to 2000, keep in mind NFL scoring efficiency has inflated over the past 16 years. In 2000, teams scored about two points fewer per game than they have scored this season.But lets drill down on the Ravens run defense in particular. It has allowed 101 fewer rushing yards than the next-closest team, the Dallas Cowboys,?and opponents have attempted 23 more carries against the unit. The Ravens 3.4 yards allowed per carry leads the NFL, and though it is a half-yard higher than what their 2000 defense gave up through 12 games, its important to consider that through a contextual prism.Football Outsiders DVOA statistic takes into account the strength of opponents, among other data points, to level out comparisons. According to Schatz, DVOA judges the Ravens 2016 opponents rushing games to be stronger than what the 2000 team faced, and thus, their run defense efficiency rating is actually better this season (-39.7 percent) than in 2000 (-36.9 percent). In fact, the 2016 Ravens have the best run defense DVOA in Footballl Outsiders 27-year dataset.dddddddddddd. Its also worth noting that the Ravens allowed an 85-yard rushing touchdown to Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell in Week 2. On their other 259 attempts, Ravens opponents are averaging 3.09 yards.Put simply, the Ravens havent allowed opponents to use their running games in ways they are used everywhere else in the league. (Note: The Titans, also listed below, rank second.)Rushing first downs allowed, 2016You cant have a strong run defense without good tackling, of course, and the Ravens have demonstrated that across the board. Linebacker Zach Orr?is tied for No. 4 in the NFL with 112 combined tackles, and the addition of free-agent safety Eric Weddle has added stability to the back end.The Ravens arent allowing opponents to tack on many extra yards, whether thats against the run or pass. They have allowed the NFLs fewest yards per attempt after contact on rushing plays and are also tackling receivers after the catch quicker than all but five NFL teams.Average yards allowed after first contactDont let the focus on tackling and the run game cloud any perceptions about the Ravens pass defense. When facing the Ravens, opponents have the NFLs third-lowest Total QBR (57.0), and in an era when quarterbacks are throwing fewer interceptions than ever, the Ravens have the leagues second-highest total.Team interceptions, 2016Opponents are averaging 9.53 yards per pass completion, the second-lowest total in the NFL. The Ravens have been particularly stingy on the deep ball, allowing the second-lowest completion percentage (32.5) on passes that travel at least 15 yards downfield.Put it all together, and the Ravens are making opponents earn their yards and points. They have allowed 67 explosive plays, defined as a run of 12-plus yards or a pass of 16-plus yards, four more than the NFL leader.Number of explosive plays allowed, 2016The 2016 Ravens defense probably wont find itself next to the 2000 unit in the history books. But this seasons edition of the Ravens defense is stronger than you probably realized and the biggest reason the team is poised to return to the playoffs in 2016.All numbers entering Week 14. ' ' '