ERST LESEN! » Championship the past four years.dddddd

NEW ORLEANS -- Saints coach Sean Payton has experienced clutch envy while studying the Lions this season.Its got nothing to do with fashionable, hand-held bags, but everything to do with Detroits repeated triumphs in close contests.Listen, Im jealous, said Payton, whose team has lost five games by six or fewer points. Obviously, to credit Detroit, theyve been able to win those games and I think that theres a little bit of confidence, if you will, when that starts happening. You expect it to happen.The Lions (7-4), who visit the Saints (5-6) on Sunday, lead the NFC North thanks to five victories by four or fewer points, including last week, when a late interception set up a winning field goal against Minnesota on Thanksgiving Day .The Saints opened the season with a one-point loss because of their inability to stop Oaklands last minute TD and bold, 2-point conversion . New Orleans then lost by a field goal to the New York Giants, largely because of blocked a Saints field goal returned for a Giants TD.New Orleans was lining up for a go-ahead extra point kick in the final minutes against Denver last month, only to see that try blocked and returned for two points the other way for the Broncos margin of victory.Those are gut-wrenching losses and tough ones to bounce back from, Payton said. It tests your grip a little bit.Yet, when quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints league-leading offense are in synch, and if the defense is even just decent, the result can be leads large enough to render the final minutes irrelevant. Thats what happened last week against Los Angeles, when the Saints piled up 555 yards in a 49-21 rout of the Rams .So while the Lions remain confident about their competence in the clutch, it might not matter if they cant keep it close for four quarters.I dont know why theyve lost six games, Lions safety Glover Quin said. The thing I know is its Drew Brees. Its the New Orleans Saints. Theyre in the Superdome. Theyre going to be fired up and we have to match the intensity.Here are some other top story lines surrounding Detroits visit to New Orleans:SUPERIOR STAFFORD: One big reason the Lions are winning close games is because QB Matthew Stafford isnt losing them with poor decisions and turnovers. Stafford has thrown one interception in his last seven games and just six in his last 18. Staffords arm, meanwhile, is considered among the leagues best by none other than Brees.He can make some throws that most guys cant make -- cant even attempt to make, Brees said. Hes got some moxie, got some savvy. ... Hes just got that playmaking ability in critical situations.This season, Stafford has completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,883 yards and 19 TDs against five interceptions.BETTER BREES: The Saints record-setting QB, who turns 38 on Jan. 15, is arguably having his best season in five years. If he maintains his completion percentage of 71.5, hell break the NFL record of 71.2 he set in 2011. He currently leads the NFL with 3,587 yards and 30 TDs passing. Detroit defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said he can live with lots of completions as long as theyre more lateral than vertical. Thats why he was pleased with how his defense played against Minnesota QB Sam Bradford (31 of 37) last week.He can go 36 of 36, as long as they dont throw the ball over our heads and as long as we get them off the field on third down, Austin said.ROARING LIONS: The Lions have won six of seven for the first time since 1995, when they won six of the last seven to earn a playoff berth for the fourth time in five years. Since then, Detroit has been in the postseason four times, most recently in 2014. The Lions also are in a position to win their first division title since 1993, when they were part of the NFC Central before divisions were realigned in 2002.ANGRY MARK: Two games ago, Mark Ingrams night was cut short when he was briefly knocked unconscious and placed in the NFL concussion protocol. Just 10 days later he gained 146 yards rushing on just 14 carries, including a 10-yard TD, against Los Angeles. He also scored on a 21-yard screen and was selected NFC offensive player of the week. However, Ingram has been bothered by a toe injury this week.Every time that dude touches the ball its like hes running angry, Brees said. Man, hes like ferocious. You can feel it. That inspires the whole group.INSIDE PRESSURE: Each team fields a defensive tackle it selected early in last springs draft. New Orleans Sheldon Rankins, taken 12th overall out of Louisville, recently returned from a broken leg that sidelined him for New Orleans first eight games. He has two sacks in his last three games and a forced fumble.Detroits AShawn Robinson, drafted 46th out of Alabama, has two sacks, four tackles for losses and has batted down a handful of passes in 11 games.---For more NFL coverage: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---AP Sports Writer Larry Lage in Allen Park, Michigan, contributed to this report.---An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed Detroits most recent playoff season as 2011. Air Force 1 Sale . You can watch the game live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. The Flyers had won seven of eight before dropping their last two outings on consecutive days over the weekend. Philadelphia was handed a 6-3 loss by the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday afternoon before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Rangers the following night in New York City. Air Force 1 Outlet . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. https://www.cheapairforce1outlet.com/ . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Air Force 1 2020 .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. Air Force 1 Online . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. LAS VEGAS -- The Breeders Cup -- held this year Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California -- constitutes two of my favorite betting days of the year.For those who dont know, the Breeders Cup (BC) is the championship day for horse racing and we get all the top horses from around the world. Every year, there are big upsets and huge payoffs. This happens because these are all high-quality horses, yet many of them get overlooked by the betting public and go off at higher odds than you would ever see them in regular races -- and odds in excess of their true chances to win.Since 1999, Ive picked every BC race in print or online in the pages of the weekly GamingToday newspaper here in Vegas, then as the Las Vegas correspondent for Daily Racing Form, at my ViewFromVegas.com website (where my winners and record of a $3.28 for every $2 wagered is documented) and now for Chalk.This year, Im joined in handicapping some of the races by ESPN senior researcher Chris Fallica. You probably know him as The Bear from College GameDay and from his college football picks here at Chalk, but hes a horse racing experrt in his own right, having qualified for the NTRA National Handicapping Championship the past four years.ddddddddddddHere is how were handicapping every Breeders Cup race:Saturday(Note: Santa Anita is hosting the BC this year, but Saturdays nine BC races are Nos. 4-12.)BC Juvenile Fillies (Santa Anita Race 4, approximate post 3:05 p.m. ET)Dave Tuley: The 1-2 finishers from the Alcibiades at Keeneland -- Dancing Rags and Daddys Lil Darling -- arent being given much respect due to their relatively slow times, but Daddys Lil Darling had to be shuffled back a little with horses playing bumper cars in front of her and she was still able to make a big move to finish second by length. If shes able to stick a little closer like she did in her win in the Pochahontas, I think she can win this. Since I like her, I have to include Dancing Rags as a long shot. Im also using Yellow Agate, who is 2-for-2 and adding Lasix, and Noted and Quoted, who is 1-for-1 on this track and trained by Bob Baffert. ' ' '