Aufträge » Andrew Luck is a win away from putting the Indianapolis

NASHVILLE Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , Tenn. (AP) — Colts back into the playoffs for the first time since 2014 while doing something no NFL quarterback has managed since at least 1970.Beat an opponent 11 straight games.Luck has won his first 10 games against the Tennessee Titans, matching Hall of Famer John Elway, who went 10-0 against the Patriots. Another victory Sunday night would leave Luck all alone in dominating another team with an AFC wild-card berth at worst for the Colts (9-6).Article continues below ...Not that Luck is counting on past success, especially after the Colts needed a late TD to edge the Giants 28-27 for their eighth victory in nine weeks.“What happened previously and what happened in previous years, it doesn’t matter,” Luck said. “What happened last weekend does not matter. It’s a new cycle.”Tennessee safety Kevin Byard refuses to ponder why Luck has tormented the Titans so. The Titans are 2-3 against the Colts in Byard’s three seasons —Luck missed 2017 with a shoulder injury — and four straight wins have Tennessee (9-6) a win away from a second straight postseason berth.By kickoff, they’ll all know exactly what’s at stake. The AFC South title will be up for grabs if Houston loses to Jacksonville. Even crazier for the Titans, a No. 2 seed with a first-round bye would be available if the Texans, Patriots and Ravens all lose. That’s more than enough to keep the Titans focused.“We’re just blessed to be in this position to be playing for a playoff game, so that’s all the motivation that guys need,” Byard said. “They’ll be motivated, we’ll be motivated. It’ll be a fun game.”Some things to know about the final game of the NFL’s regular season:MARIOTA’S STATUSThe Titans may not know if quarterback Marcus Mariota will play against the Colts. Mariota was knocked out of the Titans’ 25-16 victory over Washington last weekend with a stinger — the same injury that kept him out of a 38-10 loss Nov. 18 in Indianapolis. Mariota is optimistic he’ll play instead of backup Blaine Gabbert.“This is what it’s about,” Mariota said. “You’re playing for everything. I’m doing everything I can day and night, and just trying to make sure that I can be ready.”ONE-SIDEDThis division rivalry has been one of the most lopsided in football over the past 15 years.Since losing three straight against the Titans from 2000-02, Indianapolis is 25-6. While the Titans often came up short against University of Tennessee grad Peyton Manning, they have been even worse against Luck. It’s not just Luck and Manning who have been problematic for the Titans. Matt Hasselbeck and Dan Orlovsky http://www.clevelandbrownsteamonline.com/anthony-zettel-jersey , now both ESPN commentators, also beat the Titans in backup roles. Hasselbeck also played for the Titans from 2011-12.MISSING PIECESThe Titans will be without a pair of defensive starters. Four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jurrell Casey (left knee) was placed on injured reserve Monday , a week after cornerback Logan Ryan went on IR with a broken left leg. If starting linebacker Brian Orakpo misses a third straight game with an elbow injury, that would be a big hit for the NFL’s No. 2 scoring defense.Tennessee defensive coordinator Dean Pees will be available for a unit that has allowed two offensive TDs over the past four games. Pees missed most of the first game against the Colts after being taken to an Indianapolis hospital, where he spent the night.The Colts are banged-up as well, waiting for tight end Eric Ebron to clear concussion protocol, while center Ryan Kelly has an injured neck.DEFENDING HENRYOne difference from the last game between these teams is Derrick Henry. The Titans running back leads the NFL with 532 yards rushing and eight TD runs in December, though he had nine carries for 46 yards against the Colts in November.“He’s as good as advertised,” Colts linebacker Anthony Walker said. “He’s big, he’s explosive, and when he gets outside he’s a problem in the open field. Definitely, have to get him before he gets going.”ONE FOR THE AGESAdam Vinatieri has been achieving new feats all season and can add a couple more just three days after celebrating his 46th birthday.If the league’s oldest active player — and NFL’s new career scoring leader — simply appears Sunday, he would break a tie with Jeff Feagles (352) for the third-most games played in NFL history and become only the fourth player to participate in a game at 46. The others are George Blanda (48), Morten Andersen (47) and John Carney (46).And he may not be finished yet.Vinatieri signed a one-year contract in March to stay with the Colts and has expressed interest in continuing to play in Indy next season. GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Barring unforeseen circumstances, rookie Josh Rosen will begin his first NFL season on the sidelines as Arizona’s backup quarterback.The preseason http://www.detroitlionsteamonline.com/jahlani-tavai-jersey , though, will be his chance to shine, beginning Saturday night when the Cardinals play at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.“We want him to play quite a bit and really get into the flow of the game,” coach Steve Wilks said.Rosen said his two weeks of training camp have “gone really well.”“I think I’ve gotten better pretty much every day since I’ve gotten here,” the former UCLA star said before Wednesday’ practice.Sam Bradford is Arizona’s starter but the Cardinals view Rosen as their franchise quarterback of the future. Why else would they have moved up five spots in the draft to pluck him 10th overall?Asked for specific areas of improvement since he became a pro, Rosen cites “a bunch of things.”“The most tangible is probably the playbook,” he said. “I feel a lot more comfortable and fluid with it at the line of scrimmage. I’m focusing more and more with what the defense is trying to do to me rather than making sure I get the right snap count and in the right protection.”He said he’s also picking up “the little things on how to use the double-cadence to try and buy yourself time and get someone offside, just little tricks of the trade I didn’t know when I was in college.”From the beginning Bradford and Rosen seem to have gotten along well.“Sam’s actually really good with all those little things,” Rosen said. “He’s a crafty vet and very successful for a lot of different reasons. He might not share every reason with me, but I’ll take advantage of the ones that he does.”Bradford said Rosen “asks the right questions.”“He’s hungry for information,” Bradford said. “It seems like he’s always trying to learn something. It doesn’t stop in the meeting rooms. Even at the dinner table he’ll ask me.“It’s fun to be around someone like that and to hopefully try to be able to help him. I share with him some of the experiences I’ve had, some of the things I’ve learned over the years. Hopefully it can relate to him and can help him in some way.”Wilks wouldn’t say how much Rosen will play on Saturday night but it will be long enough to do some serious evaluation.“The mechanics of really running the offense,” Wilks said, “putting guys in the right position from a protection standpoint, going through his progression and reads and really just trying to detail the fundamentals.”Rosen is running second on the depth chart, ahead of Mike Glennon http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/kahale-warring-jersey , who also figures to play a lot Saturday.Early in camp, Rosen said he was thinking too much.“I think I’ve gotten a lot better since then and continue to each day,” he said. “The less thinking you can do, the more you can allow yourself to physically do what I’ve been doing since Pop Warner, and play the game I know.”As a big-name rookie quarterback, Rosen knows his every move will be scrutinized by fans and critics.“It’s part of the game,” he said. “I stay relatively offline for the most part. The most pressure I feel from anyone is myself. I’m very, very highly self-critical, almost too much at times. There’s no pressure that should be greater than my own.”There’s no changing his throwing style either, which includes an occasional sidearm toss on a bubble screen.“It’s not just how hard or far you can throw it,” Rosen said. “It’s being able to change your arm slot and delivery. I think Aaron (Rodgers) is the best at it because sort of like mid-throw, your ability to throw sidearm to fit a quick screen in there or just kind of contort your body to get halfback screens and stuff in there.”No one has tried to alter that style, he said.“They drafted me for what I can do and I’m here to deliver that,” Rosen said.He said he’s made preparation for the NFL a day-by-day process.“Right now I’m fully in work mode,” he said. “I’m trying to be the best that I can be and over the course of my career I’m trying to win Super Bowls. And right now I’m trying to put my best foot forward in this preseason game.”