Arriba! NFL returns to Mexico City
Raiders coach leads philanthropic effort to provide ‘hope’ for city’s needy children
Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio’s foundation will once again use a trip to Mexico City for some philanthropy.
Del Rio’s wife, Linda, and daughter, Lauren, will distribute backpacks filled with Raiders-themed items and school supplies to needy children on Saturday, the day before the Raiders take on the New England Patriots in their second game in Mexico City in two years.
Raiders alumni including hall of famers Fred Biletnikoff and Willie Brown will then hold a clinic for the kids.
The Raiders, the Jack Del Rio Foundation and the NFL are all donating $10,000 to Mano Amiga, a non-profit organization that helps needy children in Mexico.
“We are excited to return to Mexico City and to have another opportunity to fully engage and to provide resources and hope for the many wonderful people who became part of the NFL family last year,” Linda Del Rio said.
RUN STUFFERS: The Eagles have the NFL’s top-ranked run defence and they have won several games by a large margin, so teams aren’t even trying to run against them. Philadelphia’s opponents are averaging 18.4 rushing attempts per game, the fewest in league history.
Only Kansas City’s Kareem Hunt had more than 40 yards rushing in a game against the Eagles (8-1). Hunt ran for 81 yards in Week 2, a 27-20 Chiefs victory.
Overall, the Eagles have allowed only 66.4 yards rushing per game.
SO MUCH WINNING: Entering Week 11, seven teams, nearly a quarter of the league, were on winning streaks of at least four games. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans and L.A. Rams had each won four in a row. The Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots were on five-game streaks. And the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints were each on a sevengame run.
THAT’S WHY: Bengals fans are wondering why speedy first-round pick John Ross isn’t getting more playing time. One play last Sunday in a 24-20 loss at Tennessee showed why.
The receiver slowed while running a deep pattern on third down, so he wasn’t able to catch up to Andy Dalton’s throw. It was the only time he was targeted.
Shoulder and knee injuries have limited Ross to a total of 17 snaps all season. He has run the ball one time on a reverse, and he has yet to catch a pass.
Coach Marvin Lewis took Ross to task for slowing up on the deep pass route.
“He let his teammates down, he let me down, he let Andy down,” Lewis said.
BAD RETURNS: The Broncos have finally benched rookie punt returner Isaiah McKenzie, who had five fumbles, including one Sunday night that ignited the New England Patriots’ 41-16 rout in Denver.
He’s been supplanted by Jordan Taylor, who at six foot five is nine inches taller than McKenzie, who’s generously listed at 5-8.
Coach Vance Joseph raised eyebrows in early August when he made McKenzie his punt returner before the pre-season games had begun. He insisted the Broncos had drafted him specifically for that purpose, and he stuck with him over the first half of the season, despite McKenzie’s constant yips.
His fifth fumble was the last straw.
Taylor is thrilled to get on the field. He’s been inactive five times this season and has just five catches for 41 yards.
PRO BOWL VOTING: The NFL and Twitter are introducing a new way for fans to vote for the Pro Bowl roster through direct messaging.
Fans may participate via entry cards tweeted from all 32 team accounts or by directly visiting the @NFL profile page at Twitter. com/NFL. The entry cards will initiate a private direct message and enable fans to begin the voting process.
During the final week of Pro Bowl voting from Dec. 7-14, fans can vote directly on Twitter. To cast a vote, fans should tweet the first and last name of the player, or the player’s official Twitter handle, along with the hashtag: #ProBowlVote.
Fans can also vote online at NFL. com/ProBowlVote.
The rosters for the Pro Bowl will be announced on Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. The Pro Bowl will be on Jan 28, 2018, in Orlando.
The Associated Press