No team who thought they had a chance to reach the Super Bowl when the NFL season began back in September will be eliminated mathematically from play-off contention tonight, but more than a few could be psychologically finished by the end of the day.
With five weeks left in the regular season, these are days of high stress and games of high importance. Win and you may not be in but lose and you know you are out, no matter what the mathematicians tell you.
The undefeated Indianapolis Colts (11-0) try to tie the all-time record of 21 consecutive regular-season wins at the expense of the NFL's in-form team, the Tennessee Titans (5-6). Everything is on the line for the Titans, who have won five games in a row, and little is at stake but pride and meaningless records for the Colts.
Tennessee have the league's leading rusher in Chris Johnson, who claimed this week he can break the single-season rushing record set 25 years ago by Eric Dickerson of 2,105 yards. He has rushed for no less than 128 yards in each of his past six games, but would have to average 142 a game for the rest of the season to tie with Dickerson.
He will have to do something like that to beat the Colts, a defence against whom he ran for only 34 yards the first time they met.
Peyton Manning threw for 309 yards and three scores in that game, but Tennessee were without three of their best defensive backs.
They are back in the line-up and Manning has struggled lately, having thrown seven interceptions in his past four games after just four in his first seven matches, so the stage seems set for a more competitive struggle.
The Colts have repeatedly teetered on the edge of defeat of late, trailing in the fourth quarter in each of the past five games before eventually finding a way to win.
Tennessee would love to get them in a similar position by running Johnson and limiting the amount of times quarterback Vince Young has to throw even though he is coming off the best passing game of his career; a 387-yard effort that was capped by a 99-yard drive to win last Sunday on a touchdown pass that was caught as time ran out.
Young started the season on the bench, but since replacing Kerry Collins has led the Titans to five consecutive wins.
Facing a Colts defence adept at forcing turnovers,Young will have to be wary if he gives the ball away because the Colts will turn the Titans' season upside down.
The New York Giants (6-5) face a must-win game against NFC East rivals the Dallas Cowboys (8-3) at a time when their defence is wilting. Their pass rush has gone and starting middle linebacker Antonio Pierce is out for the season.
That has resulted in the Giants conceding 31.6 points a game in their last six matches. Other than that they could not be any more ready to face the Cowboys because historically December has been a horrendous month for the Cowboys and their quarterback Tony Romo, who are 5-10 after November in the past three seasons.
"This is this season," Romo said when asked about his disappointing post-November performances.
The Dallas offensive line has struggled for much of the year but now New York's defence is doing the same. Couple those problems with regular communication breakdowns in the secondary and that would seem to put Romo in a position to end his December jinx.
The NFL's other undefeated team, the New Orleans Saints (11-0), must avoid a let down after destroying the New England Patriots on Monday night.
The lowly Washington Redskins (3-8) do not appear to offer much of a challenge unless the Saints are not ready to play.
The "Skins" have back-ups starting at running back who keep turning the ball over (five times the last three games) and have struggled against teams far less devious than the Saints.
The Philadelphia Eagles (7-4) must win to stay within range of the Cowboys and travel to the Atlanta Falcons (6-5), who must win to stay alive.
Meanwhile, the New England Patriots (7-4) will try to bounce back from a 38-17 loss to the Saints against the Miami Dolphins (5-6). This is Miami's last hope to stand a chance for the post-season. For that to happen they must get some offence and keep the Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady on the bench.
Ben Roethlisberger returns to the starting line-up for the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) against the lowly Oakland Raiders (3-8) after a concussion kept him out last week.
The Minnesota Vikings (10-1) travel to face the defending NFC champions the Arizona Cardinals (7-4) hoping to make a statement that they are ready to unseat them.
The Houston Texans (5-6) travel to the Jacksonville Jaguars (6-5) in a fight for an AFC wild card play-off spot.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
The%20specs
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Common%20symptoms%20of%20MS
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20end%20of%20Summer
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Pakistanis%20at%20the%20ILT20%20
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Meydan racecard:
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (PA) Group 1 | US$75,000 (Dirt) | 2,200 metres
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) Listed | $250,000 (D) | 1,600m
7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) Conditions | $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m
8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (D) | 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,000m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000, 2,400m
Winner: Recordman, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000, 2,200m
Winner: AF Taraha, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Dhafra, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000, 1,600m
Winner: AF Momtaz, Fernando Jara, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000, 1,600m
Winner: Optimizm, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Abramovich London
A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
