Townley joined him on the front row. It r

WASHINGTON -- As his Washington Redskins enter a critical stretch in their pursuit of a playoff berth, coach Jay Gruden made clear how he feels about a schedule that takes his team to Dallas on Thanksgiving Day right after a Sunday night game.I dont think its really fair, no, Gruden said Monday on a conference call with reporters, but we have to deal with it. We knew this was coming. ... The biggest thing is you worry about the health of your football team. This is a physical football game we played last night, and were at the point in the year where guys are a little bit beat up.Thanks to winning six of their past eight games, the Redskins (6-3-1) are off to their best beginning to a season in two decades. Still, they know that what theyve done so far to erase an 0-2 start wont mean much if they dont keep winning, starting Thursday at the NFC East-leading Cowboys (9-1).Any time you can win, its always a plus, but we know that we still got bigger fish to fry, so winning right now is crucial, said Jamison Crowder, who caught three passes from Kirk Cousins for 102 yards, including a TD that went for 44 in Washingtons 42-24 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.You know, we have to keep winning, so its big to get this one, Crowder said. Now were looking forward to Dallas.Not since 1996 had the Redskins lost only three of their initial 10 games, but they followed that 7-3 start by losing four of their last six to end up 9-7 and third in the division, out of the playoffs.To avoid that sort of a collapse this time, Washington needs to first get through a three-game road swing that includes trips to Arizona on Dec. 4, and Philadelphia on Dec. 11.After getting a chance for treatment and rest Monday, Redskins players will hold two walkthroughs instead of full-fledged practices on Tuesday, and another walkthrough before flying to Texas on Wednesday.Were feeling good, but at the same time its a short week, and were playing one of the best teams in the NFL on Thursday, said Cousins, who threw for 375 yards, three TDs and zero interceptions against Green Bay, another strong performance as he hopes to earn a long-term contract. Welcome to the NFL. They dont get any easier from here.With Cousins finally getting a chance to be the starting quarterback after biding his time behind Robert Griffin III, the Redskins won the NFC East a year ago. Now they take on the first-place Cowboys, who have won nine in a row behind a pair of rookie sensations, quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.And while Gruden said he can take some solace from knowing the short turnaround comes against a familiar foe, he added: The bad thing is we know how good they are.After all, Dallas current winning streak began in Week 2, when it came back to win 27-23 at Washington.For us to keep pace in the division and have a chance at the division title, Gruden said, weve got to play our best game Thursday.---AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Warren Sapp Jersey . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. Buccaneers Jerseys China . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. http://www.cheapbuccaneersjerseysauthentic.com/ .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Ronde Barber Jersey . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. Buccaneers Jerseys Authentic China . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. JOLIET, Ill. -- With numerous drivers needing a win to qualify for the first NASCAR Chase for the Truck Series championship, aggression and accidents ruled the final laps.Kyle Busch navigated it all to leave those hungry drivers disappointed.Busch overcame a race-record 11 cautions for his 46th career Truck Series victory Friday night. The Sprint Cup stars second circuit win of the season and fifth trucks win at Chicagoland Speedway meant Daniel Hemric and Timothy Peters earned the final two spots in the eight-driver playoff field based on points.It was kind of hectic, Busch said of the finish. There was a lot on the line for those guys. I know they were racing for a bunch. I was only worried about us.Busch took on four tires and re-started ninth with 42 laps to go before quickly charging to the front just before Johnny Sauter clipped Ben Kennedy to ignite a crash and red flag.There were four more cautions before Busch blew past Cameron Hayley on an overtime restart and had the lead when the final caution flew on the last lap. Busch led 95 of the 150 laps on the 1.5-mile oval for his 167th win on NASCARs top three circuits.Hemric finished second to earn a spot in the season-ending, seven-race playoff.We worked our tails off to get to this point, he said. We thought if we could figure out a way to get ourselves in we could make a serious run at the championship.Hayley was third, followed by Christopher Bell and Sauter.Were not in the Chase, Hayley said, but we cant say we didnt try.The race began with six of the eight Chase spots already determined. John Hunter Nemechek was the last to clinch after he tangled with Cole Custer in the grass before claiming a win in Canada.Top-seeded William Byron, 2015 champion Matt Crafton, Kennedy, Sauter annd Bell also were safely in.ddddddddddddCuster, who announced earlier Friday that he would move to the Xfinity Series next season with Stewart-Haas Racing, was penalized for speeding on pit road with 84 laps left. He still got into the top 10 late before being involved in a wreck that caused a tire rub. He finished 10th.Its the best truck I ever brought to a mile-and-a-half, so Im really happy with that, Custer said. I made a mistake and we put ourselves in a bad spot.Spencer Gallagher earned his first pole and John Wes Townley joined him on the front row. It rekindled memories of their on-track wrestling and boxing match after an incident at Gateway Motorsports Park in June that included takedowns and punches to the face.But mistakes kept both out of the Chase, with Townley sparking an accident that caused a late caution and Gallagher finishing sixth.Peters qualified for the Chase by finishing eighth despite hitting the wall and having a right-front tire go down on the 67th lap.Byron, a five-time winner who drives for Buschs team, scraped the outside wall after four laps and headed to the garage. He returned 40 laps later only to again crash and finished 30th.That was a bummer to see, Busch said. Hopefully, they can get back on their horse next week.Kennedys car was destroyed and damaged the SAFER barrier, causing a 14-minute delay. He was treated and released from the infield care center.Matt Tifft had to pit early with a loose wheel and finished 12th in his first race since undergoing surgery to remove a non-cancerous brain tumor. Tifft received applause when he was introduced in the pre-race driver meeting. ' ' '