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LANDOVER, Md. -- Losers of two in a row, the Green Bay Packers had no trouble sharpening their focus on the Washington Redskins when they met in the playoffs in January.Its their intent to do that again to pull out of this tailspin before its too late.The Packers (4-5) return to the scene of their NFC wild-card win Sunday night hoping that facing the Redskins (5-3-1) can turn their fortunes around after a three-game skid.This game is important because its the game this week, so thats what were focused on: beating the Redskins, Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said.We clearly understand where we are in our season and understand how weve played the last couple games, so its about improving each and every week.Another loss would make the Packers path to an eighth consecutive playoff appearance more difficult. But the margin of error is also small for the Redskins, who could fall to last place in the NFC East with a loss and a win by the Philadelphia Eagles.While Washingtons position is more comfortable than Green Bays, coach Jay Gruden said the Packers are not far away from being the Packers that we know.Injuries havent helped, but the mere presence of two-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers makes them formidable.The fact that the Packers have lost a couple of games here really is irrelevant when you have him as the quarterback and some of the other great players that they have on defense, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins said.You realize youve got to come ready to go because theyre going to be hungry and theyre going to be ready.The Redskins are seemingly better than they were when they lost 35-18 on Jan. 10. Cornerback Josh Norman gives the defense a different look, and undrafted rookie Robert Kelley has shown evidence that he can be a capable starting running back.A similar scheme that they ran last year, theyre just doing a little bit better I think, Rodgers said. You have some guys who maybe werent big contributors last year who are kind of stepping up and being more of an impact player this year.Some things to watch when the Packers visit the Redskins:SACKS IN BUNCHES: One reason things fell apart for the Redskins in the playoff game was that their initial pass rush on Rodgers was neutralized by Green Bays running game. Washington has three sacks in five consecutive games, including two big ones by Preston Smith in a victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Its a lot of guys trying to find ways to get to the quarterback, Smith said. And of course its a competition to see who can get more sacks by the end of the year. Maintaining a consistent pass rush was a goal from training camp, and this is another major test.RUN IT OUT: In the span of a few days, Christine Michael went from being the leading rusher for Seattle, to Seahawks outcast, to potential backfield savior for the Packers. Green Bay has only three rushing touchdowns this season, all from Rodgers. McCarthy wants to balance the offense, which has been pass-heavy since Eddie Lacy went down with an ankle injury. Any semblance of a consistent running game will help the Packers extend drives, which could in turn rest a defense that has been on its heels the past few weeks.OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD: Norman relishes matchups against not only top receivers but top quarterbacks, and on a conference call Wednesday he referred to Rodgers as a wizard. Rodgers has Davante Adams and Jordy Nelson as targets, and Norman is eager for the challenge. Facing definitely a cerebral assassin in that guy over there, he said of Rodgers. I know how he works, so Im looking forward to it.STARTING STRONG: Fast starts used to be a Green Bay specialty. Lately, the Packers have been falling behind early. Last week, DeMarco Murray had a 75-yard touchdown run on Tennessees first play from scrimmage. The previous week, the Colts ran the opening kickoff back 99 yards for a score. The poor starts left the Packers scrambling in both games, with the offense forced to get away from the run. The Packers need to avoid another slow start. They also need to avoid the momentum-sapping late scores that have also plagued them near the end of second quarters of recent games.---AP Sports Writer Genaro Armas in Green Bay, Wisconsin, contributed.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Wholesale Air Max 90 Black .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. Air Max 90 Leather White . LOUIS -- Attorneys for the St. http://www.outletairmax90cheap.com/outlet-air-max-90-black-gold-cheap.html . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Fake Air Max 90 Mens .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Air Max 90 Black Royal Blue . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Lynx were backed into a corner after a Game 1 loss on their home floor to the star-studded Los Angeles Sparks.No time to panic for this battle-tested group. The defending champions know just how to respond.Maya Moore had 21 points and 12 rebounds to help the Lynx even the WNBA Finals at one game apiece with a 79-60 victory in Game 2 on Tuesday night.This team bounces back well. We cant stay down for too long, Moore said. And Im a part of that. I wanted to bring that energy and thats what I took on myself personally today.Sylvia Fowles had 13 points and 15 boards and Minnesota held Los Angeles to 32.9 percent shooting to bounce back from a last-second loss in Game 1. Seimone Augustus scored 14 points and Minnesota dominated on the glass, 46-32, to pull away.We played like this game was more important to them than it was to us and thats unfortunate, Sparks coach Brian Agler said. You dont get these opportunities often, so you have to play like you might not get this game back.Nneka Ogwumike had 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Sparks, who head back home for the next two games in the best-of-five series. Candace Parker was quiet with six points on 3-for-12 shooting and the Sparks missed 17 of 20 3-pointers.The Lynx are trying to become the first back-to-back champions in the league since the Sparks repeated in 2002. A win in this series would also give Minnesota its fourth championship, which would tie the Lynx with the Houston Comets for most in league history.Last year the Lynx lost Game 1 at Target Center to the Indiana Fever, but rebounded to win that series in five games. But they know they face an even more capable challenger this year.We know what we needed to do, Augustus said. We watched the entire footage from Game 1 and saw where we made mistakes.Neither team led by more than five points during an air-tight Game 1 that Los Angeles won at the buzzer on a jumper from Alana Beard. The first 16 minutes of Game 2 were just as competitive, but Moore and the Lynx seized control in the final four minutes of the second quarter.After going scoreless in the firstt half of Game 1, Moore got rolling during a 17-3 blitz to close the period.dddddddddddd She hit two 3s and a layup, then picked Parkers pocket and heaved a three-quarter length outlet to a streaking Lindsay Whalen for a three-point play and a 37-25 lead.Moore had 12 points in the first half and the Lynx took much better care of the ball after coughing it up 11 times in the first half of Game 1.The Sparks made things interesting with a 14-0 run in the third quarter that made the score 44-41, but Augustus and Moore took over in the fourth to turn back the charge.I think it had a lot to do with our effort, Ogwumike said. Not to say that we dont want it. But you get tired and muddled and youre not focusing on what youre doing, a lot of times confusion can seep in. And I think thats what happened.MVP DISAPPEARS: Ogwumike, the league MVP, scored just two points in the final period, and took just six shots in the entire game. Its a hard job. (Our post players) made it look easy, but its not, Moore said. Shes such an explosive player.REBOUNDING ADVANTAGE: The Lynx parlayed their edge on the glass into a 17-7 advantage in second-chance points. They shot a pedestrian 45 percent from the field, but had 13 offensive rebounds to create more opportunities. When the ball went up on the glass and a shot was taken on either end, they outworked us, Agler said.QUOTABLE: Now I know how Shaq felt in the NBA, -- Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve on the physical play on Fowles in the paint.RECORD RATING: The WNBA instituted a new playoff format this year that seeded teams based on record, not geography. It resulted in the two best teams during the regular season meeting in the finals despite both playing in the Western Conference. Game 1 drew an average audience of 597,000, the most-watched Game 1 ever on ABC, the network announced on Tuesday. It peaked with 693,000 viewers and was the most-watched Game 1 since 1998 broadcast across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.UP NEXT: Game 3 is Friday in Los Angeles. ' ' '