FOXBOROUGH, Mass. [url=http://www.authenticpredatorspro.com/Filip-forsberg-predators-jerse y/]Filip Forsberg Predators Jersey[/url] . - Step by step, Andrew Luck has climbed into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks.In each of his three seasons, he and the Indianapolis Colts got one game closer to th

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Filip Forsberg Predators Jersey . - Step by step, Andrew Luck has climbed into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks.In each of his three seasons, he and the Indianapolis Colts got one game closer to the Super Bowl. Now he can reach that destination if he beats Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game Sunday night.I want to beat the best, Luck said. Theres a competitive spirit in all of this: Hey, the harder it is, the better. Lets go try and make it happen. If the Colts (13-5) upset the Patriots (13-4), Luck will have accomplished a difficult feat: beating Peyton Manning and Brady in consecutive games on the way to the Super Bowl.But a win against the 37-year-old Brady, 12 years his senior, wont be a major measuring stick for Lucks progress.Thats not a benchmark, he said. Hes a great role model for any quarterback at any level playing the position, but its a team game. To me, its as simple as that.Luck has piled up impressive statistics since being drafted with the first pick out of Stanford in 2012.This season, he led the NFL with 40 touchdown passes and surpassed Mannings single-season franchise high with 4,761 yards passing. Hes also the only player to throw for at least 250 yards in each of his first five playoff games.In his three seasons, the Colts lost in the wild-card round, then reached the division round and now are playing for the AFC title after Luck threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns in a 24-13 divisional round win over Denver and Manning.Hes just stayed with the process, Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. Right now he probably feels as good as hes ever felt.And thats not good for the Patriots.He was pretty good when he came in and hes even better now, New England coach Bill Belichick said. Hes got a lot of strengths, no weaknesses.Sounds like Brady.The 15-year veteran will play in his ninth AFC championship game and fourth straight, but the Patriots lost two of the previous three. In last Saturdays 35-31 divisional win over the Baltimore Ravens, Brady led the Patriots back from two 14-point deficits. His three touchdown passes gave him 46 for his career, breaking Joe Montanas record of 45 in the post-season.Weve shown a lot of improvement and it all leads to this moment, Brady said, so weve got to be at our best.Things to watch for as two of the NFLs highest-scoring teams meet:CATCHING ON: When they drop back, Luck and Brady have plenty of reliable receivers to choose from.Luck connected with eight against Denver. And one who didnt catch a pass, Reggie Wayne, needs 36 yards receiving to move past Cliff Branch for No. 3 in NFL post-season history.One of the things that I believe has been a reason for our success is the different playmakers that we have and the way that the ball is being spread around, Colts tight end Dwayne Allen said.Brady completed at least four passes to six different receivers against Baltimore, including one touchdown each to Rob Gronkowski, Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell, who caught a winning 23-yarder with just over five minutes left.PATRIOTS RUSHING: New England used a powerful ground attack in its last two games against Indianapolis. LeGarrette Blount ran for 166 yards and four touchdowns in a 43-22 divisional win last year, and Jonas Gray rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-20 win Nov. 16. But the Patriots rushed only 13 times for 14 yards against the Ravens, and three of them were kneel-downs by Brady in the last two minutes.We chose not to run the ball more than anything else, offensive co-ordinator Josh McDaniels said. It wasnt like we ran it 20 times and had 35 yards.BOOM TOWN: The last time the teams met, Colts RB Daniel Boom Herron played a season-low one snap. He got his first career start in the next game and has become a dual threat. After rushing for just 74 yards and catching two passes in the first 10 games, hes had 396 yards rushing and 37 receptions. In his two playoff games, hes run for 119 yards and two touchdowns and caught 18 of 19 passes thrown his way.I love it, he said of his post-season performances. Thats what youre here for and thats what Ive dreamed about since Ive been playing football.FOR THE RECORD: Brady needs 10 yards passing for 6,801 in his post-season career, breaking Mannings record. One more post-season win will give Belichick his 21st as a coach, snapping a tie with Tom Landry for the most in NFL history. Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri, who won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and has one ring with the Colts, will break Jerry Rices mark for most post-season games with his 30th. He also can set a record with his 14th consecutive post-season game with a field goal, breaking a tie with Tony Fritsch.CHANGING PLAYERS: Both teams have players in bigger roles than in the regular-season matchup. The Colts are getting greater production from rookie receiver Donte Moncrief, and the offensive line has three different starters. Defensive tackle Arthur Jones is back after missing the first meeting with an ankle injury and kick returner Josh Cribbs joined the team two days after the first game.For the Patriots, defensive end Chandler Jones, Arthurs younger brother, missed it with a hip injury, while Blount joined the Patriots the following week after being cut by Pittsburgh.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Nashville Predators Jerseys .com) - Intrastate rivals collide Saturday as the Texas State Bobcats hit the road to take on the eighth-ranked Texas Longhorns in a non-conference battle at Frank Erwin Center. Dante Fabbro Jersey . Others describe it as taking the parrot for a walk. http://www.authenticpredatorspro.com/Kyle-turris-predators-jersey/ . -- Adrian Peterson takes a look around the league and sees big money flying everywhere.LISBON, Portugal — The encounter between Portugal and Sweden is the marquee matchup in the European playoffs to complete the continents 13 entries for next years World Cup. Portugal and Sweden finished second in their qualifying groups behind Russia and Germany, respectively. Here are five things to know about the first-leg game in Lisbon on Friday. The second leg is at the Swedish national stadium on Tuesday. ___ JUST ONE, NOT BOTH One of Europes most sensational goalscorers wont be thrilling the crowds in Brazil. Portugals Cristiano Ronaldo and Swedens Zlatan Ibrahimovic are two of the games top showmen, and prolific scorers, with the kind of talent that can light up stadiums. And both are in top form — they each bagged a hat trick for their clubs last weekend. Ronaldos third hat trick of the Spanish season for Real Madrid made him the top scorer in La Liga with 16 goals in 13 rounds. He has added another eight in four Champions League games. The 28-year-old winger, who was crowned FIFA world player of the year in 2008, is Portugals second-highest scorer after Eusebio, with 43 strikes in 107 appearances. Swedish defender Mikael Lustig has the job of marking Ronaldo — and says hell need some help, because "support is the secret in a game like this." Ibrahimovic is Swedens second all-time scorer, with 46 goals. He has racked up 15 goals in 16 games for Paris Saint-Germain this season, including seven in the Champions League. The 32-year-old striker was the French leagues top scorer last season and can swing a game in his teams favour. A year ago, he scored all of Swedens goals in a 4-2 win over England, with his late overhead kick counting as one of the sports greatest goals. "We can stop him," Portuguese centre-back Bruno Alves said, "but it means stopping the whole Sweden team because if he doesnt get the ball he cant do much." ___ OTHERS TO WATCH Nani has spent most of his international career in Ronaldos shadow. The Manchester United winger has struggled to make his mark over the past year, being sidelined by injuries that kept him out of four Portugal matches. He didnt find the net for 16 months up to Octobers qualifier against Luxembourg. With 14 goals in 70 appearances for Portugal, Nani is keen to claim his place in the limelight. "Its all about having the right attitude," he said. While the Portuguese focus their attention on Ibrahimovic, they face a big obstacle at the other end of the pitch wheere goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson is one of Swedens standout players. Austin Watson Jersey. The 32-year-old is Swedens bulwark, often saving the day when the sometimes brittle Swedish defence cracks. Isaksson produced some spectacular saves in Swedens qualifiers against Austria and Ireland and memorably saved a stunning bicycle kick by Lionel Messi last February. ___ PORTUGALS PROBLEMS The Portuguese commonly play better against big-name teams than less famous ones. Their qualifying campaign was spoiled by home and away draws against Israel and a home draw against Northern Ireland. Inconsistency has dogged Portugal, which has won just eight of its 16 qualifiers and friendly games since the 2012 European Championship finals. This is the third time in a row Portugal has fallen short of automatic qualification for a major international tournament. It also went through the playoffs to reach the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012. Despite having Ronaldo on its team, it has struggled to make its superiority tell on the scoresheet. "Even when weve played well weve lacked something vital — effectiveness in front of goal," coach Paulo Bento said. Portugals joint second-top scorer in qualifying was central defender Bruno Alves, whose four goals matched those by Ronaldo. Helder Postiga was top with six. ___ SWEDISH SPIRIT While playing unevenly and sometimes coming up short in defence, Sweden showed an impressive fighting spirit in its qualifying campaign. Most remarkably, the team rallied from four goals down to draw 4-4 with Germany. It also turned around a game against Austria, fighting back from a goal down to win 2-1, and did the same against Ireland for a 2-1 victory. That record isnt lost on Portugal coach Bento. "Sweden is a team that never gives up," he said. "Well have to be totally concentrated." ___ HISTORY LESSONS Portugal is ranked 14th in world by FIFA. Sweden is at 25th. Though the Portuguese have risen to the occasion at international tournaments, reaching the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2012, their trophy cabinet is still bare, as is Swedens. Sweden has never lost in Portugal in seven visits. It also has a head-to-head advantage with six wins and three defeats against Portugal. But the Swedes havent beaten Portugal since 1984, and their last three meetings ended in draws. "Neither team can be said to be the favourite," Bento said. ____ Malin Rising contributed to this report from Stockholm. ' ' '