HOUSTON TEXANS

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鈥?Anyone can see just how much the Dallas Cowboys desperately miss Ezekiel Elliott.Now the New England Patriots will get a reminder of life without Tom Brady’s favorite target when Rob Gronkowski sits out his own suspension Monday night in Miami.“He’s a big focal point in our offense Taven Bryan Jersey Jaguars ,” Brady said of Gronk. “I mean, I think when he gets going, it’s great for everybody, so it’s been great having him in there this year. He’s worked really hard and he’s a great player. I love playing with him. We’ve got a great rapport.”Yes, even Brady has a teammate who makes him better.And every NFL team has that one player that makes everything click, someone with so much ability and leadership who makes everyone else better, too. Or, in the case of tail-ending teams, a player who stands above the mess.Sure, the quarterback is the most important, touching the ball every snap on offense. But take Mr. Indispensable off the field, and nothing works quite the same.Nobody knows that better than Dallas, 1-3 since Elliott started serving his suspension and putting a serious crimp in the Cowboys’ postseason plans. Dallas finally ended the skid last week, beating Washington. Surviving and staying in the playoff hunt until Dec. 24 when Elliott returns against Seattle may not be possible without what he brings to the field.Washington linebacker Zach Brown says it’s easy to see on film just how different the Cowboys are without Elliott’s speed and ability to score on any carry.“Now everybody’s forcing them to pass the ball,” Brown said.Gronkowski leads the Patriots with 55 catches and seven touchdowns , and he just turned in his best game this season with nine catches for 147 yards. But his late hit on Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White means Gronk will miss his first game this season with the Pats chasing the AFC’s No. 1 seed.“He’s obviously a guy that’s super consistent when he’s been out there for us Bills Elite Jerseys , and he’s really playing that same role this year,” Brady said.A quarterback’s best friend can be a left tackle like Joe Thomas in Cleveland or David Bakhtiari in Green Bay. The Falcons didn’t click on the offensive line until signing center Alex Mack last year, and then they went straight to the Super Bowl.A talented wide receiver also can carry an entire team. Just look at Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown , or conversely what it’s been like for the Giants without Odell Beckham Jr.Defenders can be indispensable, too.In Carolina, Cam Newton may do the Superman poses, but the Panthers’ real MVP is middle linebacker Luke Kuechly. The Panthers aren’t the same without the 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s missed time with three concussions over the past three seasons. When healthy, Kuechly rarely misses a tackle. He also usually knows what play is being called .“When you watch his film against other teams, he’s pointing where the run is going,” Miami coach Adam Gase said. “It’s really amazing to watch him play, because he’s a tough guy to play chess with. For me, I’m on the sideline and he’s on the field, so it makes it really tough.”Jacksonville had been spending millions on its defense that seemed wasted until end Calais Campbell arrived as easily the league’s best free-agent acquisition of 2017. He’s helped put the Jaguars (8-4) in the mix for their first playoff berth since 2007. Campbell leads the AFC in sacks and is a calming influence in the locker room.“He’s everything that’s been advertised,” Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said. “Just from the way to prepare, the leadership in the locker room Authentic Patrick Omameh Jersey , on the field, leads by example and, obviously, has been playing extremely well for us. A lot of times in free agency, maybe you don’t get, sometimes, the value of what you would like, but that’s not the case with Calais. We’ve gotten that, and I believe more, out of him.”Oakland may have one of the worst defenses in the NFL, but defensive end Khalil Mack 鈥?last year’s Defensive Player of the Year 鈥?helped the Raiders contend again in the struggling AFC West despite being the defender each opposing offense focuses on most.“Some of the stuff he was doing just can’t be done,” Denver linebacker Von Miller said earlier this season. “Just pick up offensive linemen and run straight through them 鈥?that stuff, it can be done, but not the way Khalil does it.”Then there are players that teammates know mean everything to a franchise such as two-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker in Tennessee . Such players may not get the attention from fans their play deserves, but opposing teams build their game plans around them.“I know that the teams we’re playing are trying to stop him,” Titans coach Mike Mularkey said.That’s the ultimate sign of how indispensable a player really is.AP Pro Football Writers Josh Dubow and Schuyler Dixon and AP Sports Writers Mark Long Youth Washington Redskins Jerseys , Kyle Hightower and Steve Reed contributed to this report. Lorenzo Cain and Travis Shaw helped Milwaukee’s offense break through against the Chicago Cubs, and Chase Anderson did the rest.

Anderson pitched seven innings of one-hit ball to capitalize on a heads-up rundown escape by Cain and a pair of two-run doubles by Shaw, and the Brewers two-hit the Cubs 4-0 on Tuesday night to take back first place in the NL Central.

Shaw had already put Chicago up 2-0 when Cain used his head and legs to escape a sticky spot in the third inning. With Christian Yelich at second, Cain hit a ball up the middle that was fielded by second baseman Javier Baez. Yelich got hung up between second and third but stayed alive through three throws before sprinting back to second base.

Cain, meanwhile, rounded first hard and fooled the Cubs into thinking he was committing to second. If both Yelich and Cain had touched second base, Cain could have been tagged out, and so pitcher Tyler Chatwood chased Yelich back to second, thinking Cain was about to end up there.

But Cain stopped a few feet short of second and ran back to first, where no Chicago players were around to field a throw from Chatwood. Yelich returned safely to second, and both players scored moments later on Shaw’s double to right.

Cain said he practiced the play when he was with the Kansas City Royals.

”I actually want to credit that play to Rusty Kuntz,” Cain said of the former first-base coach for the Royals. ”It never actually happened, but for it to happen tonight was huge. It was a nice play.”

Cain said Yelich had to keep hustling or the play would not have worked. Cain said he peeked back and saw that Anthony Rizzo was not covering first base.

”That baserunning play by Cain was flat-out brilliant,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. ”I’ve never seen anything like that. I had no idea what he was planning on doing but it was amazing. That’s seeing the field and understanding what’s happening.”

The Brewers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Shaw’s shot that evaded diving first baseman Rizzo and rolled into the right-field corner. Milwaukee ended a seven-game skid to Chicago.

Anderson (5-5) threw a Brewers’ season-high 107 pitches. Chicago’s only hit against him was an infield chopper by Willson Contreras in the second. Anderson retired his final 17 hitters.

”We just could not mount an attack,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. ”Anderson has been difficult against us in the past and he was again tonight. There was not a whole lot going on. Two doubles beat us.”

Anderson had lost his three previous decisions against the Cubs as the Brewers had been shut out in each game. Taylor Williams and Jacob Barnes finished up for Milwaukee with an inning each.

”My command was kind of spotty,” Anderson said. ”I had a good fastball early. As I kept going the curveball came into play and the cutter a little bit. The changeup was good. I was able to throw all my pitches for strikes.”

Cubs right-hander Tyler Chatwood (3-5) Raiders Nick Nelson Jersey , who entered the game leading the major leagues in walks, showed better control while allowing four runs (three earned) and walking two batters in five innings.

”My last outing wasn’t pretty, but I felt like I worked on some stuff and took it into this outing,” Chatwood said.

TRAINERS ROOM

Cubs: RHP Yu Darvish threw 30 pitches in a bullpen session Tuesday, and Maddon was encouraged by what he saw. ”Outstanding. He threw really well,” Maddon said. ”Easy gas. Great location. Good spin on his breaking ball. Very impressed.” Darvish was put on the disabled list May 23 with right triceps tendinitis. Maddon said if there’s a chance for Darvish to return before the All-Star break, ”I’m into it. Whatever the doctors think.”

Brewers: RHP Matt Albers was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right shoulder injury and RHP Jorge Lopez was recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Albers allowed five runs and three hits in the 11th inning Monday night and took the loss in Milwaukee’s 7-2 defeat. ”He got to the point it was affecting him out there on the field and it’s just time to take a break,” Counsell said.

UP NEXT

Cubs: LHP Mike Montgomery (2-1, 3.56 ERA) will make his fourth start since replacing Darvish in the rotation. Montgomery is 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA in his three starts, including a victory over Pittsburgh last week.

Brewers: RHP Jhoulys Chacin has emerged as the team’s ace this season (5-1, 3.58 ERA). The Brewers are 11-3 In his starts and opponents are batting .231 against him.

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