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THOUSAND OAKS http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/ben-banogu-jersey , Calif. (AP) — Seven trips to the postseason and no wins can wear on a person. Los Angeles Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth has still managed to keep his sense of humor.“This is the furthest I’ve been in the playoffs, even though we didn’t play last week,” Whitworth said.Saturday’s divisional-round game against Dallas at the LA Memorial Coliseum will be the 13-year veteran’s eighth playoff appearance. The previous seven have been in the wild-card round and found his teams on the losing end. Whitworth injured his knee in the Dec. 30 regular-season finale against San Francisco, but says the week off allowed him to rest up and prepare for the Cowboys.“It is good to have the extra week to study and focus on things where we needed to improve,” Whitworth said.Whitworth’s first six playoff appearances were with Cincinnati, where he played for 11 seasons after being drafted in the second round in 2006. He signed a three-year contract with the Rams last March and has been a part of back-to-back NFC West titles.This year’s team, though, might be the best Whitworth has played for, which he readily admits. The 2015 Bengals got off to a 10-2 start before Andy Dalton broke his hand and missed the rest of the season. Cincinnati split its final four regular-season games and lost to Pittsburgh, in large part due a defensive meltdown and two defensive penalties on the final drive.Whitworth also mentioned the 2013 Bengals, who won the AFC North with an 11-5 record but were eliminated by the Chargers.“There were some years going in when you definitely didn’t know if you had much of a shot, but those were good ones,” he said. “What I like about this year’s team is we have a good blend of youth and veterans. It seems like the veterans get energy from all the young players we have.”The move to the Rams also reinvigorated Whitworth because he wondered if he could start over in a new place and still play at an elite level. He was an All-Pro selection last year and has been an integral part of an offensive line that has allowed the sixth-least sacks in the league (61) over the past two seasons. And he’s played a big role in Todd Gurley rushing for 1,000 yards both years.Whitworth’s best asset has been as a mentor and sounding board for quarterback Jared Goff Parris Campbell Jersey , in much the same way he was when Dalton was drafted and became the Bengals’ starter in 2011.“It’s not just to tell Jared what to do but if he just wants to talk and be there,” Whitworth said. “I think it helped out a ton being around Carson (Palmer), who was a veteran, and then mentoring Dalton.”Rams coach Sean McVay agreed that the best things about Whitworth are his leadership and the way he interacts with teammates.“The way that he leads is something like I really haven’t seen before where he puts his arm around guys kind of individually,” McVay said. “He’s got a consistency with the way that he goes about his business. He’s one of those guys that he just does right all the time. We say it all the time, ‘We see better than we hear.’ He doesn’t really have to say anything, just the way that he goes about his business, whether it’s from a production standpoint or just trying to help guys get better.”Even though the Rams are rested, they will be facing a Cowboys defense that was seventh in the league, allowing 329.3 yards per game, and yielded the seventh-fewest points in the league (20.3). While Los Angeles is the favorite, Whitworth has been on teams favored to advance before that have fallen short.No matter the result, Whitworth figures to have the same outlook.“It’s crazy to think out of 13 years I have been to the playoffs eight times,” he said. “You can look at it and focus on not winning Will Harris Jersey , but how many guys haven’t been to the playoffs or been a part of five division titles?” EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have reached the final week of the regular season with a spot in the playoffs still unsecured and a surging division rival boasting one of the NFL’s best defenses on the schedule.This is the type of game, then, for Kirk Cousins to make good on that $84 million in guaranteed money. The NFC North champion Chicago Bears will pose a stiff challenge, as the Vikings are well aware from their previous matchup last month.“There will always be excitement, nerves, anxiety, butterflies, whatever you want to call it. That will always be there. This matters to me,” Cousins said when asked about his ability to manage his emotions in high-stakes games. “I joke with people that when the math teacher junior year of high school said, ‘Hey, we’ve got a pop quiz,’ you start to feel the butterflies. Because you want to do well. It matters to you. Frankly, I think when I have butterflies http://www.detroitlionsteamonline.com/austin-bryant-jersey , I play a little better because it heightens your awareness and your attention to detail and your sense of urgency.”With Khalil Mack bringing a relentless pass rush from the edge, Akiem Hicks blowing up running plays in the middle, and Kyle Fuller leading the clampdown in the secondary, the Bears made the first three quarters of that game on Nov. 18 miserable for Cousins and the offense . The Vikings had only 77 total yards in the first half, lost a fumble and didn’t score until the last play of the third quarter. Cousins took two 8-yard sacks and threw two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.The Vikings rallied late in the 25-20 loss“This is not a defense that we’re going against that teams are putting 50 points up against, or having 500 yards of offense, and that may not be the game that’s required to win,” Cousins said. “If our defense and special teams play really well, who knows? Offensively, if we don’t have the most dynamic day but we come out with a win, then that’s what we do.”The Bears (11-4) are assured of at least the No. 3 seed, with the chance to move up and get a first-round bye with a victory over the Vikings (8-6-1) and a loss by the Los Angeles Rams at home to the San Francisco 49ers. With a win, the Vikings will return to the playoffs and set up a likely rematch with the Bears next week in the wild-card round. If they lose Max Scharping Jersey , they would need the Philadelphia Eagles to lose at Washington to keep their postseason spot.“We’ve got a lot of guys who have a lot of pride and character, so I think they’ll be ready for the challenge,” coach Mike Zimmer said, “and it will be a great challenge. We’ll obviously need the home fans there and nice and loud for us, but I feel good about it.”Cousins has had his share of shaky performances in his first year in Minnesota, where he’s signed through 2020. The Bears prompted one of those, but he bounced back the following week to beat the Packers with one of his best games of the season. That’s the kind of resilience Cousins has relied on throughout his career and that the Vikings have exhibited in five years under Zimmer.“It’s not just necessarily with the quarterback,” Zimmer said. “It’s with your whole football team, that you have that kind of mentality that we’re going to fight through this little bit of struggle that we’re having right now and get back to work and good things are going to happen if we keep fighting.”