LANDOVER, Md. -- It wasnt all that long ago that Mike Zimmers Minnesota Vikings and Jay Grudens Washington Redskins were both on lengthy winning streaks.Minnesota opened 5-0; Washington won four in a row at one point. When the Redskins (4-3-1) host the Vikings (5-3) on Sunday, the clubs will be trying to put an end to winless ruts that threaten to curb their playoff ambitions.It is a pivotal point. We need to put all our energy, our focus physically and mentally, into this game and into these next few weeks, Washington defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois said. This next stretch is going to tell you whos making the playoffs or not; if were going to win the division again or not.His coach, Gruden, concurred.The third-place team in the NFC East comes off its bye week after a loss and a tie that followed its four-game winning run, and after the Vikings come to town, the Redskins schedule does not get easier: vs. Green Bay, at Dallas, at Arizona, at Philadelphia.You hate to make one game more important than the other, but these next two games in general are going to be important. Theyre two home games that are very, very big for us, said Gruden, who was the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati when Zimmer ran the defense there. Were in a position where we dont have a lot of room for error.The NFC North-leading Vikings, meanwhile, have dropped three consecutive games.After the first five weeks, we were extremely confident. ... And the last three weeks, the confidence level has gone down, right? Zimmer said.But thats why this game is not just about the physical part of it, but its about the mental part of it, and the way the team feels about itself, he said. You start out a season and youre 0-2, everybody thinks youre awful. You start out the season 2-0, everybody thinks youre great. But theres so many fluctuations and emotions throughout a 16-game season.Here is what else to know about Sundays game:NO PRO BOWL TACKLE: Washingtons Pro Bowl left tackle, Trent Williams, begins his four-game suspension for violating the leagues drug policy, a major loss for a team that will plug in Ty Nsekhe at that key position. Nsekhe is a 31-year-old wholl be making the third NFL start of his career. Trent is in a class by himself at tackle, he really is, Gruden said, but when youre talking about tackle in the NFL, Ty belongs, and I think hell do fine.WALSH STICKS: The Vikings considered switching kickers this week, bringing in a half-dozen free agents for a tryout, but theyre sticking with the struggling Blair Walsh for now. Walsh missed his league-worst third extra point and had a field-goal try blocked last week, leaving him 12 for 15 on PATs and 12 for 16 on FGs this season.At some point in time, you have belief and confidence in guys, Zimmer said, because you know what theyve done in the past.`FAT ROB : Redskins rookie RB Robert Kelley, he of the Fat Rob nickname, is expected to again be the featured back, instead of Matt Jones, after running for 87 yards on 21 carries and catching a 1-yard TD pass in his first NFL start. Kelley was an undrafted free agent out of Tulane, where he never got even 100 carries in a season. Im happy with how far I came, Kelley said.LAPSES ON DEFENSE: One of the most troubling trends for the Vikings during their three-game slide has been some lapses by their dominant defense. Chicago and Detroit were a combined 14 of 28 on third downs, dropping the Vikings to 12th in the NFL in opponents third-down conversion rate at 38.3 percent, hurt by penalties and uncharacteristic missed tackles.RED-ZONE PROBLEMS; The Redskins have been able to drive up and down the field, but theyve been stymied when they get close to the end zone, ranking 30th in the NFL in red-zone efficiency. There are times where, in the rhythm of the play, guys arent going to always be open. You know, if teams play max coverages and cover people, maybe everyones not open, and thats where I look and say, `Can I scramble? Can I make a play off-schedule? QB Kirk Cousins said. So those would be the two things that come to mind personally for me that I can try to improve down in the red zone.---AP Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell in Eden Prairie, Minn., 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 Adidas Ultra Boost Clearance .Y. - Jerome Samson scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the St. Adidas Ultra Boost Wholesale . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. http://www.cheapauthenticultraboost.com/ .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. Adidas Ultra Boost Sale . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. Adidas Ultra Boost Cheap Sale . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month. At first, Jesus Serrano gave his wife a hip fake worthy of Leroy Kelly or Greg Pruitt.When we were sweethearts, I asked him, Are you into any sports? Edna Serrano recalled. And he was like, No, not really.It wasnt until they were married that Edna discovered her husbands idea of heaven was a weekend in Cleveland. Hes a Browns fan to the core, a connoisseur of Bernie Kosar, Ozzie Newsome, Frank Minnifield and Hanford Dixon. He still feels the pain of Brian Sipes playoff interception and Earnest Byners fumble in the 660s and Art Modells treachery in the 90s.None of that would be unusual if Jesus had grown up in Canton or Cuyahoga Falls, but he grew up some 2,300 miles southwest of old Cleveland Municipal Stadium -- in Mexico City. While his friends were playing and talking futbol, Serrano was following American football.Almost four decades after first adopting the team, Serrano, 45, is more immersed in the Browns and Cleveland than ever. Hes in his third year as a season-ticket holder and takes his entire family -- Edna, 12-year-old son Juan Pablo and 8-year-old daughter Valantina -- to multiple games a year at FirstEnergy Stadium. He has been to 35 Browns games in all, including road stops in Pittsburgh, Dallas and New Jersey, and has had the thrill of meeting Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown.This year, with the Browns even more hapless than usual -- flirting with 0-16 -- the Serranos have continued to keep the faith and flown to five games. Theyre sad they had to miss this past Sundays game vs. the Bengals and will miss the Christmas Eve game against the Chargers because of Juan Pablos test schedule and a long-planned holiday family vacation. But no matter where the Serranos are during the final three contests of the season, theyll be watching. Even Browns exhibition games are must-see TV for the family.Jesus Serrano admits it isnt easy being a Browns fan. Hes still waiting for their first Super Bowl, this is their ninth consecutive losing season and they havent been in the playoffs since 2002. Their carousel of coaches, quarterbacks and failed No. 1 picks keeps spinning to a circus tune.I wont lie to you if I tell you its been hard, he said. But I guess whenever you are a fan for a team, you become part of that team, and thats what happened to me.How it all beganOne room of the Serranos home in León, about 250 miles northwest of Mexico City, is dedicated to the Browns. The walls are covered with autographed jerseys, pennants, photos and Dawg Pound signs. Shelves are filled with footballs and other collectibles, along with items from the Indians and Cavaliers, the familys other adopted Cleveland teams.The next thing going up will be a jersey autographed by Pruitt, the big-play running back and kick returner who was a four-time Pro Bowler for the Browns in the 1970s. The Serranos met him at their most recent game in Cleveland, Nov. 27 against the Giants.It was because of Pruitt -- in a roundabout way -- that a 7-year-old kid in Mexico City became a Browns fan.Serranos father returned from a business trip with a souvenir for his son: a Pruitt-autographed football. His father wasnt a sports fan and knew nothing about the Browns. But he had seen his boy latch onto the NFL, so he brought him the ball. It was a random gift with a profound impact.I was talking to my father, and I was telling him, Do you realize all the things you created just with a football? Serrano said of a recent conversation. Thats the beautiful and the strange part of everything, right?Just like that, the Browns were his team.By the time he was 10, Serrano got a taste of what was in store. In a divisional playoff game in Cleveland against Oakland in January 61, the Browns trailed 14-12 with less than a minute remaining but had reached the Raiders 13-yard line. The Browns could have run the ball to set up a game-winning field goal. Instead, Sipe, who was the NFL MVP that season, threw a pass toward Newsome that was intercepted in the end zone. Game over. The Raiders not only wwon the game, they went on to win the Super Bowl.dddddddddddd.I remember myself crying, Serrano said.He also recalls the crushing losses to the Denver Broncos in the 1980s (The Drive spearheaded by John Elway) and (The Fumble by Byner) AFC Championship Games.Since the Cleveland franchise was reborn in 1999 after Modell took his team to Baltimore to become the Ravens in 1996, the Browns have had fewer of those heart-crushing losses, simply because theyve been consistently bad, making the playoffs just once.Serrano said he gave up on the NFL in the years Cleveland was without a team, and he was joyful when the Browns returned.It had always been a long-distance romance until eight years ago, when Serrano finally flew to Cleveland for his first game, against the Steelers.I was in tears that day, he said.After that, he tried to get to two to three games a year until he bought season tickets three years ago. (The Browns said he is one of only three season-ticket holders who live outside the U.S. and Canada.) The seats are good: Section 334 in the Club Level, near midfield.Now, several weekends a year, the family packs up and heads to the airport on Friday, flies to Cleveland -- usually with a layover in Dallas, Houston or Atlanta and a trip through customs -- and spends Friday night and Saturday seeing the sights. Theyll go to an Indians or Cavs game, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the zoo or other attractions and find new restaurants and return to favorites. Sunday is game day, with everyone wearing Browns jerseys and hats, and the flight home is Monday.Serrano has his own accounting firm in Mexico City (he commutes there from León, too, at least once a week), so he can control his schedule.Yet its an enormous investment of time and money. He estimates its an $8,000-$9,000 bill each trip to Cleveland. And for what? This isnt the Patriots; its the Browns. Is it worth it?Yes, its worth it 100 percent, because this is the thing that has united us as a family, Serrano said.Added Edna: Its not only to attend the game, but its the time to share with family, doing things together, talk. Every time I go there, I like to think we are celebrating life.Edna, who once was so surprised to have learned shed married an NFL fan, said shes now a partner in crime to her husbands Browns addiction.The most fervent fan in the family, however, might be Juan Pablo. He admitted it can be frustrating to travel eight or more hours just to see his team lose, but he cant get enough of being at FirstEnergy Stadium. He tries to get autographs and savor the atmosphere before, during and after games.Its incredible, Juan Pablo said. All the people are shouting. Its a great experience.By now, the Serranos feel at home in Cleveland. Theyve become friends with fans near their seats and know the people at hotels and restaurants.The city has embraced us in a wonderful way, Jesus said.I bleed brown and orangeWhile soccer is king in Mexico, American football has a growing fan base there. The NFL estimates it has more than 20 million fans in Mexico. Several games per week are televised in the country, and fans such as the Serranos can buy DirecTVs Sunday Ticket package to watch the teams of their choice.Serrano has many friends who are NFL fans and said about 40 percent of his sons schoolmates follow the league, too.Like any fan, Serrano questions some of the moves the Browns make, and he suffers as he watches them lose, in person or on TV. But he believes the Browns will one day win a Super Bowl. Even now, with an 0-13 record, he thinks the team is just one or two players away from turning things around.We have all the patience in the world, he said.Does he ever wish his dad had brought him a ball signed by a Cowboy, a Steeler or a Packer, just so he could have enjoyed a championship now and then?No. I have to tell you that, he said. I bleed brown and orange. Chiefs Jerseys China Cheap Nike Chargers Jerseys Cheap Nike Raiders Jerseys Wholesale Cowboys Jerseys China Cheap Nike Giants Jerseys Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys For Sale Wholesale Redskins Jerseys China Cheap Nike Lions Jerseys Packers Jerseys China Cheap Vikings Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Panthers Jerseys Hoodies Cheap Saints Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Nike Buccaneers Jerseys Cardinals Jerseys China Cheap Rams Jerseys Hoodies Cheap Nike 49ers Jerseys Seahawks Jerseys China Bears Jerseys China Cheap Nike Bills Jerseys Ravens Jerseys China Wholesale Falcons Jerseys China ' ' '