ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions are alone in first place, and their top competitors in the NFC North have been floundering.Its an opportunity for the Lions to win their first division title since 1993 -- but their outlook could change awfully quickly if the next few weeks go badly.Confidence is building, but one thing we know about the league is, it will humble you, defensive lineman Kerry Hyder said.The Lions play three of their next four games on the road, starting this weekend at New Orleans. With road games against the New York Giants and Dallas also coming up, there are plenty of potential pitfalls awaiting a Detroit team that is in this position only because of its success in close games.The Lions (7-4) havent had a game decided by more than seven points all season. Theyve won enough of them to take a one-game lead over Minnesota in the division, and Detroit has the tiebreaker over the Vikings after sweeping them. But the Lions have room for improvement in all phases.Like anything else in our system, we can get better, coach Jim Caldwell said. We can get better defensively. We can get better offensively. We can get better in our kicking game.Detroit has had its share of chances recently to end its division title drought. In 2011, the Lions won their first five games, but they finished 10-6, well behind Green Bay. In 2013, the Lions were 6-3 and in sole possession of first place. The Packers were dealing with major injury problems, but Detroit lost six of its last seven games, costing coach Jim Schwartz his job.The following season, the Lions went 11-5 but lost a showdown at Green Bay in a regular-season finale that decided the division.Detroit has won six of its last seven after beating Minnesota on Thanksgiving , and the Vikings have dropped five of six. Green Bay is below .500. If the Lions win two of their remaining five games, that might be enough to keep them in first place. They have home games against Chicago and Green Bay still to come.The road games will be tough, though, starting with Sunday at New Orleans.Obviously Drew (Brees) has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league for a long time, pretty prolific. Those guys have been together, Caldwell said. Hes been in the same system.The Saints (5-6) arent in great shape in the playoff race, but unlike Minnesota, New Orleans has been playing fairly well lately . The Saints have won five of eight since an 0-3 start.New Orleans has scored at least 32 points in six of its 11 games. Detroit has reached that total only once.They have a powerful offense, Hyder said. They can run the ball well, they can throw the ball deep well. As a defense, weve got to bring our lunch pails.Game notesTE Brandon Pettigrew, who tore his left anterior cruciate ligament late last year and hasnt played at all this season, spoke for a bit in the locker room Monday. He did not rule out the possibility of returning this weekend. Well see where it goes. Im not going to say for certain, he said. ... The Lions signed TE Logan Thomas to the practice squad and released LB Brandon Chubb from the practice squad.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL .---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtristerWholesale Shoes From China . -- Matt Rupert scored once in regulation and again in the shootout as the London Knights extended their win streak to nine games by defeating the Owen Sound Attack 4-3 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Shoes Wholesale China Market . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. http://www.wholesaleshoes.us.org/ . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. 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Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year.CLEVELAND -- Former Cleveland Browns wide receiver Reggie Rucker was sentenced Wednesday to 21 months in prison for stealing from two charities, a crime his attorney blamed on a gambling addiction caused by football-related brain injuries.Rucker, 68, pleaded guilty in February to wire fraud and false statement charges after an FBI investigation found that he had stolen more than $100,000 from the two groups, with much of the money withdrawn from ATMs at casinos in Cleveland, Las Vegas and elsewhere. Rucker withdrew hundreds of thousands of dollars from bank accounts he oversaw, authorities said.Prosecutors said in a statement Wednesday that Rucker would solicit donations and then use the money to pay off markers at casinos as well as personal expenses. The diversions occurred between 2011 and 2015, prosecutors said.U.S. District Judge Dan Polster ordered Rucker to pay $110,000 in restitution, money that is expected to come from Ruckers share of a settlement of a class-action lawsuit against the NFL for hiding concussion risks.Defense attorney Michael Hennenberg said after the sentencing hearing on Wednesday that Ruckers gambling addiction resulted from poor impulse control, a condition caused by atrophy in a portion of his brains frontal lobe.Reggie never offered that as an excuse, Hennenberg said, adding that Rucker has been in treatment the last two years for his gambling addiction and his brain injuries.Rucker had been a popular figure in Cleveland for decades after spending seven of his 11 seasons in the NFL with the Browns.dddddddddddd He also played for the New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants.His post-football career appeared to be successful as well. He worked six seasons as an analyst for regional broadcasts of NFL games in the 1980s and three seasons as a color analyst for locally televised Cleveland Indians baseball games.His star status was further embellished by what appeared to be his good deeds, including his role as executive director of Amer-I-Can Cleveland, an offshoot of a nonprofit organization created by Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown to help inner-city youth, and with Peacemakers Alliance, a collaboration of local groups that uses street workers to quell violence.He will spend the rest of his life trying to make up for what he did wrong, Hennenberg said. He hopes people will allow him to earn the respect back.Rucker still faces misdemeanor assault and menacing charges that were filed after a man told police that Rucker grabbed him by the throat and threatened to shoot him during a dispute over etiquette at a suburban Cleveland golf course.He was allowed to remain free until the federal Bureau of Prisons determines where he will serve his sentence. ' ' '