LDN - Sports

National Football League roundup

[December 09, 2016] Dec 8 (The Sports Xchange) - Quarterback Robert Griffin III will start Sunday's game for the winless Cleveland Browns after missing the past 11 games recovering from a shoulder injury.

The Browns (0-12) host the Cincinnati Bengals with snowy weather forecast in Ohio.

Griffin started and finished the Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles but on one of his five rushing attempts, suffered a broken bone in his left shoulder. He was placed on injured reserve with a return designation and was cleared for contact on Nov. 29. He practiced that day and again Monday and Wednesday this week.

"It's been awhile since I've been back out but the guys around me are going to make this a smooth transition," Griffin said Thursday after coach Hue Jackson confirmed the move. "We're all out there fighting for each other."

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New York Giants fullback Nikita Whitlock had his house in Moonachie, N.J., broken into Tuesday night, and the perpetrators scrawled racist graffiti including a swastika, "KKK" and the phrase "Go back to Africa."

Whitlock is on injured reserve and was not available to speak to the media on Thursday.

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Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney returned to practice on Thursday after failing to travel with the team to Green Bay last week to face the Packers.

The top overall pick of the 2014 draft missed that contest due to the wrist and elbow injuries that have plagued him all season.

Clowney's presence would be a boon for Houston (6-6), which visits the Indianapolis Colts (6-6) in an AFC South showdown on Sunday. The Texans, Colts and Tennessee Titans (6-6) are locked in a three-way tie for first place in the division.

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Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones was unable to practice on Thursday, although coach Dan Quinn is optimistic that he'll have the All-Pro on the field Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

Jones was able to take part in the walkthrough on Thursday, but remained a spectator due to a turf toe injury as the team participated in drills.

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Jones sustained the injury in the waning moments of Sunday's 29-28 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The setback dropped the Falcons (7-5) into a first-place tie in the NFC South with the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5).

The 27-year-old Jones leads the NFL with 1,253 receiving yards on 72 catches, and has five touchdowns.

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The New York Jets placed seven-time Pro Bowl center Nick Mangold on injured reserve.

Mangold was nursing an ailing ankle for nearly two months before aggravating the injury late in Monday's 41-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

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Denver Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian returned to practice on Thursday as he continues progressing from a sprained left foot.

Siemian took practice snaps and is aiming to return for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans. He missed last Sunday's contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars due to the injury.

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Atlanta Falcons cornerback Robert Alford agreed to a four-year contract extension, the team announced.

Alford receives $38 million total and $21 million in guaranteed money in the deal, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.

(Editing by Larry Fine) ))

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