he Holden ace can become just the second man to

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 Nike Air Max 270 React Electro Green . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Air Max 270 React Bauhaus AT6174-002 . -- Adam Snyder returned to the San Francisco 49ers this season because the offensive lineman thought it was his best opportunity to win a championship. http://www.max270cheap.com/air-max-270-womens-sale.html . Olli Jokinen, Mark Scheifele, and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist as Winnipeg won 5-2, handing Calgary its record-setting seventh consecutive loss on home ice. Cheap Nike Air Max 270 . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Nike Air Max 270 React Cheap . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. Supercars star Jamie Whincup is out to cement his status as one of the greatest drivers in the history of Australian motorsport.The Holden ace can become just the second man to claim 100 Supercars races with a victory in either race this weekend at the Ipswich Supersprint event.Whincup recorded his 99th career win on the streets of Townsville a fortnight ago to keep his lead in this years championship race.If the six-time Supercars champion can win a race at Queensland Raceway, hell join veteran Craig Lowndes as the only drivers with a century of victories to their name.Lowndes reached the mark last year in his 559th start.Whincup has only started 394 races to get to within one of the ton - a strike rate of 25.12 per cent or one win for every five races hes started across his career.The Red Bull Racing star says getting to the milestone at what is his teams home test track is definitely on his mind.Knowing how hard it is to win one race - to win a huundred - its something very special, he said.ddddddddddddId love to do it here this weekend. Thats the goal. Hopefully, it doesnt take too long.Whincup might, however, need to find some pace before Saturday after finishing 19th in Fridays practice run at Queensland Raceway.Ford star Fabian Coulthard went quickest for the day with a one minute, 09.7061 second lap to finish ahead of Lowndes (1:10.7061) and Fords Chaz Mostert (1:09.8354).Saturdays action begins with a qualifying session from 1.30pm before the 120km race starts at 4.15pm.AUSTRALIAS GREATEST DRIVER? - JAMIE WHINCUPS SUPERCARS CAREER STATS:* Most championships (6)* Holds record for most pole positions in a season (13 in 2013)* Second-most race wins (99)* Equal sixth for most Bathurst 1000 victories (4)* Has a career strike rate of one win from every five starts ' ' '