give Liriano all the cushion he would need to cap a remarkabl

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry grew up competing against Cam Newton in the Atlanta area.On Sunday, Berry got the best of his better-known high school rival, intercepting the reigning league MVP and returning it 42 yards for a touchdown to help the Chiefs to a 20-17 come-from-behind win over Carolina Panthers.We always had battles back in the day from 7-on-7 camps to everything, Berry said. Its good to come out on top.The Chiefs defense has been coming out on top all season.They entered the game leading the league in takeaways with 20 and added two more on Sunday -- both of those coming at key moments in the fourth quarter while the offense was struggling.You need a little spark there and we got it, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.Berrys fourth career interception return for a touchdown gave the Chiefs the spark they needed, cutting the lead to 17-14, and Marcus Peters stripped Kelvin Benjamin to set up Cairo Santos winning 37-yard field goal as time expired.It sounds as if Peters must have been listening to defensive coordinator Bob Sutton in practice.Hes a manic on that, about stripping the ball, Reid said. If you look at it close, (Benjamin) kind of juggled it just a bit and Marcus felt it and went for the rip.Here are a couple more things to know about the Chiefs and Panthers:CHIEFS PENALTIES A CONCERNFor the second consecutive week, penalty flags provided some anxious moments for Reid. Last week, it was tight end Travis Kelce, ejected after two unsportsmanlike penalties against Jacksonville. Against Carolina, Reid waited out the officials after Peters punted the ball in celebration following his game-changing strip and fumble recovery.He does a lot of great things. Hes a gifted guy, Reid said. But hes not a punter. Im going to go block the next one.The penalty went for 5 yards for delay of game -- not 15, for unsportsmanlike conduct. Cairo Santos kicked the game-winning field goal three plays later, from 37 yards.Youre talking about two emotional guys, Reid said of Kelce and Peters. I love them, but theyre giving me gray hair. Im too old for this.NEWTON BACK ON THE RUNThe struggling NFC champion Panthers unleashed Newton on Sunday, giving him his most extensive action as a runner since his concussion on Oct. 2. Newton carried 12 times for 54 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown against a defense that hadnt allowed a rushing touchdown since Week 4.Newtons first carry went for 28 yards. Kansas City limited him to 26 more on 11 carries after that. Carolina finished with 99 yards rushing total.Coach kept calling my number, Newton said. We just have to find ways to run the football more, when we have to and when we want to.SMITHS NEW SLANT ON SLIDINGChiefs quarterback Alex Smith missed last weeks game against Jacksonville after a couple of hits two weeks earlier against Indianapolis. The team says Smith wasnt concussed, but he said coming into Sundays game against Carolina that he would either slide earlier -- or not at all.(Sliding) is still a tool, said Smith, who rushed four times for 13 yards against Carolina. In traffic, you want to remain a football player. Ive been playing a long time. Remain a football player, (keep) your eyes up. Its a better way to get out of those situations. Even if you get the 15-yarder (penalty), youre still defenseless to get teed-off on.PANTHERS PUNTERCarolina could be in the market for a short-term punter after Andy Lee injured his hamstring in the first quarter. The Panthers host New Orleans on Thursday, so they might need to make a move soon.Kicker Graham Gano punted four times Sunday for a 45.0-yard average. His longest went for 54 yards, although two sailed too long and went for touchbacks.Coach (Ron) Rivera is always talking about `next man up, so I just tried to step in, catch the ball and get it off, Gano said.HOT STREAKThe Chiefs five consecutive victories are part of a 17-2 record in their past 19 games. Thats the best record in the NFL during that stretch.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Custom Chicago Blackhawks Jerseys . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Fake Blackhawks Jerseys . Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek defeated Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) on the indoor hard-court at Belgrade Arena. The victory improved the Czech pairs impressive cup doubles record to 14-1. https://www.cheapblackhawks.com/ . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Chicago Blackhawks Store . 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. Blackhawks Jerseys 2020 . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. PITTSBURGH -- Francisco Liriano doesnt like to think about what might have been. At the moment, the present is so sweet theres no use focusing on the past. The veteran left-handers renaissance hit a new high in Pittsburghs 5-0 win over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night. Liriano (9-3) scattered four hits over seven innings, striking out six and walking one to lower his ERA to a scant 2.00 as the Pirates snapped a four-game losing streak. The victory capped a remarkable first half for the former All-Star whose career hasnt been the same since reconstructive elbow surgery six years ago. At last, it seems, at age 29 he is all the way back. Not that he wants to talk about it. "I dont think about 06 at all," Liriano said. "I just try to learn how to pitch, how to move on." That includes trying to stay focused during a lengthy rain delay of nearly three hours. When Liriano finally took the mound at soggy PNC Park just before 10 p.m., he didnt waste time. Attacking the strike zone relentlessly, Liriano kept the AL West-leading As off-balance all night. "He set the tone, he dominated," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "He was just on top of his game." And the Pirates didnt let it go to waste. Pedro Alvarez went 2 for 4 and drove in two runs for Pittsburgh. Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Jose Tabata also had two hits each as the Pirates beat Oakland for the first time. Pittsburgh came in 0-11 against the As since interleague play began in 1997, but broke loose against Tommy Milone (8-8). The Pirates managed just six runs total during a four-game slide that dropped them behind St. Louis in the battle for first in the NL Central but nearly matched that total on a night they went 5 for 9 with runners in scoring position, heady territory for a team that came in hitting just .226 with runners on second or third this season. "I think we did a pretty good job of consistently pressing them and attacking them," Alvarez said. A little help is all baseballs top pitching staff needs these days. Pittsburghs 13th shutout lowered its team ERA to 3.09, easily the best in baseball. Lirianos perfformance marked the 24th time in 25 games a starter has allowed three earned runs or fewer.dddddddddddd "Im just trying to learn how to go out there every fifth day and make pitches," Liriano said. He made enough to cool off the surging As. Oakland had won 10 of 13 to vault over Texas and into the lead in the AL West but Milone struggled with his command. The left-hander was coming off a season-high 8 1-3 innings of work in a win over Kansas City last week. He didnt make it out of the third inning as Pittsburghs offence showed signs of life. Marte doubled leading off the third, and Tabata followed with an RBI double. McCutchen drove Tabata home with a single, and Alvarez followed two batters later with a single to centre that scored McCutchen. That was enough for Milone, who needed 80 pitches to get through 2 2-3 innings. "They were doing a good job of putting the ball in play and falling," Milone said. "And even though they werent hit very hard, you always give yourself a chance when you put the ball in play and thats what they were doing." He was replaced by Pat Neshek, who made his first appearance since June 29. The rust showed. Pittsburgh tacked on two more runs in the fourth to give Liriano all the cushion he would need to cap a remarkable first half for one of baseballs best comeback stories. "I like the way Ive been pitching and the way weve all been playing," Liriano said. "Right now, were in good position to make the playoffs and we want to continue playing like that in the second half and hopefully make the post-season." NOTES: Former Oakland first-round draft pick Sonny Gray made his major league debut in the fifth inning. The right-handed pitcher, called up from Triple-A Sacramento on Tuesday, tossed two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. ... The Pirates begin a three-game series on Friday at home against the New York Mets. Charlie Morton (1-2, 3.38 ERA) starts for the Pirates against Jeremy Hefner (4-6, 3.39). ... Oakland ends the first half of the season at home against the Boston Red Sox. Jarrod Parker (6-6, 4.04) starts for the As. ' ' '