ASHBURN, Va. -- Josh Norman would really like to get some water and sports drink on the sideline, but he and the Washington Redskins defense cant get off the field.No team in the NFL is worse on third down than the Redskins, who are allowing conversions 48 percent of the time. Theyre on pace to have the second-worst third-down defense in the past 15 seasons behind only the 2011 San Diego Chargers.Opponents are even converting on almost 35 percent of third-and-long situations of 10-plus yards. Needing to likely win three of their final four games, beginning Sunday at the Philadelphia Eagles, third-down defensive struggles are the Redskins biggest obstacle to a playoff berth.We go to get off the field, Norman said. Its not magic, not kind of conjuring up a spell. Thats just what it is: You got to get the heck off the field.Defensive coordinator Joe Barry said the Redskins weekly goal is to hold opponents to 35 percent on third down, which only a handful of teams are accomplishing. Even being mediocre on third down could mean a couple of extra victories for Washington (6-5-1), but the trend is worsening as the Arizona Cardinals were 10 of 16 last week.The only stat that matters is the scoreboard and as long as we hold our opponent to one point less than we score, thats the only stat that matters, Barry said Thursday. Every single third down, whether its the first third down of the game or the last third down of the game, those are crucial. Youve got to win the matchup, and right now were not.On the strength of another career season by quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Redskins offense is averaging 25 points and 419 yards a game. The defense is giving up just over 24 points and 369 yards a game, and the frustration is evident.Injuries have played a role, but with an All-Pro cornerback in Norman and linebacker Ryan Kerrigan sitting on 10 sacks, third down shouldnt be such a source of concern. But it is.Its no excuse, Norman said. We got to lock down because on first and second down we kick tail and then come third down you get in those situations, it shouldnt happen. As guys playing the ballgame, weve got to make it happen regardless of what coaches call.Coach Jay Gruden cant put the onus on one unit or one element of the defense. Theres plenty of blame to go around.Sometimes its a coverage, sometimes its a rush, Gruden said. We just have got to keep doing a good job with our rush -- being consistent with it and trying to get pressure on the quarterback and make him throw it when hes not ready -- and then our coverage has to be tighter from time to time.Middle linebacker Will Compton said its up to every individual player to take care of his job and execute. He wants himself and teammates to look in the mirror about mistakes when watching the film and adjust accordingly.Veteran defensive lineman Ziggy Hood considers it a matter of technique and inches.If you have a step away, thats the difference between a completion, a batted ball and an interception, Hood said. Its the small stuff that we have to work on, and the great thing is those things you can easily correct. Now, is it going to be that easy to do it? No, as you can see it week by week were last in third downs. The margin of error is real small, and if we dont better ourselves individually, its going to hurt the team in the long run.It is already; the Redskins have lost two in a row despite scoring 26 at Dallas and 23 at Arizona. Yet Hood isnt worried about the psychological effect of struggling on third down.Were going to pick things up, Hood said. I just hope we pick it up on time this week coming up.Game notesLeft guard Shawn Lauvao (groin), center Spencer Long (concussion), tackle Ty Nsekhe (ankle), defensive linemen Chris Baker (ankle) and Anthony Lanier (shin) and safety Will Blackmon (concussion) didnt practice for the second consecutive day. ... Gruden said tight end Jordan Reed, who missed the Arizona game with a sprained left shoulder, looks better in practice but the coach has absolutely no idea if hell play.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLSwell Traveler Norge . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Swell Flaske Norge . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. http://www.swellflaskenorge.com/ . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. Swell Flaske Tilbud . Louis Blues absence from top spot in the TSN. Swell Flaske Nettbutikk .C. -- Charlotte Bobcats coach Steve Clifford said after all of these years in the NBA hes still amazed at some of the things LeBron James does.BERKELEY, Calif. -- Better transition defense and another career day from Ivan Rabb kept Californias winning streak at Haas Pavilion going.Maintaining a big lead -- something the Golden Bears have struggled to do this season -- certainly helped, too.Rabb scored 18 of his career-high 26 points in the first half and California beat Alcorn State 83-59 on Saturday for its 25th consecutive home win.Its very important for us as a team to grow and to keep pushing the lead, especially in the second half, said Roger Moute a Bidias, who matched his career high of 12 points for the third time this season. In the past weve had halves where we come back and were a little slower and we let teams get back into it. You dont want to give a team confidence when you have a lead like that.California (6-1) went into the game riding a three-game winning streak despite blowing 20-point leads each time. Coach Cuonzo Martin blamed it on the teams injuries which forced him to mix and match the lineups.It hardly mattered against Alcorn State.California built a 44-25 halftime lead, led by as much as 29 in the second half and coasted to its fourth straight win.In the two games that we had here when we gave up big leads we did a poor job with our transition defense, a poor job carrying out assignments, Martin said. It was better today.Three days after setting his previous career best for scoring, Rabb shot 10 of 12 and had seven rebounds to lead a dominant effort down low by California. Rabb scored on a pair of putbacks in the first half, added a one-handed dunk off a lob pass from Charlie Moore then scored six points as part of an 11-2 run in the second half.Moore, the Bears leading scorer going into the game, had an off-game while filling in for point guard Grant Mullins. Moore missed his firrst six shots and finished with seven points and four assists.ddddddddddddAlcorn State (2-5) couldnt keep up and lost its third straight.Reginal Johnson scored a season-high 17 points and had seven rebounds while Marquis Vance added 11 points for the Braves.We have to run our offense a little better and play with a little more pace and tempo, Alcorn State coach Montez Robinson said. We got stagnant at times.BIG PICTUREAlcorn State: Three consecutive lopsided losses have Robinsons squad reeling. The problems are happening on both ends of the floor, though Johnson provided a lift offensively. The biggest issues are consistency and 3-point shooting. The Braves went 5 of 21 beyond the arc and are shooting under 30 percent for the season.California: The Bears got on top early and never let the Braves get back into the game, a definite step up after California had troubles closing out games earlier this season. Getting Moute a Bidias going is another good sign as the team tries to find some complementary scoring to support Rabb.SHORT-HANDED BEARSMullins was in Canada to be with family following the death of his grandmother. The graduate transfer is expected to rejoin the Bears in Hawaii. Jabari Bird, who hasnt played since the season-opener, continues to be sidelined with a sore back. Bird averaged 10.4 points and shot better than 40 percent from 3-point range last season.UP NEXTAlcorn State: The Braves continue their six-game road trip at Louisiana Tech on Monday night.California: The Bears left immediately after the win to fly to Hawaii for a pair of games in the Pearl Harbor Invitational. California opens against Princeton on Tuesday night. ' ' '