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ALAMEDA, Calif. -- For Oakland Raiders cornerback Sean Smith, a matchup against his former team is just business and not anything personal even if the Kansas City Chiefs didnt make enough of an effort to keep him this offseason.Its a division game, an AFC game, so it has some importance to it, but theres nothing else special for me, Smith said.Smith has gone through this dance before when he faced his original team, Miami, in his second season with the Chiefs in 2014. Smith said he looks forward to checking in on some old friends before the game but is not looking to settle any old grudges.As much as Smith may try to downplay the significance of Sundays game in Oakland, his defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. knows that emotions will play a role because he has been through this situation as a player before.You try to say every game is the same, but its not, Norton said. You have a lot of friends on the other teams and sometimes theres good blood and sometimes theres bad blood with the management. So, you always want to let them know what theyre missing. Im not on your team and this is what youre missing. You always try to take it to another level when you play your former team.Smith left Kansas City to join the Raiders this offseason when he signed a four-year deal worth $38 million with $15 million fully guaranteed. His transition to Oakland hasnt been particularly smooth. He was pulled from the season opener after allowing a 98-yard touchdown catch to Brandin Cooks and had problems again the following week against Atlanta.But after allowing 10 catches on 12 targets the first two weeks, Smith has been much better of late by allowing just nine catches in 19 targets the past three games, according to Sportradar.I started out kind of slow, Smith said. I had to make some adjustments, some tweaks here and there. It was nothing serious, nothing that couldnt be fixed. Like I said, were on a nice little roll here, were playing pretty good.Smith also has two interceptions in that span, matching his high for a season as his work on improving his hands has paid dividends already this season for the Raiders.After dropping a couple of potential interceptions in the preseason, Smith has managed to hold onto the ball better when he has gotten the chance in real games.Early on we knew he had good instincts, we knew he had good knowledge but he always dropped the ball, Norton said. The ball would come to him and he would drop it all of the time, so we put him on the jugs machine and we threw the ball to him often and we talked to him about how to catch and we have certain drills set up for him.Now he will get to match up against players hes used to facing in practice like Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith and receiver Jeremy Maclin. Sean Smith said he used to treat practices against the Chiefs offense just like a game and now he will actually get to do it for real.It always makes for an interesting matchup, Alex Smith said. You know each other well. You went against him a lot in all of OTAs and camp and things like that. Itll be good. Hes obviously a really, really good player. Itll be a good matchup.Game notes RB Latavius Murray (toe), RT Menelik Watson (calf) and OL Vadal Alexander (ankle) did not practice.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Hank Aaron Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Julio Teheran Jersey . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. http://www.custombravesjersey.com/custom-philip-pfeifer-jersey-large-1807z.html . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed. William Contreras Jersey . 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. Bob Uecker Jersey . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. NEW YORK -- Angelique Kerber earned the No. 1 ranking before she stepped on court, then she went out there and looked like a top-ranked player.Kerber is into her third major final of the year after dispatching Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets at the U.S. Open. She won the first four games en route to a 6-4, 6-3 victory that set up a rematch with Karolina Pliskova, who denied the German lefty the No. 1 ranking a few weeks ago then handed it to her Thursday night.Its a great day, Kerber said.At the start of 2016, she had never made a Grand Slam final. Kerber could end it as a two-time major champ.In January, she not only advanced to the Australian Open title match but beat Serena Williams there. Kerber also reached the Wimbledon final, where she lost to Williams.Kerber would have overtaken Williams for the No. 1 ranking had she defeated Pliskova at Cincinnati on Aug. 21. Instead, Pliskova won that day for a breakthrough title and has been riding the momentum ever since.Pliskova upset a hobbled Williams in the first semifinal Thursday, which clinched No. 1 for Kerber -- who insisted she thought little about ascending to the top of the rankings as she prepared to take the court.To be No. 1 in the world -- that sounds amazing, Kerber said once she won and could finally contemplate the achievement.On match point, Kerber hit a backhand that appeared to be heading long,, and Wozniacki was going to let it go until she realized it might have clipped the baseline.dddddddddddd She swung too late and sent the ball sailing out to end the match instead of challenging the call.I got a few texts, but that just made me feel worse, Wozniacki said later.But clearly should have challenged it, she added. But at the end of the day, I dont think it would have made a difference.Not the way Kerber was relentlessly hammering her shots. Wozniacki even mixed in quite a few moon balls, but to no avail. Usually content to play defense, Wozniacki found herself trying to force the issue and made an uncharacteristic 26 unforced errors.A two-time runner-up at Flushing Meadows, she arrived at this years tournament at No. 74 in the world after missing 2 1/2 months because of an ankle injury. She was seeking to become the lowest-ranked womens finalist at the U.S. Open, other than an unranked Kim Clijsters in 2009.Probably people ruled me out, but its nice to prove people wrong once again, Wozniacki said.How much longer might she keep trying to prove people wrong? Just as she had after her quarterfinal victory, Wozniacki declined to address a question about reports that her father told media she could retire in the next year or two. ' ' '