So much discussion this week as we enter the second round of NASCARs playoffs has been about the effects the third and final race of this round on competitors.That race, of course, is Talladega!No team wants to pin its hopes on a perfect restrictor-plate performance, because most know perfect doesnt exist at NASCARs largest track.Talladega can be summarized by this: 95 percent of the race is rehearsal and the last 5 percent is where the chess match is played, and settled.Because of this unique form of competition, there is an elevated urgency to capitalize at Charlotte and Kansas leading up to Talladega.Martin Truex Jr. demonstrated in May at this track how one can control their own destiny. A fast car, a precise pit crew, a focused driver guided by a very wise crew chief.It resulted in a dominant win.All of those same ingredients guarantee little at Talladega, where a spotter might actually become the key component in determining a drivers fate.Those considered the fastest of the fast, Truex, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski, need to capitalize this week and next to avoid entering Alabama with the same mindset one would carry to Las Vegas.Who Wins??This will be a heavyweight match between Harvick and Truex.Both teams are peaking at the most critical time, both drivers are the envy of others because it seems as though the No. 4 and the No. 78 carry speed and authority to each track regardless of its size and personality.The 1.5-mile racetracks are the most abundant on the schedule, they make up half of the Chase races and they are the strength of Harvick and Truex.Harvick gets the nod, barely, in what I believe will represent a preview between the two drivers most likely to battle for the title at a similar track in Miami.Austin Dillon will be the surprise transfer to round three. Surprise because hes never won a Sprint Cup series race, and hes a driver few expected to make it out of Round 1.The No. 3 team didnt qualify for the Chase by mistake. It has had moments of brilliance and thats come at high-speed racetracks.Their finishes at these three tracks this year were strong, and Dillon with more than 100 cup races under his belt appears comfortable and confident.Because it has led only eight laps all season, its hard to make a statistical case for the 3 team being one of the eight best teams.But Im going with my gut on this one as I believe the team has enough inertia to power into the next round.As I so often say, the Chase format depends on an underdog being in the equation to be most entertaining. We had that with Chris Buescher to begin the playoffs.The role now belongs to the 26-year-old Dillon in the second round.The Bottom LineIn sports youre taught dont look too far ahead, focus on whats in front of you: this game, this matchup, this race.The risk with worrying about a particular event down the road usually comes in the form of making mistakes in the near term?This time of the season requires laser focus; you must plan your work and work your plan.The vulnerability of competing at Talladega in two weeks will more than likely lead to teams making some extreme decisions during the Charlotte and Kansas races.Some will be rewarded, while others will lead teams to exactly what they were attempting to avoid ... depending on a Talladega win to advance to the next round. Thomas Meunier Jersey . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). 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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty never will forget his first NFL touchdown pass. He had plenty of help on the play.In his first NFL start, Petty culminated a 99-yard drive with a four-yard scoring pass on a hook-and-lateral play that lifted the Jets to a 6-3 lead over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. (The extra point was no good.)Petty, who started for the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick, threw a wide-receiver screen to Brandon Marshall, who flipped it laterally to running back Bilal Powell, who scooted around left end for the touchdown. It was a rare display of creativity for the Jets, who had been struggling this season in the red zone.It energized the crowd, which gave Petty a big ovation when he was introduced. Fed up with the interception-prone Fitzpatrick (sprained knee), the fan base had been screaming for a quarterback change.Pettys highlights ended there, however. He threw his fiirst career interception in the fourth quarter to seal the Jets 9-6 loss to the Rams.dddddddddddd. Overall, he finished 19-for-32 for 163 yards and the touchdown and interception.Fitzpatrick, hurt last week in a loss to the Miami Dolphins, didnt miss any practices during the week, but he split reps with Petty. Coach Todd Bowles decided to go with the former Baylor star, a fourth-round pick in 2015.Petty became the third quarterback to start for the Jets this season and the 29th since Joe Namath last played with the Jets in 1976. Geno Smith started earlier this season, but suffered a season-ending knee injury.Fitzpatricks knee injury, a sprained MCL, wasnt severe enough to keep him out of uniform. He dressed as the No. 2 quarterback. Rookie Christian Hackenberg was inactive for the 10th straight game. ' ' '