onfirmed the ACL tear, suffered on the final drive on Sunday. Hell have surgery soon, costing Cincinnati its most versatile running back.Green also will be out when the Bengals play at Baltimore (5-5) on Sunday with what amounts to their last chance to get back into the AFC North race. Green hurt his

CHICAGO -- Kris Bryant says he gets chills every time the fans at Wrigley Field shower him with MVP! chants.The 24-year-old just doesnt show it -- a common trait among his young teammates. If anything can overwhelm these kid Cubbies, they havent faced it yet.Bryant was one of five players 24 or younger in the starting lineup for the Cubs during Game 6 of the NL Championship Series, and that group is showing maturity beyond its years. Keep this up, and they could give Chicago a party generations in the making.Bryant has already established himself as one of the games top power hitters. Javier Baez (23 years old) made one spectacular play after another in the infield while winning NLCS co-MVP. Addison Russell (22) is an All-Star shortstop with power and Gold Glove aspirations. Catcher Willson Contreras (24) and outfielder Albert Almora Jr. (22) are rookies getting at-bats with a heavy World Series favorite.And so the Cubs are seeking their first championship since 1908 fueled by players too young to remember the first time a Clinton vied for the U.S. presidency.Chicago beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS for its first pennant since 1945, and now faces the Cleveland Indians in the World Series with a chance to end the sports longest title drought.If Chicagos youngsters feel any jitters before Game 1 on Tuesday night in Cleveland, dont expect to see them.Our young players are playing like theyre 32-year-old veterans, 2015 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta said. Its just fun to watch. I get to play one out of every five days, but to really see the way our guys go about taking care of business makes me really appreciate the guys Im able to play with.Bryant and the other burgeoning Cubs helped Chicago lead the majors with 103 wins in the regular season, and its been more of the same in October. After pulling out 14 victories in their final at-bat during the regular season, the Cubs did it twice against San Francisco in the NL Division Series, then rallied from a 2-1 series deficit to beat the Dodgers.Veterans like Jon Lester have done their part, but the younger players have had plenty of pivotal moments, too.None more so than Baez, a breakout star this postseason with his lightning-quick tags and preternatural decision making in the field.He shared NLCS MVP honors with Lester after leading the Cubs to their 17th pennant and is batting .342 this postseason. He hit a winning homer off Johnny Cueto in Game 1 of the NLDS against San Francisco, then had a go-ahead single in the series-clinching victory in Game 4. He had four doubles and five RBI in the NLCS, too.Baezs biggest moments, though, mostly came outside the batters box. He stole home during Chicagos win in Game 1 of the NLCS, turned a heads-up double play by letting a soft liner bounce in front of him with two on in Game 2, and made a fantastic barehanded scoop to rob Adrian Gonzalez of a hit in Game 5.Baez is doing all that after emerging as a super utility player for manager Joe Maddon this season. Baez cut down on his swing and hit .273 with 14 homers and 59 RBI in 142 games, and as important, he embraced a role shuffling between positions.This guy never faltered, Lester said. He accepted his role as being a bench player and kind of a platoon guy. Thats hard to do at 20 or whatever he is.Bryant is on the short list of NL MVP candidates after joining Rogers Hornsby (1929), Hack Wilson (1930) and Derrek Lee (2005) as the only players with the franchise to get at least 120 runs, 35 doubles, 39 homers and 100 RBI. Hes 13 for 39 with a homer and six RBI in the postseason.Russell is only starting to make an impact in October, busting a 1-for-24 slump by going 6 for 13 with two homers in the final three games of the NLCS. Contreras, meanwhile, hit his first career playoff homer against Clayton Kershaw in the series clincher.You should not change what youre doing regardless of the time of the year, Maddon said after Game 6. You want to come out in the middle of October and play the same game weve been playing all summer.The youngsters have given the Cubs a lot of good games so far. Four more, and as Maddon said, We can really have a party. Wholesale Adidas Shoes NZ . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. Clearance Superstar NZ Shoes . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. http://www.clearancesuperstarnz.com/ . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Superstar NZ Outlet . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Cheap Adidas Superstar NZ . The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lions have not announced the hiring, which was first reported by ESPN. Lombardi, the grandson of former Green Bay Hall of Fame coach Vince Lombardi, has been an offensive assistant on Sean Paytons New Orleans staff since 2007. CINCINNATI -- Bengals running back Giovani Bernard has a torn anterior cruciate ligament, but star receiver A.J. Green might be able to return from a hamstring injury this season, coach Marvin Lewis said on Monday.Scans on Bernards left knee confirmed the ACL tear, suffered on the final drive on Sunday. Hell have surgery soon, costing Cincinnati its most versatile running back.Green also will be out when the Bengals play at Baltimore (5-5) on Sunday with what amounts to their last chance to get back into the AFC North race. Green hurt his right hamstring on the Bengals first pass of the game.Lewis said scans on Greens hamstring detected a strain -- not as severe as initially feared -- and theres a possibility he could return at some point.The Bengals (3-6-1) are a long shot for the playoffs after a 16-12 loss to Buffalo at Paul Brown Stadium.Its just a matter of how quickly he recovers through it, Lewis said.Green was in the trainers room during the open locker room period on Monday. At one point, he poked his head out the door and, with a big smile, yelled to a teammate and then went back inside.Bernard caught three straight passes on the final drive that ended with an incompletion in the end zone. He stayed in the game for a couple of plays after getting his knee twisted and then took himself out. He went for a medical scan that detected the torn ligament.I thought he was just tired and we were getting him out for a play, running back Rex Burkhead said. Then when I found out afterward, I was like, `What? It was shocking news to me and Im sure a lot of the guys. He was walking around like it wasnt that bad.The two injuries are a significant blow to a team that has been one of the healthiest in the league. Green is among the NFLs leaders wiith 66 catches for 964 yards.dddddddddddd Bernard is second on the team with 39 catches for 336 yards. Bernard also has rushed for 337 yards, second to Jeremy Hills 623 yards.Words cant really put it how I feel, Hill said on Monday, standing next to Bernards locker. Guys have to step in there and not miss a beat. Obviously its easy to say that with guys like A.J. and Gio going down, but thats what we have to do if we want to accomplish the things we want to accomplish.The Bengals self-destructed against the Bills. Mike Nugent missed both of his extra-point attempts, hitting the right upright. The Bengals considered looking at another kicker, but decided to stick with Nugent and help him work out his problems. In the past three games, Nugent has missed three extra points and a field goal.Ive given it a lot of thought, Lewis said. Were going to move forward with Mike.Lewis noted there was a downside to bringing in an unfamiliar kicker at this point in the season. Nugent is in his seventh season with the Bengals.Im way more comfortable with helping Mike get corrected through this, Lewis said. This is where were going to be today.Game notes Lewis hadnt seen video of LB Vontaze Burfict making a gesture toward a fan with his hand during the game, so he had no comment about it. ... CB Dre Kirkpatrick injured his left knee in the second half, but a scan after the game found no serious injury. Hes not sure whether hell be available to play against the Ravens. ... Lewis said several other players who were hurt should be able to recover during the week.---More AP NFL coverage: http://pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '