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LANDOVER, Md. -- Sam Bradford grabbed his helmet with two hands and slammed it down on the sideline.The Vikings quarterback had just been picked off late in what would become a 26-20 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday, Minnesotas fourth consecutive defeat in a season that began with five consecutive victories and now is slipping away.Afterward, Bradford was asked what he could have done better on this afternoon.Not throwing an interception in the fourth quarter wouldve helped, Bradford replied.Scoring a single point in the second half might have been useful, too.Weve just got to be more consistent, Bradford said.Showing the sort of up-and-down play that encapsulates its season, Minnesota (5-4) trailed 14-0 less than a minute into the second quarter, put up three TDs in about 5 1/2 minutes at the end of the half to take the lead, and got outscored 12-0 the rest of the way.Im concerned, obviously, but I still believe, coach Mike Zimmer said. I believe that (if) we do a couple things here or a couple things there, were going to win some games. ... I just feel like if we can get over the hump, if we can keep fighting until we do that, positive things will happen. It doesnt look like that right now.Sure doesnt.The Vikings had problems in all three phases of the game. Blair Walsh missed an extra point on the final play of the first half, making him only 15 for 19 on the season. This came after Minnesota invited a half-dozen free agents to a tryout during the week before deciding to keep Walsh.Honestly, I didnt even see the kick, so I dont know what happened on it, Zimmer said, other than he missed.Asked whether he would evaluate Walshs status again, Zimmer replied: Yes, I will evaluate everything.Plenty for him to look at, including an offense that was shut out after halftime and twice failed to convert on third-and-1.Theres no excuse, guard Brandon Fusco said, for not getting a yard.The Vikings generally have become unable to run the ball since injuries to Adrian Peterson and starters along the offensive line. That last part only appeared to get worse on their final drive Sunday, when left tackle Jake Long -- as it is, he was on the field because Matt Kalil is on IR -- was carted off with an Achilles tendon injury. Zimmer said he believes Long is done for the season.Then theres the defense, which played at a level approaching historic greatness at the start of the season and now is merely OK.If the Redskins had not repeatedly stalled inside the red zone, the Vikings might have allowed more than four field goals in the second half.Weve got to create more turnovers. Weve got to be better on third down. Theres a lot of things that arent happening for us right now, defensive end Brian Robison said. At the end of the day, weve got to figure out what it is that weve got to get back to doing.Robison was referring to the defense in particular, but he could have been talking about the entire team.Zimmer insisted his players are still fighting, still putting in the right amount of effort to have more success.That was the coachs message to the media -- and in the locker room.After a while, you get tired of hearing that, and youve got to win a ... game, guard Alex Boone said. You can only say you played so tough for so long until it doesnt count anymore. These are games youve got to win.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Kevin Garnett Jersey Large . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Custom Timberwolves T-shirts ., for the next three years with the signings on Monday of Daryl Townsend and Michael Carter. http://www.customtimberwolvesjersey.com/ . Note: The Calgary Flames announced Tuesday that Sean Monahan would not be made available to Canadas World Junior team. Timberwolves Jerseys China . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. 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LONDON -- Instead of the ninth all-Williams final at a Grand Slam tournament, there will be a rematch of another sort to determine the title at Wimbledon.And so as Serena Williams again stands one victory from her record-tying 22nd major title, she will need to beat a woman who already stopped her once this year in that pursuit, Angelique Kerber.After Williams needed all of 48 minutes to overwhelm Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-0 at the All England Club, older sister Venus failed to join in the family fun, losing to Kerber 6-4, 6-4 in Thursdays second semifinal.Since winning her sixth Wimbledon trophy a year ago to raise her career count at Grand Slam events to 21, Serena has come quite close to pulling even with Steffi Graf at 22 -- the most in the Open era, which began in 1968 (Margaret Courts all-time mark is 24). But the American was surprisingly beaten by Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals last September, then by Kerber in the Australian Open final in January, and by Garbine Muguruza in the French Open final last month.Reaching the final at each of a years first three major tournaments might sound good to other players.Not to this one.For anyone else in this whole planet, it would be a wonderful accomplishment, Serena said. For me, its about, obviously, holding the trophy and winning, which would make it a better accomplishment for me. For me, its not enough. But I think thats what makes me different. Thats what makes me Serena.Yes, she is one of a kind.When a reporter asked what she makes of it when others talk about her as one of historys greatest female athletes, this was the reply: I prefer the word, one of the greatest `athletes of all time.Hard to argue.And the case will be even stronger if she can do what she couldnt in Melbourne: solve Kerbers left-handed game.I know, Kerber said, she will go out and try everything to beat me right now.That Australian Open victory gave Kerber her first Grand Slam title in her first Grand Slam final.She insisted Thursday shes more relaxed and more confident on court thanks to that big moment.Didnt necessarily look that way at the outset against Venus, who at 36 was the oldest major semifinalist since Martina Navratilova was 37 at the All England Club in 1994.Venus is a five-time Wimbledon champion but hadnt been to the semifinals since she was the runner-up to Serena seven years ago.Steps awayy from making it to the end, Venus said.dddddddddddd Thats the position I want to be in, is playing in the semifinals, playing for a space in the final.But against Kerber, Venus was broken the first four times she served.She never recovered.A very shaky match from her. She was fighting hard, but she was frustrated. I could tell, said Venus coach, David Witt. Her concentration was up-and-down. The focus was up-and-down. That made her game up-and-down.Perhaps the accumulated court time during this fortnight simply took a toll on Venus, who revealed in 2011 that she had Sjongrens syndrome, which can cause fatigue and joint pain.She was a half-step slow to some balls, was breathing heavily after longer points, and wound up with 21 unforced errors, 10 more than Kerber.I was trying to (move) her, as well, the fourth-seeded Kerber said. That was the plan.After a running cross-court forehand winner capped the 19-stroke exchange that ended her victory, Kerber tossed aside her racket and dropped to her knees at the baseline.That match managed to be more competitive than what transpired earlier, which more closely resembled a training session for the No. 1-ranked Serena -- except she probably gets more of a workout when she practices.I couldnt do anything today, Vesnina said.Serenas serve was in fine form, reaching 123 mph and producing 11 aces against the 50th-ranked Vesnina, who was making her major semifinal debut. Serena won 28 of 31 points she served, including the last 17.An almost perfect match, said Serenas coach, Patrick Mouratoglou.Serena had Vesnina looking defeated after all of 12 points. Thats when, after sprinting for a forehand that landed in the net, the Russian leaned over, sighed and slumped her shoulders.There would be plenty more of that sort of body language from Vesnina, a two-time Wimbledon runner-up in doubles who later Thursday went out in the quarterfinals of that event and lost to Serena a second time.The Williams-Williams pairing beat Vesnina and Ekaterina Makarova 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-2.That means Venus still has a chance to leave Wimbledon with a trophy, just like her sister.---Freelance writer Sandra Harwitt contributed.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich