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CINCINNATI (AP)Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict had his NFL suspension reduced from five to three games Wednesday for his egregious hit on a Chiefs running back during a preseason game. During the second preseason game Josh Oliver Jersey , Burfict leveled running back Anthony Sherman on a pass play when he wasn’t the intended target. The play wasn’t penalized, but the league can impose fines or suspensions after reviewing plays. Burfict originally got a five-game suspension but challenged it. Appeals officer James Thrash reduced it to three games on Wednesday. Burfict will miss home games against the Ravens and Texans and a road game with the Packers. He’ll be eligible to return for a game in Cleveland on Oct. 1. It’s the second straight season he’s suspended for the first three games. He was punished last season for his hit to Antonio Brown’s head during a 2015 playoff loss to the Steelers. That punishment was due in part to his history of egregious hits. Burfict’s hit on Brown moved the Steelers in range for a last-minute field goal and an 18-16 victory in the opening round of the playoffs. The meltdown left the Bengals without a playoff victory since 1990, the sixth-longest streak of futility in NFL history. In a letter to Burfict notifying him of the latest three-game penalty, the league noted his pattern of hits on defenseless players, including one on Ravens tight end Maxx Williams that drew a $50,000 fine. ”This is not your first offense with respect to illegal hits to defenseless players,” wrote Jon Runyan, the league’s vice president of football operations. ”To the contrary, this incident is consistent with your pattern of egregious safety-related violations, including your hit on a defenseless player during the 2015 wild-card game and your hit against a Baltimore tight end away from the play on Jan. 3, 2016. ”When players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, and particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player … you must be held accountable for this continuing unacceptable conduct.” The Bengals have staunchly defended Burfict. They supported his appeal of the suspension http://www.jacksonvillejaguarsteamonline.com/quincy-williams-ii-jersey , contending his hit on Sherman wasn’t a technical violation of the league’s player safety rules. In response, the league cited its rules banning unnecessary contact against defenseless players and those who aren’t involved in the flow of the play. Sherman was coming out of the backfield on a throw down the field to a different player when Burfict lowered his shoulder and leveled him. In defending Burfict on Tuesday, coach Marvin Lewis said the linebacker has changed. Lewis cited several other plays in the same preseason game when Burfict followed the rules. ”On the very next play, the quarterback scrambles, Vontaze runs over and jumps over Alex Smith when he slides,” Lewis said. ”The very next play after that, the back goes to the flat and he’s going down for a first down. Vontaze is in coverage and instead of diving in or `spearing’ in, he touches him down and jumps over him out of bounds.” — EAGAN, Minn. �? Xavier Rhodes was trailing Green Bay’s Davante Adams in coverage along the sideline late in the fourth quarter last week. Aaron Rodgers let the ball fly and Minnesota’s best cornerback raced to catch up.Rhodes arrived in time to make the tackle after a 36-yard gain by the Packers, but in the process of the acceleration he hurt his hamstring. As soon as he stood up, he grabbed his right leg and fell back to the turf. The immediate fear was a multiple-week absence for one of the most valuable players the Vikings have.More Vikings coveragePreview: Cook, Vikings look to keep rolling vs. PackersTop Tweets: Vikings prepare for Packers with TMNT hype videoBarr Ryquell Armstead Jersey , seasoned Vikings defense off to strong startNew offense, same Rodgers: Vikings prep for LaFleur’s PackersVikings re-sign center Jones, waive rookie TE DillonBut after testing and treatment, the diagnosis was a “very, very mild” injury, according to coach Mike Zimmer. He said on Wednesday, before Rhodes was held out of practice, that “there’s a good chance” the 2017 All-Pro pick will be able to play on Sunday at New England.With Tom Brady and that potent Patriots offense up next, the timing could not be better for Rhodes to heal quickly. With first-round draft pick Mike Hughes out for the season because of a torn ACL in his left knee, the depth behind Rhodes and Trae Waynes has thinned. Mackensie Alexander is manning the slot on most of the nickel plays, and rookie Holton Hill has been sent in several times to play on the outside as a fill-in when someone’s hurt.The latest opportunity came against the Packers, with the Vikings leading 24-14 when that reception by Adams set up the visiting team for a field goal.“My confidence has always been like a thing for me. You can’t go out on the field if you don’t believe in yourself. It starts there Will Harris Jersey ,” Hill said. “Obviously it’s something I’m not used to, but as a player, I’m going to have to play my role. There’s no excuses. I’m about to get in and help the defense out.”Rhodes and Waynes have each missed one full game, and they’ve also both been forced out of several contests because of injuries. The undrafted Hill was a priority free agent out of Texas for the Vikings right after the draft. Grasping Zimmer’s system took some time in training camp and beyond, but he has come a long way and been asked to play more meaningful snaps than anyone would have anticipated.“Now they give us a call, and I just line up, and it’s like natural,” Hill said.Though no soft-tissue injuries are the same, the Vikings have been especially conservative about handling them lately. Running back Dalvin Cook missed five games with hamstring trouble, and linebacker Anthony Barr was sidelined for three games with the same injury. So it stands to reason Rhodes won’t necessarily be cleared for action against Brady, who with two touchdown passes would move ahead of Peyton Manning, who had 579 http://www.lionsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-austin-bryant-jersey , for first place on the NFL’s all-time list, including playoffs. Regardless of how Rhodes fares over the rest of the week, Hill will need to be ready.“He’s still learning, obviously, like most young guys are,” Zimmer said, “but he’s got a lot of really good competitiveness.”