ARLINGTON, United States // Matt Flynn is ready to hand the starting job back to Aaron Rodgers.
While he’s finished filling in for the injured former Super Bowl MVP, he has a spot in Green Bay lore, even if it’s not quite on par with the franchise’s many championship moments.
Flynn threw four touchdown passes in the second half, Eddie Lacy had the winning score on a 1-yard plunge after Tony Romo threw an interception to give the Packers one more chance, and Green Bay matched the biggest comeback in franchise history with a 37-36 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
“Yeah, it’s probably the biggest win of my career,” said Flynn, who has won two straight starts after the Packers were winless for five straight without Rodgers, including the Chicago game when he broke his left collarbone.
The epic rally fueled by Flynn – and helped along by Romo – didn’t change anything about the quarterback situation with the Packers (7-6-1) still in play-off contention heading into a home game against Pittsburgh.
Rodgers was close to medical clearance against the Cowboys, but missed his sixth straight game. He was wearing a headset on Green Bay’s sideline.
“I don’t anticipate being the guy going forward,” said Flynn, who was released twice this year before the Packers picked him up after Rodgers got hurt. “We all anticipate Aaron getting healthy.”
Romo tossed two interceptions in the final 3 minutes, the first set up Green Bay’s go-ahead score with the Cowboys in position to run out the clock.
Lacy scored with 1:31 to go for Green Bay’s first lead since the first quarter and after the Packers trailed 26-3 at halftime.
“It took me everything not to cry,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “I’m just drained. Just the sheer emotion. It was incredible.”
Playing on the same field where Rodgers was the MVP when they won the 2011 Super Bowl, the Packers matched the 23-point rally by the 1982 team in a September game against the Los Angeles Rams.
OTHER SUNDAY RESULTS
Dolphins 24, Patriots 20
Quarterback Ryan Tannehill tossed a 14-yard touchdown pass to running back Marcus Thigpen with 1:15 left in the game as the Miami Dolphins beat the New England Patriots at Sun Life Stadium.
The winning drive took nine plays and 60 yards with 2:52 taken off the clock.
Miami then stopped Patriots quarterback Tom Brady on New England’s final try for the win, although Danny Amendola had two hands on the ball in the end zone in the final minute before safety Michael Thomas broke up the play.
Then, on fourth-and-five at the Miami 14, Thomas, in his first game after the Dolphins signed him as a free agent, intercepted Brady in the end zone. Brady passed for 364 yards, two touchdowns and the one interception.
Colts 25, Texans 3
Andrew Luck passed for 180 yards and two touchdowns as the Indianapolis Colts strolled to a big win over the Houston Texans.
The Colts (9-5) were missing nine starters but breezed past a floundering Houston team that lost their 12th straight. TY Hilton had a career-high eight catches for 78 yards and Griff Whalen, a teammate of Luck’s at Stanford University, caught his first career touchdown after being signed from the practice squad the day before the game.
Since going 6-2 in the first half of the season, Indianapolis had lost three of their last five, struggling with injuries and unproductive play in the first half of games. But the Colts raced to a 20-3 halftime lead, got two interceptions from cornerback Darius Butler and limited the Texans to 239 yards total offence.
49ers 33, Buccaneers 14
Staked to just a six-point lead in the fourth quarter, the San Francisco 49ers used a 77-yard drive that helped them clinch the victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
San Francisco (10-4) dominated much of the game, but the Bucs rallied to cut the lead to 20-14 on the first play of the fourth.
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick came through with two huge third-down conversions – a 13-yard pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree on third-and-12, then a 10-yard scramble on third-and-6 – to help set up a field goal for a nine-point lead.
Seahawks 23, Giants 0
Cornerback Richard Sherman picked off two of Eli Manning’s five interceptions and the Seattle Seahawks converted two of the New York Giants’ turnovers into 14 points en route to the thumping at MetLife Stadium.
The five interceptions by Manning are a single-game career high, and extended the Giants’ streak of at least one giveaway per game this season.
If that was not bad enough, Manning matched his single-season career high of 25 interceptions set in 2010. He now has 169 career turnovers, which passes Charlie Conerly as the Giants’ franchise leader.
Falcons 27, Redskins 26
There is plenty of drama surrounding coach Mike Shanahan and the Washington Redskins these days. It carried over into Sunday’s road game at the Atlanta Falcons.
After backup quarterback Kirk Cousins led a scoring drive to pull his team within one point of tying Atlanta, Shanahan elected for a go-ahead two-point conversion instead of an extra point. Cousins’ pass was batted down, allowing the Falcons to escape with a win at the Georgia Dome.
Shanahan announced in the middle of the week that he was benching starting quarterback Robert Griffin III and turning to Cousins for the final three games. With Griffin in street clothes, watching from the sidelines, Cousins capped a fourth-quarter scoring drive with a touchdown pass to Santana Moss with 22 seconds to play that cut the Falcons lead to 27-26.
Bears 38, Browns 31
Jay Cutler threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and the Chicago Bears scored 21 unanswered points to complete a come-from-behind victory over the Cleveland Browns.
The Bears (8-6) took over first place in the NFC North as the Detroit Lions (7-6) host the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.
The Browns (4-10) lost for the fifth straight time. They led 24-17 to start the fourth quarter and had the Bears pinned at the Chicago 5. Cutler, in his first start since November 10, was 22 of 31 for 265 yards with three touchdowns.
Bills 27, Jaguars 20
Needing a victory to avoid finishing in last place in the AFC East for the sixth consecutive season, the Buffalo Bills got just that when they defeated Jacksonville, snapping the Jaguars’ three-game win streak.
The Bills (5-9) also ended a five-game losing streak and won for just the second time on the road this season.
Vikings 48, Eagles 30
Third-string running back Matt Asiata tied a franchise record with three rushing touchdowns and the Minnesota Vikings hammered the Philadelphia Eagles at Mall of America Field.
Asiata’s third score came with 1:08 left in the game.
The loss by the Eagles made next Sunday night’s contest against play-off hopeful Chicago a weighty primetime game.
Panthers 30, Jets 20
The Panthers’ defence was back in fine form during Carolina’s victory over the New York Jets at Bank of America Stadium.
Running back DeAngelo Williams scored on a tiebreaking 72-yard pass play late in the first half, and cornerback Captain Munnerlyn returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown as the Panthers moved to the verge of clinching an NFC play-off spot.
Chiefs 56, Raiders 31
Running back Jamaal Charles scored a team-record-tying five touchdowns, and the Kansas City Chiefs clinched a play-off berth with a resounding victory over the Oakland Raiders.
Charles caught four touchdown passes from quarterback Alex Smith and ran for a touchdown, tying former running back Abner Haynes for the team touchdown record, set in 1961 against the Raiders.
Charles caught eight passes for a career-high 195 yards, helping the Chiefs (11-3) make the play-offs for the first time since 2010. Last season, Kansas City finished 2-14, tied for the NFL’s worst record.
Rams 27, Saints 16
Kellen Clemens passed for two touchdowns, Zac Stacy rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown and the St Louis Rams defense harassed quarterback Drew Brees all day as the Rams upset the New Orleans Saints.
Brees threw two interceptions in the first quarter for only the second time in his career, was sacked four times, lost a fumble and did not pass for a touchdown until there was only 3:07 left in the game as the Saints were denied a chance to clinch a play-off spot.
Cardinals 37, Titans 34 (OT)
After blowing a 17-point lead with just over three minutes left in regulation, the Arizona Cardinals clinched a rare winning season and stayed alive for an NFC wild-card play-off berth.
Jay Feely connected on a 41-yard field goal with 10:18 left in overtime as Arizona stayed a game behind Carolina and San Francisco going into the final two weeks of the regular season.
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E268hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E380Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh208%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
65
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EScott%20Beck%2C%20Bryan%20Woods%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdam%20Driver%2C%20Ariana%20Greenblatt%2C%20Chloe%20Coleman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Genesis G80 2020 5.0-litre Royal Specs
Engine: 5-litre V8
Gearbox: eight-speed automatic
Power: 420hp
Torque: 505Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.4L/100km
Price: Dh260,500
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
