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GENEJ.PUSKAR—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown makes a catch past Raiders cornerback David Amerson in Pittsburgh on Nov. 8. ByMichaelWagaman TheAssociatedPress ALAMEDA Two months after won- dering whether he still had a future in the NFL, cornerback David Amer- son is inching closer to a starting job with the Oakland Raiders. A 2013 second-round draft pick by Washington, Amerson has been mostly in a backup role with the Raiders. He made a handful of starts while the coaching staff moved play- ers around to compensate for inju- ries and is coming off a strong game last week against Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions. With the exception of a Week 9 matchup with Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown, Amerson has been Oakland's best cornerback since his arrival in late September after being released by the Redskins. "I like him, period," coach Jack Del Rio said. "I think he's a good player. I think he was targeted five or six times (by Detroit) and did a nice job. One swing pass that he could have kept his head up and tackled better, but for the most part I thought he played pretty well." The Raiders need something to change in their secondary. Oakland is 30th against the pass this season and 2013 first-round pick DJ Hayden is laboring through another rough year. According to ProFootballFocus. com, Hayden is the most-targeted cornerback in the NFL and has given up a league-high 61 completions. Op- posing quarterbacks have a 112.7 rat- ing when throwing at Hayden, who has also given up more yards after the catch (362) than any defensive back. Del Rio declined to say who would start this week against Tennessee, but left open the possibility for a lineup shakeup. RAIDERS Amersonseeksstartingjob Not long ago, he thought he might not have a future in the league By Janie Mccauley The Associated Press SANTA CLARA For the past four seasons, the Cardinals watched the San Francisco 49ers and Se- attle Seahawks rule the NFC West, and it sometimes left Ar- izona with little to play for late in the year. Oh, how that's changed in 2015, with the Cardinals among the NFL elite. Arizona (8-2) brings a four- game winning streak into Sun- day's road game against San Fran- cisco. The Cardinals' 47-7 victory in Week 3 over the Niners helped them get rolling. "This has been a bad-boy di- vision with the Seahawks and 49ers," safety Tyrann Mathieu said. "So, we just try to go in and play our style of football ... and hopefully have some success, have the type of success those teams have had over the last couple years." Yet Arizona hasn't won on San Francisco's home field since 2008, losing six straight and seven of eight. The 49ers (3-7) have made a quarterback change since the 49ERS CARDINALS PLAYING FOR SOMETHING NOW Arizona eager to assert itself in division that used to belong to 49ers, Seahawks RICK SCUTERI — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Cardinals wide receiver John Brown celebrates his touchdown against the Bengals on Sunday. ROSS D. FRANKLIN — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer prepares to release a pass during a home victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara When: 1:05p.m. Sunday, FOX, 680AM, 96.1FM 49ERSVS.SEAHAWKS Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville When: 10a.m. Sunday, CBS, 93.9FM, 1670AM RAIDERSVS.TITANS By Dennis Passa The Associated Press SYDNEY Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott went in opposite di- rections at the Australian Open on Friday while Matt Jones used home-course advantage to shoot a 3-under 68 and take a three- stroke lead after two rounds. Jones, a member at The Aus- tralian Golf Club, had a 36-hole total of 7-under 135 on a course that was playing only slightly eas- ier after Thursday's brutal wind and heat when only 18 players broke par. Australian Todd Sinnott was in second place after a 70, while Spieth, who shot 68, and playing partner Geoff Ogilvy (71) were in a group of five tied for third, four behind Jones. First-round leader Lincoln Tighe of Australia dropped four shots on his final four holes for a 73 and was also four back. Scott, who had difficulty read- ing the pace of the slower greens due to early-morning rain, shot 73 and was at 2-over, two better than the 4-over cut total, but nine strokes out of the lead. Both Spi- eth and Scott opened with 71s. Spieth, Ogilvy and 1997 cham- pion Lee Westwood (72 Friday, tied for 14th, seven behind) were put on the clock by rules officials for slow play midway through the round. "It's tough ... we were falling be- hind," Spieth said. "And then once we get to 13 Lee hits it over the (television) tower and they come and tell us, 'We know what hap- pened but you still have to make up the time. So you're in a bit of rush and it's never a good thing." The rushing may have showed, eventually. On the par-5 15th, Spi- eth's third shot from a greenside bunker went to two feet, where he made birdie. On the next hole, a par-3, his tee shot went through the green and he wasn't able to get up and down for par, and he missed a four-footer for par on the 16th after an errant approach. The 22-year-old American missed an eagle putt of about 35 feet on the 18th, but made his birdie to place him a good posi- tion for the weekend. Last year, his course-record 63 gave him a six-shot win on the same course in his first visit to Australia. U.S. Amateur champion Bryson DeChambeau shot 72 and was at even par in a group that included Darren Clarke (67). Nicolas Colsaerts of Belgium, in the group tied for third, had the best round of the day, shoot- ing 66 after an opening 73. "I holed a few long ones today and didn't miss the short ones like I did yesterday," Colsaerts said. Although the greens have been changed over since he played reg- ularly at The Australian, Jones has fond memories of roaming the fairways at his home club "watching golf as much I could" before leaving to attend Arizona State University. "I do know the course ... com- fortable with the lines of the tees and that," Jones said. "It'll be fun to be out there on the weekend with a lot of friends and family and members from this course AUSTRALIAN OPEN Jo ne s us es home-course advantage, goes up by 3 RAIDERS PAGE 2 49ERS PAGE 2 AUSTRALIAN PAGE 2 By Diamond Leung Bay Area News Group PHOENIX So much for the the- ory that the Warriors might suf- fer a letdown after having al- ready notched the best start in NBA history. The Warriors shot their way into the record books again, set- ting the league mark for most 3-pointers in a half with 15 and the franchise record with 22 for the game on their way to a 135-116 win against the Phoenix Suns on Friday that improved their record to 17-0. Showing off their firepower, the Warriors were 15 for 20 from 3-point range in the first half on their way to scoring a season high in points. Stephen Curry held his follow-through after breaking the league's 3-point re- cord before halftime as he fin- ished 7 for 9 from long distance, including a 4-point play. Curry needed only three quarters to rack up 41 points, eight assists and six rebounds. His nine 3-pointers made out of 16 attempts were not only a season high, but also the most by any player in a single game this season. Leandro Barbosa added 21 points, as the former Suns player was 5-for-5 shooting from be- yond the arc and 8 for 9 from the field. Draymond Green finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. With the 3-point line trans- formed into a layup line, the Suns stood little chance of pull- ing off the upset from the very start. The Warriors scored 44 points in the first quarter for NBA Wa rriors set more records, rout Suns for 17th win WARRIORS 135, SUNS 116 Up next: Warriors play at home against Sacramento, 7:30p.m. Saturday, CSN-CA THESCORE WARRIORS PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, November 28, 2015 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1