Blog Posts For Tag: Nfl

Ten weeks into the season the leading running back in the NFL is not Adrian Peterson. No, Peterson is second behind none other than Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans. I saw this and was inspired to write this post, only to find out that Trent Dilfer already broached the subject on Countdown Daily. However, this is still a great subject. Would you rather have Peterson or Johnson, power or speed?

I have seen quite a few Minnesota Vikings games this season, as well as a few Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints games, and I have one thing to say. Adrian Peterson is being misused. Yes, Adrian Peterson- the most fear running back in the entirety of football- is being grossly under utilized by Brett Favre and the Vikings despite the fact that they are 7-1 and sitting atop the NFC Central in the NFL standings.

There once was a time when quarterbacks only threw for 300 yards in a losing effort because they had to try and cover as much ground as possible quickly. Now, the league demands that quarterbacks be able to surpass the 300 mark just to get a win. Peyton Manning is leading the NFL with 318 passing yards per game and his team is 7-0. In fact, the 10 quarterbacks averaging more than 250 passing yards a game are all on teams with winning records and five of those are on teams that are at least tied for the lead in their division.

The seventh Sunday of the NFL schedule brought about a bevy of blowouts. Only two games were decided by less than 10 points or less. Four games were decided by a deficit between 10 and 19. An incredible six games were won by more than 20 points. The most lopsided loss was the 38-0 win by the New York Jets over the Oakland Raiders. That game is one of four decided by 30 points or more.

So, there is little doubt now that this is the age of the quarterback in the NFL. All the announcers are talking about it like it is news, which is akin to your mother “discovering” new rock music. Once she has heard of a band and it is played on her radio station then the novelty of it is over and surely half the globe already knows about it.

The preseason schedule has just started, meaning that its time to get revved up to watch NFL starters play at half speed for a quarter before the scrubs take over until half time, giving way to the future stars of the AFL, USFL, and the rest of the new defacto minor league system of football leagues sloppily missing tackles and looking out of place on the field.

I broke down the season predictions for the NFC last week and need to finish with the AFC before changing my predictions at three intervals, just before the season begins, halfway through the season, and with four weeks left until the playoffs start. I will, of course, quote injuries as the source of my ill-fated analysis. So, let’s take a look at my impressions of the AFC.

The NFL training camps are underway, so everyone whose baseball team has sunk to the bottom of the division or everyone whose baseball team is obviously on its last leg has a chance to obsess about a new team and dream up scenarios where they might actually put together a Super Bowl season (hey, the Cardinals did it last season so why can’t a club like the Raiders, right?).

Well, not so fast there St. Louis Ram’s diehard and Mr. Kansas City Chief. I do not care what you read about Marc Bulger returning to form or if Tom Cassel still has the scent of the New England Patriots. Read on and see which teams have a shot and which teams should pay more attention to their fantasy football teams, beginning with the NFC in this edition.

I love sports. I check ESPN's website dozens of times a day for the latest development on the NFL front and for things as silly as the New York Yankees ERA last season. I am not so completely insulated from reality that I can not appreciate how silly the idea of professional sports can sometimes be, and sometimes I wonder which sport is the silliest.

Not too long ago the Dallas Cowboys were beginning another promising era that could have brought yet another Super Bowl win to their storied history. The Arizona Cardinals were looking like they were going to be collecting veterans looking for a rest stop before officially retiring (their M.O. for the past decade). Now, after the Cardinals managed to get into the Super Bowl and play half way decently, everything is turned around in the Southwest.

It is not but a week into NFL Free Agency time and there are already completed deals that are causing havoc in every football-obsessed sports fans life. They range from questionable signings to questionable trades and are boring our girlfriends who thought it was safe to take us out in public.

Bucking the general downward trend of the economy, football, as an industry is expanding. Yes, in the next couple of years it looks like fans will have four more leagues to watch. Who knew that professional football would become a beacon for financial hope?

The Super Bowl is here this Sunday. My girlfriend is tired of listening to me talk about my man crush on Ben Roethlisberger (If I had said Big Ben she would not only be worried, but also wondering what I am doing in a relationship with her) and my utmost respect for Kurt Warner (if he does not get into the hall it will be a travesty). I decided to finally shut up about what I think will the truly most exciting game of the entire NFL season and make some predictions because I hold this belief that I am one day destined to be featured on Page 2 on ESPN.

The most debilitating factor coming into the Super Bowl might be the Arizona Cardinals own organization rather than the suppressing Steelers defense. At the end of the game Cards offensive coordinator Todd Haley was seen in a shouting match with Anquan Boldin after leaving him on the bench for nine of the final 14 plays against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

At the beginning of the year it looked like a Giants-Patriots rematch in the Super Bowl. Now, after the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs neither team is going to make it to even the conference championship. Who would have thought the NFC Championship game would have the Arizona Cardinals hosting the Philadelphia Eagles? The Cardinals as the home team?!? While many guessed that the Pittsburgh Steelers might have made it to the AFC Championship, not many thought they would be playing the Baltimore Ravens.

The NFL tickets for the Divisional Playoffs have been set for a week and Las Vegas has set line for the games. The experts have weighed in and it looks like a clear sweep by the higher seeds. This does not make for much exciting football, but thankfully for all the odds that are set and all the games that are analyzed (and overanalyzed) there are still upsets every year. Anybody remember the Giants last season?

Saturday was awesome. I got to see two great, close games. I was hoping that Sunday could give me at least half the thrill. The story lines were not as great, but it was still postseason football. NFL playoff tickets may not have been near me because the Bears are awful, but I can still enjoy the excitement of playoffs in just about any sport. I did not enjoy Sunday even a fraction as much.

Peyton Manning continued his NFL MVP performance with a 25/42, 310 yard, 1 Touchdown game, but the Indianapolis Colts lost for the second postseason in row to the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers won 23-17 in overtime thanks to the legs of backup running back Darren Sproles and punter Mike Scifres.

The momentum and the history were on the Atlanta Falcons side before the first game of the playoffs started. The Falcons had won five of their last six and the Cardinals had not won a playoff game since 1947. I thought the only way the Falcons could lose this game was if Matt Ryan had a rookie meltdown. Well the Arizona Cardinals beat Falcons 30-24, Ryan had a game full of mistakes, and Arizona dominated the line on both side of the ball.

Who is going to win this first weekend of the NFL Playoffs? I think the Falcons will beat the Cardinals, the Colts will hold out and win over the Chargers, the Ravens will end the magical Dolphins turnaround, and the Eagles will put Vikings fans out of their misery. I have some good reasons too. I think Bill Simmons some pretty good ones too. I really do not feel like boring readers with my obvious reasons why. I do want to pose a question though, if you could create your own football team with parts from these eight teams what would your football Frankenstein look like?

The buzz for the next few weeks is going to be about the NFL Postseason. The pre-postseason, also known as the regular season, is over and the Dallas Cowboys and the Denver Broncos can relate. They have maverick quarterbacks (Tony Romo and Jay Cutler), susceptible defenses (Dallas gave up 365 points and Denver gave up 448), both have had problems with healthy running backs, and both played themselves out of the playoffs.

The final slate of NFL games is just an hour away and I am looking at the final three divisions up for grabs. Of these three, two of the postseason chases seem be bathed in pathetic mediocrity. Really, how could the Denver Broncos blow the lead in the AFC West? How could the Vikings fail to close out the NFC North when they have Adrian Peterson on their team?

I think the theme for this past weekend in the NFL was momentum. Teams with playoffs on their minds had a lot to gain and to lose this weekend. Some teams cemented their place at the top and others went along playing their way out of the playoffs. In these final weeks I have continued to be surprised by which teams have ended up as the Super Bowl favorites.

This week kicked off with an impressive win by the Indianapolis Colts. They clinched a playoff spot with a 31-24 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Peyton Manning returned to Manning Classic and completed 29 of 34 attempts for 364 yards and threw three touchdowns. For all the fuss over Marvin Harrison being out it really had no effect on the game. Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Dominic Rhodes did plenty of damage. Rhodes did not do much on the ground, but when Peyton is on it matters much less that the Colts have no running game.

This week the NFL front office must be happy. Week 15’s slate of games ended with winners that are going to keep fans watching as two divisions are still far from settled and the wild card competition grew even more desperate.

Week 15 has already officially started. It started with the Bears outlasting the Saints in overtime in the battle of whose defense could be less effective down the stretch. Really, the most valuable players in that game had to be the turf for making any break away plays on the outside of the field impossible and the coin toss that kicked off the overtime. Whoever won that flip was going to take the ball down the field. It just so happened that the winner was the Bears. That and a huge pass interference make up call put the Bears in field goal range and ended the game.

The NFL season now has three more weeks with the conclusion of Week 14 and the number of meaningful games with playoff implications is dwindling, though each of those contests intensity is rising exponentially. This is the reality for every American sport and it is both a exciting and a sad time, and looking at some of these scores many cities will have fans suffering through the winter with a case of Post-Season Stress Syndrome.

Four weeks remain until the end of the NFL season and while half of the divisions already have clear champions (the NFC East, NFC West, AFC South, and AFC West) the remaining divisions are beginning the dog fight for first place.

Tennessee Titans (11-1) 47 – Detroit Lions (0-12) 10

I have one question, why does the NFL keep giving Detroit a spotlight game every year. The Lions have not had a winning record since 2000. Stop being an enabler. I understand that nobody saw the Titans as the best team in the AFC by Week 13, but still to put this marquee time slot in Detroit only proves to me that the NFL is an enabler. The game…well, the Titans ran, predictably, for nearly 300 yards and obviously trampled a city already hurting from the breakdown of the Big Three bailout.

Sometimes I look at the NFL’s slate of games and think they are kind of the like the typical dysfunctional family gathering. This season, the day looks no different.

I was sitting at home watching the first slate of games and monitoring my fantasy scores when I was simply struck by the scores running along the bottom of the screen. They were falling somewhere between Arena Football and the typical NFL week. Eight teams reached the 30s, two teams scored in the 40s, and one team reached the 50s. Call it a result of a pass happy league, call it inflated scores because of several defenses that went MIA, call it the NFL front office’s wet dream, or simply call it a scoring bonanza.

The NFL season is coming into the final few weeks and all the preseason predictions have been left behind. The importance of each game is now related to teams’ immediate record and not the far off games on the schedule.

New York Jet (7-3) 34 – New England (6-4) 31

It was a battle of upstarts with two surprising starters in a game for the AFC East lead. Matt Cassel thought he would be sitting behind a legend in the making, but instead through for 400 yards in a losing effort for the resilient Patriots. Brett Favre was supposed to be a retired legend, but instead came back and found a home in New York. He threw fro 258 yards and two touchdowns and helped lead the Jets to victory, while Jay Feely’s 34 yard field goal won the game in overtime.

Denver Broncos 34- Cleveland Browns 30

This game proved once again that not only is the Broncos offense a potent machine, but the team’s defense is bent on making every other offense in the league look like it has been born out of genius. I think that every Broncos game should be watched because every weekend it will be a shoot out. It has the kind of allure of the Sacramento Kings a few years ago. You knew they were going to put together an exciting game, but you also knew they were destined to be stopped well short of the championship. On another note, Cutler’s performance helped my little brother get a much needed win in our fantasy league.

Atlanta Falcons 34- New Orleans Saints 20

Drew Brees reached his weekly quota for yards with 422 and picks with three in a game that helped keep the Falcons in the playoff hunt in the NFC South. I would have thought that Michael Turner would have had 150 yards and three touchdowns in this game, but he managed a very respectable 96 yards as Matt Ryan proved that a pocket quarterback can work in Atlanta as he threw for 10.8 yards an attempt and two touchdowns.

Tennessee Titans 21- Chicago Bears 14

The Bears allowed less than one yard a rushing attempt and stopped most of the long passes (until the end of the game), but forgot that Kerry Collins can pick up 284 yards nickel and diming you with tight end Bo Scaife. The Bears looked like they were on their way to another quarterback controversy as Rex Grossman started to lead the team back from 14 down in the fourth quarter, but he quickly ended the hopes of defeating the last undefeated team with an awful pass as the two minute warning was approaching. At the very least, Bears fans can be thankful that Orton will be welcomed back without any doubt whether it is the right decision.

Jacksonville Jaguars 38- Detroit Lions 14

A strong running game by Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew (who had three touchdowns) dominated this game. David Garrard performed like a true professional with a 119.1 quarterback rating to top off the Jaguars efforts to avoid losing to a winless team for the second week in a row. The Lions hoped that the newly signed Dante Culpepper would have an immediate impact, but he could do little to stop the bleeding as he went from coaching a Pop Warner football team to playing for one.

Miami Dolphins 21 – Seattle Seahawks 19

When a team like the Dolphins beats all odds and comes into week 10 with a 4-4 record after every expert picks them to win less than four games overall, something has to give. The Dolphins have won with an unconventional offense meant to hide their obvious flaws, but an offense based on trick plays means that any team can beat you, including the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks made the game a close on, but their futility was just enough to lose the game to the “Wildcat” and big plays.

Minnesota Vikings 28- Green Bay Packers 27

The game came down to a 52-yard field goal attempt by Packers kicker Mason Crosby. His miss ended the game for the Packers. Adrian Peterson ran for 192 yards and was able to make up for the three interceptions by Gus Frerotte with his lone touchdown on a 29-yard scamper with 2:22 left in the game. Both teams were able to shut down the passing game so it came down to Peterson versus Ryan Grant, and Peterson trumps Grant.

New England Patriots 20- Buffalo Bills 10

In the first half of the season the Bills looked like the team bound to benefit the most from Tom Brady’s injury. Now that the second half has begun, the Patriots have managed to find themselves in a first place tie after beating Buffalo. Matt Cassel has been the unexpected season hero and BenJarvus Green-Ellis was the unexpected hero of this game with 105 yards and a touchdown as the Patriots put together a fine offensive performance and a dominating defensive effort to tie the Jets for the division lead.

New York Jets 47- St. Louis Rams 3

It turns out when you turn the ball over five times in the game and cannot stop the run it is going to be a long game. Jets running back was sensational with 149 yards and three touchdowns. Brett Favre only had 19 passing attempts and only threw for 167 yards as excellent field position and a terrific ground game that totaled 206 yards made the game a blowout quickly. The Rams looked awful. The line made this a long day for Trent Green and Marc Bulger, who both had time behind the center. The Rams only have to endure seven more games until this unfortunate season is over and the hurting can stop.

Baltimore Ravens 41-Houston Texans 13

Joe Flacco was never really expect to do more than “manage” games this season, but the rookie has continued to prove that his big arm can lea a potent offense. This Sunday he only threw for 185 yards, but had two touchdowns, including a 43-yard bomb to Yamon Figurs. Willis McGahee had a strong game as well, running for 112 yards and two touchdowns. The balanced offense and a defense that picked off the Raven’s Sage Rosenfels four times made this game a laugher quickly.

Carolina Panthers 17-Oakland Raiders 6

The Raiders are bad. Jake Delhomme threw nearly as many picks (4) as completions (7) on 27 attempts and only managed 72 yards, but the Raiders could still not make this game look even close. Running back Deangelo Williams had 140 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers ad that was plenty to embarrass a pitiful Raiders team. Justin Fargas had a pretty good game with 89 yards, but the rest of the offense looked awful. Andrew Walter was the latest quarterback to commit career suicide be taking snaps for Al Davis and will surely not be the last this season.

No video, just audio, but a funny truth from Gabriel Iglesias my favorite pluis-sized comedian

Indianapolis Colts 24- Pittsburgh Steelers 20

Ben Roethlisberger took the field again with his injured shoulder and threw three interceptions. At the age of 26 he is looking like an aging fighter taking too many hits and throwing desperation punches. Meanwhile, Peyton Manning is looking like the graceful veteran reminding everyone of his greatness. He threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns. It took 40 attempts to complete 21 passes, but the master technician is keeping the Colts within striking distance of the postseason. The Steelers may be in the lead in their division, but they need to do some work to keep that lead and be more than first round fodder in the playoffs.

San Diego Chargers 20- Kansas City Chiefs 19

The Chargers used to be the team nobody paid attention to because the played in Southern California. Now they are the team nobody cares about because they can barely beat the Kansas City Chiefs. Philip Rivers was good (316 yards, 2 touchdowns) and bad (2 picks) in this “effort”. LaDainian Tomlinson continued his tough season as the Chiefs focused on him to hold him to 78 yards on 22 carries. Tyler Thigpen put together another nice effort for the Chiefs with 266 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Still, the Chiefs could not win in a season that was never anything more than a rebuilding year.

New York Giants 36- Philadelphia Eagles 31

The Giants have proven that despite their easy first half schedule they are the truly the best team in the NFC East. The Eagles had won three straight and were hoping to begin the journey from last place to first with a win in New York, but could not get Brian Westbrook going (thanks to the Giants game plan). Westbrook, the focus of the Eagles offense, was held to 26 rushing yard and 33 passing yards. Donovan McNabb threw three touchdowns, but when the game came down to the final minutes, he could not rally his receivers for a win. Eli Manning was good with 2 touchdown passes and Brandon Jacobs was great with 126 yards and two touchdowns. The Giants won this game far more easily than the scoreboard reflects and answered any doubts as to the legitimacy of their record.

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The Giants or the Eagles? That is the question. The NFC East teams match up for the first of two second half schedule games. Is Philly really the team to challenge the Giants after New York survived a schedule that I’m pretty sure had a couple Division III college teams on it. Did the Phillies win end all of the city’s cursed sports teams struggles or was the victory limited to baseball. Without question, this is the game the fans and the NFL want to see.

The Buffalo Bills-New England Patriots game deserves some mention, as both teams are playing well above expectations, making the playoff hunt in the AFC East (one of the most underrated divisions this season) interesting.

The Indianapolis Colts-Pittsburgh Steelers game looks interesting because Ben Roethlisberger’s status is uncertain (as of right now). Could this be the game the league’s toughest quarterback finally goes down for good (this season). Big Ben has become one of my favorite players because of that fact. You can injure his throwing shoulder, his planting foot, and poke out one of his eyes and he would still drag himself onto the field and engineer at least one scoring drive.

The throw away game of the week appears to be the Chiefs versus the Chargers. The Chargers have been underwhelming this season at 3-5 and the Chiefs have been almost unbearable to watch at 1-7. Tyler Thigpen has been magic for the last two weeks, but, even with the worst pass defense in the NFL, I do not see Kansas City putting up big numbers.

Meanwhile I think the Arizona Cardinals might break 50 points on Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers. I think the only shot the 49ers have to make this game interesting is if Head Coach Mike Singletary suits up and stars down Kurt Warner.

Singletary getting angry on NFL.com…

Singletary Smash (thanks to YouTube)…

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New York Jets 26- Buffalo Bills 17

Bills quarterback Trent Edwards nearly threw for 300 yards, but those numbers are misleading because the only the Bills could move the ball was through the air. His fumble and pick did little to help the Bills create some sort of separation in the AFC East. The Jets relied on their defense for this win and entered into a three way tie for first place with the Bills and the Patriots.

Chicago Bears 27 – Detroit Lions 23

The Bears expected to walk away from this one with a laugher, but instead squeaked out a win with Rex Grossman coming in for the injured Kyle Orton. Let the annual Chicago quarterback controversy begin. The Lions put together a solid first half with a sudden hint of chemistry between a Lions quarterback this season and Calvin Johnson. This game was a scare for Chicago and Detroit walked away with a moral victory knowing it had started the annual question at quarterback.

Cincinnati Bengals 21 – Jacksonville Jaguars 19

The Bengals ended their misery this season with a victory and the graduation from just sad to still very sad, but approaching mediocre. The Jaguars could not take advantage of the porous run defense with their dual back attack and suffered the biggest embarrassment of the weekend. To add insult, Cedric Benson rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars defense.

Baltimore Ravens 37 – Cleveland Browns 27

In what I though would be an ugly game, the Ravens stayed with in striking distance of first place in the AFC North and the Browns recent run at recovery was cut short. Joe Flacco had his weekly highlight with a 47 touchdown pass to Mark Clayton and Derek Anderson did his best to justify the first year of his new contract. In the end the Ravens defense ended the game with a 42 yard touchdown return by Terrell Suggs.

Tennessee Titans 19 – Green Bay Packers 16 (OT)

The Titans moved to 8-0 after a hard fought victory by a Packers team trying to keep pace with the Bears. The Packers were able to move the ball against the vaunted Titans defense, but were not able to score more than one touchdown. The Titans continued to surprise with a 41 yard field goal in overtime by Rob Bironas to end the game and keep the streak alive.

Tampa Bay Bucs 30 – Kansas City Chiefs 27 (OT)

Yes, the Chiefs defense is awful. The worst in the NFL, but they have been able to breakout with Tyler Thigpen at quarterback to make the games more than just a joke. In fact, this week they nearly beat the Bucs. The Bucs are a good team that everyone expected to come out and simply handle Kansas City. Instead they had to tie the game on a quick touchdown drive with less than two minutes left in the fourth. In the end Matt Bryant won the game for Tampa with a 34 yard field goal.

Arizona Cardinals 34- St. Louis Rams 13

Few games tend to play out how the experts and the fans expect, but this one did. The Rams could not stop Kurt Warner as he spread the ball to eight receivers threw two touchdowns. The telling sign of the game was the use of Tim Hightower as the main back, signaling the end of Edgerrin James’ attempt to make a comeback in nicer weather.

Minnesota Vikings 29- Houston Texans 21

The Vikings ran over the Texans in a game that was much more a blowout than the score would suggest. The Texans scored two touchdowns in the second half with Sage Rosenfels, who replaced an injured Matt Schaub. Gus Frerotte looked good as the Vikings quarterback with three touchdown passes with just 18 passing attempts.

Miami Dolphins 26–Denver Broncos 17

The Dolphins have surprised everyone this season with a 4-4 record and the Broncos have disappointed everyone with a 4-4 record. The Dolphins were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the league, but trick plays and the play of Chad Pennington have kept them afloat and out of the race for worst place. The Broncos were supposed to breakout, but the running game has not been there and Jay Cutler has been the only weapon as his receivers have fought injuries. In this game the Dolphins simply managed the game better.

Atlanta Falcons 24- Oakland Raiders 0

The Falcons scored all their points in the first half and felt little pressure from a Raiders offense that only managed 77 yards. Meanwhile, Michael Turner ran for 139 yards and Matt Ryan passed for two touchdowns. There is nothing really more to say about this scrimmage.

New York Giants 35- Dallas Cowboys 14

The Cowboys woes continue as they dug deep into their depth chart and brought Brooks Bollinger out to start the second half. The Giants rolled with a running game to minimize turnovers. Eli Manning had his bit of magic with three touchdowns despite only connecting on 16 of 27 passes for 147 yards. He still fumbled the ball twice and threw a pick, but the toothless Dallas offense could not turn his miscues into scores.

Philadelphia Eagles 26- Seattle Seahawks 7

The Eagles won the game. They were supposed to do that, but they won despite a less than stellar performance from Brian Westbrook. Westbrook fought for respectability in the second half to finish with 20 carries for 61 yards and 6 receptions for 35 yards. Instead, Donovan McNabb spread the ball to 10 receivers for 349 yards. The Seahawks were playing catch up for the most of the game, but did open up the contest with a 90 yard bomb from Seneca Wallace to Koren Robinson.

Indianapolis Colts 18- New England Patriots 15

Last season this game would have been touted for the potential to break the 100 point total scoring mark. This season the Colts managed to find a little offense while Patriots kicker Stephen Gostowski worked out his leg. The game was exciting though. The Colts broke the 15-15 tie with 8:05 left it he fourth quarter before the defenses took over, or the offenses sputtered (depends on how you look at it).

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Can you imagine the horror on the faces of the NFL executives when they realized that their marquee Sunday Night match up during the middle of the season will be Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots. It looked great before Tom Brady went down and the Colts offense self destructed.

Instead the match up of the week is the Monday night game (the former weekly game of the week) between the Steelers and the Redskins. This will be the game to decide if the Redskins are for real in many peoples eyes (including mine). The Steelers look retro-tough. Roethlisberger looks like an old time quarterback (as in rugged and not sleek) and the team can weather injuries beyond compare in the league. Still I like the Steelers with Troy Polamalu knocking Jason Campbell, celebrating, and then sulking when he realizes a fine will be mailed to house the next week for making an NFL quarterback cry.

There are probably about $4,000,000 in hits in this highlight reel.

There is not a real battle for last place this week, but the ugliest game to watch this time around is going to be the Cleveland Browns-Baltimore Ravens game. Both teams have offenses that inspire much less than confidence. The fun and gun game should be the Arizona Cardinals – St. Louis Rams game. A pass happy Cardinals team will win, but a Rams offense that has a few weapons will find that the Cards D will give them the appearance of respectability.

Basically I expect to see a lot of this…

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Dallas Cowboys 13 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9

The Cowboys somehow managed to win the dullest game of the weekend. Very little offense for both sides, one turnover, and a penalty-filled afternoon ended in a surprise and exhausting Dallas victory


Washington Redskins 25 – Detroit Lions 17

The Lions surprised everybody by putting up a fight according to the score, but, in all reality, the Redskins controlled the game. They won the time of possession battle (35:45 to 24:150 and they won the total yards battle (439 to 274). Jason Campbell and Clinton Portis shined in this contest and once again brought a victory home of the Redskins.

Miami Dolphins 25 – Buffalo Bills 16

Fresh off a contract extension, Bills Head Coach Dick Jauron came away with a loss to the confounding Dolphins. Trent Edwards looked like he was feeling the delayed after effects from the concussion and Chad Pennington looked like the white knight. Miami scored the final 18 points to pull off the upset victory.

New England Patriots 23 – St. Louis Rams 16

The Patriots won another gimmee to inflate their record. Bulger showed some life of the Rams in the pocket, but a huge game from Patriots kicker Stephen Gostowski and a alopy performance by the St. Louis (nine penalties for 63 yards) ended their hopes of a second consecutive shocking victory.

New Orleans Saints 37 – San Diego Chargers 32

The Saints and Chargers brought American football to London in the hopeless attempt to establish the sport in Europe. It is too bad the NFL needlessly exported a high-octane game to Wembley Stadium. Drew Brees and Philip Rivers matched each other’s performance and LaDainian Tomlinson had 170 total yards in this exciting contest.

New York Jets 28 – Kansas City Chiefs 24

Brett Favre delivered the victory, but hardly looked like less of a chump to Jets fans after throwing three picks. The Chiefs were very much so in this game when they should never have been given a chance. Tyler Thigpen was the dominant number four (minus the victory) in the battle of quarterbacks. Why the Jets threw so much and avoided the run against the awful Chiefs front seven is beyond everybody’s comprehension.

 Philadelphia Eagles 27 – Atlanta Falcons 14

The Eagles kicked off the euphoric day for Philadelphia with a 27-14 win over the dangerous Falcons. They contained Michael Turner and made Matt Ryan try and beat them. Meanwhile McNabb had a so-so day (19/34 for 253 yards) and Brian Westbrook had over 200 yards of total offense (167 rushing and 42 passing) and two touchdowns. The win kept the Eagles in the NFC East contention.

Carolina Panthers 27 – Arizona Cardinals 23

The Cardinals proved that their passing offense is among the leagues best, but still could not come away with a win against the NFC South leading Panthers. Kurt Warner enjoyed having Anquan Boldin back, getting the ball to him twice in the end zone and Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston rounded out the deadly performance by the dangerous trio of receivers. The Panthers were able to play great run defense and let the Cardinals shoot themselves in the foot while putting on a offensive performance with a balanced attack for the win.

Baltimore Ravens 29 – Oakland Raiders 10

The Ravens ran unimpeded over the Raiders, gaining 192 yards on the ground, in this victory. The game was complete with a trick play that had backup quarterback Troy Smith find starting quarterback Joe Flacco with a 43 yard touchdown pass.

Houston Texans 35 – Cincinnati Bengals 6

The Texans beat the NFL Europe team known as the Bengals in a game that once again solidified Matt Schaub’s place as the starting quarterback. Schaub threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns, completing 24 of 28 passes. The entire Bengals offense seemed to come through Ryan Fitzpatrick who threw for 155 yards (but two picks) and nearly led the team in rushing with 42 yards.

Cleveland Browns 23 – Jacksonville Jaguars 17

The Browns won this past Sunday with big receptions and lots of luck. The Jaguars bobbled key passes and kick off returns to give the Browns every chance to walk away with a win. David Garrard did all he could, but his 283 yards passing, two touchdown passes, and 59 rushing yards were to avail.

New York Giants 21 – Pittsburgh Steelers 14

The Giants and the Steelers gave a throwback performance in a game with Pittsburgh in retro uniforms. The defenses dominated. The Giants picked off Roethlisberger four times and the Steelers managed to hold the Giants to 282 yards despite New York having the ball for nearly 35 minutes. This game came down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter when Eli Manning found Kevin Boss in the end zone with 3:07 on the clock for the final score of the game.

Seattle Seahawks 34 – San Francisco 49ers 13

Mike Singletary’s debut as the 49ers head coach did little to change the team’s performance. The 49ers made Seneca Wallace look like a starting NFL quarterback and gave the game away with two turnovers and seven penalties for 65 yards.

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This next week in the NFL the big game, without question, is the New York Giants versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. The match up will pit Eli Manning versus Ben Roethlisberger, The Giants D versus the Steelers D, and plenty of other storylines that will be played to death on the Sunday pre-game shows. It is early, but these are the two early favorites as the league and the sports nation finds it hard to swallow the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills.

A couple of the other games look interesting. The Arizona Cardinals are playing the Carolina Panthers in what I think could be the most under-rated game of the week. The Cardinals continue to be ignored by most of the nation and this game will not help (Carolina is far from the media capital of the world), but true football fans get to see two of the more pleasant surprises in action, trying to prove that the other is a farce. The game for last place is always interesting because it has the potential to turn into a circus quickly. This week that game is between the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. The teams are awful. The 49ers play no defense and the Seahawks barely play football. I am thinking an interception happy game as both quarterbacks try and air it out in this meaningless affair.

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And Now the Future Head Coach of the 49ers showing off his qualifications.

Buffalo Bills 23 – San Diego Chargers 14

The Bills are now the team to beat in the AFC East. They beat a Chargers squad that is facing serious questions after dropping to 3-4. Tomlinson is battling injuries and the Chargers defense really misses Merriman.

Chicago Bear 48 – Minnesota Vikings 41

Nobody had this game turning out like this. Gus Frerotte would have been a candidate for player of the week if did not throw four picks to go with his 298 yards. Peterson ran rampant, but the Bears managed to score in juts about everyway imaginable to escape with a win.

Pittsburgh Steelers 38 – Cincinnati Bengals 10

In a game that surprised no one, not even the most diehard Bengals fan, the Steelers dominated on the ground, through the air, and with penetration on defense. Roethlisberger appears to be at least close to last season’s form, albeit this game was against the Bengals.

Tennessee Titans 34 – Kansas City Chiefs 10

The Titans prefect record was never really in trouble in this game. They ran all over the Chiefs “defense” and the Chiefs “offense” included a carousal of three quarterbacks in a single game.

St. Louis Rams 34- Dallas Cowboys 14

This test against the Rams proved that the Cowboys really are in trouble. They not only lost to the Rams, they were decimated by the St. Louis. This is a cry for help. The Dallas “D” needs to collect itself after failing in a game in which they only needed to stop Stephen Jackson to really put up a respectable and victorious show.

Baltimore Ravens 27 – Miami Dolphins 13

The Ravens defense focused on the run and made the Dolphins actually put Chad Pennington behind the center in an attempt to beat them. Joe Flacco looked good picking up over 10 yards a pass and Willis McGahee had a strong game with 105 yards on 5.5 yards a carry.


New York Giants 29 – San Francisco 49ers 17
The New York Giants rebounded after an embarrassing loss in Week 6 with a solid effort against the 49ers. The loss sent Mike Nolan on his way, and opened the door for Mike Singletary to take on the coaching duties. The Giants looked good, but far from great in the effort.

Carolina Panthers 30 – New Orleans 7

In a game where many wondered what would happen when Brees took on the Panthers’ secondary, the Saints struggled and lost Reggie Bush for 2 to 4 weeks. The Panthers controlled the game with 143 yards rushing on 37 carries and timely passes.

Houston Texans 28 – Detroit Lions 21

The Texans won in the battle of last place. A balanced running attack by Steve Slaton and Ahman Green and another standout performance by Andre Johnson 9who continues to make Matt Schaub a great fantasy pick) controlled the time of possession for 40 minutes, leaving the Lions little chance.

Oakland Raiders 16 – New York Jets 13

Thomas Jones had a great game with 159 yards in a losing effort by the Jets. The Raiders won in overtime with the longest kick ever in the extra quarter (57 yards) by Sebastian Janikowski. Brett Favre looked pretty bad, throwing two picks and fumbling the ball three times (though her recovered two of those).

Green Bay Packers 34 – Indianapolis Colts 14

An offense determined to control the ball and two picks by Peyton Manning helped the Packers to its fourth victory and first place tie with the Chicago Bears in the NFC North. The Colts failed to reproduce the explosiveness they showed again against the Ravens. This season is turning out to be a dud for fans in Indianapolis.

Washington Redskins 14 – Cleveland Browns 11

Clinton Portis was spectacular with 175 yards on 27 carries in a game and Santana Moss had two incredible runs after catches in a game that was more exciting than one would expect from the score. The Redskins defense was dominant, allowing only 236 yards of offense by the Browns.

Tampa Bay 20 – Seattle Seahawks 10

Seneca Wallace needed to have a big game for the Seahawks to win this one, and 73 yards passing total is not a big game. The Bucs won the game, predictably, with defense, holding the Seahawks to 176 total yards. Jeff Garcia had a nice return with 310 passing yards and a touchdown while the running game struggled to even seem passable.

New England 41- Denver Broncos 7

The game started out badly for the Broncos and ended even worse. The team that is known for its offense could not muster a point until the fourth quarter. That was after the Patriots had scored 34 and Jay Cutler through two picks and injured his thumb on the helmet of the Patriots Richard Seymour. The Patriots passing game produced three touchdowns only 185 yards and the entire Patriots depth chart at running back had a fine day.

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This weekend’s slate of games has a long list of match ups that experts have deemed foregone conclusions. Everybody expects the Steelers to pummel the Bengals, everybody expects the Giants to destroy the 49ers, and everybody thinks the Bucs are going to decimate the Hasselbeck-less Seahawks.

The short list of games that split hairs include the Ravens-Dolphins, Panthers-Saints, and Colts-Packers. The Ravens have the advantage on defense and the Dolphins have the advantage on offense, but that’s if the Ronnie Brown direct snap thing keeps working. The Panthers have the advantage at two of the skill positions (running backs and wide receiver), but the Saints have Drew Brees at quarterback and he seems to make any receiver work for him. The Colts are coming off what they hope to return to their previous form and the Packers hope to return to the beginning of the same.

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Indianapolis Colts 31 – Baltimore Ravens 3

Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison woke up from a four game slump to light up a very good Ravens defense. The Colts defense woke up as well, stopping the run and pressuring rookie Joe Flacco into throwing three picks.

Minnesota Vikings 12 – Detroit Lions 10

A game that was supposed to feature an offensive by the Vikings was more about Minnesota’s defense than the Adrian Peterson and the offense. The ineptitude of the Vikes led to a raucous crowd to begin chanting “Fire Childress.”

New Orleans Saints 34 – Oakland Raiders 3

Drew Brees continues to burn teams despite having a less than stellar (and healthy) receiving core to throw to. The Raiders were easy prey as they tried to soldier through another disappointing season.

New York Jets 26 – Cincinnati 14

The Jets looked like they were playing with a hang over, but they still controlled the game leaving the Bengals winless after six painful weeks. Thomas Jones had a career day, scoring three times in a game for the first time.

Atlanta Falcons 22 – Chicago Bears 20

After three slow quarters the game came alive in the fourth quarter with each team making impressive drives toward the end, but the Falcons had the ball last and let Jason Elam make up for an earlier miss in the fourth with a 48 yarder.

Tampa Bay Bucs 27 – Carolina Panthers 3

Jeff Garcia made a strong statement to win the starting job back with a sold 15 of 20, 173 yards, 1 touchdown performance. The win ties them for the division lead with the Panthers.

St. Louis Rams 19 – Washington Redskins 17

The Redskins lose after four impressive consecutive wins that announced their arrival as a contender. The Rams give interim Head Coach Jim Haslett a victory in his first game that also ended St. Louis’s eight-game losing streak.

Houston Texans 29 – Miami Dolphins 28

The Texans and Dolphins tripped over themselves in an entertaining game that saw plenty of picks and fumbles. The game looked more like a neighborhood football game than an NFL affair.

Jacksonville Jaguars 24 – Denver Broncos 17

The Jaguars won a game with another strong running game, this time by Maurice Jones-Drew. The Broncos vaunted passing game only produced 192 yards and as Jay Cutler only completed 21 of 37 passes.

Philadelphia Eagles 40 – San Francisco 49ers 26

The shootout of the weekend took place in San Fran this week as neither team played very good defense. The 49ers actually won the battle of the clock, but with three turnovers to the Eagles one, the game was out of their control.

Green Bay Packers 27 – Seattle Seahawks 17

The Hasselbeck-less Seahawks sputtered on offense, only gaining 177 yards. Aaron Rodgers looked in control as the running game again was a disappointment. The Packers remain the in the middle of a muddled NFC North that could see anybody but the Lions advance.

Arizona Cardinals 30 – Dallas Cowboys 24 (OT)

The Arizona Cardinals are apparently for real. After years of being the Washington Generals to the Cowboys’ Harlem Globetrotters, the Cardinals won in overtime off a blocked punt return.

San Diego Chargers 30 – New England Patriots 10

The Chargers reasserted themselves after a shocking loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 5. Philip Rivers averages 11.3 yards a throw on route to his three touchdown night. The Patriots struggled against the first real opponents since Week 2.

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Week 6 in the NFL brings the season one step closer to separating the truly surprising teams from the teams that are just pretending to matter. The Chicago Bears and the Atlanta Falcons have surprised many an expert. The Bears and Falcons offenses were supposed to be stagnant. Instead Kyle Orton has led an entertaining passing attack as the season has worn on and Michael “The Burner” Turner has emerged from LaDainian Tomlinson’s shadow and become one of the most explosive runners in the league. The Falcons defense is as bad as advertised though, so the Falcons are likely just biding time before struggling under the leadership of rookie Matt Ryan.

Other interesting match ups include a potential fantasy football bonanza in Arizona as the explosive Cowboys take on the pass happy Cardinals. The San Diego Chargers and the New England Patriots is an interesting game because the Chargers have far from lived up to expectations and the Patriots have exceeded theirs. Of course the team has picked up three wins against struggling teams so the quality of the club is still in question. This week should be interesting again as this pleasant surprise of an NFL season continues.

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