So here it is!!! A view of the NFL for UK fans, wrote by UK fans. Here we will give you game previews, predictions and reports. We will give you news, as it happens from the NFL quicker than any other UK based outlet. Enjoy people, its GAME TIME!!!
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
Eagles 45 Giants 38
Your choice for 'Game of the Week' was the battle for the lead in the NFC East. This game was also 'Sunday Night Football', and what a game it turned out to be. The first quarter started with a bang as the Eagles jumped out to a 14 - 0 lead, thanks to an 8 yard TD from Brent Celek, and a fumble return of 60 yards from CB Sheldon Brown. The Giants ended the quarter with a huge 15 play drive, but eventually had to settle for a field goal. The 2nd quater began with Hakeem Nicks dropping a sure TD pass from Eli Manning, but a few plays later he broke away from a couple of Eagles defenders for a 68 yard TD. David Akers added a 20 yard FG, before DeSean Jackson had a 72 yard punt return for a TD. The Giants responded with an Ahmad Bradshaw 3 yard TD, then as the Eagles drove down to the 1 yard line, before Michael Vick went in from 1 yard. 30 - 17 Eagles at half time.
The 2nd half started with a Brandon Jacobs 2 yard run, before a 61 yard TD reception by Dominic Hixon. This gave the Giants a 31- 30 lead, as the Eagles had missed an extra point. The Eagles though came up with another big play, again from DeSean Jackson, who caught a 60 yard TD pass from McNabb. The Eagles ultimatley put the game out of reach when, at the end of a 12 play, 7 1/2 minute drive, FB Leonard Weaver went in from a yard out. The Giants did score another TD through TE Kevin Boss, but there was not enough time to complete the comeback.
As you can see this was a very high scoring, entertaining game. But does this show a weakness on each teams defences. If so, will these teams be able to cause any damage in the playoffs, (if they even get there). For the Eagles this is a massive step in the right direction as they now sit at the top of the NFC East, with a 9 - 4 record. They now have a 1 game lead over the Cowboys, and a 2 game lead on the Giants. A large thank you can be sent to WR DeSean Jackson for this win. He had 6 catches for 178 yards in the game and a TD, with a punt return TD also. He is proving hiself to be one of the most explosive players in the NFL, and he will be a handfull for any secondary come playoff time. The NFC East looks to be shaping up well for an exciting finish, keep watching people.
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Sunday, 13 December 2009
Week 14 Predictions
Saints, Ravens, Packers, Texans, Colts, Dolphins, Bills, Bengals, Patriots, Jets, Titans, Raiders, Chargers, Eagles to win.
Thursday, 10 December 2009
Thursday Night Football
‘Thursday night football’ this week comes live from the Dog pound as the 1 – 11 Browns host their divisional rival 6 – 6 Steelers. This game is absolutely vital for the Steelers playoff hopes. If they lose this, they can pretty much forget making the post season. The Browns have not been making the playoffs for a long time, so a prime time game, at home, against a divisional rival is as good as it gets for them. I’m sure that they will be relishing playing spoiler in this game. To be completely honest, I don’t think they have a chance.
A big talking point surrounding the Cleveland Browns is who will be the QB next year. Will it be Brady Quinn? Derek Anderson? Or will they use draft picks (which will obviously be high ones) to select somebody? I personally believe that Brady Quinn should be the future. The problem he has had this year is that he has a very poor surrounding cast, and the coaches are very conservative. I would like to see Quinn, with a decent receiver, and being allowed to air the ball out a bit. I think you would see a different player in this situation. Quinn may be able to throw the ball a bit easier than expected in this game as the Steelers are still without Polomalu. This, of course, makes this defence a lot less scary than normal. I think Quinn has an ok game, but as I said before, the supporting cast are not up to much. One interesting thing to look out for is kick returner on the Browns Josh Cribbs. He is one of the elite returners in the league, and may run riot against this poor Steelers coverage unit.
The Steelers will have Big Ben back at QB for this game. This obviously drastically improves the offence. Ironically, after criticising Big Bens toughness when he missed the Ravens game, WR Hines Ward looks to be out of this game. Wonder what Ben makes of this?? The loss of Ward would decrease the effectiveness of the Steelers passing game, but they should easily win this game on the ground. The Browns defence ranks 29th in rush defence. Also they have now lost nose tackle Shaun Rodgers, who was a beast in that defensive line. His loss undoubtedly increases the Steelers ability in the run game. Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall is getting 5 yards/carry this year and have 5 TD’s. I expect him to have a big game here.
Lee’s Prediction: Steelers 24 Browns 7
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Ravens 14 Packers 27
Monday Night Football came from Lambeau as the Packers and the Ravens did battle, with both teams needing the win to keep up their push for a Wild card spot. I said before the game that if the Ravens were to quieten the home crowd, they needed to get pressure on Rodgers, and get Ray Rice involved often. During the game they managed just 1 sack, and Rice had just 71 all purpose yards (which is poor by his standards). Not surprisingly then the Packers got the win, to consolidate their wild card position in the NFC. This though also completely opened the door to a lot of teams in the AFC.
The Packers came out firing in this game, and were leading 17 – 0 at half time. Jermichael Finlay and Donald Driver caught passes from Rodgers and Mason Crosby kicked a 28 yard FG to get these points. The Ravens came out fighting in the second half though, and by the end of the 3rd quarter the score was 17 – 14, behind TD’s from Kelley Washington (12 yard reception) and Willis McGahee (1 yard run). This comeback was ended in the 4th though as Jemichael Finley added his 2nd TD of the day, with a 19 yard reception and Mason Crosby added another 3 from his boot.
The main story from this game was how scrappy it was. The Ravens turned the ball over 4 times, the Packers 3 and both teams combined for 310 penalty yards. This was hardly an exhibition of efficient football, but at the end of the day, the Packers won’t mind. Who do you think will make the wildcard spots in the wide open AFC? See the playoff picture below, and let me know what you think
Colts 12 – 0
Chargers 9 – 3
Bengals 9 – 3
Patriots 7 – 5
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Broncos 8 – 4
Jaguars 7 – 5
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Ravens, Dolphins, Jets, Steelers 6 – 6
Titans, Texans 5 - 7
Cowboys 24 Giants 31
Your ‘Game of the Week’ was the NFC East clash between the Giants and the Cowboys in the ‘big apple’. This was a really big game for the hosting Giants; if they were to lose they would be 3 games off the pace in the division. I expected this to happen, but I under estimated the power of the December curse, that hangs above the Dallas Cowboys. I said before the game that the Cowboys needed to run the football effectively (as Denver did on Thanksgiving) to get the win. They managed just 45 yards on the ground, 36 from Marion Barber. Just to explain how much the Cowboys struggled on the ground, their longest run of the day came from Barber, for a pathetic 8 yards. The other major problem they had on the day was the kicking of Nick Folk. Folk was just 1 of 3 on the day – costing Dallas 6 points which would have made this game a lot closer. He has now missed 5 of his last 7 kicks, and must be worrying for his job.
To be fair to the Giants, even though Dallas seemed to press the self destruct button here, they played quite well. Their run game looked ten times better than it did against Denver, and obviously their run defence had to be better. Eli Manning had 241 yards, 2 TD’s and 1 INT. Ahmad Bradshaw was the best rusher on the Giants, going for 47 yards from just 7 carries. This is the kind of production the Giants need to keep the pressure of the injured Eli. Brandon Jacobs struggled again though, running for just 39 yards on 13 carries. Jacobs did though have 2 TD’s in the game, including a 74 yard receiving TD. Steve Smith again proved that he is Manning’s most dependable and most talented receiver – having 6 catches for 110 yards. Another TD came from Domenik Hixon’s 79 yard punt return. This again showed another glaring weakness in the Cowboys special teams play.
This result has blown the NFC East wide open once again. With the Eagles getting the victory as well at the weekend they join the Cowboys at 8 – 4, with the Giants just one game back at 7 – 5. This week the Eagles travel to the Giants on Sunday Night football. This should be a great game, and we will learn more about both teams playoff hopes here. The Cowboys are at home to the San Diego Chargers in another great matchup. This title race is going to be good. Who do you think will win the division?? Leave a comment and let me know.
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Monday, 7 December 2009
Monday Night Football
The 6 – 5 Ravens travel to Green Bay to take on the 7 – 4 Packers in this huge game on Monday Night Football. Both these teams are in and around the Wildcard spots in their respective conferences, and a win here, is vital for both. An interesting matchup here is between Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers, and the Baltimore defence. This defence has for years scared opponents to death, but has been down this year. Rodgers is undoubtedly one of the best QB’s in the league when he is protected properly. Green Bay struggled with this for much of the season, but over the last couple of weeks, they seem to of solved the problem. If this Baltimore defence cannot get pressure on Rodgers, look for him to slice and dice the secondary. The Ravens best offence option this year has been RB Ray Rice. Weather it is through the air, or on the ground, Rice has been very effective. It will be interesting to see how the Packers 3 – 4 defence decides to try and keep him quite. I believe that the Packers defence this year is actually better than the Ravens. Couple this with the fact that they can defiantly score quicker than the Ravens, and they are at home, I expect the Packers to win this one.
Lee’s Prediction: Ravens 14 Packers 24
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Sunday, 6 December 2009
Week 13 Preview
The 7 – 4 Eagles travel to the 6 – 5 Falcons. This is a huge game for the Falcons, as it looks like the Saints are running away with this division, and their only shot at making the playoffs is through a wildcard. It is also a very big game for the Eagles, as they need to keep tabs with the Cowboys in the NFC East. Matt Ryan will not start at QB for the Falcons. In his place will be Chris Redman, who stepped in during the last game, and performed pretty well. DeSean Jackson will be out of the game for the Eagles. This will mean a lot of work will fall onto Jeremy Maclin. This will be where the Eagles can win the game. The Falcons are ranked 27th in the NFL against the pass. Against this pass offence, which even without Jackson is very explosive, they could be torched. The Falcons run game will also not be as effective as usual. Both Michael Turner and Jeriuos Norwood have injuries, and even if they do play, they will not be as good as usual. I believe the Eagles get the win, and the NFC East gets more interesting.
Lee’s Prediction: Eagles 28 Falcons 24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Carolina Panthers
This NFC South clash is between the 4 – 7 Panthers, and the 1 – 10 Buccaneers. This game will not have any impact on the playoffs what so ever, all that is at stake is divisional pride. The Panthers will have QB Matt Moore under centre, as Jake Delhomme is out with a broken finger. I don’t think that this will have any impact at all on the outcome of this game. Tampa has the 30th ranked defence against the run, and with Williams and Stewart, the 4th ranked rush offence should be able to run all over them. Also the main reason that Tampa have been better in recent weeks has been the play of rookie QB Josh Freeman. He may struggle in this game though against a very good Panthers secondary. This should be a straight forward win for the Panthers, but its all to little to late, as far as their playoff hopes go.
Lee’s Prediction: Buccaneers 10 Panthers 24
St. Louis Rams @ Chicago Bears
The 1 – 10 Rams travel to Chicago, to take on the 4 – 7 Bears. This is another game that will have no impact on the playoff picture. This is been a hugely disappointing season for the Bears. With the offseason trade to get QB Jay Cutler, they were expected to make a push for the playoffs. Things did not pan out well though, and Cutler has thrown 20 INT’s so far this year. A lot of this can be attributed to the lack of genuine WR talent on the Bears, but obviously, a lot of it is bad decision making. This game, at home where Cutler and the Bears have been better, could be a statement game, against a very poor Rams defence. They will need Cutler to step up, as their running game is the worst in the NFL. The Rams have no such struggles in that category. Steven Jackson is a beast in their backfield, and he will keep this game close. If the Rams pass game can get going, I think we may see an upset here.
Lee’s Prediction: Rams 17 Bears 13
Detroit Lions @ Cincinnati Bengals
The 8 – 3 Bengals host the 2 – 9 Lions. The Bengals certainly have their destiny in their own hands in the AFC North. They lead the division by 2 games and a win here would further cement their position. What they need to avoid though, is their tendency to play poorly against poor teams. In their last 2 games they lost to Oakland (who are a bad team) and they struggled to overcome the Browns (who are also very bad). Cedrick Benson will return for the Bengals, and with him, Larry Johnson and Bernard Scott, this rush offence looks in very good shape. Also expect the passing game to be very effective against the worst pass defence in the league. I think the Bengals will stop their tendency, and get the win against a poor Detroit team.
Lee’s Prediction: Lions 3 Bengals 28
Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts
This is a huge AFC South matchup between the 5 – 6 Titans and the undefeated 11 – 0 Colts. The Titans have won their last 5 games after starting 0 – 6. They are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now, and need this win against the rival Colts to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Colts, even though still undefeated, have come close to losing on quite a few occasions. The reason they haven’t lost has been mainly down to the play of Peyton Manning. I believe thought that the fact that the Colts have clinched the AFC South title, they will not be as fired up for this game as the desperate Titans. The Colts defence has played very well in the last few weeks. They have yet to come up against anyone as explosive as Chris Johnson though. He and the very good play of QB Vince Young should provide a very good test. I think the hunger that the Titans have for this game, sees them overcome Manning, and hand the Colts their first loss.
Lee’s Prediction: Titans 24 Colts 17
Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
The 5 – 6 Texans and the 6 – 5 Jaguars meet in Florida in this AFC South clash. This is make or break for both teams. The loser of this game will be out of the playoff race. To be completely honest, if the Texans win this game, they both may be out of the playoffs. The Jags will obviously try to run the ball in this game. MJD should have a good game against a pretty average Texans rush defence. The Texans will obviously try to ait the ball out. The Jags have got a pretty good pass defence, so this could be a battle wills. The difference in this game will be which team can get the weaker part of their offence going. I think the Jags have the better chance of doing this. David Garrard and the Jags WR’s can get it going at times, and I believe that at home in this game they will. A win here will keep the Jags in the hunt, and end the Texans push for another year.
Lee’s Prediction: Texans 14 Jaguars 21
Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs
The 7 – 4 Broncos travel to Kansas to play the 3 – 8 Chiefs in this AFC West clash. The Broncos desperately need this win to try and keep up with the Chargers. The Chiefs don’t have any chance of making the playoffs, but they will love to play spoiler. The Broncos got off the slide in their last game against the Giants. They looked very good against the Giants, and if they play anywhere near to this level here, they will blow the Chiefs away. The Chiefs have looked a lot better offensively recently. Matt Cassel has linked up very well will WR Chris Chambers, and Jamaal Charles has ran the ball well. This will not be the case against this fired up defence though. The Broncos get the win, and keep this race with the Chargers very interesting.
Lee’s Prediction: Broncos 17 Chiefs 7
New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins
This AFC East clash is between the 7 – 4 Patriots, and the 5 – 6 Dolphins. If the Dolphins had have got the win against the Bills last week, this game would have been for the divisional lead. Because they failed to get that win, this game is now do or die for the Dolphins. The Patriots were of course embarrassed by the Saints on Monday night football this week, and will undoubtedly be looking to prove a point here. The worry for the Dolphins in this game is the play of Brady and co in the passing game. The Dolphins have a very young secondary, and have struggled at times. The Dolphins can only win this game if the secondary plays better than it has done all year. Dolphins RB Ricky Williams has played very well since the injury to Ronnie Brown. He will be the Dolphins best shot at staying with the Patriots in this game, and keeping Brady on the sidelines. The Patriots defence against the run is not great, but is pretty reasonable. I believe the Pats score a lot more points than they allow in this one, and end Miami’s playoff hopes (Sadly!!)
Lee’s Prediction: Patriots 31 Dolphins 21
Oakland Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers
The 3 – 8 Raiders travel to Pittsburgh to take on the 6 – 5 Steelers. This is a huge game for the Steelers after last weeks loss in Baltimore. They can ill afford to take another loss here, but to be completely honest, I don’t think they will. Big Ben should be back for the Steelers which is a big bonus. Dennis Dixon played well last week, but there is no doubt, big Ben is definitely an improvement. Another key component to this game is Rashard Mendenhall. The Raiders are very poor against the run, so expect a big day for Mendenhall. Troy Polomalu is still out for the Steelers on the defensive side of the ball. But this poor Raiders team are unlikely to trouble them anyway. The Steelers should get this very important win here, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait till its Steelers – Ravens in week 16.
Lee’s Prediction: Raiders 7 Steelers 21
New Orleans Saints @ Washington Redskins
The undefeated Saints, coming off an amazing Monday night victory over the Patriots, travel to Washington to take on the 3 – 8 Redskins. I’ve heard from quite a few people how this game is going to be a trap game for the Saints, on a short week, against a good defence. The problem for the Redskins is they don’t put up enough points offensively to trouble the Saints in this one. Even if the Redskins D, which is ranked 2nd against the pass, manages to slow Brees and co down, they will struggle against a decent Saints defence. They will also be without RB Clinton Portis, who is still out with a concussion. In my eyes, the Redskins will play well in this game, but they won’t stop the Saints from marching on.
Lee’s Prediction: Saints 28 Redskins 14
San Diego Chargers @ Cleveland Browns
The 8 – 3 Chargers travel east, to take on the 1 – 10 Browns. This could be one of the ugliest games of the day. The Browns are awful, the Chargers are very good. Infact I believe that the Chargers are probably the 4th best team in the NFL at the moment. People always make a big deal about teams from the west travelling east, but in this game, really?? One thing that will favour the Browns is the weather. The Chargers are going to be leaving behind sunny California, and snow is expected in Cleveland. But even this will not help the Browns enough. I believe that LT, now back to form, will be able to pound the ball against this 29th ranked defence, and if its even needed, Rivers and co will torch this defensive secondary. There is only one winner here.
Lee’s Prediction: Chargers 31 Browns 7
Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants
This is a HUGE NFC East match as the 8 – 3 Cowboys and the 6 – 5 Giants collide in the big apple. The Giants have to get the win here if they are to keep their divisional title hopes alive. Both teams have had long weeks to prepare for this game as both haven’t played since Thanksgiving. The Giants though had a lot different of a Thanksgiving compared to Dallas, as they were dismantled by the Broncos. They will need to bounce back against a Dallas team that on its day can be as good as anyone. The Cowboys though are renowned for playing very poor in December. Also it is sure to be very cold in the Meadowlands, completely different to what they are used to in Texas. The Broncos managed to run all over the Giants on Thanksgiving, and I believe this has to be the approach the Cowboys have to have. The Cowboys have very talented RB’s, and I believe they have a big day here. Giants QB Eli Manning has struggled this year with a foot injury, and has struggled to move around in the pocket. I believe the Cowboys will get pressure on Manning, and force mistakes. I think the Cowboys break the December curse here.
Lee’s Prediction: Cowboys 21 Giants 17
San Francisco 49’ers @ Seattle Seahawks
The 5 – 6 49’ers travel to Seattle to take on the 4 – 7 Seahawks in this NFC West matchup. Both teams have to win this game to have any chance of making the playoffs. The 49’ers have been very poor on the road this year, and Seattle is a notoriously difficult place to play. The best offensive option on the Seahawks this year has surprisingly been Justin Forsett and the run game. This though will be a struggle against a very solid run defence, including Patrick Willis. I believe the 49’ers will have enough to overcome this injury depleted Seahawks team, and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Lee’s Prediction: 49’ers 17 Seahawks 7
Minnesota Vikings @ Arizona Cardinals
The 10 – 1 Vikings travel to the dessert to take on the 7 – 4 Cardinals. With both teams leading their respective divisions in the NFC, this looks to be a very good game, and maybe a playoff dressed rehearsal. I think that both teams are very capable of putting up a lot of points with their very prolific offences. The Vikings are capable of scoring in lots of different ways. Brett Farve is having a Pro bowl type year, and there is no doubt that Adrian Peterson is always very dangerous. The Cardinals have had an improving run game this year. Tim Hightower and Chris ‘ Beenie’ Wells have had good years, and keep getting better and better. There is no doubt that the strength over the Cardinals offence is their passing game. QB Kurt Warner may be out of this game, with a concussion related injury. If this is the case, I believe that Leinart may struggle to lead the Cardinals to keep up with the free scoring Vikings. To be honest, I think the Cardinals may struggle to keep up, even with Warner in the game. I think the Vikings get the win, and keep up the pressure on the Saints, for the number 1 seed in the NFC.
Lee’s Prediction: Vikings 31 Cardinals 24
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Saturday, 5 December 2009
Jets 19 Bills 13
This game went pretty much to plan. The Jets got the win to improve to 6 – 6, and just about keep alive their slim playoff hopes. Mark Sanchez had 104 yards and a TD before leaving the game with a knee injury. As expected though it was not the Jets passing game that won them this game. Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene had huge games on the ground. Jones had 109 yards and Greene had 59 yards. Their TD did come in the passing game though as Sanchez found Braylon Edwards, who showed an amazing amount of determination and balance to leap forward, and break the plain. This was a bright spot in a frustrating pass game for the Jets. What just about summed up the Jets passing performance was in the 1st quarter. The Bills completely lost track of Braylon Edwards as he ran a streak down the field, Sanchez put the ball right on him, literally. The long bomb came down, hit Edwards in the facemask, and bounced to the floor. This lack of a passing game was the reason behind the Jets having to settle for 4 FG’s. This poor offensive efficiency will stop the Jets from making a playoff run. Another reason that they won this game was the performance of the defence. The Jets D allowed just 194 yards total to the Bills. A major reason why was the performance of Darrelle Revis. He followed TO all over the field and, as expected, shut him down. TO had just 3 catches for 31 yards ( 1 for 15 when Revis was not on him) This was another great performance by the best Corner Back in the league. Important win for the Jets, but I think it is too little too late.
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Thursday, 3 December 2009
Thursday Night Football
The Thursday night football this week is a AFC East clash between the 5 – 6 Jets and the 4 – 7 Bills in Toronto. If the Jets are to keep hold of any playoff hopes they must win here. The Bills, coming off a win against division rival Dolphins, will look to play spoiler again here. If the Bills are to win, they will need to get pressure onto Mark Sanchez, as we know this rookie can be prone to mistakes. This may be lethal here against the opportunistic Bills secondary, that rank 7th in the NFL against the pass. I think that the Jets will try to establish the run, against this last ranked Bills rush defence. This should be a good strategy, as Jones and Greene should get this 2nd ranked rush attack on top. If they get this rush game going, they may be able to use Sanchez in play action situations. If the Bills are to score enough points they will need Ryan Fitzpatrick to find TO. This seems to be a trend since Fitzpatrick took over at QB, as Owens’s numbers have increased dramatically. TO will defiantly have his hands full though, as I imagine Darrelle Revis (the best corner in the game in my opinion) will be tracking him all over the field. I believe that the Bills are improving under Perry Fewell, but they will not have enough to see off the Jets here.
Lee’s Prediction: Jets 21 Bills 10
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Week 12 Review
The Falcons needed to win this game to guarantee that the NFC wouldn’t be clinched by the Saints this week. The chances of this happening were dealt a severe blow in the 1st quarter as Falcons QB Matt Ryan had to leave the game with a turf toe injury. Early suggestions are that he will also miss next week’s game against the Eagles. The good news for the Saints was though that Ryan’s backup Chris Redman came into the game, and did ok. He had 243 yards and 2 TD’s with 0 INT’s. Michael Turner did start the game; he had 12 carries for just 33 yards, before leaving the game in the 3rd quarter. For long periods in this game it looked like the Buccs were going to pull off an improbable win. QB Josh Freeman had 250 yards and 2 TD’s as the Buccs held a 17 – 13 lead until the last 30 seconds, where Redman found Roddy White for a 5 yard TD, to give the Falcons the win. This was hard luck for the Buccs as their defence looked a lot better, and they probably deserved the win. They are defiantly looking better, but the Falcons keep the NFC South open for another week.
Dolphins 14 Bills 31
This was quite an embarrassing game for all dolphans, including me. I don’t mind this team losing games, they’ve lost plenty this year, but I can’t stand when a team quits late in the game, and allows the opposition to pile up the points against them. The Dolphins lead this game for long periods, and it was actually 14 – 14 until the Bills scored a FG with just 3 minutes left in the game. This was when the Phins fell apart. Henne was intercepted, he had 3 on the day, and on the very next play Fitzpatrick found TO for a 51 yard TD to make it 24 – 14 with just 2.23 left. The scoring wasn’t finished though as Fred Jackson went in from 7 yards to complete the humiliation. Don’t get me wrong, the Bills played well in this game. They played very well on defence and forced 4 INT’s, and the offence looked better than usual under new coach Perry Fewell. The Bills obviously aren’t going to make the playoffs, but now at 5 – 6, with a very difficult schedule coming up, the Dolphins might be struggling to.
Redskins 24 Eagles 27
This game ended up being a lot closer than expected. The game was very close the whole way through, and was only won in the 4th quarter, when David Akers kicked a 32 yard FG to make it 27 – 24. The Eagles looked flat in this game, and struggled to get anything going on offence. WR Desean Jackson had to leave the game and they are without Brian Westbrook of course. But in the end RB Lesean McCoy got going and had 76 yards. This running gave the Eagles a bit more offensive balance, and made the play action pass very dangerous. They managed to get a few big plays off of play action, and this allowed them to get past the much improved Redskins. The Eagles now will have a great tussle with the Cowboys and the Giants in the race for the playoffs. The Redskins aren’t going to threaten this race, but they are defiantly looking better, and with the solid defence, if they make the right choices in free agency and the draft, could have a lot better year next season.
Seahawks 27 Rams 17
This game ended up with the result that was expected, but it didn’t get there the expected way. I was expecting Matt Hasselbeck to pass the Seahawks to victory; he only had 102 yards and 0 TD’s. Justin Forsett came up big in this game as he ran for 130 yards and 2 TD’s. Forsett has been playing really well in place of the injured Julius Jones, and it should be an interesting decision on who starts when Jones returns. Steven Jackson had 89 yards and 1 TD for the Rams, and QB Kyle Boller threw for 282 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT’s. The performance of the Seahawks defence was the difference. They were aggressive throughout the game, and managed to sack Boller 4 times as well as the 2 INT’s. This was a good win for the injury hit Seahawks, but neither of these teams will be looking foreward to an extended season.
Panthers 6 Jets 17
So the match up of the 2 shaky QB’s turned out in favour of the Jets Mark Sanchez. Panthers QB Jake Delhomme threw for 130 yards, 0 TD’s and 4 INT’s. Sanchez had 154 yard, 0 TD’s and 1 INT’s. But the Jets managed to capitalise on Delhomme’s mistakes, as the Panthers failed to capitalise on Sanchez’s. Also, a huge advantage for the Jets is the performance of CB Darrelle Revis. Revis has had big games against some of the best receivers in the game this year, and had another one here. He followed Panthers deep ball threat Steve Smith around and completely shut him down. So much so that Smith had just 1 catch for 5 yards. The Jets also managed to hold the two headed rush monster of Williams and Stewart to just 75 yards between them. This was a big win for the Jets, who will now feel they still have an outside shot at the playoffs. The Panthers on the other hand, now at 4 – 7, are now not going to make any sort of playoff run.
Browns 7 Bengals 16
This was the last game that the Bengals had to win in order to sweep their division. Cedrick Benson was unable to play in the game due to injury, so up step Larry Johnson. He and Bernard Scott had 107 and 87 yards respectively. The Bengals struggled in the pass game, but they had way to much here for the useless Browns. Their best attacking option is still in the form of kick returner Josh Cribbs. QB Brady Quinn still struggles for the Browns, and the organisation may decide to look for another option in the draft. The Bengals will now walk into the playoffs from this division, and will battle for a Wildcard bye. Performances like this, in games like this are what was always lacking for the Bengals. They always seemed to let down against ‘so called’ weaker opposition. Now they are handling this kind of opponent, so, we look forward to the playoffs.
Colts 35 Texans 27
So here it was another chance for the Texans to prove to everyone that they are up to taking down the Colts, and keeping their playoff hopes alive. Also this was a perfect chance for revenge. At the midway point in the 2nd quarter it did look like the Texans were going to pull this off, as they led 17 – 0. The score at the half was 20 – 7, but in the 2nd half, the Colts did what they do best. Reggie Wayne has a 4 yard TD reception to cut the lead in the 4th, before they scored a total of 21 points in the 4th. Manning had another big game (surprise, surprise), throwing for 244 yards, 3 TD’s and 2 INT’s. Schaub also had a good game for the Texans – 284 yards, 2 TD’s, 2 INT’s. The big story again though was the performance of the Colts defence. They sacked Schaub twice, had 2 INT’s and forced a fumble. Clint Session’s INT in the 4th wrapped up the game, and this improving unit will definitely help this Colts team go deep into the playoffs. The Texans though can forget the playoffs for another year.
Chiefs 14 Chargers 43
Well, I thought that the Chargers would win this game, but I wasn’t expecting a margin like this again. The Chargers walked all over the Chiefs for the 2nd time this year. Phillip Rivers threw for 317 yards and 2 TD’s, L.T rushed for just 39 yards but had 2 TD’s and Antonio Gates had a huge 118 yards and 2 TD’s. For the Chiefs Jamaal Charles had 93 yards and a TD, and against his former team Chris Chambers had 70 yards and a TD. The Chiefs obviously aren’t going to be playing in January, but they do look better with the addition of Chambers and Charles. The Chargers just seem to get better and better, and are now on a 6 game win streak, look for them to battle the Bengals for the number 2 seed in the AFC.
Jaguars 3 49’ers 20
This game was ugly for the Jaguars. MJD was held to 75 yards, and he is usually their offence. They also struggled in the end zone, as they went 0 – 4 in that area of the field. Also QB Garrard had 2 fumbles in the red zone. Frank Gore struggled to get the 49’ers ground game going, as expected, but QB Alex Smith and his receivers did their jobs to get a vital win. Smith threw for 232 yards and 2 TD’s, as he spread the ball around. Davis, Crabtree and Walker all had over 50 yards, with Morgan having 43. This was exactly what was required for the 49’ers. This win keeps them in with a long shot of a wildcard spot. The Jags still have a decent chance of a wild card spot in the AFC, but they cannot afford many more performances like that.
Bears 10 Vikings 36
This game went exactly as expected. The Vikings had way too much for the sorry Bears, who can now forget any lingering playoff hopes. Jay Cutler had another 2 INT’s (also 147 yards and a TD), and Forte was limited to just 27 yards rushing. This was hardly going to worry the free scoring Vikings. The Bears loaded the box in order to try and slow down Adrian Peterson – but he still had 85 yards and a TD. This tactic though only played into Farve’s hands. The wily veteran threw for 392 yards and 3 TD’s. He is having an unbelievable season for the Vikes, and in my opinion should go to the Pro Bowl. He found the open man at all times in this game with Harvin having 101 yards and a TD, Rice 89 yards, Berrian 74 yards and Shiancoe and Taylor 51 yards and a TD each. This distribution, along with the threat of the run game makes the Vikings a very big player in the post season. I don’t know about you, but a Vikings – Saints NFC Championship game sounds very interesting.
Cardinals 17 Titans 20
This game turned out to be one of the best games of the day and VY keeps on proving people wrong. I thought this would be the week the Titans run would end, and with a couple of minutes left in the game, and the Cardinals 17 – 13 up, I thought I was going to be right. VY came onto the field with the ball at the Titans 1 yard line, and led the Titans on one of the best drives I’ve seen. On the drive he completed 10 passes for 94 yards, and ran for another 5 yards. He converted in 3 different 4th down situations and found Kenny Britt with a 10 yard TD pass as time expired. This was an amazing win for the Titans, and I am now starting to believe that they still have a legitimate chance of making the playoffs. Kurt Warner did not play in this game for the Cardinals, in his absence, Matt Leinart threw for 220 yards, 0 TD’s 0 INT’s. Tim Hightower had 55 yards on the ground. I think once the Cardinals get Warner back they will be ok, and to be fair they don’t have much to worry about in the NFC West.
Steelers 17 Ravens 20
The Steelers had to play this Sunday night game without QB Big Ben. Ben was out with a concussion. This was a worry for the Steelers as 3rd string QB Dennis Dixon had to start, due to a broken wrist on Batch. Dixon though did not lose this game for the Steelers. In fact he had a decent game, throwing for 145 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. That 1 INT though in overtime did turn out to be the difference in the game. Dixon just seemed a bit nervous and rattled in the extra period, and made the fatal mistake. Mendenhall had the game he needed to have for the Steelers, rushing for 95 yards. The Steelers defence also played well considering they didn’t have Troy Polomalu. Even though Flacco managed to throw for 289 yards and a TD, the unit defiantly had him rattled. They managed to sack him 5 times and forced 3 fumbles. Ray Rice had another huge game for the Ravens, rushing for 88 yards, and 67 yards receiving. This was a very close divisional battle that went to the wire. These teams will now be battling for 2nd place in this division behind the Bengals and will have to hope thats good enough for a playoff spot. With both teams at 6 – 5 I can’t wait till week 16, when they meet again in Pittsburgh.
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Tuesday, 1 December 2009
Patriots 17 Saints 38
So your ‘Game of the week’ and probably the biggest game of the season went down in New Orleans last night, and the home team came out on top, and proved to all doubters that they are for real. Drew Brees had 371 yards, 5 TD’s and 0 INT’s, which completely out performed Tom Brady who had 237 yards, 0 TD’s and 2 INT’s. The talk before the game was about the Saints secondary, and how they would not be able to cope with Brady and co, I think they passed that test. I mentioned in my preview of this game that the Patriots have a good pass defence – didn’t work out to well did it. This was a complete domination of a Patriots team that, before this game, hadn’t lost to a NFC team in the regular season since 2005.
On the first drive of the game the Saints got a FG, before the Pats drove down the field behind great running from Laurence Maroney, before he punched it in on a 4th and 1 from the 4 yard line. The Pats got the ball back before the end of the quarter, but Brady threw a INT to newly signed CB Mike McKenzie. The Saints made the most of this turnover and Brees threw a screen pass to RB Pierre Thomas at the 18 yard line. Thomas bounced off 3 Patriots defenders and fell into the end zone, 10 – 7 Saints. This proved to be the turning point of the game. The Saints got the ball back, and on a 1st and 10 from their own 25 yard line, Brees found a wide open Devery Henderson, who ran in, unchallenged for a 75 yard TD. The rout was on as Brees found WR Robert Meacham for a 38 yard TD before half time, 24 – 7 Saints.
The second half started, and on the very first play of the half, the Saints almost put the game away. Maroney fumbled the ball, it was recovered by the Saints, but as Sedrick Ellis took the ball inside the Pats 20, before he fumbled and the Pats recovered. The Pats took full advantage of this slice of luck and following a big pass play to Randy Moss, Maroney ran in from 2 yards for his 2nd TD of the day. Game on?? No. Brees got the ball back and on the very first play from scrimmage, he found Marcus Coulston, who shook off the Pats secondary for a gain of 69 yards, down to the 6 yard line. Brees then found Darnell Dinkins from the 2 yard line, for his first ever catch for the Saints. 31 – 17 and nice breathing room again for the Saints. The scoring calmed down slightly until midway through the 4th, when Brees threw his 5th TD pass of the day to Marcus Coulston, for a 20 yard TD.
This was a hugely impressive performance from the undefeated Saints. They look very good on both sides of the ball, and are now, in my opinion, the best team in football. The talk this year has been about the depth in the AFC, with the Colts, the Bengals, the Patriots, the Chargers, the Steelers, the Broncos etc, but I believe that the NFC has 2 elite teams. The Saints and the Vikings may be the clear favourites in the NFC, but I believe they may well beat any of the AFC teams. The playoffs look to be shaping up very nicely.
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Monday, 30 November 2009
Monday Night Football / Game of the Week
The 7 – 3 Patriots travel to New Orleans to take on the defeated Saints at 10 – 0. This is the biggest game of the season so far. The Saints will be looking to stay undefeated, and keep in the hunt for the perfect season. The Patriots, who went 16 – 0 in ’07, will be looking to end the Saints chances to repeat their feat. The story of the game has to be the matchup of QB’s Drew Brees and Tom Brady. These are 2 of the top 3 QB’s in the league in my opinion, and both will be looking to prove they are better than the other. The offences on both teams are very explosive, to say the least. There is no doubt that both of these units can put points on the board, and at speed. Many people believe that the winner of this game will be determined by the play of their defence. Without doubt the better defence belongs to the Patriots. They are ranked 2nd in the points against category, and 6th in both yards and pass yards. They will be pleased with that stat, against this Saints pass first team. The problem against the Saints though is they can score through so many avenues. They have actually had 18 players score a TD this year. I can’t wait for this game, it’s going to be great, shame that our TV can’t sort anything out in order to show the game.
Lee’s Prediction: Patriots 28 Saints 35
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Week 12 Preview
The 5 – 5 Falcons travel to Florida to take on the 1 – 9 Buccs. If the Falcons fail to win this game, the Saints will be able to clinch the division on Monday night with a win over the Patriots. Therefore this is a huge game for the Falcons, not only to keep the division alive, but to keep them alive in the race for the wild card spot. Michael Turner is still not a defiant return for the Falcons, but the performance of Jason Snelling in the last game proved it’s not too much of a loss. Snelling, although no Michael Turner, ran for 76 yards against the Giants last week, and he should have a big day here against the last ranked defence against the run. If the Buccs are to stick with the Falcons in this game they will need to try and force QB Matt Ryan into mistakes. Ryan has made quite a few mistakes lately, and the Buccs have Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib in the secondary, who could take advantage of any loose throws. Also they would need a mistake free game from their rookie QB Josh Freeman. I don’t think the Buccs have enough and I believe the NFC South isn’t tied up this week.
Lee’s Prediction: Buccaneers 7 Falcons 21
Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills
The 3 – 7 Bills host the 5 -5 Dolphins in this AFC East clash. The Dolphins are deifying all of their major injuries and their bad start to hang around, and keep the Patriots interested in the AFC East. The loss of RB Ronnie Brown was seen by many as the end of their chances as he is a major part of their offence. But up step Ricky Williams, who last week ran for 119 yars and 2 TD’s and also had 19 yards receiving and a TD. He should be in for a big day here again against the 31st ranked defence against the run. The Bills are though quite good against the pass (9th ranked) and their secondary is very good at creating turnovers. They will need to prove this against the young 1st year starting Miami QB Chad Henne. Henne has though only thrown 4 INT’s this year; he has played mistake free football for a youngster. The Bills will be looking for another big day from WR TO. TO was bought in this year to give the Bills the explosive, downfield plays, which he has not done until last week. Last week TO had 9 catches for 197 yards and a TD. He will look to repeat this against the 2 rookie CB’s on Miami. To do this though, the Bills will have to keep Joey Porter, Jason Taylor and co away from Ryan Fitzpatrick. I believe this is where Miami win the game.
Lee’s Prediction: Bills 10 Dolphins 21
Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles
The 6 – 4 Eagles and the 3 – 7 Redskins meet in the City of Brotherly love for this NFC East matchup. The NFC East is going to be a really close race on the run in between the Eagles, Giants and Cowboys. With the Cowboys winning on Thurs, but the Giants losing, this is a huge game for the Eagles. The Redskins sadly will not be troubling anybody in this race, although I’m sure they will enjoy playing spoiler. The problem the Redskins have had this year has been offence. They are poorly ranked in all offensive categories, which is a shame, as they have one of the best defences in the league. They are actually ranked first in the NFL against the pass. The worry they have in this game is that they have not only lost number 1 RB Clinton Portis, but also his replacement Ladell Betts. I believe this will make them one dimensional as they will struggle to get the run game going. Philly will then be able to shut down the pass. Philly may struggle to put up points against this defence, but I believe that the big play ability of Jackson, Maclin and co, will get them enough
Lee’s Prediction: Redskins 7 Eagles 17
Seattle Seahawks @ St Louis Rams
The 3 – 7 Seahawks take on the 1 – 9 Rams in this NFC West clash. This game will have no bearing on the playoff picture what so ever, it is just for divisional pride. In week 1 of the year the Seahawks beat the Rams 28 – 0, but since then they have been decimated with injuries. The offences in this game will be polar opposites of each other. The Rams will rely heavily on RB Steven Jackson. Although Jackson is a beast, he may struggle against a fairly decent run defence that will without doubt load the box against him. The Seahawks on the other hand will pass, pass and pass again. The Rams aren’t great in any defensive category, and I believe Matt Hasselbeck and co will slice the through the air.
Lee’s Prediction: Seahawks 21 Rams 14
Carolina Panthers @ New York Jets
The 4 – 6 Panthers travel north to take on the 4 – 6 Jets. This is going to be a game between very similar teams. Both the Panthers and the Jets have shaky QB’s, good run games and decent defences. So which team will come out on top, and keep their slim playoff hopes alive? I believe that if the Jets stick to their solid run game at home, don’t ask the rookie QB to do to much and keep turnovers to a minimum, they will win. For the Panthers to win, they need to force Sanchez to throw the ball, and in this situation, their 4th ranked pass defence will have a field day. Also they will need to get Steve Smith involved. But, at home, I take the Jets.
Lee’s Prediction: Panthers 14 Jets 17
Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals
The 1 – 9 Browns are the last obstacle in front of the 7 – 3 Bengals, to complete a sweep of the AFC North. The Browns have proven to me over and over that they are probably the worst team in football. Their defeat to the Lions last week just compounded this thought in my mind. They were up big in that game, and still managed to lose. The Bengals really let down last week against the lowly Raiders. I don’t believe that this will happen again here though, against a divisional rival, with last week looming over them, I believe they take the Browns apart, and confirm themselves as the cream of the AFC North crop.
Lee’s Prediction: Browns 3 Bengals 28
Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans
When this game took place just a couple of weeks ago, all the talk was about how the Texans were going to overthrow the Colts, and take control of the AFC South. That didn’t happen as kicker Kris Brown missed a FG for the Texans as time expired to give the Colts a 20 – 17 win. The Colts since then have continued to just about win games, but are now 10 – 0, while the Texans look up at them from their 5 – 5 perch. Expect the same sort of game as last time as both teams will air the ball out, with productive QB’s Manning and Schaub. I do believe though that the Colts have a better defence, even with the injuries, and like all great teamns, just find a way to win.
Lee’s Prediction: Colts 35 Texans 28
Kansas City Chiefs @ San Diego Chargers
This AFC West clash is between the 3 – 7 Chiefs, and the 7 – 3 Chargers. The teams met a month ago, when the Chargers hammered the Chiefs 37 – 7. I believe that the same team will win, but not by quite such a big margin. The Chiefs have looked ok in recent weeks, with Jamaal Charles at RB and the WR play of Chris Chambers. Also Chris Chambers will really want to prove a point here against his former team. I do believe though that the Charger defence is too good and will shut down this team. Also with the return to form of LT, and the form of Rivers and co in the pass game, the offence will have too much for this poor Chiefs defence.
Lee’s Prediction: Chiefs 10 Chargers 21
Jacksonville Jaguars @ San Francisco 49’ers
The 6 – 4 Jaguars travel to San Francisco to play the 4 – 6 49’ers. This is a massive game for both teams in their quest for a playoff spot. In all seriousness both teams are probably looking at a wildcard berth to get in now, so every win is vital. The Jags are without doubt a rush 1st team behind pocket rocket MJD. This is not a major problem for the 49’ers as they are ranked 6th against the run. Limiting the production of MJD will be the way that the 49’ers can get the victory. The 49’ers offence is far from full of points. They will be looking for rookie WR Michael Crabtree to have a big day against this 25th ranked pass defence. This should help take the pressure off RB Frank Gore, who may struggle against this defence. This should be a very close and interesting game, I look forward to this one.
Lee’s Prediction: Jaguars 17 49’ers 13
Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings
The 4 – 6 Bears host the 9 – 1 Vikings in this NFC North matchup. This should be a total miss match. The Vikings are arguably playing the best football in the league at the moment, and to be honest, not many teams are playing worse than the Bears. The one weakness in the defence of the Vikings is in the pass game, but can you seriously see Jay Cutler, the INT machine, causing them any problems. Also I can’t see the Bears defence stopping both Farve and co in the passing game , and Adrian Peterson. No, this is an easy game to pick.
Lee’s Prediction: Bears 10 Vikings 28
Arizona Cardinals @ Tennessee Titans
This should be a very interesting game. The 7 – 3 Cardinals travel to Tennessee to take on the resurgent 4 – 6 Titans. The Titans have won their last 4 games, and now everyone is talking about them as a playoff contender. They will have a test on their hands here though as the Cardinals are 4 – 0 on the road this year. The test for the Cardinals in this game will be if they can keep RB Chris Johnson and QB VY quiet. The Titans now have bought the option to their playbook, so it will be interesting to see how the Cardinals adjust to this. The Cardinals are ranked 8th against the rush, so they should limit the Titans as much as can be expected. The Cardinals are a pass heavy team, but have now all of a sudden developed a run game, with the emergence of rookie Beenie Wells, and Tim Hightower. The Titans defence should be ok against the run game, but they may struggle against Warner and the pass. I believe this may be the week the Titans dream comeback comes to an end.
Lee’s Prediction: Cardinals 28 Titans 24
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Baltimore Ravens
Sunday Night Football is a AFC North clash between the 6 – 4 Steelers and the 5 – 5 Ravens. This will be a hard hitting rivalry game, as both teams will have their playoff hopes on the line. It looks like the Steelers will be without QB Big Ben who suffered a concussion last week. This wouldn’t be so bad, but the backup QB Charlie Batch is also out with a broken wrist. This will leave 3rd QB Dennis Dixon. Undoubtedly this is going to put a lot of the offence onto RB Rashard Mendenhall. This Steelers rush offence is not great, and may struggle even more against this 5th ranked Ravens rush defence. The Steelers will look to get at QB Joe Flacco, who has struggled in recent weeks. Flacco will be pleased to learn he will not have to come up against the Steelers best defensive player Troy Polamalu. I think that Flacco and RB Ray Rice will be more productive than Dixon and Mendenhall. I think the Ravens win this one.
Lee's Prediction: Steelers 14 Ravens 21
Friday, 27 November 2009
Thanksgiving Review
The Packers came in with a very professional attitude, and got the job done. On the opening kickoff of the game, the Lions kicked to the Packers, but the kick was fumbled and recovered by the Lions. The Lions scored quickly as Matt Stafford through a quick strike to Calvin Johnson, and Ford field was rocking. From this moment on thought the Packers dominated the game. Aaron Rodgers threw for 348 yards and 3 TD’s. Donald Driver had 7 catches for 142 yards and 1 TD. The Packers soon quietened the home crowd and they held a 27 – 7 lead going into the 4th quarter. In the 4th the Lions managed to get a safety and a FG, before Woodson picked off Stafford for the 4th time of the day, and returned it for a TD. This was a vital game for the Packers, and they got it done. The Lions have a decent looking offence that will get better with experience, but the defence is awful, look for a lot of early draft picks to be spent on that side of the ball in April.
Raiders 7 Cowboys 24
This game went exactly as expected. The Cowboys looked back to their best on offence. Romo threw for 309 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. His favourite targets in the game were Miles Austin (145 yards and 1 TD) and Jason Witten (107 yards). The Cowboys also had a decent day on the ground with Jones, Choice and Barber running for 68, 67 and 61 yards respectively. This balance saw the Cowboys blow the Raiders away. The Cowboys have now taken control of the NFC East after the Giants result in Denver. The question now is, can they keep up this level of performance against a better defence? This question will be answered over the next few weeks as they play the Giants, the Chargers and the Saints. The Raiders looked better with Gradkowski at QB, but they still have a lot of improving to do.
Giants 6 Broncos 26
This was a hugely dominating performance by the Denver Broncos. The defence held the Giants to just 57 yards rushing, and sacked Eli Manning 3 times. Elvis Dumervil and Brian Dawkins played inspired as the Broncos broke a 4 game losing streak. The Giants on the other hand looked a mess. Eli Manning threw for 230 yards, 0 TD’s and 1 INT. Brandon Jacobs ran for just 27 yards on 11 carries, as the Broncos completely shut him down. Kyle Orton started for the Broncos, and seems to be completely over his injury. This is great news for the Broncos for the run in towards the playoffs. The Broncos, now 7 – 4, are now just 0.5 games behind the Chargers. They also have 3 very winnable games on their schedule, and should at least go 10 – 6. I believe this would see them into the playoffs, either as division winners, or as a wild card. The Giants now have a mountain to climb in the very competitive NFC East. With the Cowboys victory and if the Eagles win on Sunday, they have a lot of work to do.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Thanksgiving Football
The first game of the Thanksgiving holiday is always hosted by the Lions (2 – 8), and their opponents this year will be divisional rival Packers (6 – 4). This is a hugely important game for the Packers in their quest for the playoffs. The Lions are coming off a very good win against the Browns and will hope that the emotion from that game will carry over to this one. Also in their favour, is the fact that the Detroit locals love the ‘Thanksgiving Day’ tradition, and always turn out in numbers to support the Lions. These 2 facts, coupled with the news just in that both QB Matt Stafford, and WR Calvin Johnson will start this game, give the Lions a defiant emotional edge. The Packers have just this week lost both CB Al Harris and LB Aaron Kampman to season ending injuries. It will be interesting to see how their improving defence deals with these losses. In the game between the 2 teams earlier in the year, the Lions managed to sack Aaron Rodgers 5 times, although the Packers won the game 26 – 0. Detroit will need to get pressure if their 32nd ranked pass defence is to have any chance against Rodgers and co. For some reason I actually like the Lions to cause an upset here, but don’t believe in it strongly enough to pick it
Lee’s Prediction: Packers 17 Lions 13
Oakland Raiders @ Dallas Cowboys
The 2nd game of the Thanksgiving football feast, as always, has the Cowboys (7 – 3) hosting the Raiders (3 – 7). The Raiders have finally gone with QB Bruce Gradkowski, in place of the very poor JaMarcus Russell. This switch helped them in their win against the Bengals at the weekend; the big question here is whether he can continue that form. Gradkowski will need to play well against this impressive Cowboy defence. This unit has helped keep the Cowboys close in recent weeks, as the offence has been struggling (just 14 points in the last 2 games). Another worry for the Cowboys is that QB Tony Romo did take a knock in the game at the weekend, and although he will start, he will not be 100%. This game, like the first one, is very important for one teams playoff challenge (in this case the Cowboys), but the underdog in the game is coming off a win at the weekend, and would love to spoil the party. Although I can see Detroit coming close, I cannot see the Raiders troubling the Cowboys in Dallas. The Raiders offence is the worst in the league is most categories, and even if the Cowboys struggle to put up point, the defence will see them through.
Lee’s Prediction: Raiders 6 Cowboys 24
New York Giants @ Denver Broncos
The final game on Thanksgiving is a rotating game handpicked by the league. This year’s edition sees the 6 – 4 Giants travel to Mile High, to play the 6 – 4 Broncos. The Broncos are in real trouble after losing their last 4 games, including the beat down by the Chargers just 4 days ago. They really need to kick start their season if they want to keep their playoff push alive. The Giants have also been on a 4 game losing streak recently, snapping it just this weekend against Atlanta. They will be looking to get their playoff push going, as their division is getting tighter and tighter. The problem in recent weeks for the Broncos has been their inability to stop the run. Look for New York to try to establish the run early and often. This might be easier said than done though as both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, are carrying injuries for the Giants. The major problem for the Broncos is going to be their banged up QB. Orton played the 2nd half on Sunday, and was visibly in pain. This really doesn’t bode well against this very aggressive Giants defence. I think the Giants get the win here, and the Broncos slide continues.
Lee’s Prediction: Giants 24 Broncos 13
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Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Week 11 Review
The Colts go into their toughest matchup left in the season, and come out still undefeated. LB Terrell Suggs did not start for the Ravens for the first time in his career due to a knee injury. But the Ravens defence was not the problem here. They actually performed very well against a very prolific offence; forcing 2 INT’s from the great Payton Manning. The problem was they just couldn’t force the ball into the end zone, and had to keep settling for FG’s. Billy Cundiff, the Ravens kicker, actually scored all of the Ravens points. I don’t know if you can totally blame the Ravens offence for this, as the Colts defence seems to be improving all the time. LB Gary Brackett’s INT was a good example of this right at the end of the game. The Colts can clinch the division next week, the Ravens look like their season may be over.
Redskins 6 Cowboys 7
Well the Cowboys won this divisional game, was it pretty? HELL NO!! The Cowboys didn’t actually score any points until 4th quarter and the Redskins held a 6 – 0 lead. The Redskins can probably be excused for their poor offensive play, as RB Clinton Portis has been out for a couple of games. Also his replacement Ladell Betts left this game in the 1st quarter. The key thing for them in this game was their kicker Shaun Suisham, who was 12 for 12 before the game, actually missed 2 FG’s. These extra 6 points would of course, won the Redskins the game. The Cowboys offence is going through a lot of problems recently. After being free scoring for most of the season, they have only scored 14 points in the last 2 games. They have obviously tried to become a more run first team, and they did this very well running for 153 yards (including 99 for Marion Barber). But the problem is when they have needed to get big plays in the pass game, they have been unable to do so (apart from the winning drive). They need to fix this if they want to continue to push for the playoffs in the competitive NFC East.
Browns 37 Lions 38
Well who would have thought that these 2 teams would put up this amount of points? Both of these young QB’s had huge games, especially Lions QB Matt Stafford. Stafford threw for 422 yards and 5 TD’s, Quinn for 304 yards and 4TD’s. Stafford is the 1st QB to throw for 5TD’s in his rookie year. But the main story of this game was Stafford’s game winning drive. Stafford got hit hard as he threw to the end zone as time expired and landed on his shoulder. The pass was picked off by the Browns, but a flag was thrown for pass interference on the defence. The ball was then placed on the 1 yard line, with one untimed down for the Lions. Stafford had to go to the sideline as the medical staff checked on his shoulder, the lions called a time out after a 5 yard penalty. As they had called the timeout, Stafford could, and did, come back into the game. With his arm dangling by his side, he went play action, and then fired the ball in TE Brandon Pettigrew for the win. This was a great moment for the rookie; he proved to the world just how tough he is. The Lions will be hoping for many more magical moments like this. The Browns may soon have to start thinking about who to pick in the number 1 draft slot.
49’ers 24 Packers 30
This was a huge game for Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. When he was drafted in 05 by the Packers, he had been over looked by his childhood favourite team, the 49’ers, as they drafted Alex Smith. In this game though, Rodgers had his revenge, as the Packers continue their challenge for a playoff spot. Rodgers had 344 yards and 2 TD’s in this game. They used a lot of really quick passes in this game to get Rodgers out of harm’s way, after all the troubles the O line have had this year. Although Rodgers was sacked twice, the Packers will see this as a win against this very aggressive defence. The Packers jumped out to a 24 – 7 lead before the 49’ers scored 2 late TD’s. The Packers used RB Ryan Grant to good effect in shortening the game, he ran for 129 yards and a TD. The worry for the Packers now will be on defence. They have lost LB Aaron Kampman and CB Al Harris to knee injuries in this game. They will both be out for the rest of the year. Will they be able to continue their playoff push with injuries to these important players? The 49’ers will now have a tough task to catch the Cardinals in the NFC West. They are now 3 games behind.
Bills 15 Jaguars 18
Somehow the Jaguars are 6 – 4, and in with a great shout of being a wild card for the playoffs. The Bills in their first game without Dick Jauron, started Ryan Fitzpatrick at QB, and actually played quite well. Terrell Owens actually had a great day, having 9 catches for 197 yards and a TD (including a 98 yard TD reception). If they can get their run game going with this effective pass game, they may spring a surprise or 2 in the coming weeks. The Jags actually struggled on the ground in this game. MJD only ran for 66 yards and a TD. But big games from Sims-Walker (91 yards and a TD) and Lewis (70 yards) pulled them through.
Steelers 24 Chiefs 27
This was the first of 2 MASSIVE shocks this week. I thought that without WR Dwayne Bowe, they would have no chance against the Steelers, even without Troy Polamalu. Step up Chris Chambers, the WR claimed after the Chargers cut him earlier in the year. The game was dominated by the Steelers in the offensive stats, but the big difference was that Big Ben had 2 INT’s, and Matt Cassel had none. The game went to overtime, and the Steelers won the toss. Surely now the shock was off? Big Ben though got knocked out and had to leave the game (not sure how severe the concussion type symptoms are yet). The Steelers had to punt, and on that drive Cassel hit Chambers who went for 61 yards, down to the Steelers 4 yard line. The Chiefs wasted no time, as the sent Succop out to attempt the FG. He hit it, and halted the Chiefs 10 game, home losing streak. The Steelers still should be ok for the playoffs, but this is a reminder to them that they are not the same team without Polamalu. Also if Big Ben struggles with this injury, they may have many nervous moments ahead.
Seahawks 9 Vikings 35
This game did go to plan. The injury hit Seahawks went to Minnesota, and got blown away. The amazing stat here was that the stunning Vikings defence only gave away 4 rushing yards against the Seahawks. OK the Seahawks are hardly a really effective run team, but 4 YARDS?? This Vikings defence has, and will continue to dominate against a lot of teams. Brett Farve and the offence had another huge day also. Farve threw for 213 yards and 4 TD’s. Peterson ran for 82 yards, and Taylor for 73 as the run game was also just as effective. The Vikings are looking very dangerous in the NFC, and will continue to push the Saints all the way for the number one seed.
Falcons 31 Giants 34
This was a huge game for both teams. The Falcons went into this game without their number 1 and number 2 RB’s. They didn’t get away from their usual run first game though, and Jason Snelling almost pulled them through. Young QB Matt Ryan threw for 268 yards and 2 TD’s (and more importantly o INT’s) to support Snelling, and the injury hit Falcons forced overtime in New York. The Giants struggled badly on the ground, with their top rusher on the day (Brandon Jacobs) going for just 39 yards. QB Eli Manning did though look alot better than in recent weeks, throwing for 384 yards and 3 TD’s. The young receiving core of Manningham, Smith and Nicks came up big for New York, along with TE Kevin Boss. If they can get this sort of production, with an improved run game, they should be able to push the Cowboys and Eagles all the way. The Giants won the toss in overtime, and drove down the field for Tynes to kick the game winning FG. Big win for New York, the Falcons are still in with a shout of the playoffs, but need to start winning soon, and often.
Saints 38 Buccaneers 7
This game went just as expected. But again as with the Colts, the Saints under rated defence was the main plus point in this game. They only gave up 219 total yards to the Buccs, and got enough pressure on Freeman at QB, to force 3 INT’s. This kind of impressive display, coupled with the offence that we all know so much about, adds up to a 10 – 0 start. Brees only had 187 yards in this game, as the Saints had big yardage on the ground. Without Reggie Bush, the Saints had 183 rushing yards (92 for Thomas, 75 for Bell). This team are going to be very dangerous in the playoffs, and I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for them to play the Patriots this Monday.
Cardinals 21 Rams 13
This wasn’t the best game to watch, but it was the expected result. Kurt Warner had to leave this game just before half time after being smacked in the head. Before this injury though, Warner had managed to throw for 203 yards and 2 TD’s to give the Card’s a 21 – 3 half time lead. Matt Leinart came in for Warner, but hardly set the world on fire. Leinart threw for just 74 yards in the 2nd half. To be fair to Matt though, the Cardinals did go to their ground game a lot more in the 2nd half, in order to keep the clock running. This run game once again was very impressive. The Card’s had 183 yards on the ground, 110 for Hightower and 74 for Wells. This run game, paired with Warner and the pass game, makes the Cardinals a very interesting team. Also this year the Cardinals are 5 – 0 on the road, where in the past they have been notably bad. This Super Bowl team from last year looks to be better, and will look to upset the more fancied Saints and Vikings in the NFC.
Jets 14 Patriots 31
This could be called a revenge game. The Patriots were embarrassed by the Jets in week 2, and certainly haven’t forgotten Rex Ryan’s comments about ‘Belichick’s rings’. They dominated this game on both sides of the ball, and once again Ryan had something to say. He complained about the Patriots throwing the ball in the 4th quarter, and trying to run up the score. Guess what Rex, when all you do is wind up people, they are going to want to teach you a lesson. If you don’t like it, then shut up!!! If you want to keep talking, then you have to expect this kind of thing. Grow up Rex!! Now I’ve got that off my chest; Rookie QB Mark Sanchez had another disappointing day. He threw 4 INT’s as the Patriots mixed up their coverage’s and completely confused him. This paired with the Patriots production on offence easily put this game away. Welker had 15 catches for 192 yards in a huge game. The Patriots have a 2 game lead on the Dolphins in the AFC East. The next 2 weeks are huge for them as they play @ the Saints, then @ Miami. The Jets are done for the year in my eyes, try not to cry this week Rex!
Bengals 17 Raiders 20
This is the other MASSIVE shock of the week, although it does remind you that this team still is the Bengals. After the performance in Pittsburgh I was convinced the Bengals would win this division. After the Steelers lose in Kansas City, it’s done right? Well, this is still the Bengals. The Raiders levelled the scores at 17 – 17 with just 33 seconds left in the game, as Gradkowski (now the starting QB) found Louis Murphy. On the following kick off, the Bengals fumble the ball; the Raiders cover it up, and win the game with a FG. This is called ‘Giving it away’. Gradkowski does though look a much better option at QB for the Raiders; well I have been saying that for a while. The Bengals were without RB Cedrick Benson, but his stand in Bernard Scott, ran for an impressive 119 yards. I still believe in the Bengals, this was just a fluky game. They will still win their division in my eyes. The Raiders, well, at least they won’t be picking 1st in April.
Eagles 24 Bears 20
Sunday Night Football was another big game for NFC teams with playoff aspirations. The problem for the Bears and QB Jay Cutler? The game was another primetime game, and Jay has struggled badly in these games. In this game Jay only had 1 INT, but he and the Bears offence did struggle in the 4th quarter, when they were required to put points on the board. The Eagles managed to have a very balanced offence in this game. In recent weeks the big talking point surrounding them has been that they don’t run the ball anywhere near enough. A lot of this may be due to the fact that Westbrook is out. But this game proved that LeSean McCoy is more than capable. McCoy had 99 yards and a TD. Once again, big play WR DeSean Jackson had a huge 48 yard TD. This big play capability can be used most effectively, when a run game has to be respected. The Eagles are now right in the middle of a dog fight in the NFC East with the Cowboys and the Giants. This battle for the division is sure to go down to the wire. You have to imagine though that one wild card spot will go to a NFC East team (if not 2). This is very bad news for the Bears, who look out of the race at 4 – 6.
Titans 20 Texans 17
Well I thought that this was the week the Titans run came to an end against the rested Texans, I was wrong. The game was a close one as everything happened as expected. VY kept it simple threw for 116 yards and a TD (no INT’s), Chris Johnson went off for 151 yards, and on the other side of the ball Schaub threw for 305 yards and 2 TD’s. The difference in this game was the missed FG as time expired by Texans kicker Kris Brown (we’ve heard that before – Indy). This game shows that the Titans are for real in their comeback, will it continue though?? The Texans must be kicking themselves though after so much hype, to lose back to back division games, they may be struggling to get to the playoffs now.
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Chargers 32 Broncos 3
Well your choice for ‘Game of the Week’ didn’t turn out to be much of a contest. The battle for the lead in the AFC West was a complete blowout as the in-form Chargers, stomped all over the sorry Broncos. The Broncos, after starting 6 – 0, now look in real trouble of not making the playoffs. But the Chargers, now on a 5 game winning streak, are one of the hottest teams in the league and are surely the favourites to take the AFC West title, again.
The talk all week leading up to this game was around who would start at QB for the Broncos. In the end it looked like Kyle Orton was not fit as McDaniels started Chris Simms. But after a poor start to the game, completing 2 of 4 throws, for 10 yards, McDaniels pulled Simms and put in the hobbling Orton. This decision was the first of many strange calls by the Broncos, calls that I can only describe as desperate. The Broncos first drive of the game looked very impressive, as Knowshon Moreno ran the Broncos into the red zone, before Simms was hit, fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Steve Gregory for the Chargers. Gregory actually got another recovered fumble in the red zone later in the game. Another blow was handed to the Broncos early as safety Brian Dawkins had to leave the game with a neck injury. This obviously didn’t help this defence, as the Chargers (ranked last in rush offence before the game) ran for 203 yards, behind LT’s 73 yards and a TD. LT really looks to be getting better week by week, and this is great news for the Chargers as they will not have to rely so heavily on QB Phillip Rivers.
The major turning point of this game came in the 3rd quarter. The Broncos had just scored a FG to cut the Chargers lead to 13 – 3. For some reason McDaniels decided to call for an onside kick, which was recovered by WR Legedu Naanee at the Broncos 41 yard line. The Chargers used that field position to get a quick TD from LT, which gave them a commanding 20 – 3 lead. This coupled with the fact the Broncos being unsuccessful in 4 red zone trips, ultimately sealed their fate.
This was a huge statement game for the Chargers, who once again look to have recovered from a bad start to the season. The rest of the AFC will now be on red alert for the Chargers, who will hope they can take this form deep into the playoffs, they certainly have the talent.
Monday, 23 November 2009
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football comes from Houston this week, as the 5 - 4 Texans welcome the resurgent 3 – 6 Titans. This AFC South clash is huge for both teams. The Titans, after starting 0 – 6, have played really well in recent weeks, with VY in at QB again, and are now on a 3 game winning streak. The Texans were on a bye last week, but their last game was the tough loss against the Colts. It will be very interesting to see how they respond after having a full 2 weeks to stew over that defeat. The Texans must slow down Titans star man, RB Chris Johnson, if they are to win this game. Johnson now has 1091 yards this season and 8 TD’s. This is an amazing average of 6.4 yards per carry. The Texans are though quite good against the run. The Texans game is to air the ball out. This should suit them in this game as the Titans pass defence is ranked 31st in the NFL. This is great news for WR Andre Johnson, who has 800 yards and 4TD’s this year. QB Matt Schaub will look to take advantage of this unsure secondary. I believe that the Texans will have enough to slow down Chris Johnson just enough, to get the win.
Lee’s Prediction – Titans 14 Texans 21
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Week 11 Predictions
Colts 17 Ravens 10
Redskins 7 Cowboys 17
Browns 3 Lions 10
49'ers 24 Packers 21
Bills 7 Jaguars 17
Steelers 28 Chiefs 10
Seahawks 7 Vikings 24
Falcons 13 Giants 21
Saints 35 Buccaneers 21
Cardinals 21 Rams 7
Chargers 28 Broncos 24
Jets 13 Patriots 21
Bengals 24 Raiders 7
Eagles 21 Bears 13
Friday, 20 November 2009
Dolphins 24 Panthers 17
The Thursday night matchup between 2 teams fighting for their playoff lives. Both teams had injuries, but both teams came out, played hard and produced a good game. All the talk before the game was about Ronnie Browns injury, and how the Dolphins would run the wildcat. The answer was they wouldn’t run it much (just 3 times), but Ricky Williams did score a TD from the formation. Williams stepped up big in Browns absence, he ran for 119 yards and 2 TD’s behind the huge blocking from FB Lousaka Polite. QB Chad Henne had a decent game throwing for 172 yards and a TD. He also came up big with many conversions on 3rd down. The Panthers played well in this game also, and kept it close until the end. Delhomme threw for 227 yards and a TD (also 1 INT), and the RB’s had a combined 165 yards. Steve Smith also had a big game, and looks to be getting back to his best, which is a big plus for the Panthers. Smith had 7 catches for 87 yards and a TD. The difference on the night was the performance of the Dolphins defence. They got to Delhomme with 4 sacks, (to Carolina’s 0) and forced the INT by Nate Jones. These misfires by the Panthers cost them in a very even game. The Dolphins now will believe they can make a push towards the playoffs. They have the Bills this week, followed by the Patriots. After these 2 games, we should know where they stand. The Panthers aren’t completely out of the playoff picture in the weaker NFC. But they now cannot afford another slip up. Their next game is in New York, against the Jets, a game the Phins will want them to win no doubt.
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Thursday Night Football
The 4 – 5 Dolphins travel to Carolina to take on the 4 – 5 Panthers. The big news surrounding this game is that the Dolphins star RB Ronnie Brown is out for the season. This is a massive blow for the Phins as not only is Brown their best offensive option at running back, he is also the player that takes the direct snaps out of the ‘Wildcat’ formation. The Panthers aren’t without their injury worries, after left tackle broke his ankle at the weekend, leaving him out for the rest of the year. The majority of the offensive plays in this game should be run plays. The Panthers are 3rd and the Dolphins are 4th ranked in rush offence (although the Phins numbers may be affected by the loss of Brown). So you would think that the performance of the defences against the rush would be the key to the game. The Dolphins are 7th, and the Panthers are 25th in this category. Carolina QB Jake Delhomme has improved significantly over the past few weeks, and after throwing 13 INT’s in his first 6 games, he hasn’t thrown any in his last 3. He will need to take care of the ball in this game, against the ball hawking Dolphins defence. The Dolphins QB is first year starting Chad Henne. Although Henne has done ok since taking over from Chad Pennington in week 3, he is still learning. He may well struggle in this game against the Panthers impressive secondary (ranked 4th against the pass). I believe the performance of Ricky Williams (Dolphins number 2 RB) will be the key to this game. If he can gain a good amount of yards the Dolphins will have a chance. If he struggles, the Panthers rush attack will overwhelm them, and probably finish the Dolphins playoff hopes.
Lee’s Prediction: Dolphins 10 Panthers 17