Eagles 31 Falcons 35

The 'Game of the Week' for week 2 took place in the Georgia Dome on Sunday Night Football.  The Eagles and the Falcons are expected to be 2 of the top teams in the NFC, and this was seen as an early look at a possible playoff game in January.  The Falcons needed to bounce back following last weeks loss in Chicago, and the 'dream team' Eagles were looking to get their 2nd road win of the year.  The added storyline here was the return of QB Michael Vick to Atlanta.  Vick hadn't played in Atlanta since he was sacked by the team, following his conviction, and subsequent jailing, for dog fighting activities.

Vick left the field with a concussion

As expected, Vick heard the boos from the Atlanta crowd that used to worship him, from the first time he stepped on the field.  It didn't bother Vick though, as he threw for 242 yards and 2 TD's in the first 3 quarters.  On a play late in the 3rd quarter, Vick dropped back to pass, before being hit by a couple of Atlanta defenders, and his head bounced off one of his OL.  Vick fell to the floor and suffered a concussion.  As he was walking to the locker room, the Atlanta crowd jeered him, before Vick reminded them, with a point to the scoreboard, that the Eagles were up by 10 points.  Backup QB Vince Young was inactive due to a hamstring injury, so it was up to 3rd string QB Mike Kafka, to preserve the Eagles lead.

The Eagles played very well throughout this game.  RB LeSean McCoy ran for 95 yards, but it was the DL that was really impressive.  DE Trent Cole in particular was causing chaos in the Falcons backfield.  But it was the turnovers that finally cost the Eagles.  Vick threw an INT, and lost 2 fumbles, all leaving Eagles points on the field.  Falcons QB Matt Ryan didn't have the best day through the air, throwing for just 195 yards, but he did have 4 TD passes.  RB Michael Turner really helped the Falcons cause in their comeback.  He had a total of 114 yards including a 61 yard run that helped set up the game winning TD.

Kafka almost led the Eagles to victory

The Eagles did have one last chance to sneak the win, in the last 4 minutes.  Kafka had to start from his own 9, but put together a great drive, including a 43 yard pass completion to WR Jeremy Maclin.  It was 4th and 4 at the Atlanta 4 with just under 2 minutes left when Kafka dropped back to pass, hitting Maclin in the chest, and the ball fell to the ground sealing the win for the Falcons. 

This win was a great reaction by the Falcons following last week, and has made me feel alot better about them being my Superbowl pick.  The Eagles are a very talented team, and will win alot of games as the season goes on.  I would love to see this match up again in January.

Saints 34 Packers 42

What a start to the new season this was!!  The game had everything we expected and more.  Huge nights by both QB's, plenty of points, and we even saw 2 kick returns.  This is why we have missed football so much, and why we are so grateful that the NFL managed to get things sorted in time for this year to begin.

Rodgers had a huge game

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers came out on fire last night, giving the Packers a 14 - 0 start, inside the first 9 minutes of the game.  The Pack drove down and scored on their 1st drive, Rodgers to Jennings, before the Saints offence had a nightmare start.  On the 2nd play of the night for QB Drew Brees hit WR Marques Coulston in the hands, before Coulston fumbled the ball, and it was recover by CB Tramon Williams.  The Pack drove again, and added their 2nd score of the night, Rodgers to Nelson.  Rodgers finished the night completing 27 passes, for 312 yards and 3 TD's.

Ingram stopped short at the 1

The Saints though, put up quite a fight throughout the rest of the game.  QB Drew Brees was fantastic, completing 32 passes for 419 yards and 3 TD's.  The problems that the Saints had were in the run game.  Rookie RB Mark Ingram was given the ball twice on 4th and short, and both times he was unable to get the yardage required.  If he had made the yard on 4th and goal from the 1 at the end, then the Saints would have been a 2 point conversion away from a tie.  The Packers defence held though, and got the defending Superbowl champions off to a winning start.

Both teams looked very effective in the kick return game, and opponents better take extra care when kicking to Darren Sproles (Saints) and Randall Cobb (Packers).  Rookie WR Randell Cobb equalled an NFL all time record in his pro debut, when he ran back a kick off 108 yards for a TD. 

Both teams will win alot of games this year without doubt.  The Packers look better than ever, and when the Saints sort their running game, they will be a match for anyone.  Football's back!!  Bring on Sunday Night!!

Game of the Week

Colts 24 Eagles 26

The 'Game of the Week' and the late game on Sky from week 9 came from Philly.  It was a clash between the best QB in the league (Colts - Peyton Manning) and one that is probably the most exciting on his day (Eagles - Micheal Vick).  Vick was returning following a month out sidelined with a rib injury.  The Eagles were on their bye last week and had therefore had plenty of time to prepare for Manning and co.  The Colts, who had played against the Texans on Monday night, had plenty of injuries all over the field, and there was concern at the fact they had only had a short week.  The first play from scrimmage in the game seemed to show the difference in conditioning between the 2 teams as Eagles RB Lesean McCoy scampered for 62 yards, to the Indianapolis 10 yard line.  Just 2 plays later Vick found the other returning superstar WR DeSean Jackson, for a 9 yard TD pass.

The Eagles were concerned all week leading up to this game about the ability of Peyton Manning, but on just his 2nd pass of the game, CB Asante Samuel picked him off, and the Eagles turned that into a K David Akers FG, 10 - 0 Eagles, with just over 3 minutes off the clock.  The Colts did manage to sustain a bit of a drive on their next possession, but eventually had to punt.  Vick and the Eagles answered with another big play to WR Jackson, this time for 58 yards, and the Eagles were back within striking distance.  The Eagles were unable to get a TD here, even though they were in the redzone, but still had a commanding 13 - 0 lead after just 1 quarter.

Manning and the Colts then started to drive as Manning continually found TE Jacob Tamme (in for injured star TE Dallas Clark) and WR Reggie Wayne.  He eventually found Tamme from 3 yards, 13 - 7.  The Eagles though answered straight back.  Vick scrambled for 24 yards, before finding WR Jason Avant for 34 yards, and moved into the red zone.  Their red zone woes continued though and they had to settle for a 2nd David Akers FG, to give them a 9 point lead.  Manning though was in no mood to be out done, as he returned to the field with just 6 minutes till the half, but drove down field before RB Javarris James (cousin of former Colts RB Edgerrin) punched it in from the 6 yard line.  He also managed to get into position, after a poor series from the Eagles, for K Adam Vinateri to kick a FG.  17 - 16 Colts at the break.

The 3rd quarter didn't quite live up to the play in the first half, as there was only one score, another FG from the Eagles, from 44 yards.  There was quite a lot of good defence from there on in as punts rained in from both teams.  The Eagles did though start the 4th quarter with a bang as QB Vick went in on a QB keeper from 1 yard out.  Both teams had long drives that resulted in punts, before the Colts got back to within 2 points thanks to RB James going in for his 2nd TD of the day from 1 yard, but we were already after the 2 minute warning.  The Colts did get the ball back for one last chance though, but on a 3rd and 10 from their own 41 yard line, Manning was picked off for a 2nd time by CB Samuel, and the game was over.

The Eagles were very impressive in this game.  They showed they have big play ability, and can stop even the best teams.  They need to work on their red zone offence, but now have a legitimate shout at being the best team in the NFC.  The next 2 games should tell the tale for them as they play the Redskins and Giants in 2 HUGE NFC East games.  The Colts don't need to worry to much about this loss.  Even though they are banged up, and were nowhere near as fresh as the Eagles, they still managed to hang around.  Manning will win a lot of games for this team the rest of the way.

NFL London Game Review

Broncos 16 49'ers 24

After the long wait, the NFL finally arrived back in the UK on Sunday, and after a slow start, the game turned out to be an exciting showdown.  The day started with a performance by 'My Chemical Romance', and then 'The Star-Spangled Banner' by former 'Destinys Child' member Michelle Williams, and a strange version of 'God Save the Queen' by guitarist Jeff Beck.  Just a quick hint to the NFL, if you want to get the full effect of our national anthem, you do need a singer to help the crowd come in at the right time.  If you do this, the crowd will bring the hairs on the back of your neck up, with a thunderous rendition.  The 'home team' 49'ers took the field to the usual fireworks show, and the 83,941 fans in attendance were ready for the show to begin.

The first half was very slow, with the 49'ers trying to move the ball on the ground through RB Frank Gore, and the Broncos struggling to get anything going either through the air or on the ground.  The score at the half was just 3 - 0 49'ers, thanks to a Joe Nedney 34 yard FG. 

The 2nd half began with the Broncos kicking to the 49'ers.  They managed to move the ball from the 20 yard line, before it stalled on the half way line.  This movement was mainly down to Gore, who finished the game with 118 yards and a TD.  After they punted to the Broncos, they managed to get their first big play of the day, a deep throw from QB Kyle Orton, to WR Brandon Lloyd for 71 yards, down to the 1 yard line.  The Broncos bought in back up QB Tim Tebow, who took the ball in on a QB keeper.  This but the Broncos up 7 - 3.  The 49'ers started to show life and QB Troy Smith was heating up as he found Josh Morgan for 30 yards.  They were left to try a 52 yard FG, which Nedney hit the post.  After a few short possessions, the Broncos managed to get into field goal range, which Matt Prater hit from 32 yards, 10 - 3 Broncos.

The last 14 minutes were what will be known as, Troy Smith time.  He made a play were he scrambled right and completed the pass to Delaine Walker for 38 yards, before running the ball in himself, levelling the game up.  The play to Walker was described by HC Mike Singeltery as ' Farve like'.  The Niners defence got the ball back and Smith found WR Michael Crabtree for a 28 yards TD, 17 - 10 Niners.  The 49'ers defence came up big again as LB Manny Lawson forced Orton to fumble, and it was covered up by LB Takeo Spikes at the Denver 18.  Gore ran in another TD, and the 49'ers were up 24 - 10 with just under 4 minutes left.  The Broncos managed to score another TD, Orton to Bandon Lloyd, but the game finished 24 - 16 Niners.

The game was a huge success again, and I can't wait for next years specticle.  Keep in touch with nflgbview to find out all the latest NFL information, including next years Wembley game.  Keep in touch through this blog, twitter or facebook.

Cowboys 21 Vikings 24

The 'Game of the week' took place in Minnesota this week, when the 1 - 3 Vikings and the 1 - 3 Cowboys came up against one another.  Only 5 % of teams that have started 1 - 4 have ever made the playoffs since the new playoff system was bought in 20 years ago.  This game was therefore nicknamed the 'Panic Bowl' by reporters in both Minnesota and Dallas.  Both teams were seen as potential Superbowl contenders in the pre season, but which of them would be in a huge hole after just 6 weeks.

In the first half Cowboys QB Tony Romo moved the offence up and down the field connecting with WR Roy Williams for 2 TD's (15, 2 yards).  Between these 2 TD's Vikings QB Brett Farve found WR Greg Camarillo for a 10 yard TD.  Romo had a decent game for the Cowboys, throwing for 220 yards and 3 TD's.  He did though have 2 INT's, and the Cowboys could not get the running game going.  RB's Felix Jones and Marion Barber only managed 63 yards on the ground, with a long of just 6 yards.  Despite this, the Cowboys led 14 - 7 at half time.

The Cowboys had to kick off for the 2nd half, and back to return was former Florida Gator utility player Percy Harvin.  He took the ball at the 5 yard line, and took it back 95 yards for a TD.  This levelled the score line, but tipped the tide of emotion in the favour of the Vikings.  On their next possession they drove down the field behind the running of Adrian Peterson, who ran for 73 yards.  Peterson finished the drive with a 1 yard run for a TD to give the Vikings the lead.  This seemed like it may be the end of the road for the Cowboys, who once again committed penalty after penalty.  They gave up 11 penalties for 91 yards and teams giving up this kind of yardage cannot win games.  The Cowboys did however manage to get another drive going, and Romo found WR Dez Bryant for a 31 yard TD to level the scores.  There was just 10 mins left, which of these desperate teams could pull this out??

The Vikings went 3 and out on the following possession, and had to punt the ball back to the resurgent Cowboys.  The Cowboys ran the ball twice and got themselves in a 3rd and 2 situation.  Romo dropped back to pass, and looked for his prime target TE Jason Witten.  The ball though never arrived in Witten's hands as Minnesota Vikings MLB E.J Henderson picked the ball off, and lifted the roof off the dome.  The Vikings moved themselves into FG range, and kicker Ryan Longwell hit what turned out to be the winning 3 points.  This was a huge win for the Vikings, one that has put them right back in the hunt for the NFC North following defeats for the Bears and Packers.  The Cowboys are however in huge trouble in the NFC East, will they be able to be one of the 5 % that make the playoffs after starting 1 - 4, something tells me they won't!

Game of the Week

Redskins 17 Eagles 14

The eyes of the NFL world were on Philadelphia this Sunday to watch the return of Donovan McNabb.  There were questions from a number of people, including me, to how the locals would greet the returning QB, and I'm glad to say the Eagles fans were very classy.  I wrote an article before the game on Sunday highlighting just what McNabb had done for the Eagles in his 11 year career there, and I was very happy to hear the cheers for him as he was announced before the game.  The Philly crowd is a notoriously tough one, but well done Eagles fans!!  There were embraces between McNabb and many of his former teammates, notably a big hug from opposing QB Micheal Vick, before kickoff also.

Once the game started of course, the Eagles fans jumped down McNabb's throat, and the boos rained in.  The Redskins though, started really fast, and were hitting hard.  The first TD of the day came on a 12 yard run by Ryan Torain, who ran through Eagles S Quintin Mikell on his way to the endzone.  This bull dozing run from Torain summed up just what kind of mood the Redskins were in, and before the Eagles could figure out what was happening McNabb found TE Chris Cooley for 31 yards, and a 14 - 0 lead after 1.

The Eagles opened the 2nd quarter with a 49 yard FG, following good play from Vick with both his arm, and his legs.  Vick though did get injured on this drive as he had a 23 yard scramble, and as he dived for the line he got sandwiched by 2 Redskins defenders.  This collision caused a rib injury, and kept Vick out for the rest of the game.  The Redskins though went straight back down the field, including a McNabb 57 yard bomb to WR Anthony Armstrong, and added a FG of their own from 26 yards making it 17 - 3.  Kevin Kolb, the QB that the Eagles chose over McNabb came into the game.  On his first play from scrimmage Kolb fumbled the snap, but luckily managed to recover the ball himself.  The Eagles then slowly moved down the field and added another FG, to make the game 17 - 6 at half time.

The 3rd quarter was littered with mistakes.  McNabb had a pass for Joey Galloway INT by Eagles rookie S Nate Allen,  LeSean McCoy had the ball knocked out of his hands as he ran towards the goal line, so the score remained 17 - 6 going into the 4th.  The Redskins managed to run a lot of the clock down in the 4th before finally Kolb and the Eagles offence got a chance to put point on the board with around 7.30 to go.  The Eagles went no huddle, and marched down the field before Kolb found TE Brent Celek with a 5 yard TD pass.  The Eagles, now trailing 17 - 12, decided to go for a 2 point conversion, in order to make it a FG (3 point) game.  The attempt failed, so the Redskins had a TD lead with just 4 minutes left in the game.  The Redskins dug in and kept the ball for around 3 minutes, but Kolb and the Eagles offence had one last chance, with 1.07 on the clock.  With the help of a couple of laterals, Kolb got the Eagles to the 32 and had one last chance.  Kolb bought time and heaved the ball into the endzone.  The ball went straight into the hands of WR Jason Avant, but he couldn't hold on, and Redskins CB DeAngelo Hall INT the tipped ball, and the Redskins had the win. 

This must have been a very sweet moment for McNabb.  His new Redskins team had understood just what this game meant to him, and had raised their game to help him get the 'W'.   He had shown the Eagles organisation just what they were missing, and now with Vick injured, do you reckon the would take him back if they could?

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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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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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.

If you want to get in touch regarding anything football, you can leave a comment, tweet me - nflgbview, or email nflgbview@googlemail.com

Monday Night Football / Game of the Week

New England Patriots @ New Orleans Saints

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

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.

Bengals 18 Steelers 12

So your ‘Game of the Week’ choice was the AFC North battle for top spot. Both teams stood at 6 – 2, the Bengals at 4 – 0 in the division, and with a shot at sweeping the Steelers for the first time since 1998. This game turned out to be a defensive battle with 2 of the best defences in the NFL. A major blow was dealt to the Steelers in the 1st quarter, when safety Troy Polamalu went down with a knee injury. Polamalu had missed the first meeting between the 2 sides, and was seen as the key to the Steelers being a lot more competitive this time around. The Steelers took a 3 – 0 lead through a Jeff Reed field goal, but on the following kick off, Bengals backup RB Bernard Scott ran the ball back 96 yards to give the Bengals the lead.

In the 2nd quarter though the Bengals chances of winning were dealt a huge blow as their star player of the season, and their hope against a Polamalu’less Steeler defence, Cedrick Benson went out of the game with a hip injury. Those worries were unfounded though as RB Scott came into the game, obviously encouraged by the run back earlier in the game, and churned out a hard 33 yards. The Steelers did go in at half time with a 9 – 6 lead (Bengals missed the extra point attempt) following 2 more Jeff Reed field goals.

The Steelers did struggle to get their run game going at any point during the contest. Rashard Mendenhall, who has been so impressive in recent weeks, ran for just 36 yards against a tough Bengals defence. The Bengals defence also managed to get 4 sacks on big Ben, and the young secondary looked very impressive. In the 3rd quarter just 2 FG’s were scored, both by Shayne Graham and the Bengals, to take a 12 – 9 lead.

Going to the 4th this was obviously a very close game. But surely at home, with the opponent’s best player out, the Steelers were still favourites. They went down the field, and levelled the game at 12, through Jeff Reeds 4th FG of the game. But the Bengals offence did enough to get 2 more FG’s, and that amazing defence held out the defending Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, to take control of the AFC North. I now believe that the Bengals will sweep their division (they only have to beat the Browns) and go to the playoffs as AFC North champions. They must also be a threat to take a number 1 or 2 seed in the AFC, which would mean a ‘Wild card Weekend’ bye. Well done Cincinnati, you are now a tough, hardnosed, proven football team, a real threat down the line.

Ravens 7 Bengals 17

So your Game of the Week was a clash at the top of the AFC North, and what a great game it turned out to be. The Ravens went into Cincinnati, looking for revenge following their Week 5 loss to the Bengals. The Bengals were coming of the bye, and had therefore had two full weeks to prepare for the visiting Baltimore team. The Ravens had just last week snapped a 3 game losing streak, and were looking to get a winning streak started here. I believed before the game that a key to this game was the battle between Bengals RB Cedrick Benson (who has had an excellent year so far), against the Ravens 4th ranked rush defence. That battle did in the end give the advantage to the Bengals, and they managed to get the win off that advantage.

From the very first drive of the game the Bengals looked in control behind Benson’s 117 yards and 1 TD. They drove down the field, including a big gain by Chad Ochocinco, who had 5 catches for 66 yards, and eventually got the first TD when Carson Palmer found Andre Caldwell from 6 yards. The Bengals defence had a very good game. They only allowed 215 yards, against the Ravens, who have been one of the top offenses this season. That defence got the ball back for the Bengals, who drove again, and the Player of the Game Cedrick Benson punched it in from 1 yard.

In the second quarter the Bengals continued to dominate the time of possession stat, eventually winning it 40.00 to 20.00. They managed to tack on 3 more points and went in at half time leading 17 – 0. The Ravens were being dominated, and embarrassed once again by the Bengals. You would believe that the Ravens would come out in the second half and get some points on the board very quickly. This did not happen though, and at the end of the 3rd quarter, the score was still 17 – 0. In the fourth quarter the Ravens finally managed to trouble the scorers as the impressive RB Ray Rice got in from 2 yards. The Ravens needed to get the ball back quick, and their prayers were answered as Ochocinco caught the ball and fought off one defender, before Ed Reed stripped the ball off him as he tried to stiff arm the Ravens safety. Now the Ravens had a chance, didn’t they? Unfortunately for them they didn’t, as their drive stuttered into a 4th and 25 situation, where Bengals DE Jonathan Fanene sacked Joe Flacco with 1.50 remaining and effectively ended the game.

This was a great win for the Bengals as they moved 2 games clear of the Ravens, and have completed the sweep of them. Their main competition for the AFC North title and a playoff place now are the reigning Superbowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. This should be a great battle to watch, especially this weekend as the Bengals travel to Heinz Field, in what may well be this weeks ‘Game of the Week’.

Dolphins 30 Jets 25

Well the ‘Game of the week’ that you all voted for looked to be a really poor choice at half time as the score stood at 3 – 3. These two rush first, defensive minded teams were completely cancelling each other out, and I personally could not believe I was watching the same teams that just 3 weeks earlier had provided the 31 – 27 thriller at Land Shark Stadium.

The second half though was a completely different story. The game became littered with huge plays, and the excitement went right down to the last minute or so. The big news coming out of Miami before the game was that Ted Ginn Jr, the Dolphins former first round pick, and supposed game changing WR, was dropped in favour of Brian Hartline (a rookie, picked up in the 4th round of last years draft). Also my thought that the game was going to be a bad tempered affair was proven, as players were getting in each others faces, in the warm up. All set for the game of the week then.

As I said the first half was slightly dull and the 3 – 3 score summed that up. The Jets came out running hard in the second half. So much so they were lining up for virtually every play in a goal line set. The drive eventually stalled, but Jets kicker Jeff Feeley drilled a 55 yard FG, to give the Jets the 6 – 3 lead. Feely, who had made the tackle on Ginn on his previous 2 kicks in the game, kicked deep to Ginn who collected the ball on the goal line. Ginn bought the ball out, bounced outside, and outran the Jets coverage to score. This was a really explosive play, and lit the touch paper under the game. On the Jets next possession, they continued to pound the ball, to the annoyance of the home crowd. Shonn Green then took the ball, went between the tackles, but was hit hard by Phins D-lineman Paul Soliai. Soliai stripped the ball from Green which Jason Taylor collected, and took the ball back 48 yards to put the Phins in control, up 17 – 6.

Their dominance looked to get stronger as the defence forced a 3 and out, and the Jets had to punt away. Davone Bess was under the punt; his hands let him down though as he put the ball on the ground, and the Jets recovered at the 29 yard line. The Jets finally started to air the ball out and got the ball down to threw 1 yard line. Everyone was expecting the Jets to try and run this in, put Sanchez kept the ball on a bootleg, and ran the ball in completely unopposed. In fact some of the Dolphins players were fighting for the ball on the ground, as they thought it had been fumbled. With the score at 17 – 12, the Jets wanted to go for 2, to bring them within a FG. But a false start penalty meant they decided to just kick the extra point. Feely, for some unknown reason, kicked the ball deep to Ginn again, and he took the ball from 1 yard inside the end zone, sidestepped 2 tackles, and went the distance to tie the NFL record of 2 kick returns in 1 game.

The Jets, now realising they needed points fast, continued to throw the ball against the very young Dolphins secondary. A 53 yard Sanchez pass took them to the 20 yard line, and on the next play, Sanchez threw to Braylon Edwards, who fighting against 2 Dolphins defenders, fell backwards into the end zone (24 – 19). The Jets decided to go for 2 again, but Sanchez’s fade pass was intercepted by Vonte Davis.

The Dolphins knew they had to take control of this game the best way they know how to, they ran the ball, and ran down the clock. With just 8.48 on the clock, Joey Haynos caught a Henne pass, to give the Phins a 30 -19 lead. Sanchez hit Keller for a 16 yard TD, and with the score 30 – 25, they failed again at the 2 point conversion. The Jets got the ball back and drove to the 12 yard line with 2 minutes left. So here we are, the Jets need to get in from 12 yards, or they lose to the Dolphins (again!). First down - Thomas Jones runs for 4 yards. Second down – Sanchez keeps the ball, dropped by Randy Starks. Third down – Starks sacks Sanchez back at the 16 yard line. So its 4th and 14, from the 16 yard line. Sanchez, obviously worried about the pass rush, drops to the 30 yard line, throws to the endzone, but it goes out the back, and the Dolphins are able to run out the remaining 1:06, to get a big divisional win.

A great game people, good choice.

Lee’s prediction: Dolphins 24 Jets 20, correct winner and pretty close with the score.