I am away for a few days so no blog on tonights game, other than to say 49ers win.
Back on Wednesday and Power Rankings should follow shortly after.
Monday 29 October 2012
Sunday 28 October 2012
NFL Week 8 Preview and Predictions
Carolina Panthers (1-5) @ Chicago Bears (5-1)
Two teams with very different records so far and it looks like being a very tough game for the Carolina Panthers. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Cam Newton is currently playing the way he did in the second half of last season, rather than showing the explosive form he began last year with. Newton has passed for just 5 touchdowns in his 6 games and the Panthers need more from him. The Bears are playing very well at the minute, particularly on defense. They lead the league in run defense but could improve on their pass defense, ranking 16th. The pass defense is making up for giving up yards though by picking up 14 interceptions, returning 5 for touchdowns. Jay Cutler is currently listed as probable for the Bears and if he plays, then the Bears will be hard to beat.
Prediction - The Bears win this easily and reach 6-1.
San Diego Chargers (3-3) @ Cleveland Browns (1-6)
The Chargers really need to win this game. They are in a tight race in the AFC West and need to win games like this. The numbers would suggest that the Browns aren't going to be able to run the ball. They are 30th in rushing and the Chargers are 2nd in run defense. If the game comes down to Philip Rivers versus Brandon Weeden, then there can only be one winner. The Browns are 1-6 and are there for a reason. They have put in a few decent performances but ultimately they've fell short and lost. The only way I can see the Browns win this game is if we are spending Monday morning talking about Philip Rivers not taking care of the football.
Prediction - The Chargers win this one.
Seattle Seahawks (4-3) @ Detroit Lions (2-4)
This looks like being a tight game between two tough defenses and should be decided by one score. The Seahawks are particularly strong in defense and rank 8th in pass defense and 5th in run defense. The Lions are also doing well in defense and rank 6th in pass defense and 16th in run defense. The Lions strength in offense is their passing game but that has taken a hit this week with news of a season ending injury to Nate Burleson. Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew are both listed as probable for this game and if they don't make it, the Lions will be in trouble. Marshawn Lynch is also listed as probable and as he is the main rusher for a Seahawks team who rank 8th in rushing, his availability will be every bit as important as the Lions duo.
Prediction - The Stafford to Johnson combination will lead the Lions to the win.
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) @ Green Bay Packers (4-3)
The Jaguars hopes for the coming weeks died in my opinion with the injury to Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew is the danger man for a bad Jags team and it is scary to think how bad a team that are 1-5 will be without their best player. The Jags are averaging just 236 yards of total offense per game which is very poor. Especially as 17 teams are averaging more passing yards than that. The Packers are looking much better in the last two weeks and Aaron Rodgers has been particularly impressive. If the Packers can keep up the form they have shown in the last two weeks, then this game should be a very simple win for them. The Jags don't look much better on defense and are giving up over 400 yards per game.
Prediction - The Packers could win this by 40.
Indianapolis Colts (3-3) @ Tennessee Titans (3-4)
This is a big divisional game in the AFC South. The winner will be in a good position in the race for an AFC wildcard spot. Both sides have been inconsistent but on their day can beat anyone. The Titans have exploded in recent weeks and Chris Johnson in particular has been very good after a slow start. The Colts have been poor against the run and rank 26th in run defense. The Colts best chance of winning the game is passing the ball and they rank 11th in passing and the Titans are 27th in pass defense. Both sides will feel that they can win this game and although Andrew Luck and Chris Johnson are on their respective injury reports, I expect both to play and this to be a great game between two big rivals.
Prediction - I have to side with the home team and go for a Titans win.
New England Patriots (4-3) @ St Louis Rams (3-4)
The Patriots have a huge injury list this week and much of their chances in this game will rely on how many of those listed, they get on the field. The Pats won't find it easy against a tough Rams side. The Patriots one weakness is their pass defense and they currently rank 29th in the league. The Patriots are 5th in passing, 5th in rushing and 8th in run defense. If they could get their pass defense to step up, they would have a team as good as any in the league. The Rams aren't great in passing and rank 24th in the league but Sam Bradford isn't a bad quarterback and he might be able to hurt a banged up Pats secondary. This game will be particularly unusual as the road team will have the majority of the fans on their side. The game is the latest in the NFL's International Series games at Wembley Stadium in London. The Pats have a huge following in the UK and their fans will massively out number the Rams fans. This game will bring back good memories for me personally as the only NFL game I have been to was the first Wembley game between the Giants and the Dolphins. It's fantastic for the European fans to get to see the games and I am delighted that next year, Wembley will host two games.
Prediction - Being a better side and having "home" advantage will be enough for the Patriots to win their second regular season game in Wembley Stadium.
Miami Dolphins (3-3) @ New York Jets (3-4)
All four teams in the AFC East are within one win of the divisional lead and the winners of this game will find themselves right in the playoff mix. Both of these sides have good points and bad points, on both sides of the ball. The Jets are better running the ball than throwing, as are the Dolphins. On defense the Jets are particularly strong defending the pass but rank 30th against the run. The Dolphins are 3rd against the run but 28th against the pass. The Jets best chance of winning is to put the ball in the hands of Mark Sanchez and although he had a good game last week, that's never a good idea. The Dolphins best chance is to let Reggie Bush run the ball. After a slow start, Bush has slowed up considerably and he will have to up his game if the Dolphins want to win this game.
Prediction - This game is tough to call, but I'm going to side with the Jets.
Atlanta Falcons (6-0) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-3)
I am surprisingly feeling good about this game against a strong Atlanta Falcons team. We are 13-0 under Andy Reid after the bye week. It's one of the things he consistently gets right and in recent experience the Eagles raise their game when their backs are to the wall. The Falcons are a decent side and currently have the NFL's best record but I just can't see them in the Superbowl. They have an explosive passing attack and Matt Ryan has three excellent receivers to target. The trouble they have is, they are a little bit one dimensional. Their rush is ranked 29th in the league so it's pretty much a case of covering the big three and make them go to Plan B. The Eagles have some of the best coverage in football and with two weeks to prepare I have enough confidence in our defense to get the main threats covered. The one thing that worries me about our defense is we often get caught covering the big targets down the field and forget about the running back. If Ryan can find his running-back, that will be the key to picking up a win. The Eagles have enough on offense to hurt the Falcons but we have been misfiring so far this year. Vick will raise his game for Atlanta and if he can find Maclin and Jackson and we match his throws, with the same amount of LeSean McCoy carries, then I think the Eagles win.
Prediction - LeSean McCoy to run all over the Falcons on the way to an Eagles win.
Washington Redskins (3-4) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)
Another Redskins game and I expect another shootout. I am actually looking forward to seeing RG3 going up against the Steelers defense. He needs to play smart and take that step out of bounds or slide when he's about to get hit. The Steelers defense don't mess about and if a quarterback comes out of the pocket they will be more than happy to take him out. I don't think this Redskins team can survive without RG3 so they need him to avoid the hits. The Steelers rushing attack has been very poor, although Jonathan Dwyer done well last week but the Redskins run defense is ranked 7th in the league, so I don't expect a big week this week. The key for the Steelers will be their passing game. They rank 6th in passing and the Redskins are the worst team in pass defense, so expect Ben Roethlisberger to have a big day.
Prediction - I think this will be 30 something to 30 something but I'll go with the Steelers to edge the win.
Oakland Raiders (2-4) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-5)
The Raiders are 0-3 on the road and Kansas City are 0-3 at home so somebody will be going 1-3. The teams are quite well balanced and it should be a tight game between two sides who I'd expect to finish 3rd and 4th in the AFC West. The Chiefs are 3rd in rushing, averaging 164 yards on the ground per game. The Raiders are better passing the ball and rank 9th in the NFL. Neither defense are particularly impressive and in my opinion the game will come down to the Chiefs ability to take care of the ball. If they give the ball away, the Raiders will punish them but if they can take care of it, their rushers should dictate the game and the Chiefs will win.
Prediction - It's hard to put faith in either side but I'll go with the Chiefs this week.
New York Giants (5-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
Any chance both teams can lose? As an Eagles fan, these are my two most hated NFL teams. I've followed American Football for about 10 years or so and during that period the Eagles main rivals have always been these two. I know the Redskins are there too but they've never really been a threat in my time, so there's not the same level of rivalry. In this game, I absolutely love the match ups. The Giants are 3rd in passing and 12th in rushing. The Cowboys defense are 3rd in pass defense and 14th in run defense. The Cowboys offense are 7th in passing and 20th in rushing. The Giants defense are 21st against the pass and 23rd against the run. Both sides could be without their leading rushers, with DeMarco Murray already ruled out for Dallas and Ahmed Bradshaw listed as questionable for the Giants. First time round the Cowboys won this one but Victor Cruz dropped a few that most likely cost the Giants the game. I can't see him dropping as many today and it looks like being all about Romo v Manning.
Prediction - I'm siding with the Cowboys in this one. Manning is the better quarterback but Dallas have the better secondary and recent history would suggest, go with the dog in this game.
New Orleans Saints (2-4) @ Denver Broncos (3-3)
This is a battle between the two quarterbacks from Superbowl XLIV and it is one that for Drew Brees, must have the same outcome. The Saints have won 2 in a row since an 0-4 start and the team have improved dramatically and a win here would put them right back in contention. The Broncos have been inconsistent with Peyton Manning under center and they too need a win to boost their playoff hopes. The Broncos have fell behind too often and although they came back to beat the Chargers, a successful team can't keep going behind by 20 points. The Saints lead the league in passing but are 32nd in rushing and their defense is 30th in pass defense and 31st in run defense. The Broncos are a much more balanced team, ranking 4th in passing, 23rd in rushing, 10th in pass defense and 18th in run defense.
Prediction - Peyton Manning to avenge his Superbowl XLIV defeat and lead the Broncos to 4-3.
Two teams with very different records so far and it looks like being a very tough game for the Carolina Panthers. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Cam Newton is currently playing the way he did in the second half of last season, rather than showing the explosive form he began last year with. Newton has passed for just 5 touchdowns in his 6 games and the Panthers need more from him. The Bears are playing very well at the minute, particularly on defense. They lead the league in run defense but could improve on their pass defense, ranking 16th. The pass defense is making up for giving up yards though by picking up 14 interceptions, returning 5 for touchdowns. Jay Cutler is currently listed as probable for the Bears and if he plays, then the Bears will be hard to beat.
Prediction - The Bears win this easily and reach 6-1.
San Diego Chargers (3-3) @ Cleveland Browns (1-6)
The Chargers really need to win this game. They are in a tight race in the AFC West and need to win games like this. The numbers would suggest that the Browns aren't going to be able to run the ball. They are 30th in rushing and the Chargers are 2nd in run defense. If the game comes down to Philip Rivers versus Brandon Weeden, then there can only be one winner. The Browns are 1-6 and are there for a reason. They have put in a few decent performances but ultimately they've fell short and lost. The only way I can see the Browns win this game is if we are spending Monday morning talking about Philip Rivers not taking care of the football.
Prediction - The Chargers win this one.
Seattle Seahawks (4-3) @ Detroit Lions (2-4)
This looks like being a tight game between two tough defenses and should be decided by one score. The Seahawks are particularly strong in defense and rank 8th in pass defense and 5th in run defense. The Lions are also doing well in defense and rank 6th in pass defense and 16th in run defense. The Lions strength in offense is their passing game but that has taken a hit this week with news of a season ending injury to Nate Burleson. Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew are both listed as probable for this game and if they don't make it, the Lions will be in trouble. Marshawn Lynch is also listed as probable and as he is the main rusher for a Seahawks team who rank 8th in rushing, his availability will be every bit as important as the Lions duo.
Prediction - The Stafford to Johnson combination will lead the Lions to the win.
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) @ Green Bay Packers (4-3)
The Jaguars hopes for the coming weeks died in my opinion with the injury to Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew is the danger man for a bad Jags team and it is scary to think how bad a team that are 1-5 will be without their best player. The Jags are averaging just 236 yards of total offense per game which is very poor. Especially as 17 teams are averaging more passing yards than that. The Packers are looking much better in the last two weeks and Aaron Rodgers has been particularly impressive. If the Packers can keep up the form they have shown in the last two weeks, then this game should be a very simple win for them. The Jags don't look much better on defense and are giving up over 400 yards per game.
Prediction - The Packers could win this by 40.
Indianapolis Colts (3-3) @ Tennessee Titans (3-4)
This is a big divisional game in the AFC South. The winner will be in a good position in the race for an AFC wildcard spot. Both sides have been inconsistent but on their day can beat anyone. The Titans have exploded in recent weeks and Chris Johnson in particular has been very good after a slow start. The Colts have been poor against the run and rank 26th in run defense. The Colts best chance of winning the game is passing the ball and they rank 11th in passing and the Titans are 27th in pass defense. Both sides will feel that they can win this game and although Andrew Luck and Chris Johnson are on their respective injury reports, I expect both to play and this to be a great game between two big rivals.
Prediction - I have to side with the home team and go for a Titans win.
New England Patriots (4-3) @ St Louis Rams (3-4)
The Patriots have a huge injury list this week and much of their chances in this game will rely on how many of those listed, they get on the field. The Pats won't find it easy against a tough Rams side. The Patriots one weakness is their pass defense and they currently rank 29th in the league. The Patriots are 5th in passing, 5th in rushing and 8th in run defense. If they could get their pass defense to step up, they would have a team as good as any in the league. The Rams aren't great in passing and rank 24th in the league but Sam Bradford isn't a bad quarterback and he might be able to hurt a banged up Pats secondary. This game will be particularly unusual as the road team will have the majority of the fans on their side. The game is the latest in the NFL's International Series games at Wembley Stadium in London. The Pats have a huge following in the UK and their fans will massively out number the Rams fans. This game will bring back good memories for me personally as the only NFL game I have been to was the first Wembley game between the Giants and the Dolphins. It's fantastic for the European fans to get to see the games and I am delighted that next year, Wembley will host two games.
Prediction - Being a better side and having "home" advantage will be enough for the Patriots to win their second regular season game in Wembley Stadium.
Miami Dolphins (3-3) @ New York Jets (3-4)
All four teams in the AFC East are within one win of the divisional lead and the winners of this game will find themselves right in the playoff mix. Both of these sides have good points and bad points, on both sides of the ball. The Jets are better running the ball than throwing, as are the Dolphins. On defense the Jets are particularly strong defending the pass but rank 30th against the run. The Dolphins are 3rd against the run but 28th against the pass. The Jets best chance of winning is to put the ball in the hands of Mark Sanchez and although he had a good game last week, that's never a good idea. The Dolphins best chance is to let Reggie Bush run the ball. After a slow start, Bush has slowed up considerably and he will have to up his game if the Dolphins want to win this game.
Prediction - This game is tough to call, but I'm going to side with the Jets.
Atlanta Falcons (6-0) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-3)
I am surprisingly feeling good about this game against a strong Atlanta Falcons team. We are 13-0 under Andy Reid after the bye week. It's one of the things he consistently gets right and in recent experience the Eagles raise their game when their backs are to the wall. The Falcons are a decent side and currently have the NFL's best record but I just can't see them in the Superbowl. They have an explosive passing attack and Matt Ryan has three excellent receivers to target. The trouble they have is, they are a little bit one dimensional. Their rush is ranked 29th in the league so it's pretty much a case of covering the big three and make them go to Plan B. The Eagles have some of the best coverage in football and with two weeks to prepare I have enough confidence in our defense to get the main threats covered. The one thing that worries me about our defense is we often get caught covering the big targets down the field and forget about the running back. If Ryan can find his running-back, that will be the key to picking up a win. The Eagles have enough on offense to hurt the Falcons but we have been misfiring so far this year. Vick will raise his game for Atlanta and if he can find Maclin and Jackson and we match his throws, with the same amount of LeSean McCoy carries, then I think the Eagles win.
Prediction - LeSean McCoy to run all over the Falcons on the way to an Eagles win.
Washington Redskins (3-4) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3)
Another Redskins game and I expect another shootout. I am actually looking forward to seeing RG3 going up against the Steelers defense. He needs to play smart and take that step out of bounds or slide when he's about to get hit. The Steelers defense don't mess about and if a quarterback comes out of the pocket they will be more than happy to take him out. I don't think this Redskins team can survive without RG3 so they need him to avoid the hits. The Steelers rushing attack has been very poor, although Jonathan Dwyer done well last week but the Redskins run defense is ranked 7th in the league, so I don't expect a big week this week. The key for the Steelers will be their passing game. They rank 6th in passing and the Redskins are the worst team in pass defense, so expect Ben Roethlisberger to have a big day.
Prediction - I think this will be 30 something to 30 something but I'll go with the Steelers to edge the win.
Oakland Raiders (2-4) @ Kansas City Chiefs (1-5)
The Raiders are 0-3 on the road and Kansas City are 0-3 at home so somebody will be going 1-3. The teams are quite well balanced and it should be a tight game between two sides who I'd expect to finish 3rd and 4th in the AFC West. The Chiefs are 3rd in rushing, averaging 164 yards on the ground per game. The Raiders are better passing the ball and rank 9th in the NFL. Neither defense are particularly impressive and in my opinion the game will come down to the Chiefs ability to take care of the ball. If they give the ball away, the Raiders will punish them but if they can take care of it, their rushers should dictate the game and the Chiefs will win.
Prediction - It's hard to put faith in either side but I'll go with the Chiefs this week.
New York Giants (5-2) @ Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
Any chance both teams can lose? As an Eagles fan, these are my two most hated NFL teams. I've followed American Football for about 10 years or so and during that period the Eagles main rivals have always been these two. I know the Redskins are there too but they've never really been a threat in my time, so there's not the same level of rivalry. In this game, I absolutely love the match ups. The Giants are 3rd in passing and 12th in rushing. The Cowboys defense are 3rd in pass defense and 14th in run defense. The Cowboys offense are 7th in passing and 20th in rushing. The Giants defense are 21st against the pass and 23rd against the run. Both sides could be without their leading rushers, with DeMarco Murray already ruled out for Dallas and Ahmed Bradshaw listed as questionable for the Giants. First time round the Cowboys won this one but Victor Cruz dropped a few that most likely cost the Giants the game. I can't see him dropping as many today and it looks like being all about Romo v Manning.
Prediction - I'm siding with the Cowboys in this one. Manning is the better quarterback but Dallas have the better secondary and recent history would suggest, go with the dog in this game.
New Orleans Saints (2-4) @ Denver Broncos (3-3)
This is a battle between the two quarterbacks from Superbowl XLIV and it is one that for Drew Brees, must have the same outcome. The Saints have won 2 in a row since an 0-4 start and the team have improved dramatically and a win here would put them right back in contention. The Broncos have been inconsistent with Peyton Manning under center and they too need a win to boost their playoff hopes. The Broncos have fell behind too often and although they came back to beat the Chargers, a successful team can't keep going behind by 20 points. The Saints lead the league in passing but are 32nd in rushing and their defense is 30th in pass defense and 31st in run defense. The Broncos are a much more balanced team, ranking 4th in passing, 23rd in rushing, 10th in pass defense and 18th in run defense.
Prediction - Peyton Manning to avenge his Superbowl XLIV defeat and lead the Broncos to 4-3.
Thursday 25 October 2012
TNF - Bucs @ Vikings
Having technical problems here and had to do my power rankings on my phone. Anyway, tonights game, I am going for another Vikings win.
NFL POWER RANKINGS - WEEK 8
1 (2) Houston Texans (6-1) - The Texans got back to winning ways after their loss to Green Bay last week, with a highly impressive victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Texans ran out winners by a 30 point margin. The Texans had over 400 yards of offense. Matt Schaub threw for 256 yards and 2 touchdowns. Arian Foster led the rushers with 98 yards and 2 touchdowns. Andre Johnson had 9 catches for 86 yards. The Texans look like the best team in the AFC and in my opinion, the NFL.
2 (1) Atlanta Falcons (6-0) - The Falcons took a perfect record into their bye week and will be feeling confident when they head to Philadelphia to face an Eagles side who are perfect after the bye week under Andy Reid.
3 (4) New York Giants (5-2) - Another win for the Giants and a big one it was over an NFC East rival. The Giants have struggled with NFC East games in recent years so it will have done their confidence a lot of good, to start the Eli v RG3 era, with a win. Eli had a mixed game, throwing for 337 yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions. Victor Cruz was his leading receiver, catching 7 passes for 131 yards and the game winning touchdown. I have mentioned before that I think this Giants team are the real deal and they ticked another box with a win over a mobile quarterback.
4 (5) New England Patriots (4-3) - The Pats tried everything they could to lose this game in the 4th quarter but their defense held firm to restrict the Jets to field goals and the offense recovered enough to kick the field goals required to win the game. Tom Brady threw for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns. Brady connected with Rob Gronkowski for both touchdowns and Gronk ended up with 6 catches for 78 yards and the 2 touchdowns. Running-back, Stevan Ridley was restricted to 65 yards off his 17 carries but the Pats were still able to pick up the win.
5 (6) San Francisco 49ers (5-2) – The 49ers bounced back from last weeks heavy defeat with a narrow win over the Seahawks. Alex Smith completed 14 of 23 passes for 140 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The best player on the field was 49ers running-back, Frank Gore. Gore picked up 131 yards from 16 carries and also caught 5 passes for 51 yards. The 49ers defense done a good job too, restricting the Seahawks to 2 field goals.
6 (7) Chicago Bears (5-1) - The Bears kept up their good run with a win over divisional rivals, the Detroit Lions. The Bears are now 5-1 and look like a good side. Their defense won this game for them. They forced the Lions to turn the ball over 4 times and the defense were supported by a strong running game. The Bears ran for 171 yards and Jay Cutler had a decent game, throwing for 150 yards and a touchdown.
7 (8) Green Bay Packers (4-3) - The Packers won on Sunday to get back to back wins for the first time this season. Aaron Rodgers had another good game, throwing for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb were the leading receivers. Nelson caught 8 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Cobb also had 8 catches and picked up 89 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Packers running game was poor and picked up just 70 yards from 26 carries. If the Packers can get their running game going, a deep playoff run is a real possibility.
8 (3) Baltimore Ravens (5-2) – The Ravens were heavily beaten by a rampant Houston Texans on Sunday. The Ravens lost by a score of 43-13 and the game was over by half-time. Flacco had a bad day, completing less than half of his passes for 121 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Ray Rice was the only Raven to come out of it with much credit, running for 42 yards off just 9 carries. Why Rice only had 9 carries is a question that only Coach Harbaugh can answer. The Ravens still have the lead in the AFC North but based on this performance they won't want to be seeing Houston again in the post season.
9 (10) Minnesota Vikings (5-2) – The Vikings picked up the win on Sunday in a game I called the "Overachievers Bowl". I didn't think either side would be anywhere near the playoffs but both had impressive starts. Christian Ponder had a disappointing day, throwing for 58 yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions. However, Adrian Peterson had a great day and pulled the VIkings through, running for 153 yards and a touchdown.
10 (13) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3) - The Steelers picked up a much needed win in Cincinnati over the Bengals to get back to .500 for the year. The Steelers were led by a great display from their defense, who restricted the Bengals to 185 offensive yards. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 278 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Stand in running-back, Jonathan Dwyer had a great day, running for 122 yards off just 17 carries. Antonio Brown led the receivers catching 7 passes for 96 yards.
11 (12) Denver Broncos (3-3) - The Broncos have had a mixed season so far and we have saw the best and worst of Peyton Manning in their six games. They had their bye week last week and have what should be a great game this week when they host the New Orleans Saints.
12 (9) Seattle Seahawks (4-3) – The Seahawks lost in a tight game to the 49ers last Thursday. Russell Wilson was very disappointing and completed just 9 of his 23 passes for 122 yards and an interception. Marshawn Lynch had more success and picked up 103 yards from just 19 carries. The Seahawks should have gave Lynch more carries but they chose to give the ball to a misfiring Russell Wilson and unsurprisingly it ended in a defeat.
13 (11) Arizona Cardinals (4-3) - After starting 4-0, the Cardinals are now 4-3 after 3 straight losses. This week it was the Minnesota Vikings who beat them by a score of 21-14. John Skelton had a decent game, throwing for 262 yards, a touchdown and an interception. LaRod Stephens-Howling had a good day on the ground, running for 104 yards and a touchdown. Andre Roberts was the leading receiver, catching 7 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.
14 (14) San Diego Chargers (3-3) - The Chargers went into their bye week with a 3-3 record and face the Cleveland Browns in a game they really have to win if they want to be saw as a genuine playoff contender.
15 (15) Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) - The Eagles had their bye week and I thoroughly enjoyed the break. This has been a stressful, unenjoyable season to be an Eagles fan and it was great to watch football on a Sunday evening and actually enjoy it, instead of hiding behind the couch, everytime our offense touched the ball. Next week is a huge game for this Eagles team. Everyone knows about Andy Reid's record after the bye week and they won't face a tougher challenge than the 6-0, Atlanta Falcons. Either way, somebodies O is going to go.
16 (19) Dallas Cowboys (3-3) - Dallas got their record back to .500 with a win in a tight game against the Carolina Panthers. All of the NFC East teams now have at least 3 wins so it was a big win for the Cowboys. Tony Romo had a decent game, throwing for 227 yards and a touchdown. The running game was quite poor and only picked up 85 yards from 31 carries. Miles Austin was the Cowboys leading receiver, catching 5 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.
17 (16) Detroit Lions (2-4) - The Lions drop to 2-4 after a loss in a low scoring game on Monday Night Football. It took the Lions 59:30 to score against the Bears and by that stage they were 13-0 behind. The Lions had more offensive yards but turned the ball over 4 times and in the end it cost them the game. Stafford threw for 263 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The leading rusher was Matt Leshoure who ran for 63 yards from 12 carries. Titus Young caught 6 passes for 81 yards.
18 (17) Washington Redskins (3-4) - RG3 lost his first battle with an NFC East rival, after a narrow defeat to the New York Giants. Griffin had a good game, throwing for 258 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. He also picked up 89 yards on the ground from 9 carries. Alfred Morris also had a good game on the ground, running for 120 yards. The Redskins are 3-4 now but from what I have saw every game will be a shootout and if nothing else, they should provide good entertainment.
19 (18) Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) - The Bengals are struggling now after getting off to a great start. The Bengals were 3-1 but three defeats later and they are 3-4. The Steelers done a great job of stopping the dangerous, Dalton to Green combination. Green only caught 1 pass, albeit, it was an 8 yard touchdown reception. Dalton only completed 50% of his passes for 105 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The Bengals are going to have to find a way to turn their season around quickly or the playoffs will slip out of their reach.
20 (20) Miami Dolphins (3-3) - The Dolphins were on a bye this week and will be happy to be right in the race to win the AFC East. They are behind only the New England Patriots but have played a game less. This week they travel to New York for a big divisional battle with the Jets.
21 (25) Indianapolis Colts (3-3) - The Colts bounced back from last weeks heavy defeat to the Jets, by beating the Cleveland Browns. The Browns kept the game tight and were within 1 point until Adam Vinatieri kicked a field goal with 3:19 remaining. Andrew Luck had a good game, throwing for 186 yards but it was his 2 touchdown runs that will make the headlines. Reggie Wayne led the receivers again, catching 6 passes for 73 yards. Running-back, Vick Ballard had a good day, running for 84 yards.
22 (21) St Louis Rams (3-4) – The Rams lost at home to the Green Bay Packers to slip back to 3-4 for the season. 3-4 isn't a terrible record but considering the improvement in the NFC West, this season, it won't be good enough for a playoff spot. The Rams gave the Packers a tough game on Sunday but in the end fell short. They couldn't contain Aaron Rodgers and it was to be their downfall. Sam Bradford threw for 255 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Steven Jackson ran for 57 yards off 12 carries. He also had a touchdown. The Rams averaged 4.9 yards per carry so it could be questioned why they only ran the ball 22 times.
23 (26) New Orleans Saints (2-4) – The Saints picked up their 2nd win in a row, with a good win in Tampa Bay over the Bucs. The Saints are potentially a good side and at 2-4 are not out of the race for a wildcard spot. They can't afford many more defeats but there season is far from over. Drew Brees had over 300 yards in the first half on Sunday but a quiet second half saw him finish with 377 yards, 4 touchdowns and an interception. His leading receiver was Lance Moore who caught 9 passes for 121 yards.
24 (22) New York Jets (3-4) - The Jets suffered a tough loss to their biggest rivals, the New England Patriots in overtime on Sunday. The Jets stuck with the Pats and never gave up but were unable to take full advantage of the chances they were presented with and paid the price. If the Jets had been able to get another first down on the drive were Nick Folk kicked a field goal with 1:37 remaining, then I think they would have won the game. However, it wasn't meant to be for the Jets and the Pats won. Mark Sanchez had a decent game, throwing for 328 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His leading receivers were Jeremy Kerley and Dustin Keller. Both had 7 catches, Kerley for 120 yards and Keller for 91 yards and a touchdown.
25 (27) Tennessee Titans (3-4) - The Titans won a thriller in Buffalo, beating the Bills 35-34. Matt Hasselbeck had a solid game, throwing for 205 yards and a touchdown but it was running-back, Chris Johnson who will receive the plaudits. Johnson has had a bad season up to now but exploded into life with a fantastic game on Sunday. He ended the game with 195 yards and 2 touchdowns from 18 carries. If Johnson can keep up that form, the Titans could find themselves in the running for a wildcard spot in the AFC.
26 (23) Buffalo Bills (3-4) – The Bills suffered a heartbreaking loss to Tennessee, losing 35-34, after giving up a late touchdown. The game was tight all the way and at no point was there more than one score between the teams but in the end it was the Titans who picked up the win. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a decent game, throwing for 225 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson shared carries again, combining for 141 yards but ultimately it was the Bills inability to stop Chris Johnson that led to the loss.
27 (28) Oakland Raiders (2-4) - The Raiders got their second win of the season after a great comeback against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Raiders levelled the game with a late touchdown and then won it in overtime, courtesy of a Sebastian Janikowski field goal. Carson Palmer had a good game, throwing for 298 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His leading receiver was Darrius Heywerd-Bey who caught 4 passes for 85 yards. Darren McFadden had another poor day, running for just 53 yards from 19 carries.
28 (24) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4) - The Bucs suffered a tough defeat against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday to drop to 2-4 for the season. The Bucs thought they had levelled the game right at the end but the touchdown was ruled out due to a penalty. Josh Freeman had a huge day, throwing for 420 yards and 3 touchdowns. His main target was Vincent Jackson who caught 7 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown. Doug Martin had a good day on the ground, picking up 85 yards and a touchdown.
29 (29) Carolina Panthers (1-5) – The Panthers lost a close game to the Dallas Cowboys and are now 1-5 for the year. Cam Newton had one of his better games, throwing for 233 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also picked up 64 yards from 6 carries. Steve Smith led the receivers, with 7 catches for 83 yards. Brandon LaFell also had a good day catching 4 passes for 53 yards and a touchdown.
30 (30) Cleveland Browns (1-6) – The Browns were unable to carry their winning form into this week and lost in a tight game to the Indianapolis Colts. The game was very tight throughout and by the end the teams were only seperated by 2 offensive yards but in the end the Colts edged it. Brandon Weeden had a good game, throwing for 264 yards and 2 touchdowns. The running game struggled though and the Browns were only able to pick up 55 yards from 17 carries. Trent Richardson was particularly poor, running for 8 yards from 8 carries.
31 (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) - The Jags slip to 1-5 after a defeat in overtime to the Raiders. The Jags had a 14 point lead in the second half but the Raiders came back to win. The Jags lost Blaine Gabbert and Maurice Jones-Drew to injury and their offense stalled completely after that. The Jags only managed 209 offensive yards and gave up 351 so in truth they were lucky to keep the game as close as they did.
32 (32) Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) - The Chiefs have been poor so far and were on their bye week with a 1-5 record. They face divisional rivals, the Oakland Raiders, in what looks like a must win game for both sides.
2 (1) Atlanta Falcons (6-0) - The Falcons took a perfect record into their bye week and will be feeling confident when they head to Philadelphia to face an Eagles side who are perfect after the bye week under Andy Reid.
3 (4) New York Giants (5-2) - Another win for the Giants and a big one it was over an NFC East rival. The Giants have struggled with NFC East games in recent years so it will have done their confidence a lot of good, to start the Eli v RG3 era, with a win. Eli had a mixed game, throwing for 337 yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions. Victor Cruz was his leading receiver, catching 7 passes for 131 yards and the game winning touchdown. I have mentioned before that I think this Giants team are the real deal and they ticked another box with a win over a mobile quarterback.
4 (5) New England Patriots (4-3) - The Pats tried everything they could to lose this game in the 4th quarter but their defense held firm to restrict the Jets to field goals and the offense recovered enough to kick the field goals required to win the game. Tom Brady threw for 259 yards and 2 touchdowns. Brady connected with Rob Gronkowski for both touchdowns and Gronk ended up with 6 catches for 78 yards and the 2 touchdowns. Running-back, Stevan Ridley was restricted to 65 yards off his 17 carries but the Pats were still able to pick up the win.
5 (6) San Francisco 49ers (5-2) – The 49ers bounced back from last weeks heavy defeat with a narrow win over the Seahawks. Alex Smith completed 14 of 23 passes for 140 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The best player on the field was 49ers running-back, Frank Gore. Gore picked up 131 yards from 16 carries and also caught 5 passes for 51 yards. The 49ers defense done a good job too, restricting the Seahawks to 2 field goals.
6 (7) Chicago Bears (5-1) - The Bears kept up their good run with a win over divisional rivals, the Detroit Lions. The Bears are now 5-1 and look like a good side. Their defense won this game for them. They forced the Lions to turn the ball over 4 times and the defense were supported by a strong running game. The Bears ran for 171 yards and Jay Cutler had a decent game, throwing for 150 yards and a touchdown.
7 (8) Green Bay Packers (4-3) - The Packers won on Sunday to get back to back wins for the first time this season. Aaron Rodgers had another good game, throwing for 342 yards and 3 touchdowns. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb were the leading receivers. Nelson caught 8 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Cobb also had 8 catches and picked up 89 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Packers running game was poor and picked up just 70 yards from 26 carries. If the Packers can get their running game going, a deep playoff run is a real possibility.
8 (3) Baltimore Ravens (5-2) – The Ravens were heavily beaten by a rampant Houston Texans on Sunday. The Ravens lost by a score of 43-13 and the game was over by half-time. Flacco had a bad day, completing less than half of his passes for 121 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Ray Rice was the only Raven to come out of it with much credit, running for 42 yards off just 9 carries. Why Rice only had 9 carries is a question that only Coach Harbaugh can answer. The Ravens still have the lead in the AFC North but based on this performance they won't want to be seeing Houston again in the post season.
9 (10) Minnesota Vikings (5-2) – The Vikings picked up the win on Sunday in a game I called the "Overachievers Bowl". I didn't think either side would be anywhere near the playoffs but both had impressive starts. Christian Ponder had a disappointing day, throwing for 58 yards, a touchdown and 2 interceptions. However, Adrian Peterson had a great day and pulled the VIkings through, running for 153 yards and a touchdown.
10 (13) Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3) - The Steelers picked up a much needed win in Cincinnati over the Bengals to get back to .500 for the year. The Steelers were led by a great display from their defense, who restricted the Bengals to 185 offensive yards. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 278 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Stand in running-back, Jonathan Dwyer had a great day, running for 122 yards off just 17 carries. Antonio Brown led the receivers catching 7 passes for 96 yards.
11 (12) Denver Broncos (3-3) - The Broncos have had a mixed season so far and we have saw the best and worst of Peyton Manning in their six games. They had their bye week last week and have what should be a great game this week when they host the New Orleans Saints.
12 (9) Seattle Seahawks (4-3) – The Seahawks lost in a tight game to the 49ers last Thursday. Russell Wilson was very disappointing and completed just 9 of his 23 passes for 122 yards and an interception. Marshawn Lynch had more success and picked up 103 yards from just 19 carries. The Seahawks should have gave Lynch more carries but they chose to give the ball to a misfiring Russell Wilson and unsurprisingly it ended in a defeat.
13 (11) Arizona Cardinals (4-3) - After starting 4-0, the Cardinals are now 4-3 after 3 straight losses. This week it was the Minnesota Vikings who beat them by a score of 21-14. John Skelton had a decent game, throwing for 262 yards, a touchdown and an interception. LaRod Stephens-Howling had a good day on the ground, running for 104 yards and a touchdown. Andre Roberts was the leading receiver, catching 7 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown.
14 (14) San Diego Chargers (3-3) - The Chargers went into their bye week with a 3-3 record and face the Cleveland Browns in a game they really have to win if they want to be saw as a genuine playoff contender.
15 (15) Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) - The Eagles had their bye week and I thoroughly enjoyed the break. This has been a stressful, unenjoyable season to be an Eagles fan and it was great to watch football on a Sunday evening and actually enjoy it, instead of hiding behind the couch, everytime our offense touched the ball. Next week is a huge game for this Eagles team. Everyone knows about Andy Reid's record after the bye week and they won't face a tougher challenge than the 6-0, Atlanta Falcons. Either way, somebodies O is going to go.
16 (19) Dallas Cowboys (3-3) - Dallas got their record back to .500 with a win in a tight game against the Carolina Panthers. All of the NFC East teams now have at least 3 wins so it was a big win for the Cowboys. Tony Romo had a decent game, throwing for 227 yards and a touchdown. The running game was quite poor and only picked up 85 yards from 31 carries. Miles Austin was the Cowboys leading receiver, catching 5 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.
17 (16) Detroit Lions (2-4) - The Lions drop to 2-4 after a loss in a low scoring game on Monday Night Football. It took the Lions 59:30 to score against the Bears and by that stage they were 13-0 behind. The Lions had more offensive yards but turned the ball over 4 times and in the end it cost them the game. Stafford threw for 263 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The leading rusher was Matt Leshoure who ran for 63 yards from 12 carries. Titus Young caught 6 passes for 81 yards.
18 (17) Washington Redskins (3-4) - RG3 lost his first battle with an NFC East rival, after a narrow defeat to the New York Giants. Griffin had a good game, throwing for 258 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. He also picked up 89 yards on the ground from 9 carries. Alfred Morris also had a good game on the ground, running for 120 yards. The Redskins are 3-4 now but from what I have saw every game will be a shootout and if nothing else, they should provide good entertainment.
19 (18) Cincinnati Bengals (3-4) - The Bengals are struggling now after getting off to a great start. The Bengals were 3-1 but three defeats later and they are 3-4. The Steelers done a great job of stopping the dangerous, Dalton to Green combination. Green only caught 1 pass, albeit, it was an 8 yard touchdown reception. Dalton only completed 50% of his passes for 105 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The Bengals are going to have to find a way to turn their season around quickly or the playoffs will slip out of their reach.
20 (20) Miami Dolphins (3-3) - The Dolphins were on a bye this week and will be happy to be right in the race to win the AFC East. They are behind only the New England Patriots but have played a game less. This week they travel to New York for a big divisional battle with the Jets.
21 (25) Indianapolis Colts (3-3) - The Colts bounced back from last weeks heavy defeat to the Jets, by beating the Cleveland Browns. The Browns kept the game tight and were within 1 point until Adam Vinatieri kicked a field goal with 3:19 remaining. Andrew Luck had a good game, throwing for 186 yards but it was his 2 touchdown runs that will make the headlines. Reggie Wayne led the receivers again, catching 6 passes for 73 yards. Running-back, Vick Ballard had a good day, running for 84 yards.
22 (21) St Louis Rams (3-4) – The Rams lost at home to the Green Bay Packers to slip back to 3-4 for the season. 3-4 isn't a terrible record but considering the improvement in the NFC West, this season, it won't be good enough for a playoff spot. The Rams gave the Packers a tough game on Sunday but in the end fell short. They couldn't contain Aaron Rodgers and it was to be their downfall. Sam Bradford threw for 255 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Steven Jackson ran for 57 yards off 12 carries. He also had a touchdown. The Rams averaged 4.9 yards per carry so it could be questioned why they only ran the ball 22 times.
23 (26) New Orleans Saints (2-4) – The Saints picked up their 2nd win in a row, with a good win in Tampa Bay over the Bucs. The Saints are potentially a good side and at 2-4 are not out of the race for a wildcard spot. They can't afford many more defeats but there season is far from over. Drew Brees had over 300 yards in the first half on Sunday but a quiet second half saw him finish with 377 yards, 4 touchdowns and an interception. His leading receiver was Lance Moore who caught 9 passes for 121 yards.
24 (22) New York Jets (3-4) - The Jets suffered a tough loss to their biggest rivals, the New England Patriots in overtime on Sunday. The Jets stuck with the Pats and never gave up but were unable to take full advantage of the chances they were presented with and paid the price. If the Jets had been able to get another first down on the drive were Nick Folk kicked a field goal with 1:37 remaining, then I think they would have won the game. However, it wasn't meant to be for the Jets and the Pats won. Mark Sanchez had a decent game, throwing for 328 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His leading receivers were Jeremy Kerley and Dustin Keller. Both had 7 catches, Kerley for 120 yards and Keller for 91 yards and a touchdown.
25 (27) Tennessee Titans (3-4) - The Titans won a thriller in Buffalo, beating the Bills 35-34. Matt Hasselbeck had a solid game, throwing for 205 yards and a touchdown but it was running-back, Chris Johnson who will receive the plaudits. Johnson has had a bad season up to now but exploded into life with a fantastic game on Sunday. He ended the game with 195 yards and 2 touchdowns from 18 carries. If Johnson can keep up that form, the Titans could find themselves in the running for a wildcard spot in the AFC.
26 (23) Buffalo Bills (3-4) – The Bills suffered a heartbreaking loss to Tennessee, losing 35-34, after giving up a late touchdown. The game was tight all the way and at no point was there more than one score between the teams but in the end it was the Titans who picked up the win. Ryan Fitzpatrick had a decent game, throwing for 225 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson shared carries again, combining for 141 yards but ultimately it was the Bills inability to stop Chris Johnson that led to the loss.
27 (28) Oakland Raiders (2-4) - The Raiders got their second win of the season after a great comeback against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Raiders levelled the game with a late touchdown and then won it in overtime, courtesy of a Sebastian Janikowski field goal. Carson Palmer had a good game, throwing for 298 yards, a touchdown and an interception. His leading receiver was Darrius Heywerd-Bey who caught 4 passes for 85 yards. Darren McFadden had another poor day, running for just 53 yards from 19 carries.
28 (24) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4) - The Bucs suffered a tough defeat against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday to drop to 2-4 for the season. The Bucs thought they had levelled the game right at the end but the touchdown was ruled out due to a penalty. Josh Freeman had a huge day, throwing for 420 yards and 3 touchdowns. His main target was Vincent Jackson who caught 7 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown. Doug Martin had a good day on the ground, picking up 85 yards and a touchdown.
29 (29) Carolina Panthers (1-5) – The Panthers lost a close game to the Dallas Cowboys and are now 1-5 for the year. Cam Newton had one of his better games, throwing for 233 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also picked up 64 yards from 6 carries. Steve Smith led the receivers, with 7 catches for 83 yards. Brandon LaFell also had a good day catching 4 passes for 53 yards and a touchdown.
30 (30) Cleveland Browns (1-6) – The Browns were unable to carry their winning form into this week and lost in a tight game to the Indianapolis Colts. The game was very tight throughout and by the end the teams were only seperated by 2 offensive yards but in the end the Colts edged it. Brandon Weeden had a good game, throwing for 264 yards and 2 touchdowns. The running game struggled though and the Browns were only able to pick up 55 yards from 17 carries. Trent Richardson was particularly poor, running for 8 yards from 8 carries.
31 (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) - The Jags slip to 1-5 after a defeat in overtime to the Raiders. The Jags had a 14 point lead in the second half but the Raiders came back to win. The Jags lost Blaine Gabbert and Maurice Jones-Drew to injury and their offense stalled completely after that. The Jags only managed 209 offensive yards and gave up 351 so in truth they were lucky to keep the game as close as they did.
32 (32) Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) - The Chiefs have been poor so far and were on their bye week with a 1-5 record. They face divisional rivals, the Oakland Raiders, in what looks like a must win game for both sides.
Tuesday 23 October 2012
Barcelona v Celtic Preview
Celtic face a difficult task in their latest Champions League game against Catalan giants, Barcelona. In my opinion Barcelona are the best team in the world and have, arguably, three of the best five footballers in the world playing for them. Messi, Xavi and Iniesta are fantastic footballers in their own right, together they are simply frightening.
Barcelona are in great form and have won ten of their twelve games in all competitions this year. Their only slip ups have came in a league draw and a Spanish Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid. They have scored thirty-three goals in those twelve games but perhaps the most encouraging stat, for Celtic, is they have conceded seventeen goals and kept just three clean sheets. In their first twelve games last season, Barcelona conceded ten goals and kept seven clean sheets. They have had a few injuries in defence this season but there is definitely room for improvement.
Things are looking good for Celtic too. They are top of the league, have safely negotiated the early rounds of the League Cup and have four points from two Champions League group stage games. Perhaps the best part of this season for Celtic was the win in Moscow, to finally pick up the clubs first away win in the Champions League group stage. Finally, we can watch the games and not constantly hear about the number of games it’s been without an away win for Celtic.
Celtic’s resurgence has to be credited to Neil Lennon and his staff. This time last year things were looking very bad for Celtic but it all turned round that day at Kilmarnock and Celtic are now reaping the rewards.
When Lennon came to Celtic, he started a process that I call the “Lyonification of Celtic.” He has made the most of the clubs resources and is using the scouting network to the maximum of its potential. Celtic are now picking up young talent from all over the world and developing that talent. The first team squad is full of players who Celtic could sell for millions more than they paid. Fraser Forster, Adam Matthews, Emilio Izaguirre, Efe Ambrose, Kelvin Wilson, Joe Ledley, Charlie Mulgrew, Beram Kayal, Victor Wanyama and Gary Hooper cost Celtic less than £10 million. Add to that youth players coming through like, Tony Watt, Dylan McGeouch, James Forrest and the Twardzik twins and the future looks bright at Celtic Park.
The key to the Lyonification or Lyon model is to sell one or two of those players each summer for a profit and reinvest the money in more young talent. This worked for Lyon and led them to the latter stages of the Champions League. Celtic has no option but to try to emulate this model as they do not have the financial muscle that so many of their Champions League rivals have. The SPL doesn't have the television contracts that other leagues have and that was the case long before Celtic's former rivals, Rangers went bust.
Celtic are using a very wise business model and the product on the field is not suffering. If anything I'd say the current squad is the best I've saw in my years as a Celtic fan. Martin O'Neill's side that reached the UEFA Cup Final is the best Celtic team I've saw but they suffered a little as they didn't have the depth to compete on two fronts. O'Neill's team had a core of about fourteen or fifteen players and struggled with injuries. This current squad has just under twenty international footballers in it and for an SPL club, that is phenomenal. Celtic now have at least two players who are capable of playing every position and it wouldn't hurt the team. I've never seen it before and probably won't see it again.
Onto tonight's game and in my opinion, away to Barcelona is the hardest fixture in football. In Barcelona's starting eleven, you could make a case that at least half a dozen of them are the best player, in their position, in the world. To play against such a quality side, in front of potentially 100,000 fans is a daunting task for any team. When you consider how young the Celtic players are, it almost becomes mission impossible.
I think Celtic will have to play in a certain tactical style to have any chance of beating Barcelona. If I was Neil Lennon I'd instruct the players to play the game in as narrow a space as possible. The full-backs should be staying within the width of the 18 yard box. Barcelona are at their best when passing the ball around the edge of the box. The more compact Celtic can be, the less gaps Barcelona can expose. If Barcelona get the ball out wide and try to cross it into the box, I am confident that Ambrose, Wilson or Mulgrew will win any aerial battles that may occur. If Barcelona get the ball in the wings they would be more likely to try to play passes to the edge of the box and a narrow defence will make it harder to find those passes.
The formation I would play is a narrow 4-4-1-1. Depending on injuries, I would play Forster in nets, Matthews, Ambrose, Wilson and Izaguirre in defence. In midfield I would play Brown on the right, Mulgrew on the left and Wanyama and Ledley in the middle. I would have Samaras just ahead of them but when defending, I would have him dropping into the midfield. Samaras is the out ball and he would have no problems carrying the ball thirty or forty yards up the field. Finally, I would have Gary Hooper in attack. He done a good job in Moscow and if Celtic do create a chance, he's the one man I'd like it to fall to.
Realistically, this is a mammoth task for Celtic and if they played this game 200 times, Barca would win 195. As Celtic fans we can only hope and pray that tonight is one of the other five.
Barcelona are in great form and have won ten of their twelve games in all competitions this year. Their only slip ups have came in a league draw and a Spanish Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid. They have scored thirty-three goals in those twelve games but perhaps the most encouraging stat, for Celtic, is they have conceded seventeen goals and kept just three clean sheets. In their first twelve games last season, Barcelona conceded ten goals and kept seven clean sheets. They have had a few injuries in defence this season but there is definitely room for improvement.
Things are looking good for Celtic too. They are top of the league, have safely negotiated the early rounds of the League Cup and have four points from two Champions League group stage games. Perhaps the best part of this season for Celtic was the win in Moscow, to finally pick up the clubs first away win in the Champions League group stage. Finally, we can watch the games and not constantly hear about the number of games it’s been without an away win for Celtic.
Celtic’s resurgence has to be credited to Neil Lennon and his staff. This time last year things were looking very bad for Celtic but it all turned round that day at Kilmarnock and Celtic are now reaping the rewards.
When Lennon came to Celtic, he started a process that I call the “Lyonification of Celtic.” He has made the most of the clubs resources and is using the scouting network to the maximum of its potential. Celtic are now picking up young talent from all over the world and developing that talent. The first team squad is full of players who Celtic could sell for millions more than they paid. Fraser Forster, Adam Matthews, Emilio Izaguirre, Efe Ambrose, Kelvin Wilson, Joe Ledley, Charlie Mulgrew, Beram Kayal, Victor Wanyama and Gary Hooper cost Celtic less than £10 million. Add to that youth players coming through like, Tony Watt, Dylan McGeouch, James Forrest and the Twardzik twins and the future looks bright at Celtic Park.
The key to the Lyonification or Lyon model is to sell one or two of those players each summer for a profit and reinvest the money in more young talent. This worked for Lyon and led them to the latter stages of the Champions League. Celtic has no option but to try to emulate this model as they do not have the financial muscle that so many of their Champions League rivals have. The SPL doesn't have the television contracts that other leagues have and that was the case long before Celtic's former rivals, Rangers went bust.
Celtic are using a very wise business model and the product on the field is not suffering. If anything I'd say the current squad is the best I've saw in my years as a Celtic fan. Martin O'Neill's side that reached the UEFA Cup Final is the best Celtic team I've saw but they suffered a little as they didn't have the depth to compete on two fronts. O'Neill's team had a core of about fourteen or fifteen players and struggled with injuries. This current squad has just under twenty international footballers in it and for an SPL club, that is phenomenal. Celtic now have at least two players who are capable of playing every position and it wouldn't hurt the team. I've never seen it before and probably won't see it again.
Onto tonight's game and in my opinion, away to Barcelona is the hardest fixture in football. In Barcelona's starting eleven, you could make a case that at least half a dozen of them are the best player, in their position, in the world. To play against such a quality side, in front of potentially 100,000 fans is a daunting task for any team. When you consider how young the Celtic players are, it almost becomes mission impossible.
I think Celtic will have to play in a certain tactical style to have any chance of beating Barcelona. If I was Neil Lennon I'd instruct the players to play the game in as narrow a space as possible. The full-backs should be staying within the width of the 18 yard box. Barcelona are at their best when passing the ball around the edge of the box. The more compact Celtic can be, the less gaps Barcelona can expose. If Barcelona get the ball out wide and try to cross it into the box, I am confident that Ambrose, Wilson or Mulgrew will win any aerial battles that may occur. If Barcelona get the ball in the wings they would be more likely to try to play passes to the edge of the box and a narrow defence will make it harder to find those passes.
The formation I would play is a narrow 4-4-1-1. Depending on injuries, I would play Forster in nets, Matthews, Ambrose, Wilson and Izaguirre in defence. In midfield I would play Brown on the right, Mulgrew on the left and Wanyama and Ledley in the middle. I would have Samaras just ahead of them but when defending, I would have him dropping into the midfield. Samaras is the out ball and he would have no problems carrying the ball thirty or forty yards up the field. Finally, I would have Gary Hooper in attack. He done a good job in Moscow and if Celtic do create a chance, he's the one man I'd like it to fall to.
Realistically, this is a mammoth task for Celtic and if they played this game 200 times, Barca would win 195. As Celtic fans we can only hope and pray that tonight is one of the other five.
Monday 22 October 2012
Monday Night Football - Detroit Lions(2-3) @ Chicago Bears (4-1)
This is a huge battle and will play a big part in the eventual outcome of the NFC North. The Lions need the win more as 2-4 would be a deep hole to be in, especially in a division with teams as good as the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers.
The Bears are traditionally one of the best defenses in the league and they are no different this year. They are giving up just 291 yards per game and have returned 5 interceptions for touchdowns. The Bears offense has done quite well, especially on the ground. Matt Forte and Michael Bush have led the running game and will be a dangerous duo as the season progresses.
The Lions are a pass heavy offense but they are underachieving at present. Matt Stafford is averaging just under 300 yards per game, which is 5th in the league, but he isn't finishing off the drives in the way he has to. He has just 4 touchdown passes and there are 30 quarterbacks in the NFL who have more than 4. With a target like Calvin Johnson in the end zone, there is no excuse for such a poor return. Stafford and Johnson need to start this game like they finished the last one, if the Lions are going to win this game.
Prediction - The way I see this game developing is a tough, tight first half with the Bears taking a narrow lead into half-time. In the second half the Lions will be trying to force the issue and I expect the Bears defense to stop them and it will lead to turnovers and the Bears will extend their lead and win comfortably.
The Bears are traditionally one of the best defenses in the league and they are no different this year. They are giving up just 291 yards per game and have returned 5 interceptions for touchdowns. The Bears offense has done quite well, especially on the ground. Matt Forte and Michael Bush have led the running game and will be a dangerous duo as the season progresses.
The Lions are a pass heavy offense but they are underachieving at present. Matt Stafford is averaging just under 300 yards per game, which is 5th in the league, but he isn't finishing off the drives in the way he has to. He has just 4 touchdown passes and there are 30 quarterbacks in the NFL who have more than 4. With a target like Calvin Johnson in the end zone, there is no excuse for such a poor return. Stafford and Johnson need to start this game like they finished the last one, if the Lions are going to win this game.
Prediction - The way I see this game developing is a tough, tight first half with the Bears taking a narrow lead into half-time. In the second half the Lions will be trying to force the issue and I expect the Bears defense to stop them and it will lead to turnovers and the Bears will extend their lead and win comfortably.
Sunday 21 October 2012
NFL Week 7 Preview and Predictions
Tennessee Titans (2-4) @ Buffalo Bills (3-3)
I can't see either of these two making it to the post season but a win here would certainly keep their hopes alive. Both sides had unexpected wins last week and both will come into this game feeling good about themselves. There are a few interesting match ups in this game and they will decide who wins the game. The Bills are 29th in passing and the Titans are 29th in pass defense so either way one of those units are going to have one of their better days of the season. The same applies to the battle between the Titans running attack and the Bills run defense. Both are ranked 32nd in the league and after a decent game last week the Titans will put the ball in Chris Johnson's hands. It will be interesting to see if the Bills defense can stop him. The Bills running game looks like the biggest difference in the teams. The Bills are 5th in the NFL at running the ball and the Titans are 24th in defending the run.
Prediction - The Bills to give the ball to CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson and let them lead them to 4-3.
Cleveland Browns (1-5) @ Indianapolis Colts (2-3)
The Browns picked up their first win of the season last week against the Bengals and will be hoping to pick up another win in Indianapolis. The Colts suffered a heavy defeat last week against the Jets. Both sides have rookie quarterbacks and so far, unsurprisingly, Andrew Luck looks the better player. There's not as big a gap as I expected there to be but Luck does look better. Luck should have another decent day today against a Browns pass defense that ranks 30th in the NFL. The Colts pass defense are 3rd in the NFL so it looks like it could be a tough day for Brandon Weeden. The Browns best option is to run the ball against the 29th ranked run defense. That will rely heavily on the availability of Trent Richardson who is listed as questionable with a rib injury. The Browns aren't much better against the run so it looks as though the Colts can win this game two ways.
Prediction - The Colts will get the win and get back to .500.
Green Bay Packers (3-3) @ St Louis Rams (3-3)
This looks like another interesting battle between the Packers and an NFC West opponent. The Packers are 0-2 against the AFC West and all four teams in that division are carbon copies of each other. All four are doing a good job of running the ball, all have strong defenses and none have a particularly good quarterback. That combination has been tough for the Packers to overcome and I think they will find it tough again today. By the time their careers are over, I'd say Sam Bradford will have had the best career of all of the NFC West quarterbacks, so there will be an extra threat for the Packers defense today. The Packers need to do a better job of protecting Aaron Rodgers. He has been sacked 23 times and the Rams are joint 5th in sacks with 18 sacks for the season. Rodgers is listed as probable today and although I expect he will play, I think he will see a lot of the Rams front 7 and it could be another tough day for him.
Prediction - The Rams could cause an upset here and take the win.
Arizona Cardinals (4-2) @ Minnesota Vikings (4-2)
These two teams are my nemesis, certainly as far as my NFL Season Preview is concerned. I had the Cardinals at 4-12 and the Vikings at 3-13, so they have already won more games between them, than I predicted. I had some good predictions and some terrible ones. If interested, have a read here. http://gjsportsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/nfl-2012-season-preview.html The Cards have lost their last 2 and the Vikings lost last week so it looks as though the wheels are coming off but at least one of these will be 5-2 by tonight. Kolb and Ponder have both done reasonably well at quarterback and Ponder has been supported by Adrian Peterson who has come back very well from a very serious injury. Both sides have done well defensively so it should be a tough game between two teams with genuine playoff hopes.
Prediction - The Vikings just seem to have that little bit more and will win the game.
Washington Redskins (3-3) @ New York Giants (4-2)
Due to Philadelphia being on their bye week , I have to say this is the game I am looking forward to the most this week. I have been having a good look at this game and there looks to be two very interesting match ups. The Giants are 5th in passing and the Redskins defense are 32nd against the pass. If I was the Giants, I'd start from the first quarter with a pass heavy offense. The Redskins best chance of winning the game is to put the ball in the hands of RG3 and Alfred Morris and attempt to run over the Giants. It's a dangerous tactic as the Giants have some big, hard hitting guys on defense but it's the best weapon the Redskins have and they have to use it. I think both quarterbacks will have a good game and can see the game coming down to whoever has the ball as time expires.
Prediction - The Redskins beat the Giants twice last year but I think this game is won by a 4th quarter drive from Eli Manning.
New Orleans Saints (1-4) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3)
This will be a big game in the NFC South between two sides who are underachieving. I think everyone will agree that the Saints are underachieving but a lot of people will probably believe the Bucs are where they should be but I'd disagree. Josh Freeman in particular has disappointed me this season. I had Freeman two years ago in my fantasy team as backup to Aaron Rodgers. Freeman outscored Rodgers most weeks, that season, much to my dismay. There's a good quarterback in there but we don't see it often enough. The Saints rank 1st in passing and the Bucs are 31st against the pass, so it looks as though Drew Brees could have a big day. The Bucs offense hasn't been great this year but either have the Saints defense so if the Bucs can carry last weeks form into this wee,k then they will every chance of picking up the win.
Prediction - The Bucs to get back to .500 with a win over the Saints.
Dallas Cowboys (2-3) @ Carolina Panthers (1-4)
The Cowboys biggest issue so far has been Tony Romo's interceptions. If Romo can keep the ball away from defensive backs, this Cowboys team could reach the playoffs. They have a good defense, particularly against the pass. Offensively, they are 6th in passing, so there is definitely a good side in there. The Panthers are 13th in rushing but with the weapons at their disposal they should be higher. The Panthers haven't been doing great defensively and unless they can force the Cowboys into mistakes, it could be a difficult game for the Panthers.
Prediction - The Cowboys should have enough to win this game.
Baltimore Ravens (5-1) @ Houston Texans (5-1)
This could very well be a preview of the AFC Championship game, as two 5-1 teams go head to head in Houston. The Ravens were hit by news of an injury to Ray Lewis and he has been ruled out for the season but they will be boosted by the news that reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Terrell Suggs has returned to practice and looks set to play today. I have questioned both sides this season but the fact is they are 5-1 and should the playoffs begin today, they'd be seeded 1 and 2 in the AFC. The Texans defense has been fantastic and are only giving up 301 yards per game. Their running game is doing the majority of the damage offensively but Matt Schaub is doing a decent job when called upon. The Ravens are relying on Joe Flacco a lot more than I thought they would but perhaps it's a case of keeping Ray Rice back a bit for the post season. Rice is averaging 5 yards per carry, so I can't imagine another reason why they would be giving him such a small workload.
Prediction - The Texans will bounce back from a bad loss last week and will pick up the win.
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) @ Oakland Raiders (1-4)
Both of these teams have had poor seasons so far and from looking at the statistics it's easy to see why. The Jags rank bottom in passing and 22nd in rushing. The defense isn't much better and rank 23rd against the pass and 30th against the run. The Raiders aren't much better and rank 12th in passing but 29th in rushing. On defense, they are 25th against the pass and 18th against the run. From those stats, the Raiders look like the better side but it doesn't look like being a great game of football and either way, I can't see the winner picking outside the top 10 in the 2013 draft.
Prediction - The Raiders to win this one easily.
New York Jets (3-3) @ New England Patriots (3-3)
This will be a huge battle in the race for the AFC East and in my opinion both teams have somewhat undeserved records. For me the Jets are very fortunate to be at 3-3 and the Pats can consider themselves unlucky to be at 3-3. In my opinion, the Pats are a much better side than the Jets but Rex Ryan usually has something special planned for the Patriots, so it always makes an interesting game. The Pats are as explosive as ever on offense and rank 3rd in passing and 4th in rushing. They have resolved their issues with defending the run and rank 5th in run defense but they are still struggling against the pass and rank 28th. Fortunately for the Pats the Jets are 30th at passing and I can't see Mark Sanchez leading the Jets to a big win. The Jets and Shonn Greene in particular had a good game on the ground last week and they will have to rely on him again and hope their defense can pick up a few turnovers if they are to have any chance against the Pats.
Prediction - There often seems to be a heavy Pats win and a tight game between these two in recent years. Tonight will be the heavy Pats win.
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3-3)
This will be a huge game for both sides as a defeat here could see them slip further back in the AFC North race, especially if the Ravens can pick up a win in Houston. The Steelers rank 31st in rushing and won't be helped by Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman missing this game through injuries. The Steelers are doing better in passing, ranking 7th but the Bengals rank 17th in pass defense and with a non-existent running game, they should be able to concentrate on the pass a bit more. The Steelers are still one of the best defenses in the league so I am looking forward to seeing how my favourite NFL quarterback and receiver combination, Dalton and Green, do against such a good defense. It's early in the season but a defeat here will have the losers in a position were realistically, the best they can hope for is a wild card place in the playoffs.
Prediction - Dalton and Green to get the job done and get the Bengals team back to winning ways.
I can't see either of these two making it to the post season but a win here would certainly keep their hopes alive. Both sides had unexpected wins last week and both will come into this game feeling good about themselves. There are a few interesting match ups in this game and they will decide who wins the game. The Bills are 29th in passing and the Titans are 29th in pass defense so either way one of those units are going to have one of their better days of the season. The same applies to the battle between the Titans running attack and the Bills run defense. Both are ranked 32nd in the league and after a decent game last week the Titans will put the ball in Chris Johnson's hands. It will be interesting to see if the Bills defense can stop him. The Bills running game looks like the biggest difference in the teams. The Bills are 5th in the NFL at running the ball and the Titans are 24th in defending the run.
Prediction - The Bills to give the ball to CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson and let them lead them to 4-3.
Cleveland Browns (1-5) @ Indianapolis Colts (2-3)
The Browns picked up their first win of the season last week against the Bengals and will be hoping to pick up another win in Indianapolis. The Colts suffered a heavy defeat last week against the Jets. Both sides have rookie quarterbacks and so far, unsurprisingly, Andrew Luck looks the better player. There's not as big a gap as I expected there to be but Luck does look better. Luck should have another decent day today against a Browns pass defense that ranks 30th in the NFL. The Colts pass defense are 3rd in the NFL so it looks like it could be a tough day for Brandon Weeden. The Browns best option is to run the ball against the 29th ranked run defense. That will rely heavily on the availability of Trent Richardson who is listed as questionable with a rib injury. The Browns aren't much better against the run so it looks as though the Colts can win this game two ways.
Prediction - The Colts will get the win and get back to .500.
Green Bay Packers (3-3) @ St Louis Rams (3-3)
This looks like another interesting battle between the Packers and an NFC West opponent. The Packers are 0-2 against the AFC West and all four teams in that division are carbon copies of each other. All four are doing a good job of running the ball, all have strong defenses and none have a particularly good quarterback. That combination has been tough for the Packers to overcome and I think they will find it tough again today. By the time their careers are over, I'd say Sam Bradford will have had the best career of all of the NFC West quarterbacks, so there will be an extra threat for the Packers defense today. The Packers need to do a better job of protecting Aaron Rodgers. He has been sacked 23 times and the Rams are joint 5th in sacks with 18 sacks for the season. Rodgers is listed as probable today and although I expect he will play, I think he will see a lot of the Rams front 7 and it could be another tough day for him.
Prediction - The Rams could cause an upset here and take the win.
Arizona Cardinals (4-2) @ Minnesota Vikings (4-2)
These two teams are my nemesis, certainly as far as my NFL Season Preview is concerned. I had the Cardinals at 4-12 and the Vikings at 3-13, so they have already won more games between them, than I predicted. I had some good predictions and some terrible ones. If interested, have a read here. http://gjsportsblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/nfl-2012-season-preview.html The Cards have lost their last 2 and the Vikings lost last week so it looks as though the wheels are coming off but at least one of these will be 5-2 by tonight. Kolb and Ponder have both done reasonably well at quarterback and Ponder has been supported by Adrian Peterson who has come back very well from a very serious injury. Both sides have done well defensively so it should be a tough game between two teams with genuine playoff hopes.
Prediction - The Vikings just seem to have that little bit more and will win the game.
Washington Redskins (3-3) @ New York Giants (4-2)
Due to Philadelphia being on their bye week , I have to say this is the game I am looking forward to the most this week. I have been having a good look at this game and there looks to be two very interesting match ups. The Giants are 5th in passing and the Redskins defense are 32nd against the pass. If I was the Giants, I'd start from the first quarter with a pass heavy offense. The Redskins best chance of winning the game is to put the ball in the hands of RG3 and Alfred Morris and attempt to run over the Giants. It's a dangerous tactic as the Giants have some big, hard hitting guys on defense but it's the best weapon the Redskins have and they have to use it. I think both quarterbacks will have a good game and can see the game coming down to whoever has the ball as time expires.
Prediction - The Redskins beat the Giants twice last year but I think this game is won by a 4th quarter drive from Eli Manning.
New Orleans Saints (1-4) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3)
This will be a big game in the NFC South between two sides who are underachieving. I think everyone will agree that the Saints are underachieving but a lot of people will probably believe the Bucs are where they should be but I'd disagree. Josh Freeman in particular has disappointed me this season. I had Freeman two years ago in my fantasy team as backup to Aaron Rodgers. Freeman outscored Rodgers most weeks, that season, much to my dismay. There's a good quarterback in there but we don't see it often enough. The Saints rank 1st in passing and the Bucs are 31st against the pass, so it looks as though Drew Brees could have a big day. The Bucs offense hasn't been great this year but either have the Saints defense so if the Bucs can carry last weeks form into this wee,k then they will every chance of picking up the win.
Prediction - The Bucs to get back to .500 with a win over the Saints.
Dallas Cowboys (2-3) @ Carolina Panthers (1-4)
The Cowboys biggest issue so far has been Tony Romo's interceptions. If Romo can keep the ball away from defensive backs, this Cowboys team could reach the playoffs. They have a good defense, particularly against the pass. Offensively, they are 6th in passing, so there is definitely a good side in there. The Panthers are 13th in rushing but with the weapons at their disposal they should be higher. The Panthers haven't been doing great defensively and unless they can force the Cowboys into mistakes, it could be a difficult game for the Panthers.
Prediction - The Cowboys should have enough to win this game.
Baltimore Ravens (5-1) @ Houston Texans (5-1)
This could very well be a preview of the AFC Championship game, as two 5-1 teams go head to head in Houston. The Ravens were hit by news of an injury to Ray Lewis and he has been ruled out for the season but they will be boosted by the news that reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Terrell Suggs has returned to practice and looks set to play today. I have questioned both sides this season but the fact is they are 5-1 and should the playoffs begin today, they'd be seeded 1 and 2 in the AFC. The Texans defense has been fantastic and are only giving up 301 yards per game. Their running game is doing the majority of the damage offensively but Matt Schaub is doing a decent job when called upon. The Ravens are relying on Joe Flacco a lot more than I thought they would but perhaps it's a case of keeping Ray Rice back a bit for the post season. Rice is averaging 5 yards per carry, so I can't imagine another reason why they would be giving him such a small workload.
Prediction - The Texans will bounce back from a bad loss last week and will pick up the win.
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) @ Oakland Raiders (1-4)
Both of these teams have had poor seasons so far and from looking at the statistics it's easy to see why. The Jags rank bottom in passing and 22nd in rushing. The defense isn't much better and rank 23rd against the pass and 30th against the run. The Raiders aren't much better and rank 12th in passing but 29th in rushing. On defense, they are 25th against the pass and 18th against the run. From those stats, the Raiders look like the better side but it doesn't look like being a great game of football and either way, I can't see the winner picking outside the top 10 in the 2013 draft.
Prediction - The Raiders to win this one easily.
New York Jets (3-3) @ New England Patriots (3-3)
This will be a huge battle in the race for the AFC East and in my opinion both teams have somewhat undeserved records. For me the Jets are very fortunate to be at 3-3 and the Pats can consider themselves unlucky to be at 3-3. In my opinion, the Pats are a much better side than the Jets but Rex Ryan usually has something special planned for the Patriots, so it always makes an interesting game. The Pats are as explosive as ever on offense and rank 3rd in passing and 4th in rushing. They have resolved their issues with defending the run and rank 5th in run defense but they are still struggling against the pass and rank 28th. Fortunately for the Pats the Jets are 30th at passing and I can't see Mark Sanchez leading the Jets to a big win. The Jets and Shonn Greene in particular had a good game on the ground last week and they will have to rely on him again and hope their defense can pick up a few turnovers if they are to have any chance against the Pats.
Prediction - There often seems to be a heavy Pats win and a tight game between these two in recent years. Tonight will be the heavy Pats win.
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (3-3)
This will be a huge game for both sides as a defeat here could see them slip further back in the AFC North race, especially if the Ravens can pick up a win in Houston. The Steelers rank 31st in rushing and won't be helped by Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman missing this game through injuries. The Steelers are doing better in passing, ranking 7th but the Bengals rank 17th in pass defense and with a non-existent running game, they should be able to concentrate on the pass a bit more. The Steelers are still one of the best defenses in the league so I am looking forward to seeing how my favourite NFL quarterback and receiver combination, Dalton and Green, do against such a good defense. It's early in the season but a defeat here will have the losers in a position were realistically, the best they can hope for is a wild card place in the playoffs.
Prediction - Dalton and Green to get the job done and get the Bengals team back to winning ways.
Thursday 18 October 2012
TNF - Seahawks @ 49ers
This should be a tight game between two very similar teams. Both are better on defense than offense and both are better at running than passing. Their is one matchup that gives me serious cause for concern and it's rookie, Russell Wilson against the 49ers defense. I think Wilson is going to be ate alive by the 49ers d and for that reason I'm going with a 49ers win.
NFL POWER RANKINGS - WEEK 7
1 (2) Atlanta Falcons (6-0) - The Falcons are now 6-0 after a somewhat fortunate victory over the Oakland Raiders. The Falcons only had 286 yards of total offense and gave up 474 yards. Matt Ryan was intercepted 3 times, all in the first half. The Falcons only had possession for 23:34 and their running game struggled to make an impression on the Raiders defense. Once again White, Jones and Gonzalez were the Falcons top 3 receivers. White was the best on the day, catching 6 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.
2 (1) Houston Texans (5-1) - The Texans lost their first game of the season to a rampant, Aaron Rodgers led, Green Bay Packers. The Texans weren't helped by turnovers, with Matt Schaub and TJ Yates combining for 3 interceptions. Turnovers aside, the Texans weren't too bad but were simply beaten by a better team on the day. Arian Foster picked up 2 touchdowns but other than that he was very poor. He ran for only 29 yards from 17 carries and his longest run was 5 yards. The best performance for the Texans came from receiver, Andre Johnson. Johnson caught 8 passes for 75 yards.
3 (5) Baltimore Ravens (5-1) – The Ravens picked up another narrow victory after a 2 point win over the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys kicker, Dan Bailey, had the chance to win the game but his 51 yard kick went wide and the Ravens hung on to go 5-1 for the season. Joe Flacco threw for 234 yards and a touchdown. Anquan Boldin was the leading receiver, catching 5 passes for 98 yards. Ray Rice led the rushers with 63 yards and 2 touchdowns.
4 (6) New York Giants (4-2) - I'm trying to find the right words to describe my thoughts on this Giants team. As an Eagles fan it's definitely not that I like them, I think the right phrase may be, "I grudgingly admire them." They are a good side, they have a lot of different ways to beat teams and if they learned how to play against their NFC East rivals, they'd be a certainty for the NFC's number 1 seed. On Sunday they got ahead and let their runners and defense win the game for them. Ahmed Bradshaw had 116 yards and a touchdown. Eli Manning threw for 193 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers are quite low for him but it was no reflection on him, as they were winning the game without him anyway.
5 (4) New England Patriots (3-3) – The Pats lost a tight game in Seattle, against the Seahawks, to drop to 3-3 for the season. All four teams in the AFC East are 3-3 and it will make the remaining 11 weeks of the season very interesting. On Sunday, Tom Brady threw for 395 yards and 2 touchdowns but also had 2 interceptions. The running game was quite poor and averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. The receivers were led by Wes Welker who caught 10 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Lloyd had a mixed game, catching 6 passes for 80 yards but he had a few drops too which could have made a difference in a game as tight as this one.
6 (3) San Francisco 49ers (4-2) – After two dominant wins over AFC East teams, the 49ers didn't find it as easy against the cream of the NFC East. I've mentioned a few times that I felt the key to beating this 49ers team was to get ahead early and force Alex Smith to throw the ball. The Giants were struggling early after two possessions, with both ending in punts and the offense had only picked up 24 yards. At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, Smith attempted a deep pass into Giants territory and was picked off. The Giants scored a touchdown on that drive and followed it up with a field goal before half-time. Bradshaw scored early in the 3rd to give the Giants a 14 point lead and it was time for the 49ers to put the ball in Alex Smith's hands. A bad quarterback doesn't become a good one overnight and Alex Smith showed us all why the 49ers have a run first offense by throwing 2 interceptions. Both led to Giants field goals and the game was gone for the 49ers.
7 (7) Chicago Bears (4-1) - The Bears had their bye week this week and will be feeling pretty good about themselves. A bad performance against the Packers is the only negative in what has been a good season so far. This week they host the Detroit Lions in what will be a big clash in the NFC North playoff race.
8 (11) Green Bay Packers (3-3) - The Packers and Aaron Rodgers in particular, were fantastic on Sunday night against the Houston Texans. The Texans were handed their first loss of the season as Aaron Rodgers exploded into life and threw for 338 yards and 6 touchdowns. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb both had 100 yard receiving games and Nelson also had 3 touchdown catches. The Packers needed the win to keep pace in what is looking like a very strong, NFC North.
9 (16) Seattle Seahawks (4-2) – The Seahawks had a great win over the New England Patriots to go 4-2 for the season. Quarterback, Russell Wilson had the best game of his short NFL career and ended up completing 16 of his 27 passes for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Pats done well against Marshawn Lynch, restricting him to just 2.7 yards per carry. Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin had big receiving days, combining for 155 yards and both had a touchdown.
10 (8) Minnesota Vikings (4-2) – The Vikings lost their second game of the season on Sunday, against an RG3 inspired, Washington Redskins. The Vikings were the better side for much of the game but ultimately turnovers cost them and the Redskins won the game. The Vikings had more yards, more plays and more time in possession but the 3 turnovers killed them. Washington got 14 points off the first 2 turnovers and the third ended the game. The Vikings are still in a good position but this was a missed opportunity to go 5-1.
11 (9) Arizona Cardinals (4-2) - After starting 4-0, the Cardinals have now lost their last two games and slip to 4-2. They lost this week to the Buffalo Bills in overtime. Kevin Kolb picked up an injury after he was sacked for the 5th time and the Cardinals had to bring in John Skelton. Skelton completed just 2 of his 10 pass attempts and also had an interception. Most of the Cardinals good work, came on the ground. Kevin Kolb picked up 66 yards from 5 runs and William Powell picked up 70 yards. In total the Cards ran for 182 yards but it wasn't enough and the Bills picked up the win.
12 (18) Denver Broncos (3-3) - The Broncos tied up the AFC West at 3-3 after an amazing win in San Diego on Monday Night Football. The Broncos were 24-0 behind at half-time and I've no doubt there were many NFL writers compiling obituaries for Peyton Manning's career after Quentin Jammer returned an interception for a touchdown. However, Manning doesn't give up that easily and he came out in the second half and led his team back to win the game, along with a little help from Philip Rivers. Manning ended up with 309 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. The defense helped out with 2 touchdowns after Philip Rivers turnovers. The Broncos leading receiver was Eric Decker who caught 6 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.
13 (10) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3) – The Steelers road woes continued last Thursday in Tennessee, with a defeat to the Titans that leaves the Steelers 0-3 on the road for the season. Ben Roethlisberger had another decent game, throwing for 363 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The running game really struggled and the Steelers ended up with just 56 yards from 22 carries. Isaac Redman had better luck catching the ball. He made 4 catches for 105 yards. Mike Wallace also had a decent game, catching 2 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. However, it wasn't to be for the Steelers and they picked up their 3rd loss of the season.
14 (13) San Diego Chargers (3-3) - The Chargers have two options after Monday's heartbreaking defeat to divisional rivals, the Denver Broncos. They can either let it get to them and crumble to a mediocre season or they can use it as inspiration. The Chargers thought they had the game in the bag at half-time and they've learned the hard way that NFL games don't finish until the staff and coaches are on the field shaking hands. Quarterback, Philip Rivers had a mixed game and ended up with 241 yards, 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also fumbled the ball twice which led to turnovers. 5 of his turnovers came in the second half. The Chargers had 6 possessions in the second half and they resulted in 3 interceptions, 2 lost fumbles and one, 3 and out were they punted the ball. I bet that punt after going 3 and out doesn't seem so bad now.
15 (12) Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) - I wasn't sure how to write this, this week. I toyed with ranking the Eagles 32nd and also with just leaving this bit blank. Instead I've decided to just start writing and see where I end up. For me Andy Reid is responsible for the issues. The play calling is ridiculous and his game management is terrible. The bit that really annoyed me on Sunday was our final drive in regulation time. We were three points ahead with 3:32 on the clock and Detroit had 2 timeouts left. We threw the ball twice and only ran it once. I don't care if you lose yards on all 3 plays but you have to run the ball on all 3 downs in that scenario. We threw on 3rd and 4 and it was incomplete, so we gave the Lions the ball with 2:27 left and 2 timeouts. If we ran the ball we'd have made them take a timeout or start their drive inside 2 minutes. Either way the pressure would have been increased as the Lions would have had a bit less time to work with. I've said enough on Vick and the Castillo situation on twitter so I'm not even going to start on that again. The Eagles will win some and lose some but ultimately I'd be very surprised if there's a playoff place at the end of it.
16 (20) Detroit Lions (2-3) - The Lions picked up a win in Philadelphia after a 4th quarter comeback took the game to overtime and then managed to get the game winning field goal after forcing the Eagles to punt from their own end zone. The Lions struggled up until the 4th quarter but exploded into life and ran out winners. Matt Stafford had 311 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception. Calvin Johnson caught 6 passes for 135 yards and Tony Scheffler caught 3 passes for 81 yards. Mikel Leshoure had a good day on the ground, running for 70 yards.
17 (19) Washington Redskins (3-3) - The RG3 show continued on Sunday with the rookie quarterback leading the Redskins to another win. Griffin threw for 182 yards, a touchdown and an interception but it was on the ground where he was most effective. He ran for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 76 yarder that effectively sealed the win for the Redskins. RG3 faces his toughest test yet when he has his first divisional game against defending champs, the New York Giants.
18 (15) Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) - Things got messy for the Bengals in the second half as they turned the ball over 4 times and gave the Cleveland Browns their first win of the year. Andy Dalton had a disaster in the 4th, throwing 3 interceptions and also gave away the ball when he fumbled late in the game. Turnovers aside, Dalton had a good game, throwing for 381 yards and 3 touchdowns but ultimately it was the turnovers that cost the Bengals the game and Dalton has to take responsibility for that. AJ Green had another good game, catching 7 passes for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns.
19 (17) Dallas Cowboys (2-3) - The Cowboys had a great chance to end Baltimore's great home run but fell short when Dan Bailey missed a 51 yard field goal as the game ended. Tony Romo threw for 261 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Dez Bryant caught 13 passes for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Cowboys done well on the ground and ran for 227 yards. DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones had 93 and 92 yards, respectively and Jones also had a touchdown.
20 (21) Miami Dolphins (3-3) – The Dolphins picked up their second win in a row with a 17-14 win over the St Louis Rams. It's a bit of a mystery, how the Dolphins won this game as the Rams were better in pretty much every area other than the only one that really matters. Ryan Tannehill had another decent game, completing 21 of 29 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns. The running game really struggled and averaged just 2.1 yards per run. However when the game was done the Dolphins led by 3 points and go 3-3 after a 1-3 start.
21 (14) St Louis Rams (3-3) – The Rams somehow managed to lose in Miami against the Dolphins. They had over double the amount of offensive yards but still managed to lose the game. The Rams gave up 12 penalties which played a huge part in the defeat. They also missed 2 field goals and Miami picked up one of the most fortunate wins of the season. Sam Bradford threw for 315 yards and the running game picked up 162 yards from just 27 carries but some how, it wasn't enough to pick up the win.
22 (23) New York Jets (3-3) – The Jets picked up a big win over the Indianapolis Colts to get back to 3-3 for the season and get back into the AFC East playoff race. Mark Sanchez had a more limited role and was only asked to pass the ball 18 times. He completed 11 of those for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Jets had a massive game on the ground, led by Shonn Greene who had 161 yards and 3 touchdowns. Joe McKnight also done well, running for 71 yards. The Jets face the Patriots this week in a game that could define their season.
23 (24) Buffalo Bills (3-3) – This Buffalo team are a strange bunch, they've suffered a few heavy defeats this season and just as the obituaries are being written, they go and beat the Cardinals in Arizona. Both sides had more yards on the ground, than they did in the air. For the Bills, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 153 yards. CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson combined for 141 yards and both had a touchdown. The Bills ended up with 165 yards on the ground. At 3-3 this Bills team are still very much in the race for the playoffs.
24 (26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3) - The Bucs kept their season alive with an impressive win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Everything clicked for the Bucs on Sunday as they ran out easy winners. Quarterback, Josh Freeman, threw for 328 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. Running backs, Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount combined for 134 yards and Blount had a touchdown. The receivers were led by Mike Williams, who had 4 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. Vincent Jackson also had a good game, catching 4 passes for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns.
25 (22) Indianapolis Colts (2-3) - The Colts suffered a heavy defeat to the Jets in New York on Sunday. The offense couldn't get going and they only managed, 3 Adam Vinatieri field goals. The defense gave up 5 touchdowns and they were blown out by a scoreline of 35-9. Andrew Luck completed 50% of his passes for 280 yards and 2 interceptions. Once again, Reggie Wayne led the receivers, with 5 catches for 87 yards.
26 (25) New Orleans Saints (1-4) – The Saints were on a bye week this week and will probably feel like it's fallen on a bad week for them. They finally got their first win of the season in week 5 and would have wanted to keep the momentum going but instead they had their bye. They have a must win game this week when they travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Bucs.
27 (30) Tennessee Titans (2-4) - The Titans had a great victory on Thursday Night Football over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a tight game and the teams were never separated by more than a touchdown and it was the Titans who put together a 10 point run in the games final 4:19 and clinched the win with a field goal as time expired. Matt Hasselbeck had a decent game, throwing for 290 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Chris Johnson had one of his better games this year, picking up 112 yards from scrimmage.
28 (27) Oakland Raiders (1-4) – The Raiders ran the Falcons close but fell short in Atlanta as the Falcons reached 6-0. Oakland were the better side and outplayed the Falcons for most of the game but a mixture of costly turnovers and poor discipline (they gave away 12 penalties) cost the Raiders the win. Carson Palmer threw for 353 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Denarius Moore led the receivers, catching 5 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Darren McFadden picked up a touchdown but he only averaged 2.6 yards per carry.
29 (28) Carolina Panthers (1-4) – The Panthers had there bye week and will have had plenty of work to do, to try to improve for the remainder of the season. This week they host the Dallas Cowboys in what is shaping up to be a must win game, for both sides.
30 (32) Cleveland Browns (1-5) – The Browns finally picked up their first win since November 2011, thanks to a remarkable 4th quarter. The Browns opened the 4th quarter a point behind the Bengals but scored 21 points and conceded 10 to give themselves the win. The Browns took advantage of 4 second half turnovers and scored 7 points off them. Brandon Weeden was intercepted in the Browns first drive of the game but from that point on, he had a good game. By the end of the game he had thrown for 231 yards and had 2 touchdown passes. Montario Hardesty led the Browns in rushing, with 56 yards and a touchdown. Josh Gordon led the receivers, with 3 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.
31 (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) - The Jags had there bye week, this week and will be hoping the rest will turn around their season. They face a cross country trip next week, when they face fellow strugglers, the Oakland Raiders.
32 (29) Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) – The Chiefs lost again, this time to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 38-10. They had another 2 turnovers, both from Brady Quinn interceptions. One was returned for a touchdown by Ronde Barber. Quinn only managed to throw for 180 yards and the running game wasn't much better, managing just 2.7 yards per carry. The offense had a bad day and the defense gave up 463 yards to a Tampa Bay side who have struggled on offense all season.
2 (1) Houston Texans (5-1) - The Texans lost their first game of the season to a rampant, Aaron Rodgers led, Green Bay Packers. The Texans weren't helped by turnovers, with Matt Schaub and TJ Yates combining for 3 interceptions. Turnovers aside, the Texans weren't too bad but were simply beaten by a better team on the day. Arian Foster picked up 2 touchdowns but other than that he was very poor. He ran for only 29 yards from 17 carries and his longest run was 5 yards. The best performance for the Texans came from receiver, Andre Johnson. Johnson caught 8 passes for 75 yards.
3 (5) Baltimore Ravens (5-1) – The Ravens picked up another narrow victory after a 2 point win over the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys kicker, Dan Bailey, had the chance to win the game but his 51 yard kick went wide and the Ravens hung on to go 5-1 for the season. Joe Flacco threw for 234 yards and a touchdown. Anquan Boldin was the leading receiver, catching 5 passes for 98 yards. Ray Rice led the rushers with 63 yards and 2 touchdowns.
4 (6) New York Giants (4-2) - I'm trying to find the right words to describe my thoughts on this Giants team. As an Eagles fan it's definitely not that I like them, I think the right phrase may be, "I grudgingly admire them." They are a good side, they have a lot of different ways to beat teams and if they learned how to play against their NFC East rivals, they'd be a certainty for the NFC's number 1 seed. On Sunday they got ahead and let their runners and defense win the game for them. Ahmed Bradshaw had 116 yards and a touchdown. Eli Manning threw for 193 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers are quite low for him but it was no reflection on him, as they were winning the game without him anyway.
5 (4) New England Patriots (3-3) – The Pats lost a tight game in Seattle, against the Seahawks, to drop to 3-3 for the season. All four teams in the AFC East are 3-3 and it will make the remaining 11 weeks of the season very interesting. On Sunday, Tom Brady threw for 395 yards and 2 touchdowns but also had 2 interceptions. The running game was quite poor and averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. The receivers were led by Wes Welker who caught 10 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Lloyd had a mixed game, catching 6 passes for 80 yards but he had a few drops too which could have made a difference in a game as tight as this one.
6 (3) San Francisco 49ers (4-2) – After two dominant wins over AFC East teams, the 49ers didn't find it as easy against the cream of the NFC East. I've mentioned a few times that I felt the key to beating this 49ers team was to get ahead early and force Alex Smith to throw the ball. The Giants were struggling early after two possessions, with both ending in punts and the offense had only picked up 24 yards. At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, Smith attempted a deep pass into Giants territory and was picked off. The Giants scored a touchdown on that drive and followed it up with a field goal before half-time. Bradshaw scored early in the 3rd to give the Giants a 14 point lead and it was time for the 49ers to put the ball in Alex Smith's hands. A bad quarterback doesn't become a good one overnight and Alex Smith showed us all why the 49ers have a run first offense by throwing 2 interceptions. Both led to Giants field goals and the game was gone for the 49ers.
7 (7) Chicago Bears (4-1) - The Bears had their bye week this week and will be feeling pretty good about themselves. A bad performance against the Packers is the only negative in what has been a good season so far. This week they host the Detroit Lions in what will be a big clash in the NFC North playoff race.
8 (11) Green Bay Packers (3-3) - The Packers and Aaron Rodgers in particular, were fantastic on Sunday night against the Houston Texans. The Texans were handed their first loss of the season as Aaron Rodgers exploded into life and threw for 338 yards and 6 touchdowns. Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb both had 100 yard receiving games and Nelson also had 3 touchdown catches. The Packers needed the win to keep pace in what is looking like a very strong, NFC North.
9 (16) Seattle Seahawks (4-2) – The Seahawks had a great win over the New England Patriots to go 4-2 for the season. Quarterback, Russell Wilson had the best game of his short NFL career and ended up completing 16 of his 27 passes for 293 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Pats done well against Marshawn Lynch, restricting him to just 2.7 yards per carry. Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin had big receiving days, combining for 155 yards and both had a touchdown.
10 (8) Minnesota Vikings (4-2) – The Vikings lost their second game of the season on Sunday, against an RG3 inspired, Washington Redskins. The Vikings were the better side for much of the game but ultimately turnovers cost them and the Redskins won the game. The Vikings had more yards, more plays and more time in possession but the 3 turnovers killed them. Washington got 14 points off the first 2 turnovers and the third ended the game. The Vikings are still in a good position but this was a missed opportunity to go 5-1.
11 (9) Arizona Cardinals (4-2) - After starting 4-0, the Cardinals have now lost their last two games and slip to 4-2. They lost this week to the Buffalo Bills in overtime. Kevin Kolb picked up an injury after he was sacked for the 5th time and the Cardinals had to bring in John Skelton. Skelton completed just 2 of his 10 pass attempts and also had an interception. Most of the Cardinals good work, came on the ground. Kevin Kolb picked up 66 yards from 5 runs and William Powell picked up 70 yards. In total the Cards ran for 182 yards but it wasn't enough and the Bills picked up the win.
12 (18) Denver Broncos (3-3) - The Broncos tied up the AFC West at 3-3 after an amazing win in San Diego on Monday Night Football. The Broncos were 24-0 behind at half-time and I've no doubt there were many NFL writers compiling obituaries for Peyton Manning's career after Quentin Jammer returned an interception for a touchdown. However, Manning doesn't give up that easily and he came out in the second half and led his team back to win the game, along with a little help from Philip Rivers. Manning ended up with 309 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. The defense helped out with 2 touchdowns after Philip Rivers turnovers. The Broncos leading receiver was Eric Decker who caught 6 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown.
13 (10) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3) – The Steelers road woes continued last Thursday in Tennessee, with a defeat to the Titans that leaves the Steelers 0-3 on the road for the season. Ben Roethlisberger had another decent game, throwing for 363 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The running game really struggled and the Steelers ended up with just 56 yards from 22 carries. Isaac Redman had better luck catching the ball. He made 4 catches for 105 yards. Mike Wallace also had a decent game, catching 2 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown. However, it wasn't to be for the Steelers and they picked up their 3rd loss of the season.
14 (13) San Diego Chargers (3-3) - The Chargers have two options after Monday's heartbreaking defeat to divisional rivals, the Denver Broncos. They can either let it get to them and crumble to a mediocre season or they can use it as inspiration. The Chargers thought they had the game in the bag at half-time and they've learned the hard way that NFL games don't finish until the staff and coaches are on the field shaking hands. Quarterback, Philip Rivers had a mixed game and ended up with 241 yards, 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also fumbled the ball twice which led to turnovers. 5 of his turnovers came in the second half. The Chargers had 6 possessions in the second half and they resulted in 3 interceptions, 2 lost fumbles and one, 3 and out were they punted the ball. I bet that punt after going 3 and out doesn't seem so bad now.
15 (12) Philadelphia Eagles (3-3) - I wasn't sure how to write this, this week. I toyed with ranking the Eagles 32nd and also with just leaving this bit blank. Instead I've decided to just start writing and see where I end up. For me Andy Reid is responsible for the issues. The play calling is ridiculous and his game management is terrible. The bit that really annoyed me on Sunday was our final drive in regulation time. We were three points ahead with 3:32 on the clock and Detroit had 2 timeouts left. We threw the ball twice and only ran it once. I don't care if you lose yards on all 3 plays but you have to run the ball on all 3 downs in that scenario. We threw on 3rd and 4 and it was incomplete, so we gave the Lions the ball with 2:27 left and 2 timeouts. If we ran the ball we'd have made them take a timeout or start their drive inside 2 minutes. Either way the pressure would have been increased as the Lions would have had a bit less time to work with. I've said enough on Vick and the Castillo situation on twitter so I'm not even going to start on that again. The Eagles will win some and lose some but ultimately I'd be very surprised if there's a playoff place at the end of it.
16 (20) Detroit Lions (2-3) - The Lions picked up a win in Philadelphia after a 4th quarter comeback took the game to overtime and then managed to get the game winning field goal after forcing the Eagles to punt from their own end zone. The Lions struggled up until the 4th quarter but exploded into life and ran out winners. Matt Stafford had 311 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception. Calvin Johnson caught 6 passes for 135 yards and Tony Scheffler caught 3 passes for 81 yards. Mikel Leshoure had a good day on the ground, running for 70 yards.
17 (19) Washington Redskins (3-3) - The RG3 show continued on Sunday with the rookie quarterback leading the Redskins to another win. Griffin threw for 182 yards, a touchdown and an interception but it was on the ground where he was most effective. He ran for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 76 yarder that effectively sealed the win for the Redskins. RG3 faces his toughest test yet when he has his first divisional game against defending champs, the New York Giants.
18 (15) Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) - Things got messy for the Bengals in the second half as they turned the ball over 4 times and gave the Cleveland Browns their first win of the year. Andy Dalton had a disaster in the 4th, throwing 3 interceptions and also gave away the ball when he fumbled late in the game. Turnovers aside, Dalton had a good game, throwing for 381 yards and 3 touchdowns but ultimately it was the turnovers that cost the Bengals the game and Dalton has to take responsibility for that. AJ Green had another good game, catching 7 passes for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns.
19 (17) Dallas Cowboys (2-3) - The Cowboys had a great chance to end Baltimore's great home run but fell short when Dan Bailey missed a 51 yard field goal as the game ended. Tony Romo threw for 261 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Dez Bryant caught 13 passes for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Cowboys done well on the ground and ran for 227 yards. DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones had 93 and 92 yards, respectively and Jones also had a touchdown.
20 (21) Miami Dolphins (3-3) – The Dolphins picked up their second win in a row with a 17-14 win over the St Louis Rams. It's a bit of a mystery, how the Dolphins won this game as the Rams were better in pretty much every area other than the only one that really matters. Ryan Tannehill had another decent game, completing 21 of 29 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns. The running game really struggled and averaged just 2.1 yards per run. However when the game was done the Dolphins led by 3 points and go 3-3 after a 1-3 start.
21 (14) St Louis Rams (3-3) – The Rams somehow managed to lose in Miami against the Dolphins. They had over double the amount of offensive yards but still managed to lose the game. The Rams gave up 12 penalties which played a huge part in the defeat. They also missed 2 field goals and Miami picked up one of the most fortunate wins of the season. Sam Bradford threw for 315 yards and the running game picked up 162 yards from just 27 carries but some how, it wasn't enough to pick up the win.
22 (23) New York Jets (3-3) – The Jets picked up a big win over the Indianapolis Colts to get back to 3-3 for the season and get back into the AFC East playoff race. Mark Sanchez had a more limited role and was only asked to pass the ball 18 times. He completed 11 of those for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Jets had a massive game on the ground, led by Shonn Greene who had 161 yards and 3 touchdowns. Joe McKnight also done well, running for 71 yards. The Jets face the Patriots this week in a game that could define their season.
23 (24) Buffalo Bills (3-3) – This Buffalo team are a strange bunch, they've suffered a few heavy defeats this season and just as the obituaries are being written, they go and beat the Cardinals in Arizona. Both sides had more yards on the ground, than they did in the air. For the Bills, Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 153 yards. CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson combined for 141 yards and both had a touchdown. The Bills ended up with 165 yards on the ground. At 3-3 this Bills team are still very much in the race for the playoffs.
24 (26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3) - The Bucs kept their season alive with an impressive win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Everything clicked for the Bucs on Sunday as they ran out easy winners. Quarterback, Josh Freeman, threw for 328 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. Running backs, Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount combined for 134 yards and Blount had a touchdown. The receivers were led by Mike Williams, who had 4 catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. Vincent Jackson also had a good game, catching 4 passes for 66 yards and 2 touchdowns.
25 (22) Indianapolis Colts (2-3) - The Colts suffered a heavy defeat to the Jets in New York on Sunday. The offense couldn't get going and they only managed, 3 Adam Vinatieri field goals. The defense gave up 5 touchdowns and they were blown out by a scoreline of 35-9. Andrew Luck completed 50% of his passes for 280 yards and 2 interceptions. Once again, Reggie Wayne led the receivers, with 5 catches for 87 yards.
26 (25) New Orleans Saints (1-4) – The Saints were on a bye week this week and will probably feel like it's fallen on a bad week for them. They finally got their first win of the season in week 5 and would have wanted to keep the momentum going but instead they had their bye. They have a must win game this week when they travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Bucs.
27 (30) Tennessee Titans (2-4) - The Titans had a great victory on Thursday Night Football over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a tight game and the teams were never separated by more than a touchdown and it was the Titans who put together a 10 point run in the games final 4:19 and clinched the win with a field goal as time expired. Matt Hasselbeck had a decent game, throwing for 290 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Chris Johnson had one of his better games this year, picking up 112 yards from scrimmage.
28 (27) Oakland Raiders (1-4) – The Raiders ran the Falcons close but fell short in Atlanta as the Falcons reached 6-0. Oakland were the better side and outplayed the Falcons for most of the game but a mixture of costly turnovers and poor discipline (they gave away 12 penalties) cost the Raiders the win. Carson Palmer threw for 353 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Denarius Moore led the receivers, catching 5 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Darren McFadden picked up a touchdown but he only averaged 2.6 yards per carry.
29 (28) Carolina Panthers (1-4) – The Panthers had there bye week and will have had plenty of work to do, to try to improve for the remainder of the season. This week they host the Dallas Cowboys in what is shaping up to be a must win game, for both sides.
30 (32) Cleveland Browns (1-5) – The Browns finally picked up their first win since November 2011, thanks to a remarkable 4th quarter. The Browns opened the 4th quarter a point behind the Bengals but scored 21 points and conceded 10 to give themselves the win. The Browns took advantage of 4 second half turnovers and scored 7 points off them. Brandon Weeden was intercepted in the Browns first drive of the game but from that point on, he had a good game. By the end of the game he had thrown for 231 yards and had 2 touchdown passes. Montario Hardesty led the Browns in rushing, with 56 yards and a touchdown. Josh Gordon led the receivers, with 3 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.
31 (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) - The Jags had there bye week, this week and will be hoping the rest will turn around their season. They face a cross country trip next week, when they face fellow strugglers, the Oakland Raiders.
32 (29) Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) – The Chiefs lost again, this time to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 38-10. They had another 2 turnovers, both from Brady Quinn interceptions. One was returned for a touchdown by Ronde Barber. Quinn only managed to throw for 180 yards and the running game wasn't much better, managing just 2.7 yards per carry. The offense had a bad day and the defense gave up 463 yards to a Tampa Bay side who have struggled on offense all season.
Monday 15 October 2012
Sunday 14 October 2012
NFL Week 6 Preview And Predictions
Oakland Raiders (1-3) @ Atlanta Falcons (5-0)
The Raiders are coming off their bye week and they will have needed that extra week to try to figure out how they are going to stop this Falcons offense. The Raiders are giving up over 400 yards a game and the Falcons are averaging 375 yards of offense per game so it looks like being, a very tough task for the Raiders. The Raiders are the worst team in the league at running the ball, averaging just 61 yards per game. The Falcons biggest weakness is stopping the run. They are giving up 143 yards per game on the ground. The Falcons are the 7th best pass defense in the league so it looks like the Raiders are going to have to find a way of getting their running game going. If the Raiders get the run going, they will be keeping the high powered Falcons offense off the field but it's a task that is easier said than done.
Prediction - Oakland's only chance of winning is getting the running game going. It hasn't happened in the first 4 games and I don't see it changing today. The Falcon offense will score at will and send the Falcons to 6-0.
Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) @ Cleveland Browns (0-5)
The Bengals had a bad game last week and their offense struggled against a tough Miami defense. This week it's a trip to Cleveland to face the 0-5, Browns and it's a great game for the Bengals to get their offense back on track. The Browns have lost their last 11 games but there has been some signs in recent weeks, that they aren't too far from picking up a few wins. They have rookies in key positions. Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson have suffered from inconsistencies but certainly in the case of Richardson, there is a very good NFL player in the making. I've made no secret of the fact that I am a big fan of the Andy Dalton and AJ Green combination and I am looking forward to seeing how they do against Joe Haden who is back after a suspension for using PED's.
Prediction - I'd like to see the Bengals win this one but I have a suspicion that this is the weekend the Browns get it right and they win their first game of the season.
St Louis Rams (3-2) @ Miami Dolphins (2-3)
The Rams are 3-2 after a big win over the Cardinals last week and now travel to Miami, hoping to keep pace with the 49ers and Cardinals who lead the way in the NFC West. The Rams are struggling on offense and are averaging just 278 yards of total offense per game. Quarterback, Sam Bradford has 6 touchdown passes and 5 interceptions and if the Rams are to push for the playoffs then that statistic will have to improve. Another quarterback struggling with interceptions is the Miami Dolphins rookie, Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill has been picked off 6 times and thrown just 2 touchdown passes. I think the Dolphins have a chance in this game but they need to keep the ball away from Tannehill. Give the ball to Reggie Bush and let him win the game.
Prediction - Reggie Bush to get it done and lead the Dolphins to victory.
Indianapolis Colts (2-2) @ New York Jets (2-3)
With RG3 picking up all the attention, Andrew Luck is quietly having a good season. He had a great game against the Packers and the Colts currently rank 6th in the NFL, in passing yards per game. Luck hasn't ran the ball as much as Griffin but he is averaging 6.5 yards per carry. The Colts are struggling against the run and rank 26th in the NFL in run defense. This would be a good day for Rex Ryan to increase Tim Tebow's workload. I've made no secret of the fact that I don't think Mark Sanchez is a good quarterback. His career numbers are unimpressive and he actually looks worse this year. The Jets have done well on defense against the pass but are really struggling against the run and only the New Orleans Saints rank lower. This would have been a day for the Colts to put the ball in the hands of Donald Brown and let him win the game for them but he is out injured. Vick Ballard looks likely to start but I'm not sure if he'd be a good fantasy pick. He has only had 21 carries in the NFL and has picked up just 42 yards so it will be interesting to see how he performs when given a starting role.
Prediction - As bad as the Jets are I think they will get the win today. The Colts need a big day on the ground and when their starter is averaging 2 yards per game, it's hard to put faith in him.
Detroit Lions (1-3) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)
The Lions come off their bye week, bottom of the NFC North. The Lions will have had high hopes heading into this season but things haven't worked out for them so far. They are putting up decent scores but their giving up a lot of points too and it has led to a losing record. Philadelphia are really struggling on offense and have only scored 80 points in their 5 games. Turnovers and general poor play from Michael Vick are killing the team and it's hard to put much faith in them at the moment. I find myself on edge, on every offensive series, waiting for the next turnover. This is the second week in a row, the Eagles face a team coming off a bye and it will be a tough game.
Prediction - I think this game turns into a shootout and the Eagles offense are struggling to get points on the board, Lions win.
Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3)
It's hard to get excited about this game, especially as Brady Quinn looks set to start for the Chiefs due to Matt Cassell's injury. If ever an NFL game looked like it could finish 0-0, this is it. The Bucs have been terrible on offense, averaging just 276 yards of total offense per game. Their defense are good against the run, ranking 4th in the league but their pass defense is 32nd. The Chiefs are 2nd in rushing so we will see one of the best rushing attacks, go against one of the best run defenses. The way to beat the Bucs is to pass the ball but it would take a very gutsy coach to put the ball in the hands of a backup quarterback. The Chiefs are struggling with turnovers so far and although they aren't a terribly bad side, they are killing themselves with errors.
Prediction - The Chiefs will run the ball and the Bucs defense will stop them. The Chiefs will cough the ball up a few times and the Bucs will win the game on the back of a good display from kicker, Connor Barth.
Dallas Cowboys (2-2) @ Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
In my eyes, this is a battle between two teams who, on their day, can beat any team in the NFL but ultimately won't be good enough if they make the playoffs. The Cowboys are doing well on the passing side of the game, both on offense and defense. They rank 4th in pass offense and 1st in pass defense. Tony Romo had a bad game, throwing 5 interceptions, against the Bears but other than that, he hasn't had a bad season. His pass completion rate is 66.9% for the season and as long as he keeps up that accuracy, the Cowboys will always be a threat. The Ravens are still struggling on defense and are giving up almost 400 yards per game. Their offense is averaging 399 yards a game but up against the best pass defense in the league, they will have to rely on Ray Rice. Rice is only 9th in the league in yards per game but of the 8 above him, 7 have had at least 15 more carries than Rice. I can't really understand why Rice is being used so little. If you have an elite running-back, give him the ball.
Prediction - Baltimore have won their last 13 regular season home games and I think they make that 14 today.
Buffalo Bills (2-3) @ Arizona Cardinals (4-1)
The Bills have hit a terrible run in their last 6 quarters of football, after a second half drubbing at the hands of the Patriots and then last week's heavy defeat in San Francisco. The biggest positive is Arizona aren't exactly known for their offensive prowess but then again, either were the 49ers. The Bills rank 30th against the run but the Cardinals have lost their leading rushers to injury. The Bills aren't much better on pass defense, ranking 24th. If the Cards can keep Kevin Kolb upright, then he should be able to play the passes to beat this Bills defense.
Prediction - The Cardinals to get back to winning ways.
New England Patriots (3-2) @ Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
This will be one of the most intriguing games of the weekend as one of the leagues best offenses go up against one of the leagues best defenses. The Pats biggest weakness is in pass defense but there is absolutely no way that the Seahawks are going to try to beat them by letting Russell Wilson throw the ball. The Seahawks are 7th, running the ball and the Pats are 8th against the run. It looks as though there will be a lot of tight battles in this game and ultimately the game will be decided by a good unit, stepping up to being a great unit.
Prediction - The Seahawks defense are good but the Patriots offense have too many options if Plan A doesn't work. I can't see the Seahawks offense causing too many problems and think the Pats will end up getting some good field positions to start from and take advantage to win the game.
New York Giants (3-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (4-1)
A repeat of last years NFC Championship game and from what I've saw so far, I'd not be one bit surprised if it was this years Championship game as well. The 49ers offense exploded into life last week, putting up over 600 yards against the Bills. The Giants had a good game offensively too, with Ahmed Bradshaw running for 200 yards. I think this game will be incredibly tight and will most likely, be decided by one play. There will be a late field goal, turnover or missed field goal that will decide this game, either way. I think this game comes down to the final possession and I think it will be a tough battle between two of the better teams in the league.
Prediction - Another game that could be decided by the flip of a coin. I'll go with a reversal of last years title game, 49ers win.
Minnesota Vikings (4-1) @ Washington Redskins (2-3)
The NFL's surprise package, the Minnesota VIkings, head to Washington looking to go 5-1 for the season. I gave them no chance before the season began but they have been excellent and fully deserve to be 4-1. The Redskins will hope quarterback, Robert Griffin III makes it back from a concussion that ended his game in the 3rd quarter last week. Either way I think that concussion will reduce the threat he possesses, as the Redskins will be unlikely to call as many running plays for him. This will play into the Vikings hands and with Christian Ponder surprising everyone and Adrian Peterson appearing to be back at full speed after a bad injury, this should be a good game.
Prediction - I just can't see RG3 being at full strength. Most players miss a game after a concussion and I think it will effect his performance and the Vikings will take advantage of it.
Green Bay Packers (2-3) @ Houston Texans (5-0)
This game looks like being an absolute cracker. The Packers simply cannot afford to drop to 2-4 and the Houston Texans look almost unbeatable. The Packers have looked poor this year. Aaron Rodgers is struggling too, as his offensive line are not doing a good job of protecting him. After today the Packers have 10 games left and 6 of those are against teams that are currently on pace for a playoff place. With a tough schedule to come, 2-4 would be unthinkable. The Packers will need to play very well though, as it is hard to find any weaknesses in this Texans side.
Prediction - I just can't see the Texans losing this one and they will send the Packers to 2-4.
The Raiders are coming off their bye week and they will have needed that extra week to try to figure out how they are going to stop this Falcons offense. The Raiders are giving up over 400 yards a game and the Falcons are averaging 375 yards of offense per game so it looks like being, a very tough task for the Raiders. The Raiders are the worst team in the league at running the ball, averaging just 61 yards per game. The Falcons biggest weakness is stopping the run. They are giving up 143 yards per game on the ground. The Falcons are the 7th best pass defense in the league so it looks like the Raiders are going to have to find a way of getting their running game going. If the Raiders get the run going, they will be keeping the high powered Falcons offense off the field but it's a task that is easier said than done.
Prediction - Oakland's only chance of winning is getting the running game going. It hasn't happened in the first 4 games and I don't see it changing today. The Falcon offense will score at will and send the Falcons to 6-0.
Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) @ Cleveland Browns (0-5)
The Bengals had a bad game last week and their offense struggled against a tough Miami defense. This week it's a trip to Cleveland to face the 0-5, Browns and it's a great game for the Bengals to get their offense back on track. The Browns have lost their last 11 games but there has been some signs in recent weeks, that they aren't too far from picking up a few wins. They have rookies in key positions. Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson have suffered from inconsistencies but certainly in the case of Richardson, there is a very good NFL player in the making. I've made no secret of the fact that I am a big fan of the Andy Dalton and AJ Green combination and I am looking forward to seeing how they do against Joe Haden who is back after a suspension for using PED's.
Prediction - I'd like to see the Bengals win this one but I have a suspicion that this is the weekend the Browns get it right and they win their first game of the season.
St Louis Rams (3-2) @ Miami Dolphins (2-3)
The Rams are 3-2 after a big win over the Cardinals last week and now travel to Miami, hoping to keep pace with the 49ers and Cardinals who lead the way in the NFC West. The Rams are struggling on offense and are averaging just 278 yards of total offense per game. Quarterback, Sam Bradford has 6 touchdown passes and 5 interceptions and if the Rams are to push for the playoffs then that statistic will have to improve. Another quarterback struggling with interceptions is the Miami Dolphins rookie, Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill has been picked off 6 times and thrown just 2 touchdown passes. I think the Dolphins have a chance in this game but they need to keep the ball away from Tannehill. Give the ball to Reggie Bush and let him win the game.
Prediction - Reggie Bush to get it done and lead the Dolphins to victory.
Indianapolis Colts (2-2) @ New York Jets (2-3)
With RG3 picking up all the attention, Andrew Luck is quietly having a good season. He had a great game against the Packers and the Colts currently rank 6th in the NFL, in passing yards per game. Luck hasn't ran the ball as much as Griffin but he is averaging 6.5 yards per carry. The Colts are struggling against the run and rank 26th in the NFL in run defense. This would be a good day for Rex Ryan to increase Tim Tebow's workload. I've made no secret of the fact that I don't think Mark Sanchez is a good quarterback. His career numbers are unimpressive and he actually looks worse this year. The Jets have done well on defense against the pass but are really struggling against the run and only the New Orleans Saints rank lower. This would have been a day for the Colts to put the ball in the hands of Donald Brown and let him win the game for them but he is out injured. Vick Ballard looks likely to start but I'm not sure if he'd be a good fantasy pick. He has only had 21 carries in the NFL and has picked up just 42 yards so it will be interesting to see how he performs when given a starting role.
Prediction - As bad as the Jets are I think they will get the win today. The Colts need a big day on the ground and when their starter is averaging 2 yards per game, it's hard to put faith in him.
Detroit Lions (1-3) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)
The Lions come off their bye week, bottom of the NFC North. The Lions will have had high hopes heading into this season but things haven't worked out for them so far. They are putting up decent scores but their giving up a lot of points too and it has led to a losing record. Philadelphia are really struggling on offense and have only scored 80 points in their 5 games. Turnovers and general poor play from Michael Vick are killing the team and it's hard to put much faith in them at the moment. I find myself on edge, on every offensive series, waiting for the next turnover. This is the second week in a row, the Eagles face a team coming off a bye and it will be a tough game.
Prediction - I think this game turns into a shootout and the Eagles offense are struggling to get points on the board, Lions win.
Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3)
It's hard to get excited about this game, especially as Brady Quinn looks set to start for the Chiefs due to Matt Cassell's injury. If ever an NFL game looked like it could finish 0-0, this is it. The Bucs have been terrible on offense, averaging just 276 yards of total offense per game. Their defense are good against the run, ranking 4th in the league but their pass defense is 32nd. The Chiefs are 2nd in rushing so we will see one of the best rushing attacks, go against one of the best run defenses. The way to beat the Bucs is to pass the ball but it would take a very gutsy coach to put the ball in the hands of a backup quarterback. The Chiefs are struggling with turnovers so far and although they aren't a terribly bad side, they are killing themselves with errors.
Prediction - The Chiefs will run the ball and the Bucs defense will stop them. The Chiefs will cough the ball up a few times and the Bucs will win the game on the back of a good display from kicker, Connor Barth.
Dallas Cowboys (2-2) @ Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
In my eyes, this is a battle between two teams who, on their day, can beat any team in the NFL but ultimately won't be good enough if they make the playoffs. The Cowboys are doing well on the passing side of the game, both on offense and defense. They rank 4th in pass offense and 1st in pass defense. Tony Romo had a bad game, throwing 5 interceptions, against the Bears but other than that, he hasn't had a bad season. His pass completion rate is 66.9% for the season and as long as he keeps up that accuracy, the Cowboys will always be a threat. The Ravens are still struggling on defense and are giving up almost 400 yards per game. Their offense is averaging 399 yards a game but up against the best pass defense in the league, they will have to rely on Ray Rice. Rice is only 9th in the league in yards per game but of the 8 above him, 7 have had at least 15 more carries than Rice. I can't really understand why Rice is being used so little. If you have an elite running-back, give him the ball.
Prediction - Baltimore have won their last 13 regular season home games and I think they make that 14 today.
Buffalo Bills (2-3) @ Arizona Cardinals (4-1)
The Bills have hit a terrible run in their last 6 quarters of football, after a second half drubbing at the hands of the Patriots and then last week's heavy defeat in San Francisco. The biggest positive is Arizona aren't exactly known for their offensive prowess but then again, either were the 49ers. The Bills rank 30th against the run but the Cardinals have lost their leading rushers to injury. The Bills aren't much better on pass defense, ranking 24th. If the Cards can keep Kevin Kolb upright, then he should be able to play the passes to beat this Bills defense.
Prediction - The Cardinals to get back to winning ways.
New England Patriots (3-2) @ Seattle Seahawks (3-2)
This will be one of the most intriguing games of the weekend as one of the leagues best offenses go up against one of the leagues best defenses. The Pats biggest weakness is in pass defense but there is absolutely no way that the Seahawks are going to try to beat them by letting Russell Wilson throw the ball. The Seahawks are 7th, running the ball and the Pats are 8th against the run. It looks as though there will be a lot of tight battles in this game and ultimately the game will be decided by a good unit, stepping up to being a great unit.
Prediction - The Seahawks defense are good but the Patriots offense have too many options if Plan A doesn't work. I can't see the Seahawks offense causing too many problems and think the Pats will end up getting some good field positions to start from and take advantage to win the game.
New York Giants (3-2) @ San Francisco 49ers (4-1)
A repeat of last years NFC Championship game and from what I've saw so far, I'd not be one bit surprised if it was this years Championship game as well. The 49ers offense exploded into life last week, putting up over 600 yards against the Bills. The Giants had a good game offensively too, with Ahmed Bradshaw running for 200 yards. I think this game will be incredibly tight and will most likely, be decided by one play. There will be a late field goal, turnover or missed field goal that will decide this game, either way. I think this game comes down to the final possession and I think it will be a tough battle between two of the better teams in the league.
Prediction - Another game that could be decided by the flip of a coin. I'll go with a reversal of last years title game, 49ers win.
Minnesota Vikings (4-1) @ Washington Redskins (2-3)
The NFL's surprise package, the Minnesota VIkings, head to Washington looking to go 5-1 for the season. I gave them no chance before the season began but they have been excellent and fully deserve to be 4-1. The Redskins will hope quarterback, Robert Griffin III makes it back from a concussion that ended his game in the 3rd quarter last week. Either way I think that concussion will reduce the threat he possesses, as the Redskins will be unlikely to call as many running plays for him. This will play into the Vikings hands and with Christian Ponder surprising everyone and Adrian Peterson appearing to be back at full speed after a bad injury, this should be a good game.
Prediction - I just can't see RG3 being at full strength. Most players miss a game after a concussion and I think it will effect his performance and the Vikings will take advantage of it.
Green Bay Packers (2-3) @ Houston Texans (5-0)
This game looks like being an absolute cracker. The Packers simply cannot afford to drop to 2-4 and the Houston Texans look almost unbeatable. The Packers have looked poor this year. Aaron Rodgers is struggling too, as his offensive line are not doing a good job of protecting him. After today the Packers have 10 games left and 6 of those are against teams that are currently on pace for a playoff place. With a tough schedule to come, 2-4 would be unthinkable. The Packers will need to play very well though, as it is hard to find any weaknesses in this Texans side.
Prediction - I just can't see the Texans losing this one and they will send the Packers to 2-4.
Thursday 11 October 2012
Thursday Night Football - Pittsburgh Steelers @ Tennessee Titans
Just a quick post again, to keep my records up to date. I expect another poor performance from Chris Johnson and the Steelers to get the win in this one.
A full preview of this weekend's games will be posted on Saturday or Sunday.
A full preview of this weekend's games will be posted on Saturday or Sunday.
NFL Power Rankings - Week 6
1 (1) Houston Texans (5-0) - Houston stretched their unbeaten start to 5-0 after a win in New York over the struggling Jets. Arian Foster was the star, rushing for 152 yards and a touchdown. Matt Schaub didn't have the best of games, completing just 50% of his passes for 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The Texans have Green Bay and Baltimore at home before their bye week, so it won't be an easy task to reach 7-0.
2 (2) Atlanta Falcons (5-0) - The Falcons made it to 5-0 after coming from behind in the 4th quarter to beat the Washington Redskins. Matt Ryan threw for 345 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. 285 yards of that, were passes to his main targets, Tony Gonzalez, Julio Jones and Roddy White. Jones and Gonzalez each caught a touchdown pass. The Falcons will be looking to keep their perfect record in place against the Raiders in their final game before their bye week.
3 (3) San Francisco 49ers (4-1) – The 49ers picked up another big win over an AFC East team with a blowout win over the Buffalo Bills. The game ended 45-3 and the result didn't flatter the 49ers. They had over 600 yards of offense and held the Bills to just over 200 yards. Alex Smith had a good game, throwing for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns. The running game was even better and the 49ers picked up 311 yards on the ground. Frank Gore led the way with 106 yards and a touchdown. Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis both had 100 yard receiving games in a big day for the 49ers offense.
4 (7) New England Patriots (3-2) – Tom Brady won the latest installment in the long running battle between himself and Peyton Manning. Brady played well, throwing for 223 yards and a touchdown but the Pats put the game in the hands of their rushers and they didn't let them down. The Pats ran the ball 54 times and picked up 251 yards in the process. Stevan Ridley led the way, rushing for 151 yards and a touchdown from 28 carries.
5 (4) Baltimore Ravens (4-1) – Another unconvincing win for the Ravens as they edged out the Kansas City Chiefs by a scoreline of 9-6. The Ravens are 4-1 now but they have shown few signs of being a top level team in their last 2 games. However, as long as the wins keep coming, they won't mind too much. Joe Flacco had a poor game, completing less than half his passes for 187 yards and an interception. The Ravens main threat was once again, Ray Rice. Rice had 102 yards from 17 carries. The Ravens are setting the pace in the AFC North but there is definitely room for improvement.
6 (6) New York Giants (3-2) - The Giants came from behind to beat the Cleveland Browns and improve to 3-2 for the season. For once, it wasn't all about Eli Manning, although he did have a decent game, throwing for 259 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. The star of the show for the Giants was running-back, Ahmed Bradshaw. Bradshaw had 200 yards rushing and a touchdown. He also caught 4 passes for 29 yards. 3-2 isn't a great record but I have a suspicion that this Giants team have a lot more to give.
7 (9) Chicago Bears (4-1) - A big second half led the Bears to a comfortable win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bears won the second half 38-0, after being held to a 3-3 draw at half-time. The Bears offense had help from the defense, with 2 interceptions being returned for touchdowns. Jay Cutler had 292 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Brandon Marshall caught 12 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. Matt Forte led the running game with 107 yards.
8 (13) Minnesota Vikings (4-1) – The Minnesota Vikings picked up another impressive win, with a 30-7 win over the Titans. Christian Ponder had his first interceptions of the season but interceptions aside he had another decent game, completing 25 of 35 passes for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns. Adrian Peterson had another good game, running for 88 yards on 17 carries. Percy Harvin led the Vikings receivers, catching 8 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings now head to Washington looking to keep their good run going.
9 (5) Arizona Cardinals (4-1) - Arizona lost their unbeaten record, with a defeat on Thursday Night Football in St Louis. Kevin Kolb threw for 289 yards but was sacked 9 times. The Cards running game was poor, averaging 2.6 yards per carry. Larry Fitzgerald led the receivers, catching 8 passes for 92 yards.
10 (14) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) – The Steelers came off their bye week and beat the Philadelphia Eagles to improve to 2-0 at home and 2-2 for the season. The Steelers deserved their win and took advantage of another bad display from Philadelphia. The Steelers offensive line had their best game of the season. Roethlisberger had been sacked 9 times in the opening 3 games but they gave him good protection and the Eagles defense were unable to get to him. Rashard Mendenhall played for the first time this season and ran for 68 yards off 13 carries.
11 (8) Green Bay Packers (2-3) - The Packers suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts. The Packers are struggling this year and things don't look great for them. Aaron Rodgers was sacked 5 times and the defense gave up 464 yards of total offense. Green Bay need to turn their season around quickly. They are falling behind in the NFC North and there are other teams getting ahead of them in the race for the wildcard slots. Running-back, Cedric Benson has picked up an injury and backup Alex Green already looks like a better option. He picked up 55 yards from 9 carries on Sunday.
12 (10) Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) - One step forward, two steps back. I'm an Eagles fan and I had high hopes for this season but it's not going to happen. Michael Vick has had a terrible season. He has turned the ball over 11 times in 5 games and it is killing the team. Andy Reid isn't helping things either. On Sunday the game was clearly going to come down to game management and Andy Reid wasted 2 timeouts. There's a lot of talent on the Eagles roster but unfortunately I can't see us winning anything with Reid and Vick. It's time for some fresh ideas and I think this year could be the end of Andy Reid's time in Philly.
13 (11) San Diego Chargers (3-2) - The Chargers were the victims as the Saints picked up their first win of the season. It was a bizarre performance from the Chargers and in my opinion they got the play calling wrong. The Saints are the worst team in the NFL against the run, yet the Chargers ran 18 rushing plays and 42 passing plays. The running game was working and they ended up getting 117 yards from those 18 plays. I could understand if the Chargers were well behind and they were forced to pass the ball but they were never behind by more than a touchdown at any stage in the game and in fact spent more time in the lead than behind throughout the game.
14 (17) St Louis Rams (3-2) – The Rams picked up a good win over the previously unbeaten, Arizona Cardinals, last Thursday. Sam Bradford had a disappointing game, completing just a third of his passes for 141 yards. Bradford only completed 7 passes but remarkably, 2 of them were for touchdowns. He also had an interception. Steven Jackson had a decent game, running for 76 yards from 16 carries. The Rams defense performed well and managed to sack Kevin Kolb 9 times.
15 (12) Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) - The Bengals drop to 3-2 after a home loss to the Miami Dolphins. As explosive as the Bengals offense has been this year, it met a very good Dolphins defense on Sunday and came out second best. Andy Dalton completed 26 of 43 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown but he also had 2 interceptions. AJ Green caught another touchdown pass, a 2 yard reception in the 4th quarter. The Bengals had 3 turnovers to Miami's 2 and in games as close as this one, turnovers are often the difference between a win and a loss.
16 (21) Seattle Seahawks (3-2) – The Seahawks picked up a win in Carolina to move to 3-2 for the year. The defense led the way again and restricted the Panthers to 190 yards of total offense. The Seahawks offense didn't do the team many favours, turning the ball over 3 times. Russell Wilson had another 2 interceptions although otherwise his numbers were quite good. He completed 19 of his 25 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown. Marshawn Lynch led the rushing game, running for 85 yards.
17 (16) Dallas Cowboys (2-2) - Dallas were on their bye week this week and face a difficult trip to Baltimore next week. With the Eagles and the Giants sitting at 3-2, the Cowboys will be looking for a win.
18 (15) Denver Broncos (2-3) - Peyton Manning lost to old rival, Tom Brady, in the first game between the pair since Peyton moved to the Denver Broncos. Manning's passing could not be faulted. He threw for 337 yards and 3 touchdowns. The biggest issue for the Broncos were the 3 fumbles. All 3 fumbles were costly. 2 came deep in New England territory when the Broncos looked likely to score and the other saw the Patriots start a drive on the Denver 14 which they converted into a touchdown. Demaryius Thomas had a great game for the Broncos, catching 9 passes for 180 yards.
19 (18) Washington Redskins (2-3) - The Redskins slip to 2-3 after a home defeat to the Atlanta Falcons. The biggest concern for the Redskins will be the injury to star quarterback, Robert Griffin III. He picked up a concussion after a hard hit in Sunday's game and the Redskins rely heavily on him. Kirk Couzins came in and scored on a touchdown pass to Santana Moss but he followed it up with 2 interceptions. Alfred Morris had another good game and ran for 115 yards.
20 (22) Detroit Lions (1-3) - The Lions had their bye week this week and will have been preparing for a trip to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.
21 (29) Miami Dolphins (2-3) – The Dolphins picked up a good win in Cincinnati over the Bengals. The defense led the way, restricting the Bengals to 298 yards of total offense and they also forced 3 turnovers. Ryan Tannehill had another solid game, throwing for 223 yards and no interceptions. The running game didn't do well, averaging just 1.9 yards per carry but they still managed to get 2 touchdowns. Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas made it into the end zone on 13 yard and 1 yard runs, respectively.
22 (26) Indianapolis Colts (2-2) - The Colts done head coach, Chuck Pagano, proud this week, coming back from an 18 point deficit at half-time to beat the Green Bay Packers. It's been an emotional few weeks for the Colts since Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia but Sunday's performance will have helped lift morale. Andrew Luck had a great game, throwing for 362 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Donald Brown ran for 84 yards but the Colts best offensive weapon was Reggie Wayne who caught 13 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown.
23 (20) New York Jets (2-3) – Another defeat for the Jets and another poor performance from Mark Sanchez. Sanchez completed just 14 of his 31 pass attempts for 230 yards. He got a touchdown but also had 2 interceptions. The Jets running game never got going and they managed just 3 yards per carry. The Jets are 2-3 now and Mark Sanchez is clearly not working out for them. Whilst he's not the best quarterback, Tim Tebow has a record of winning games and at this stage I'd give him a shot.
24 (19) Buffalo Bills (2-3) – The Bills suffered another heavy defeat, this time in San Francisco. Their defense was picked apart by the 49ers who picked up 621 yards of total offense. The Bills offense wasn't much better, picking up just 204 yards of offense. The 49ers had 3 times as many yards offensively and that dominance showed in the final score. As if being totally dominated in offensive yards wasn't enough, the Bills also threw in 2 turnovers for good measure. It was a bad day for the Bills and they need to turn things round quickly if they are aiming to make the playoffs.
25 (28) New Orleans Saints (1-4) – The Saints have finally picked up that elusive, first win of the season. They beat the San Diego Chargers, 31-24, on Sunday Night Football. Not for the first time in his Saints career, Drew Brees was the hero. He threw for 370 yards, 4 touchdowns and an interception. He also broke the record for the most consecutive games throwing a touchdown pass. The Saints other big performers were receivers, Marques Colston and Devery Henderson. Colston had 9 receptions for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns. Henderson had 8 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown.
26 (24) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3) - The Bucs had their bye week and will be looking to pick up a win next week against fellow strugglers, the Kansas City Chiefs.
27 (25) Oakland Raiders (1-3) – Oakland were on a bye this week and next up for them is a trip to the 5-0, Atlanta Falcons.
28 (27) Carolina Panthers (1-4) – The Panthers were beaten by a narrow scoreline in a game were they never really deserved to be as close as they were. The Panthers only picked up 190 yards of total offense. Quarterback, Cam Newton completed just 12 of his 29 pass attempts for 141 yards. He was better running the ball and picked up 42 yards from 7 runs. The Panthers were unable to take advantage of Seattle's 3 turnovers and drop to 1-4.
29 (30) Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) – I am getting a bit bored of writing the same stuff about this Chiefs team. It seems every week I am trying to find a new way to say the Chiefs struggle with turnovers and yet again turnovers beat them. They lost 9-6 to the Baltimore Ravens and every single point the Ravens got came on a drive that began with a Chiefs turnover. On one of those drives the Chiefs were in field goal range themselves so it really is a case of, if you took the turnovers away, the Chiefs would have won. The Chiefs best player on the day was Jamaal Charles who ran for 140 yards and also caught 3 passes for 21 yards.
30 (23) Tennessee Titans (1-4) - The Titans suffered another heavy defeat, this time at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. The Titans were well beaten and never really looked like getting anything from the game. The offense couldn't get going and once again, Chris Johnson had a terrible game. Johnson picked up just 29 yards from scrimmage and also had a fumble. The Titans are struggling this year and things don't look like improving any time soon.
31 (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) - Jacksonville suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of the Bears on Sunday. It was going well at half-time with the teams tied at 3-3, but the wheels came off the Jags in the second half. Chicago scored 38 unanswered points and ended up winning 41-3. Blaine Gabbert threw for 142 yards and 2 interceptions. Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 56 yards off 12 carries at 4.7 yards per carry. The Jags will have to get Jones-Drew more involved in games if they want to improve on their record.
32 (32) Cleveland Browns (0-5) – Another defeat for the Browns but one that they can take some positives from. They got off to a good start, going 14-0 ahead and led until late in the 2nd quarter. From then on the Giants took control and ended up comfortable winners. The Giants will put up big scores against better teams than the Browns but the Browns can take heart from scoring 27 points. Brandon Weeden had another mixed day, throwing for 291 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The interceptions were costly and both led to Giants touchdowns. Trent Richardson had a good game, gaining 128 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
2 (2) Atlanta Falcons (5-0) - The Falcons made it to 5-0 after coming from behind in the 4th quarter to beat the Washington Redskins. Matt Ryan threw for 345 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. 285 yards of that, were passes to his main targets, Tony Gonzalez, Julio Jones and Roddy White. Jones and Gonzalez each caught a touchdown pass. The Falcons will be looking to keep their perfect record in place against the Raiders in their final game before their bye week.
3 (3) San Francisco 49ers (4-1) – The 49ers picked up another big win over an AFC East team with a blowout win over the Buffalo Bills. The game ended 45-3 and the result didn't flatter the 49ers. They had over 600 yards of offense and held the Bills to just over 200 yards. Alex Smith had a good game, throwing for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns. The running game was even better and the 49ers picked up 311 yards on the ground. Frank Gore led the way with 106 yards and a touchdown. Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis both had 100 yard receiving games in a big day for the 49ers offense.
4 (7) New England Patriots (3-2) – Tom Brady won the latest installment in the long running battle between himself and Peyton Manning. Brady played well, throwing for 223 yards and a touchdown but the Pats put the game in the hands of their rushers and they didn't let them down. The Pats ran the ball 54 times and picked up 251 yards in the process. Stevan Ridley led the way, rushing for 151 yards and a touchdown from 28 carries.
5 (4) Baltimore Ravens (4-1) – Another unconvincing win for the Ravens as they edged out the Kansas City Chiefs by a scoreline of 9-6. The Ravens are 4-1 now but they have shown few signs of being a top level team in their last 2 games. However, as long as the wins keep coming, they won't mind too much. Joe Flacco had a poor game, completing less than half his passes for 187 yards and an interception. The Ravens main threat was once again, Ray Rice. Rice had 102 yards from 17 carries. The Ravens are setting the pace in the AFC North but there is definitely room for improvement.
6 (6) New York Giants (3-2) - The Giants came from behind to beat the Cleveland Browns and improve to 3-2 for the season. For once, it wasn't all about Eli Manning, although he did have a decent game, throwing for 259 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. The star of the show for the Giants was running-back, Ahmed Bradshaw. Bradshaw had 200 yards rushing and a touchdown. He also caught 4 passes for 29 yards. 3-2 isn't a great record but I have a suspicion that this Giants team have a lot more to give.
7 (9) Chicago Bears (4-1) - A big second half led the Bears to a comfortable win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bears won the second half 38-0, after being held to a 3-3 draw at half-time. The Bears offense had help from the defense, with 2 interceptions being returned for touchdowns. Jay Cutler had 292 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Brandon Marshall caught 12 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. Matt Forte led the running game with 107 yards.
8 (13) Minnesota Vikings (4-1) – The Minnesota Vikings picked up another impressive win, with a 30-7 win over the Titans. Christian Ponder had his first interceptions of the season but interceptions aside he had another decent game, completing 25 of 35 passes for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns. Adrian Peterson had another good game, running for 88 yards on 17 carries. Percy Harvin led the Vikings receivers, catching 8 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings now head to Washington looking to keep their good run going.
9 (5) Arizona Cardinals (4-1) - Arizona lost their unbeaten record, with a defeat on Thursday Night Football in St Louis. Kevin Kolb threw for 289 yards but was sacked 9 times. The Cards running game was poor, averaging 2.6 yards per carry. Larry Fitzgerald led the receivers, catching 8 passes for 92 yards.
10 (14) Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) – The Steelers came off their bye week and beat the Philadelphia Eagles to improve to 2-0 at home and 2-2 for the season. The Steelers deserved their win and took advantage of another bad display from Philadelphia. The Steelers offensive line had their best game of the season. Roethlisberger had been sacked 9 times in the opening 3 games but they gave him good protection and the Eagles defense were unable to get to him. Rashard Mendenhall played for the first time this season and ran for 68 yards off 13 carries.
11 (8) Green Bay Packers (2-3) - The Packers suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts. The Packers are struggling this year and things don't look great for them. Aaron Rodgers was sacked 5 times and the defense gave up 464 yards of total offense. Green Bay need to turn their season around quickly. They are falling behind in the NFC North and there are other teams getting ahead of them in the race for the wildcard slots. Running-back, Cedric Benson has picked up an injury and backup Alex Green already looks like a better option. He picked up 55 yards from 9 carries on Sunday.
12 (10) Philadelphia Eagles (3-2) - One step forward, two steps back. I'm an Eagles fan and I had high hopes for this season but it's not going to happen. Michael Vick has had a terrible season. He has turned the ball over 11 times in 5 games and it is killing the team. Andy Reid isn't helping things either. On Sunday the game was clearly going to come down to game management and Andy Reid wasted 2 timeouts. There's a lot of talent on the Eagles roster but unfortunately I can't see us winning anything with Reid and Vick. It's time for some fresh ideas and I think this year could be the end of Andy Reid's time in Philly.
13 (11) San Diego Chargers (3-2) - The Chargers were the victims as the Saints picked up their first win of the season. It was a bizarre performance from the Chargers and in my opinion they got the play calling wrong. The Saints are the worst team in the NFL against the run, yet the Chargers ran 18 rushing plays and 42 passing plays. The running game was working and they ended up getting 117 yards from those 18 plays. I could understand if the Chargers were well behind and they were forced to pass the ball but they were never behind by more than a touchdown at any stage in the game and in fact spent more time in the lead than behind throughout the game.
14 (17) St Louis Rams (3-2) – The Rams picked up a good win over the previously unbeaten, Arizona Cardinals, last Thursday. Sam Bradford had a disappointing game, completing just a third of his passes for 141 yards. Bradford only completed 7 passes but remarkably, 2 of them were for touchdowns. He also had an interception. Steven Jackson had a decent game, running for 76 yards from 16 carries. The Rams defense performed well and managed to sack Kevin Kolb 9 times.
15 (12) Cincinnati Bengals (3-2) - The Bengals drop to 3-2 after a home loss to the Miami Dolphins. As explosive as the Bengals offense has been this year, it met a very good Dolphins defense on Sunday and came out second best. Andy Dalton completed 26 of 43 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown but he also had 2 interceptions. AJ Green caught another touchdown pass, a 2 yard reception in the 4th quarter. The Bengals had 3 turnovers to Miami's 2 and in games as close as this one, turnovers are often the difference between a win and a loss.
16 (21) Seattle Seahawks (3-2) – The Seahawks picked up a win in Carolina to move to 3-2 for the year. The defense led the way again and restricted the Panthers to 190 yards of total offense. The Seahawks offense didn't do the team many favours, turning the ball over 3 times. Russell Wilson had another 2 interceptions although otherwise his numbers were quite good. He completed 19 of his 25 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown. Marshawn Lynch led the rushing game, running for 85 yards.
17 (16) Dallas Cowboys (2-2) - Dallas were on their bye week this week and face a difficult trip to Baltimore next week. With the Eagles and the Giants sitting at 3-2, the Cowboys will be looking for a win.
18 (15) Denver Broncos (2-3) - Peyton Manning lost to old rival, Tom Brady, in the first game between the pair since Peyton moved to the Denver Broncos. Manning's passing could not be faulted. He threw for 337 yards and 3 touchdowns. The biggest issue for the Broncos were the 3 fumbles. All 3 fumbles were costly. 2 came deep in New England territory when the Broncos looked likely to score and the other saw the Patriots start a drive on the Denver 14 which they converted into a touchdown. Demaryius Thomas had a great game for the Broncos, catching 9 passes for 180 yards.
19 (18) Washington Redskins (2-3) - The Redskins slip to 2-3 after a home defeat to the Atlanta Falcons. The biggest concern for the Redskins will be the injury to star quarterback, Robert Griffin III. He picked up a concussion after a hard hit in Sunday's game and the Redskins rely heavily on him. Kirk Couzins came in and scored on a touchdown pass to Santana Moss but he followed it up with 2 interceptions. Alfred Morris had another good game and ran for 115 yards.
20 (22) Detroit Lions (1-3) - The Lions had their bye week this week and will have been preparing for a trip to Philadelphia to face the Eagles.
21 (29) Miami Dolphins (2-3) – The Dolphins picked up a good win in Cincinnati over the Bengals. The defense led the way, restricting the Bengals to 298 yards of total offense and they also forced 3 turnovers. Ryan Tannehill had another solid game, throwing for 223 yards and no interceptions. The running game didn't do well, averaging just 1.9 yards per carry but they still managed to get 2 touchdowns. Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas made it into the end zone on 13 yard and 1 yard runs, respectively.
22 (26) Indianapolis Colts (2-2) - The Colts done head coach, Chuck Pagano, proud this week, coming back from an 18 point deficit at half-time to beat the Green Bay Packers. It's been an emotional few weeks for the Colts since Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia but Sunday's performance will have helped lift morale. Andrew Luck had a great game, throwing for 362 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. Donald Brown ran for 84 yards but the Colts best offensive weapon was Reggie Wayne who caught 13 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown.
23 (20) New York Jets (2-3) – Another defeat for the Jets and another poor performance from Mark Sanchez. Sanchez completed just 14 of his 31 pass attempts for 230 yards. He got a touchdown but also had 2 interceptions. The Jets running game never got going and they managed just 3 yards per carry. The Jets are 2-3 now and Mark Sanchez is clearly not working out for them. Whilst he's not the best quarterback, Tim Tebow has a record of winning games and at this stage I'd give him a shot.
24 (19) Buffalo Bills (2-3) – The Bills suffered another heavy defeat, this time in San Francisco. Their defense was picked apart by the 49ers who picked up 621 yards of total offense. The Bills offense wasn't much better, picking up just 204 yards of offense. The 49ers had 3 times as many yards offensively and that dominance showed in the final score. As if being totally dominated in offensive yards wasn't enough, the Bills also threw in 2 turnovers for good measure. It was a bad day for the Bills and they need to turn things round quickly if they are aiming to make the playoffs.
25 (28) New Orleans Saints (1-4) – The Saints have finally picked up that elusive, first win of the season. They beat the San Diego Chargers, 31-24, on Sunday Night Football. Not for the first time in his Saints career, Drew Brees was the hero. He threw for 370 yards, 4 touchdowns and an interception. He also broke the record for the most consecutive games throwing a touchdown pass. The Saints other big performers were receivers, Marques Colston and Devery Henderson. Colston had 9 receptions for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns. Henderson had 8 receptions for 123 yards and a touchdown.
26 (24) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3) - The Bucs had their bye week and will be looking to pick up a win next week against fellow strugglers, the Kansas City Chiefs.
27 (25) Oakland Raiders (1-3) – Oakland were on a bye this week and next up for them is a trip to the 5-0, Atlanta Falcons.
28 (27) Carolina Panthers (1-4) – The Panthers were beaten by a narrow scoreline in a game were they never really deserved to be as close as they were. The Panthers only picked up 190 yards of total offense. Quarterback, Cam Newton completed just 12 of his 29 pass attempts for 141 yards. He was better running the ball and picked up 42 yards from 7 runs. The Panthers were unable to take advantage of Seattle's 3 turnovers and drop to 1-4.
29 (30) Kansas City Chiefs (1-4) – I am getting a bit bored of writing the same stuff about this Chiefs team. It seems every week I am trying to find a new way to say the Chiefs struggle with turnovers and yet again turnovers beat them. They lost 9-6 to the Baltimore Ravens and every single point the Ravens got came on a drive that began with a Chiefs turnover. On one of those drives the Chiefs were in field goal range themselves so it really is a case of, if you took the turnovers away, the Chiefs would have won. The Chiefs best player on the day was Jamaal Charles who ran for 140 yards and also caught 3 passes for 21 yards.
30 (23) Tennessee Titans (1-4) - The Titans suffered another heavy defeat, this time at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. The Titans were well beaten and never really looked like getting anything from the game. The offense couldn't get going and once again, Chris Johnson had a terrible game. Johnson picked up just 29 yards from scrimmage and also had a fumble. The Titans are struggling this year and things don't look like improving any time soon.
31 (31) Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) - Jacksonville suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of the Bears on Sunday. It was going well at half-time with the teams tied at 3-3, but the wheels came off the Jags in the second half. Chicago scored 38 unanswered points and ended up winning 41-3. Blaine Gabbert threw for 142 yards and 2 interceptions. Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 56 yards off 12 carries at 4.7 yards per carry. The Jags will have to get Jones-Drew more involved in games if they want to improve on their record.
32 (32) Cleveland Browns (0-5) – Another defeat for the Browns but one that they can take some positives from. They got off to a good start, going 14-0 ahead and led until late in the 2nd quarter. From then on the Giants took control and ended up comfortable winners. The Giants will put up big scores against better teams than the Browns but the Browns can take heart from scoring 27 points. Brandon Weeden had another mixed day, throwing for 291 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The interceptions were costly and both led to Giants touchdowns. Trent Richardson had a good game, gaining 128 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
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