NFL Football - Week Four Review

The dominance of the Denver Broncos (4-0) continues to move forward following the first quarter of the NFL schedule after a 52-20 home win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, the Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, passed for 327 yards

Peyton Manning is dominating the NFL this season.

and four touchdowns, running his season total to 16 TD passes with ZERO interceptions.
The Broncos have scored 179 points in four games, an average of just under 45 points a game.
Wow!
Hey, break up the Cleveland Browns.
After the "packing it in for 2013" trade of running back Trent Richardson to Indianapolis recently, the Browns have run off two straight wins, including a 17-6 beat down of the Cincinnati Bengals to improve to 2-2 and a first place tie with Cincy and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North.
The Cleveland defense limited the Bengals to just 266 total yards in offense, including only 63 rushing yards while getting two turnovers in the win. Browns QB Brian Hoyer threw for two touchdowns to lead the offense.
The Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) pulled away from the winless New York Giants in the second half as Dexter McCluster took a punt back 89 yards for a score and Jamaal Charles scored a rushing TD while QB Alex Smith threw a second TD pass to provide the 31-7 final score.
The Detroit Lions (3-1) dominated the Chicago Bears in Motown, winning 40-32 behind  good balance on offense (387 total yards, including 159 rushing) and a solid defense that forced four turnovers, including three interceptions and a score off a fumble recovery. Lions' RB Reggie Bush scored a touchdown and had 139 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Bears QB Jay Cutler threw the three picks along with two touchdowns in the loss, which knocked Chicago from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Philip Rivers completed 83 percent of passes in win.

The undefeated Seattle Seahawks roared back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Houston Texans on the road, 23-20 in overtime. Kicker Steven Hauschka drilled the game-winning 45-yard field goal to provide the final score.
The Texans led 20-13 late before QB Matt Schaub threw an errant pass that Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman intercepted and took back 58 yards for the tying score with just over two minutes left in regulation.
The Indianapolis Colts coasted to an easy 37-3 road win at Jacksonville as QB Andrew Luck threw for two scores while the defense limited the Jaguars to only 205 total yards in offense.
The San Diego Chargers shocked the visiting Dallas Cowboys, 30-21 as QB Philip Rivers, Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, passed for 401 yards and three touchdowns to lead the way, including the deciding 56-yard TD pass to tight end Antonio Gates (10 receptions for 136 yards) to ice the game.

                       Elsewhere around the NFL in Week Four . . .

Minnesota beat Pittsburgh, 34-27 in London, England as reserve QB Matt Cassel had two TD passes to go with a big performance from RB Adrian Peterson (140 rushing yards and two TD) to offset two scoring runs from La'Veon Bell. The Steelers are 0-4 this season, the team's worst start since 1968 . . . The Washington Redskins finally won a game as they beat the Oakland Raiders, 24-14 behind a big day from the defense, including seven QB sacks and a 45-yard interception return for TD by David Amerson . . . The Tennessee Titans (3-1) smoked the visiting NY Jets, 38-13 as QB Jake Locker threw for three scores before leaving the game with a hip injury that could sideline him for up to four to eight weeks  . . . The Arizona Cardinals won the yawner of the week, 13-10 on the road against the Tampa Bay Bucs (0-4), who squandered the 10-0 lead in the fourth quarter . . .  The Buffalo Bills beat the visiting Baltimore Ravens, 23-20 as they picked off Ravens' QB Joe Flacco FIVE times to go with a scoring pass from QB E.J. Manuel and a rushing TD from Fred Jackson. The Bills defense limited Baltimore to just 24 rushing yards in the game . . .  The San Francisco 49ers dominated the host St. Louis Rams, 35-11 last Thursday night to improve to 2-2 as running back Frank Gore ran for 153 yards and scored a touchdown to go with two TD passes from QB Colin Kaepernick. The 'Niners defense held St. Louis (1-3) to just 188 total yards in offense, including a meager 18 rushing yards  . . .  The Sunday Night Football game saw the undefeated New England Patriots go into Atlanta and hold on for a 30-23 win as QB Tom Brady (316 pass yards) threw for two scores and the Pats' defense held off the Falcons in the final seconds after nearly blowing a 17-point fourth quarter lead. Falcons QB Matt Ryan threw for 421 yards with two TD passes and one pick in the loss, which dropped the team to 1-3 in the NFC South . . .  The New Orleans Saints (4-0), led by Drew Brees, Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, rolled past the visiting Miami Dolphins, 38-17 on Monday Night Football. Brees threw for 413 yards and had four TD passes while running back Darren Sproles and tight end Jimmy Graham each scored two touchdowns. The Saints defense dominated Miami, sacking QB Ryan Tannehill four times and picking off three passes.
On a sad note, former NFL player L.C. Greenwood, a member of the famed "Steel Curtain" defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 1970's, died Sunday at the age of 67. Greenwood played on all four Super Bowl champion Steelers' teams during their dominance of the (1970's) decade.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten    (Week ending September 28)

1. Alabama (4-0)                                                                                       
2. Oregon (4-0)
3. Clemson (4-0)
4. Ohio State (5-0)
5. Stanford (4-0)
6. Florida State (4-0)
7. Georgia (3-1)
8. LSU (4-1)
9. Texas A & M (4-1)
10. Oklahoma (4-0)   

NFL Football - Week Four Preview

Whew!

One of  the positive things for the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Heftyinfo really took it on the chin with last weekend's NFL game selections (going 5-11) as too many of the "upsets" picked were the wrong ones.
But that was last week and now it is on to Week Four around the National Football League.
There is a game "across the pond" this Sunday as the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Minnesota Vikings in the
first of TWO games in London, England this season.
Both squads are 0-3 and the Steelers have looked rather awful in their first three games while the Vikings don't seem to be the same team they were a year ago as they have stumbled out of the gate.
The Thursday Night Football game will feature the San Francisco 49ers at the St. Louis Rams in a NFC West contest. The Rams were blasted at Dallas last Sunday while the 49ers were blown by Indianapolis at Candlestick Park. Go figure.
The upstart Cleveland Browns, fresh off a road win at Minnesota, will host the suddenly surging Cincinnati Bengals, who rallied from 16 points down to defeat the Green Bay Packers.
Seattle at Houston should provide an intriguing matchup as the Texans were humbled big time at Baltimore last week while the 3-0 Seahawks drilled the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars in the Emerald City. Houston boasts a solid defense, just not quite as good as the Seahawks and both teams have been adequate on the offense in the first three games.
Two teams with somewhat surprising 2-1 records will face each other as the New York Jets travel to Tennessee to face the Titans, who barely pulled out a 20-17 victory against San Diego last Sunday. The Jets have been doing it with defense and some fortunate breaks in their two wins this year.
The Dallas Cowboys will go to San Diego and face the Chargers, who are 1-2 and have seen all three games decided by three points. Dallas looked real good at home last week in blowing the St. Louis Rams as running back DeMarco Murray had a big game along with the defense.
The scoreboard will get a workout when the Philadelphia Eagles, led by Head Coach Chip Kelly and his high octane, fast paced offense travels to face the Denver Broncos, the league's highest scoring team through the first three games.
The "prime time" games will feature the New England Patriots (3-0) at Atlanta on Sunday night while the Monday Night Football game will have two unbeaten teams facing each other with the Miami Dolphins playing the New Orleans Saints in the Louisiana Super Dome.

The short breakdowns below are followed by the Heftyinfo picks for Week Four, which hopefully will go better than last week's picks. (Green Bay and Carolina have the bye week)

San Francisco (1-2) at St. Louis (1-2) - Suddenly, the 49ers don't look so invincible any more.

Baltimore (2-1) at Buffalo (1-2) - The Ravens should roll this week, but you never know.

Cincinnati (2-1) at Cleveland (1-2) - The battle of Ohio... take the Bengals (in a close one).

Chicago (3-0) at Detroit (2-1) - This game will most likely go down to the wire, whoever has the football last.

NY Giants (0-3) at Kansas City (3-0) - Winless Giants? VS. Undefeated Chiefs? Yes, that is correct. Beware the trap game, Kansas City!

Pittsburgh (0-3) at Minnesota (0-3) IN LONDON, ENGLAND - Two teams playing poorly traveling across the Atlantic Ocean to play each other. Yawn!

Arizona (1-2) at Tampa Bay (0-3) - The host Buccaneers are a mess.

Indianapolis (2-1) at Jacksonville (0-3) - The Colts, fresh off their blowout win against 49ers, against hapless Jags. Sure thing, right? Maybe not.

Seattle (3-0) at Houston (2-1) - Super Bowl 48 preview? Too soon to tell.

NY Jets (2-1) at Tennessee (2-1) - Jets' fans are saying Mark who? Beware the Titans!

Philadelphia (1-2) at Denver (3-0) - Can any team stop Peyton Manning and the Broncos? Not the Eagles.

Dallas (2-1) at San Diego (1-2) - Once upon a time (back in 2006, '07, '08), this matchup was thought to be a potential Super Bowl game. My, how times have changed.

Washington (0-3) at Oakland (1-2) - RG3 gets it done for the Redskins this week.

New England (3-0) at Atlanta (1-2) - The Patriots just continue to roll along while the Falcons have struggled so far in 2013.

Miami (3-0) at New Orleans (3-0) - The Dolphins and Saints in "prime time" ... Ryan Tannehill vs. Drew Brees ... two solid defenses ... Take the Saints.

The Heftyinfo predictions for Week Four  . . .  (Home teams are listed in BOLD; Lock of the Week pick is listed in BOLD CAPS)

San Francisco over St. Louis
Baltimore over Buffalo
Cincinnati over Cleveland
Detroit over Chicago
NY Giants over Kansas City
Pittsburgh over Minnesota (Game is in London, England)
Tampa Bay over Arizona
Indianapolis over Jacksonville
Houston over Seattle
Tennessee over NY Jets
DENVER over Philadelphia
Dallas over San Diego
Washington over Oakland
Atlanta over New England
New Orleans over Miami

Last Week's Record:  5-11

SEASON RECORD:  27-21

Lock of the Week Record:  3-0

NFL Football - Week Three Review

This past weekend showed the old phrase, "That is why they play the games"  to be so true.
The Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns and to a lesser extent, Miami Dolphins, pulled off surprising wins

in Week Three.
The Browns win was the real shocker as they went into Minnesota and beat the Vikings, 31-27 behind the big performance from third-string quarterback Bryan Hoyer (pictured upper right), the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week, who had 321 yards passing with three touchdowns (and three interceptions), including the game winning toss to tight end Jordan Cameron with just 51 seconds left in the game.
The Browns defense limited Vikings running back to Adrian Peterson to 88 rushing yards and one touchdown while QB Christian Ponder scored two rushing touchdowns in the losing effort.
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts went out west and smacked the San Francisco 49ers in the mouth, rolling to a 27-7 upset win as three rushing touchdowns and solid defense (limiting the 'Niners to just 254 yards) paved the way for Indy. The 49ers have been outscored 56-10 in their last two games, both blowout losses.
The Chicago Bears won the Sunday Night Football game in Pittsburgh, beating the Steelers, 40-23 behind two defensive scores (interception return and fumble recovery return) and five turnovers to go with rushing touchdowns from Matt Forte' and Michael Bush and a TD pass from Jay Cutler to Earl Bennett to put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. Steelers' QB Ben Roethlisberger passed for 406 yards with two touchdowns and two picks in the loss.
The Detroit Lions kept the host Washington Redskins winless with a 27-20 victory as Matthew Stafford threw for two touchdowns (along with 385 passing yards) and the defense came up with two turnovers to help make the difference in the win.
What is with the New York Giants?
They were blasted by the host Carolina Panthers, 38-0 as QB Eli Manning was sacked seven times (six in

Cam Newton

the first half) and totaled just 150 yards in offense. Meanwhile, Panthers' QB Cam Newton threw for three touchdowns and ran for  another to get his team their first win of the season. The Giants fell to 0-3 and have been outscored 115-54 for the season.
New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees got it going at home against the Arizona Cardinals in a 31-7 rout as he passed for  342 yards and three touchdowns while also running for another score to help his team improve to a perfect 3-0 record for the year.
The Miami Dolphins rolled to 3-0 for the season as well with a come-from-behind 27-23 home win against the Atlanta Falcons. QB Ryan Tannehill threw a one-yard scoring pass to tight end Dion Sims with 38 seconds left in regulation to provide the final score. The Falcons twice blew ten-point leads in the game.

      Elsewhere around the NFL in  Week Three  . . .

New England stayed a perfect 3-0 as well with a 23-3 win against  Tampa Bay (0-3) as Tom Brady had two TD passes . . . The Cincinnati Bengals stormed back from a 16-point deficit to beat the visiting Green Bay Packers, 34-30 as Terrence Newman returned a fumble recovery 58 yards for the deciding score. The Bengals defense intercepted Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers twice and also had two fumble recoveries . . .  Baltimore blasted the visiting Houston Texans, 30-9 by holding them to three field goals while getting a punt return TD by Tandon Doss and a 37-yard interception return for score from Daryl Smith. The Ravens defense limited Houston to just 264 total yards in offense  . . .  The Dallas Cowboys made quick work of the visiting St. Louis Rams in a 31-7 win as they rolled out to a 24-0 early in the third quarter. Dallas QB Tony Romo had three TD passes in the game . . . The Tennessee Titans pulled off a late-game thrilling win 20-17 over the San Diego Chargers as QB Jake Locker hit rookie wide receiver Justin Hunter with a 34-yard scoring pass with just 15 seconds remaining . . .  The New York Jets got two TD passes and a rushing score from rookie QB Geno Smith to outlast the visiting Buffalo Bills, 27-20 and improve to 2-1. Buffalo (1-2) allowed 513 yards in total offense in the loss . . . The Seattle Seahawks crushed the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars, 45-17 behind a balanced attack (156 rushing yards and 323 passing) and four touchdown passes from QB Russell Wilson . . .  The Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) went into Philadelphia last Thursday night and pasted the Eagles, 26-16 to give Head Coach Andy Reid a win over his former team as linebacker Justin Houston recorded 4 1/2 QB sacks . . .  The Monday Night Football game featured the Denver Broncos improving to 3-0 by crushing the visiting Oakland Raiders, 37-21 behind three more TD passes from QB Peyton Manning, who has thrown for 12 touchdowns in the first three games with no interceptions.


 

heftyinfo: IT'S FALL- Scenes of Autumn

heftyinfo: IT'S FALL- Scenes of Autumn

Wake Up Dude!

This is John Boehner, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and he says the American people do not want Obama Care.
Say what dude?
The American people re-elected Barack Obama based in large part that his opponent last year, Mitt Romney, ran on the agenda of repealing Obama Care.
So, John Boehner, put down the booze and wake the fuck up dude!
Obama Care is the LAW OF THE LAND AND IS HERE TO STAY!
Give it up already.

NFL Football - Week Three Preview

Week Three around the NFL gets started tonight with Thursday Night Football on NFL Network, as the Philadelphia Eagles welcome (former) Head Coach Andy Reid (pictured below) and the Kansas City Chiefs back to town.

The Eagles will look to outscore the Chiefs and improve to 2-1 while giving their opponents their first loss of the 2013 season. In fact, Kansas City has already equaled their win total for all of last season in the first two games.
Another "homecoming" of sorts will be Sunday when the Houston Texans
travel to face the Baltimore Ravens. Houston safety Ed Reed (who hasn't played yet in the regular season) left the Ravens after the Super Bowl season and is hoping to hit the field this week.
And how about the Indianapolis Colts going to San Francisco this week to face the 49ers? The Colts just traded for Browns running back Trent Richardson and face a team licking their wounds after being smashed by the Seattle Seahawks.
The Sunday Night Football game will feature the Chicago Bears at the Pittsburgh Steelers, with these two teams going in opposite directions early on. The Bears have pulled off two last minute (home field) wins while the Steelers haven't been able to get anything going on offense, losing their first two games.
There are some good matchups this week and the following capsule style previews give a hint of what to expect (or not) and are followed by the Heftyinfo predictions.

Kansas City (2-0) at Philadelphia (1-1) - Andy Reid back in Philly? This should be a good one.

Green Bay (1-1) at Cincinnati (1-1) - The Packers continue to roll.

St. Louis (1-1) at Dallas (1-1) - Tough game to figure out... could go either way.

San Diego (1-1) at Tennessee (1-1) - The 'Bolts woke up last week while the Titans let one get away on the road. Toss up game.

Cleveland (0-2) at Minnesota (0-2) - One of these teams has to win this week. Take the Vikings.

Tampa Bay (0-2) at New England (2-0) - Tom  Brady faces old nemesis Darrelle Revis once again.

Arizona (1-1) at New Orleans (2-0) - Drew Brees due to break out this week... Saints roll.

Detroit (1-1) at Washington (0-2) - The Redskins in an early "must win" game.

New York Giants (0-2) at Carolina (0-2) - One of these two teams will be in a big hole after this game.

Houston (2-0) at Baltimore (1-1) - Will former Raven Ed Reed play this week?

Atlanta (1-1) at Miami (2-0) - The unbeaten Dolphins will get a real test this week.

Buffalo (1-1) at New York Jets (1-1) - More late game magic from Bills rookie QB E.J. Manuel OR can fellow rookie QB Geno Smith lead the Jets to the win?

Indianapolis (1-1) at San Francisco (1-1) - Suddenly with the Trent Richardson trade, this game looks a lot more interesting aside from the reunion of former Stanford Head Coach Jim Harbaugh with former Stanford QB Andrew Luck. Take the 'Niners.

Jacksonville (0-2) at Seattle (2-0) - Why bother?

Chicago (2-0) at Pittsburgh (0-2) - Can the Steelers get it going against the Bears? This one could go down to the wire.

Oakland (0-2) at Denver (2-0) - The Monday Night Football tilt could be over in a hurry if Peyton Manning has anything to say about it and HE WILL. Broncos in a rout!

The Heftyinfo picks  . . .     (Home teams listed in BOLD...  LOCK OF THE WEEK listed in BOLD CAPS)

Philadelphia over Kansas City
Green Bay over Cincinnati
Dallas over St. Louis
San Diego over Tennessee
Minnesota over Cleveland
Tampa Bay over New England
New Orleans over Arizona
Washington over Detroit
NY Giants over Carolina
Houston over Baltimore
Atlanta over Miami
Buffalo over NY Jets
San Francisco over Indianapolis
SEATTLE over Jacksonville
Chicago over Pittsburgh
Denver over Oakland

Last Week's Record: 11-5

SEASON RECORD: 22-10

LOCK OF THE WEEK Record: 2-0