NFL - Week Thirteen Preview

The calendar turns to December as the NFL heads toward the home stretch for the 2012 season.

Week Thirteen holds some promise to be a big weekend around the league as many things will become more clear regarding the post-season.
There are divisional battles taking pace which will definitely help to determine the division races as the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to play the first-place Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. Another big battle in the AFC will have the New England Patriots traveling South to face the Miami Dolphins in a big AFC East tilt. 
Meanwhile, the New York Giants (7-4) will be in Washington on Monday Night Football to take on the Redskins (5-6) and will be looking to solidify their hold as leaders in the NFC East. Another game that will impact the playoff race in the NFC is the Minnesota Vikings at the Green Bay Packers, as these two old rivals face each other while looking up at the Chicago Bears in the NFC North division. The San Francisco 49ers play the St. Louis Rams in an NFC West battle.
One other thing to look for this weekend will be the Denver Broncos looking to clinch the AFC West division with a home win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
There are five weeks left in the 2012 season and this is where the contenders and pretenders (and there are so many of those this season) are separated.
Here is a capsule preview of the games with the Heftyinfo predictions following up.

Seattle (6-5) at Chicago (8-3) - This game could go down to the wire. The Bears always have problems with the 'Hawks.

Minnesota (6-5) at Green Bay (7-4) - The Packers looking to bounce back after getting blown out last weekend. The Vikings seem to be coming back to earth after a hot start.

Arizona (4-7) at New York Jets (4-7) - The Cards have lost seven in a row and the Jets desperately need a win as well.

Indianapolis (7-4) at Detroit (4-7) - You would think these two teams would have the opposite records at this point of the season.

Jacksonville (2-9) at Buffalo (4-7) - The Bills should win this game, but there are no guarantees this season anywhere around the NFL.

Houston (10-1) at Tennessee (4-7) - Remember the Titans ...  upset special may be at hand this week.

Tampa Bay (6-5) at Denver (8-3) - The Bucs looking to bounce back after a heart breaking loss last weekend, but the Broncos are on a big time roll and will likely wrap up the AFC West this week.

Cleveland (3-8) at Oakland (3-8) - The stinker game of the week.

Pittsburgh (6-5) at Baltimore (9-2) - The Ravens lucked one out last week and now face their arch rivals (minus Big Ben) once again.

New England (8-3) at Miami (5-6) - Only the Dolphins stand in  the way of the Patriots running away with the AFC East division race.

Carolina (3-8) at Kansas City (1-10) - The other stinker game of the week.

San Francisco (8-2-1) at St. Louis (4-6-1) - These two cannot possibly tie again, can they? Not with super QB Colin Kaepernick running the 49ers' offense.

Cincinnati (6-5) at San Diego (4-7) - The 2012 season cannot end soon enough for the Chargers. Bengals roll!

Philadelphia (3-8) at Dallas (5-6) - It's December, usually the time of year for Cowboys QB Tony Romo to go belly up. But the Eagles are in town with their seven game losing streak. Cowboys roll!

New York Giants (7-4) at Washington (5-6) - The Giants have a huge opportunity to open some ground in the NFC East race. Not so fast, because RG3 and the Redskins are on a roll.

The Heftyinfo picks for Week Thirteen  . . .     (Home teams listed in BOLD)

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

Last Week's Record:  7-9

SEASON RECORD: 108-67-1

NFL - Week Twelve Review

There were three games played on Thanksgiving Day, but the biggest turkeys had to be the San Diego Chargers for the way they lost the game on Sunday to the visiting Baltimore Ravens.
Fourth-and-29.

Ray Rice was the hero in Ravens win over San Diego.

How does a team let their opponent gain roughly 30 yards on a fourth-and-29 on a dump pass because there was no one open down the field with just over a minute remaining in regulation?
But that is what happened in San Diego and as a result, the Ravens were able to manage a last second field goal to force overtime and then eventually win the game, 16-13 with another field goal in the extra session.
Baltimore running back Ray Rice took the "check down" pass from quarterback Joe Flacco  and weaved his way from his own 36 yard line to the Chargers 34 in ridiculous fashion. Five missed tackles later, the Ravens had new life and improved to 9-2 for the season. Meanwhile, at 4-7, the Chargers are done.
The actual games on Thanksgiving Day were entertaining as the opener saw the Houston Texans deal the Detroit Lions their ninth consecutive Thanksgiving Day game loss in a 34-31 overtime decision that had controversy as well.
Texans' running back Justin Forsett ran 81 yards for a score, but appeared to be down after just a seven yard gain. Lions' coach Jim Schwartz threw the challenge flag immediately, but because it was a scoring play (and automatically subject to review) his flag toss negated any review at all. Later on, Houston kicker Shayne Graham kicked the game winner from 32 yards out to propel the Texans to a 10-1 record.
Washington went into Dallas and behind four TD passes from rookie QB Robert Griffin III, beat the Cowboys 38-31 to leave both teams at 5-6 in the NFC East.
The night cap on turkey day saw the New England Patriots do just that as the host New York Jets looked like complete gobblers in  a 49-19 loss.
The Jets fumbled two times in a 15 second span as the Patriots took both in for a touchdown. In addition, return man Julian Edelman ran back a punt for another score and QB Tom Brady threw for 323 yards and three scores to pace the rout. New England (8-3) scored 35 points in the second quarter and has won five in a row.

The rest of the Sunday games are as follows ...

Denver 17, Kansas City 9 -  Broncos QB Peyton Manning had two TD passes in the hard fought win on the road.

Chicago 28, Minnesota 10 - Bears RB Michael Bush rushed for two scores and QB Jay Cutler passed for another in the home win.

Cleveland 20, Pittsburgh 14 - The visiting Steelers fumbled the ball EIGHT times, losing five of them in the road loss. Browns QB Brandon Weeden had a TD pass and RB Trent Richardson scored on a 15-yard run to help make the difference.

Cincinnati 34, Oakland 10 - The Bengals rolled the visiting Raiders behind three TD passes from QB Andy Dalton and the defense limited Oakland to just 218 yards in offense.

Miami 24, Seattle 21 - The Dolphins rallied back to beat the visiting Seahawks as QB Ryan Tannehill threw a fourth quarter TD pass and kicker Dan Carpenter made a 43-yard field goal as time expired to win the game.

Indianapolis 20, Buffalo 13 - T.Y. Hilton took a punt back 75 yards and QB Andrew Luck had a scoring pass to make the difference for the Colts (7-4) against the visiting Bills.

Jacksonville 24, Tennessee 19 - The host Jaguars won for just the second time all season as QB Chad Henne had two TD passes to go with a rushing score from Rashard Jennings. Titans kicker Rob Bironas made four field goals to keep it close.

Atlanta 24, Tampa Bay 23 - The host Bucs saw their four game win streak snapped by the 10-1 Falcons as Michael Turner scored a touchdown and QB Matt Ryan hooked up with wide receiver Julio Jones on an 80-yard scoring pass while Matt Bryant's early field goal proved to be the difference.

St. Louis 31, Arizona 17 - The Rams went into the desert and handed the Cardinals their seventh consecutive defeat. The Rams' Janoris Jenkins was the hero with two interception returns for touchdowns to help provide the final outcome.

San Francisco 31, New Orleans 21 - The 49ers defense intercepted New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees twice, taking both back for scores and held the potent Saints attack to just 290 yards in offense. Meanwhile, San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick passed for a touchdown and for another in the win, which puts the 'Niners at 8-2-1 for the year.

New York Giants 38, Green Bay 10 - The host Giants throttled the Packers in the Sunday night game, snapping a two game losing streak while at the same time ending Green Bay's five game winning streak.
Giants QB Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes in the win, which puts New York at 7-4 and two games ahead of Dallas and Washington in the NFC East.

The Monday Night Football Game saw the visiting Carolina Panthers beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 30-22 behind two TD passes and two rushing touchdowns from QB Cam Newton.



                                                 Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week

Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten  (Week ending November 25)      

1. Notre Dame  (12-0)
2. Alabama (11-1)
3. Georgia (11-1)
4. Oregon (11-1)
5. Florida (11-1)
6. Texas A & M (10-2)
7. LSU (10-2)
8. Stanford (10-2)
9. Kansas State (10-1)
10. Florida State (10-2)

NFL - Week Twelve Preview

The NFL season is heading toward the home stretch and the Thanksgiving Day games are upon us as the annual tilts in Detroit and Dallas take place.
The Lions (4-6) will be hosting the AFC leading Houston Texans (9-1) this year while the Dallas Cowboys (5-5) will have their arch rivals, the Washington Redskins (4-6), coming to town.
The night cap will feature the New England Patriots (7-3) playing on the road against the New York Jets (4-6) as they attempt to solidify their lead in the AFC East.
The rest of the weekend action takes place on Sunday and of course, Monday Night Football concludes the week.
The game that intrigues the most would be the San Francisco 49ers traveling down to New Orleans to take on the red hot Saints, who have won five of six games after starting the season with a 0-4 record.
The 'Niners are fresh off their 32-7 blowout of the Chicago Bears last Monday night with quarterback Colin Kaepernick leading the way in place of the injured Alex Smith.
The Saints are led by QB Drew Brees and their high octane offense, which will be a stiff test for one of the top defenses in the NFL.
The Sunday Night Game will have the Green Bay Packers (7-3) and their five game winning streak going into New York to take on the Giants, who are 6-4 and have lost two straight games and are coming off their bye week.
The Giants went into Green Bay last year in the playoffs and eliminated the then defending Super Bowl champions enroute to a Super Bowl title of their own.
The rest of the weekend action follows (capsule form) with the Heftyinfo predictions for Week Twelve as well.

THANKSGIVING DAY GAMES

Houston (9-1) at Detroit (4-6) - Texans are on a roll, but the Lions always tough at home.

Washington (4-6) at Dallas (5-5) - Tony Romo & company take on RG3 & company... could be a shootout.

New England (7-3) at New York Jets (4-6) - Tom Brady leads the Pats to another hard fought win against the rival Jets.

SUNDAY GAMES

Minnesota (6-4) at Chicago (7-3) - Bears have lost two in a row and the Vikings will not be an easy opponent this week.

Denver (7-3) at Kansas City (1-9) - Can any defense stop Broncos' QB Peyton Manning?

Oakland (3-7) at Cincinnati (5-5) - The Bengals are back in the playoff hunt and should spoil former Cincy starting QB Carson Palmer's return to town.

Pittsburgh (6-4) at Cleveland (2-8) - Even with third string QB Charlie Batch playing, the Steelers should win this one.

Buffalo (4-6) at Indianapolis (6-4) - The Bills could very well  win this one on the road.

Tennessee (4-6) at Jacksonville (1-9) - The Titans should roll in this one, BUT Jags' backup QB Chad Henne shredded the vaunted Houston defense last week... Watch out!

Atlanta (9-1) at Tampa Bay (6-4) - Will the Falcons lose a second consecutive road game? The Bucs have been rolling and this one could go down to the wire.

Seattle (6-4) at Miami (4-6) - The Dolphins look to rebound from a shellacking two weeks ago. Seahawks are weak on the road.

Baltimore (8-2) at San Diego (4-6) - What has happened to the Chargers?

St. Louis (3-6-1) at Arizona (4-6) - The Cardinals should be able to end their six game losing streak this week.

San Francisco (7-2-1) at New Orleans (5-5) - Game of the Week no doubt. Should go down to the final minute to determine the winner.

Green Bay (7-3) at New York Giants (6-4) - The Packers have won five in row while the Giants have lost two straight ... something has to give.

MONDAY NIGHT GAME

Carolina (2-8) at Philadelphia (3-7) - The Eagles have lost six in a row... OUCH! On the other hand, the Panthers seem to find ways to give away games as well.  Wouldn't be surprising at all if this one ends up a tie game.


Heftyinfo picks for Week Twelve  . . .      (Home teams are listed in BOLD)

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

Last Week's Record:  10-4

SEASON RECORD: 101-58-1

NFL - Week Eleven Review

The NFL Playoff bracket is starting to take shape as the 2012 season heads into the final six weeks.
In the AFC, the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens each solidified their grip on a playoff spot with wins this past weekend.

The Houston Texans (9-1) survived a scare with a 43-37 overtime win against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9) as QB Matt Schaub, the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week, connected with WR Andre Johnson for a game winning 48-yard TD pass.

Houston QB Matt Schaub had five TD passes in OT win.

Schaub passed for 527 yards and had five touchdown passes along with two interceptions in the win. Jacksonville QB Chad Henne threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns in the loss.

The NFC race is still more up in the air as only the Atlanta Falcons (9-1) seem a sure thing to make the post-season following their 23-19 win at home against the stubborn Arizona Cardinals, who lost their sixth straight game to drop to a 4-6 record.
The Arizona defense intercepted Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan five times in the loss. The Cardinals lost because their offense was awful, being held to 178 total yards, including just 41 passing yards and seven first downs for the game.
Atlanta's defense scored a touchdown to go with running back Michael Turner's one-yard plunge and kicker Matt Bryant's three field goals to provide the difference.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulled out yet another late game win, beating the host Carolina Panthers, 27-21 in overtime (one of three during Week Eleven) as QB Josh Freeman connected with tight end Dallas Clark for a game winning 15-yard touchdown pass.
The Bucs trailed 21-10 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation before scoring on a field goal and then a 24-yard TD pass from Freeman to wide receiver Vincent Jackson with just twelve seconds to play.
The tandem also hooked up for the two-point conversion to tie it up and force the overtime.
The Dallas Cowboys also needed OT to beat the visiting Cleveland Browns, 23-20 as Dan Bailey nailed a game winning 38-yard field goal to get the 'Pokes back to .500 for the season.
The New Orleans Saints continued their mid-season roll, winning for the fifth time in six games as they smacked the host Oakland Raiders, 38-17.
Saints QB Drew Brees was efficient, passing for 219 yards and three touchdowns to lead the way.
The Green Bay Packers won their fifth straight game, holding off the host Detroit Lions, 24-20 in spite of kicker Mason Crosby's woes. The veteran missed two field goals to help keep the Lions in the game.
Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers threw two TD passes and M.D. Jennings took an interception back 72 yards for another score to help seal the win.

The New England Patriots crushed the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 59-24 behind 331 yards and three TD passes from Tom Brady (pictured left) and two defensive scores off picks of Colts' QB Andrew Luck. Julian Edelman also returned a punt 68 yards for a score to pace the rout.
The only negative for the Pats was losing tight end Rob Gronkowski for the remainder of the regular season with a broken forearm.


Cincinnati systematically beat back the host Kansas City Chiefs, 28-6 to improve to 5-5 for the season behind solid defense and good balance on offense as the Bengals totaled 409 yards of offense, including 189 rushing yards and 220 passing yards.

The Denver Broncos won for the fifth consecutive time, 30-23 against the visiting San Diego Chargers  behind three TD passes from QB Peyton Manning (pictured right), who overcame an early interception that was taken back for a score by San Diego defensive back Eric Weddle.
The Broncos have a solid lead in the AFC West at 7-3 compared to a 4-6 mark for the fading Chargers, who have dropped five of their last six games.

The New York Jets topped the host St. Louis Rams, 27-13 as QB Mark Sanchez threw a touchdown pass and had no interceptions and Bilal Powell rushed for two more scores to lead the way.
Robert Griffin III led the way for the Washington Redskins with four TD passes on 14-for-15 passing accuracy in a 31-6 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles, who dropped to 3-7 with their sixth consecutive loss.
The Buffalo Bills won a yawner last Thursday night against the visiting Miami Dolphins, 19-14 as each team had kick return for a score.
In the Sunday Night Football match up, the visiting Baltimore Ravens held off the Pittsburgh Steelers, 13-10 in a defensive struggle to solidify their grip of first place in the AFC North. The Ravens are 8-2 while the Steelers dropped to 6-4 and saw their four-game win streak end.
Jacoby Jones took a punt back 63 yards for a touchdown to put the Ravens up for good at 10-7 late in the first quarter. The Steelers were without starting QB Ben Roethlisberger, who has injuries to his right shoulder and ribs.
The San Francisco 49ers buried the visiting Chicago Bears, 32-7 on Monday Night Football as backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw for 243 yards and had two touchdown passes to lead the offense.
The 49ers' defense limited Chicago (playing without starting QB Jay Cutler- out with a concussion) to just 143 total yards in offense, including only 58 yards passing from backup QB Jason Campbell, who was also intercepted twice.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten  (Week ending November 18)      

1. Notre Dame  (11-0)
2. Alabama (10-1)
3. Georgia (10-1)
4. Oregon (10-1)
5. Florida State (10-1)
6. Clemson (10-1)
7. Florida (10-1)
8. Texas A & M (9-2)
9. Kansas State (10-1)
10. LSU (9-2)
10. (tie) Stanford (9-2)

NFL - Week Eleven Preview

The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers  ...

The rivalry is renewed once again this weekend when the two teams meet on Sunday Night Football in the Steel City.

Only thing is Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (pictured lower left) is out of action for this week's big game with a share of first place in the AFC North at stake.

Big Ben was injured in his team's win last Monday night when we was sacked against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Meanwhile, the Ravens ran up the score against the visiting Oakland Raiders, 55-20 to improve to 7-2 this season and enjoy a one-game lead over the Steelers in the division race. Pittsburgh has won four straight games.
These two teams have dominated the AFC North for the better part of the 2000's. (Cincinnati won the division in 2005 and 2009 to interrupt the norm.)
The Ravens also have injuries on their side as linebacker Ray Lewis and defensive back Lardarius Webb are both gone for the season while LB Terrell Suggs continues to progress after being brought back to the active roster quicker than anticipated because of the depletion on the defense.
This game should be a slug fest once again as QB Joe Flacco leads the Ravens against the Byron Leftwich led Steelers offense.
Byron Leftwich?
Yes, that Byron Leftwich who was slinging the ball around for the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier in the decade of the 2000's.
Don't be misled however, because the Steelers offense has seen a rejuvenated running game in recent weeks and their defense is tops in the NFL.

Prediction - Pittsburgh 20, Baltimore 17 (possibly in OT)


The rest of the action for Week Eleven (in capsule form) follows ...


Green Bay (6-3) at Detroit (4-5) - Packers seem to have it rolling again while the Lions have been erratic all season long.

Cincinnati (4-5) at Kansas City (1-8) - Can the Chiefs get the home win? It's possible.

New York Jets (3-6) at St. Louis (3-5-1) - Fresh off that big tie game with the 49ers, the Rams will seek to ground the Jets.

Philadelphia (3-6) at Washington (3-6) - Two teams playing out the string in the 2012 season.

Tampa Bay (5-4) at Carolina (2-7) - Can the Bucs keep things going? Beware the Panthers at home.

Jacksonville (1-8) at Houston (8-1) - All the makings of an upset, right? Not this week ... Texans roll!

Arizona (4-5) at Atlanta (8-1) - How will the Falcons and "Matty Ice" respond after their first loss in 2012 season?

Cleveland (2-7) at Dallas (4-5) - The Browns are just the tonic the Cowboys need heading into the traditional Thanksgiving Day home game later this week.

New Orleans (4-5) at Oakland (3-6) - Who dat? Saints continue to get their mojo back.

San Diego (4-5) at Denver (6-3) - The Chargers' season is unraveling quickly and Head Coach Norv Turner's days (again) appear to be numbered. Meanwhile, Broncos' QB Peyton Manning leads the league in passing.

Indianapolis (6-3) at New England (6-3) - Welcome to the rivalry Andrew Luck ... Patriots roll!

Chicago (7-2) at San Francisco (6-2-1) - This Monday Night Football tilt should be a good one, even with both teams having to go with the back up quarterbacks.

The Heftyinfo picks for this week  . . .     (Home teams are listed in BOLD)

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


Last Week's Record:  8-5-1

SEASON RECORD:  91-54-1

NFL - Week Ten Review

The big game on Sunday night between the Houston Texans and Chicago Bears proved to be one big turnover fest as the Texans outlasted the host Bears, 13-6 with six turnovers committed by the two teams in the rain at Soldier Field.
Arian Foster hauled in a touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Schaub for the game's only touchdown to make the difference. Bears' QB Jay Cutler left the game after suffering a concussion on a jarring hit from Texans' linebacker Tim Dobbins late in the first half.

Titans RB Chris Johnson celebrates a touchdown.

The Tennessee Titans bounced back from a trouncing the week before by trouncing the host Miami Dolphins, 37-3 behind Chris Johnson (126 rushing yards and a TD) and a solid defensive effort that scored a touchdown off an interception and limited the Dolphins to just 54 rushing yards along with four turnovers.
Baltimore ran it up against the visiting Oakland Raiders, 55-20 behind 341 yards passing and three touchdowns (and a running score) from QB Joe Flacco. Ray Rice also scored a rushing TD and Jacoby Jones ran a kickoff back 105 yards for another score for the Ravens.
Tampa Bay knocked off the visiting San Diego Chargers, 34-24 as the defense scored a TD on an interception return as the Bolts were driving for the potential go ahead score in the fourth quarter.
San Diego QB Philip Rivers was brilliant in the first half, throwing for three touchdowns but was awful in the second half, throwing two picks, including the deciding touchdown the Bucs scored to ice the game. Tampa Bay also blocked a punt that was returned for a score to help make the difference in the final outcome.
Cincinnati surprised the visiting New York Giants, 31-13 as the defense intercepted QB Eli Manning twice while Bengals' QB Andy Dalton was very efficient with 199 passing yards and four TD strikes.

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson had a big day in win.

The Minnesota Vikings were led by Adrian Peterson, the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week, who ran for 171 yards and scored the deciding TD on a 61-yard jaunt in the final quarter of a 34-24 victory against the visiting Detroit Lions.
The New England Patriots outlasted the Buffalo Bills, 37-31 as QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a costly interception late in the game to spoil a good day that saw him throw for 337 yards and two touchdowns. Bills' running back Fred Jackson ran for two scores in the loss. Patriots QB Tom Brady had two TD passes to pace the win.
The Denver Broncos continued to roll behind QB Peyton Manning, who had 301 yards passing and a TD pass to go with a defensive and special teams touchdown to lead the 36-14 win at Carolina.
New Orleans knocked off the visiting Atlanta Falcons 31-27 behind three TD passes from Drew Brees. The loss was the first of the season for the Falcons, which saw QB Matt Ryan throw for 411 yards and three touchdowns in the setback.
The Dallas Cowboys beat the host Philadelphia Eagles, 38-23 as the defense scored twice (a fumble recovery and interception return) and Dwayne Harris returned a punt 78 yards for another score to go with two TD passes from quarterback Tony Romo. Eagles' QB Michael Vick left the game with a concussion in the first half.
Rookie QB Russell Wilson threw two TD passes and the Seattle Seahawks defense held the New York Jets to just 185 yards in total offense in a 28-7 home win to improve to 6-4.
There was a rare tie (the first since 2008) as the St. Louis Rams and host San Francisco 49ers played to a 24-24 outcome. Rams' kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 58-yard field goal in the OT session following a penalty that nullified a 53-yard kick that would have won the game.
St. Louis QB Sam Bradford had 275 pass yards and a pair of TD passes in the game. Meanwhile, 49ers QB Alex Smith left the game in the first half with a concussion.
The Indianapolis Colts rolled to another win last Thursday night, 27-10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars behind a pair of rushing touchdowns by QB Andrew Luck and an 11-yard interception return by Darius Butler.

The Monday Night Football Game saw the Pittsburgh Steelers survive a scare at home against the Kansas City Chiefs, 16-13 in overtime as Shaun Suisham drilled a 23-yard game winning field goal. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger (pictured at left) left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return and is questionable for next Sunday's game against division rival Baltimore.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten  (Week ending November 11)

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

The Final Count

Here are the FINAL OFFICIAL RESULTS from the 2012 Presidential Election, won by President Barack Obama.

BARACK OBAMA 50.6 %  (332 Electoral votes)

MITT ROMNEY 47.9 % (206 Electoral votes)

President Barack Obama does indeed have a mandate.

Retro '80's Music Video

NFL - Week Ten Preview

The game of the week is no doubt the Sunday Night Football Game on prime time between the Chicago Bears and the Houston Texans, both at 7-1, in Soldier Field in Chicago.

The Bears have been out of their minds defensively this season, converting turnovers into touchdowns (they have seven so far through eight games) and rank near the top of the NFL against the run as well as points allowed.

Meanwhile, the Texans have been stellar on defense as well, and also rank near the top of the league defensively in points allowed. In fact, Houston is third overall (allowing 286 yards per game) on defense and rank in the top five against both the run (82 yards a game) and the pass, where they are giving up 204 yards per game.
The Bears have been better offensively this season with a healthy Jay Cutler and his favorite target,wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Houston counters with running back Arian Foster and quarterback Matt Schaub and his favorite wideout, Andre Johnson.
All that being said, do not be surprised if these two teams wind up in a shoot out.
Something has to give.

Here is a capsule style breakdown of the week's action with the Heftyinfo picks for Week Ten following.

Atlanta (8-0) at New Orleans (3-5) - The Falcons (and QB Matt Ryan in particular) ALWAYS have struggles in the Big Easy ... take the Saints.

Detroit (4-4) at Minnesota (5-4) - That crash you are hearing is the Vikings coming back to reality as the season moves along. Meanwhile, the Lions have been on a three game roll.

Denver (5-3) at Carolina (2-6) - Peyton Manning will school Cam Newton on how it's done.

San Diego (4-4) at Tampa Bay (4-4) - Which Chargers team will show up this week? For that matter, which Buccaneers team will show up this week?

Tennessee (3-6) at Miami (4-4) - Titans must put up or shut up in this road game.

Buffalo (3-5) at New England (5-3) - Why bother?

Oakland (3-5) at Baltimore (6-2) - This game could be closer that most "experts" think.

New York Giants (6-3) at Cincinnati (3-5) - Bengals are a desperate team.

New York Jets (3-5) at Seattle (5-4) - The Seahawks are tough at home. The Jets are in disarray.

St. Louis (3-5) at San Francisco (6-2) - The 49ers have the Seahawks UP CLOSE in their rear view mirror and need to keep winning.

Dallas (3-5) at Philadelphia (3-5) - The loser of this game might as well pack it in for the rest of the season.

Kansas City (1-7) at Pittsburgh (5-3) - Steelers on a roll, at home this week on Monday Night Football, against a hapless Chiefs squad.  BLOWOUT!

The Heftyinfo picks for Week Ten . . .      (Home teams listed in BOLD)

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

Last Week's Record:  10-4

SEASON RECORD:  83-49  

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

Thank You America,  We did it!

BACK TO BACK

BARACK OBAMA . . .  PRESIDENT OBAMA!

NFL - Week Nine Review

The Monsters of the Midway were on full display Sunday in Tennessee as the Chicago Bears dismantled the host Titans, 51-20, forcing five turnovers and scoring two defensive/special teams touchdowns.

Bears cornerback Charles 'Peanut' Tillman (pictured left) forced four fumbles (three recovered by the Bears) and along with Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin, is the Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week.
Chicago's defense had four fumble recoveries and a 46-yard TD off an interception by linebacker Brian Urlacher. In addition to that, Corey Wootton scored on a blocked punt recovery to open the scoring in the game.
Meanwhile, Bears' QB Jay Cutler hooked up with wide receiver Brandon Marshall for three touchdowns.

Bucs' rookie Doug Martin ran for 251 yards and four TD in win.

Tampa Bay beat Oakland, 42-32 behind Martin's big day as the rookie rushed for 251 yards on 25 carries and scored four touchdowns to pace the win. Martin had long TD runs of 45, 67 and 70 yards that enabled him to set the Bucs' team rushing record for a single game.
Raiders' QB Carson Palmer passed for 414 yards and four touchdowns along with three interceptions in the loss.


 AROUND THE NFL ...

Denver 31, Cincinnati 23 - Broncos' QB Peyton Manning threw for 291 yards and three TD to lead the way in the road victory.

Carolina 21, Washington 13 - QB Cam Newton passed for a touchdown and also ran for another as the Panthers snapped a five-game losing streak against the host Redskins.

Green Bay 31, Arizona 17 - The Packers rolled to the win behind four TD passes from QB Aaron Rodgers, including a pair of scoring strikes to WR Randall Cobb.

Houston 21, Buffalo 9 - The host Texans defense limited the Bills to just three field goals while Matt Schaub threw two TD passes and Arian Foster rushed for another score to help improve the Texans to 7-1.

Indianapolis 23, Miami 20 - The Colts won at home as QB Andrew Luck threw for a NFL rookie record 433 yards passing along with two TD passes. Indy kicker Adam Vinatieri made three field goals to help make the difference for the win.

Baltimore 25, Cleveland 15 - Ravens' running back Ray Rice ran for 98 yards and scored a TD and QB Joe Flacco threw for another score to win on the road against the Browns.

Detroit 31, Jacksonville 14 - Mikel Leshoure rushed for three touchdowns and the Lions won on the road against the Jaguars to improve to 4-4.

Pittsburgh 24, New York Giants 20 - The Steelers beat the host Giants as running back Isaac Redman ran for 147 yards and scored the deciding touchdown in the fourth quarter to go with two TD passes from QB Ben Roethlisberger. Giants' QB Eli Manning was held to just 125 passing yards in the loss.

Seattle 30, Minnesota 20 - The Seahawks won at home as QB Russell Wilson passed for a pair of touchdowns and Marshawn Lynch ran for another score to offset a big performance by Vikings' RB Adrian Peterson, who had 182 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Atlanta 19, Dallas 13 - The Falcons won a yawner on the Sunday Night Football game against the visiting Cowboys to improve to 8-0 for the season as kicker Matt Bryant drilled four field goals and RB Michael Turner (102 yards rushing) scored a touchdown. Dallas dropped to 3-5 with the loss.

San Diego 31, Kansas City 13 - The host Chargers stopped a three-game skid last Thursday night to improve to 4-4 as QB Philip Rivers threw for two touchdowns and the defense scored twice to lead the way. The Chiefs slipped to 1-7 with the loss.

New Orleans 28, Philadelphia 13 - The Saints won at home on Monday Night Football as QB Drew Brees threw for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns while cornerback Patrick Robinson took an interception back 99 yards for a score. Philly running back LeSean McCoy rushed for 119 yards in the loss, which was the fourth consecutive setback for the Eagles.

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College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten      (Week ending November 4)      

1. Alabama (9-0)
2. Oregon (9-0)
3. Kansas State (9-0)
4. Notre Dame (9-0)
5. Georgia (8-1)
6. Florida State (8-1)
7. Ohio State (10-0)
8. Florida (8-1)
9. Clemson (8-1)
10. LSU (7-2)

NFL - Week Nine Preview

Big matchups headline the week around the NFL as the Atlanta Falcons, the only undefeated team left in the league, plays the Dallas Cowboys, who are in desperate need of a victory. The Sunday night prime time game in Atlanta figures to be a battle.
Falcons' QB Matt Ryan is having an MVP type season while the defense is among the league leaders, allowing just 130 points so far this season.
The red hot Denver Broncos, led by quarterback Peyton Manning, will travel to play the Cincinnati Bengals and their nails tough defense. Denver has been averaging 35 points a game over the last two games, which they won to move into first place in the AFC West.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) will play on the road against the New York Giants, who are 6-2 and have looked every bit like the defending Super Bowl champions. Eli Manning has been stellar in recent weeks in the fourth quarter while leading the team to come from behind wins.
An interesting game will be in Indianapolis where the Colts will play host to the Miami Dolphins. The game features two surprise teams with 4-3 records. Rookie Andrew Luck has been nothing short of spectacular for the Colts at quarterback while fellow rookie QB Ryan Tannehill has improved after a rough start. Tannehill is questionable this week after leaving last week's game with an injury.
The Carolina Panthers are 1-6 and travel to play the Washington Redskins (3-5), who have cooled off after a fast start this season.
The game will have Cam Newton going against RG3.
Newton has struggled so far at QB for the Panthers in 2012 while Robert Griffin III has been outstanding (much like Newton a year ago in his rookie season) for the Redskins.
The Monday Night Football game will see the struggling Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) going against the New Orleans Saints (2-5) in the "Big Easy" in what should be a shoot out.

The Heftyinfo picks for Week Nine are as follows  . . .    (Home teams are listed in BOLD)

San Diego over Kansas City
Chicago over Tennessee
Green Bay over Arizona
Houston over Buffalo
Washington over Carolina
Detroit over Jacksonville
Denver over Cincinnati
Baltimore over Cleveland
Miami over Indianapolis
Seattle over Minnesota
Oakland over Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh over New York Giants
Dallas over Atlanta
New Orleans over Philadelphia 

Last Week's Record:  9-5

SEASON RECORD:  73-45

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