NFL - Week Eight Preview

The season is right about at the halfway point of the 2015 season and so far there are still five undefeated teams remaining.
Two of those face each other on the Sunday Night Football game when the Green Bay Packers play at the Denver Broncos.
Denver features a tremendous defense that is averaging over four sacks per game, which has been important because quarterback Peyton Manning and the Denver offense have been struggling big time this season. In fact, Manning has thrown more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (seven).
Meanwhile, the Packers just continue to roll along and are coming off their "bye week" while averaging 27.3 points per game. Their defense has been much improved over last year's version as well and has amassed 23 QB sacks in six games.
The Cincinnati Bengals (6-0) travel to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, who might have Ben Roethlisberger back at quarterback this weekend. But that is still a big question mark and will likely be a game time decision.
If Big Ben is ready to go, it would be a huge shot in the arm for the Pittsburgh offense, which has just as many, if not more weapons as the Bengals potent offense.
Bengals QB Andy Dalton (14 TD passes and just two interceptions) has been spectacular and has a 116.1 QB rating through the first six games.
Two other unbeaten teams will also be playing in "prime time" as the New England Patriots (6-0) face the Miami Dolphins in the Thursday Night Football game while the 6-0 Carolina Panthers host the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football.
There are some other interesting games (both good and bad) this weekend, so the following will attempt to give a brief look at the action with the Heftyinfo predictions to follow up.

Miami (3-3) at New England (6-0) - The Patriots are nearly unbeatable at home, but the Dolphins have been playing really well since changing the Head Coach three weeks ago.

Detroit (1-6) at Kansas City (2-5) in London, England - The Chiefs have been on a bit of a roll lately. The Lions are awful.

Tampa Bay (2-4) at Atlanta (6-1) - The Buccaneers blew a 24-point lead  and lost last week. Ouch!

San Diego (2-5) at Baltimore (1-6) - The Chargers are simply too banged up to win this road game against a weak Baltimore Ravens team.

Minnesota (4-2) at Chicago (2-4) - Can the Bears continue their recent upgrade in play against a rising NFC team?

Arizona (5-2) at Cleveland (2-5) - It wouldn't be a total surprise if the Browns were to win this game.

Tennessee (1-5) at Houston (2-5) - Somebody has to win this game.

New York Giants (4-3) at New Orleans (3-4) - Saints have shown some life in  recent weeks. Giants have been inconsistent so far this season.

Cincinnati (6-0) at Pittsburgh (4-3) - If Big Ben plays, Steelers win . . . if he doesn't, then the Bengals win.

San Francisco (2-5) at St. Louis (3-3) - Can the 49ers defense stop rookie running sensation Todd Gurley?  Not likely.

New York Jets (4-2) at Oakland (3-3) - The Raiders!!

Seattle (3-4) at Dallas (2-4) - This one could get ugly.

Green Bay (6-0) at Denver (6-0) - Finally!  NBC Sunday Night Football has a game worth tuning in for this week.

Indianapolis (3-4) at Carolina (6-0) - Cam Newton and the Panthers vs. Andrew Luck and the Colts . . . Take the Panthers.


The Heftyinfo picks for Week Eight . . . . .   (Home teams are listed in BOLD; Lock of the Week is listed in BOLD CAPS)

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


Last Week's Record:  9-5

SEASON RECORD:  71-34

Lock of the Week Record:  6-1

WORLD SERIES PREVIEW

The 2015 World Series gets started in Kansas City tonight as the American
League Champion Royals face the National League Champion New York Mets.
The Royals are in the Fall Classic for the second straight year after falling in seven games to the San Francisco Giants last year.
Meanwhile, the Mets have been red hot after sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS and are led by formidable starting pitching, led by Game One starter Matt Harvey, who has been nothing short of brilliant since coming back from Tommy John surgery that kept his out of the major leagues all of last season.
Dan Murphy has been bashing the ball for New York and comes into the World Series having set a MLB record with a home run in six consecutive post-season games.
Wow!
Yoenis Cespedes has been a huge impact player for the Mets as well after coming over in a trade in late July and along with Lucas Duda, table setter Curtis Granderson and David Wright, has the team scoring more than enough runs to support their stellar pitching.
But the Royals are chomping at the bit to show they are the best and played solid baseball all season long and are led by a solid starting pitching staff and lights out bullpen, which is led by (new) closer Wade Davis, who is filling that role because Greg Holland is out after having elbow (Tommy John) surgery.
The offense is a grinder type once again as they know how to get on base, led by Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales, who slugged 22 regular season home runs as the team's designated hitter.
All in all, it should be a great series and really a baseball fan could flip a coin in this one to determine a winner.
Expect this series to possibly go the distance as the 2014 World Series did, and the Royals just might win it all this time around.



                   Heftyinfo PREDICTION -  New York Mets win in six games.

NFL - Week Seven Review

Opening Drive - The NFL Game of the Week did actually live up to the billing
as the New York Jets battled the New England Patriots the entire game before falling 30-23 at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady ran for a touchdown and threw two TD passes along with 355 yards as the Pats only ran the ball nine times in the win.
The victory kept the Patriots unbeaten at 6-0 while the Jets fell to 4-2 in the AFC East race.
The Miami Dolphins continued their resurgence under interim Head Coach Dan Campbell by completely smashing the visiting Houston Texans, 44-26 in a game they led 41-0 at halftime.
Miami running back Lamar Miller ran for 175 yards (14 carries) and scored on a 85-yard run and also hauled in a 54-yard scoring pass from QB Ryan Tannehill, who was superb, going 18-for-19 passing for 282 yards and four touchdowns. The defense scored a touchdown for Miami as well and wide receiver Jarvis Landry had two touchdown receptions.

TOP RUSHERS FOR WEEK SEVEN - Lamar Miller (Miami) 175 yards and two touchdowns (one receiving); Darren McFadden (Dallas) 152 yards and one touchdown; Mark Ingram (New Orleans) 143 yards and one touchdown; Todd Gurley (St. Louis) 128 yards and one touchdown; Doug Martin (Tampa Bay) 136 yards.

TOP PASSERS FOR WEEK SEVEN - Ryan Tannehill (Miami) 282 yards and four touchdowns; Kirk Cousins (Washington) 317 yards and three touchdowns; Tom Brady (New England) 355 yards and two touchdowns; Teddy Bridgewater (Minnesota) 316 yards and two touchdowns; Derek Carr (Oakland) 289 yards and three touchdowns.


Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week - Ryan Tannehill (Miami QB) led the way

Ryan Tannehill had a huge game in Sunday's win.

in the Dolphins 44-26 rout of Houston by going 18-for-19 passing for 282 yards and four touchdowns.




 



News and Notes from the NFL . . .  The Dallas Cowboys were haunted by former player Dwayne Harris who took a kickoff back 100 yards for the winning score in the New York Giants 27-20 win . . . In that same game, Cowboys QB Matt Cassel was intercepted three times, including a "pick six" INT by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who had two picks in the game . . .  The Washington Redskins overcame a 24-0 deficit to shock the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-30 as 'Skins QB Kirk Cousins threw the game-winning eight-yard TD pass to tight end Jordan Reed with only 24 seconds to go . . .  Carolina remained unbeaten with a 27-16 win over Philadelphia on Sunday Night Football as QB Cam Newton overcame three interceptions by running for a score while fullback Mike Tolbert scored twice to lead the way . . .  The San Diego Chargers lost to Oakland, 37-29 as the Raiders thoroughly dominated the game, intercepting Chargers QB Philip Rivers twice to salt the game away in the first half, building a 30-6 lead . . . Houston RB Arian Foster was lost for the season with a torn Achilles injury in the Texans loss . . . Across the pond in London, England, Jacksonville held off the Buffalo Bills, 34-31 as they nearly blew a 24-point first half lead. Jaguars QB Blake Bortles had two TD passes and the Jags defense scored twice in the win . . . In the Monday Night Football game, Arizona topped Baltimore, 26-18 as RB Chris Johnson had a big night, going for 122 yards and a rushing touchdown while Cardinals QB Carson Palmer threw for two touchdowns.


SCORES FROM WEEK SEVEN
Seattle 20, San Francisco 3
Jacksonville 34, Buffalo 31
Atlanta 10, Tennessee 7
Kansas City 23, Pittsburgh 13
New England 30, NY Jets 23
St. Louis 24, Cleveland 6
Washington 31, Tampa Bay 30
New Orleans 27, Indianapolis 21
Miami 44, Houston 26
Minnesota 28, Detroit 19
Oakland 37, San Diego 29
NY Giants 27, Dallas 20
Carolina 27, Philadelphia 16
Arizona 26, Baltimore 18







                         Cheerleader Photos of the Week

The Washington Redskins cheerleaders were fired up following the team's largest ever comeback win.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten    (Week ending October 25) 


1.  Ohio State (8-0)                                                       
2.  Baylor (7-0)
3.  TCU (7-0)
4.  Clemson (7-0)
5.  LSU (7-0)
6.  Michigan State (8-0)
7.  Alabama (7-1)
8.  Oklahoma State (7-0)
9.  Notre Dame (6-1)
10.  Stanford (6-1)

Royals Punch World Series Ticket, Will Face Mets

The Kansas City Royals finally disposed of the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3 in Game Six of the American
League Championship Series to advance to the World Series for the second year in a row.
The Royals will face the upstart New York Mets, who swept the Chicago Cubs in four games in the NLCS to advance to the Fall Classic for the first time in 15 years.
The action gets started next Tuesday in Kansas City.

NFL - Week Seven Preview

It's being hailed as the Game of the Week . . .  phooey!                       


The New England Patriots host the New York Jets with a possible share of first place in the AFC East at stake should the Jets win the road game against their nemesis.
Fact is the New York Jets (4-1) have won their four games against inferior opponents while New England comes into this week's game with a 5-0 mark.
The Patriots are going to bury the Jets this Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Ryan Fitzpatrick is the quarterback (by default) for the Jets this season only because starter Geno Smith suffered a broken jaw after being sucker punched in training camp by a low life former teammate who's name will not be mentioned in this post.
Fact is Fitzpatrick also played for the Buffalo Bills and similarly a few seasons ago got off to the same hot start he and his team (Jets like the Bills in the past) have had so far in this season.
When push came to shove then, the Pats buried Fitzpatrick and the Bills when it mattered most just as they will do once again to the Jets.
The Bills of 2011 and the Jets of 2015 mirror each other in many ways, beginning with the bearded wonder known as Fitzpatrick leading the team on offense. Both teams have/had marginal talent on offense and boast solid defenses.
The New York Jets have had some success against the Patriots (2010 playoffs) but not nearly enough to feel confident enough to go into Gillette Stadium this Sunday and actually beat them.
Take Brady and Belichick to run rough shod over this surprising, upstart group of cast offs known as the New York J-E-T-S  Jets! Jets! Jets!

PREDICTION - New England Patriots 31, New York Jets 14 

There are actually some other decent matches coming up this weekend, including the Philadelphia Eagles taking on the Carolina Panthers in the Sunday Night Football game.
The Eagles have put together two straight wins while playing pretty well defensively and now travel to face an undefeated team (5-0) that has a lot of momentum in their corner after winning in Seattle last week, coming back from a nine-point fourth quarter deficit against the daunting "Legion of Boom" defense.
Panthers QB Cam Newton has been spectacular so far this season and the defense continues to play well, including getting All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly back from injury last week.
All in all, it looks to be another good weekend around the NFL, so the following will offer a capsule style look at the action with the Heftyinfo predicitions to follow.

Buffalo (3-3) at Jacksonville (1-5) in London, England -  Why does the NFL continue to expand the number of games overseas?

Minnesota (3-2) at Detroit (1-5) - The Lions could pull another surprise this week at home.

New Orleans (2-4) at Indianapolis (3-3) - Colts should win at home.

Pittsburgh (4-2) at Kansas City (1-5) - Ben who? Just kidding, but the Steelers better be ready.

Houston (2-4) at Miami (2-3) - New Head Coach, new attitude in Miami.

New York Jets (4-1) at New England (5-0) - Patriots roll!

Cleveland (2-4) at St. Louis (2-3) - Both of these teams have played in Cleveland at one time in NFL history.

Atlanta (5-1) at Tennessee (1-4) - The Titans have lost four straight . . . Take the Falcons.

Tampa Bay (2-3) at Washington (2-4) - Who cares?

Oakland (2-3) at San Diego (2-4) - Chargers are decimated with injuries . . . but Philip Rivers is the hottest QB going right now.

Dallas (2-3) at New York Giants (3-3) - Cowboys are banged up and going with their third QB this season . . . Giants roll!

Philadelphia (3-3) at Carolina (5-0) - Prime time game should be a good one.

Baltimore (1-5) at Arizona (4-2) - Cardinals should bury the Ravens on Monday night.


The Heftyinfo picks for Week Seven . . . . .   (Home teams are listed in BOLD; Lock of the Week is listed in BOLD CAPS)

Seattle over San Francisco
Buffalo over Jacksonville
Detroit over Minnesota
Indianapolis over New Orleans
Pittsburgh over Kansas City
Miami over Houston
NEW ENGLAND over NY Jets
St. Louis over Cleveland
Atlanta over Tennessee
Washington over Tampa Bay
San Diego over Oakland
NY Giants over Dallas
Carolina over Philadelphia
Arizona over Baltimore


Last Week's Record:  11-3

SEASON RECORD:  62-29

Lock of the Week Record:  5-1

NFL - Week Six Review

Quick Hits -  The Cincinnati Bengals stayed undefeated by going on the road and beating the  Buffalo Bills, 34-21 as QB Andy Dalton had three touchdown passes . . .  Denver also remained unbeaten with a 26-23 overtime win against the stubborn Cleveland Browns even though QB Peyton Manning threw three interceptions. Kicker Brandon McManus made the 34-yard game winning field goal . . .  The Pittsburgh Steelers were down to the third string quarterback, but it didn't matter as they toppled the visiting Arizona Cardinals, 25-13 behind two scoring passes from QB Landry Jones to wide receiver Martavis Bryant . . .  Detroit won for the first time in 2015 at the expense of the Chicago Bears, 37-34 in OT as Matt Prater drilled the winning kick from 27 yards out to go with four TD passes by QB Matthew Stafford  . . .  The New York Jets rode the arm of the bearded wonder, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who had two touchdown passes and an 18-yard TD run to lead the way in a 34-20 thrashing of the visiting Washington Redskins.


TOP RUSHERS FOR WEEK SIX  - Chris Ivory (NY Jets) 146 yards and one TD; Lamar Miller (Miami) 113 yards and one TD; Devonta Freeman (Atlanta) 100 yards and one TD;  James Starks (Green Bay) 112 yards and two TD (one receiving).


TOP PASSERS FOR WEEK SIX - Philip Rivers (San Diego) 503 yards and two TD;  Carson Palmer (Arizona) 421 yards and one TD (two INT); Matthew Stafford (Detroit) 405 yards and four TD (one INT); Jay Cutler (Chicago) 353 yards and one TD (one INT); Andrew Luck (Indianapolis) 312 yards and three TD; Tom Brady (New England) 312 yards and three TD (one INT).

Andy Dalton

Heftyinfo NFL co-Players of the Week - Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals QB)  had three touchdown passes and 243 yards to help lead his team to another win and a 6-0 start for the season.

Philip Rivers

Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers QB) did all he could in a loss by throwing for
over 500 yards and two scores.






Noteworthy - Chargers QB Philip Rivers was nearly beside himself following his team's 27-20 loss at Green Bay after he threw for 503 yards and completed 43 passes in 65 attempts with two touchdowns and no interceptions, which was a record for completions by a quarterback in a loss . . .  Carolina QB Cam Newton led his team to a comeback 27-23 win at Seattle as he threw the game-winning 26-yard scoring pass to tight end Greg Olsen with just 32 seconds remaining . . . The Seattle Seahawks slipped to 2-4 for the season and all four losses have seen the 'Hawks and their famed 'Legion of Boom' defense cough up the lead in the final quarter, including a 17-point lead last weekend . . .  The New England Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts, 34-27 in the Sunday Night Football game, but it wasn't the beat down many expected the Pats to deliver to the Colts following their first meeting since the infamous "deflate gate" AFC title game last January . . .  The Monday Night Football game saw the Philadelphia Eagles win a lackluster game 27-7 over the New York Giants to force a tie for first place in the NFC East division with both teams having 3-3 records.


SCORES FROM WEEK SIX
New Orleans 31, Atlanta 21
Detroit 37, Chicago 34 (OT)
Denver 26, Cleveland 23 (OT)
Houston 31, Jacksonville 20
Miami 38, Tennessee 10
Cincinnati 34, Buffalo 21
NY Jets 34, Washington 20
Minnesota 16, Kansas City 10
Pittsburgh 25, Arizona 13
Carolina 27, Seattle 23
Green Bay 27, San Diego 20
San Francisco 25, Baltimore 20
New England 34, Indianapolis 27
Philadelphia 27, NY Giants 7












                                        NFL  Cheerleader  Photo of the Week

College Football Top Ten

The Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten     (Week ending October 18)

1. Ohio State (7-0)                                                        
2. Baylor (6-0)
3. TCU (7-0)
4. Utah (6-0)
5. Clemson (6-0)
6. LSU (6-0)
7. Michigan State (7-0)
8. Florida State (6-0)
9. Alabama (6-1)
10. Notre Dame (6-1)

Saturday Morning Cartoons

Ha!  Don't quite remember this one when I was a kid growing up . . . . .

Friday Night Flashback - Music Video

NFL - Week Six Preview

All of the unbeaten teams won last week (Carolina had their "bye" week) so there is added pressure going into Week Six as they try to stay that way.
The New Orleans Saints will beat the Atlanta Falcons in the "Big Easy" this week (Thursday night game) and Carolina will fall to the Seattle Seahawks in the Great Northwest.
New England (at Indy), Green Bay (home vs. San Diego) and Denver (at Cleveland) should be safe for another week while the Cincinnati Bengals cannot take the Buffalo Bills lightly, considering the game is being played in Buffalo.
The Sunday Night Football Game between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts may get ugly real quick if the Patriots try to roll it up on the Colts, the team that accused them of deflating the footballs last January in the AFC Championship Game which New England won, 45-7 to advance to the Super Bowl.
DEFLATE GATE!!!
Patriots QB Tom Brady could go off for six or seven touchdown passes if the Colts don't get after him early in the game to let them know they are not having any of it.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis QB Andrew Luck is hopeful to play in the game after sitting out the last two games with injuries while watching reserve QB Matt Hasselbeck lead the team to consecutive victories.
All in all, it should be another exciting weekend around the NFL, and I am sure that NFL Red Zone will be looking forward to their biggest obsession . . .  one score games all day long.

The following will offer a capsule style look at the games this week with the Heftyinfo predictions following.

Cincinnati (5-0) at Buffalo (3-2) - The Bills and Bengals both rallied back for a win last week.

Denver (5-0) at Cleveland (2-3) - The Browns believe they not only can be in every game, they actually believe they can also win every game. Not this week.

Chicago (2-3) at Detroit (0-5) - The Bears go into Motown to play the NFL's last winless team ... that will change.

Houston (1-4) at Jacksonville (1-4) - Who cares?

Kansas City (1-4) at Minnesota (2-2) - Take the Vikings.

Washington (2-3) at NY Jets (3-1) - This one could go down to the wire with two defensive minded teams going at it.

Arizona (4-1) at Pittsburgh (3-2) - The Steelers are riding high after a miraculous finish for a road win last week.

Miami (1-3) at Tennessee (1-3) - Whoever has the ball last could lose this game.

Carolina (4-0) at Seattle (2-3) - The 12th Man will be rocking after the 'Hawks let one get away on the road last weekend.

San Diego (2-3) at Green Bay (5-0) - Packers roll!

Baltimore (1-4) at San Francisco (1-4) - Two sorry ass football teams going at it here ... a far cry from 2012 season when they met in the Super Bowl.

New England (4-0) at Indianapolis (3-2) - The Colts need to keep it close.

NY Giants (3-2) at Philadelphia (2-3) - Believe it or not, if the Eagles win this game they will be tied for first place in the NFC East.


The Heftyinfo picks for Week Six . . . . .   (Home teams are listed in BOLD; Lock of the Week is listed in BOLD CAPS)


New Orleans over Atlanta
Buffalo over Cincinnati
Denver over Cleveland
Detroit over Chicago
Houston over Jacksonville
MINNESOTA over Kansas City
NY Jets over Washington
Pittsburgh over Arizona
Tennessee over Miami
Seattle over Carolina
Green Bay over San Diego
San Francisco over Baltimore
New England over Indianapolis
Philadelphia over NY Giants


Last Week's Record:  8-6

SEASON RECORD:  51-26

Lock of the Week Record:  4-1

NFL - Week Five Review

Quick Hits - The Kansas City Chiefs not only lost the game on Sunday, 18-17 to the Chicago Bears, they also lost star running back Jamaal Charles for the season with a knee injury . . . . .  The Cincinnati Bengals did the near impossible by coming from 17 points down in the second half to defeat the visiting Seattle Seahawks, 27-24 in overtime . . . . .  Aaron Rodgers threw his first interception in Lambeau Field in nearly three years as the Green Bay Packers beat the St. Louis Rams, 24-10 . . . . .  Oakland Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson intercepted Denver quarterback Peyton Manning twice in a 16-10 loss against the Broncos . . . . .  both Manning and Woodson entered the NFL in 1998 and Woodson had never been able to pick off a Manning pass until this weekend and then he did it twice . . . . .  All five teams that entered the weekend unbeaten stayed that way . . . . .  The Detroit Lions were trounced at home 42-17 by the Arizona Cardinals and are the only winless team left in the NFL.

WEEK FIVE'S BEST EFFORTS

TOP PASSERS - Eli Manning (NY Giants) 441 yards; three TD
                              Josh McCown (Cleveland) 457 yards; two TD
                              Sam Bradford (Philadelphia) 333 yards; two TD
                              Andy Dalton (Cincinnati) 331 yards; two TD

TOP RUSHERS - Thomas Rawls (Seattle) 169 yards; one TD
                               Todd Gurley (St. Louis) 159 yards
                               Devonta Freeman (Atlanta) 153 yards; one TD
                               Doug Martin (Tampa Bay) 123 yards; two TD




Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week - Eli Manning (New York Giants QB) had three touchdown passes to go with 441 yards passing in a 30-27 come from behind win.







Game Highlights -  The Atlanta Falcons held off the Washington Redskins in OT, winning 25-19 on a 59-yard "pick six" interception return by cornerback Robert Alford . . . . .  The Philadelphia Eagles finally got the offense rolling by piling up 519 yards and routing the New Orleans Saints, 39-17 . . . . .  The New England Patriots rolled past Dallas, 30-6 behind two TD passes from Tom Brady and a defense that limited the Cowboys to just 264 yards in offense . . . . .  Cincinnati's Andy Dalton threw for two touchdowns and kicker Mike Nugent made a game tying 31-yard field goal as time expired, then drilled the game winner from 42 yards in OT to help the Bengals shock the Seattle Seahawks, 27-24 . . . . . Cleveland stunned the host Baltimore Ravens, 33-30 in OT on a 32-yard field goal by kicker Travis Coons along with 457 yards passing and two TD passes from QB Josh McCown . . . . .   The Arizona Cardinals crushed the host Detroit Lions, 42-17 as QB Carson Palmer threw for three scores and the defense forced SIX turnovers . . . . . The Chicago Bears rallied from a 14-point deficit to win a road game in Kansas City, 18-17 as QB Jay Cutler (two TD passes) hit running back Matt Forte with a seven yard scoring pass with just 18 seconds remaining in the game . . . . .  The Monday Night Football game had a very bizarre finish as backup QB Michael Vick led the Pittsburgh Steelers on a game winning touchdown drive to defeat the host San Diego Chargers, 24-20 as RB Le'Veon Bell scored on a one yard run as time expired.



SCORES FROM WEEK FIVE
Indianapolis  27, Houston 20
Chicago 18, Kansas City 17
Green Bay 24, St. Louis 10
Buffalo 14, Tennessee 13
Cincinnati 27, Seattle 24 (OT)
Cleveland 33, Baltimore 30 (OT)
Philadelphia 39, New Orleans 17
Atlanta 25, Washington 19 (OT)
Tampa Bay 38, Jacksonville 31
Denver 16, Oakland 10
Arizona 42, Detroit 17
New England 30, Dallas 6
NY Giants 30, San Francisco 27
Pittsburgh 24, San Diego 20




                       NFL CHEERLEADER PHOTO OF THE WEEK

                                                  

NFL - Week Five Preview

When the NFL schedule was released back in the spring, the Week Five game between the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys looked to possibly be the tops for the season.
But no one can predict injuries and the Cowboys are decimated by them heading into the game this weekend in Dallas. Meanwhile, the Patriots are looking a lot like the offensive juggernaut that dominated the NFL in 2007 when they went unbeaten in the regular season.
In fact, New England is a big favorite in this game with Dallas being without quarterback Tony Romo and star wide receiver Dez Bryant.
There are a couple of other interesting match ups in Week Five as the Seattle Seahawks (2-2) travel to face the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals, who have looked dominant in three of their four games this season.
The Monday Night Football game will see the Pittsburgh Steelers playing against the San Diego Chargers on the West Coast. Both teams are 2-2 and need this game.
Both teams are also beat up with injuries early on. The Steelers won't have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (knee) for at least another three or four weeks and the Chargers' roster looks like a M*A*S*H unit with numerous players nursing injuries.

Here's a quick look at the games on tap for this weekend, with the Heftyinfo predictions following up.

Washington (2-2) at Atlanta (4-0) - The Falcons soar again.

Cleveland (1-3) at Baltimore (1-3) - The loser of this game can start making plans for next season's NFL draft.

Seattle (2-2) at Cincinnati (4-0) - The Bengals looking strong; Seahawks still finding their way so far in 2015.

St. Louis (2-2) at Green Bay (4-0) - The Packers looking unbeatable at home ... Rams play good defense. Take the Pack!

Chicago (1-3) at Kansas City (1-3) - Chiefs are in desperation mode.

New Orleans (1-3) at Philadelphia (1-3) - Two struggling teams going at it in Philly.

Jacksonville (1-3) at Tampa Bay (1-3) - Who cares?

Buffalo (2-2) at Tennessee (1-2) - Flip a coin and take your pick.

Arizona (3-1) at Detroit (0-4) - Upset special ... Take the Lions.

New England (3-0) at Dallas (2-2) - Patriots roll!

Denver (4-0) at Oakland (2-2) - Broncos haven't been real impressive even if they are undefeated... Beware!

San Francisco (1-3) at New York Giants (2-2) - The 'Niners are struggling mightily and the Giants are on a roll after 0-2 start.

Pittsburgh (2-2) at San Diego (2-2) - Philip Rivers and company shine on the Monday night stage.

The Heftyinfo picks for Week Five . . . . .   (Home teams are listed in BOLD; Lock of the Week is listed in BOLD CAPS)

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


Last Week's Record:  11-4

SEASON RECORD:  43-20

Lock of the Week Record:  3-1

Major League Baseball - Post-Season Preview

After a long summer, another Major League Baseball season is over and now it's on to the playoffs.
Last season saw the Kansas City Royals and San Francisco Giants surprise everybody and go from the Wild Card round all the way to the World Series, where the Giants rode the pitching of Madison Bumgarner to the championship title.
So, the point is ... anything can happen and usually does.
The Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros have crashed the party this year and both would be big time under dogs to reach the Fall Classic, but don't count them out.
Other surprise teams making the post-season are both New York teams, the Yankees and the Mets.
The Toronto Blue Jays made huge changes at the July 31 trade deadline and it paid off as the team from Canada finally made the playoffs after a 22-year absence.
Kansas City is back, but the San Francisco Giants are out this year and will not be able to defend their crown. The Los Angeles Dodgers, led by their one-two pitching tandem of Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke, will be tough to beat after winning the National League West division.
The Central division in the National League has THREE  teams in the playoffs as the Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals all made it.
The Cardinals have to be the odds-on favorites to reach the World Series as they are baseball's only 100-win team this season.
The Yankees and Astros get it all started tonight in the Bronx while the Cubs and 22-game winner Jake Arrieta will face the Bucs and their ace, Garrett Cole tomorrow night in Pittsburgh.
The Heftyinfo predictions for the MLB post-season follow up and here's hoping the post-season and World Series are as exciting as the past season was.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Wild Card - Yankees over Astros

ALDS - Kansas City Royals over NY Yankees is four games
              Toronto Blue Jays over Texas Rangers in three games

ALCS -  Toronto Blue Jays over Kansas City Royals in five games


NATIONAL LEAGUE

Wild Card - Pirates over Cubs

NLDS - Pittsburgh Pirates over St. Louis Cardinals in five games
              New York Mets over Los Angeles Dodgers in four games

NLCS - New York Mets over Pittsburgh Pirates in seven games


                                                    WORLD SERIES
 
                               New York Mets over Toronto Blue Jays in six games

                                                   











                                       

                          

NFL - Week Four Review

With the bye week coming into play this weekend, NFL fans didn't get to see the best team in the NFL as the New England Patriots were off, but the Green Bay Packers continued to roll along as they beat down the San Francisco 49ers, 17-3 to improve to 4-0 for the season.
Green Bay, New England, Atlanta, Carolina, Cincinnati and Denver are the unbeaten teams after four weeks.


TOP PERFORMERS FOR WEEK FOUR

Passing - Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) 358 yards and three touchdowns.
                 Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) 359 yards and two touchdowns.
                 Josh McCown (Cleveland Browns) 356 yards and two touchdowns.
                 Nick Foles (St. Louis Rams) 171 yards and three touchdowns.

Rushing -  Chris Ivory (New York Jets) 166 yards and one touchdown.
                    Ronnie Hillman (Denver Broncos) 103 yards and one touchdown.
                    Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) 81 yards and one touchdown.
                    Todd Gurley (St. Louis Rams) 146 yards.


 Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week - Devonta Freeman (Atlanta Falcons) The running back scored three  more touchdowns and paced the offense as Atlanta remained undefeated through four games.

  
                 


Highlights from the games played -  The New York Jets throttled the Miami Dolphins in the game played in London, England by a 27-14 score as Chris Ivory led the offense with 166 yards rushing and a score while the defense intercepted two passes . . .  Quarterback Drew Brees threw for two scores, including the game winning 80-yard strike to running back C.J. Spiller in overtime as the New Orleans Saints topped the visiting Dallas Cowboys, 26-20 . . .  The Atlanta Falcons rolled to 4-0 following a 48-21 trouncing of the Houston Texans as running back Devonta Freeman scored three more touchdowns to lead the way . . .  The Carolina Panthers matched Atlanta's unbeaten start with a 37-23 win over Tampa Bay as the defense intercepted Bucs' rookie QB Jameis Winston four times, including a "pick six" INT . . . San Diego survived the Cleveland Browns, 30-27 as rookie kicker Josh Lambo made a 34-yard field goal at the buzzer after missing a 39-yard try (second chance due to a Browns offside penalty) while Chargers' QB Philip Rivers threw for three touchdowns . . .  The Washington Redskins drove 90 yards in the final minutes as QB Kirk Cousins hit wideout Pierre Garcon for a four-yard scoring pass with just 26 seconds remaining to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 23-20.


Stinkers of the Week -  Jameis Winston (Tampa Bay QB) threw four interceptions in a 37-23 loss to Carolina.
Miami Dolphins Head Coach Joe Philbin was fired after his team lost to the New York Jets, 27-14 over in London, England on Sunday.
The ZZZZZZZZZZ in Indy as the Colts topped the Jacksonville Jaguars, 16-13 in overtime. Jags kicker Jason Myers missed two field goals (53 and 48 yards) that could have won the game.
The Buffalo Bills were whistled for 17 penalties (135 yards) in their 24-10 loss at home against the resurgent New York Giants.


SCORES FROM WEEK FOUR
Baltimore 23, Pittsburgh 20 (OT)
Chicago 22, Oakland 20
Atlanta 48, Houston 21
NY Jets 27, Miami 14
NY Giants 24, Buffalo 10
Carolina 37, Tampa Bay 23
Indianapolis 16, Jacksonville 13 (OT)
Washington 24, Philadelphia 20
Cincinnati 36, Kansas City 21
Green Bay 17, San Francisco 3
St. Louis 24, Arizona 22
San Diego 30, Cleveland 27
Denver 23, Minnesota 20
New Orleans 26, Dallas 20 (OT)
Seattle 13, Detroit 10



                                                 Fan Photo of the Week

NFL - Week Four Preview

Here we are and the calendar is rolling over into October, meaning that football season is in full swing.
Two teams in particular have looked real dominant in the NFL with two others ranging up as well.
The Green Bay Packers (playing in San Francisco this weekend) and the New England Patriots (off this weekend) have thoroughly dominated the opposition so far in the 2015 NFL season.
The Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals both are also 3-0 so far and they have been laying claim to being elite teams in their own right. Carolina, Atlanta and Denver are the other three unbeaten teams.
Some of the six undefeated teams playing this weekend may very well fall to defeat.
The Bengals host the Kansas City Chiefs, which is never an easy task. Denver is hosting the Minnesota Vikings, which looked like world beaters last week in throttling the San Diego Chargers, 31-14 in Minnesota.
Arizona hosts St. Louis, a division rival with a tough as nails defense that can compete with the Big Red defense the Cardinals boast. Carolina has to go on the road in a division game as they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while the Atlanta Falcons will be at home against the Houston Texans and their stellar defense.
The first of the three football games being played in London, England will go on Sunday morning (U.S. time) as the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins will do battle.
All in all, it should be another exciting week of pro football and once again, Heftyinfo will give a capsule style preview of the action followed by the game picks for Week Four.

Thursday Night Football

Baltimore (0-3) at Pittsburgh (2-1) - The Steelers will be without Big Ben Roethlisberger for about a month or more. Can they survive? Their fiercest rivals will provide a stiff test right away.

Sunday Games

New York Jets (2-1) at Miami (1-2) - This game is being played in London, England ... Should be a good one between AFC East rivals.

Houston (1-2) at Atlanta (3-0) - The Falcons are unbeaten and could be on their way to a big season.

New York Giants (1-2) at Buffalo (2-1) - The Bills should win this one, but the Giants can pull off the surprise road win.  Beware!

Oakland (2-1) at Chicago (0-3) - The Bears are already beginning to clean house and now they face the surprising (and confident) Oakland Raiders.

Kansas City (1-2) at Cincinnati (3-0) - The Chiefs need a road win or else they could be facing a tough uphill battle the rest of the way.

Jacksonville (1-2) at Indianapolis (1-2) - Take the Colts.

Carolina (3-0) at Tampa Bay (1-2) - The Bucs will not be an easy game for the unbeaten Panthers.

Philadelphia (1-2) at Washington (1-2) - The Eagles may take flight just yet.

Cleveland (1-2) at San Diego (1-2) - The Chargers finally put it all together and get a big win at home this week.

St. Louis (1-2) at Arizona (3-0) - The Cardinals and the Rams are two good defensive teams . . . expect a slugfest in the desert.

Minnesota (2-1) at Denver (3-0) - This game should be a good one. The Broncos can't run the ball, but the Vikings sure can. Something has to give.

Green Bay (3-0) at San Francisco (1-2) - the 49ers got crushed last week and now they get the Packers. Ouch!

Dallas (2-1) at New Orleans (0-3) - Drew Brees, where are you?  Saints fans want to know. Dallas without Romo and Dez Bryant once again.

Monday Night Football

Detroit (0-3) at Seattle (1-2) - Seahawks roll!


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

Baltimore over Pittsburgh
Miami over NY Jets
Atlanta over Houston
Buffalo over NY Giants
Chicago over Oakland
Cincinnati over Kansas City
Indianapolis over Jacksonville
Carolina over Tampa Bay
Philadelphia over Washington
SAN DIEGO over Cleveland
Arizona over St. Louis
Denver over Minnesota
Green Bay over San Francisco
New Orleans over Dallas (only if Drew Brees plays) 
Seattle over Detroit

Last Week's Record:  12-4

SEASON RECORD:  32-16

Lock of the Week Record:  2-1