Score One For Biden In Presidential Debate

Joe Biden won the contentious presidential debate last night, although the moderator gets the worst grade for losing control of things. 

 

Tampa Bay Lightning Win Stanley Cup

It's finally over folks.

The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup in six games with a 2-0 victory over the Dallas Stars.

See you all next season.

NFL - Week Three Review

Week Three around the NFL proved to have plenty of exciting finishes to many of the games with high scores the norm throughout. The defenses are still lacking in the first three weeks and so many quarterbacks have been airing it out and throwing for touchdowns with ease. 

The Seattle Seahawks (3-0) rolled to yet another last minute victory as they topped the visiting Dallas Cowboys, 38-31. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had five touchdown passes (he has 14 through the first three games) including the go ahead score on a 29-yard strike to wide receiver DK Metcalf with 1:47 remaining in the fourth quarter. Metcalf had two TD receptions and fellow receiver Tyler Lockett had three TD grabs. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott threw for 472 yards and three touchdowns in the loss  . . .  The Atlanta Falcons (0-3) did it again as they blew a double-digit fourth quarter lead at home in a 30-26

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was again clutch in win.

loss to the Chicago Bears. The Bears (3-0) scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, all of them on scoring passes by reserve QB Nick Foles, who took over for an ineffective Mitch Trubisky. The Falcons held a 26-10 lead after three quarters but for the second straight game blew the big lead in the final quarter as they fell to 0-3 this season . . . In the Sunday night game, the Green Bay Packers improved to 3-0 this season with a thrilling 37-30 road win against the New Orleans Saints. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers had three scoring passes as did Saints QB Drew Brees, whose team slipped to 1-2 this year . . .  The Buffalo Bills (3-0) squandered a 25-point lead but then rallied back with a three-yard TD pass from QB Josh Allen (four passing TD and one rushing score) to tight end Tyler Kroft with just 15 seconds left in a 35-32 win over the visiting Los Angeles Rams. Jared Goff had a TD run and two scoring passes for L.A. in the loss . . .  Tennessee (3-0) rallied back to defeat the host Minnesota Vikings, 31-30 as kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who made six field goals in the game, nailed a 55-yard kick with 1:44 remaining and then the Titans defense finished strong to seal the win. Vikings running back Dalvin Cook ran for 181 yards and one score in defeat . . .  The New England Patriots (2-1) drilled the visiting Las Vegas Raiders, 36-20 as QB Cam Newton had a TD pass while RB Rex Burkhead scored three times, including two rushing touchdowns to pace the win. The Raiders dropped to 2-1 as QB Derek Carr had two TD passes in the loss  . . .  The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to a 3-0 record in a 28-21 home win against the winless Houston Texans, using a balanced offense (169 rushing yards and 218 passing) while QB Ben Roethlisberger had a pair of scoring passes and their defense had five QB sacks and an interception . . .  The San Francisco 49ers (2-1) got a 36-9 win in New York against the winless Giants as backup QB Nick Mullens passed for 343 yards with one TD and RB Jeff Wilson scored twice to lead the way . . .  Indianapolis Colts QB Philip Rivers got his 400th career touchdown pass in a 36-7 rout against the visiting New York Jets (0-3) while the Colts defense intercepted three passes (including two for touchdowns) and also scored a safety in the rout to improve to 2-1 this season . . .   Cleveland improved to 2-1 with a 34-20 home victory against Washington (1-2) as QB Baker Mayfield had two TD passes and RB Nick Chubb (108 rushing yards) scored two times on the ground for the Browns, who have a winning record for the first time since the 2014 season. Washington had five turnovers, including three interception, in the loss  . . .  The Detroit Lions (1-2) surprised the host Arizona Cardinals, 26-23 on a game winning 39-yard field goal by Matt Prater (who had four field goals) as time ran out. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray was intercepted three times as his team fell to 2-1 . . .  The Carolina Panthers got their first win this season against the listless Los Angeles Chargers, 21-16 behind five field goals from Joey Slye and the defense getting four turnovers (three fumble recoveries and a pick) . . .  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) won in Denver, 28-10 as their defense (six QB sacks and two interceptions) limited the Broncos (0-3) to only 226 yards in total offense while QB Tom Brady had three TD passes  . . .  The Philadelphia Eagles (0-2-1) and Cincinnati Bengals (0-2-1) played to a 23-23 tie in Philadelphia as neither team could score in the OT  

session with three possessions each. Bengals rookie QB Joe Burrow had two TD passes and Eagles QB Carson Wentz had a scoring pass and run, but also threw two interceptions . . .  The Miami Dolphins (1-2) got their first win this season as QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had two TD passes and also a rushing touchdown in a 31-13 rout of the host Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) in the Thursday night game . . . In the big Monday Night Football showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, it was all Chiefs as they earned the road win, 34-20 with quarterback Patrick Mahomes (pictured above right) throwing for 385 yards and four touchdowns along with a rushing touchdown while the Chiefs racked up 517 yards in total offense. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson was sacked four times as Kansas City (3-0) built up a 17-point halftime lead and never looked back. The Ravens fell to 2-1 with the loss.

 

Week Three Results 

Miami 31, Jacksonville 13 

Chicago 30, Atlanta 26

New England 36, Oakland 20 

Buffalo 35, L.A. Rams 32

Tennessee 31, Minnesota 30 

Cleveland 34, Washington 20

Cincinnati 23, Philadelphia 23 (OT)

Pittsburgh 28, Houston 21

San Francisco 36, N.Y. Giants 9 

Carolina 21, L.A. Chargers 16

Detroit 26, Arizona 23

Indianapolis 36, N.Y. Jets 7

Tampa Bay 28, Denver 10 

Seattle 38, Dallas 31

Green Bay 37, New Orleans 30  

Kansas City 34, Baltimore 20

 

Major League Baseball - The Post-Season Is Set

The abbreviated 60-game schedule around Major League Baseball is over and the playoffs are set with eight teams from each league getting into the act. The 2020 season was indeed a strange one (as it is with all sports) because of the COVID-19 virus but at least they finished the season and now it's time for the playoffs. 

Back in the Heftyinfo preview for the season that began in late July, the picks for the World Series were the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers with the Bronx Bombers winning it all. Time for a revision. The pick for the World Series is the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the Tampa Bay Rays with the upstart Rays winning it all. 

Play Ball ! 

 

 

NFL - Week Three Preview

The action for the third week in the NFL gets going on Thursday night when the Miami Dolphins play
at the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both teams are coming off close losses that came down to the final minutes last week. Jacksonville is 1-1 and the Dolphins are 0-2 so far this season. 

The two "prime time" games are by far the best looking ones this week as the Green Bay Packers travel to The Big Easy and play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night. On Monday Night Football, it will be the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Kansas City Chiefs. Four of the best quarterbacks in the NFL go at it as Drew Brees and the Saints challenge Aaron Rodgers and the high scoring Packers, a team that has averaged 42.5 points per game so far. 

The Monday night game will feature Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs playing Baltimore and quarterback Lamar Jackson (2019 NFL MVP) and the high flying Ravens offense, which has averaged 35.5 points per game through the first two games. Kansas City is averaging 28.5 PPG through the first two weeks.

The Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks go at it on Sunday afternoon in the great northwest and that game also features two of the NFL's better quarterbacks in Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson (Seattle) who leads the NFL with nine touchdown passes in two games. Seattle is averaging 36.5 points so far in their 2-0 start. Dallas had the huge comeback win against Atlanta last week as they scored 16 points in the final five minutes to defeat the Falcons, 40-39. 

One other matchup that looks to be a good one features two unbeaten teams going at it in Buffalo as the Bills host the Los Angeles Rams, who have defeated both Dallas and Philadelphia in the first two games. The Bills beat division foes Miami and the New York Jets to get their season started. Rams QB Jared Goff has been efficient in the victories, passing for 542 yards and three touchdowns while Bills QB Josh Allen has thrown six TD passes (no interceptions) and has 729 passing yards along with a 70.4 completion percentage. 

The rest of the action this week appears in the capsule style format and the Heftyinfo predictions follow up. 

 

Miami (0-2) at Jacksonville (1-1) - This game could be a real exciting one between two teams who are not expected to do much this season. 

Chicago (2-0) at Atlanta (0-2) - Falcons find ways to lose games while the Bears have done the opposite so far in the 2020 season. Toss up in this one. 

L.A. Rams (2-0) at Buffalo (2-0) - Two very evenly matched teams in this game. Bills win in a squeaker. 

Washington (1-1) at Cleveland (1-1) - The Browns are a hard team to figure out. Washington plays good defense. Toss up here as well.   

Tennessee (2-0) at Minnesota (0-2) - Will the Vikings start out 0-3? 

Las Vegas (2-0) at New England (1-1) - The Raiders travel to play the Patriots. This should be a good one that goes down to the wire. 

San Francisco (1-1) at N.Y. Giants (0-2) - The 49ers are all banged up on both sides of the ball while the Giants have struggled on offense in the first two games.

Cincinnati (0-2) at Philadelphia (0-2) - Two winless teams in this one. Bengals have looked better than the Eagles so far, but Philly cannot start out 0-3 can they?

Houston (0-2) at Pittsburgh (2-0) - The Texans have had a tough schedule so far and now they have to face the Steelers, who are playing well with "Big Ben" back at quarterback, on the road.

N.Y. Jets (0-2) at Indianapolis (1-1) - The Colts should win this game, but the old saying about 'On any given Sunday' applies to this one. 

Carolina (0-2) at L.A. Chargers (1-1) - The Chargers plays solid defense and rookie QB Justin Herbert gets the starting nod once again after the bizarre injury to Tyrod Taylor last week. 

Detroit (0-2) at Arizona (2-0) - The Lions have been woeful so far while the Cards are flying high. Take Big Red in this one.

Tampa Bay (1-1) at Denver (0-2) - Upset alert . . . Don't sleep on Denver in this one.  

Dallas (1-1) at Seattle (2-0) - Look for a high scoring game with the Seahawks pulling it out in the final minutes. 

Green Bay (2-0) at New Orleans (1-1) - Can Drew Brees and the Saints get things straightened out after the debacle against the Raiders last week? Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones lead a potent Packers offense. Toss up in this game. 

Kansas City (2-0) at Baltimore (2-0) - Two teams loaded on offense go at it on Monday Night Football. The Ravens get the nod in this one as they have a better defense. 

 

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

 

Jacksonville over Miami 

Atlanta over Chicago 

Buffalo over L.A. Rams 

Cleveland over Washington 

Minnesota over Tennesssee 

New England over Las Vegas 

San Francisco over N.Y. Giants 

Philadelphia over Cincinnati 

Pittsburgh over Houston 

Indianapolis over N.Y. Jets 

L.A. CHARGERS over Carolina 

Arizona over Detroit 

Denver over Tampa Bay 

Seattle over Dallas 

New Orleans over Green Bay 

Baltimore over Kansas City 

 

Last Week's Record -  14-2  

SEASON RECORD -  24-8

Lock of the Week Record - 2-0 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NFL - Week Two Review

The Dallas Cowboys pulled off an improbable 40-39 comeback win on Sunday against visiting Atlanta

Cowboys celebrate huge comeback win over Atlanta.

as kicker Greg Zuerlein made a 46-yard field goal as time expired. Dallas overcame a 15-point deficit in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter as QB Dak Prescott (three rushing TD along with 450 passing yards and one passing score) led the way to get them to within 39-37 with 1:49 remaining. The Cowboys recovered an onside kickoff and then drove downfield for the winning kick. Falcons QB Matt Ryan had four TD passes in the loss while the Cowboys gashed the Atlanta defense for 570 total yards in offense . . .  The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs escaped with a hard fought 23-20 road win in overtime against the Los Angeles Chargers when kicker Harrison Butker drilled a 58-yard field goal with two minutes remaining. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes passed for 302 yards and a pair of touchdowns and directed the game winning OT drive, which was aided by two offside penalties against the Chargers defense. The Chargers surprised everyone by starting rookie QB Justin Herbert (because starter Tyrod Taylor had a chest injury) and he passed for 311 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He also rushed for a score as L.A. built a 14-6 halftime lead  . . .  The Green Bay Packers rolled past the visiting Detroit Lions, 42-21 as running back Aaron Jones rushed for 168 yards and scored three times (two rushing TD and one receiving) while the Packers defense registered four sacks and had one interception . . .  Quarterback Josh Allen threw four scoring passes along with 417 yards and the Buffalo Bills held off the host Miami Dolphins, 31-28 . . .  The Baltimore Ravens went into Houston and beat down the Texans, 33-16 as they rushed for 230 yards and the defense scored a touchdown (22-yard fumble return by L.J. Fort) to lead the way . . .  Tennessee outlasted the Jacksonville Jaguars, 33-30 as kicker Stephen Gostkowski made a 49-yard field goal inside the two-minute warning to make the difference. Titans QB Ryan Tannehill had four TD passes while the Jags outgained the Titans with QB Gardner Minshew throwing for three touchdowns (also two INT) in the loss . . .  Tampa Bay got their first win with Tom Brady at quarterback as he threw for one score while running back Leonard Fournette (103 yards rushing) scored twice, including a 46-yard romp to help seal the 31-17 win over the Carolina Panthers . . .  The Los Angeles Rams buried the host Philadelphia Eagles, 37-19 as QB Jared Goff had three touchdowns passes, all of them to tight end Tyler Higbee while the Rams defense intercepted Eagles QB Carson Wentz twice and also had a fumble recovery to pace the win . . .  Ben Roethlisberger threw for two touchdowns and the Pittsburgh Steelers won at home, 26-21 against the Denver Broncos. Denver starting QB Drew Lock left the game with a shoulder injury and reserve QB Jeff Driskel had two TD passes in defeat . . .  The San Francisco 49ers won on the road, 31-13 against the New York Jets but lost four players with various injuries, including starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) who had two TD passes before leaving the game. Star defensive player Nick Bosa also left the game with a knee injury. The 49ers defense limited the Jets to 277 yards in total offense . . .  The Chicago Bears won at home, 17-13 against the New York Giants with QB Mitch Trubisky getting two touchdown passes along with two interceptions and the defense making the stop in the final seconds near the goal line. Giants running back Saquon Barkley was lost with a knee injury and

could be out for the season  . . .  In the Sunday night game, Seattle held off the visiting New England Patriots, 35-30 as the defense made a goal line stand on the final play, stopping Pats QB Cam Newton (two rushing TD along with 397 passing yards, one TD, one INT) at the one-yard line. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson (pictured left) had five touchdown passes in the win as Seattle used a balanced offense (275 passing yards and 174 rushing yards) to get the win . . .  Indianapolis dominated at home in a 28-11 victory against the Minnesota Vikings as their defense intercepted Kirk Cousins three times and also had four QB sacks while holding the Vikings to a meager 175 yards in total offense. Colts rookie RB Jonathan Taylor gained  101 yards rushing and scored a touchdown to help the Colts win . . .  The Arizona Cardinals throttled the visiting Washington football team, 30-15 as QB Kyler Murray shined with two scoring runs and also a TD pass to WR DeAndre Hopkins to lead the way . . .  The host Cleveland Browns beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 35-30 on Thursday night with running backs Nick Chubb (124 rushing yards) and Kareem Hunt (86 rushing yards and one receiving TD) each scoring two touchdowns while QB Baker Mayfield had a pair of scoring passes. Bengals rookie QB Joe Burrow passed for 316 yards and three touchdown passes in the loss . . . The Las Vegas Raiders won at home in their new stadium on Monday Night Football, defeating the New Orleans Saints, 34-24. Raiders QB Derek Carr had three TD passes and tight end Darren Waller had 12 receptions (103 yards) and a touchdown to help make the difference.

Week Two Results

Cleveland 35, Cincinnati 30

Chicago 17, N.Y. Giants 13

San Francisco 31,  N.Y. Jets 13

Pittsburgh 26, Denver 21

Buffalo 31, Miami 28

L.A. Rams 37, Philadelphia 19

Dallas 40, Atlanta 39

Indianapolis 28, Minnesota 11

Tennessee 33, Jacksonville 30

Tampa Bay 31, Carolina 17

Green Bay 42, Detroit 21

Arizona 30, Washington 15

Baltimore 33, Houston 16 

Kansas City 23, L.A.Chargers 20 (OT)

Seattle 35, New England 30

Las Vegas 34, New Orleans 24

 

 

 

 

 

 

RIP Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

 Rest In Peace Your Honor

NFL - Week Two Preview

The NFL is heading into the second week of the season and so far has stayed ahead of the COVID-19 virus as far as outbreaks happening, so that's definitely a plus. 

Week Two looks to have some exciting games coming up as the Baltimore Ravens travel to play the Houston Texans on Sunday while the Seattle Seahawks will host the New England Patriots on Sunday night in the "prime time" game. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson going against Cam Newton and his new team, which won their first game last week against Miami, with Newton scoring twice on rushing touchdowns. Wilson threw four touchdown passes in a road win against Atlanta in the opening game. 

It's very early in the 2020 season so there isn't too much to examine and breakdown just yet. So Heftyinfo looks to this week's games in the capsule style format and the picks for all the games follows up. 

Cincinnati (0-1) at Cleveland (0-1) - Two teams seeking to find their identity meet in Week Two . . . should be an interesting game on Thursday night. 

N.Y. Giants (0-1) at Chicago (1-0) - The Bears should win this one, but you never know which version of QB Mitch Trubisky is going to show up. 

Atlanta (0-1) at Dallas (0-1) - One of these teams will be 0-2 following this one. 

Detroit (0-1) at Green Bay (1-0) - Aaron Rodgers and company roll in this one. 

Minnesota (0-1) at Indianapolis (0-1) - Which quarterback will make more mistakes in this game? That will be the key to who wins and loses. 

Buffalo (1-0) at Miami (0-1) - Can Fitz "Magic" come alive against one of his many former teams in this game? Bills have the better defense, so go with them. 

San Francisco (0-1) at N.Y. Jets (0-1) - The 49ers cannot start the season at 0-2 can they? 

L.A. Rams (1-0) at Philadelphia (0-1) - The Rams defense showed a lot last week in beating Dallas. The Eagles laid a huge egg in loss against Washington. 

Denver (0-1) at Pittsburgh (1-0) - Take the UNDER in this game. Two solid defensive teams playing in this one. 

Carolina (0-1) at Tampa Bay (0-1) - The Buccaneers should rebound and get the win this week. 

Jacksonville (1-0) at Tennessee (1-0) - The Jaguars surprised the Colts last week, but the Titans will not make the same mistakes to keep the Jags in the game. 

Washington (1-0) at Arizona (1-0) - The Cardinals could be this year's version of what the Chiefs were two years ago . . .  Surprise, surprise, surprise. 

Baltimore (1-0) at Houston (0-1) - Quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Texans already facing a "must win" game against one of the best teams in the NFL. The Ravens are loaded on both sides of the football.

Kansas City (1-0) at L.A. Chargers (1-0) - The Chargers defense could keep this one closer than most people might think, but the Chiefs should win. 

New England (1-0) at Seattle (1-0) - Seahawks QB Russell Wilson is the better one in this game, so take the Seahawks. 

New Orleans (1-0) at Las Vegas (1-0) - The Saints come marching into Vegas, but remember . . . what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Take the Saints. 

 

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

Cleveland over Cincinnati

Chicago over N.Y. Giants 

Dallas over Atlanta 

GREEN BAY over Detroit 

Indianapolis over Minnesota 

Buffalo over Miami

San Francisco over N.Y. Jets 

Philadelphia over L.A. Rams 

Pittsburgh over Denver 

Tampa Bay over Carolina 

Tennessee over Jacksonville 

Arizona over Washington 

Baltimore over Houston 

Kansas City over L.A. Chargers 

Seattle over New England 

New Orleans over Las Vegas 

Last Week's Record - 10-6

SEASON RECORD - 10-6

Lock of the Week Record - 1-0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NFL - Week One Review

Week One is just about in the books in the 2020 NFL season and once the two Monday night games are finished, all the sports nuts will be over analyzing what happened during the first week. Here at Heftyinfo, just the facts are churned out regarding game action and there will no doubt be surprises all through the season, of which there were quite a few of them in Week One. So far so good regarding the COVID-19 situation in the NFL, but again teams haven't really traveled too much to this point, so we will all keep our fingers crossed on that situation.

Now as far as Week One action in the NFL was concerned, the Kansas City Chiefs went out and put a beating on the visiting Houston Texans, 34-20 in the NFL season opener on Thursday night as quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for three touchdowns and rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown. The Kansas City defense had four sacks . . . The

Chicago Bears completed a miraculous comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring 21 points to defeat the host Detroit Lions, 27-23 as QB Mitch Trubisky (pictured left) threw for three touchdowns, including the game-winning 27-yard TD pass to wide receiver Anthony Miller with just 1:55 remaining. The Lions had a chance to win it, but RB D'Andre Swift dropped a pass in the end zone with six seconds left to play . . .  The Baltimore Ravens stomped the Cleveland Browns, 38-6 as QB Lamar Jackson had three TD passes and rookie RB J.K. Dobbins rushed for two more scores. The Baltimore defense forced three turnovers . . .  The Jacksonville Jaguars rallied back to beat the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 27-20 as QB Gardner Minshew went 19-for-20 passing with three TD passes, including the 22-yard game winner to WR Keelan Cole late in the fourth quarter. Colts QB Philip Rivers passed for 363 yards, but had two interceptions in his debut with the team . . .  In the Sunday night game, the Los Angeles Rams beat Dallas, 20-17 in the first game in their brand new stadium (with no fans in attendance due to the pandemic) as RB Malcolm Brown scored two rushing touchdowns and the defense held off Dallas twice in the fourth quarter to get the win. Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott scored twice in the loss . . . The Buffalo Bills throttled the visiting New York Jets, 27-17 as QB Josh Allen passed for two scores and ran for another while the Bills defense limited the Jets to 254 yards in total offense . . .  Quarterback Cam Newton ran for two touchdowns and the New England Patriots won a defensive struggle over Miami, 21-11 as they intercepted Dolphins QB Ryan Fitzpatrick three times . . .  The Green Bay Packers rolled past the host Minnesota Vikings, 43-34 as QB Aaron Rodgers had four TD passes (and 364 passing yards) while they piled up 522 yards in total offense . . . Seattle beat the Atlanta Falcons, 38-25 as QB Russell Wilson had four TD passes and the Seahawks withstood 450 passing yards by Falcons QB Matt Ryan . . . The Washington football team stormed back to win at home against Philadelphia, 27-17 as their defense registered eight QB sacks and intercepted Eagles QB Carson Wentz twice to get back in the game after falling behind by 17 points. Both teams combined for just 504 yards of offense in this game . . . The New Orleans Saints knocked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 34-23 as

Tom Brady and the Bucs came up short against the Saints.

their defense intercepted Bucs QB Tom Brady twice, including a "pick six" by Janoris Jenkins while QB Drew Brees had two TD passes and RB Alvin Kamara scored twice . . .  The Las Vegas Raiders won a shootout in Carolina, 34-30 as RB Josh Jacobs rushed for three scores to offset two rushing touchdowns by Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey . . .  The Arizona Cardinals pulled off perhaps the biggest upset of the day as they won on the road, 24-20 against the San Francisco 49ers. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (91 yards rushing) ran for a 22-yard score and also had a TD pass to pace a balanced offense that totaled 404 yards, including 180 rushing yards. Arizona RB Kenyan Drake scored the game winning one-yard TD run with 5:03 to go and the defense held off the 49ers the rest of the way . . .  The Los Angeles Chargers came away with a 16-13 road win against the Cincinnati Bengals when Cincy kicker Randy Bullock missed a 31-yard field goal with two seconds left. Bengals rookie QB Joe Burrow ran for a touchdown, but also threw an interception late in the fourth quarter deep in Chargers territory. The Chargers defense limited the Bengals to just 295 yards in total offense while rookie RB Josh Kelley had a TD run and kicker Mike Badgley made three field goals to provide the difference . . .  In the Monday night games, the Pittsburgh Steelers won a road game, 26-16 over the New York Giants in the early game. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, in his first game back since elbow surgery threw for three touchdowns, including two to WR JuJu Smith-Schuster and the defense intercepted Giants QB Daniel Jones twice and limited the Giants to just 29 rushing yards to lead the way . . .  The Tennessee Titans were able to beat the host Denver Broncos, 16-14 when kicker Stephen Gostkowski, who had earlier missed three field goals and an extra point attempt, made a 25-yard field goal with 17 seconds left to go.Titans QB Ryan Tannehill had two TD passes and RB Derrick Henry rushed for 116 yards in the win. Broncos QB Drew Lock had a TD pass and RB Melvin Gordon ran for a score in the loss.


WEEK ONE RESULTS
Kansas City 34, Houston 20
Chicago 27, Detroit 23
Baltimore 38, Cleveland 6
Green Bay 43, Minnesota 34
Las Vegas 34, Carolina 30
Washington 27, Philadelphia 17
Buffalo 27, N.Y. Jets 17
Jacksonville 27, Indianapolis 20
New England 21, Miami 11
Seattle 38, Atlanta 25
L.A. Chargers 16, Cincinnati 13
Arizona 24, San Francisco 20
New Orleans 34, Tampa Bay 23
L.A. Rams 20, Dallas 17
Pittsburgh 26, N.Y. Giants 16
Tennessee 16, Denver 14

2020 NFL Season Predictions

It's time for the 2020 NFL season to kickoff and to say the least, it should be a very interesting season. The Kansas City Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions and they will host the Houston Texans in the season opening game Thursday night.

This season will be a different looking one come playoff time as well as there will now be seven teams participating in the AFC and NFC playoffs. Only one team will get the bye week in each conference and there will be three wild card games in each conference to get the field down to four teams in each conference for the divisional round.

 

So here goes nothing in picking the division winners and seven playoff teams for each conference for the 2020 NFL season.
(Note- Not picking any win/loss records for the teams as there could be a chance the usual 16-game schedule could get reduced to 14 or possibly 12 games if COVID-19 causes rescheduling problems. Nobody knows what might happen.)

Heftyinfo predictions for 2020 season for division races and playoffs ( Number-one seed gets the bye and that team is listed in bold )

AFC
East
1. Buffalo  2. New England  3. Miami  4. NY Jets
North
1. Baltimore  2. Pittsburgh  3. Cleveland  4. Cincinnati
South
1. Tennessee  2. Indianapolis  3. Houston  4. Jacksonville
West
1. Kansas City  2. Las Vegas  3. Denver  4. LA Chargers

wild cards (2-7) - Baltimore, Tennessee, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, New England



NFC
East
1. Dallas  2. Philadelphia  3. NY Giants  4. Washington
North
1. Green Bay  2. Minnesota  3. Chicago  4. Detroit
South
1. New Orleans  2. Tampa Bay  3. Atlanta  4. Carolina
West
1. San Francisco  2. Seattle  3. LA Rams  4. Arizona

wild cards (2-7) - San Francisco, Dallas, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Seattle, Philadelphia



AFC PLAYOFFS

Wild Card games
Baltimore over New England
Tennessee over Pittsburgh
Indianapolis over Buffalo

Divisional Round
Kansas City over Indianapolis
Baltimore over Tennessee

AFC Championship Game
Kansas City over Baltimore


NFC PLAYOFFS

Wild Card Games
Tampa Bay over Green Bay
Seattle over Dallas
San Francisco over Philadelphia

Divisional Round
Tampa Bay over New Orleans
Seattle over San Francisco

NFC Championship Game
Seattle over Tampa Bay

SUPER BOWL LV
Kansas City Chiefs over Seattle Seahawks

                                     

NFL - Week One Preview

Well, it's finally here.
The NFL kicks off the 101st season on Thursday night in Kansas City where the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs will host the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium.
Unfortunately, the real story all year since the last Super Bowl in early February has been the COVID-19 virus pandemic that has made America a sad place to be along with pretty much the rest of the world. But sports is supposed to be a great escape from the doldrums of the real world and the NFL is trying to do their collective part as the players and coaches and team staff members attempt to go through the next 17 weeks without any infections or interruptions to the schedule.
A big challenge no doubt about it, because we have seen what Major League Baseball has been going through the last couple of months since their return to the playing fields. The NBA and NHL Playoffs have had the luxury of playing in "bubbles" so they have been going along without a hitch. The NFL will have a somewhat better situation (we think) than baseball because the teams only have to travel and play once a week as opposed to six or seven days a week.
Here is hoping for the best for all 32 NFL teams and their loved ones involved to good health and a great season in what has been a very uneventful year known as 2020.

Thursday, September 10

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs - This game is a re-match of the blowout win for the Chiefs in the divisional round of the 2019 playoffs. The Chiefs fell behind early and then steam rolled the Texans, 51-31 before marching onto the Super Bowl title three weeks later.
But that was last year and this is now . . .
The Chiefs appear to be just as strong on offense with Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes leading the way. Their defense got better as the 2019 season went along and they have a lot of the same people back in the fold as the 2020 season gets started.
Meanwhile, the Texans just inked QB Deshaun Watson to a big contract extension (but not nearly as big as the one Mahomes got in K.C.) and he will lead the offense again. However, he no longer has wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (now with Arizona via trade) but running back David Johnson is now in H-Town (from the Hopkins trade) and looking to rebound from injuries that have limited him in recent years. That is not how you want to go into a game against Kansas City, the defending champions of the NFL.
The Texans defense will attempt to limit the Chiefs high powered attack and with the lack of real training camp activities and NO pre-season games this year due to the COVID-19 virus concerns, the Chiefs should be able to use that to their advantage. The same could be true with Houston's offense for this one.
So . . .  get ready for what could be a very unusual NFL season.
All bets are off for Week One, but in the spirit of picking a winner, take the Chiefs in this game.


The rest of the action will be played on Sunday and Monday night and the games are previewed in the capsule style format with the Heftyinfo predictions following up. Finally, the division races will be forecast as well as playoffs and eventual Super Bowl champion in a separate post. And remember, the playoffs will have two additional teams added this year in a new format.


Sunday, September 13

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons - Seahawks QB Russell Wilson will look to run and gun against a suspect Atlanta defense. Meanwhile, Falcons QB Matt Ryan and the high flying offense will look to do the same against the Seattle defense. Toss up in this one.

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens - 2019 NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson is ready for another magic carpet ride in Baltimore again and should get things started in this one. Browns are a work in progress with new coaching staff and QB Baker Mayfield looking to bounce back from a bad season.

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills - The Bills should roll in this one, but then again this was not a normal off-season around the league, including training camps.

Las Vegas Raiders at Carolina Panthers - It still seems strange to be calling them the Las Vegas Raiders. Regardless, they should put a decent enough game together to get a win against Carolina.

Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions - Can the Lions restore the roar this season? Will Bears starting QB Mitch Trubisky put together a winning performance? Good questions . . . take the Bears in a close game.

Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars - The Jags are rebuilding and the Colts have a new quarterback as Philip Rivers takes over in Indy for the 2020 season.

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots - Cam Newton in as the Patriots starting quarterback. The Dolphins go with Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has had success against New England in the past. This game should be a close one.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings - September in the Twin Cities and the hated Packers in for the season opener. Classic.

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington - The Eagles taking on the team from Washington, D.C. . . . Philly should emerge from this one with the win.

Los Angeles Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals - The Joe Burrow era begins for the Bengals as they host a banged up (what else is new?) Chargers team in the opener. Take the Bengals.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints - This IS the NFL Game of the Week for sure. Legendary quarterbacks Tom Brady and Drew Brees go at it in what should be a shootout.

Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers - Can the 49ers avoid the Super Bowl loser hangover that usually plagues teams?  Arizona has a lot of weapons on offense and a savvy young QB in Kyler Murray. Should be a great game.

Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams - Two under achieving teams in the 2019 season go at it and help open up the brand new SoFi Stadium in L.A. Take Dallas in a close game.


Monday, September 14

Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants - Big Ben (Roethlisberger) is back at QB for the Steelers. The Giants are a team looking to prove their doubters wrong this year.

Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos - The Titans and their ground and pound offensive attack with running back Derrick Henry will prove to be a little too much for Denver, which is without defensive star Von Miller (ankle surgery) this season.


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

Kansas City over Houston
Seattle over Atlanta 
BALTIMORE over Cleveland
Buffalo over N.Y. Jets
Las Vegas over Carolina 
Chicago over Detroit
Indianapolis over Jacksonville 
New England over Miami
Minnesota over Green Bay
Philadelphia over Washington 
Cincinnati over L.A. Chargers
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
San Francisco over Arizona
Dallas over L.A. Rams
Pittsburgh over N.Y. Giants
Tennessee over Denver


Last Year's Record - 171-84-1

Last Year's Lock of the Week Record - 14-3-0

 

Nothing Quite Like College Football . . . or is there?

With September now here and the Fall season coming in a few short weeks, people are looking forward to football and doing the things they love to do at this time of the year.
Sports fans in particular are excited for the return of the NFL season next week and college football is
starting up soon as well. Some school teams are kicking off this weekend in time for the Labor Day holiday.
But . . . there is still this thing out there all over the United States of America called the COVID-19 virus.
Coronavirus is still very much a factor in this country and even if politicians and sports executives, etc. want to pretend it's not, they are sadly mistaken.
We have a leader in this country who thinks he isn't responsible for his own lack of actions earlier in the year that perhaps could have prevented all this mess.
The disease is not going away any time soon because too many people lack the common sense to do what is needed to slow the spread. We all know we should wear face masks and wash our hands and do the (at least six foot) social distancing that helps to stop the spread of this awful thing.
Look, I am as big a sports fan as anyone.
Whoever reads this blog knows that and like everyone else, I'm also sick and tired of not being able to do everything we have become accustomed to in our lives because of COVID restrictions. But we have to be responsible and not selfish about it all.
When I see and hear people on the sports networks (ESPN, NFL Network, CBS Sports Radio, etc.) pushing for sports to go on as normal, it just seems forced.
The folks on those networks reporting on all things sports, it is their livelihood that depends on games being played. But the fact is when the disease spreads and more people get sick, it just continues to slow everybody down. Throw in the fact we are in a presidential election this year (two months away in fact) and the current leader of the USA is panicking because he wants things to be "normal" again so his chances to get a second term improve.
Again, people being selfish.
The scientific experts and doctors all agree, this COVID-19 virus isn't going anywhere if we the people don't do our part. Watching sports is great for all of us who follow it, but with the silliness of "bubbles" in the NBA and NHL, it just isn't the same.

COVID-19 map of the United States (as of 9/2/2020)

No fans in the stands.
Shortened seasons.
Silly rules changes to the games.
"Zoom" interviews with players and coaches involved.               
It just all seems too forced.



Sports should happen because the people are out there doing their thing and the fans are there to see it live at the stadiums across the country. But this year it's just about the almighty dollar and rich, spoiled owners and networks and advertisers whining about losing revenue.
It could be a "normal" world we all know if people do their part and those who are in the privileged positions they're in reporting on these games know their responsibilities as well. Don't just parrot the corporate line of "open up" the country and play sports, etc. even though we are still in a pandemic and things get worse whenever we the people try to force things.
People can criticize me for being whatever expletive they choose to use, but so what.
The Heftyinfo blog calls it like it's seen in my view and if you don't agree, that's fine. But do so at your own peril, not mine or someone else.
All of our actions affect others regarding this thing and when hearing now they want to have people in the stands at some of these sporting events, well there's a recipe for disaster. Go ahead, spread this shitty virus some more and then bitch about not being able to do the things you like to do because things still aren't getting better.
I hear people on the radio call in shows (both political and sports) complaining about the whole situation and the hosts doing likewise. On the other side, there are people using common sense and advising folks to do the right thing and help get this thing under control.
Fact is many college campuses that opened have closed up again and students are getting infected with the virus and that includes the football players and staff members of said teams as well. These folks in the colleges are playing with fire and it isn't necessary to do this. But as a famous movie character once said . . . Stupid is as stupid does.
Again, here is hoping that when these college and pro athletes start playing football there aren't too many outbreaks and interruptions to the schedule.
However, our current president is getting into the act and is now pushing for the Big Ten conference (which has voting "swing states" like Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania in it) to join the Big 12, ACC and Southeastern conference in playing right away.
The Big 10 (along with the PAC 12) opted out this fall and (the Big 10) might start their football season in late November. They are using common sense and helping to prevent the spread of the shitty virus.
Good on them.
If people out there want to keep pushing for "normalcy" again in this country, then man up and do your part and stop bitching and whining about masks and social distancing, etc.
It's that simple.
All bets are off for the current situation in sports right now because things are not normal. The NBA and NHL are playing in "bubbles" and baseball continues to see interruptions in the schedule because of outbreaks in COVID-19 cases. Like baseball, look for the same thing to happen once college football and the NFL starts.
Again, call me a "Debbie downer" or "Gloomy Gus" or whatever, I don't care.
We need to be realistic about it all and then (and only then) will we as a country be back on the right track that eventually will get things back to some semblance of normalcy.
Until a real vaccine is ready, we are not out of the woods with this potentially deadly virus.
Remember, there are over 189,000 people in this country who have died from COVID-19. 
There's talk about a vaccine being ready (ta da) right in time for the November presidential election, but it's being said by the medical experts that rushing into things isn't recommended for any vaccines currently being developed.
How about the current president and his family and staff members of the administration being the first "guinea pigs" to test the vaccine that is due out by November? In fact, he is so fond of doing things on live television, maybe that could also happen so we all know they actually take it.
After all, if you want others to get back to normal, then lead by example.
Here is for best wishes to all participating in the college football games (and the NFL as well) and hopefully no one gets too sick and the people involved don't become super spreaders in their communities. We are all rooting for good things and now we just have to continue to wait and see what happens.

Good Luck!