Friday, September 13, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
NFL Football - Week Two Preview
After just one week of games, there are already many questions surrounding the 32 teams in the NFL.
Some of those questions will be answered in Week Two as the Manning brothers go at it head-to-head for
the third time in their careers when the Denver Broncos face the New York Giants.
How about running back Steven Jackson going against his former team when the Atlanta Falcons host the St. Louis Rams, the team Jackson played with for nine seasons? That should be an interesting tilt, especially with the Falcons starting out 0-1 while the Rams won their first game.
The current Cleveland Browns travel to Baltimore to face the "old" Browns (the Ravens) as the whole AFC North is 0-1 after losing last weekend. The four AFC North teams all play each other this week, which guarantees someone will win, barring two ties in the games.
Can the San Diego Chargers overcome last week's second half collapse as they travel cross country to face the high flying Philadelphia Eagles, fresh off their Monday Night Football win at Washington?
Two of the weak sisters in the NFL face off this weekend as well when the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to face the Oakland Raiders, who almost pulled off a stunner against the Indianapolis Colts.
Week Two offers some good matchups, but nothing quite like the "Manning Bowl" and the "prime time" Sunday Night Football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks in a big NFC West battle.
It all gets started tonight when the New York Jets face the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on the NFL Network "prime time" Thursday Night Football game.
Here is a capsule style peak at the weekend's action with the Heftyinfo picks (and the Lock of the Week) following.
New York Jets (1-0) at New England Patriots (1-0) - The Jets were the luckiest team in the NFL last week while the Pats got a scare in their opener... Patriots win a squeaker in this one.
St. Louis Rams (1-0) at Atlanta Falcons (0-1) - The Falcons are banged up at wide receiver while the Rams are coming off a big opener ... take the Falcons.
Carolina Panthers (0-1) at Buffalo Bills (0-1) - This one could go down to the wire.
Minnesota Vikings (0-1) at Chicago Bears (1-0) - Da' Bears!
Washington Redskins (0-1) at Green Bay Packers (0-1) - What's in a name? That is the question for the Redskins. Packers roll in this one.
Miami Dolphins (1-0) at Indianapolis Colts (1-0) - Two young teams on the rise face off in Indy.
Dallas Cowboys (1-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) - The Cowboys and the Indians... take the Cowboys.
Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Baltimore Ravens (0-1) - Flacco and company get the win.
Tennessee Titans (1-0) at Houston Texans (1-0) - The Titans showed they can be tough while the Texans snuck out a win in their opener.
San Diego Chargers (0-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) - Will the real Philip Rivers please stand up? Eagles soar again this week.
Detroit Lions (1-0) at Arizona Cardinals (0-1) - Trap game for the Lions? Maybe.
New Orleans Saints (1-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) - The Saints are getting their mojo back while the Bucs looked lost in the opening game.
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-1) - One of these teams will be .500 after Week Two.
Denver Broncos (1-0) at New York Giants (0-1) - The "Manning Bowl" once again ... Peyton wins again.
San Francisco 49ers (1-0) at Seattle Seahawks (1-0) - HUGE game in the NFC West division. It should live up to the billing.
Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) - Something has to give in the MNF tilt.
The Heftyinfo picks . . . (Home teams listed in BOLD... LOCK OF THE WEEK listed in BOLD CAPS)
New England over NY Jets
Atlanta over St. Louis
Carolina over Buffalo
Chicago over Minnesota
Green Bay over Washington
Indianapolis over Miami
Dallas over Kansas City
BALTIMORE over Cleveland
Houston over Tennessee
Philadelphia over San Diego
Detroit over Arizona
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Oakland over Jacksonville
Denver over NY Giants
Seattle over San Francisco
Cincinnati over Pittsburgh
Last Week's Record: 11-5
SEASON RECORD: 11-5
Lock of the Week Record: 1-0
Some of those questions will be answered in Week Two as the Manning brothers go at it head-to-head for
How about running back Steven Jackson going against his former team when the Atlanta Falcons host the St. Louis Rams, the team Jackson played with for nine seasons? That should be an interesting tilt, especially with the Falcons starting out 0-1 while the Rams won their first game.
The current Cleveland Browns travel to Baltimore to face the "old" Browns (the Ravens) as the whole AFC North is 0-1 after losing last weekend. The four AFC North teams all play each other this week, which guarantees someone will win, barring two ties in the games.
Can the San Diego Chargers overcome last week's second half collapse as they travel cross country to face the high flying Philadelphia Eagles, fresh off their Monday Night Football win at Washington?
Two of the weak sisters in the NFL face off this weekend as well when the Jacksonville Jaguars travel to face the Oakland Raiders, who almost pulled off a stunner against the Indianapolis Colts.
Week Two offers some good matchups, but nothing quite like the "Manning Bowl" and the "prime time" Sunday Night Football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks in a big NFC West battle.
It all gets started tonight when the New York Jets face the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on the NFL Network "prime time" Thursday Night Football game.
Here is a capsule style peak at the weekend's action with the Heftyinfo picks (and the Lock of the Week) following.
New York Jets (1-0) at New England Patriots (1-0) - The Jets were the luckiest team in the NFL last week while the Pats got a scare in their opener... Patriots win a squeaker in this one.
St. Louis Rams (1-0) at Atlanta Falcons (0-1) - The Falcons are banged up at wide receiver while the Rams are coming off a big opener ... take the Falcons.
Carolina Panthers (0-1) at Buffalo Bills (0-1) - This one could go down to the wire.
Minnesota Vikings (0-1) at Chicago Bears (1-0) - Da' Bears!
Washington Redskins (0-1) at Green Bay Packers (0-1) - What's in a name? That is the question for the Redskins. Packers roll in this one.
Miami Dolphins (1-0) at Indianapolis Colts (1-0) - Two young teams on the rise face off in Indy.
Dallas Cowboys (1-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) - The Cowboys and the Indians... take the Cowboys.
Cleveland Browns (0-1) at Baltimore Ravens (0-1) - Flacco and company get the win.
Tennessee Titans (1-0) at Houston Texans (1-0) - The Titans showed they can be tough while the Texans snuck out a win in their opener.
San Diego Chargers (0-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) - Will the real Philip Rivers please stand up? Eagles soar again this week.
Detroit Lions (1-0) at Arizona Cardinals (0-1) - Trap game for the Lions? Maybe.
New Orleans Saints (1-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) - The Saints are getting their mojo back while the Bucs looked lost in the opening game.
Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-1) - One of these teams will be .500 after Week Two.
Denver Broncos (1-0) at New York Giants (0-1) - The "Manning Bowl" once again ... Peyton wins again.
San Francisco 49ers (1-0) at Seattle Seahawks (1-0) - HUGE game in the NFC West division. It should live up to the billing.
Pittsburgh Steelers (0-1) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) - Something has to give in the MNF tilt.
The Heftyinfo picks . . . (Home teams listed in BOLD... LOCK OF THE WEEK listed in BOLD CAPS)
New England over NY Jets
Atlanta over St. Louis
Carolina over Buffalo
Chicago over Minnesota
Green Bay over Washington
Indianapolis over Miami
Dallas over Kansas City
BALTIMORE over Cleveland
Houston over Tennessee
Philadelphia over San Diego
Detroit over Arizona
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Oakland over Jacksonville
Denver over NY Giants
Seattle over San Francisco
Cincinnati over Pittsburgh
Last Week's Record: 11-5
SEASON RECORD: 11-5
Lock of the Week Record: 1-0
Monday, September 9, 2013
NFL Football - Week One Review
Week One of the 2013 NFL season provided some exciting games all around the league, beginning with the opener last Thursday night when Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning threw seven touchdown
passes (tying an NFL single game record) and had 462 passing yards in a 49-27 rout of the visiting Baltimore Ravens.
Peyton Manning is the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week for his record performance.
The passing trend continued on Sunday with San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick passing for 412 yards and three touchdowns in the 49ers 34-28 win against Green Bay. San Francisco wide receiver Anquan Boldin caught 13 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown while tight end Vernon Davis (six catches for 98 yards) had two TD receptions. Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers had three TD passes and 333 yards in the loss.
Detroit's Matthew Stafford had 357 passing yards and two TD passes to offset Adrian Peterson's three touchdowns and 93 yards rushing (including a 78-yard TD romp on his first carry of the new season) in the Lions 34-24 win against the visiting Minnesota Vikings.
Drew Brees led a New Orleans Saints comeback by passing for 357 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-17 home opening win against division rival Atlanta. Falcons' QB Matt Ryan passed for 304 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the loss.
The Dallas Cowboys defense got six turnovers (three interceptions and three fumble recoveries) and converted two of them into touchdowns, including the game deciding 49-yard INT return by Brandon Carr late in the fourth quarter in a 36-31 win over the visiting New York Giants.
Cowboys QB Tony Romo threw for 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the offense. The Giants Eli Manning passed for 450 yards and four TD along with the three picks in the loss. Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz had a big night (five catches for 118 yards and three TD receptions) as well.
The Chicago Bears rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, 24-21 as QB Jay Cutler was not sacked during the game and had two TD passes to go with 242 passing yards in the win. The Chicago defense came up with three turnovers, including two interceptions by Charles 'Peanut' Tillman.
Other highlights from around the NFL . . .
The New York Jets escaped with a 18-17 home win against Tampa Bay as Nick Folk drilled a 48-yard field goal with two seconds left in the game following a stupid penalty for unnecessary roughness on a Tampa Bay defender against Jets QB Geno Smith . . . The Seattle Seahawks won a yawner at Carolina, 12-7 as their defense limited the Panthers to just 243 total yards on offense . . . The Indy Colts pulled out a late win against the visiting Oakland Raiders, 21-17 behind a 19-yard TD run by QB Andrew Luck that offset Oakland QB Terrelle Pryor's 112 rushing yards . . . Kansas City smoked the host Jacksonville Jaguars, 28-2 as their defense held the Jags to just 178 total yards . . . New England got a late field goal to foil the host Buffalo Bills, 23-21 and ruin a decent performance by Bills rookie QB E.J. Manuel, who had two TD passes in the game . . . The Tennessee Titans may have pulled off the stunner of the week with a 16-9 road win at Pittsburgh as their defense won this struggle by limiting the Steelers to just 195 yards of offense while also getting three field goals from Rob Bironas . . . The Miami Dolphins topped the listless Cleveland Browns, 23-10 behind solid defense (three interceptions) and 272 passing yards and a touchdown strike from QB Ryan Tannehill . . . The St. Louis Rams stormed back from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the visiting Arizona Cardinals, 27-24 as QB Sam Bradford threw two TD passes and Greg Zuerlein drilled three field goals, including the decisive 48-yard boot with just 40 seconds remaining.
Monday Night Football
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the host Washington Redskins, 33-28 and spoiled the return from major knee surgery of Robert Griffin III, Washington's quarterback as LeSean McCoy led the way with 184 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with two TD passes and 203 passing yards from Michael Vick.
Redskins QB RG3 threw for 329 yards with two TD and two interceptions in the loss. Meanwhile, the Eagles revamped offense under new Head Coach Chip Kelly overcame an early turnover that gave the 'Skins a 7-0 lead to pile up 263 rushing yards while building a 26-7 halftime lead.
The "night cap" game in San Diego was equally exciting as the opening tilt with the Houston Texans storming back in the fourth quarter to earn their first ever victory against the Chargers, 31-28 as kicker Randy Bullock nailed a game-winning 41-yard field goal as time expired to complete the come from behind win.
Texans QB Matt Schaub had 346 passing yards and three touchdowns with one interception to pace the comeback, which included a touchdown on an interception return by linebacker Brian Cushing.
The Chargers built a 28-7 lead early in the third quarter when Philip Rivers threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game. But after that, it was all Houston as they scored the final 24 points in the game to win.
 |
| Peyton Manning, Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week. |
Peyton Manning is the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week for his record performance.
The passing trend continued on Sunday with San Francisco QB Colin Kaepernick passing for 412 yards and three touchdowns in the 49ers 34-28 win against Green Bay. San Francisco wide receiver Anquan Boldin caught 13 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown while tight end Vernon Davis (six catches for 98 yards) had two TD receptions. Packers' QB Aaron Rodgers had three TD passes and 333 yards in the loss.
Detroit's Matthew Stafford had 357 passing yards and two TD passes to offset Adrian Peterson's three touchdowns and 93 yards rushing (including a 78-yard TD romp on his first carry of the new season) in the Lions 34-24 win against the visiting Minnesota Vikings.
Drew Brees led a New Orleans Saints comeback by passing for 357 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-17 home opening win against division rival Atlanta. Falcons' QB Matt Ryan passed for 304 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the loss.
The Dallas Cowboys defense got six turnovers (three interceptions and three fumble recoveries) and converted two of them into touchdowns, including the game deciding 49-yard INT return by Brandon Carr late in the fourth quarter in a 36-31 win over the visiting New York Giants.
Cowboys QB Tony Romo threw for 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead the offense. The Giants Eli Manning passed for 450 yards and four TD along with the three picks in the loss. Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz had a big night (five catches for 118 yards and three TD receptions) as well.
The Chicago Bears rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, 24-21 as QB Jay Cutler was not sacked during the game and had two TD passes to go with 242 passing yards in the win. The Chicago defense came up with three turnovers, including two interceptions by Charles 'Peanut' Tillman.
Other highlights from around the NFL . . .
The New York Jets escaped with a 18-17 home win against Tampa Bay as Nick Folk drilled a 48-yard field goal with two seconds left in the game following a stupid penalty for unnecessary roughness on a Tampa Bay defender against Jets QB Geno Smith . . . The Seattle Seahawks won a yawner at Carolina, 12-7 as their defense limited the Panthers to just 243 total yards on offense . . . The Indy Colts pulled out a late win against the visiting Oakland Raiders, 21-17 behind a 19-yard TD run by QB Andrew Luck that offset Oakland QB Terrelle Pryor's 112 rushing yards . . . Kansas City smoked the host Jacksonville Jaguars, 28-2 as their defense held the Jags to just 178 total yards . . . New England got a late field goal to foil the host Buffalo Bills, 23-21 and ruin a decent performance by Bills rookie QB E.J. Manuel, who had two TD passes in the game . . . The Tennessee Titans may have pulled off the stunner of the week with a 16-9 road win at Pittsburgh as their defense won this struggle by limiting the Steelers to just 195 yards of offense while also getting three field goals from Rob Bironas . . . The Miami Dolphins topped the listless Cleveland Browns, 23-10 behind solid defense (three interceptions) and 272 passing yards and a touchdown strike from QB Ryan Tannehill . . . The St. Louis Rams stormed back from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to beat the visiting Arizona Cardinals, 27-24 as QB Sam Bradford threw two TD passes and Greg Zuerlein drilled three field goals, including the decisive 48-yard boot with just 40 seconds remaining.
Monday Night Football
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the host Washington Redskins, 33-28 and spoiled the return from major knee surgery of Robert Griffin III, Washington's quarterback as LeSean McCoy led the way with 184 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with two TD passes and 203 passing yards from Michael Vick.
Redskins QB RG3 threw for 329 yards with two TD and two interceptions in the loss. Meanwhile, the Eagles revamped offense under new Head Coach Chip Kelly overcame an early turnover that gave the 'Skins a 7-0 lead to pile up 263 rushing yards while building a 26-7 halftime lead.
The "night cap" game in San Diego was equally exciting as the opening tilt with the Houston Texans storming back in the fourth quarter to earn their first ever victory against the Chargers, 31-28 as kicker Randy Bullock nailed a game-winning 41-yard field goal as time expired to complete the come from behind win.
Texans QB Matt Schaub had 346 passing yards and three touchdowns with one interception to pace the comeback, which included a touchdown on an interception return by linebacker Brian Cushing.
The Chargers built a 28-7 lead early in the third quarter when Philip Rivers threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game. But after that, it was all Houston as they scored the final 24 points in the game to win.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Friday, September 6, 2013
What An Opener - Now What?
Denver Broncos' quarterback Peyton Manning threw SEVEN touchdown passes in last night's 49-27 opening game rout of the Baltimore Ravens. The feat matched something that has not happened in the NFL
since the the 1969 season, when Joe Kapp of the Minnesota Vikings did it.
WOW!
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| Peyton Manning dominated the Ravens' defense. |
WOW!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
NFL Football - Week One Preview
Well, here we are again at the start of another NFL season.
The Baltimore Ravens face the Denver Broncos in the Mile High City Thursday night to get things started this
year.
Who can forget last year's choke job by Peyton Manning and the Broncos in the AFC Divisional Playoffs when they allowed the eventual Super Bowl champion Ravens to steal the game by scoring in literally the closing seconds of regulation to force overtime.
From there, the Ravens intercepted a Manning pass to set up the game winning field goal in the second quarter of OT to move forward.
The Broncos have been downplaying the "revenge" factor for the opener tomorrow night, but be real, they want to win this game and if they could do so, they'd love to win it in blowout fashion.
It's a whole new season and all 32 teams get it started this weekend with the Sunday night showcase game featuring the New York Giants at the Dallas Cowboys. The Monday Night Football games will have the Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins and the Houston Texans facing the host San Diego Chargers.
There are some big tilts taking place in Week One, especially the Green Bay Packers opening up in San Francisco against the 49ers, the team that blew away the mighty Pack in the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs last year.
Two dark horse contenders this season, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Chicago Bears, face each other in Soldier Field in Chicago. Tampa Bay travels to face the New York Jets, a team still searching for a starting quarterback, as Darrelle Revis faces his old team in the Big Apple.
A big showdown in the NFC South right out of the gate in The Big Easy as the New Orleans Saints host the Atlanta Falcons in what could be a real shootout. Quarterbacks Drew Brees and Matt Ryan will be flinging the ball around the Superdome all game long.
One never knows what to expect in the opening games around the NFL, especially these days with so many players changing teams in the off-season.
Well, here we go with another venture at picking the games for the season. The following offers a capsule style breakdown/analysis for each game with the Heftyinfo picks for Week One following . . . One new feature this season will be the "Lock of the Week" winner picked in BOLD FACE type.
Thursday Night Game
Baltimore at Denver - The Broncos (and especially Peyton Manning) want to win this game in the worst way. And they should do so this time around, just make sure to avoid OT Denver and you should be just fine.
Sunday Games
New England at Buffalo - The Patriots are ironing things out on offense as the new season begins. The Bills are going with a totally inexperienced starting QB in this one.
Cincinnati at Chicago - The Bears begin "life without Lovie (Smith) and Brian (Urlacher)" in their season opener against a formidable foe. A Must See game!
Miami at Cleveland - The Dolphins have playoff aspirations this season. But do not sleep on the Browns this year.
Atlanta at New Orleans - The winner of this game could control the NFC South this season... or not.
Tampa Bay at New York Jets - Darrelle Revis wanted to pick off a Mark Sanchez (out with injury) pass in this one... oh well, perhaps another time.
Tennessee at Pittsburgh - Both of these teams will have some questions answered in this opening game.
Minnesota at Detroit - An NFC North tilt in Motown as Adrian Peterson begins his attempt to go over 2,000 yards rushing for a second straight season.
Oakland at Indianapolis - Can Andrew Luck and the Colts perform more miracles this year? Beating the Raiders is NOT a miracle so we will have to wait and see.
Seattle at Carolina - The Seahawks strong defense gets an early test vs. Cam Newton and company.
Kansas City at Jacksonville - Chiefs roll!
Arizona at St. Louis - Rams roll!
Green Bay at San Francisco - The Packers will get a good look at the team that crushed them in last season's playoff game.
NY Giants at Dallas - It seems like every season this game is in prime time. Why?
Monday Night Football Games
Philadelphia at Washington - The return of RG3 from knee surgery. Hmmmm.
Houston at San Diego - The Texans want to make a statement in this game.
The Heftyinfo Week One predictions . . . (Home teams listed in bold and LOCK OF THE WEEK pick listed in BOLD CAPS)
Denver over Baltimore
New England over Buffalo
Chicago over Cincinnati
Cleveland over Miami
New Orleans over Atlanta
Tampa Bay over NY Jets
Pittsburgh over Tennessee
Detroit over Minnesota
INDIANAPOLIS over Oakland
Seattle over Carolina
Kansas City over Jacksonville
St. Louis over Arizona
San Francisco over Green Bay
NY Giants over Dallas
Washington over Philadelphia
Houston over San Diego
Last Season's Record: 160-95-1
NFL SEASON PREDICTIONS
NFC East 1. NY Giants (10-6) 2. Washington (10-6) 3. Dallas (8-8) 4. Philadelphia (5-11)
NFC North 1. Green Bay (11-5) 2. Chicago (10-6) 3. Detroit (8-8) 4. Minnesota (6-10)
NFC South 1. Atlanta (11-5) 2. New Orleans-wild card (10-6) 3. Tampa Bay (10-6) 4. Carolina (6-10)
NFC West 1. San Francisco (12-4) 2. Seattle-wild card (10-6) 3. St. Louis (8-8) 4. Arizona (3-13)
AFC East 1. New England (11-5) 2. Miami-wild card (9-7) 3. Buffalo (4-12) 4. NY Jets (4-12)
AFC North 1. Baltimore (10-6) 2. Cincinnati-wild card (9-7) 3. Cleveland (8-8) 4. Pittsburgh (7-9)
AFC South 1. Houston (11-5) 2. Indianapolis (8-8) 3. Tennessee (5-11) 4. Jacksonville (3-13)
AFC West 1. Denver (12-4) 2. Kansas City (8-8) 3. San Diego (6-10) 4. Oakland (3-13)
NFC Playoffs AFC Playoffs
Seattle over Atlanta Baltimore over Miami
New Orleans over NY Giants Houston over Cincinnati
Seattle over Green Bay Denver over Baltimore
San Francisco over New Orleans Houston over New England
NFC Championship Game AFC Championship Game
Seattle over San Francisco Denver over Houston
SUPER BOWL 48 (XLVIII)
Seattle Seahawks over Denver Broncos
The Baltimore Ravens face the Denver Broncos in the Mile High City Thursday night to get things started this
Who can forget last year's choke job by Peyton Manning and the Broncos in the AFC Divisional Playoffs when they allowed the eventual Super Bowl champion Ravens to steal the game by scoring in literally the closing seconds of regulation to force overtime.
From there, the Ravens intercepted a Manning pass to set up the game winning field goal in the second quarter of OT to move forward.
The Broncos have been downplaying the "revenge" factor for the opener tomorrow night, but be real, they want to win this game and if they could do so, they'd love to win it in blowout fashion.
It's a whole new season and all 32 teams get it started this weekend with the Sunday night showcase game featuring the New York Giants at the Dallas Cowboys. The Monday Night Football games will have the Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins and the Houston Texans facing the host San Diego Chargers.
There are some big tilts taking place in Week One, especially the Green Bay Packers opening up in San Francisco against the 49ers, the team that blew away the mighty Pack in the divisional round of the NFC Playoffs last year.
Two dark horse contenders this season, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Chicago Bears, face each other in Soldier Field in Chicago. Tampa Bay travels to face the New York Jets, a team still searching for a starting quarterback, as Darrelle Revis faces his old team in the Big Apple.
A big showdown in the NFC South right out of the gate in The Big Easy as the New Orleans Saints host the Atlanta Falcons in what could be a real shootout. Quarterbacks Drew Brees and Matt Ryan will be flinging the ball around the Superdome all game long.
One never knows what to expect in the opening games around the NFL, especially these days with so many players changing teams in the off-season.
Well, here we go with another venture at picking the games for the season. The following offers a capsule style breakdown/analysis for each game with the Heftyinfo picks for Week One following . . . One new feature this season will be the "Lock of the Week" winner picked in BOLD FACE type.
Thursday Night Game
Baltimore at Denver - The Broncos (and especially Peyton Manning) want to win this game in the worst way. And they should do so this time around, just make sure to avoid OT Denver and you should be just fine.
Sunday Games
New England at Buffalo - The Patriots are ironing things out on offense as the new season begins. The Bills are going with a totally inexperienced starting QB in this one.
Cincinnati at Chicago - The Bears begin "life without Lovie (Smith) and Brian (Urlacher)" in their season opener against a formidable foe. A Must See game!
Miami at Cleveland - The Dolphins have playoff aspirations this season. But do not sleep on the Browns this year.
Atlanta at New Orleans - The winner of this game could control the NFC South this season... or not.
Tampa Bay at New York Jets - Darrelle Revis wanted to pick off a Mark Sanchez (out with injury) pass in this one... oh well, perhaps another time.
Tennessee at Pittsburgh - Both of these teams will have some questions answered in this opening game.
Minnesota at Detroit - An NFC North tilt in Motown as Adrian Peterson begins his attempt to go over 2,000 yards rushing for a second straight season.
Oakland at Indianapolis - Can Andrew Luck and the Colts perform more miracles this year? Beating the Raiders is NOT a miracle so we will have to wait and see.
Seattle at Carolina - The Seahawks strong defense gets an early test vs. Cam Newton and company.
Kansas City at Jacksonville - Chiefs roll!
Arizona at St. Louis - Rams roll!
Green Bay at San Francisco - The Packers will get a good look at the team that crushed them in last season's playoff game.
NY Giants at Dallas - It seems like every season this game is in prime time. Why?
Monday Night Football Games
Philadelphia at Washington - The return of RG3 from knee surgery. Hmmmm.
Houston at San Diego - The Texans want to make a statement in this game.
The Heftyinfo Week One predictions . . . (Home teams listed in bold and LOCK OF THE WEEK pick listed in BOLD CAPS)
Denver over Baltimore
New England over Buffalo
Chicago over Cincinnati
Cleveland over Miami
New Orleans over Atlanta
Tampa Bay over NY Jets
Pittsburgh over Tennessee
Detroit over Minnesota
INDIANAPOLIS over Oakland
Seattle over Carolina
Kansas City over Jacksonville
St. Louis over Arizona
San Francisco over Green Bay
NY Giants over Dallas
Washington over Philadelphia
Houston over San Diego
Last Season's Record: 160-95-1
NFL SEASON PREDICTIONS
NFC East 1. NY Giants (10-6) 2. Washington (10-6) 3. Dallas (8-8) 4. Philadelphia (5-11)
NFC North 1. Green Bay (11-5) 2. Chicago (10-6) 3. Detroit (8-8) 4. Minnesota (6-10)
NFC South 1. Atlanta (11-5) 2. New Orleans-wild card (10-6) 3. Tampa Bay (10-6) 4. Carolina (6-10)
NFC West 1. San Francisco (12-4) 2. Seattle-wild card (10-6) 3. St. Louis (8-8) 4. Arizona (3-13)
AFC East 1. New England (11-5) 2. Miami-wild card (9-7) 3. Buffalo (4-12) 4. NY Jets (4-12)
AFC North 1. Baltimore (10-6) 2. Cincinnati-wild card (9-7) 3. Cleveland (8-8) 4. Pittsburgh (7-9)
AFC South 1. Houston (11-5) 2. Indianapolis (8-8) 3. Tennessee (5-11) 4. Jacksonville (3-13)
AFC West 1. Denver (12-4) 2. Kansas City (8-8) 3. San Diego (6-10) 4. Oakland (3-13)
NFC Playoffs AFC Playoffs
Seattle over Atlanta Baltimore over Miami
New Orleans over NY Giants Houston over Cincinnati
Seattle over Green Bay Denver over Baltimore
San Francisco over New Orleans Houston over New England
NFC Championship Game AFC Championship Game
Seattle over San Francisco Denver over Houston
SUPER BOWL 48 (XLVIII)
Seattle Seahawks over Denver Broncos
Monday, September 2, 2013
Major League Baseball - Stretch Run In Pennant Races
It has been an interesting season once again in 2013, and especially surprising teams are in the mix. Of course, there have been some huge disappointments as well. But that is how things always break down as the long season rolls through the hot summer months into the coolness of the autumn air of September and October.
The following offers a capsule style breakdown of the remaining races throughout the Major Leagues for this final month of the regular season.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
It's pretty cut and dry what is happening here as the Atlanta Braves (East) and Los Angeles Dodgers (West) have made a mockery of their division races while running away and hiding from the rest of the teams.
They are locks for the playoffs while the remaining three spots will likely come out of the National League Central division where Pittsburgh and St. Louis share the lead for now and the Cincinnati Reds are just 3 1/2 games back. All three are ahead of Arizona (six games back in the NL Wild Card chase) and Washington (6 1/2 out) for the last two spots in the playoffs next month.
NL East ... Atlanta (83-53) Washington (69-67, 14 games behind)
NL Central ... Pittsburgh (79-57) St. Louis (79-57) Cincinnati (76-61, 3 1/2 GB)
NL West ... Los Angeles (81-55) Arizona (69-66 11 1/2 GB)
NATIONAL LEAGUE WILD CARD RACE
With Atlanta, the team with the best record in Major League Baseball, and Los Angeles locks to get to the post-season, the only excitement left is the wild card chase. One of the three teams in the NL Central will win the division and the other two are pretty far ahead of Washington and Arizona with less than 30 games remaining so it stands to reason (barring a monumental collapse) that Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Cincinnati will make the playoffs along with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Not so simple here in the junior circuit where only one team is assured of a playoff spot, barring a huge collapse in September.
The Detroit Tigers lead the AL Central by 7 1/2 games over the Cleveland Indians and 9 1/2 ahead of the Kansas City Royals.
The Boston Red Sox, perhaps baseball's biggest surprise team this year, lead the rugged American League East by 5 1/2 games over second-place Tampa Bay. The Baltimore Orioles (8 1/2 GB) and New York Yankees (nine games out) are also in the wild card chase that involves seven serious contenders.
In the AL West, the Oakland A's trail first-place Texas by a single game and they play each other six more times in September, including a three-game series in Oakland starting today.
AL East ... Boston (82-56) Tampa Bay (75-60, 5 1/2 GB) Baltimore (72-63, 8 1/2 GB) NY Yankees (72-64, 9 GB)
AL Central ... Detroit (80-57) Cleveland (72-64, 7 1/2 GB) Kansas City (70-66, 9 1/2 GB)
AL West ... Texas (79-57) Oakland (78-58, 1 GB)
AMERICAN LEAGUE WILD CARD RACE
Detroit appears to be a lock for the post-season and Boston is also closing ground on their first post-season trip since the 2009 season.
The rest of the picture is up for grabs as seven teams are battling for the final three spots.
The Texas Rangers and Oakland A's are neck-and-neck in the West and only one can win the division. The second-place finisher is likely to get one of the two wild card spots.
The last spot will go to one of five teams (Tampa Bay, Baltimore, New York, Cleveland and Kansas City) as they face each other in league and divisional play during the final month of the 2013 season.
It should shape up to be a great finish in the American League and anything is possible.
Final notes and observations . . .
The Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates have been big surprises this season while the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays have been the biggest disappointments.
Will Detroit's Miguel Cabrera catch Baltimore's Chris Davis for the American League home run title and capture a second consecutive "triple crown" (Batting average, Home Runs and RBI leader) during these final weeks? He is four HR behind Davis (47-43) but has the AL batting title all but locked up and is eight RBI (130-122) ahead of Davis.
How about the amazing turnaround this year for the LA Dodgers, who were a sub .500 team in mid-June and now own the second best record in the league?
Manager of the Year in the AL is ... either Joe Girardi (NY Yankees) or John Farrell (Boston). Think about it, the Yankees are old and have had so many injured players this season it is ridiculous they are even in contention for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Bosox finished dead last (69-93) in the AL East a year ago and NOBODY expected them to go from worst to first in perhaps the best division in baseball.
A-Rod (or should I say A-Roid) ... how this guy is playing right now is a joke and shows just what a farce the MLB appeals process rule really is.
Being a staunch Union supporter, there are no qualms with Alex Rodriguez appealing his lengthy suspension handed down by MLB, but ALL the other players given long suspensions took their punishment by admitting their involvement in the PED scandal with Biogenesis and that includes slugger Nelson Cruz, whose team (Texas Rangers) is in a heated battle for playoff position with Oakland in the AL West.
Why should A-Rod be treated any differently? If baseball higher-ups had any real merit with the appeals process, they would have ruled immediately on the A-Rod case because eventually he will be sitting out all or at least a good portion (one should think) of the 215-game suspension he was given by MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.
And finally, how good and inspirational has rookie Yasiel Puig been for the Los Angeles Dodgers this summer?
The 22-year old outfielder was called up in June and the team has not looked back since then, storming back from last place in the NL West division to runaway winners and the post-season. Coincidence the team got hot when he became a regular in the lineup? This guy should be the hands down winner of the Rookie of the Year in the National League.
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