NFL Football - Week Thirteen Review

There was a lot of action around the National Football League this weekend, including three Thanksgiving Day games to get it started.
The Denver Broncos, led by five touchdown passes from quarterback Peyton Manning, survived on the road against Kansas City, 35-28 as they overcame a 14-point first half deficit.

Broncos WR Eric Decker had four TD catches in big win.

Broncos' wide receiver Eric Decker, the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week, had four touchdown catches to go with eight catches overall for 174 yards in the win, which improved the Broncos to 10-2. Chiefs QB Alex Smith passed for 293 yards and two scores in the loss.
The red hot Carolina Panthers (9-3) won for the eight consecutive game, beating the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-6 as the defense limited the Bucs (3-9) to just 206 total yardage in offense while QB Cam Newton threw for a pair of touchdowns.
The Philadelphia Eagles (7-5) kept pace with the Dallas Cowboys by winning at home against Arizona, 24-21 as QB Nick Foles had three TD passes and the Philly defense forced three turnovers. The Cardinals (7-5) mounted a comeback behind three scoring passes from QB Carson Palmer before falling short.
The New England Patriots (9-3) won in comeback fashion for the second straight week as they beat the Houston Texans, 34-31 on the road, sending the Texans to their 10th straight loss. New England QB Tom Brady passed for 371 yards and two scores in the win.
San Francisco (8-4) beat down the visiting St. Louis Rams, 23-13 behind solid defense and efficient offense, which included 275 passing yards by Colin Kaepernick.
The Indianapolis Colts (8-4) won a big showdown game in the AFC South, 22-14 over the visiting Tennessee Titans (5-7) as Titans' QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was picked off three times. Colts' kicker Adam Vinatieri made five field goals to help provide the difference in the game.
The Thanksgiving Day games saw the Detroit Lions (7-5) roll past the Green Bay Packers, 40-10 as Lions' QB Matthew Stafford had three TD passes and Reggie Bush ran for 117 yards and a rushing touchdown to go with 65 receiving yards.
The Lions outgained the Packers (5-6-1) in total offense by a count of 561-126, including outgaining the Packers 241-24 in rushing yardage.
The Dallas Cowboys (7-5) overcame early mistakes and a 21-7 deficit to defeat the Oakland Raiders, 31-24 behind three rushing scores by running back DeMarco Murray and 225 passing yards and one scoring pass from QB Tony Romo.
The night cap on turkey day saw the Baltimore Ravens (6-6) hold off the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers, 22-20 as the defense stiffened on a potential game-tying two-point conversion play in the final minute.
Ravens kicker Justin Tucker kicked five field goals to help make the difference and spoil the comeback attempt by Steelers' QB Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

                                       Elsewhere Around The National Football League . . . . . 

Two huge receiving days were spoiled with losses as the Chicago Bears blew a ten-point lead in the final quarter, losing at Minnesota, 23-20 in OT. Bears WR  Alshon Jeffery had 249 yards on 12 catches and two TD in the loss, which included a missed 47-yard FG on SECOND DOWN in the OT session. Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson (211 yards) took over, going for 51 yards in OT and then Vikings kicker Blair Walsh made good on his 34-yard FG to win it moments later . . .  The Cleveland Browns lost a tough one late to Jacksonville, 32-28 as Jags' QB Chad Henne hit Cecil Shorts III for the game winning pass with only 40 seconds remaining. Browns WR Josh Gordon (10 catches for 261 yards and two TD) became the only player in NFL history to record two consecutive games with 200-plus yards receiving . . .  The New York Giants (5-7) won at Washington, 24-17 on the Sunday Night Football game behind two running scores by Andre Brown . . .  The Cincinnati Bengals (8-4) maintained a two-game lead in the AFC North with a 17-10 road win against the San Diego Chargers (5-7) as QB Andy Dalton hooked up with WR A.J. Green on a 21-yard scoring pass in the third quarter to break the 7-7 deadlock . . .  The Miami Dolphins (6-6) smashed the host New York Jets, 23-3 to stay even with Baltimore for the final wild card playoff spot in the AFC as QB Ryan Tannehill had two scoring passes and the Miami defense limited the Jets (5-7) to only ten first downs and 177 yards of total offense, including a meager 78 passing yards  . . .  The Atlanta Falcons (3-9) finally got a win as kicker Matt Bryant drilled a 36-yard FG in OT to beat Buffalo, 34-31. Falcons' RB Steven Jackson rushed for two touchdowns while Bills' RB C.J. Spiller scored one rushing TD and had 149 yards on 15 carries in the loss . . .  The Seattle Seahawks (11-1) blasted the visiting New Orleans Saints, 34-7 on Monday Night Football as the defense dominated, holding the powerful Saints offense to only 12 first downs and 188 total yards in offense. Seattle QB Russell Wilson passed for 310 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten                            (Week ending November 30) 


1. Florida State (12-0)
2. Auburn (11-1)
3. Ohio State (12-0)
4. Alabama (11-1)
5. Oklahoma State (10-1)
6. Missouri (11-1)
7. Stanford (10-2)
8. Michigan State (11-1)
9. Baylor (10-1)
10. South Carolina (10-2)

NFL Football - Week Thirteen Preview

It's Thanksgiving folks and time for turkey with all the trimmings and of course, football!
Starting with the traditional Thanksgiving Day games in Detroit (forever) and Dallas (since 1978) and the night cap game, which is more of a recent thing than the day games.
The Detroit Lions (6-5) will host the Green Bay Packers (5-5-1) in an NFC North tilt that may go a long way in deciding the final outcome of the division. The Packers are once again without All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers (broke collar bone) for the game.
Detroit will face a Packers team coming off a tie with the Minnesota Vikings last weekend. The Lions lost to the Tampa Bay Bucs last week and are deadlocked with Chicago in first place in the NFC North. Lions' QB Matthew Stafford needs to get back on track after being intercepted four times last week if they are to win this game.
Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys (6-5) will face the Oakland Raiders (4-7) in Big D in the middle game of the day. Tony Romo and company will face a squad that lost a last second thriller to Tennessee last week and must be ready. Dallas beat the New York Giants last week on a last second field goal by kicker Dan Bailey to pull even with Philadelphia (6-5) in the NFC East.
This year's night game will be in Baltimore with the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens (5-6) playing the Pittsburgh Steelers (also 5-6) in a AFC North battle. The Steelers started the season 0-4 and have won five of seven games to get back into the AFC playoff chase.
There are currently six teams at 5-6 in the AFC  playoff race seeking the sixth and final wild card spot, so this game will be a big one for positioning for the sixth spot in the playoffs. 
Following the Thanksgiving holiday, there are some big games on Sunday, including the second meeting between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs (both 9-2) in the last three weeks. The AFC West is still up for grabs and if Denver can win in KC on Sunday afternoon, they will have the edge in the tie breaker for the division crown by having swept the Chiefs.
The Cincinnati Bengals (7-4) travel to play the San Diego Chargers (5-6) and really need to win this road game because a loss would leave them just one game ahead of the winner of the Pittsburgh-Baltimore game. Meanwhile, the Chargers got a huge win last week in Kansas City to get back into the AFC playoff hunt and would definitely be in good position with a win.
In the AFC South, the Tennessee Titans (5-6) travel to play the Indianapolis Colts (7-4), which was blown out in Arizona last week. The Titans lost a tough one to Indy earlier this season, blowing a big lead in the game and would do wonders for themselves with a win this week.
One other interesting game in the AFC features Miami traveling up to New York to face the Jets. Both teams are in that 5-6 logjam for the wild card spot. So the loser of this game would be in real trouble as far as the playoffs are concerned.
Back to the NFC where the Arizona Cardinals (7-4) play in Philadelphia against the Eagles in a game which features two teams that have been rolling in recent weeks.
And of course, the huge game on Monday Night Football features the top two teams in the NFC as the New Orleans Saints (9-2) travel to the great northwest to face the 10-1 Seattle Seahawks, a team that hasn't lost a game since October 6, a 34-28 loss at Indianapolis. The winner of this game will likely enjoy "home field" advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
There are no more "bye weeks" for teams the rest of the way in the regular season, so each week brings additional pressure for those vying for the playoffs. Believe it or not, just one team (Atlanta Falcons) has been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs entering Week Thirteen.
The following capsule style previews follow below and of course, the Heftyinfo predictions for this week as well.

Thanksgiving Day Games

Green Bay (5-5-1) at Detroit (6-5) -  Turkey day in Motown ... the Lions and the Packers playing ... it doesn't get any better.

Oakland (4-7) at Dallas (6-5) - The Cowboys should roll in this game, but then again we are talking about the Cowboys, so nothing is guaranteed.

Pittsburgh (5-6) at Baltimore (5-6) - The loser of this game is likely out of the playoffs because of the fact so many teams have the same record.

The rest of the scheduled games

Tampa Bay (3-8) at Carolina (8-3) - The Panthers have won seven in a row while the Buccaneers have won three in a row ... something has to give.

Jacksonville (2-9) at Cleveland (4-7) - The Browns get off the mat this week.

Tennessee (5-6) at Indianapolis (7-4) - The Titans in a must win game on the road.

Chicago (6-5) at Minnesota (2-8-1) - The Bears have to win this one to keep pace with the Lions and Packers in the NFC North.

Miami (5-6) at NY Jets (5-6) - This is a big game for both of these teams for AFC wild card playoff hopes.

Arizona (7-4) at Philadelphia (6-5) - The surging Cardinals have won three straight and are starting to earn respect in the NFC and now face a rugged road test in Philly against an Eagles team that has also won three straight games.

Atlanta (2-9) at Buffalo (4-7) - The Falcons and the Bills ... who cares?

Denver (9-2) at Kansas City (9-2) - The AFC West battle between two teams coming off very tough losses.

Cincinnati (7-4) at San Diego (5-6) - Can Philip Rivers and company keep things going in the right direction?

St. Louis (5-6) at San Francisco (7-4) - The Rams have been blowing teams out lately while averaging 40 points per game. The 'Niners need to win this one to keep pace with Arizona in the NFC West battle for second place.

New England (8-3) at Houston (2-9) - The Patriots, coming off a huge comeback win against Denver last week, should give the Texans their 10th consecutive loss.

NY Giants (4-7) at Washington (3-8) - These two teams are just playing out the string.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

New Orleans (9-2) at Seattle (10-1) - This is the game football fans have been waiting for... should live up to the billing in prime time.

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

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

Last Week's Record:  7-6-1

SEASON RECORD:  110-65-1

Lock of the Week Record:  10-2













                       

NFL Football - Week Twelve Review

Tom Brady led the Pats comeback win over Denver.

What else needs to be said about the classic rivalry between quarterbacks Tom Brady and Peyton Manning?
The feature Sunday Night Football game between the New England Patriots (8-3) and the visiting Denver Broncos (9-2) went to overtime with the Pats winning, 34-31 on a 31-yard field goal by kicker Stephen Gostkowski.
But the story was the second half comeback by Brady and the Patriots after falling behind 24-0 at halftime as the Broncos took advantage of three fumbles by New England.  Brady, Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, finished with three touchdown passes and also threw for 344 yards in the win. Manning had 150 pass yards along with two TD passes and one interception while running back Knowshon Moreno had 224 rushing yards in the loss.

Rivers and the Chargers shocked the Chiefs.

Another shootout took place in Kansas City earlier in the day with the visiting San Diego Chargers (5-6) storming back to shock the Chiefs, 41-38 as San Diego QB Philip Rivers, the Heftyinfo NFL co-Player of the Week, hit wide receiver Seyi Ajirotutu with a 26-yard scoring pass with 24 seconds left to play to provide the final score. It was the second straight loss for the Chiefs (9-2) after starting 9-0 this season.
Rivers lit up the vaunted KC defense for 392 yards on 27 of 39 passing and three touchdown passes in the see-saw game that had eight lead changes. Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles gained 115 yards rushing on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns in the loss.

                                                              Elsewhere around the NFL . . . . . 

The St. Louis Rams rolled over the visiting Chicago Bears, 42-21 by rushing for 258 yards and forcing three turnovers that led to a pair of touchdowns . . .  The surging Pittsburgh Steelers (5-6) manhandled the host Cleveland Browns, 27-11 behind two TD passes from QB Ben Roehtlisberger and a TD off an interception return by William Gay . . .  Dallas (6-5) kept pace with Philadelphia (6-5) in the NFC East by knocking off the host New York Giants, 24-21 on a last second field goal by kicker Dan Bailey . . .  The Arizona Cardinals (7-4) served notice they are for real by blasting the visiting Indianapolis Colts, 40-11 as QB Carson Palmer hit WR Larry Fitzgerald for a pair of touchdown passes and the defense scored a TD as well in the rout . . .   The Detroit Lions (6-5) blew a chance to gain sole possession of first place in the NFC North by losing at home to Tampa Bay, 24-21 as QB Matthew Stafford was intercepted four times in the game while Bucs QB Mike Glennon threw for two scores and the defense also got a touchdown . . .  The Carolina Panthers (8-3) won their seventh consecutive game, beating the host Miami Dolphins, 20-16 thanks to a TD pass from QB Cam Newton to tight end Greg Olsen with just 43 seconds remaining . . .  The Tennessee Titans (5-6) also got some late heroics as QB Ryan Fitzpatrick found WR Kendall Wright for a 10-yard TD pass with ten seconds left to win 23-19 at Oakland . . .  The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings played to a 26-26 tie at Lambeau Field. Vikings RB Adrian Peterson had 146 yards rushing and Matt Flynn stepped in at QB for Green Bay (5-5-1) and threw for 218 yards and a TD to help force the overtime session, where the teams exchanged field goals  . . .  The New Orleans Saints (9-2) defeated the stubborn Atlanta Falcons on the road, 17-13 as QB Drew Brees had 278 yards passing along with two TD passes to lead the way . . .  Baltimore (5-6) throttled the visiting New York Jets (5-6) by a 19-3 count to set up a huge AFC North game on Thanksgiving Day behind solid defense that limited the Jets to just 220 yards while forcing three turnovers . . .  The Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9) escaped the AFC South basement by sending the Houston Texans to their ninth straight defeat in a 13-6 road win as RB Maurice Jones-Drew scored a touchdown and the Jags' defense held Houston (2-9) to just 218 yards in total offense...  The San Francisco 49ers went on the road and buried the Washington Redskins, 27-6 on Monday Night Football behind solid defense and three touchdown passes from QB Colin Kaepernick to improve to 7-4 for the season.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten                     (Week ending November 23) 

1. Alabama (11-0)
2. Florida State (11-0)
3. Ohio State (11-0)
4. Auburn (10-1)
5. Oklahoma State (10-1)
6. Clemson (10-1)
7. Missouri (10-1)
8. Stanford (9-2)
9. Michigan State (10-1)
10. Baylor (9-1)

JFK Remembered

Fifty years ago today ... American history was forever changed.

NFL Football - Week Twelve Preview

A lot of teams in the AFC are still vying for the sixth and final playoff spot, but that will start to thin out as the season winds down.
This weekend will be big for some of those teams, especially those going head-to-head in Week Twelve.
The New York Jets (5-5) face the Baltimore Ravens (4-6) while the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns (both 4-6) go at it on the shores of Lake Erie. The San Diego Chargers (yet another 4-6 team) will be at Kansas City, trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Two other 4-6 teams are the Oakland Raiders and the Tennessee Titans, who play each other in Oakland while the Miami Dolphins (5-5) will host the RED HOT Carolina Panthers.
Got all that?
In the NFC, the surging New York Giants (4-6) face the Dallas Cowboys (5-5) in the Meadowlands with both teams trying to catch the idle Philadelphia Eagles (6-5 and on the Bye Week) in the NFC East.
The Chicago Bears (6-4) will be in St. Louis while the Detroit Lions (6-4) will host the suddenly improving Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Motor City. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers (5-5) play at home against the Minnesota Vikings.
Later in the day out west, the Arizona Cardinals (6-4), definitely one of the bigger surprise teams in the NFL, play the Indianapolis Colts, which is the team current Cards' Head Coach Bruce Arians did such a great job serving as interim Head Coach last year when Colts Head Coach Chuck Pagano was gone from the team battling cancer.
It all shapes up to be a great weekend around the league and come next week, things will be somewhat more in focus for the post-season picture ... maybe.
With all that going on, here are the capsule previews for this weekend and of course, the Heftyinfo predictions for Week Twelve. By the way, Heftyinfo enjoyed the best week this season last week, going a stellar 13-2 with the picks. Fluke or not, here's hoping for more of the same this week.
(Buffalo, Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Seattle have the Bye Week.)

New Orleans (8-2) at Atlanta (2-8) - The Saints should win this one, but then again when these two NFC South rivals go at it, throw everything out the window.

Pittsburgh (4-6) at Cleveland (4-6) - The Steelers and the Browns. Should be a good game.

Tampa Bay (2-8) at Detroit (6-4) - Lions better be ready because suddenly the Bucs are playing football after an 0-8 start.

Minnesota (2-8) at Green Bay (5-5) - Hard to believe just last January these same two teams were meeting in the playoffs. Packers (even without Aaron Rodgers) should win this game.

San Diego (4-6) at Kansas City (9-1) - The Chiefs are still unbeaten (at home that is) but the Chargers are a desperate team in need of a win and that makes them dangerous.

Chicago (6-4) at St. Louis (4-6) - The Rams rolled the Colts two weeks ago and after the bye week, now face the Bears. This will be a great game.

Carolina (7-3)  at Miami (5-5) - The Panthers are on a mission.

NY Jets (5-5) at Baltimore (4-6) - The loser of this game will likely be OUT of the playoff picture come December.

Tennessee (4-6) at Oakland (4-6) - See above comment.

Jacksonville (1-9) at Houston (2-8) - Will this finally be the week that Houston snaps the losing skid? Perhaps, but nothing is guaranteed with the Texans this year.

Indianapolis (7-3) at Arizona (6-4) - These two coaches (Chuck Pagano and Bruce Arians) know each others' team systems so well, this could wind up being the first TIE GAME of the season.

Dallas (5-5) at NY Giants (4-6) - A month ago, this looked like a ho-hum game on the schedule ... not any more as the surging Giants look to move up to second place in the NFC (L)East.

Denver (9-1) at New England (7-3) - Is anyone getting sick and tired of seeing the Broncos on Sunday Night Football yet? But then again, it is Brady vs. Manning and that means BIG ratings for the TV networks.

San Francisco (6-4) at Washington (3-7) - The 49ers have lost two in a row and this game is a must win for them. The Redskins can just go out and have some fun for the rest of the season.

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

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

Last Week's Record:  13-2

SEASON RECORD:  103-59

Lock of the Week Record:  9-2