College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten           (Week ending November 11)       

1.  Alabama (10-0)
2.  Clemson (10-0)
3.  Notre Dame (10-0)
4.  Georgia (9-1)
5.  Michigan (9-1)
6.  Ohio State (9-1)
7.  UCF (9-0)
8.  Oklahoma (9-1)
9.  West Virginia (8-1)
10.  Washington State (9-1)
(tie)10.  LSU (8-2)  

NFL - Week Ten Preview

Week Ten started off with a bang last night as the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2-1) dominated the Carolina Panthers, 52-21 as Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdown passes (328 yards passing) to lead them to their fifth straight victory. The Panthers (6-3) saw their three-game win streak snapped in the Steel City.
The rest of the NFL action this weekend features 13 other games slated (four teams have their "bye week") with the headliners being the New Orleans Saints at Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks traveling to Los Angeles to face the Rams (8-1), who lost for the first time this season last week.
The Saints (7-1) have been the hottest team in the league with seven straight wins (including the 45-35 win over the LA Rams last week) and face a Bengals team that has slowed down after racing out to a 4-1 start in the AFC North.
Drew Brees and company will look to continue to fling the football all over the field once again, but will likely be without wide receiver Dez Bryant, whom they just signed as a free agent. Bryant, the latest addition to the potent offense in New Orleans, reportedly suffered a torn Achilles in practice.
As for the Seattle-LA Rams game, if the Rams can win this one, they would open a huge five game lead in the NFC West with only six games remaining following Week Ten. The Seahawks (4-4) were on a roll until last week when the other L.A. team known as the Chargers defeated them in The Great Northwest.
The rest of the games are featured below in the capsule style previews, along with the Heftyinfo predictions for all of the action this weekend.

Detroit (3-5) at Chicago (5-3) - The Bears have been playing well this season and should beat the Lions, but you never can tell in this NFC North division rivalry.

New Orleans (7-1) at Cincinnati (5-3) - It's Who Dat (Saints) vs. Who Dey (Bengals) this week in Cincy. The big question is . . .  WHO wins?  Who Dat!

Atlanta (4-4) at Cleveland (2-6-1) - Falcons soar again this week.

Miami (5-4) at Green Bay (3-4-1) - Packers need this game and they will get it.

Jacksonville (3-5) at Indianapolis (3-5) - Can the Jaguars end their disappointment? Perhaps, but the Colts have been playing better after a rough start.

Arizona (2-6) at Kansas City (8-1) - Chiefs roll BIG TIME !

Buffalo (2-7) at NY Jets (3-6) - Both of these teams are banged up but somebody has to win. J-E-T-S - Jets! Jets! Jets!

Washington (5-3) at Tampa Bay (3-5) - Redskins were routed last week at home, so they better be ready on the road against FitzMagic and the Bucs.

New England (7-2) at Tennessee (4-4) - Patriots have won six in a row, but the Titans defense could present a challenge.

LA Chargers (6-2) at Oakland (1-7) - The Chargers will be looking to keep pace with the Chiefs in the AFC West race. Raiders are terrible.

Seattle (4-4) at LA Rams (8-1) - Rams should win this game and by doing so could actually clinch the NFC West before Thanksgiving Day with another win next week . . . Incentive.

Dallas (3-5) at Philadelphia (4-4) - Eagles soar at home in the "prime time" Sunday night game.

NY Giants (1-7) at San Francisco (2-7) - The "Who Cares" game is on Monday Night Football this week.


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

Pittsburgh over Carolina
Chicago over Detroit
New Orleans over Cincinnati 
Atlanta over Cleveland
Green Bay over Miami
Jacksonville over Indianapolis
KANSAS CITY over Arizona
NY Jets over Buffalo
Tampa Bay over Washington
New England over Tennessee
LA Chargers over Oakland 
LA Rams over Seattle
Philadelphia over Dallas
San Francisco over NY Giants

Last Week's Record -  10-3

SEASON RECORD -  90-42-2

Lock of the Week Record -  7-2 

DEMS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE

It's Your Civic Duty

NFL - Week Nine Review

Drew Brees and the Saints took it to the Rams.

There are no longer any undefeated teams left in the NFL this season.
The New Orleans Saints (7-1) outlasted the Los Angeles Rams, 45-35 to knock the Rams (8-1) from the unbeaten category, ensuring the 1972 Miami Dolphins will remain the only team to have a perfect season (17-0) for at least another year.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara scored three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) to lead the way along with quarterback Drew Brees' big game, which included four TD passes (to four different players) and 346 passing yards. Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas had 12 catches for 211 yards and one score as well. Rams QB Jared Goff had 391 pass yards and three TD passes in the loss.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2-1) served notice they are the team to beat in the AFC North as they won on the road against the Baltimore Ravens, 23-16 behind a pair of TD passes and a one-yard scoring run from QB Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers defense limited the Ravens offense to just 268 total yards. Baltimore suffered their third straight loss and dropped to 4-5 in the division race.
The New England Patriots (7-2) knocked off the Green Bay Packers, 31-17 in the Sunday night game as QB Tom Brady connected with wide receiver Josh Gordon on a 55-yard scoring pass in the fourth quarter to seal the game. The Patriots scored two times in the final quarter to overcome two TD passes by Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers.
Pats running back James White scored two rushing touchdowns and Cordarrelle Patterson also scored a rushing TD as they won their sixth consecutive game. The Packers (3-4-1) slipped below the .500 mark this late in the season for the first time since 2005.
The Los Angeles Chargers (6-2) won their fifth straight game as they beat the host Seattle Seahawks, 25-17 as RB Melvin Gordon scored a rushing touchdown to go with 113 yards rushing in his return from a groin injury. The game came down to the wire but the Chargers defense held off the Seahawks (4-4) on the final play of the game as the pass by Seattle QB Russell Wilson into the end zone fell incomplete.
Chargers kicker Caleb Sturgis missed two extra point kicks and a 42-yard field goal to help keep Seattle in the game. As a result of his miscues, Sturgis was released by the Chargers following the game.
The streaking Carolina Panthers (6-2) stayed within one game of the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South race by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 42-28 for their third win in a row.
Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey scored two rushing touchdowns and WR Curtis Samuel had two scores as well (one of them a 33-yard TD run) to offset the four TD passes by Bucs QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

                   
                                            Elsewhere Around the NFL  . . . . . . .

The Kansas City Chiefs (8-1) hammered the host Cleveland Browns, 37-21 as QB Patrick Mahomes had three TD passes while RB Kareem Hunt scored three times in the win . . .  The Chicago Bears (5-3) crushed the host Buffalo Bills, 41-9 as their defense scored two touchdowns and forced four turnovers (one fumble, three interceptions) which included Eddie Jackson's 65-yard fumble return for TD and Leonard Floyd taking a pick back for a 19-yard score as they built a 28-0 halftime lead . . .  Atlanta (4-4) won their third straight game as they routed the host Washington Redskins, 38-14 behind four TD passes from QB Matt Ryan . . .  The Minnesota Vikings (5-3-1) rolled the visiting Detroit Lions, 24-9 as their defense registered 10 QB sacks, including 3 1/2 sacks by Danielle Hunter, the Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week. Hunter also scored a 32-yard touchdown off a fumble recovery to pace the easy victory . . .  The Houston Texans (6-3) held off the Denver Broncos, 19-17 for their sixth straight win as QB Deshaun Watson had two TD passes. Broncos kicker Brandon McManus missed a 51-yard field goal as time expired . . . The Miami Dolphins (5-4) beat the New York Jets, 13-6 in a defensive struggle as the two teams combined for only 21 first downs and a meager 443 total yards in offense. The Dolphins defense had four interceptions in the win, including Jerome Baker's 25-yard pick six for the only touchdown in the game . . .  In the Thursday night game, the host San Francisco 49ers blew away the Oakland Raiders, 34-3 as backup QB Nick Mullens had three TD passes . . .  The Tennessee Titans (4-4) defeated the host Dallas Cowboys, 28-14 on Monday Night Football as QB Marcus Mariota had two TD passes and a nine-yard scoring run to lead the way.


WEEK NINE RESULTS
San Francisco 34, Oakland 3
Chicago 41, Buffalo 9
Pittsburgh 23, Baltimore 16
Minnesota 24, Detroit 9
Kansas City 37, Cleveland 21
Carolina 42, Tampa Bay 28
Miami 13, NY Jets 6
Atlanta 38, Washington 14
LA Chargers 25, Seattle 17
Houston 19, Denver 17
New Orleans 45, LA Rams 35
New England 31, Green Bay 17
Tennessee 28, Dallas 14 

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten                  (Week ending November 4)  

1.  Alabama (9-0)
2.  Clemson (9-0)
3.  Notre Dame (9-0)
4.  Georgia (8-1)
5.  Michigan (8-1)
6.  Ohio State (8-1)
7.  UCF  (8-0)
8.  Oklahoma (8-1)
9.  West Virginia (7-1)
10. Washington State (8-1)
(tie)10.  LSU (7-2)

NFL - Week Nine Preview

Two huge games stand out on the NFL schedule for Week Nine as the undefeated Los Angeles Rams (8-0) travel to face the New Orleans Saints (6-1), winners of six in a row themselves. Meanwhile, the "prime time" Sunday night game will feature the Green Bay Packers (3-3-1) at the New England Patriots (6-2), who have won five straight and once again have a firm grip on first place in the AFC East division.
The Patriots and future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Tom Brady facing the Packers and great QB Aaron Rodgers in a head-to-head game is usually exciting and should be a good one once again. The Packers really need to win this game as they are in a log jam of a race in the NFC North, trailing both the Chicago Bears (4-3) and Minnesota Vikings (4-3-1) by one-half game.
Meanwhile, the Saints and Rams game could very well be a shootout in The Big Easy.  The Rams have one of the top offenses in the NFL and the Saints, led by quarterback Drew Brees are right there with them. Both teams also play pretty good defense as well, so turnovers will likely make the difference in this one.
In the AFC North, the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2-1) share first place with Cincinnati (5-3) as they travel to Baltimore to face their arch rivals. The Steelers and the Ravens (4-4) is usually a hard hitting affair as both teams dislike each other.
Pittsburgh has been playing well, winners of three straight games while the Ravens have lost two straight, including last week's 36-21 debacle at Carolina.
One other game that merits attention is the Seattle Seahawks (4-3) hosting the Los Angeles Chargers (5-2) on Sunday afternoon. The Seahawks blasted the Detroit Lions last week (on the road) while Chargers, winners of four consecutive games, are coming off their bye week.
The Seahawks defense has been improving each week while the running game seems to be alive and well in the Great Northwest once again, which eases the pressure on QB Russell Wilson to feel the need to do it all for the offense. The Chargers have shown balance on offense this season while the defense is getting the job done and will soon have injured All-Pro rush end Joey Bosa back in the fold.

The rest of the action should be exciting this weekend, so here is the capsule style previews of all the games, followed by the Heftyinfo predictions for Week Nine.


Oakland (1-6) at San Francisco (1-7) - Thursday night (yawner) action between two teams vying for the number-one draft pick next spring.

Pittsburgh (4-2-1) at Baltimore (4-4) - The Ravens are in a MUST WIN game this weekend vs. their fiercest rivals.

Chicago (4-3) at Buffalo (2-6) - Bears roll !

Tampa Bay (3-4) at Carolina (5-2) - The Panthers should win this one, but the Bucs have "Fitzmagic" back as the starting quarterback.

Kansas City (7-1) at Cleveland (2-5-1) - Will the Browns (with a new Head Coach) be able to slow down the Chiefs?  Doubtful.

NY Jets (3-5) at Miami (4-4) - This game could go down to the wire.

Detroit (3-4) at Minnesota (4-3-1) - NFC North battle where anything can (and usually does) happen.

Atlanta (3-4) at Washington (5-2) - Both of these teams have been on modest rolls, so something  has to give.

Houston (5-3) at Denver (3-5) - The Texans head to Denver with a five-game winning streak. Beware!

LA Chargers (5-2) at Seattle (4-3) - Seahawks could slow down the Chargers this week.

LA Rams (8-0) at New Orleans (6-1) - Toss up here. Expect a lot of scoring and a fantastic finish.

Green Bay (3-3-1) at New England (6-2) - Brady vs. Rodgers in "prime time." Doesn't get much better than that for NFL fans . . .   Patriots win in a squeaker.

Tennessee (3-4) at Dallas (3-4) - Monday Night Football battle between two also ran type teams.


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

San Francisco over Oakland
Pittsburgh over Baltimore 
CHICAGO over Buffalo
Carolina over Tampa Bay
Kansas City over Cleveland 
Miami over NY Jets
Minnesota over Detroit
Atlanta over Washington 
Denver over Houston
Seattle over LA Chargers
New Orleans over LA Rams
New England over Green Bay
Dallas over Tennessee

Last Week's Record -  9-5

SEASON RECORD -  80-39-2

Lock of the Week Record -  6-2