NFL - Week Eight Recap

For two teams that pride themselves on playing good defense, the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans sure didn't display it on Sunday. The host Seahawks beat the Texans, 41-38 as the two teams combined for 988 total yards in offense.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson had four touchdown passes while throwing for 452 yards, including the game winning 18-yard scoring pass to tight end Jimmy Graham with 21 seconds left to play. Houston QB Desahun Watson also had four TD passes along with 402 yards through the air in this shootout.
The Philadelphia Eagles continued to soar high above the NFC as they pasted the woeful San Francisco 49ers, 33-10 behind two TD passes from QB Carson Wentz and a defensive score via the "pick six" interception.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) outlasted the host Detroit Lions, 20-15 on Sunday night as their defense held the Lions to five field goals while rising tall on six occasions when the Lions (3-4) were in the red zone. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster hauled in a 97-yard TD pass to give the Steelers the lead for good in the third quarter.
The New England Patriots (6-2) kept pace with Pittsburgh as they defeated the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, 21-13, snapping the 'Bolts three-game winning streak. Pats QB Tom Brady hooked up with tight end Rob Gronkowski on a two-yard scoring pass while kicker Stephen Gostkowski made four field goals to help provide the win. Chargers running back Melvin Gordon (132 yards rushing) scored the game's first touchdown on an 87-yard run.


                                                 Elsewhere Around the  NFL . . . . . .   


The New Orleans Saints (5-2) won their fifth straight game, beating the Chicago Bears, 20-12 on two rushing touchdowns. Bears tight end Zach Miller suffered a severe knee injury that eventually required emergency surgery . . .  The Buffalo Bills walloped the Oakland Raiders, 34-14 as LeSean McCoy rushed for 151 yards and scored on a 48-yard run. The Bills defense intercepted two passes and also had a fumble recovery for a score . . .  Carolina (5-3) won the yawner game of the day as they beat the listless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 17-3 despite being outgained by 25 yards in the game . . .  The Cincinnati Bengals scored the winning TD on a 16-yard interception return by Carlos Dunlap in the fourth quarter in a 24-23 win against the visiting Indianapolis Colts . . . Over in London, England, the Minnesota Vikings dominated the second half as they beat the winless Cleveland Browns, 33-16. Quarterback Case Keenum had two TD passes and Kai Forbath made four field goals to provide the difference . . .  The Baltimore Ravens steamrolled the Miami Dolphins, 40-0 on Thursday night behind a dominant defense. Despite losing QB Joe Flacco (concussion), the Ravens rolled as the defense scored twice and limited Miami to just 196 total yards in offense . . .  The Dallas Cowboys (4-3) won on the road at Washington, 33-19 as running back Ezekiel Elliott ran for 150 yards and scored two touchdowns  . . .  On Monday Night Football, the Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) won at home over the Denver Broncos, 29-19. Marcus Peters scored on a 45-yard fumble recovery return and also had one of the Chiefs' three interceptions in the game. Leading 17-3 at halftime, Kansas City coasted in the second half as kicker Harrison Butker made four field goals to help seal the win.


                              Heftyinfo NFL Player of the Week  -  Russell Wilson (QB- Seattle Seahawks)

WEEK EIGHT RESULTS
Baltimore 40, Miami 0
Minnesota 33, Cleveland 16
New Orleans 20, Chicago 12
New England 21, LA Chargers 13
Philadelphia 33, San Francisco 10
Atlanta 25, NY Jets 20
Buffalo 34, Oakland 14
Cincinnati 24, Indianapolis 23
Carolina 17, Tampa Bay 3
Seattle 41, Houston 38
Dallas 33, Washington 19
Pittsburgh 20, Detroit 15
Kansas City 29, Denver 19 

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten         (Week ending October 29)        

1.  Alabama  (8-0)
2.  Georgia  (8-0)
3.  Wisconsin  (8-0)
4.  Ohio State  (7-1)
5.  Clemson  (7-1)
6.  Notre Dame  (7-1)
7.  Miami, FL  (7-0)
8.  Oklahoma  (7-1)
9.  Penn State  (7-1)
10. Washington  (7-1)

NFL - Week Eight Preview

The NFL season is getting to the midway point as Week Eight is here and the Philadelphia Eagles (6-1) own the best record in the NFL. This weekend they host the San Francisco 49ers (0-7), who along with the Cleveland Browns (also 0-7) have the worst record in the league.
Recipe for disaster right?
Not necessarily because the Eagles are flying high while the 49ers seem to find ways to lose football games, no matter whether the scores is close or not.
Quarterback Carson Wentz (pictured at right) is starting to get consideration when it comes to Most Valuable Player talk.
Yes, Carson Wentz.
He is in the discussion at this point along with Tom Brady, Alex Smith, Aaron Rodgers (until his injury), Kareem Hunt, etc. for the award.
There is always the expectation of the old phrase "On any given Sunday" which bodes well for the 49ers in this one, but the Eagles (even with their top offensive lineman out for the year with injuries) are a formidable foe this year and should win again, which would push their winning streak to six games. They have been the class of the NFC to this point.
Three teams are at 5-2 in the AFC with the Pittsburgh Steelers leading the way, followed by Kansas City and the New England Patriots are currently the number three seed. But there is still a lot of football to be played.
The Steelers are in Detroit facing the Lions on Sunday night while the Chiefs host the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.
Meanwhile, the Patriots will be hosting the up and coming Los Angeles Chargers, who have won three straight games after an 0-4 start, which included three losses by a one-score count. The Patriots dismantled the Atlanta Falcons last week for their third consecutive win.
All three teams will likely win their games this weekend and keep the log jam at the top of the  AFC playoff standings intact.


The rest of the action for Week Eight is in capsule style preview form with the Heftyinfo predictions following up.

Minnesota (5-2)  at Cleveland (0-7) (London, England) - The fourth and final London game for the 2017 season. Vikings should win this one rather easily.

Oakland (3-4) at Buffalo (4-2) - These two teams always have good battles and this one could down to the wire.

Indianapolis (2-5) at Cincinnati (2-4) - The Bengals need a game like this . . . The Colts looked pathetic last week in a shutout loss to the Jaguars.

Chicago (3-4) at New Orleans (4-2) - Two teams on a roll so something has to give.

Atlanta (3-3) at NY Jets (3-4) - The Jets could win this one, the Falcons have been terrible the last three games.

Carolina (4-3) at Tampa Bay (2-4) - Raise the Jolly Roger flag in Tampa this weekend.

Houston (3-3) at Seattle (4-2) - Seahawks roll !

Dallas (3-3) at Washington (3-3) - The loser of this game is likely out of the race for the NFC East title.

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

Baltimore over Miami
Minnesota over Cleveland  (London, England) 
Buffalo over Oakland
Cincinnati over Indianapolis
New Orleans over Chicago
Atlanta over NY Jets
Philadelphia over San Francisco 
New England over LA Chargers
Tampa Bay over Carolina 
SEATTLE over Houston
Dallas over Washington 
Pittsburgh over Detroit 
Kansas City over Denver

Last Week's Record -  14-1

SEASON RECORD -  65-41

Lock of the Week Record -  5-2

NFL - Week Seven Recap

The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots wrapped up Week Seven with "prime time" wins. The Patriots knocked off the Atlanta Falcons, 23-7 on Sunday night in the much anticipated "rematch" from last season's Super Bowl. The Eagles topped the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football, 34-24 to improve to an NFL best 6-1 record.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had two touchdown passes while the New England defense held Atlanta in check until late in the game in the easy home win to improve to 5-2. Atlanta (3-3) dropped their third straight game.
The Eagles won as QB Carson Wentz had four TD passes to outshine Redskins QB Kirk Cousins, who had 303 yards passing along with three TD passes.
The Oakland Raiders handed the Kansas City Chiefs a second consecutive loss last Thursday night, 31-30 as QB Derek Carr (417 passing yards with three TD) hit wide receiver Michael Crabtree with a two-yard scoring pass with no time left to win it.
Carr also had two scoring strikes to WR Amari Cooper, who had 11 catches for 210 yards in the game. Kansas City QB Alex Smith passed for 342 yards with three TD passes in the loss.
The New Orleans Saints won 26-17 in Green Bay as the Packers played without QB Aaron Rodgers (likely out for season with broken collar bone) as QB Drew Brees threw for a score an also had a one-yard rushing touchdown. Packers QB Brett Hundley scored a rushing TD, but was also intercepted once in the loss.


                                                     Elsewhere around the NFL . . . . . . .

The Chicago Bears blasted the visiting Carolina Panthers, 17-3 behind TWO defensive scores by Eddie Jackson (a 75-yard fumble return and a 76-yard pick six interception) to win their second consecutive game for the first time since the 2015 season . . .  The Los Angeles Rams (5-2) shut out the Arizona Cardinals, 33-0 in London, England as QB Jared Goff passed for and ran for a touchdown. Running back Todd Gurley (106 rushing yards) had a rushing TD in the win . . .  The Los Angeles Chargers also had a shutout win as they beat Denver, 21-0 behind the defense getting five QB sacks and WR/KR Travis Benjamin scoring two touchdowns. The shutout loss for the Broncos was their first since the 1992 season . . .  The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) defeated the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, 29-14 as their defense dominated this one, limiting the Bengals to only 179 total yards in offense. Steelers kicker Chris Boswell made five field goals to help provide the difference . . .  Dallas got on track in a 40-10 thumping of the host San Francisco 49ers as running back Ezekiel Elliott (147 yards rushing) scored three touchdowns to lead the way . . .  The Jacksonville Jaguars blew out the host Indianapolis Colts, 27-0 as their defense registered TEN quarterbacks sacks in the shutout victory . . .  Miami outlasted the visiting New York Jets, 31-28 as kicker Cody Parkey drilled a 39-yard field goal with 22 seconds left to play to win it. Dolphins QB Jay Cutler left the game with cracked ribs and reserve QB Matt Moore had a pair of scoring passes to rally the Dolphins back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit. Jets QB Josh McCown had three scoring passes and a TD run as well in the loss . . .  The Buffalo Bills rallied back to win 30-27 against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Steven Hauschka made a 30-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining. Buffalo RB LeSean McCoy had two rushing touchdowns while Bucs QB Jameis Winston had three scoring passes in defeat . . .  The Seattle Seahawks knocked off the host New York Giants, 24-7 behind three TD passes from QB Russell Wilson and a dominant defense that held the Giants to just 177 yards in offense.



                                                   Heftyinfo NFL co-Players of the Week  

              Eddie Jackson (DB - Chicago Bears)  and  Ezekiel Elliott  (RB - Dallas Cowboys)

                                                              



WEEK SEVEN RESULTS
Oakland 31, Kansas City 30
Chicago 17, Carolina 3
Jacksonville 27, Indianapolis 0
LA Rams 33, Arizona 0
Tennessee 12, Cleveland 9 (OT)
Minnesota 24, Baltimore 16
Miami 31, NY Jets 28
Buffalo 30, Tampa Bay 27
Pittsburgh 29, Cincinnati 14
New Orleans 26, Green Bay 17
LA Chargers 21, Denver 0
Dallas 40, San Francisco 10
Seattle 24, NY Giants 7
New England 23, Atlanta 7
Philadelphia 34, Washington 24

WORLD SERIES

This year's World Series between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers should be a good one, where anything is possible.

                              
                                               ASTROS OVER DODGERS in 5 games.

College Football Top Ten

Heftyinfo College Football Top Ten          (Week ending October 22)                      

1.  Alabama  (8-0)
2.  Penn State  (7-0)
3.  Georgia  (7-0)
4.  Wisconsin  (7-0)
5.  TCU  (7-0)
6.  Ohio State  (6-1)
7.  Clemson  (6-1)
8.  Miami, FL  (6-0)
9.  Notre Dame  (6-1)
10.  Oklahoma  (6-1)
10. (tie) Washington  (6-1)

NFL - Week Seven Preview

The NFL rolls along in the 2017 season as there are fifteen games on tap, including last night's battle between the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, which Oakland won in nail biting fashion, 31-30.
The headliner game is the Sunday night match in New England between the Patriots (4-2) and the Atlanta Falcons (3-2) in a rematch of last season's Super Bowl, which the Pats won, 34-28 in overtime in the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. Atlanta blew a 28-3 lead in that game.
Can the Falcons exorcise their demons from that letdown (which many called a big time choke by Atlanta) in addition to ending their two-game losing streak? Can Tom Brady and the Patriots rebound in Gillette Stadium after losing their last two home games?
This will definitely be a good game to watch between two of the better teams in the NFL, including two of the best quarterbacks (Brady and Matt Ryan) in the game.
Another big game on Sunday has the New Orleans Saints (3-2) traveling to face the Green Bay Packers (4-2), who will be without QB Aaron Rodgers (likely for the rest of the season) in this one. The Saints have won three straight and Drew Brees has been nothing short of awesome this year, throwing ten touchdown passes with just two interceptions. The Saints lit up the Detroit Lions, 52-38 last week as their defense scored three touchdowns in the wild game.
The surging Los Angeles Chargers (2-4) host the Denver Broncos (3-2) on Sunday and will be looking to avenge their opening game loss six weeks ago on Monday Night Football.
The Broncos (coming off an embarrassing home loss to the NY Giants) squandered a 24-7 lead as the 'Bolts scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, only to have rookie kicker Younghoe Koo's field goal blocked on a second attempt (after Denver used the pimpy timeout to thwart the made kick) that cost them a chance to tie it at 24-24 in the closing seconds. Koo has since been cut by the Chargers and Nick Novak is back and he made the game-winning field goal last week against Oakland as time expired in a 17-16 win.
And the Washington Redskins (3-2) face the high flying Philadelphia Eagles (5-1) on Monday Night Football in another rematch from Week One.
In that game, the Eagles dominated the 'Skins in D.C. 30-17 as Carson Wentz set the tone for the superb season he has enjoyed to this point (13 TD passes and only three INT) with two scoring passes and 307 yards to pace the victory. Washington QB Kirk Cousins is no slouch as he has passed for nine touchdowns so far with only two picks. The Redskins are coming off a close home win (26-24 vs. 49ers) following their bye week.
All in all, it looks to be another exciting week in pro football, so here we go again with the capsule style previews for the rest of the action and also the Heftyinfo predictions for Week Seven.


Tampa Bay (2-3) at Buffalo (3-3) - The Bills play good defense and are always tough at home. Bucs starting QB Jameis Winston was injured last week and former Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick nearly rallied the team back from a 31-0 deficit. Winston is starting this week.

Carolina (4-2) at Chicago (2-4) - The Bears beat up on the Ravens strong D to the tune of 237 rush yards in last week's surprising win. The Panthers lost a squeaker at home to Philadelphia. Toss up here.

Tennessee (3-3) at Cleveland (0-6) - Can the Browns finally get a win against a team that struggles on the road? Nope.

Jacksonville (3-3) at Indianapolis (2-4) - The Colts are STILL waiting for the return of QB Andrew Luck.

Arizona (3-3) at Los Angeles Rams (4-2) (in London, England) - Go figure -- Two teams from way out West have to travel all the way to England to play a football game. Toss up here as well.

New York Jets (3-3) at Miami (3-2) - Jay Cutler and the Dolphins stunned Atlanta last week, coming back from a 17-0 halftime deficit to steal the win. The Jets blew a 14-point lead in a home loss to the Patriots.

Baltimore (3-3) at Minnesota (4-2) - Can the first place Vikings keep a good thing going? The Ravens looked lost last week against the Bears in a home loss in OT.

Cincinnati (2-3) at Pittsburgh (4-2) - Which Steelers team will show up in this game?

Dallas (2-3) at San Francisco (0-6) - The Cowboys were kicked below the belt as the league mandated six-game suspension of Ezekiel Elliott is back on again.  Ouch !

Seattle (3-2) at New York Giants (1-5) - Can the Giants pull off another stunner after they dispatched of the mighty Denver Broncos on the road last week? Seahawks nearly always dominate following a bye week.

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

Oakland over Kansas City
Buffalo over Tampa Bay
Chicago over Carolina
Tennessee over Cleveland
New Orleans over Green Bay 
Indianapolis over Jacksonville
LA Rams over Arizona (game played in London, England)
MIAMI over NY Jets
Minnesota over Baltimore
Pittsburgh over Cincinnati
Dallas over San Francisco 
LA Chargers over Denver
Seattle over NY Giants 
New England over Atlanta
Philadelphia over Washington


Last Week's Record -  7-7 

SEASON RECORD -  51-40 

Lock of the Week Record -  4-2