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NFL Week 10: Putting it on the Line

2009-11-14T19:59:00.003-05:00

Last week went well, finishing 10-3. Doubt anyone picked the upset of Green Bay by Tampa Bay ( In hindsight: Bucs at home, new QB, bye week vs the Packers coming off a big loss to the Vikings. Yes it all makes sense now!). Still think the Eagles should have beaten the Cowboys as well as the 49ers over the Titans. Let's breakdown week 10:

Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers
Pick - 49ers: Both teams are playing bad lately, but Frank Gore is heating up since his injury. Look for both teams to run the ball...it is not like they both have top notch Wide Receivers. Go with the 49ers at home.

Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers
Pick - Falcons (coin toss): Atlanta has won three of the past four meetings. When Ryan has a 100-plus passer rating, the Falcons are 8-0. Turner rushed for over 100 yards in both games against the Panthers last year. Delhomme has thrown for at least 294 yards in three straight games against the Falcons. Look for the Falcons to get it done on the road.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins
Pick - Dolphins: Tampa was lucky last week (although playing at home, and coming off a bye is always a good combination for a win) but don't look for lightning to strike twice. Tampa Bay has taken three in a row though against the Dolphins. Miami's Joey Porter has seven sacks in three career games against the Bucs (rumor is that Porter is not playing though). Still taking the Dolphins although fate is on the side of the Bucs.

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
Pick - Vikings: Minnesota has won 14 of the past 15 meetings. Minnesota has scored in 29 of 32 quarters this season. Favre has beaten the Lions six times in a row. Vikings should handle the Lions easily.

Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Jets
Pick - Jets: Jacksonville has won four of the past five meetings. When Garrard has a 100-plus rating as a starter, the Jaguars are 15-4. The Jets lead the NFL in rushing. With one more sack, Shaun Ellis would become New York's all-time leader in sacks. Hate picking the Jets, but they will get it done at home.

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick - Steelers (coin toss): Most likely the game of the week! The Steelers have won five of the past six meetings and own a 48-30 overall series edge, including the playoffs. Pittsburgh was without its Pro Bowl safety in the first meeting between these teams (Steelers loss) and he was missed. The Bengals have not beaten the Steelers two consecutive times since 1998. When Cincinnati has at least 25 rushing attempts in a game under Marvin Lewis, it is 26-1. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is undefeated against the AFC North at home (7-0). Chris Henry is on IR. Have to take the Steelers at home.

New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams
Pick - Saints: The Rams have won three of the past four meetings. New Orleans rallied from an early 14-point deficit to knock off rival Carolina, 30-20. New Orleans is going for its first 8-0 start ever. The Saints average a league-high 37.9 points per game. Don't look for an upset here. Saints win on the road.

Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans
Pick - Titans (coin toss): The Titans have won five of the past six meetings. The Bills are 14-6 all-time after a bye. Buffalo ranks second in the NFL with 15 interceptions. Young has won six consecutive games as a starter. Titans RB Chris Johnson leads the NFL in rushing with 959 yards. Take the Titans at home.

Denver Broncos at Washington Redskins
Pick - Broncos: The Broncos have won three of the past four meetings. The Broncos have won five of six against NFC opponents. Denver is third in the NFL with 26 sacks. The Redskins are just 4-12 in their last 16 games. Portis is out, and Betts is banged up. Look for the Broncos to get back to their winning ways.

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders
Pick - Raiders (coin toss): Oakland has won three of the past four meetings. The Chiefs have won six consecutive games at Oakland. Kansas City QB Matt Cassel is 7-4 on the road as a starter in his career. Kansas City has surrendered an AFC-high 30 sacks this season and that has kept the offense from sustaining many drives. The Raiders have enough talented pass rushers (Richard Seymour, Greg Ellis, Tommy Kelly) to exploit the Chiefs' weakness. This game could go either way. Go with the home team.

Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
Pick - Cardinals: The Cardinals have won four of the past five meetings. Seahawks DE Patrick Kerney has 11.5 sacks in his last six outings against the Cardinals. After playing extremely well at home last year and struggling on the road, the script has completely flipped this season for the Cardinals. They are just 1-3 in front of the home crowd, and have been outscored by 39 points in those three losses. Still taking the Cardinals at home.

Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers
Pick - Cowboys (coin toss): The Cowboys have won three of the past four and own a 16-12 overall series edge, including the playoffs. Cowboys QB Tony Romo has won 13 consecutive November starts -- the longest such streak for a quarterback since 1950. When Ryan Grant has 22 or more rushing attempts, Green Bay is 10-1. Dallas is heating up, Green Bay is cooling off. Take the Cowboys on the road.

Philadelphia Eagles at San Diego Chargers
Pick - Chargers (coin toss): The Eagles have won two in a row, but trail the overall series, 5-4. Philadelphia's Brent Celek leads NFC tight ends with 486 receiving yards this year. Fourteen of Eagles CB Sheldon Brown's 18 career interceptions have led to scores. The Chargers have won four consecutive games against the Eagles at home. San Diego WR Vincent Jackson has a touchdown catch in four consecutive games. Eagles should struggle going to the west coast, so take the Chargers at home.

New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts
Pick - Patriots (coin toss): Another game of the week! Indianapolis has won four of the last five meetings, but has a decisive disadvantage in the overall series, 44-28, including the playoffs. Brady has thrown for at least 300 yards in three consecutive games. Patriots RB Laurence Maroney has a rushing TD in three consecutive games. Indianapolis has won 17 consecutive regular-season games. Manning leads the NFL with 222 completions this year. Manning vs Brady (and Belichick), I am going with the Patriots on the Road (a tall order to fill!)

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
Pick - Ravens: Baltimore has won five of the past seven and has a 14-7 overall series edge. Baltimore's Ed Reed has more interceptions vs. Cleveland (eight) than any other team. Even though Cleveland is coming off a bye week and are at home, it just will not be enough. Raven's win on the road.

Please note, nerangers picks are done for fun only!
Stat info from NFL.COM

wk1: 13-3, wk2: 8-8, wk3: 14-2, wk4: 14-0 wk5: 9-5 wk6: 9-5 wk7: 10-3 wk8: 8-5 wk9: 10-3

Patriots vs. Dolphins: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2009-11-09T21:46:00.003-05:00

Patriots 27, Miami 17

The Good:

Tom Brady went 25 for 37 for 332 yards, his third straight game with more than 300 yards and team-record 27th of his career.

Randy Moss had two big plays for the Patriots. He hauled in a 36-yard reception to set up Laurence Maroney's 1-yard TD plunge in the first quarter, and took a short pass and raced 71 yards for the go-ahead score. Moss finished with six receptions for 147 yards.

Laurence Maroney rushed 20 times for 82 yards and a touchdown.

The Bad:

Field Goals instead of Touch Downs! The Patriots settled for field goals after facing first and 10 from the 24-, 27-, 11-, and 12-yard lines.

The Dolphins ran 11 plays out of the Wildcat for eight yards and six plays for 59 yards out of the Pistol formation. The Dolphins used both formation extensively on both of their touchdown drives, but the Patriots stifled both by the fourth quarter.

The Ugly:

Miami quarterback Chad Henne was in the midst of making a throw when Tully Banta-Cain came in with the hit. The loose ball was ruled a fumble and Patriots linebacker Adalius Thomas picked it up and returned it for the touchdown. The ruling was changed to an incomplete pass as the Dolphins keep possession.

Game Notes:

With their victory over the Dolphins, the Patriots took a two-game lead over the second-place New York Jets and a three-game lead over the third-place, defending division champion Dolphins in the AFC East.

Junior Seau, who rejoined New England Oct. 14, has won his last 25 regular-season games with the Patriots, the longest personal winning streak by a player since the 1970 merger.

Since 2001, the Patriots are 71-17 in games played after Nov. 1, including playoffs. Bill Belichick is 11-8 vs Miami as Patriots coach.

The Patriots snapped the Dolphins' four-game streak of scoring more than 30 points in a game.

The Patriots have now won seven consecutive games coming off a bye.

The Patriots' streak of coming up with a turnover in 15 consecutive games ended.

Notable Quotes:

"We can't just keep kicking field goals out there." -- NE Patriots QB Tom Brady

"He's so fast,It's always nice for a quarterback when you see the back of (No.) 81 sprinting down the field." -- NE Patriots QB Tom Brady

"Everybody did what they had to do and 71 yards later it was a touchdown." -- NE Patriots WR Randy Moss

Scoring:

Miami Dan Carpenter kicked a 52-yard field goal (Miami 3, Patriots 0, 9:34, 1st quarter)

Patriots RB Maroney scores TD (Patriots 7, Miami 3, 6:58, 1st quarter)

The Patriots were 7 yards away from the end zone but were unable to score a touchdown, settling for Gostkowski's 30-yard field goal. (Patriots 10, Miami 3, ,9:05 2nd quarter)

Pat White, the Wildcat and a pass interference call against the Patriots moved the Dolphins down the field, eventually setting up Ricky Williams' 15-yard touchdown run. (Patriots 10, Miami 10, ,6:03 2nd quarter)

Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 38-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 13-10 lead. (Patriots 13, Miami 10, 2:45, 2nd quarter)

The Patriots squeezed out another 3 points on Gostkowski's 34-yard field goal with .01 left in the first half. (Patriots 16, Miami 10, 0:00, 2nd quarter)

The Dolphins burned 10:09 off the clock and ended the 16-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass from running back Ronnie Brown to Joey Haynos. (Miami 17, Patriots 16, 4:51, 3rd quarter)

Tom Brady found Randy Moss up the middle and Moss handled the rest, avoiding a tackle and sprinting 71 yards for the touchdown. Moss also caught the 2-point conversion to give the Patriots a 24-17 lead. (Patriots 24, Miami 17, 3:15, 3rd quarter)

Stephen Gostkowski kicked a 40-yard field goal in the final two minutes, his fourth of the day. Patriots win! (Patriots 27, Miami 17, FINAL)

Game Info from NFL.Com and Boston.com

NFL Week 9: Putting it on the line

2009-11-08T08:27:00.002-05:00

Last week went extremely bad ... should have gone with my gut on two of the games (Ravens, Titans) instead of going safe. I originally had the Vikings, but flipped to the Packers at home. Not sure what happen to the Cardinals against the Panthers...the defense really stepped up. The Rams had to beat someone this year, so why not the Lions! Let's see if we can make up on some wins this week.

Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons
Pick - Falcons: The Redskins have won six of the last eight meetings. Falcons QB Matt Ryan is 10-1 in his career at home. ... Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez has scored in all three of his home games this season. The Redskins' have the second-ranked pass defense.

Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears
Pick - Cardinals (coin toss): The Bears have won five of the past six meetings. The Cardinals are 3-0 on the road for the first time since 1982. Arizona's Tim Hightower leads all NFL running backs with 39 catches. When Jay Cutler has at least a 100 passer rating, his team is 13-0. Johnny Knox is second among rookies with four touchdown catches.

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals
Pick - Bengals: The Bengals have won seven of the past 10 meetings. Ravens QB Joe Flacco has at least one touchdown pass in seven consecutive games. Carson Palmer is 7-3 in his career against the Ravens.

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
Pick - Colts (coin toss): Indianapolis has owned this series, having won 13 of the 14 all-time matchups. Texans QB Matt Schaub has already thrown for a career-high 16 touchdowns. Peyton Manning is 7-0 at home against the Texans and has 20 touchdown passes and only two interceptions in those games. Schaub will be missing Owen Daniels. The Colts secondary is depleted after three player injuries this week. Houston actually has a chance to beat the Colts this week.

Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick - Jaguars (coin toss): Jacksonville has a 5-2 overall series advantage. Chiefs QB Matt Cassel has a 7-3 career record on the road as a starter. Jones-Drew has 50 touchdowns in 53 career games. With Larry Johnson suspended for this game, Charles has his chance to show he can be the team's No. 1 running back.

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots
Pick - Patriots: New England has won four of the past six meetings, but still trails the overall series, 49-38, including the playoffs. Dolphins coach Tony Sparano is 7-2 against the AFC East. New England has won 24 consecutive regular season games with Junior Seau on the roster.

Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick - Packers: Six of the last nine games have gone Tampa Bay's way. Josh Freeman debuts as the starting QB for Tampa Bay. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has posted a 100-plus passer rating in five consecutive games.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
Pick - Saints: Carolina has won six of the past seven meetings and has a 16-12 overall series edge. Panthers QB Jake Delhomme, who started his career in New Orleans, is 8-2 against the Saints. When DeAngelo Williams rushes for 110 yards or more, the Panthers are 10-0. New Orleans is averaging a league-best 39 points per game.

Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks
Pick - Seahawks: The Lions have won three of the past five, but trail the overall series, 6-4. Former Seahawks Maurice Morris and Julian Peterson, now with the Lions, face their former team for the first time. Seattle's John Carlson has five touchdowns in his past seven home games.

San Diego Chargers at New York Giants
Pick - Chargers (coin toss): San Diego has won two of three, but New York has the overall series edge, 5-4. New York's secondary has failed to defend the long pass over the past three weeks and that flaw could prove to be fatal against the Chargers. Rivers has 11 touchdowns in his past five outings against the NFC. Though the Giants are enduring a three-game losing skid, Brandon Jacobs has actually played his best over the past three weeks. He is averaging 4.9 yards per carry over that span and has added five catches for 34 yards. When Justin Tuck records a sack, the Giants are 15-3.

Tennessee Titans at San Francisco 49ers
Pick - 49ers: The Niners have won two of the past three meetings and have a 7-4 overall series edge. The Titans have won five straight against the NFC. Niners RB Frank Gore has three 60-plus yard TD runs this year. Chris JOhnson has become the king of long touchdown scampers with four rushing scores of at least 50 yards already this season.

Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Pick - Eagles: The Eagles have won four of the past six meetings. Romo has won 12 consecutive Nov. starts. Eagles QB Donovan McNabb has won 11 of his past 16 starts against Dallas.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
Pick - Steelers (coin toss): The Broncos have won four of the past five and have a commanding 16-9-1 overall series edge, including the playoffs. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is 4-0 on Monday Night Football. Roethlisberger has a touchdown in seven consecutive games. Orton has lost just two home games in his career. Denver's Elvis Dumervil leads the AFC with 10 sacks.

Please note, nerangers picks are done for fun only!
Stat info from NFL.COM

wk1: 13-3, wk2: 8-8, wk3: 14-2, wk4: 14-0 wk5: 9-5 wk6: 9-5 wk7: 10-3 wk8: 8-5

NFL Week 8: Putting it on the Line

2009-11-01T08:37:00.001-05:00

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens
Pick - Broncos (coin toss): The Broncos are going for their first 7-0 start since 1998. ... Denver has a 15-5 all-time mark after a bye. Flacco has thrown at least one touchdown in six straight games. Broncos are hot, Ravens are not. Sticking with the Broncos until they prove different.

Houston Texans at Buffalo Bills
Pick - Texans: The Bills have won the last two meeting. Houston has won four of its past six road games. Texans LB Brian Cushing leads all NFL rookies with 56 tackles. Owen Daniels leads all tight ends with 39 catches, 497 yards and five touchdowns and could be a matchup nightmare for a Bills team that has struggled with tight ends all season. The Bill can suprise you, but the Texans should have enough offense to win this one on the road.

Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears
Pick - Bears: The Browns have won three of the past four meetings. Cutler can put his road woes behind him this week as the Bears head back to Soldier Field. At home, Cutler has been one of the league's best quarterbacks, throwing four touchdowns, without an interception in two games. Browns QB Derek Anderson has 10 touchdowns in his past eight games against the NFC. Cleveland LB Kamerion Wimbley has a sack in each of his last two road games. Bears WR Johnny Knox is tied for the rookie lead with four touchdowns. Chicago's Greg Olsen has a touchdown in three of his last four games. Bears need to step up from last week.

Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys
Pick - Cowboys (coin toss): In his first three seasons, the Cowboys' Austin had 18 career catches for 354 yards and three touchdowns. In the past three weeks alone, he has surpassed all of those numbers, with 19 catches for 440 yards and four touchdowns. Seahawks WR Nate Burleson has nine receiving touchdowns in his past 12 games. Seattle's Patrick Kerney has four sacks in his last four games. Leaning towards the Cowboys since they are at home.

St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions
Pick - Lions (coin toss): Battle of the Bad! The Lions have won four of the past six meetings. St. Louis' star running back is the league's third-leading rusher this season, but he has yet to score a touchdown. Lions RB Kevin Smith has 515 yards from scrimmage in his last five home games. Detroit K Jason Hanson needs 16 points to reach 1,800 for his career. Take the Lions only because they are at home.

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers
Pick - Packers (coin toss): The Packers have won six of the past seven meetings and have a 49-46-1 overall series edge, including the playoffs. While the Vikings suffered their first loss of the season in a 27-17 loss to the Steelers at Heinz Field, the Packers cruised to a 31-3 victory over the Browns in Cleveland. Favre has won eight of his last 10 November starts. Minnesota's Percy Harvin leads all rookies with four touchdowns. Rodgers has a 100-plus passer rating in five straight games. Packers WR Greg Jennings has a touchdown catch in his last three November games. Hard for a team to beat an opponent a second time. Look for the Packers to step it up at home.

San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts
Pick - Colts: San Francisco has won seven of the last nine meetings. When Alex Smith has a 95-plus passer rating, the 49ers are 5-0. Peyton Manning has 108 touchdown passes in his career against NFC opponents. Colts WR Reggie Wayne has a touchdown catch in four consecutive games. Colts look unbeatable right now, especially at home.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets
Pick - Dolphins (coin toss): The Jets have won eight of the last 11 meetings. This game features the league's top two rushing teams. The Dolphins have won six of their past seven against AFC East opponents. The Jets are 4-1 when Mark Sanchez has a touchdown pass. Miami is a surprising team with the wildcat...look for the win on the road.

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers
Pick - Chargers: The Chargers have won 12 in a row. This game features two of the eight original AFL franchises. Russell was benched after turning the ball over three times in the first half against the Jets, but he will apparently get the start in San Diego. Oakland's Zach Miller leads all NFL tight ends with a 16-yard per catch average. San Diego's Shaun Phillips has 9.5 sacks against Oakland in his career. The Raiders are a mess, so go with the home team.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
Pick - Jaguars: Jacksonville has won three of the past four meetings. When Garrard throws two or more touchdowns, the Jaguars are 12-4. Maurice Jones-Drew has scored 48 touchdowns in 52 career games. Titans QB Vince Young has an 18-11 record as a starter. Young will be a good change of pace for the Titans, but the Jaguars should still do well on the road.

Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals
Pick - Cardinals: The Panthers have won five of the past six meetings. If you take out a blowout loss to Peyton Manning and the Colts, the Cardinals have had one of the best defenses in the league. Delhomme has won all four of his regular-season starts against the Cardinals. This is not the same Panthers team of the past. Delhomme might be benched if he starts off bad. Take the Cardinals at home.

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Pick - Eagles: The Giants have won four of the past seven meetings. After starting the season on fire, Manning has cooled off in his last two games. He has completed just 48.5 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and four interceptions over that span. Manning has won four straight starts at Philadelphia. Giants rookie Hakeem Nicks has a touchdown in four consecutive games. When Eagles CB Asante Samuel has an interception, his teams are 22-2. Eagles might not have Westbrook, which could make all the difference in this game. Take the Eagles at home.

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
Pick - Saints: The Saints have won five of the past six meetings. When Michael Turner has at least 19 carries, his teams are 14-1. John Abraham has 6.5 sacks in eight Monday night games. The Saints are the first team in history to score 45-plus points in four of their first six games. Since joining New Orleans, Brees has beaten Atlanta five out of six times. Saints are too hot to pick against...plus they are at home.

Please note, nerangers picks are done for fun only!
Stat info from NFL.COM

wk1: 13-3, wk2: 8-8, wk3: 14-2, wk4: 14-0 wk5: 9-5 wk6: 9-5 wk7: 10-3

Pats vs Bucs: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2009-10-26T23:40:00.002-04:00

Patriots vs. Buccaneers (35 - 7)

The Good:

Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and had more than 300 yards as the Patriots (5-2) beat the Buccaneers 35-7 at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather intercepted Josh Johnson on Tampa Bay's first two drives, including a 39-yard pick-six on the Bucs' opening drive, after which the Patriots never trailed. Meriweather finished with two tackles to go along with his pair of interceptions.

For the Patriots, it was their first victory on the road this season after losses at the New York Jets and Denver Broncos.

The Bad:

The Buccaneers forced Brady into two interceptions, but followed both takeaways with a three-and-out.

The Ugly:

Patriots DE Ty Warren was carted to the locker room with an ankle injury and did not return.

Game Notes:

Tom Brady threw two interceptions, breaking a streak of 184 pass attempts without an interception.

New England has at least one takeaway in 14 straight games.

With two receptions, New England's Kevin Faulk became the 26th RB in NFL history to reach 500 receptions.

Notable Quotes:

"I'm feeling great," Brady said. "I keep rolling. That's two wins in a row. We went out there and put two touchdowns on the board there in the second half. We had plenty of distractions coming over here, but everybody was really energized. To get the win and fly home and have a (bye) week off is just great."

"It's a great way to end this week," Bill Belichick said. "It's been an enjoyable couple days here and glad we could end it on a positive note."

Patriots vs. Titans (59 - 0)

The Good:

It took six weeks, but Brady finally looked like himself, albeit against the Titans' 31st-ranked pass defense. Playing in the rain and snow, Brady completed 19 of his first 20 passes, displaying the accuracy -- especially on the long ball -- that was missing from his first five starts. Brady finished 29 of 34 with 380 yards and tied a career-high with six touchdowns before he was replaced by rookie QB Brian Hoyer on New England's second drive in the third quarter.

Patriots LB Junior Seau was active for the Patriots, finishing with two tackles and a fumble recovery.

Wes Welker caught 10 passes for a career-high 150 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bad:

When you win 59 - 0, not too many things could go bad.

The Ugly:

Patriots RB Sammy Morris left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury and did not return.

Game Notes:

The Patriots' 59 points on 619 total yards are both franchise records. They scored 45 points in the first half, the most for any team in a half since 2002.

NFL Week 7: Putting it on the Line

2009-10-24T22:57:00.002-04:00

Just returned from vacation, but wanted to at least get my picks done. :-)

Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals
Pick - Bengals (coin toss): The Bengals have won four straight over the Bear. The Bears' second-year running back has been a disappointment so far this year. He has more fumbles (three) than touchdowns (one) and is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. Tough to go against the Bears coming off the bye week, but leaning to the Bengals at home.

Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns
Pick - Packers: Green Bay hasn't played in Cleveland since 1995 (Green Bay has split its last four games with Cleveland). Rodgers has been sacked a league-high 25 times. The Browns' best chance to score may come with Cribbs returning punts or kicks or scrambling out of the Wildcat formation. Taking the Packers on the road.

San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans
Pick - Texans (coin toss): Schaub has put up stunning statistics. He has 1,644 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions in the past five weeks. After a lengthy holdout, San Francisco's rookie wide receiver is expected to see plenty of action against the Texans and may even get the start. Frank Gore will be returning from his Ankle injury. Giving the edge to the Texans at home.

San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Pick - Chargers: San Diego has won four of the past five meetings. San Diego swept Kansas City last season, winning each game by a single point. Chiefs QB Matt Cassel has thrown 132 consecutive passes without an interception. The Chargers should have enough offensive weapons to win this game on the road.

Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick - Vikings (coin toss): The teams have split their last eight meetings. Despite suffering a defensive meltdown in the fourth quarter, the Vikings survived to beat the Ravens, 33-31, when Baltimore kicker Steven Hauschka missed a 44-yard field goal try as time expired. QB Brett Favre aims for his fourth straight game with a 100-plus passer rating. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has a 9-1 record against the NFC at home. Since 2007, the Steelers lead the AFC with 104 sacks. Tough to pick against the Steelers, but they are struggling to hold on at the end of games.

Indianapolis Colts at St. Louis Rams
Pick - Colts: Indianapolis has a league-high 14-game regular-season winning streak. Since 2004, the Colts are 48-7 when Manning has at least two touchdown passes. Just can't imagine the Rams having the upset here, even playing at home. Colts didn't need the bye week to prepare.

New England Patriots vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers (in London)
Pick - Patriots: These teams have met only six times and the Patriots have won four of those matchups. Tampa Bay has given up the league's third-most passing touchdowns (13) and is allowing opposing quarterbacks a 101.0 passer rating this season. Tom Brady threw for five touchdowns in the second quarter as the Patriots leveled the Titans, 59-0. This is a great matchup for the Patriots to win overseas.

Buffalo Bills at Carolina Panthers
Pick - Panthers: Carolina QB Jake Delhomme has won eight of his last 10 games against the AFC. When Jonathan Stewart has at least 14 carries, the Panthers are 9-0. Take the Panthers at home.

New York Jets at Oakland Raiders
Pick - Jets: Thomas Jones rushed for a career-high 210 yards last week. JaMarcus Russell has 10 turnovers already this season and Ryan's aggressive scheme is built around forcing mistakes from the opposing quarterback and creating takeaways. Leaning towards the Jets on the road.

Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys
Pick - Cowboys (coin toss): Dallas has won four of the past six meetings. Marion Barber has the most rushing touchdowns in the NFC since 2006 with 34. Jason Witten has 422 receptions since 2004, the second-highest number among tight ends. Actually feel Atlanta is a better team, but the Cowboys have had an extra week to prepare.

New Orleans Saints at Miami Dolphins
Pick - Saints: While Brees and the Saints' passing offense gets all the attention, it is actually the running game that is ranked in the top five this season. The Saints are averaging the most points in the league (38.4). Brees has won five straight against the AFC. The Dolphins are 12-8 after a bye. Miami has won two straight at home. Take the Saints until they show they can actually be beaten.

Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants
Pick - Giants (coin toss): The Cardinals established a new team record by allowing just 14 rushing yards last week. The Giants pride themselves on having one of the best and deepest defensive lines in the NFL. That unit, however, is coming off perhaps its worst game of the year against the Saints. Look for the Giants to bounce back at home.

Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins
Pick - Eagles: The Redskins have won three of the past four meeting. Washington's offensive struggles continued in a 14-6 loss to previously winless Kansas City. Philadelphia suffered a 13-9 upset loss in Oakland. Still shocked that the Eagles lost to the Raiders last week...look for the birds to get back on track on the road.

Please note, nerangers picks are done for fun only!
Stat info from NFL.COM

wk1: 13-3, wk2: 8-8, wk3: 14-2, wk4: 14-0 wk5: 9-5 wk6: 9-5

NFL Week 6: Putting it on the Line

2009-10-17T19:30:00.002-04:00

Tough week for picks...lots of coin tosses. Let's look at how Week 6 in the NFL could unfold.

Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals
Pick - Bengals: (coin toss) The Bengals had a 3-0 series lead, until losing last season. They now have a 3-1 edge. For the fifth consecutive week, Cincinnati played a game that was decided in the final minute. Houston was stuffed four times at the goal line in the final minute at Arizona and lost, 28-21. In games against three of the top six run-stopping units in the league (Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Denver), Ced Benson has averaged 91 yards and a touchdown. Now he gets to play the Texans' 26th-ranked run defense.

Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Pick - Packers: Green Bay has owned Detroit over the last decade, having won 15 of the last 17 meetings. The main culprit for Green Bay's sluggish 2-2 start has been its offensive line. The Packers have surrendered a league-high 20 sacks. The Lions have improved from last in total defense to 22nd this year. Lions' Matthew Stafford, and Calvin Johnson still out with knee injuries. Doubt the Packers needed the bye week to prepare for the Lions.

St. Louis Rams at Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick - Jaguars: The Rams were undone by four turnovers in a 38-10 blowout loss to the Vikings. ... Jacksonville showed up in Seattle, but did not exactly perform, in a 41-0 loss to the Seahawks. Backup Kyle Boller failed to energize the Rams' offense in his two-game stint as a starter and now Bulger returns after sitting out with a shoulder injury. WR Mike Sims-Walker was held out last week for the Jags for breaking team rules.

Baltimore Ravens at Minnesota Vikings
Pick - Vikings: (coin toss) Baltimore fell victim to Cincinnati's latest fourth-quarter rally, losing 17-14 at home. ... Minnesota jumped on St. Louis early and coasted to a 38-10 victory. Over its two-game losing skid, Baltimore has been called for 19 penalties, resulting in 161 penalty yards. After getting sacked nine times in the first three games, Favre has been taken down just twice in the last two weeks. It may get tougher to avoid sacks against a Ravens defense that already has 11 sacks. Minnesota QB Brett Favre is 5-0 for the first time in his career.

New York Giants at New Orlean Saints
Pick - Saints: (coin toss) Giants Defense vs. Saints Offense! The Giants have won four of the past six meetings. Giants QB Eli Manning, who grew up in New Orleans, is 6-1 as a starter indoors, including a win in Super Bowl XLIII. New Orleans is averaging 36 points per game, which leads the NFL. Coming off the bye week, and playing at home gives the edge to the Saints, although the Giants are the better team in the NFC.

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick - Steelers: The Steelers have beaten the Browns 11 straight time. Pittsburgh's Pro Bowl safety has not played since he suffered a knee injury in Week 1. His absence has had an impact on a Steelers pass defense that has slipped to 14th. Anderson is coming off the worst statistical game of his career, having completed 2-of-17 passes for just 23 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Steelers have struggled late in games lately...shouldn't be an issue this Sunday though.

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick - Panthers: The two teams have split their last four meetings. Carolina got its first victory of the season by rallying past Washington, 20-17. ... Tampa Bay was unable to keep up with Philadelphia and suffered a 33-14 loss. Panthers QB Jake Delhomme is 8-2 in 10 career starts against the Buccaneers. TE Kellen Winslow had his first 100-yard receiving game for the Buccaneers last week, with nine receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Look for the Panthers to win on the road.

Kansas City Chiefs at Washington Redskins
Pick - Redskins: (coin toss) The Chiefs have dominated this matchup, owning a 6-1 overall series edge. Chiefs LB Mike Vrabel recorded his 11th career touchdown catch last week. ... Kansas City QB Matt Cassel is going for his fourth straight game with two touchdown passes. ... When RB Clinton Portis rushes for 100-plus yards, his teams are 33-10. Going with the home team...only real advantage the Redskins have in this game.

Philadelphia Eagles at Oakland Raiders
Pick - Eagles: Beyond issues with accuracy, decision-making and reading defenses, Russell's biggest problem in recent weeks has been his ability to keep hold of the ball. He has lost four fumbles in the past two weeks. The Eagles have an attacking defense that has forced five fumbles this season, so Russell could be in trouble if he does not improve his ball security.

Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks
Pick - Seahawks: (coin toss) Arizona used a goal-line stand to hold off visiting Houston, 28-21. ... Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck had four touchdown passes as the Seahawks leveled the Jaguars, 41-0. In three home games, the Seahawks have 10 sacks (they have only four in two road games) and are allowing just eight points a game. The Cardinals can put up the points though.

Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots
Pick - Patriots: New England struggled offensively in the second half and allowed Denver to rally for a 20-17 overtime win. ... The Titans fell to 0-5 with a 31-9 home loss to the Colts. Since 2007, Tom Brady is 12-0 at Gillette Stadium with 25 touchdowns and just five interceptions. While Brady is completing 61.7 percent of his passes, his precision has deserted him at key moments this season. Tennessee is better than the record reflects, but the Patriots should have enough to get it done at home.

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
Pick - Jets: The Bills have won three of the past five meetings. Buffalo's offense continued to sputter in a 6-3 loss to Cleveland. ... A thrilling Monday Night Football game ended with the Jets suffering a 31-27 defeat at the hands of the Dolphins. In his first game with the Jets, Edwards was sensational, catching five passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. QB Mark Sanchez has a touchdown pass in four of the Jets' five games.

Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons
Pick - Falcons: (coin toss) The Bears have won eight of the last 10. Chicago has struggled to contain opponent's top receivers this season and White is coming off his best game of the year. The Falcons are likely to challenge a vulnerable Bears secondary by getting the ball to White on a variety of patterns. The Georgia Dome is a tough place to play and the Falcons' offense is especially potent on its home turf. Jay Cutler is the first Bears quarterback since 1970 to post a 100-plus passer rating in three straight games. Look for a close game, but Matty Ice wins it at home.

Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers
Pick - Broncos: (coin toss) The Chargers have won five of the last six meetings, are at home and coming off a bye. That should be enough reasons to pick them. Though to go against them, but the Broncos are firing on all pistons right now. Broncos QB Kyle Orton is 26-12 as a starter. ... Denver RB Knowshon Moreno leads all rookies with 337 rushing yards. ... Chargers QB Philip Rivers is 4-0 on Monday Night Football with a 106.9 passer rating.

Please note, nerangers picks are done for fun only!
Stat info from NFL.COM

wk1: 13-3, wk2: 8-8, wk3: 14-2, wk4: 14-0 wk5: 9-5

Patriot News and Notes (Brady, Seau, Light, etc)

2009-10-15T06:30:00.002-04:00

The BIG Play is MIA: "You're right we haven't hit them this year," said Brady. "Coach [Bill Belichick] hammered into us today we haven't had a pass over 40 yards yet this year in five games. It's something that I got to do a better job at. There is only one way to do it and that's to go out there and work on it, and you know ultimately we got to hit 'em. That's why you go out there and play quarterback you got to go out there and complete the balls that are there, and when you have opportunities down the field, you don't get them often and you have to take advantage of them."

It's official: Junior Seau is back with the Patriots: "It's good to have Junior back," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "He brings a lot of energy and experience and toughness to our team. We've been talking about this for a little while and we're glad we worked it out here in the last day or two and we're glad to have him."

"There’s a linebacking corps that we have now that was probably in first grade when I was a rookie. So there’s a lot of youth, but they can play the game," Seau said. "So if there’s anything I can do to help them either in the meeting room or the weight room, whatever it may take, it’s gong to be fun playing with them. But they're definitely young."

Junior Seau, who officially rejoined the Patriots today, was at practice wearing No. 55. Derrick Burgess, who used to wear No. 55, is now wearing No. 53.

Matt Light Injury Update: Patriots left tackle Matt Light, who injured his right knee in the Patriots' 20-17 loss to the Broncos on Sunday, has no significant ligament damage in his knee or ankle, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Light was hurt on the first play of the fourth quarter, a pass from Tom Brady to Wes Welker. He was helped off the field and eventually to the locker room and did not return. He was wearing a large black knee brace after the game.

Belichick's Thoughts on Tennessee: "Tennessee is one of the most talented teams that we’ve seen in awhile. I know what their record is. But as far as what we have to prepare for, the team that we’re seeing, their coaching staff, their scheme and the players -- they’re very good. [There’s] no real doubt about how they won 13 games last season. They’re really good across the board. They’re a tough team. They’re very physical. They can run the ball. They can stop the run. They are averaging over five yards per carry and giving up less than three, so they do a great job on the line of scrimmage -- on both sides of the ball. They’re an explosive team. [They get] a lot of big plays from Chris Johnson, and in the passing game with Kerry Collins, and his group of receivers and tight ends. All of that’s behind a very good offensive line. Defensively, they’re -- as I said, in the running game -- outstanding, very disruptive. [They] have some very experienced guys in the secondary, big-play guys: [Cortland] Finnegan, [Michael] Griffin, [Chris] Hope and players like that. [They have a] good kicker, good coverage teams. [They are] a lot to get ready for, a very talented team, a team that I have a lot of respect for -- Jeff [Fisher], and the job that they do down there. I’m sure it will be a physical game like it always is against them. They are certainly tough on the line of scrimmage."

Patriot Defense Against the Broncos: "We have to get better than what we played against the Broncos. We have to play better, have to coach better, do a lot of things better. We had some opportunities to make some plays which could have really made a big difference in that game and we fell short. So we have to work to improve in that area. We have to get off the field a little better on third down. We’ve been doing OK in that, though we didn’t do well enough. We had some opportunities on some tipped balls [that] we have to come up with in those situations and we certainly can’t let people drive the length of the field on us. Both [touchdown drives] were aided by some penalties which is something we were doing better early in the year. We have to get back to that." -- Dean Pees

Info from Boston.com

NFL Week 5: Putting it on the line (The Morning After)

2009-10-12T22:43:00.003-04:00

Probably would have done better if I could have made my picks later in the week (was traveling). Flipped one pick (Atlanta to San Fran) at the last moment, and of course flipped it wrong. Two other picks I most likely would have changed with info that came out later in the week...12-2 sure would have looked better than 9-5. Here is how week 5 finished up:

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
Pick: Ravens (Incorrect) - Everything pointed to a Bengals upset in this game. The Bengals played for defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who was on the sidelines just three days after the death of his wife, and gave him the game ball. Where this game was a coin toss one for me, that would have been enough to flip this pick. With 120 yards on 27 carries, Bengals RB Cedric Benson became the first player to rush for 100 yards against the Ravens in 40 games, while his teammates held the Ravens to 82 yards on 18 carries.

Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills
Pick: Bills (Incorrect) - Even with how bad they have been playing, there is no way the Bill should have lost this game. The Bills fumbled twice, the second of which ultimately cost them the game. Returner Roscoe Parrish muffed a punt with 2:59 left, which gave the Browns great field position at Buffalo's 16-yard line. Browns QB Derek Anderson completed just 2 of 17 for 23 yards and an interception.

Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers
Pick: Panthers (Correct) - Redskins TE Chris Cooley was held without a catch for the first time since his rookie season (2004). Panthers DE Julius Peppers had a season-high two sacks. ... Special teams led to both of Carolina's touchdowns. A 55-yard kickoff return by Kenneth Moore set up the first score and a recovery of a muffed punt set up the second touchdown.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions
Pick: Steelers (Correct) - The Steelers made the most of their trips inside the red zone, coming away with three touchdowns on all three of their trips. The Lions lost their top offensive threat, WR Calvin Johnson, in the first quarter. He left with a thigh injury and did not return. Going into the season, Ben Roethlisberger was a career 63 percent passer. The Steelers have increased his attempts this season and with that Big Ben has increased his percentage to 74 percent after completing 23 of 30 attempts for 277 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday.

Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: Cowboys (Correct) - Austin set a club record with 250 receiving yards, eclipsing the previous mark held by Hall of Famer Bob Hayes, who had 246 on Nov. 13, 1966. Aside from catching the winning score, Austin put the Cowboys ahead late in the fourth quarter on a 59-yard touchdown reception.Chiefs QB Matt Cassel threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns, including one to Mike Vrabel, who now has 11 TD receptions in his career.

Oakland Raiders at New York Giants
Pick: Giants (Correct) - Ahmad Bradshaw may not have gotten the most carries, but he clearly made the biggest impact. He gained 110 yards on only 11 rushing attempts and scored two touchdowns. He also added a key 55-yard catch on a third-and-24. JaMarcus Russell fumbled three times, losing all three. Eli Manning left prior to the end of the first half after re-aggravating his foot injury. He did throw for 173 yards and two touchdowns in less than a half of action.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: Eagles (Correct) - Welcome back Donavan McNabb. Rookie WR Jeremy Maclin had a breakout game for the Eagles with six receptions for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Tampa Bay wanted to establish Cadillac Williams on the ground, but had to abandon the run after falling behind early. Quarterback Josh Johnson ended up attempting 50 passes.

Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams
Pick: Vikings (Correct) - Vikings DE Jared Allen recovered two fumbles. Allen scooped up an unforced Kyle Boller fumble and took it 52 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. The Rams buried themselves with three turnovers -- all fumbles -- in the first half, then added one more on a red zone interception from Boller in the second half.

Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers
Pick: 49ers (Incorrect) - Originally had picked the Falcons, but drank some the Niners coolade. Should have stuck with the team coming off the bye week and a QB like Matty Ice! Falcons WR Roddy White busted out against the 49ers. He caught eight balls for a franchise-record 210 yards and two touchdowns, including a 90-yarder in the second quarter. Entering the game, the 49ers' fifth-ranked defense had given up an average of 13.2 points per game. Against Atlanta, San Francisco surrendered 477 total yards and 45 points. Atlanta RB Michael Turner, who had two TDs entering the game, rushed for 97 yards and three scores.

Houston Texans at Arizona Cardinals
Pick: Cardinals (Correct) - The Cardinals appeared to be losing steam as the Texans rallied from 21 points down to tie the score and were driving to score the go-ahead points. But Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie stepped in front of Schaub's pass and raced 49 yards for what proved to be the winning touchdown. Schaub and Cardinals QB Kurt Warner both topped 300 passing yards, but the key was the one crucial turnover by Schaub.

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
Pick: Patriots (Incorrect) - I don't pick against the Pats...but the Broncos usually do have their number (Denver has won four of its last five against New England). Adding Josh McDaniels to the equation (plus playing at home), it doesn't surprise me that the Broncos did it again. The Broncos drove 58 yards on the first series of overtime to set up Matt Prater's 41-yard winning field goal.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Seattle Seahawks
Pick: Jaguars (Incorrect) - Another pick I would have flipped had I heard Matt Hasselbeck was starting (plus the home field advantage). He had four touchdown passes and pulled together a Seattle offense that had struggled mightily without him. Garrard was sacked five times and lost two fumbles. He was unable to help Jacksonville sustain any drives, because he was consistently pressured when he dropped back. Jaguars WR Mike Sims-Walker was made inactive for breaking team rules.

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Pick: Colts (Correct) - Manning was 36-of-44 passing for 309 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. In the final minute of the first half, he led the Colts on a six-play touchdown drive that sent the home team into the locker room to a chorus of boos.

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
Pick: Dolphins (Correct) - Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown scored on a 2-yard run with 6 seconds left. Brown's score capped a wild 35-point fourth quarter. Ricky Williams had 138 scrimmage yards, the big game coming on a 59-yard reception. New Jets WR Braylon Edwards scored a touchdown on his first reception with the team.

Game Stats from NFL.com

wk1: 13-3, wk2: 8-8, wk3: 14-2, wk4: 14-0 wk5: 9-5

Pats vs. Broncos: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2009-10-12T21:41:00.002-04:00

Hard fought game...Patriots struggle against the wildcat offense of the Broncos (aka Wild Horses Offense) and lose it in overtime. Broncos always seem to have the Patriots number. Even more so with Josh McDaniels as coach!

The Good:

Jerod Mayo, the 2008 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, returned to action after missing three games with an injury. Midway through the first quarter, Mayo forced a fumble on a tackle of Denver RB Knowshon Moreno that was recovered by S Brandon McGowan at the Denver 45-yard line.

Runningback Sammy Morris averaged 4 yards per carry (17 for 68) and finished with 107 total yards when you factor in his three catches for 39 yards.

TE Benjamin Watson connected with QB Tom Brady on his third touchdown of the 2009 season with a seven-yarder in the second quarter.

The Bad:

The Patriots were 0 for 6 converting third downs in the second half. In all the Patriots were 5 of 14 on third down.

Stephen Gostkowski missed a 40-yard field goal just left of the goal post, ending a streak of 12 consecutive field goals.

Denver recorded 321 yards through the air, compared to just 209 from New England. Patriots WR Randy Moss was held to just one catch for 36 yards.

Logan Mankins picked up a foolish unnecessary roughness penalty in the second quarter on the end of a 3-yard run by Kevin Faulk, barreling into Wesley Woodward from behind when the play was all but over.

Logan Mankins was also beaten by Vonnie Holliday on the strip-sack of Tom Brady with under two minutes to go, which turned out to be the Patriots' last best chance to win the game.

Brandon Meriweather in the fourth quarter picked up a taunting penalty after he flew in to keep Eddie Royal from catching a pass, which helped set up the tying score. The penalty was a tough call, but Meriweather shouldn't have given the referee a chance to even call it by lingering over Royal and gesturing.

The Ugly:

Losing to the Broncos in overtime of course!

Denver handed Tom Brady his first overtime loss. He fell to 7-1.

Patriots left tackle Matt Light left the game with what appeared to be a right knee injury in the fourth quarter.

Game Notes:

The Patriots eight-yard scoring pass from QB Tom Brady to WR Wes Welker was the first touchdown pass against Denver in 2009.

Randy Moss lined up deep on defense during Denver’s final play of the first half and intercepted a QB Kyle Orton pass to secure New England’s 17-7 first half lead. It is his first career interception.

The New England Patriots have had at least one forced turnover in 13 straight games.

K Stepen Gostkowski’s 53-yard field goal in the first quarter is a career-high, besting a 52-yard field goal he had vs. Chicago on November 26, 2006.

New England scored scored 17 points against a Denver defense that was ranked second and was allowing just 6.5 points per game through the first four games of the 2009 season. New England’s 17 first half points were more than Denver allowed in a single game in 2009.

Notable Quotes:

Denver coach Josh McDaniels may have said all week Sunday's game would be just like any other, but after the 20-17 overtime win, McDaniels said, "I lied."

“Just collectively as an offensive unit, we’re just not consistently doing things as well as we need to do them,” Bill Belichick said. “All the way across the board. It’s not one position, it’s not one player. It’s not one particular type of play. We’re just not as efficient and as precise as we need to be. There’s no other way to put it.”

"Josh is a great coach, so he's obviously learned a lot and he's got the team playing well," Tom Brady said. "Pretty impressive for a first-year coach. He's a hard worker and he certainly deserves it. They're playing well."

Scoring:

Wes Welker catches his first TD of the season, an 8-yard pass from Tom Brady to move the Patriots ahead with 6:44 left in the first quarter. The play capped a seven play, 62-yard drive that burned 4 minutes, 16 seconds off the clock. (Patriots 7, Broncos 0)

The Patriots managed three points after the turnover thanks to Stephen Gostkowski's 53-yard field goal (Patriots 10, Broncos 0)

Broncos WR Brandon Marshall grabbed an 11-yard pass from Kyle Orton in the end zone for Denver's first touchdown of the game. (Patriots 10, Broncos 7)

The Patriots came right back to answer Denver's touchdown using 4:26 to get down field and score when Brady completed a 7-yard pass to Benjamin Watson for the touchdown. (Patriots 17, Broncos 7)

Matt Prater kicked a 24-yard field goal with 7:22 left in the third quarter, helping the Broncos chip away at the Patriots' lead. (Patriots 17, Broncos 10)

Brandon Marshall broke away from Leigh Bodden's grip and dove into the end zone to help the Broncos tie the score at 17-17 with 5:27 left in the fourth. (Patriots 17, Broncos 17)

OT: Denver won the coin toss in overtime and received the ball first. The Broncos remain undefeated, walking away with a 20-17 victory courtesy of Matt Prater's 41-yard field goal in overtime. (Patriots 17, Broncos 20) FINAL

Game Info from NFL.Com and Boston.com

Week 5: Putting it on the line

2009-10-07T21:24:00.003-04:00

Need to make my predictions early this week (will be out of town). On paper, many of these games could go either way. Only have one real upset for the week. Lets look at how week 5 unfolds...

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
Pick: Ravens - The Bengals have won six of the past nine meetings. Shayne Graham barely snuck his field goal inside the right upright as time expired in overtime to give the Bengals a 23-20 win over the Browns. Ravens should be fired up after losing a game to the Patriots they felt they should have won.

Cleveland Browns at Buffalo Bills
Pick: Bills - The Browns have won the last two meetings. Offseason hope has given way to regular-season reality in Buffalo as Owens has failed to make much of an impact for the Bills. Give a slight edge to the Bills playing at home.

Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers
Pick: Panthers - Washington has won seven of the eight all-time meetings. A coin flip game, but the extra week to prepare, and being at home should give the edge to the Panthers.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions
Pick: Steelers - Pittsburgh has won six of the past seven meetings. The Steelers jumped out to a 28-0 lead and held on late to defeat the visiting Chargers, 38-28. ... Detroit lost quarterback Matthew Stafford to a knee injury and was trounced by Chicago, 48-24. Steelers have not won on the road this year, but that should all change this weekend.

Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: Cowboys - Dallas has taken three of the last four meetings. Romo has completed only 57.6 percent of his passes with one touchdown and four interceptions in his past three games. The Cowboys are playing bad, but the Chiefs don't have enough to stop them. It is funny to think of this game as a possible upset, but it really wouldn't surprise me.

Oakland Raiders at New York Giants
Pick: Giants - Oakland has won four of the past five meetings. The Raiders suffered breakdowns in every phase and were clobbered in Houston, 29-6. New York finished its three-game road trip undefeated and will finally get to play at Giants Stadium for the first time since Week 1. Look for the fans to be fired up as they welcome home the 4-0 Giants.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: Eagles - Tampa Bay has beaten Philadelphia three straight times. McNabb is scheduled to get the start...a good team to come back against. McNabb needs four passing touchdowns to become the eighth player in NFL history with 200-plus passing touchdowns and 25-plus rushing scores.

Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams
Pick: Vikings - St. Louis has taken four of the past five meetings (don't hold your breath this week though). The Vikings look for their first 5-0 start since 2003. Favre is the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams. After a great Monday night game, this one has let down written all over it.

Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers
Pick: 49ers - The Niners have won three of the past five meetings. Atlanta QB Matt Ryan is sixth in the NFL with a 100.4 passer rating. ... 49ers QB Shaun Hill is 7-0 as a starter at home. ... San Francisco LB Patrick Willis had a career-high 2.5 sacks in Week 4. This game could go either way. Falcons are coming off a bye, so they have had extra time to prepare.

Houston Texans at Arizona Cardinals
Pick: Cardinals - The Texans have won the only game between the two teams. Cardinals QB Kurt Warner needs one 300-yard passing game to become the fifth player with 50 in a career. Another coin flip game, but give the edge to the Cardinals playing at home, and coming off a bye.

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
Pick: Patriots - The Broncos have won five of the past seven meetings. With a still-developing, young defense, New England has turned to a much more aggressive defense. Since 2006, Brady is 10-0 in October. Denver RB Knowshon Moreno leads all rookies with 249 yards rushing. Giving the edge to the mentor vs. the student.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Seattle Seahawks
Pick: Jaguars - The Seahawks have won three of the five all-time meetings. Seattle TE John Carlson has a touchdown catch in four of his past five home games. In the past two weeks, the Seahawks have allowed Jay Cutler and Peyton Manning to shred their secondary.

Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans
Pick: Colts - Tennessee has won three of the past five meetings. The Colts have won 13 straight regular-season games dating back to last season, which is the longest current streak in the NFL. ... Manning is 9-5 in his career against the Titans with 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Titans are struggling...and could be 0-5 by the end of the weekend.

New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
Pick: Dolphins - New York has won eight of the last ten meetings. Mark Sanchez turned the ball over four times as the Jets suffered their first loss of the season. The Dolphins' second-ranked rushing defense should keep the Jets running game in check. New York's defense ranks third in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 14.3 points per game. ... Dolphins RB Ronnie Brown is averaging 108.7 yards per game on the ground. These teams are closer than you think and the game could go either way. Going with the Dolphins and the upset for Monday night!

Week 4: Putting it on the Line (the Morning After)

2009-10-05T21:50:00.003-04:00

A great weekend of football, ending with Brett Favre becoming the only quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams in the league! Now that is a cool stat! I too went undefeated by getting all fourteen picks right this week! Here is the NFL review of week 4:

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
Pick: BEARS (correct) - Bears rookie wide receiver Johnny Knox broke the 21-21 tie after halftime, taking the kickoff 102 yards for the first return touchdown of his career. The Lions couldn't get anything going in the second half. After scoring three touchdowns in six drives of the first half, Detroit had minus-8 yards in the third quarter and then could only muster a field goal in three fourth-quarter possessions

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
Pick: BENGALS (correct) - Bengals kicker Shayne Graham nailed a 31-yard field goal during the final seconds of overtime to secure another come-from-behind victory for Cincinnati.

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans
Pick: TEXANS (correct) - Raiders RB Justin Fargas was tackled in the end zone by Texans rookie LB Brian Cushing for a safety midway through the third quarter. Houston WR Jacoby Jones then took back Oakland's ensuing free kick 95 yards for a touchdown to give the Texans a comfortable 29-6 lead.

Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts
Pick: COLTS (correct) - Seahawks QB Seneca Wallace completed more passes, but only averaged 4.6 yards per pass play. Colts QB Peyton Manning nearly doubled that with 8.6 yards per pass play. The Colts have won 13 consecutive regular-season games, the longest current streak in the NFL.

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick: JAGUARS (correct) - The Jaguars scored on five of their first six drives, while the Titans continued to be their own worst enemy. With three more turnovers Sunday, the Titans now have 11 total on the season.

New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: GIANTS - Giants WR Steve Smith caught a career-high 11 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. The Chiefs converted just 2 of 15 third-down attempts.

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots
Pick: PATRIOTS (correct) - Baltimore's potential game-winning drive stalled as Mark Clayton dropped a perfect fourth-down pass that would have given the Ravens a first-and-goal. The Patriots took a knee and ran out the remaining 28 seconds off the clock. The Patriots scored touchdowns on three of five trips inside the Ravens' 20.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Washington Redskins
Pick: REDSKINS (correct) - Tampa Bay CB Aqib Talib had a career-high three interceptions. TE Chris Cooley's 17-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter got Washington kick-started though.

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
Pick: DOLPHINS (correct) - The Dolphins dialed up just 22 passing plays in an attempt to ease Chad Henne into his first career start. That was made possible by a ground game that totaled 250 yards and three touchdowns, including 200 combined rushing yards from Brown and Williams.

New York Jets at New Orleans Saints
Pick: SAINTS (correct) - New Orleans' defense actually outscored its offense. The Saints are known for their explosive passing game led by Drew Brees, but it was the defense that led them past the Jets with two touchdowns.

Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos
Pick: BRONCOS (correct) - The Broncos are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2003. ... Kyle Orton is 7-1 in his last eight starts. ... The Broncos have allowed 26 points in four games this season. ... The Cowboys haven't beaten the Broncos since 1995.

St Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers
Pick: 49ERS (correct) - In pitching the shutout, the Niners allowed 177 total yards, had five sacks and scored two defensive touchdowns, including DE Ray McDonald's 11-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter.

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick: STEELERS (correct) - Mendenhall rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries, all career-high marks. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. It's the first game this season that Roethlisberger finished with more TD passes than interceptions. Jeff Reed hit a 46-yard field goal to give Pittsburgh a 38-28 lead with 43 seconds left. The Steelers led 28-0 in the third quarter but needed the late points to ice the win.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Pick: VIKINGS (correct) - Favre is now only quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 teams in the league! The Packers, trailing 30-23, failed to recover an onside kick with less than a minute remaining. The Vikings led 30-14 in the fourth quarter, but had to hold off a rally from Aaron Rodgers and Co.

Game Info from NFL.COM

wk1: 13-3, wk2: 8-8, wk3: 14-2, wk4: 14-0

Pats vs. Ravens: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2009-10-04T22:29:00.002-04:00

Patriots go to 3-1 after beating a very tough Ravens team. The Patriots held the Ravens to 21 total points (and just 14 points on offense) after the Ravens came into the game ranked second in the NFL averaging 34.3 points per game. Baltimore's potential game-winning drive stalled as Mark Clayton dropped a perfect fourth-down pass that would have given the Ravens a first-and-goal. The Patriots took a knee and ran out the remaining 28 seconds off the clock.

The Good:

Tom Brady's numbers weren't prolific (21 of 32, 258 yards, one touchdown, one fumble lost), but he spread the ball around to nine different receivers and scored the Patriots' first touchdown on a 1-yard QB sneak in the first quarter.

Patriots cornerback Leigh Bodden grabbed the team's first interception of the season with a leaping, sideline, toe-tapping grab to stop a Ravens drive at the Pats' nine-yard line with 1:11 left in the first half.

Before Sunday, the Ravens had not allowed a rushing touchdown in four games. They gave up two to the Patriots.

The return of Wes Welker steadied the Patriots against the blitz-happy Ravens. While he only tallied 48 receiving yards, Welker led the team in receptions (6) and gave Tom Brady a reliable outlet against pressure.

The Bad:

Ravens LB Terrell Suggs blew past Matt Light, then sacked Tom Brady, who fumbled the ball. Dwan Edwards picked up the loose ball in the end zone.

The Ugly:

Patriots safety James Sands appeared to injury his right shoulder with 1:15 left in the first half attempting to chase down Ravens RB Ray Rice.

Ravens tackle Jared Gaither was taken to Mass General for tests on his neck and shoulders.

Game Notes:

The Patriots have started the season with at least three wins in their first four games for the fourth straight season and are the only NFL team to begin each of the last four seasons with a record of 3-1 or better through their first four games.

The Patriots demonstrated marked improvement on offense, converting three of five possessions in the red zone into touchdowns. On the last nine attempts, they only scored one.

With his third-quarter touchdown reception, Randy Moss moved past Marshall Faulk into sixth all-time, with 137 career touchdowns.

The Ravens have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 39 straight games (longest active streak in the NFL).

Notable Quotes:

"Flat out drop...It was a perfect ball. Joe put it on the money. To not come up with it is tough. It cost us the game." -- Ravens WR Mark Clayton

"That was quite a finish...Stop them on fourth down twice in the fourth quarter, that's when you've got to be there. Luckily, we were." -- Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

The Patriots went ahead 10-7 on the next series with a 1-yard sneak by Brady: "Head-to-head with Ray Lewis, I certainly wasn't thinking of that one going to bed last night." -- Patriots QB Tom Brady

Ray Lewis complained about rushing the passer penalties that helped the drives on which Brady and Morris scored. "Without totally going off the wall here, it is embarrassing to the game. Brady is good enough to make his own plays, let him make the play." -- Ravens LB Ray Lewis

Game Scoring:
Patriots strike first on a Gostkowski 32 yd. Field Goal (Patriots 3, Ravens 0)

The Ravens wrapped up an impressive drive with a 20-yard TD pass from Joe Flacco to a leaping Derrick Mason on third and goal. The combo connected six times on the scoring drive. (Patriots 3, Ravens 7)

Tom Brady used his legs on the Patriots first touchdown drive as he ran in the final six yards on two straight runs, including a QB sneak from one-yard out. (Patriots 10, Ravens 7)

Sammy Morris gave the Patriots a 17-7 lead on a 12-yard run. The play capped a six-play, 63 yard drive. (Patriots 17, Ravens 7)

Ravens LB Terrell Suggs blew past Matt Light, then sacked Tom Brady, who fumbled the ball. Dwan Edwards picked up the loose ball in the end zone. (Patriots 17, Ravens 14)

Following the Ravens defensive touchdown, Tom Brady led the Patriots right back down the field throwing a 14-yard toss to Randy Moss. (Patriots 24, Ravens 14)

Ravens QB Joe Flacco threw a 13-yard TD pass to Willis McGahee with 14:17 left in the game. (Patriots 24, Ravens 21)

The Patriots melted 7:07 on a 15-play drive, which was capped by a 31-field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. (Patriots 27, Ravens 21) FINAL

Game Info from NFL.com and Boston.com

Week 4: Putting it on the line

2009-10-03T09:36:00.002-04:00

After a great week 3 going 14 - 2, week 4 is definitely more of a challenge to predict. There are a lot of games that could go either way.

Byes: Arizona, Atlanta, Carolina, Philadelphia

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
Pick: BEARS - The Lions finally come into a game on a winning note. They are definitely improved, but I'm not thinking they make it two in a row. RB Kevin Smith was great last week, but got hurt in the game. Chicago has won six of the past eight games, although the Lions almost ended there losing streak last year against them. If the Lions can not expose Chicago's secondary with Charles Johnson, look for the Bears to win at home.

Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
Pick: BENGALS - The Bengals have won seven of the last nine meeting and come into this game on a high note (by beating the Steelers week 3). Derek Anderson replaced Brady Quinn at quarterback for the Browns. Although the Browns should be better this week with Anderson at the helm, it won't be enough. Look for the Bengals to eat up the clock with Ced Benson and win this one on the road.

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans
Pick: TEXANS - The Texans have won three of the last four meetings. Oakland will need to run on Houston to have a chance in this game. Houston was unable to contain Maurice Jones-Drew, who scored three TDs, and lost 31-24 to the Jaguars last week. The Texans will win this one on the road with the passing game though.

Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts
Pick: COLTS - Peyton Manning, enough said! Actually, the Colts have struggled against the Seahawks, who have won three of the past four meetings. Manning is off to one of the best starts of his career though. He leads the AFC in passer rating (117.7) and is also atop the conference in touchdown passes with seven. The Seahawks are banged up, so look for the Colts to win at home.

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick: JAGUARS - The Titans have won four of the past five meetings. starting 10-0 last season, the Titans have begun 2009 at 0-3. There has to be a clear sense of urgency for the Titans to win, especially since all of their losses have been close games. Going with the upset here though, and picking the Jaguars to win at home.

New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: GIANTS - The Giants have won six of the past seven meetings and have a dominant 9-2 overall series edge. New York handed the Bucs a 24-0 shutout. The Chiefs went into Philadelphia and got rocked in a 34-14 loss. The Giants rank fifth in the league with five interceptions and rank first in passing defense. It is going to be a long day for Matt Cassel and the Chiefs. The Giants win this one on the road.

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots
Pick: PATRIOTS - This game spells upset all over it the way the Ravens are playing this season, but everyone knows I won't ever pick against the Patriots (why would I since they always find a way to get it done!). All four meetings between these two teams have been won by New England. The Patriots' defense revolves around confusing opposing quarterbacks and forcing them into mistakes. New England held second-year QB Matt Ryan in check last week and hopefully will do the same to Joe Flacco. Ravens will shut down the running game, so it will be up to Tom Brady and the Defense to win this one at home.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Washington Redskins
Pick: REDSKINS - Hand me a coin please... The Bucs have won the past three regular-season meetings. After one of the worst offensive peformances in team history last week, Byron Leftwich will be replaced by Johnson as the team's starting QB. Hopefully the Redskins can rattle Johnson, so take the Redskins at Home.

Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
Pick: DOLPHINS - Two teams that are tough to get a read on (another coin toss).The Bills have won four of the past six meetings. Chad Henne's gets his first start at quarterback for Miami. Look for the wildcat and the Miami heat to wear down the Bills. Here is hoping TO goes for zero catches a second week in a row as well! Miami wins at home.

New York Jets at New Orleans Saints
Pick: SAINTS - The Saints have taken four of the past five meetings. Brees is leading the league in passer rating so far this season and has thrown for an NFL-high nine touchdowns. This is a classic battle between one of the league's best quarterbacks (Brees) and one of the league's most innovative defensive minds (Ryan). I usually lean towards defense, but I think offense wins at home this weekend!

Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos
Pick: BRONCOS - Another tough game to pick. The Broncos have won the past three meetings. The Broncos have played phenomenal defense this season and rank first in the league. In perspective though, they have faced the league's worst two offenses the past two weeks and played against Cincinnati's 24th-ranked unit in Week 1. The Cowboys' have the third-ranked offense right now, but is banged up at Running Back. Going to stick with the Broncos for the upset at home.

St Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers
Pick: 49ERS - The 49ers have won six of the past eight meetings. With Frank Gore out this week, the rookie Coffee will take over the starting role at running back. San Francisco's loss last week was about as exruciating a loss as a team can experience. The players must quickly put that defeat behind them and avoid a costly let-down against the winless Rams. Niners QB Shaun Hill has won both of his starts against the Rams. 49ers win at home.

San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick: STEELERS - Pittsburgh has won six of the last seven meetings. The Steelers have dropped two straight close games and find themselves two back of first-place Baltimore. Watch out for Philip Rivers in this game...The quarterback leads the league with 991 passing yards through three games. Chargers Tomlinson looks ready to play, Steelers Parker doubtful to start. Still going with the Steelers at home, but this game definitely has upset written on it.

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
Pick: VIKINGS - The Packers have won five of six to take a 49-46-1 overall series lead, including the playoffs. They have never played against Brett though! This is the game Favre has been waiting for since leaving Green Bay. This game will end up being about Adrian Peterson though, who is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and already has four rushing touchdowns. Did I mention Green Bay's defense is ranked 23rd against the rush. Vikings win at home.

OK, so going with three Underdogs in the Jaguars (over Titans), Dolphins (over Bills), and Broncos (over Cowboys). There are definitely additional upset teams in the Ravens (over Patriots), Jets (over Saints), Chargers (over Steelers), and Greenbay (over Vikings). That makes seven game out of fourteen that could go either way!

Please note, nerangers picks are done for fun only!
Stat info from NFL.COM

wk1: 13-3 wk2: 8-8 wk3:14-2

Week 3: Putting it on the line (The Morning After)

2009-09-28T22:55:00.005-04:00

14 - 2! Redemption after last weeks 8 - 8! Here is how week 3 in the NFL finished up.

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
Pick: RAVENS (Correct) - Baltimore had 28 first downs to Cleveland's 11, finished with 479 total yards to Cleveland's 186 and turned the ball over just once, while the Browns had four turnovers.

Tennessee Titans at New York Jets
Pick: JETS (Correct ) - With the Titans trailing by seven, Collins finished the game by throwing 13 straight incompletions in the third and fourth quarters. The Jets' Mark Sanchez became the first rookie QB since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to win his first three games.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Pick: STEELERS (Incorrect) - The Steelers scored on their first three drives, but faltered down the stretch, punting twice before Roethlisberger's final desperation throw. The Bengals, on the other hand, punted on their first three drives but finished strong, scoring touchdowns on two long drives in the fourth quarter. The Steelers have lost their last three road games.

Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions
Pick: LIONS (Correct) - This was the Lions' first regular-season win since Dec. 23, 2007 as they snapped a 19-game losing skid. Detroit RB Kevin Smith had his third career 100-yard rushing day before leaving the game with a shoulder injury.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
Pick: TEXANS (Incorrect) - Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns!!! Texans Chris Brown fumble at the one yard line was costly!

San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings
Pick: VIKINGS (Correct) - 49ers running back Frank Gore had one rush before he left the game with an ankle injury in the first quarter. The Vikings went ahead in the game on Brett Favre's 32-yard touchdown pass to receiver Greg Lewis with two seconds left on the clock!

Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots
Pick: PATRIOTS (Correct) - The Patriots have not lost consecutive games since Weeks 9 and 10 of the 2006 season. Running back Fred Taylor totaled 105 rushing yards on 21 carries, including the Patriots' first touchdown. It was Taylor's first as a member of the Patriots.

Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: EAGLES (Correct) - The Chiefs were 0-for-11 on third down and were unable to sustain any sort of offensive flow against a swarming Eagles defense. Kolb passed for 327 yards and two touchdowns without committing any turnovers against the Chiefs.

Green Bay Packers at St. Louis Rams
Pick: PACKERS (Correct) - The Packers didn't turn the ball over and scored 13 points off of the Rams' three turnovers.

New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick: GIANTS (Correct) - The Giants had 28 first downs, compared to just five by the Buccaneers. The Giant running backs also had huge holes to run through, compiling 226 rushing yards on 49 carries.

New Orleans Saints at Buffalo Bills
Pick: SAINTS (Correct) - Terrell Owens did not make a catch for the first time in 185 consecutive games! Saints RB Pierre Thomas recorded 126 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries, all in the second half.

Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks
Pick: BEARS (Correct) - Devin Hester broke a tackle and raced 36 yards for the game's deciding touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders
Pick: BRONCOS (Correct) - The Raiders like to run the ball, but it was the Broncos who controlled the game on the ground. Denver outrushed Oakland, 215-95.

Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers
Pick: CHARGERS (Correct) - Chargers safety Eric Weddle intercepted Chad Henne's pass and returned it 31 yards for a score with 5:45 left to put San Diego up 23-6.

Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals
Pick: COLTS (Correct) - Colts QB Peyton Manning threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns. The Cardinals turned over the ball three times, including twice inside the red zone. Warner was sacked four times.

Carolina Panthers at Dallas Cowboys
Pick: COWBOYS (Correct)- The Cowboys came into the game without a sack and the defense had not yet forced a turnover. Against the Panthers, the team took down Delhomme three times and forced three turnovers.

Game Stats from NFL.COM

Wk1: 13-3 Wk2: 8-8 Wk3: 14-2

Pats vs. Falcons: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2009-09-27T21:58:00.002-04:00

Pats vs. Falcons: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

A nice win against a good team. Patriots are still struggling in the red zone, trading TDs for Field Goals. It was good to the the Patriots run the ball and get Fred Taylor in the game.

The Good:

Patriots shut down Atlanta TE Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez made his first and only catch of the game on a 16-yard reception on the Falcons' first offensive play of the fourth quarter.

Randy Moss and Fred Taylor have both eclipsed 100 yards for the day. At the 2-minute warning, Moss had 9 catches for 108 yards, while Taylor had rushed 20 times for 107 yards.

Despite settling for four field goals in five visits inside the red zone, the Patriots did execute in some key situations. They went 7 for 10 on third-and-short situations and 3 for 3 on fourth downs.

James Sanders recovered an Atlanta fumble forced by fellow safety Brandon McGowan at the Patriots 27 with little less than four minutes to play in the half.

The Falcons erased a potential touchdown when wide receiver Michael Jenkins was called for offensive pass interference (pushing off against Leigh Bodden) on what would have been a 36-yard touchdown reception.

The Patriots' defense surrendered a first-drive touchdown, but, even with an injury to defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, limited the high-flying Falcons to a field goal over the final 54 minutes of play.

Falcons QB Matt Ryan failed to throw a TD pass for the first time this season.

The Bad:

Felt bad for the Falcons having to waste a challenge on this call. Referees totally missed an incomplete pass by Matt Ryan, instead calling it a fumble and Shawn Springs returned the ball for a touchdown. The Falcons challenged immediately and the play was, correctly, reversed to an incompletion.

The Ugly:

Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork was shaken up late in the second quarter while helping to tackle

Atlanta running back Michael Turner. He did not return to the game.

Patriots WR Wes Welker was inactive for the second straight game with a knee injury.

Game Notes:

With a late first-half catch, Randy Moss recorded career reception No. 862, tying him for 12th best on the

NFL's all-time receiving list alongside former Jacksonville standout Jimmy Smith.

The Brady to Baker TD was the 200th TD pass of Brady's career. He is the 27th player in NFL history to reach that milestone and fourth fastest to the mark.

Randy Moss caught 10 passes for 116 yards. His 61 games with at least 100 yards receiving are second most in NFL history to Jerry Rice's 76.

Notable Quotes:

“The plan was for him [Gonzalez] to not have any catches and he had one, so obviously the plan failed (laughter)" -- Patriots safety Brandon McGowan

"We can't keep kicking field goals, I know that" -- Patriots QB Tom Brady

"There are a lot of new faces in the locker room...We're still developing and we still have a pretty explosive offense." -- Patriots TE Chris Baker

"It’s a great win for us and we’ll take it and still understand that there are a lot of things we need to do better. Anytime you beat a good football team like that – and we made some real critical plays: a few fourth downs, some short yardage ones, fourth and one on our own 25 yard line – whatever that was – and made that. That was big for us." -- Patriots QB tom Brady

Scoring:

The Falcons put points on the board in their first possession as Jason Elam boots a 26-yard field goal to cap a 12-play, 72-yard trek over 5:39. (Pats 0 - Falcons 3)

Stephen Gostkowski splits the uprights with a 21-yard field goal to cap a monster 15-play, 81-yard scoring drive that ate 8:39 off the clock. (Pats 3 - Falcons 3)

The Patriots snapped their five-quarter touchdown-less streak with Fred Taylor's 8-yard run early in the second quarter. The drive covered 51 yards on six plays over 2:29. (Pats 10 - Falcons 3)

The Falcons tie the game on a Michael Turner 2-yard touchdown run. The scoring drive covered 59 yards on eight plays over 2:58. (Pats 10 - Falcons 10)

Stephen Gostkowski booted a 33-yard field goal to cap a 12-play, 58-yard scoring drive that covered 3:36. James Sanders' fumble recovery set up the trek. (Pats 13 - Falcons 10)

The Patriots' offense again sputtered in the red zone and New England settled for a 22-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. The drive covered 79 yards on 13 players over 5:59. (Pats 16 - Falcons 10)

Stephen Gostkowski split the uprights with a 33-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter. The boot capped a 70-yard, 16-play scoring drive over 6:59. (Pats 19 - Falcons 10)

Patriots TE Chris Baker hauled in a 36-yard touchdown pass from QB Tom Brady to cap a six-play, 72-yard scoring drive that spanned 3:08. (Pats 26 - Falcons 10) FINAL

Info from boston.com and nfl.com

Week 3: Putting it on the line

2009-09-26T21:02:00.004-04:00

Should have just flipped a coin last week, going 8-8. Let's look at week 3:

Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens
Pick: RAVENS - Offensively and defensively the Ravens are just clicking on all cylinders. Joe Flacco should not have any problems with the Browns defense. Baltimore has won four of the past six meetings to extend its overall series lead to 13-7. Ravens win at home.

Tennessee Titans at New York Jets
Pick: JETS - Hate taking the Jets, but they are getting it done on defense with just enough offense to win. In Week 12 of last season, the Jets handed the 10-0 Titans their first loss of the season. The Titans are definitely not your average 0-2 team though, but the Jets should be able to contain Chris Johnson. New York has won four of the last five meetings. Jets win at home.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Pick: STEELERS - Going with the Steelers on the road. Cincy is still flying high beating the Packers on the road. Beware of Antwaan Odom in this game...he was a one-man wrecking crew last week tallying five sacks. The Steelers' offensive line has been vulnerable, giving up six sacks already this season. Steelers have won the last five meetings. Steelers win on the road.

Washington Redskins at Detroit Lions
Pick: LIONS - Washington has won three in a row over Detroit. The Redskins were unable to score a touchdown, last week but their defense held strong. I was leaning towards Washington, but if Portis does not play, I think the Lions finally break there losing streak and upset the Redskins. The Lions are definitely improved, and the Redskins are struggling. Lions win at home for the first time in a LONG TIME.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans
Pick: TEXANS - The Texans snapped out of funk of week one and put up the points week two. They also gave up 31 pts, and it is a divisional game, so anything could happen. Houston has won four of the past six matchups. Texans win at home.

San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings
Pick: VIKINGS - The top to running backs this season go at it in this matchup. AP is banged up though. I still think you have to go with the Vikings at home. This game could be an upset though since the 49ers are defininitely improved over last year. Still need a passing game though. Vikings win at home.

Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots
Pick: PATRIOTS - Everything points to the Patriots being upset by the Falcons. Is there a healthy Patriot WR even playing? That does not bode well for Brady and the boys. The Falcons have given up an average of 5.1 yards per carry defensively this year and now they are without perhaps their best run-stuffer, rookie DT Peria Jerry. If the Patriots can get the rushing attack going, victory should be theirs! Being a Pats fan, I am going with the home team to pull this game out with Special Teams, a rushing attack, and Defense! Patriots win at home.

Kansas City Chiefs at Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: EAGLES - McNabb is out again, and most likely wont be back till after the bye week. Kolb should be able to get the offense going, even with a banged up Westbrook and Jackson. Eagles win at home.

Green Bay Packers at St. Louis Rams
Pick: PACKERS - The Rams and Packers have split their last eight meetings. The Packers need to redeem themselves after last weeks lost to the Bengals. The Rams defense did well against the Redskins, but the Packers definitely have more offensive weapons to stop! St. Louis has lost its last five home games and is just 2-14 at the Edward Jones Dome. Packers win on the Road

New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick: GIANTS - Run, run, run! The Giants running game has not been great, but should have a big day against the Buccaneers. With an established running game, Eli and crew will pick the Bucs apart. New York has captured six of the last nine meetings. Giants win on the road.

New Orleans Saints at Buffalo Bills
Pick: SAINTS - New Orleans has won three of the past five meetings. Saints are banged up at the running back position, but that shouldn't hold Brees and crew off. Buffalo is ranked 31st against the pass. Saints win on the road.

Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks
Pick: BEARS - Seattle has won three of the past five games. Tough to pick against the Seahawks at home, but with Hasselbeck out due to injury, the Bears should get it done on the road. Seattle's offense changes significantly with Wallace under center. While Hasselbeck is more of a traditional drop-back passer, Wallace tends to scramble and use his legs to make plays. Chicago's defense should keep him in check. Bears win on the road.

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders
Pick: BRONCOS - The Broncos have won six of the past eight meetings. Oakland hasn't beaten Denver twice in a row since 2002. The Broncos are starting to play like a team, and should have enough offense to roll past the Raiders. Broncos win on the road.

Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers
Pick: CHARGERS - The Dolphins have won seven in a row against the Chargers. If LT doesn't play, the Dolphins could upset the Chargers at home. San Diego failed to score on a touchdown on any of its five trips to the red zone last week, an area in which Tomlinson traditionally excels. Chargers win at home and break the losing streak against the Dolphins.

Indianapolis Colts at Arizona Cardinals
Pick: COLTS - The Colts have won the past three meetings. Last weeks game definitely took its toll against the Colts, eventhough they won in the end. The question is will the Colts have enough in the tank on defense to deal with the rested and high-powered Arizona offense? Colts win a close one on the road.

Carolina Panthers at Dallas Cowboys
Pick: COWBOYS - Battle of the turnover teams. Dallas has won seven consecutive regular-season games against Carolina. If the Cowboys do lose this game at home, keep the knives away from Jerry! Cowboys get their first win at their new stadium.

Week 2: Putting it on the line (the Morning After)

2009-09-21T20:08:00.003-04:00

Week 2: Putting it on the line (the Morning After)

Usually I don't crash this bad in my picks till much later in the season! Seven Correct, 8 Incorrect, OUCH! Here is hoping the Colt win so I can at least break even! lol Let's see what went wrong!

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
Winner: Falcons (Correct) - Have to thank Tony G for letting me get this one right.

Minnesota Viking at Detroit Lions
Winner: Vikings (Correct) - A moral victory for the Lions for hanging in there with the Vikings and holding AP under 100 yards.

Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers
Winner: Packers (Incorrect) - Can't beat the Bengals when you are flat on your back. Defensive end Antwan Odom sacked Rodgers five times, while rookie LB Rey Maualuga brought down Rodgers once and forced two fumbles.

Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars
Winner: Jaguars (Incorrect) - Arizona went 0-5 last season flying to the coast. Guess it doesn't matter this year! Warner was not sacked by the Jaguars, and had plenty of time to shred the defense and then set an NFL single-game record for completion percentage, at 92.3 percent. So much for picking the Jags due to jet-lag!

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
Winner: Raiders (Correct) - This game was always a coin toss, one which the Chiefs should have won. Despite losing, the Chiefs dominated the Raiders in total yardage (409-166) and time of possession (38:39 to 21:21).

New England Patriots at New York Jets
Winner: Patriots (Incorrect) - The Jets just outplayed them on Defense, and brought just enough offense to win this one. The Patriots committed 11 penalties for 89 yards, including three for delay of game...That did not help the cause any! If Wes Welker was healthy and played, I think the Pats would have one.

New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles
Winner: Eagles (Incorrect) - What was I thinking??? The Saints offense is for real! The Eagles finished with 463 total yards, but that number is somewhat deceiving. Four Philadelphia drives ended in turnovers.

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans
Winner: Titans (Incorrect) - Close but no cigar! Titans RB Chris Johnson scored three times -- twice rushing and once receiving -- on plays of 57, 69 and 91 yards. Matt Schaub rebounded from a rough outing in Week 1 against the Jets to post 357 yards passing and four touchdowns on the Titans. Schaub completed 25 of 39 passes, 10 of which went to Andre Johnson, who finished with 149 yards and two touchdowns. I should have picked the Texans in the first place since I picked them to go to the play offs!

St. Louis Rams at Washington Redskins
Winner: Redskins (Correct) - Though the Redskins did not finish their drives (they were 0-for-5 in red-zone efficiency), their domination between the 20s helped them hold the ball for almost 35 minutes and wear down St. Louis.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills
Winner: Bills (Correct) - The Buccaneers committed 11 penalties for 97 yards. Bills RB Fred Jackson ran for a career-high 163 yards on 28 carries and added six catches for 25 yards. Enough Said...

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers
Winner: Seahawks (Incorrect) - Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck left the game at the end of the second quarter with bruised ribs and did not return. Led by Gore, San Francisco dominated on the ground, outrushing Seattle 256-66. Seattle would have had a better chance with Hasselbeck in the entire game.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Chicago Bears
Winner: Steelers (Incorrect) - The Steelers' final two drives were among their longest of the game, each lasting 10 plays. The drives took more than eight minutes off the clock, but both ended with wide-left field goals by Jeff Reed.

Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos
Winner: Broncos (Correct) - The Broncos recorded 25 first downs to just 11 for the Browns. Broncos DE Elvis Dumervil recorded a career-high four sacks and forced a Josh Cribbs fumble in the third quarter.

Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers
Winner: Chargers (Incorrect) - Another team that traveled well and won on the road. The Chargers struggled mightily in the red zone, kicking four field goals measuring 29 yards or less. Can't swap field goals for touchdowns.

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Winner: Giants (Correct) - The Cowboys turned over the ball four times, including three interceptions thrown by Tony Romo. That led to 24 points for the Giants.

MONDAY NIGHT GAME:

Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins
Favored Colts
Winner: Colts - Even short a WR, there is more than enough Colts offense to go around.

Please note, nerangers picks are done for fun only!

Stat Info from NFL.COM

Pats vs. Jets: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!!!

2009-09-20T18:32:00.006-04:00

Maybe I should just call it the Bad and the Ugly this week. It was probably a good thing I couldn't see this game at my home in PA...probably would have thrown something through the TV. Last year, I blamed the Patriots not making the playoffs due to the lost to the Jets that season. Let's hope this is not a repeat of last year! Can't win games settling for Field Goals instead of Touchdowns! This game was definitely the tale of two halves. The Patriots owned the first (time of possession 18:41 and total offense 197 vs. 55), and the Jets the second (the score tells you that)!

The Good: (not much here from a Patriots perspective)
Leigh Bodden recovered a Leon Washington fumble at the Jets 17 (fumbled forced by Vince Wilfork)

Chansi Stuckey appeared to catch a 6-yard touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez, but the Patriots challenged and the call was reversed as Stuckey didn't get both feet down inbounds

The Bad:
The Patriots receiving corps takes a hit with Wes Welker (knee) inactive for today's game

Darrelle Revis intercepts a Tom Brady offering on a deep, play-action toss to Randy Moss

Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather tweaked his right ankle on a kickoff return by Leon Washington in the first quarter and left the game. Meriweather returned to the field with the defense on the opening play of the second half and missed a tackle on 45-yard completion from Mark Sanchez to Jerricho Cotchery.

New York managed 141 yards of total offense in the third quarter and had the ball at its own 42 to start the fourth

The Jets did not sack Brady, but Rex Ryan's constant blitzes (at times using six or seven men to rush the passer) were effective enough to throw the Patriots offense off its game. The Jets hurried Brady 15 times and knocked him down another five times. Expect to see more teams do this against the Patriots.

The Patriots committed 11 penalties for 89 yards, including three for delay of game(two of them coming on consecutive plays in the third quarter).

The Ugly:
THE PATRIOTS LOSING TO THE JETS 16 - 9!!!

Patriots had one last chance to tie the game up as they took over at their own 10 with 1:48 to play. NO Brady magic today though! Figures the final play would be a Tom Brady pass to Joey Galloway being batted down by Jets Safety Kerry Rhodes (guess he backed up his tweeter talk). Why couldn't it have been anyone else!?!?!

Game Notes:
The game was the 100th meeting between the two teams who entered the game tied 49-49-1 in the overall series. Now the Jets are ahead.

Patriots linebacker Gary Guyton has the helmet with the green dot, which indicates that he'll again be the one handling radio signals from the sideline.

Former Patriots backup quarterback Kevin O'Connell was serving as the Jets' emergency third QB today, but was also a captain. He was at midfield for the pregame coin toss. I am sure he was able to help the Jets out more than just those roles, having memorized the Patriots playbook while being Brady's backup.

Notable Quotes:

"Give the Jets credit... they outplayed us, outcoached us, played better than we did for 60 minutes. That's the story of the game. We had our chances, but we didn't finish them." -- Patriot Coach Bill Belichick

"We didn't do much, it was poor execution a lot of the time. We all gotta do a better job, I gotta do a better job throwing the ball, being more accurate, making better reads. A lot of things are correctable, that were not so good today. You gotta give the Jets credit, they played a good game, defensively... We had our chances." -- Patriots QB Tom Brady

"I don’t know what fits as embarrassment. We were able to get the job done and got the win today." -- Jets Safety Kerry Rhodes

"You gotta give credit to the Jets, there's no way to sugarcoat or feel sorry for yourselves, they won the game, they beat us and that's it." -- Patriots WR Randy Moss

"This is Week 2. We're 1-1, we'll go back to the drawing board, get ready for Atlanta. There's a long way to go." -- Patriots TE Chris Baker

Scoring:
Stephen Gostkowski boots a 45-yard field goal for the first points of the game. (Pats 3 - Jets 0)

Stephen Gostkowski kicks a 25-yard field goal to increase the Patriots' lead. The scoring drive covered 53 yards on 9 plays over 3:30. (Pats 6 - Jets 0)

Jay Feeley boots a 33-yard field goal to cap a 10-play, 52-yard scoring drive that spanned 5:31.(Pats 6 - Jets 3)

Stephen Gostkowski splits the uprights with a 29-yard field goal to cap a 14-play, 79-yard drive that spanned 5:42. (Pats 9 - Jets 3)

The Jets wasted little time finding the end zone in the second half with Mark Sanchez completing a 45-yard pass to Jerricho Cotchery before a 9-yard touchdown toss to Dustin Keller. (Pats 9 - Jets 10)

Jay Feely booted a 24-yard field goal to cap an 11-play, 49-yard drive that spanned 3:59 (Pats 9 - Jets 13)

Jay Feely split the uprights with a 39-yard field goal on a that drive covered 63 yards on 14 plays over 8:21. (Pats 9 - Jets 16) FINAL

info from boston.com and nfl.com

Week 2: Putting it on the line

2009-09-19T19:24:00.004-04:00

Week 2: Putting it on the line

Glad week one of the NFL season finally came. There were some great games and match-ups to start off the season. Glad my Patriots pulled off the win against the Bills! Last weeks picks went 13-3 (Missed on the 49ers (picked Cardinals), Jets (picked Texans), and Broncos (picked Bengals). Here are the picks for week 2:

Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
Favored: Falcons
Winner: Falcons - going with the home team!

Minnesota Viking at Detroit Lions
Favored: Vikings
Winner: Vikings - Sorry Lions, tough to pick you any week!

Cincinnati Bengals at Green Bay Packers
Favored: Packers
Winner: Packers - Bengals didn't show much last week against the Broncos, and won't match up against the Pack.

Arizona Cardinals at Jacksonville Jaguars
Favored: Jaguars
Winner: Jaguars - Arizona went 0-5 last season flying to the coast...plus the Cardinals are banged up at WR.

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
Favored: Chiefs
Winner: Raiders - Hard to go against the Chiefs at home, but the vote is still out on Cassel. I think the Raiders running game and defense will come through in this one on the road.

New England Patriots at New York Jets
Favored: Patriots
Winner: Patriots - I never pick against the Patriots. It might be challenging against the Jets, but the Pats defense will baptize Sanchez into the NFL the right way!

New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles
Favored: Saints
Winner: Eagles - This would have been an easier pick with McNabb in the line-up. I just believe the Eagles Defense is going to step it up against the Saints Offense.

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans
Favored: Titans
Winner: Titans - Houston looked flat last week against the Jets. The Titans played tough against the Steelers. Have to go with the home team!

St. Louis Rams at Washington Redskins
Favored: Redskins
Winner: Redskins - Like the lions, it is going to be tough to pick the Rams any week until they show something.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills
Favored: Bills
Winner: Bills - Bills had the Patriots on the ropes last week, and almost pulled off the upset. This week they role over the Buccaneers

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers
Favored: 49ers
Winner: Seahawks - This is going to be a close one, and everything points to the 49ers winning at home. That is why I am taking the Seahawks on the road...offense is going to win out over defense in this game.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Chicago Bears
Favored: Steelers
Winner: Steelers - Tough game on the road for the Steelers. Two great defenses playing each other, but the Steelers will trump that with their offense. They just need to keep Matt Forte in check.

Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos
Favored: Broncos
Winner: Broncos - This is a coin toss between two struggling teams. Leaning towards the Broncos at home. If Moreno gets the running game going, it will help the passing game.

Baltimore Ravens at San Diego Chargers
Favored: Chargers
Winner: Chargers - Don't worry about LT not playing, there is more than enough offense to go around. I don't expect Flacco to have another 300 yard week against the San Diego Defense.

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys
Favored: Cowboys
Winner: Giants - Yes, going against the Cowboys at home! Both teams are equally matched offensively...the Giants win this one on Defense!

Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins
Favored Colts
Winner: Colts - Even short a WR, there is more than enough Colts offense to go around.

Wow, going with seven road teams and against four favorites! But that is why it is called putting it on the line.

Please note, nerangers picks are done for fun only!

Pats vs Bills: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!

2009-09-15T13:38:00.003-04:00

Patriots 25 - Bills 24 (Brady's Back! Patriots pull off a come from behind victory!)

If you shut off the TV with six minutes to go in the game, figuring the Bills were winning 24 to 13 over the Patriots, then you missed quite a game! Never count the Patriots out! The Patriots played well most of the game, but seemed to be out of rhythm in the first half. Then again, Tom Brady has not played in a significant game since Super Bowl 42! The Patriots did not seem to have an answer for shutting down RB Fred Jackson, but did keep Mr. Owens in check for the night. The Patriots definitely have some things to work on, but came up big when it counted!

The Good:
The Patriots pull out an improbable 25-24 triumph over the Bills as TE Benjamin Watson catches two TD passes from QB Tom Brady over the final 130 seconds of play.

Bills returner Leodis McKelvin fumbled on the kickoff return with Pierre Woods stripping the ball after Brandon Meriweather made the initial stop. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski recovered for the Patriots at the Buffalo 31 with 1:56 to go giving the Patriots one more chance to win the game (and they did!).

Terrell Owens was held to just two catches for 46 yards! He looked slow from all the popcorn he has been eating.

Quarterback Tom Brady threw for 378 yards and two TDs and even rushed for 9 yards to try and get a first down!

The Bad:
Fred Jackson produced a 10-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass from Trent Edwards (Bills 24 - Pats 13) with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter.

Linebacker Adalius Thomas picked up a personal foul penalty for unnecessary roughness after whipping Buffalo QB Trent Edwards to ground at the end of a 10-yard sack.

Aaron Schobel intercepted a Tom Brady offering and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. Coming off a play-action fake, Brady seemed to want to flip the ball over the oncoming defensive linemen to Sammy Morris, but Schobel simply reached up and grabbed the ball, then outraced Morris to the end zone.

The Ugly:
Patriots second-year linebacker Jerod Mayo was shaken up on a play at 4:19 of the first quarter. Trainers attended to Mayo, looking at his right leg (knee area), before he walked off the field under his own power. Mayo never returned to play in the game.

Scoring:
Stephen Gostkowski missed a 41-yard field goal attempt badly to the right (Patriots 0 - Bills 0).

Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Shawn Nelson. The drive covered 68 yards on six players over 3:17. (Patriots 0 - Bills 7)

Fred Taylor's 1-yard touchdown run capped a 14-play, 72-yard drive that spanned 7:12. (Patriots 7 - Bills 7)

Aaron Schobel intercepted a Tom Brady offering and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. (Patriots 7 - Bills 14)

Buffalo came up with a defensive stand inside its 10 and the Patriots settled for Stephen Gostkowski's 20-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. (Patriots 10 - Bills 14)

Bills kicker Rian Lindell booted a 40-yard field goal to cap a 42-yard, 7-play drive that spanned 3:25. (Patriots 10, bills 17)

Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski booted a 28-yard field goal to cap an 11-play, 66-yard drive that spanned 5:49. (Patriots 13 - Bills 17)

Fred Jackson produced a 10-yard touchdown reception on a screen pass from Trent Edwards. The scoring drive covered 62 yards on 13 over 6:11. (Patriots 13 - Bills 24)

Benjamin Watson reeled in an 18-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady, but the 2-point conversion pass to Watson failed, keeping Buffalo out front by five with little more than two minutes to play. (Patriots 19 - Bills 24)

Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson reeled in a 16-yard touchdown pass -- his second in little more than a minute -- from Tom Brady as the Patriots have improbably come from behind to take the lead over the Bills. (Patriots 25 - Bills 24) FINAL

Game Notes:
Wide Receiver Randy Moss caught back-to-back receptions on the Patriots' first drive of the second half. With 850 career receptions, Moss leapfrogged Rod Smith into 14th place on the NFL's all-time receptions list. For good measure, Moss caught a third straight pass for career reception No. 851, which tied him with Irving Fryar for 13th on the all-time list.

Notable Quotes:

"Well, that was an exciting game — got that one going. It was a great effort by our team. I’m really proud of the players; not that we played our best, but we hung in there. We kept playing, down by 11 with four or five minutes to go in the game and we came back and made the plays we had to make to win." --Patriots Coach Bill Belichick

"That was as close as it gets. There were a lot of situational plays that we needed at the end that we made, and had we not made them, we probably would not have won. But we put ourselves in that position." --Patriots QB Tom Brady

“There wasn’t a plan, you just have to step up. Everyone has to play. No mistakes. Correct your mistakes. If you make a mistake, hopefully you can come back and make a big play. That’s what happened and we came out with a win. That’s what we’re out here for, to win. Buffalo played a hell of a game, we just made the plays when they counted.” -- Patriots LB Pierre Woods

“If I ever had another chance, I would probably do the same thing. Next time I get the opportunity, I am going to hold on and make a better decision." -- Bills CB Leodis McKelvin

“When I caught the ball, I didn’t know if I had two feet inbounds or if my momentum took me into the end zone. If I downed it, it may have been a safety, so I decided to bring it out.” -- Bills CB Leodis McKelvin

info: boston.com

Hold Out Over - Seymour to the Raiders!

2009-09-12T15:38:00.000-04:00

According to multiple reports, former Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour is reporting to the Raiders today, ending the five-day saga that followed his trade from the Patriots to the Raiders last Sunday in exchange for a 2011 first-round pick. Unless Seymour fails his physical with the Raiders, his reporting would consummate the deal for good.

Seymour told the paper he was "blindsided" by the trade and that he planned to be in uniform for Oakland on Monday night when they open the season against the San Diego Chargers.

"When you get blindsided, you should take a moment to gather your thoughts. I have a lot of personal issues more pressing than football." Seymour said the personal issues involved relocating his family to South Carolina after the trade, which forced a significant change of plans for his family.

Putting it on the line: My 2009 NFL Super Bowl Prediction

2009-09-10T14:52:00.002-04:00

Everyone one else does it, so why not me? Here is my 2009 NFL Super Bowl Prediction...with a little help from statistics and my gut!

Bill James invented a formula called the Pythagorean expectation to estimate how many games a team "should" have won based on the number of points they scored and allowed. I won’t go into all the math that is involved, but it is interesting how it can be applied to predict wins for the following season. I like using it to try and predict how NFL teams will do during the season. Based on the criteria the theory uses, here is a list of teams that will improve from last season (played under their potential and will win more games), or regress (played over their potential and will win less games). The Pythagorean expectation usually has about a 75% accuracy rate. Don’t get confused…improving doesn’t imply they will make the play-offs! See Detroit Lions!

Note – the wins in ( ) is how many the team won in 2008.

Teams that should Improve:
Jacksonville Jaguars (5 wins), San Diego Chargers (8 wins), Kansas City Chiefs (2 wins), Philadelphia Eagles (9 wins), Green Bay Packers (6 wins), Detroit Lions (0 wins!), New Orleans Saints (8 wins), Seattle Seahawks (4 wins)

Teams that should Regress:
Miami Dolphins (11 wins), Indianapolis Colts (12 wins), Denver Broncos (8 wins), Dallas Cowboys (9 wins), Washington Redskins (8 wins), Carolina Panthers (12 wins), Atlanta Falcons (11 wins)

My Predictions: (Note - I have five teams not returning to the play-offs from the previous year)

AFC East:
New England Patriots (in play-offs)
Miami Dolphins (out of play-offs)
New York Jets
Buffalo Bills

Notes: The Patriots return to the top of the division, and a first round bye in the play-offs. The Dolphins do regress as predicted – no play-offs this season!

AFC North:
Pittsburgh Steelers (return to play-offs)
Baltimore Ravens (return to play-offs)
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns

Notes: The Super Bowl Champs defend their title and home field during the playoffs…the Ravens right behind them!

AFC South:
Indianapolis Colts (return to play-offs)
Houston Texans (in play-offs)
Tennessee Titans (out of play-offs)
Jacksonville Jaguars

Notes: Although predicted to regress, I think there is too much talent for the Colts not to win the division. Texans beat Titans on tie breaker! Sorry Titans, no play-offs this year. Although predicted to improve, I don’t it will be enough for the Jags against the other three teams in the league.

AFC West:
San Diego Chargers (return to play-offs)
Denver Broncos
Oakland Raiders
Kansas City Chiefs

Notes: Chargers definitely will be improved and win the division again. Regressing sure seems like the right prediction with everything that is going on in Denver! Improving from 2 games shouldn’t take much for the Chiefs. Still will be at the bottom of the division though

NFC East:
Philadelphia Eagles (return to play-offs)
New York Giants (out of play-offs)
Dallas Cowboys
Washington Redskins

Notes: The Eagles are picked to improve, and should win the division and make the play-offs again (last year wild card). The Giants are close but do not make it in this year. The Cowboys and Redskins are both picked to regress…and I can see that happening to both teams.

NFC North:
Green Bay Packers (in play-offs)
Minnesota Vikings (return to play-offs)
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions

Notes: A much improved Green Bay Packers team wins the division and makes it to the playoffs…a close second will be the Vikings returning to the play-offs by winning a wild card spot. The Lions are listed to improve, so one measly win should not be out of the question this season (they could get lucky against the Rams or the Browns!)

NFC South:
New Orleans Saints (in play-offs)
Carolina Panthers (return to play-offs)
Atlanta Falcons (out of play-offs)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Notes: Saints predicted to improve, and should win the division…Panthers win other wild card slot. The Falcons are close, but do not make it in. Tampa Bay gets first pick in the 2010 draft!

NFC West:
Seattle Seahawks (in play-offs)
Arizona Cardinals (out of play-offs)
San Francisco 49ers
St. Louis Rams

Notes: Seahawks predicted to improve, and should win the division…Cardinals drop out of the play-off hunt. Sorry, last year was a nice run, but a lucky one!

AFC Play-offs:
Steelers – first round bye
Patriots – first round bye
Chargers vs. Texans
Colts vs. Ravens

Steelers vs. Colts
Patriots vs. Chargers

Steelers vs. Patriots

AFC Champion - Patriots

NFC Play-offs:
Eagles – first round bye
Packers – first round bye
Saints vs. Panthers
Seahawks vs. Vikings

Eagles vs. Vikings
Packers vs. Saints

Eagles vs. Packers

NFC Champion - Eagles

Super Bowl: Eagles vs. Patriots (Winner PATRIOTS)

Hey, would you expect anything less from a Patriots fan trapped in Eagles Country??? Would love to have a rematch against Green Bay though!

Patriot News and Moves

2009-09-07T23:14:00.000-04:00

The Patriots have traded defensive lineman Richard Seymour to the Oakland Raiders for a 2011 first-round draft choice. Jerry McDonald, of ANG Newspapers, reports the Oakland Raiders will use DL Richard Seymour as a right end and occasionally slide him inside. Cable said he's talked with Seymour, and Seymour told him he wants to be with the Raiders. "We have attempted to make a deal. There are some issues still between him and the Patriots that are being worked out. Hoping that will be resolved as quickly as possible. We know that the player wants to be here, but we have no control really over those issues. That’s really all I’m going to talk about it for now."

Former Patriots quarterback Kevin O'Connell has been traded to the New York Jets. O'Connell was waived by the Patriots last Monday and was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions, who used the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft to select Matthew Stafford. It's possible that Rex Ryan is looking for an edge by bringing in O'Connell to get information on the Patriots, who play the Jets at the Meadowlands on Sept. 20.

The Patriots released receiver Greg Lewis. Lewis, a seven-year veteran, was acquired from the Eagles in March. The Patriots acquired Lewis along with a seventh-round draft choice for a fifth-round draft pick.

The Patriots announced that DT Titus Adams, WR Terrence Nunn and DT Darryl Richard have been signed to the practice squad. All three players were with the team in training camp.

The Patriots announced that they have added four players to their practice squad:
T Patrick Brown, DL Adrian Grady, QB Isaiah Stanback, and CB DeAngelo Willingham

Former Patriots offensive lineman Ryan O'Callaghan has been awarded to the Kansas City Chiefs on waivers.

The Patriots have claimed safety Bret Lockett on waivers from the Cleveland Browns. Lockett, who played in college at UCLA, had signed with the Browns as a rookie free agent after the draft.

Former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi, who retired last Monday after 13 seasons in New England, didn't take long to find a post-pro football career. Bruschi is going to be part of ESPN's football lineup, the network confirmed.

Here are your New England Patriots!

2009-09-05T19:47:00.002-04:00

Here is the breakdown of the Patriots' 53-man roster:

Quarterback (2): Tom Brady, Brian Hoyer (Note - it will be interesting to see if the Patriots go after a Veteran QB, since Hoyer was an undrafted rookie)

Running back (5): Kevin Faulk, Fred Taylor, Laurence Maroney, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Sammy Morris (No real surprise here that the Patriots held five RBs, especially where three are over the age of 30,,,RB Chris Taylor (shoulder) has also been placed on IR)

Tight end (3): Chris Baker, Benjamin Watson, Michael Matthews (Note - A suprise that Dave Thomas was traded to the Saints, and that the Patriots picked up Matthews from the Giants. The Patriots had given up a 2010 fifth round pick for Alex Smith who was cut)

Receiver (6): Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Joey Galloway, Greg Lewis, Julian Edelman, Sam Aiken

Offensive line (9): Matt Light, Logan Mankins, Dan Koppen, Stephen Neal, Nick Kaczur, Sebastian Vollmer, Rich Ohrnberger, Ryan Wendell, Dan Connolly

Defensive line (7): Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, Jarvis Green, Ron Brace, Myron Pryor, Mike Wright

Hybrid defensive end/linebacker (2): Derrick Burgess, Tully Banta-Cain

Linebacker (6): Jerod Mayo, Adalius Thomas, Gary Guyton, Pierre Woods, Eric Alexander, Rob Ninkovich (Note - Rob Ninkovich made the team in place of Ray Ventrone ... George Bussey (knee) on season-ending injured reserve, Shawn Crable (groin) has been placed on season-ending injured reserve)

Cornerback (5): Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden, Jonathan Wilhite, Darius Butler, Terrence Wheatley

Safety (5): Brandon Meriweather, James Sanders, Pat Chung, Brandon McGowan, Matthew Slater

Specialists (3): Stephen Gostkowski (K), Chris Hanson (P), Jake Ingram (LS)

The Patriots released the following players today:

DL Titus Adams
OL Wesley Britt
CB Herana-Daze Jones
LB Paris Lenon
CB Jamar Love
WR Terrence Nunn
OL Ryan O'Callaghan
DL Darryl Richard
TE Alex Smith
S/WR Ray Ventrone