Week 10 Review

I thought I would review this week’s games before the Monday Night game since if the Browns win then I’ll need a whole post just to slag off the Ravens.

Let’s start with the big game of the week, Colts v Patriots.
Say what you want about Bill Belichick but I truly admire his call on fourth down this weekend.  He realised that going against a Colts offence with Manning in sink meant he had to keep the ball for as long as possible and make teh colts use their last timeout.  His paly call was even good since if Faulk had gotten control of the ball we would be discussing what a great coach Belichick is rather than so called experts saying what a fool he his.  I love the fact that former players and coaches who haven’t won nearly as much as the Pats or Belichick are slagging him off, it just goes to show that the jealous green eye monster still survives in America.  The only problem I have with his call is it has distracted people from talking about the best game for ages in the NFL.  Both Brady and Manning were on fire, Wayne and Moss showed why they are two of the best WRs in the game and Mathis looked like a stud DE in the 4th quarter.

The next biggets game of the weekend was the Bengals v Steelers.
Again this was a good game to watch with two excellent defences playing against one another.  A close game with only one TD showed yet again why special teams are one of the key components to a great team in the NFL.  The Bengals should know lock up the division in a couple of weeks and allow themselves to get key players healthy.  Must say I’m not so sure about them sigining Larry Johnson but we’ll wait and see before passing judgement.

The last game I watched this weekend was the Cowboys at the Packers.
Was this game the start of Tony Romo blowing up again or was it just his wide receiving corp showing their true colours.  People in Dallas must surely be pissed off with Roy Williams, he just isn’t that good and is showing it far too often this season.  Miles Austin also disappeared off the radar this week but I’ll cut him some slack since it is only his 3rd NFL start.  Great job by the Packers D to keep them in the game and what a lovely interception from Woodson on the goaline.

In other games this week, Washington shocked Denver and the boat looks very shaky in Denver especially with the Chargers beating the Eagles.  Finally another big loss for the Falcons and they need to get it sorted soon or their playoff dream is over.

NFL Week 10 Preview

Here are the rest of predictions after I managed to get Thursday’s nights score wrong.

Falcons to beat the Panthers
Atlanta should have enough offensive power to beat the Panthers.

Dolphins to beat the Buccaneers
Yes Tampa Bay won last week but let’s face it they are playing a far better team than the Redskins this week.

Vikings to beat the Lions
Again not the most difficult selection ever.

Jets to beat the Jaguars
The Jags have been playing better the last couple of weeks but the Jets should win this coming out of the bye week.

Bengals to beat the Steelers
The Bengals have played well versus their divisional rivals and I think they win again.

Saints to beat the Rams
Please no one expects the Rams to win their second game of the season here.

Titans to beat the Bills
The Titans have been playing much better these last few weeks and should chalk up another win here.

Broncos to beat the Redskins
Can’t see the Redskins winning this game though it might be fairly close.

Chiefs to beat the Raiders
Oakland are just terrible at the moment and so I fancy the Chiefs to get their second win.

Cardinals to beat the Seahawks
Arizona to get a win at home for a change.

Cowboys to beat the Packers
This could be a closer game than many are expecting.

Chargers to beat the Eagles
Should the Chargers win this game then the Cowboys should send the team a big case of bubbly since they will have pretty much helped them to the divisional title.

Colts to beat the Patriots
This will be a great game or at least I am hoping it will be a great game.  I’m sure it will be close but I fancy Manning to win it this time.

Ravens to beat the Browns
This could be one of the worse Monday Night games ever.  Really if Flacco and co don’t win this then they are done for the season.

NFL Power Rankings Week 9

1. Colts – They keep winning even though they needed the help from Lady Luck
2. Saints – This team also keeps producing the goods.
3. Vikings – The bye week will have done this team the world of good.
4. Bengals – Huge game this weekend.
5. Steelers – See above
6. Patriots – Brady versus Manning is just going to be fun to watch.
7. Cowboys – Romo is showing some signs of actually be quite good.
8. Broncos – This team needs a win soon to stop the rot.
9. Cardinals – They keep showing that last years play off run away from home wasn’t just luck.
10. Falcons – Atlanta finally have the running game going.
11. Chargers – Rivers and co pulled the win out of the bag last week.
12. Eagles – McNabb and co need to start beating some decent teams and not just the poor ones.
13. Ravens – What has happened to this teams defence.
14. Texans – Houston were so unlucky to not win last weekend versus the Colts.
15. Jets – The defence needs to come off the bye week with all guns firing.
16. Giants – New York is slowly falling apart.
17. Packers – Massive lose to Tampa Bay pretty much ends all hope this team had of making the playoffs.
18. Dolphins – The wildcat nearly worked again versus the Pats but not quite.
19. Bears – How can this team win games by so many points then lose games by so many points?
20. Jaguars – Just keep giving the ball to MJD and then hit Sims-Walker on the play fake.
21. Panthers – This team just needs to run the ball more often.
22. 49ers – Has Crabtree ruined the 49ers chemistry?
23. Seahawks – I just can’t decide how good or bad this team is.
24. Titans – Tennessee has finally gotten the running game going and suddenly they are winning.
25. Bills – Will all this Vick talk distract the team?
26. Raiders – How will Oakland hurt itself his week?
27. Redskins – Washington isn’t far off being the worse team in the league.
28. Chiefs – If Kansas wants to be taken seriously they need to beat team like Jacksonville.
29. Rams – Steven Jackson is still the only plus point in this team.
30. Lions – They need to win a few more games this season to call it progress.
31. Buccaneers – Freeman is a huge plus point for this team and he may turn into this years Aaron Rodgers.
32. Browns – Do you get the feeling their will be a new coach next season.

NFL Power Rankings Week 8

Indianapolis Colts - This team just keeps playing well and winning soso not much more you can say about them.

New Orleans Saints - Another good victory against a divisional rival .  This team most be looking forward to their next three games and a chance to be 10-0.

Minnesota Vikings – Favre will be happy after beating the Packers in their won back yard but now they most keep winning.

Denver Broncos – The actual score line will hurt more than the lose but this team still have a chance to go 10-6 at least.

New England Patriots - It is a good bye week when your main rivals beat up each other and extend your divisional lead.

Cincinnati Bengals - This team is a real threat to someone in the playoffs if they can remain healthy.

Dallas Cowboys – HUGE game versus the Eagles next week.  Romo is looking better though but everyone remembers the last game in Philly.

Philadelphia Eagles – Just like the Cowboys this is a HUGE game since whoever wins it takes advantage in the NFC East with the Giants in freefall.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Slowing beginning to look like the Super Bowl champs.

Houston Texans - Made franchise history this week but if they want to show they can compete with the big boys they need to play beat the Colts on Sunday.

Baltimore Ravens - A good win over Denver last week but they need to start winning on a consistent basis.

New York Giants - Boy does this team need a bye week soon.  The Chargers will love playing against this dodgy defence.

Arizona Cardinals - For a change this team can’t win at home and are great away from home.  Bad defeat to the Panthers on Sunday.

Atlanta Falcons - Coming close to beating the Saints just isn’t good enough at the moment.

Chicago Bears - They need to start winning away from Solider Field.

Green Bay Packers – Their season is over if Rodgers keeps getting beat up like he did on Sunday.

San Diego Chargers - Rivers will be looking forward to the Giants on Sunday.

New York Jets – Why can’t they beat the Dolphins?

Miami Dolphins - Boy did Ted Ginn Jr look good running back kick offs.

Carolina Panthers – Finally the coaching staff remembered to run the football.

Jacksonville Jaguars – Just waiting on Jones-Drew to start complaining about never getting the ball.  come on guys he got over 150 yards on 8 touches and then you decide to let David Garrard win you the game.

San Francisco  49ers – Alex Smith looked good for two weeks running, now he only needs to win a game.

Buffalo Bills – This team needs to start producing results against dgood teams and not just the bad ones in the league.

Seattle Seahawks - Really just not playing all that well.

Washington Redskins - This is the only team that looks better when they aren’t playing.

Oakland Raiders - Still can’t believe they beat Philly this year.

Tennessee Titans - Could this be the start of a run  of results?

St Louis Rams - finally Steven Jackson got some reward for all his hard work.

Kansas City Chiefs – Need a win this weekend.

Detroit Lions – Losing to the Rams is a bad thing.

Cleveland Browns - They could well be the worse team in the NFL right now.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - This is one ugly football team.

NFL Predictions week 8

Denver to beat Baltimore

Both teams are coming off a bye week and should be rested and healthy but I can see the Broncos winning this by simply playing Ravens football.  Great defence with lots of pressure and having a QB that looks after the ball.

Houston to beat Buffalo

Schaub and the Texans must be looking forward to playing the Bills even if it is in Buffalo.  Look for Schaub to continue throwing the ball a lot and for the Texans to pick up another win.

Chicago to beat Cleveland

Any team could beat the Browns at the moment and the Bears are actually ok at home it’s only away from Solider Field that Cutler loses the plot.

Dallas to beat Seattle

Romo seems to have finally found someone to replace TO pity it isn’t the man they gave up so many draft picks for.  Austin must be a certain starter on so many fantasy teams this weekend.

Dolphins to beat New York Jets

This could be a close game again but I think Henne and Brown will do enough offensively to handle the Jets good running game.  This game might be decided by who gets the most pressure off their defence.

Indianapolis to beat San Francisco

Peyton Manning will throw for 3 touchdowns at least and the 49ers will probably give up on Alex Smith again once the Colts defence start getting pressure on him.

New York Giants to beat Philadelphia

Just know sure about this game but think the Eli Manning will have enough in his locker to win this game plus he normally plays well against divisional rivals.

Detroit to beat St Louis

The Lions to win their second game of the season and for the Rams to look like a 0-16 team.  Starting to feel sorry for Steven Jackson being stuck in St Louis.

San Diego to beat Oakland

The Raiders let me down last week so they’ll probably do it again to me this week but surely Rivers and the Chargers will win this one.

Tennessee to beat Jacksonville

Yes I am taking the Titans to win this but only because the Jaguars have been so inconsistent.  Plus I just don’t think a Jeff Fisher coached team can be that bad all season.

Green Bay to beat Minnesota

The game everyone will be talking about this week.  Hopefully it will be nice and cold for Brett coming home and the Packers and Rodgers will win it.  Not sure what it is about the Vikings but for some reason I just don’t like them that much so maybe this is wishful thinking.

Arizona to beat Carolina

Warner and the Cardinals will be happy to play this poor team on national TV since it will allow them to show that they can still be Super Bowl contenders again.

New Orleans to beat Atlanta

This is turning into a must win game for the Falcons but I just think Brees and the Saints defence will be too strong for them.  Atlanta must get Michael Turner going soon or this season will be over soon.

NFL Power Rankings after week 6

1. Saints

They look scary on offence with so many weapons and nowadays they have a decent defence with Sharper looking like he will intercept a ball almost every game.  Remind me alot of the Colts on their Super Bowl run.

2. Colts

Manning looks good, Wayne looks good and they have a nice 1-2 running game with Addai and Brown.  Also helps the rest of the division is pants at the moment.

3. Vikings

Nothing seems wrong with this team and they would be 1 or 2 on my list is because Brett Favre has blown up late in the season for the last two years.  This team needs home field advantage in the play offs since Favre doesn’t like the cold weather.

4. Broncos

They are unbeaten, they look good on defence and Orton is winning games without doing anything fancy.  They also have a easy division and should have the division wrapped up pretty soon.

5. Giants

Yes they got spanked by the Saints but they have a banged up secondary and no every team has Drew Brees at QB.  Need to get more pressure from there front 4 so they don’t need to blitz so much.  The next 3 weeks will show for sure if they are a Super Bowl contender or not.

6. Falcons

A big win versus the Bears shows that Matt Ryan can take this team a long way.  Having Tony Gonzalez in the red zone helps alot too.

7. Patriots

Tom Brady and the offence had fun versus the Titans and now they must show they can do this week in and week out.

8. Bengals

Losing to the up and down Texans this week have seriously hurt this teams reputation and losing Odom for the season will hurt them more.

9. Steelers

They have started winning again, Mendanhall is running the ball well and Big Ben is putting up career numbers plus Troy is back on the defence.

10. Packers

There are alot of teams at 3-2 in the NFL and this is probably the one I personally wouldn’t want to be facing.  They have the potential to put up big numbers on offence and a defence that can cause some damage.

11. Cardinals

Arizona are starting to function on offence and because of their division they have a chance of getting in the play offs again with a .500 record.

12. Bears

Surely fans must be asking why they wasted so many picks on Cutler when Orton is winning with a Broncos team that doesn’t seem that much better on paper.  I think that if this team fails to make the play offs this year Lovie Smith is gone.

13. Ravens

They looked good the first 3 weeks and average the last 3 weeks.  Maybe they should have kept Stover has the kicker.  Defence needs to start playing better.

14. Eagles

One week they are destroying teams and next week they are losing to the Raiders.  This lose could come back to haunt them.

15. Cowboys

Romo needs to be more consistent and the defence needs to start making plays.

16. 49ers

Still not sure Shaun Hill is the answer at QB.  The team needed the bye week after being ripped a new one by Atlanta the other week.

17. Texans

So inconsistent it is unbelievable!  Great catch by Daniels this week though.

18. Jets

Sanchez is turing the ball over far too much for this team to win.  They are based on the old Ravens which is a strong defence and a QB who protects the ball.  They lose either of these things and they aren’t going to win games.

19. Jaguars

So inconsistent it is unbelievable!  Maurice Drew-Jones rushed well this week but will he do next week?

20. Dolphins

Henne played well versus the Jets but asking him to play like that all season may be asking too much.  Expect lots of Wildcat for the remainder of the season.

21. Chargers

Rivers and Merriman spend far too much time mouthing off at opponents rather than focusing on their own play.  Norv Turner can’t last another year in San Diego.

22. Seahawks

Just have too many holes at the moment to win on a consistent basis.

23. Bills

Trent Edwards getting hurt won’t help this team.  Actually surprised how bad this team have been this season.  Yet another coach that must go at the end of the season.

24. Panthers

Too tough a division for a team that is plainly not playing that well.

25. Raiders

Nice win this week but who really cares about this team anymore.

26. Redskins

Zorn is gone soon and so this team needs to find a head coach who is going to stay in place for 3 or more years and make a difference.  They will draft a QB with next years first round pick.

27. Lions

Out of all the teams in with only 1 win this season this is the only one that looks like it has some talent on its roster.

28. Chiefs

Yes they beat the Redskins but this isn’t something to brag about these days.

29. Browns

Cleveland don’t look any better under Mangini.

30. Titans

Jeff Fisher is too good a coach for this team to keep playing this badly.

31. Rams

They had a chance to win on Sunday bit blow it, story of their season so far.

32. Buccaneers

Man this team down right stinks.  The Pats will look forward to playing them next week in London.

What we learnt from Week 6 of the NFL

The New Orleans Saints and the Denver Broncos are Super Bowl contenders.  Noone will fancy playing either of these teams in the play offs especially if they get home field advantage.  Denver in January is not the place you want to go to unless it is for winter sports and the Superdome with a big crowd will also be a formidable place.  Both these posted big wins over teams everyone thought would be challenging for their divisions.

Washington and Tennessee have real big problems.  The Redskins have had the easiest schedule in the NFL and yet are still only 2 – 4, Jim Zorn is no longer play calling on the offensive side of the ball and let’s face it everyone thinks he will be sacked during the bye week.  The Titans on the other hand have a coach who the owner believes in and so there is unlikely to be any change at head coach but there might be change at a few other positions.  QB springs to mind since Kerry Collins isn’t lighting the heather on fire and they do have a high draft pick sitting on the bench in Vince Young.  I wouldn’t be surprised if either of these teams made a move for a QB during the off season.

Minnesota have everything working well and even have a little luck since they really should have lost the game on Sunday versus the Ravens.

The New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks have little chance of making the play offs if they continue to play at their present level.

Finally never has there been a season where so many teams know their season is over after 6 weeks.  Look for a lot of rookies to get some playing time over the next 11 weeks so that teams can make a decision about keeping them or by getting rid of them during the off season especially if there is an uncapped year.

NFL Week 6 Predictions

Cincinnati to beat Houston

The Texans are a strange team that can put up big numbers but at the same time can let the opposition have a good day.  The Bengals are good enough and confident enough to have a great day on offence and should get win number 5 here.

Green Bay to beat Detroit

The Packers O-line is terrible but yet Rodgers still manages to put up decent numbers.  This tells you that if the Packers can sort out the 0-line they can be challengers for the NFC North title.  After having a bye week look for them to better but not that much better.

Jacksonville to beat St Louis

The Jaguars have problems but then so do the Rams.  Jaguars are at home so they should win but only if they pound the ball with Maurice Jones-Drew.

Baltimore to beat Minnesota

Ray Lewis and the Ravens are hurting after a couple of big losses and ones they feel were down more to the officials than them (not sure I agree with them mind), so look for them to get a huge win in Minnesota.  AP will have a decent day but not sure he’ll break the 100 yard mark.  Also look for Favre to be under a lot of pressure.

New Orleans to beat New York

The Saints have had a bye week to get healthy and the one thing the Giants aren’t is healthy especially in the secondary.  Yes the back ups have played well but not sure how long that can last.  Look for Brees to throw is usual ton of balls and to put up big numbers again.

Pittsburgh to beat Cleveland

The Steelers are so hot and cold it is frightening but they are playing the Browns so they should win easily.  Big Ben and Mendanhall to both have big games.

Tampa Bay to beat Carolina

Yes the Panthers won last week but it was only against the Redskins.  Yes the Bucs can’t beat anyone but somehow I think this is their week to surprise everyone.

Washington to beat Kansas City

Surely my beloved Redskins can beat the Chiefs surely!  I’m going to say yes but don’t be shocked to see the Chiefs picking up their first win here.

Philadelphia to beat Oakland

The Raiders are glad that the Rams, Browns and Bills are in the league since it keeps attention away from them and just how bad they are.  Sorry to see Russell struggling so badly but then again he shouldn’t have been so greedy and ruined his rookie year.  Eagles will win be 30 this week.

Seattle to beat Arizona

Who knows who will win this game since both teams are hot and cold.  So going to pick the Seahawks since they are at home.

Tennessee to beat the Patriots

I think this is the shock of the week and it better be for Jeff Fishers sake or he is going to make a tough decision about the QB position really soon.  Patriots will lose 2 in a row for the first time in ages or at least it feels like ages.

New York to beat Buffalo

Does anyone think that the Bills will win this one?  Nope didn’t think so.  Easy win for the Jets.

Atlanta to beat Chicago

The Bears to lose a close one and this make the NFC North really interesting.  Plus this lose might get rid of the silly talk about Jay Cutler for MVP.  Falcons should continue on from were they left off last week.

Denver to beat San Diego

The Broncos to win again and this will surely annoy all the so-called experts who wrote they off during the off-season.  The Chargers continue to show that they talk a good game but more often than not fail to show up when really needed.

My thoughts about Week 5 in the NFL

Week 5 showed some interesting things in the NFL starting with the Bengals proving they are for real after beating the much fancied Ravens in Baltimore.  Yes they needed help from Ray Lewis but yet again Carson Palmer showed he is still a quality QB.  Cincinnati are one miracle play away from being perfect.

Though speaking of the week 1 loss to the Broncos brings us nicely onto Denver.  This team was written off at the start of the season but McDaniels, Orton and a quality defence has shown that this team has a good chance of making the playoffs.  Orton hasn’t done anything pretty but he hasn’t done anything wrong either.

Week 5 also showed that the NFC East is between 2 teams Philly and NY since both the Redskins and the Cowboys really are just not that good.  Although the Cowboys won they only beat the Chiefs and Washington, in fact let’s not even go there since it just upsets me.

Buffalo and Cleveland could just be the two worse teams to have played in the NFL and to say that the game on Sunday was dreadful would be an understatement.  6 – 3?  I have been to higher scoring football games (that is proper football!)

The Colts and the Giants both look good and I expect that you properly won’t get very good odds for a Manning bowl in Miami at the end of the season.  Both the Manning brothers are also clear MVP leaders along with Jared Allan of the Vikings.

Finally week 5 showed that a lot of teams are still searching for an identity.  Take Jacksonville and Seattle for two good examples.  Either these teams are either good or rotten but they are hardly good or rotten two weeks in a row.  Look for the Jags to bounce back this week and play well and if you do fantasy football but little Jones-Drew in your team since he should see a lot of the ball versus St Louis.

Predictions for NFL week 5

Ravens to beat the Bengals

Baltimore is playing well but so are the Bengals but I just think the Ravens will have too much for them.  Look for the Ravens defence to play much better after last week.

Panthers to beat the Redskins

Is anyone interested in this game?  Really two bad teams and I fancy the Panthers to win because they are at home.

Bills to beat the Browns

The Browns can’t score on offence and to make things worse they have traded Edwards to the Jets.  Guess they have already written off the season.  The Bills aren’t much better but are at home at least.

Steelers to beat the Lions

Detroit has won one game this season but they aren’t going to get win number 2 this weekend.

Cowboys to beat the Chiefs

Chiefs need to get a win soon but I can’t see it happening this weekend versus the Cowboys.  Look for the Dallas defence to play well and for Romo to have a slightly better game than he has been having.  Though it is nice to see Romo getting found out for what he really is a decent QB rather than this superstar people were making him out to be.

Vikings to beat the Rams

Peterson to get over 200 yards? Wouldn’t put it past him or for Favre to have a big game.  The Rams are probably the worse team in the NFL at the moment.

Giants to beat the Raiders

Oakland just isn’t that good and won’t be when they have a thug has head coach or a nut job as an owner. Manning and the Giants look good and should make it 5 – 0.

Eagles to beat the Buccaneers

McNabb is back and they defence is playing well whereas noone is playing all that well for the Bucs.

49ers to beat the Falcons

San Fran is playing well and I thing they will have enough to beat the Falcons on Sunday.

Cardinals to beat the Texans

I can see both teams putting up a lot of points this weekend and also look for Fitzgerald and Johnson to have big games.  Fancy the Cardinals since they are home.

Broncos to beat the Patriots

Broncos are playing well which isn’t good news for all the McDaniels haters but something I’m personally not shocked about.  Orton is playing well enough to win games and the defence is finally showing how good it can be.

Jaguars to beat the Seahawks

Just not sure about this game since both teams aren’t that great but the Jags are slightly better.

Colts to beat the Titans

When you are winless the last team you want to play is the Colts on fire and Manning playing as well as he has for a few years.  Peyton is already MVP favourite and quite rightly since without this team would be average at best.

Jets to beat the Dolphins

Two young inexperience QBs in this game but the difference is Sanchez has a great defence to get him the ball back a lot.

MVP favourite