The National Foot-Brawl League Hits Week 13

Ah, the days of the National Foot-brawl League.........

Remember the old days when the Oakland Raiders were the dirtiest team in the league?

They still are.   Of course this brawl started last season between Michael Crabtree and Aqib Talib and it's in keeping with the wild wild west of the AFC.    And amid all that in Denver the Raiders clawed back into longshot contention for the playoffs.   They need to win out their remaining games and get some help outside - but with Kansas City's recent fate they or the Chargers may get it; the caveats are the Raiders get road games at Philly, Kansas City, and at the Chargers.  

The Raiders are one of ten AFC teams still in genuine playoff contention, so games coming forward matter even more.   We thus look at those coming up in the Lucky 13th week -

Redskins over Cowboys -  The collapse of the Cowboys has vaulted the Redskins into a wildcard playoff bid, and after beating the fallen Giants the Skins have momentum while the Cowboys are lost without Zeke Elliott.   The Deadskins vs. Cowpokes rivalry remains one of the NFL's most celebrated.

Vikings over Falcons -  1998 will always be the signature game in the history of this rivalry, and with Week 13 the Vikings and Falcons now both have something big to play for with Minnesota fighting for a playoff bye and the Falcons very much in contention for the NFC South.    Both teams have enough strength (Minnesota has one of the playoff byes while the Falcons are 7-4 at this juncture) to make this perhaps game of the week.   It's clear Case Keenum is for real for the Vikings and it's also clear there is no Superbowl hangover for the Falcons.   The edge goes to a Vikings team that already beat one of the NFC's strongest teams in the Rams.


49ers over Bears -  Does Mitchell Trubisky have a future?   For that matter does C. J. Beathard?   Jimmy Garoppolo's late-game touchdown looks to have been decisive in San Francisco's decision to start him over the struggling rookie, who has San Francisco's only win but overall has not made the team competitive with anyone.  Now we see how good Garoppolo can be and if he can elevate a struggling Niners squad.


Packers over Buccaneers - The former NFC Central rivalry is renewed and the Bucs come in with their season gone and the Packers come in off a heartbreaker of a loss at Pittsburgh.   Brent Hundley hasn't made his team competitive outside of beating the Bears until this game against the Steelers and he comes into this Bucs game with confidence after so stellar a performance as he displayed, while the Bucs come in without much reason for optimism.


Jaguars over Colts - The Jaguars come off their own bitter loss, this one at Arizona, and get the falling Colts, shutout the first time these two met this year.   The Jags' only career season sweep of the Colts was in 2011's Suck For Luck campaign; look for the playoff-bound Jaguars to get another sweep this year.


Dolphins over Broncos -  Two miserable teams without competent quarterbacking playing out the string.   The Broncos' philosophy of going all-in won them a Superbowl and they're now paying for it with complete irrelevance.  

Panthers over Saints -  Last time out the Saints and Panthers were still struggling to get some momentum going.   The Saints have done a better job of it but the Panthers have been sneaky strong and even with some poor quality play out of Cam Newton (who has failed to reach 200 passing yards in four of his last five games and posted passer ratings under 72 in five of the last six) the Panthers have strung together a very good season.   New Orleans appears to be losing some steam of late and the Panthers look to jump on top of a defense 12th in scoring vs. Carolina's 8th.


NY Jets over Chiefs - The faltering of the Chiefs continues, and now some are wondering if Patrick Mahomes will start; Andy Reid's Monday presser only added to this speculation.   We doubt it given he hasn't taken a snap all season.   The Jets meanwhile are still playing people tough.


Ravens over Lions - The main strike against the Lions remains inability to beat quality opponents; Week Four's win at the Vikings is their only win so far against a quality team.   The Ravens are only 18th in scoring, but they're still in playoff contention at 6-5 despite continuing struggle from a clearly-plateaued or worse Joe Flacco; in his last six games he's reached 200 yards only once and three of those times his passer rating failed to reach 80.


Patriots over Bills -  People have forgotten the real reason why Tyrod Taylor was benched - there is no growth left in him.    This reality should be displayed again as the Patriots race headlong toward the top seed in the conference while the Bills have faltered since starting 5-2.


Titans over Texans -  Another sneaky good team has been Tennessee.   Houston lit them up for 57 points in Week Four but things have changed completely since then with Tennessee winning five of the last seven.   Gagging up the ball has remained a problem for both teams with negative turnover differential for both, while on the ground the Titans are sixth in rushing going against Houston's sixth-ranked run defense.   The Texans are a M*A*S*H unit of injuries compared to Tennessee, and Deshaun Watson's absence remains felt.  Tom Savage's collapse against the Ravens erased positive momentum from Houston's win over the Cardinals.


Chargers over Browns - By now it isn't even fair.   The Browns did shock the Chargers last season but that was then and this is a Browns team that doesn't show any fight.


Raiders over NY Giants -  The collapse of the Giants remains one of the shockers of 2017 and the benching of Eli Manning has come under fire but in reality was overdue, with the aborted trade to the Jaguars now back into Rumor Control Central. The Raiders' hopes of the playoffs require a win in this game, and beating the Giants is something the Raiders haven't done since 2001. Up and down the stat line it's a game pitting weaknesses against weaknesses in run defense, rushing, etc.


Rams over Cardinals - This game has makings of a highly-competitive affair with the Rams coming in at 8-3 and the 5-6 Cardinals getting new life with Blaine Gabbert and a tight win over the Jaguars.   The Rams didn't light up the scoreboard as much as they presumably hoped against the Saints, but it was certainly enough, and the last five meetings have been a seesaw affair with the Rams winning three of the last five. 


Eagles over Seahawks - The old Seahawks dichotomy of losing on the road and winning all their home games has been shot down this season with back-to-back home losses to the Redskins and the Falcons.   The Eagles come in with four road wins so far and hold the edge in scoring, points allowed, and turnover differential.   Where the Seahawks might have an edge is in attacking Philly's passing defense, presently 16th in the league, though Russell Wilson's completion percentage has failed to reach 62% the last two games.   Seattle's pass defense has of course been wounded with multiple secondary injuries. 

Cincinnati hasn't beaten the Steelers since Week 8 of 2015


Steelers over Bengals - Mike Tomlin in a Sunday interview talked openly about facing the Patriots in several weeks, and thus gave away a lack of focus on next week's opponent.   Not that the 5-6 Bengals - a surprising 5-6 at that - are really much of a challenge (just one Bengals win in the last eight meetings) and the speculation that Marvin Lewis will finally be fired has resurfaced.   To their credit the Bengals are tenth in fewest points allowed and fifth in passing yards allowed per game. 



Well, Lucky 13 is on the NFL roulette wheel.

Week Ten Says Fifty Four Forty Or Fight

As we approach NFL Week Ten we saw some NHL action break out in Week Nine

A hit on CJ Beatherd led to a brawl with three ejections in the Cardinals rout of the Niners

Jameis Winston and Mike Evans got into it with Sean Payton and Marshon Lattimore

AJ Green and Jaylen Ramsey as the Bengals and Jaguars brought back some of the old hatreds of the AFC Central


So with players and teams demanding "Fifty-four forty or fight," the league takes the fight to Week Ten.

Cardinals over Seahawks  -  Are the Cardinals back in this?  Adrian Peterson's rebirth (in three games he's hit over 300 yards and 4.2 YPC and even caught three passes for twenty yards) suggests they are, and they get a Seahawks squad still with a less-than-intimidating road reputation and whose homefield edge took a big hit with the loss to the Redskins.   Seattle's kicking situation with Blair Walsh may now be a problem after three gags against the Skins.


Bills over Saints  -  The New Orleans Saints are for real again, 6-2 and in the thick of the NFC's race for the playoff byes.   They are, though, 1-1 against AFC East foes this year and they go to Buffalo, a reborn outfit 2-1 against NFC South teams (head coach Sean McDermott also spent the previous six seasons as the Panthers defensive coordinator and went 7-5 against the Saints in that span) and smarting from an ugly performance against a Jets team they'd beaten earlier this season.


NY Jets over Buccaneers -  A frontrunner for disappointment of the season, the Bucs have slid out of contention and Jameis Winston is getting hurt more often; he's been benched for the next three games by the team, ostensibly to recuperate from injury but his role in the sideline brawl may be a factor, while Mike Evans got suspended for one game.  


Steelers over Colts -  The Colts got a morale booster in winning at Houston, but they get a far better quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger (4-2 lifetime vs the Colts) this time around and it does not appear Jacoby Brissett can handle an opponent like this.


Titans over Bengals -  The Bengals have slunk back into their previous status as The Bungles.  AJ Green's fight in the Jaguars game was a graphic metaphor for the collapse of the team, and they get a Titans team now solidly on its way forward.


Vikings over Redskins -  The Vikings lost to the Skins last season and enter at 6-2 to the Redskins' 4-4, and beating the Seahawks at Seattle is a big confidence-booster, but Minnesota looks to have more overall firepower.


Jaguars over Chargers -  The Jaguars have turned back the clock to 1996-99 and look like they'll keep that memory lane trip going.  The Chargers, though, have been scrappier than expected this season.


Bears over Packers - The Bears come out of their bye to host the Packers and the Packers are as bad as advertised after a 30-17 embarrassment at home to the Lions.    Brent Hundley won't win the Packers many games - if he even wins any - and the Bears have opportunity to gain Mitchell Trubisky experience and needed confidence.

 

 

Lions over Browns -  The Why Me, Why Is It Always Me? tour for the Browns continues as they go to Detroit.    This rivalry is remembered for one game above all others............

Matthew Stafford's first signature win was in 2009 when he erased a 24-3 gap to stun the Browns - and Eric Mangini - despite breaking his left shoulder



                                         



Rams over Texans - Speaking of memory lanes, when did the Rams re-sign Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Ike Bruce, and Torry Holt?  The Texans, meanwhile, saw their future with Tom Savage in another bitter loss, this one wasting a strong comeback effort.


Cowboys over Falcons - The Falcons are clearly declining and we're not sure their struggles on offense are fixable as they take on a Cowboys team still in the fight despite the Zeke Elliott saga.


49ers over NY Giants -  The 2017 Toilet Bowl between two teams with ONE win between them.   We think Jimmy Garoppolo makes his 49ers debut in this one (this amid some bizarre speculation he could be dealt after this season) and this should be enough edge over a Giants team that can't seem to do anything.


Patriots over Broncos - The collapse of the Broncos is now obvious and their defense can't be considered all that great anymore, especially with an awful turnover differential of minus-11 vs. New England's plus-four.   The Patriots may get Malcolm Mitchell back at receiver, and they can use him with their offense struggling the last several games.

Panthers over Dolphins - Cam Newton can wear all the cheesy suits he wants facing a moribund Dolphins team off a home loss that was more lopsided than their garbage-time touchdown would indicate.  

NFL Says Merry Christmas

Every touchdown from Week 15

Now we're down to two games to go, and remember when thirteen teams were 1-3?  Well entering Week 16 seventeen teams (nine AFC and eight NFC) have winning records while the Bills, Colts, and Vikings are all at .500 - far deeper competitively than I suspect anyone thought would transpire way back after Week Four.   None of this of course does anything for the winless Browns or the hopeless NY Jets or for that matter the Jaguars, Rams, 49ers, or Bears.

So it goes for this weekend - an NFL Merry Christmas cavalcade of picks -


Eagles over NY Giants - The Giants are all but in the playoffs but their longtime stuggle against the Eagles is still a factor, especially after stunning the Eagles earlier this season. Philly lost a heartbreaker last week and being spoiler to the Giants is appealing for the Eagles.


Bears over Redskins - The Redskins had their destiny in their hands and failed, and now they face a Bears team showing more fight with Matt Barkley of late.


Dolphins over Bills  - The Dolphins have the playoffs in their sight and made a statement with their backup quarterback, and they face a Bills team that's lost five of its last eight games with lameduck coach Rex Ryan and perhaps lameduck starter Tyrod Taylor,


Vikings over Packers - The Packers squandered a big lead at Chicago last week and managed to grab the win, and they face a Vikings team that's lost seven of its last nine games, but has a two-game streak over the Packers heading to Lambeau.  


Titans over Jaguars - Doug Marrone takes over as Jaguars coach and has a respectful resume from his two seasons coaching the Bills; he faces a Titans team that is on the march and has won five games against teams with winning records so far this year, so it's doubtful Marrone can author the turnaround now.


Patriots over NY Jets - The Jets packed it in last week against Miami - which doesn't mean a thing given everyone goes all in to beat the Patriots.  New England though is clicking all around despite only sixteen points scored at Denver.  


Chargers over Browns - The Browns have been hopeless for a long time even with a collapsing Chargers team that blew it last week yet again.


Panthers over Falcons - The Panthers ground out an important win last week and the Falcons have the Buccaneers hard on their heels despite the loss at Dallas Sunday night.  The Falcons hammered two hapless NFC West teams - no doubt remembering all the abuse they took as a member of the NFC West - but face a sterner foe in the Panthers, plus the Falcons have been a little spotty with a 3-2 record the last five games.


Raiders over Colts  - The Colts got back on track at Minnesota to the surprise of a lot of people, but the Raiders ground out a needed win last week and are far tougher than the Colts.


Seahawks over Cardinals - It simply wasn't meant to be for the Cardinals this season and a successor to Carson Palmer now needs to become a matter of exploration.


Buccaneers over Saints - The Bucs ground out a 16-11 win over the Saints the first time around and the inconsistency of Drew Brees in general and against Jameis Winston in particular continues - Winston has won two of his first three meetings with the Saints while the Saints were one of those thirteen 1-3 teams, except they haven't responded, going only 5-5 since then.


Rams over 49ers - Both are dismal; one is worse (the Niners) so interim coach John Fassel can get his first win here.   The longer term headache remains Jared Goff, woefully incapable of handling the NFL game.


Texans over Bengals - Tom Savage is now starter and not too soon with the Titans breathing down Houston's neck.   The big question for the Bengals is not whether Marvis Lewis should be fired - it's why has AJ McCarron not replaced Andy Dalton?  Dalton has not shown evidence he can get better; McCarron has already proven he can handle playoff football.


Ravens over Steelers - A lot of people are fooling themselves into thinking the Steelers are a Superbowl-caliber squad; the reality is they've been owned by the Ravens since the 2010 season (the Ravens have won nine of the last twelve meetings), are only 9-5 with four of their losses coming against winning teams, and haven't reached 30 points scored since the loss to the Cowboys.   The Steelers haven't been a Superbowl-caliber team since they last went to the AFC-NFL Title Game and have only one playoff win since the 2010 AFC Championship Game.  


Chiefs over Broncos - The Broncos' collapse continued with the loss to the Patriots and an argument between Aqib Talib and Russell Okung after that game, to go with pathetic trash-talking from Emauel Sanders about Malcolm Butler even though Butler contained Sanders more effectively than anyone else so far.   The Chiefs are now in must-win mode while the Broncos have lost all momentum.


Lions over Cowboys - It didn't look it against the Giants as Matthew Stafford once again failed on the road against a quality opponent, but the Lions still have momentum for their first division title in nearly three decades and the Cowboys got back into the win column but are still vulnerable.   Overall Stafford's play has improved to where winning road games against quality opponents isn't necessarily impossible anymore, though he has to actually start doing it, and now.


Merry Christmas from the NFL - which means Not For Long, Jerry Glanville.

Week 15 Begins Block Party

The New York Jets and LA Rams opened Week 15 by showcasing again their utter irrelevance and the playoff race got more solid in some spots but murkier in others.

The resurgence of the Miami Dolphins advanced further as they bitchslapped the hated Jets yet again; the competitive phase of the game ended with this four-minute rampage of Miami Dolphins touchdowns.   Matt Moore filled in for injured Ryan Tannehill and the Jets made him look like a real quarterback.

The first pivot point for the playoff push came from the Titans, who clawed forward on a tundra in Kansas City needing to win out to have any shot at the playoffs.   The Titans scored a late touchdown, but Mike Mularkey nearly gagged it away on an unsuccessful two-point conversion; the Titans forced a Chiefs punt and drove to try a 53-yard field goal.

Andy Reid had lost five of his first six career meetings with the Titans, and it showed when he called a timeout on Ryan Succop's first try; given a second shot, Succop blasted the ball through.  

Tennessee's clutch win not only helped themselves it was a doubly costly affair for the Chiefs, as the Oakland Raiders clawed to a 19-16 win over the Chargers and now have a one-game lead in the AFC West.   With Kansas City's sweep of their divisional series the Raiders need to win out to get the division.

The big game was the Patriots at the Broncos with a lot of talk about Tom Brady's 2-7 record at Denver; Brady struggled at first but being Tom Brady he brushed it aside, made the plays needed to be made, and ground out the 16-3 win, securing a bye week and the AFC East; Tennessee's win over Kansas City all but secured the AFC's top seed for the Patriots while Miami's win over the Jets combined to put the Broncos on the brink of becoming the first defending Superbowl champion knocked out of the playoffs the next year since the 2013 Ravens - and with a report that Broncos players had to be separated in the locker room afterward, it further shows how shallow the Broncos truly are. 

The wildest game of the weekend and perhaps the wildest of the entire season was New Orleans' astonishing 48-41 win over the Cardinals.   

The Packers played their way back toward the playoffs despite blowing the lead to the Bears, who clearly are better with Matt Barkley than they were with Jay Cutler. 

Tennessee's win became all the more needed as the Houston Texans rallied to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 21-20; they did so by finally benching Brock Osweiler; in his stead Tom Savage took over and led the comeback.   It's now clear the Texans made a colossal mistake signing Osweiler and one senses he has played his way out of Houston despite that $72 million contract.    It was an even costlier affair for the Jaguars as coach Gus Bradley was fired after the game. 

The AFC South isn't quite out of the Indianapolis Colts' reach but they need to win out and get big-time help the next two games - especially from Denver, presently ahead of the Colts on the outside looking in for the AFC - while the Vikings' playoff hopes took a nosedive as Adrian Peterson made his return and the Vikings responded by getting crushed 34-6.

The AFC North race now faces the pivotal game Christmas day.   First the Steelers rallied to beat the Bengals, cementing Cincinnati's inability to overcome their history of failing in the clutch.

Next the Ravens escaped the Eagles when a two-point attempt at the end went wrong.   The Ravens can win the division next week, already owning a win over the Steelers. 

The grinder of a win by the Cowboys over the Buccaneers was a needed rally after their bitter loss to the Giants and inched the Cowboys closer to the top seed in the NFC, though they need one more win to secure that top seed regardless of what the NY Giants or anyone else do. 

And because we have to, the 49ers actually put up a few points but in the end were a pointless exercise as the Falcons solidified their hold on the NFC South.



So the playoff push in the NFL gets tighter and more interesting.

NFL Playoff Race Tightens With Titans And Others

The Patriots took a more solid hold on the AFC's top seed with a clutch Monday Night victory over the Ravens.

The undisputed highlight was Brady's Moss-esque bomb to Chris Hogan.



So with three games to go the playoff push keeps getting more interesting the next sixteen games become all the more important, so we look ahead to this coming weekend -


Seahawks over Rams - Jeff Fisher is now gone and the Seahawks come in smarting from being humiliated by the Packers. Jared Goff is clearly a failure and the suddenly-struggling Seahawks are in almost must-win mode, especially with the return of their old road struggle bugaboo.


Dolphins over NY Jets - The Dolphins dodged a bullet with injury to Ryan Tannehill not as bad as feared after the win over the Cardinals. They go to Metlife Stadium still with a legitimate playoff shot and facing the 4-9 Jets. The caveat here is Bryce Petty began to show improvement, albiet against the 49ers and amid rumblings Todd Bowles will be fired after the season.


Lions over NY Giants - Matthew Stafford has the Lions at 9-4 (the same record as the Giants) and has won fifteen of his last twenty-one games including his last two road games. The Giants defense is clearly stout, but the offense is not, with Eli Manning seemingly locked onto Odell Beckham Jr. at the expense of others, plus Beckham hasn't been all that good the last five or so games. Eli's passer rating (87.8) is well below Stafford's (97.8).


Vikings over Colts - The Colts have actually gotten better in road games lately, winning their last three including only the third career win over an AFC East opponent in Andrew Luck's five seasons in the league. But the 6-7 Colts remain an iffy team with just 38 points in their last three losses. The Vikings aren't exactly great shakes either at 7-6 but they go for the sweep of the AFC South, something their division rivals certainly can't claim this season, and despite his struggles Sam Bradford's passer rating (98.2) is higher than Andrew Luck's (95.3). This one could produce quite a few points. Expect quite a bit of the run as well as neither team's run defense is much (both teams average a combined 4.4 yards per carry allowed)


Titans over Chiefs - I'm going out on a limb on this one given Kansas City's superb season presently with the AFC's second seed. The Titans, though, have shown the most growth with Marcus Mariota (his 99.1 passer rating is higher than Alex Smith's 92.7) and presently are 11th in scoring compared to Kansas City's 14th; the Chiefs though have the decisive edge in points allowed (8th compared to Tennessee's 20th). The big weakness for the Chiefs is run defense (27th in the league) with the Titans third in rushing yardage. The other weakness is Andy Reid is 1-5 lifetime against the Titans.


Bears over Packers - This one screams mismatch, but the Packers have been far more inconsistent than usual and the Bears have changed quarterbacks and with Matt Barkley they've shown more competitiveness. The Packers are also just 4-3 in their last seven division games and remain the frontrunning phonies they've always been under Aaron Rodgers. The subplot here is the rumor of ex-Colts GM Bill Polian coming to the Bears front office, a rumor Polian has denied for now.


Steelers over Bengals - The Andy Dalton era Bengals have never matched up well with the Steelers and the Steelers got a break when the Ravens fell on Monday Night.


Ravens over Eagles - In typical low-class and delusional style Terrell Suggs - curiously held on the sideline for lengthy periods when the Ravens defense was on the field in Foxboro - vowed the Patriots "had better hope" they don't play the Ravens again. First, though, he and a Ravens offense that exploded against Miami but looked confused against the Patriots (and where a rift of sorts has developed between Joe Flacco and coordinator Marty Mornhinwig) need to shoot down a falling Eagles squad whose playoff hopes are gone and whose quarterback in Carson Wentz has been in something of a freefall. This task gets harder with a meltdown by Steve Smith and admission by Suggs that the Ravens were rattled - "we're all a little messed up."


Bills over Browns - The hot rumor here is that Rex Ryan is on his way out and Anthony Lynn supposedly will take over, with quarterback Tyrod Taylor benched for rookie Cardale Jones. The Bills get the winless Browns this week to try and right this ship.


Texans over Jaguars - Only on paper has Blake Bortles outplayed the woefully inconsistent Brock Osweiler; in the actual games (of which Houston has won the last five against the Jaguars) the Texans remain in the division hunt with the Jaguars trying to pick up the pieces; an interesting subplot here is rumor that the Jaguars will reach out to their first ever coach, Tom Coughlin.


Falcons over 49ers - Suddenly the NFC South isn't so secure for the Falcons with the surging Buccaneers breathing down their throat, so beating the abysmal 49ers is a must for Matt Ryan's bunch.


Cardinals over Saints - By now it's clear - Drew Brees is done as a title-contending quarterback (or even one who can win a lot of games - 26 losses the last three seasons and just one winning season the last four) and Sean Payton has shot his bolt as Saints coach. The Cardinals haven't taken any next step and their playoff hopes are gone, not to mention playing with questions about their coach's long-term health. But the Cardinals are still decent on both sides of the ball, though drawing up a replacement for Carson Palmer needs to become a priority.


Raiders over Chargers - The Raiders appear a playoff lock at 10-3, but need to win out and get help to win the division. Tennessee can give them some help at Kansas City and the Raiders get a Chargers team with one division win the last two seasons. Philip Rivers is finished as a relevant quarterback and the Chargers coaching staff has now proven they can't handle it.


Patriots over Broncos - The Patriots defense sent a message on Monday Night - they're not as bad as they looked earlier this season. The Patriots offense also sent a message - it finally is starting to ween Tom Brady off the Edelman binky. Julian Edelman was targeted fifteen times with just seven catches, and he wasn't the decisive weapon in Monday Night's game; those were Martellus Bennett - who now looks healthy after several weeks appearing somewhat hobbled - James White (81 yards on three catches), and Chris Hogan. Malcolm Mitchell also made key catches and a touchdown. The Patriots also defied the analyses about the Ravens run defense and put up 95 yards on the ground; LeGarrette Blount increasingly looks like the workhorse back the Patriots usually don't utilize. They have this against a shaky Broncos team exposed as such by the Titans last week between first-half rushing struggles and also Trevor Siemian's failure to finish a comeback effort.


Buccaneers over Cowboys - Suddenly the Cowboys look one-dimensional as Zeke Elliott appeared to be their only offense in their third straight loss to the New York Giants, and one labors to remember one clutch catch made by Dez Bryant; one certainly remembers his fumble. Turnovers have been a plus for the Bucs, plus-eleven in turnover differential the last eight games, though only plus-one compared to the Cowboys in that same span. The last two games have been instructive as the Bucs have scored 44 points to 24 for the Boys. The big advantage for the Cowboys is the Bucs' run defense can be eaten up by Elliott and company.


Panthers over Redskins - The Panthers' atrocious start continues to cripple their season with the playoffs now gone; they have though won four of their last seven games with two of the losses in that span stunning gag-jobs against AFC West foes. The Redskins in that same span are 3-3-1 and have lost two of their last three with more than 27 points scored only once in their last nine (the Panthers have broken that total twice in the last three weeks). While it's clear Jay Gruden and Kirk Cousins are building something positive in DC they do not appear ready yet for the next step.


So we await Week 14.

Rumor Control Central Jockeys For The Playoffs

The "newest" player in the NFL's 2016 season has arrived and it's Rumor Control Central as the playoff jockeying is here.

The 49ers failed yet again after a report circulated that GM Trent Baalke, under fire for the collapse of the team the last three years, will be fired; the sub-rumor is Mike Shanahan may come back into the league, this time with the Niners, where he'd been an assistant coach in the mid-1990s. For the NY Jets it was an important game for rookie Bryce Petty as he pulled off the win.

The other big pregame rumor is that Rex Ryan will be fired from the Bills, and before the end of the season; Mike Florio explains that the Bills want assistant coach Anthony Lynn to take over and don't want anyone else to have a shot at hiring him.   The sub-rumor is Tyrod Taylor is done and Cardale Jones will finish the season.

The AFC West race got curiouser, and so did the AFC South.  First the Chiefs finished a sweep of the Raiders - Andy Reid's seventh win in eight meetings as Chiefs coach - and the Titans pulled off the win over the Broncos, who are now 8-5..........

......and out of the AFC playoffs as Miami shot down the faltering Cardinals; it proved a costly win as Ryan Tannehill was injured.   

The Colts meanwhile hit uncharted territory as the Houston Texans beat them again - their first season sweep of the Colts since they started.   With the tiebreaker the Texans lead the Titans for the AFC South - in this, the 20th anniversary of the final season of the Houston Oilers as a Houston team.

The other big rumor is that Bill Polian, former GM of the Colts in the Peyton Manning era and the Bills in the K-Gun era, will be hired by the Bears.   Having been out of the game for awhile one wonders how effective it would be to sign him.  

The irrelevance of the Saints continues and the resurgence of the Buccaneers also continues. 

It was that kind of game for the Cowboys as they took the lead and did nothing the rest of the night.   One also has to ask - when was the last clutch play made by Dez Bryant?   Dakota Prescott and Zeke Elliott look vulnerable now; the Cowboys looked one-dimensional in this game with basically no one other than Elliott doing anything.

Only the Browns - they decided it was a good idea to start Robert Griffin III, and the result shows why they're 0 for the season.

The first coaching casualty has hit the league with Jeff Fisher fired a week after word came out he'd signed an extention; John Fassel will serve as interim coach.   Fisher's firing comes as Jared Goff, the quarterback the Rams drafted to be the future, is clearly history with five INTs and his own teammates seemingly turning against him as the incident shown here with Todd Gurley suggests. 


And so it goes with the Patriots and Ravens beckoning.

Approaching The NFL's Final Four

The New York Jets have become the New York Jets again - the personification of laughable incompetence.

The NFL is now entering the final four weeks of its 2016 season, and there are still some playoff races to be determined, so we look ahead to Week 14.

Some bad play has hurt quite a few teams and Week 13's blooper reel is worth a gander.


Chiefs over Raiders - The Chiefs back in Week Four looked like a developing trainwreck the way they got destroyed by the Pittsburgh Steelers; now they are a juggernaut after winning on - of all things - a pick-Two.   They beat the Raiders in Oakland already and so aren't afraid of the Raiders in KC.


Titans over Broncos - On paper this doesn't look like a favorable matchup for the Titans coming off their bye as they get the 8-4 Broncos, a team that's won four of five previous meetings with the Titans as a Tennessee team.   The Broncos defense remains stout, albeit not as good as advertised as shown by the four losses (even with that the Broncos are sixth in fewest points allowed), and this is Marcus Mariota's first meeting with the Broncos.   One area that may be an advantage for the Titans is the Broncos run defense is allowing 4.2 yards per carry, with the Titans averaging 4.8 YPC and Mariota's redzone efficiency and ability to look off opponent defenses will certainly be tested with an opponent in Trevor Siemian who has won a lot of games but really hasn't shown advancement in his game as the season has gone on.


Dolphins over Cardinals - The Cardinals stopped the bleeding with their win over the Skins, but have to travel to a Miami team that's smarting from getting humiliated by the Ravens and is lightyears better than anyone thought they'd be, especially with regard to Ryan Tannehill's play versus an aging Carson Palmer.


Vikings over Jaguars -  The regression of Blake Bortles has been stunning and disheartening given the progress people thought was there in 2015; with that progress clearly illusory the Jaguars have plunged into yet another losing season, with a winning season no closer to this organization than it was before the season started.   The Vikings are reeling and need this win a lot more than the out-of-it Jaguars do.


Bengals over Browns -  The hopelessness of the Browns doesn't require any elaboration, and the Bengals finally began to turn things around in embarrassing the Eagles last week.


Steelers over Bills - The Bills now appear to be falling out of contention with another Rex Ryan promise unfulfilled as they get a Steelers team that got a big win last week.  


Colts over Texans  - It's now clear Brock Osweiler was a mistake, as the more he plays the worse he seems to get; it's also clear Andrew Luck showed something we thought he didn't have with his first win over an AFC opponent since 2012 (and first over the NY Jets).   It's also clear that Bill O'Brien is not capable of grooming quarterbacks, having failed to groom one to any kind of legitimate extent in his time in Houston.


Eagles over Redskins - The Eagles now appear eliminated from playoff contention, but the Redskins now appear to be sliding out of contention and the Eagles want momentum, and can get it in spoiling someone else's playoff hopes.


Buccaneers over Saints - The Saints are falling apart and Drew Brees can no longer be considered an elite quarterback.   The Bucs meanwhile are now on a legitimate surge - all the way to the division lead - and Jameis Winston more and more is developing into the real deal.  


Panthers over Chargers - The Chargers blew it yet again.   Needing to lead a comeback, Philip Rivers threw another killer INT.   Like his former Chargers teammate Drew Brees, Rivers simply is not elite and never will be again; if anything both are net liabilities for their teams.    The Chargers now have to go to Carolina, itself fighting ineptitude and what appears to be a looming disciplinary issue after Cam Newton was benched for the opening play at Seattle.   In a battle of bad teams that should be good, look for the Panthers to salvage some pride. 


Lions over Bears  -  Matt Barkley is now Bears starter and his passer rating, touchdown to INT ratio, and completion percentage are the worst of the three starters the Bears have fielded.   The Bears now have to go to a surging Lions team that - believe it or not - now looks like a team that can win at least one playoff game.    They of course have to get through the remaining four games first.


49ers over NY Jets  -  Right now one wonders if Blaine Gabbert will start after Colin Kaepernick completed one pass at Chicago and the Niners celebrated what they thought was a touchdown and got penalized for the laughably protracted celebration.  But if the Niners are the worst team in the NFC the Jets may actually be worse than the Browns in the AFC after their atrocious performance against the Colts.    They appeared to quit against the Colts long before the fourth quarter and have huge salary issues with utter failure by most of their big name players.  


Seahawks over Packers - The Packers won last week but their dismal performance against Russell Wilson gives the Seahawks an edge despite not winning in four of their road games.   The Packers remain the ultimate frontrunning fraud and didn't exactly acquit themselves all that hotly against the Texans.


Falcons over Rams -  The Falcons are faltering again but get a dismal Rams team whose starting quarterback in just a few games looks like a failure; Jared Goff has shown no competent reading of the field and seemingly no ability to establish any command of the quarterbacking position. 


Cowboys over NY Giants - The Giants have had a strong season but losing to the Steelers comes at the worst possible time with the Cowboys - unbeaten since losing to the Giants in Week One - looking for payback in Metlife Stadium, and where in 2015's Metlife match honorary Giants captains actors Peter Hermann, Mariska Hargitay, and their little angel August proved a good luck charm for the Gints, that mojo doesn't look effective against Dakota Prescott and company.  

2014's playoff shootout remains the signature game between the Patriots and the Ravens


Patriots over Ravens - Much discussion has been made downing the Patriots defense for ostensible poor performance against quality opponents, ignoring the Patriots are 3-1 against such opponents so far and giving up 31 points to the Seahawks is not terribly impressive in today's game; that particular game came down to a surprising failure by the Patriots goalline offense.   The Patriots are now working with a different offensive setup with Gronkowski on IR but showed some depth in the offense and some physicality against a Rams team starting to make cheap hits and face a deadly but still erratic Joe Flacco.    Flacco's erraticism shows in that the Miami win was just the third time the Ravens scored over 25 points this year and the Patriots are plus-nine in turnover differential compared to the Ravens coming in - Flacco by himself has eleven INTs compared to New England's combined eight turnovers.  With all that expect points to pile up.



The countdown begins.......

Week 13 NFL Down To Nitty Gritty

The nitty gritty has now begun for the NFL's 2016 season and what has been a much more competitive season than I think a lot of people thought looks to be even more so.

Week 12's touchdown montage


Cowboys over Vikings - The Cowboys have only failed once this year - in Week One, with a rematch pending and a far different Cowboys team coming in. The Vikings meanwhile have faltered badly with Sam Bradford and it won't get any better this week.


Lions over Saints - The three best things to happen to Matthew Stafford have been - the hiring of Jim Caldwell as head coach, the firing of Joe Lombardi and replacement with Jim Bob Cooter - yeah yeah, the name sounds like something out of 19 Kids And Counting, big deal - as offensive coordinator, and the retirement of Calvin Johnson.   Caldwell clearly fits with Stafford and Cooter clearly fits far better than Lombardi, but perhaps the biggest deal is Calvin Johnson had become Stafford's binky and now without a binky Stafford has had to throw to more people - and it's made him a better quarterback to where he's now beating quality opponents where for the longest time he couldn't.

One of Stafford's signature games was the amazing 2013 shootout win over the Cowboys - it was also one of just a few wins over a quality opponent Stafford pulled off until the last year or two.

The Lions get a Saints team that's certainly played well but is only 5-6 and has gone just 3-3 the last six games (the Lions in contrast are 5-1) and New Orleans' defensive woes are too well known to require any elaboration.   The trendings have been for the Lions and against the Saints.

Last year the Niners pulled off one of the wildest finishes of the 2015 season

Bears over 49ers - Matt Barkley we think will start this game and after a very slow start against the Titans led a spirited comeback attempt decided on a goalline stand.   Barkley may be the quarterback John Fox needs with the incompetent volume stats whore Jay Cutler clearly done.   The Niners are stuck with Colin Kaepernick, who nonetheless has been playing better the last few games.


Packers over Texans - Just 2-3 in their last five games, the Texans are clearly falling out of the playoffs with the Tennessee Titans on their bye week, and they go to Lambeau Field to face a Packers team that got a morale-boosting win at Philly.   Not only is Osweiler playing more and more poorly, Bill O'Brien is showing more and more he is not the quarterback guru people thought he was.\


Broncos over Jaguars - The loss to the Chiefs was a major blow to a Broncos team now out of the playoffs on tiebreakers but they get a Jaguars team that's 2-9 and a quarterback in Blake Bortles who has now shown little reason to feel a renaissance can happen.


Eagles over Bengals - The Eagles are no longer a playoff contender, but they get a reeling Bengals squad this week.


Patriots over Rams -  The Rams looked encouraging earlier this season but have faltered and now are starting Jared Goff, whose completion percentage is slightly lower than Case Keenum's.   The Patriots are banged up and trying to rest some of their starters as much as they can, but with a race for the top seed developing with the Raiders the good news is Brady is now throwing to more people in Chris Hogan and Malcolm Mitchell, not to mention the returning Dion Lewis.  


Dolphins over Ravens - It's clear Adam Gase is getting more out of Ryan Tannehill than anyone thought he had and the Dolphins have everything to play for now plus they've beaten some respectable competition in their winning streak.   They get an inconsistent Ravens squad that's won three of its last four but they've all been against their division foes and the only quality opponents they've beaten are the Bills and the Steelers.  


Chiefs over Falcons - Beating the Broncos was huge for the Chiefs and the division is a real possibility now as they face a Falcons team that's gone 3-3 their last six games; one also has to remain dubious about Matt Ryan down the stretch.


Raiders over Bills - The Bills have been good; the Raiders, though, are playing lights-out and Derek Carr is the real deal.   The wildcard angle is the mediocrity of the Raiders defense; the Bills, though, haven't reached 29 points scored since lighting up the Niners.


NY Giants over Steelers - Speaking of rejuvination the NY Giants are that with six straight wins despite no more than 28 points scored in any game all season.  They get a woefully inconsistent Steelers offense that hit 28 or more points four times yet failed to reach 20 in three of the four games in their recent losing streak.  


Redskins over Cardinals -  The Redskins are still a playoff team and the Cardinals are effectively out of the playoffs.   The Cardinals defense is still 11th in points allowed yet has been lit up for 30 or more in their last three losses.


Buccaneers over Chargers -  The Bucs surprisingly have been a better road team (4-1) than a home team (2-4) while the Chargers have been uneven (2-2) at home and have not shown as much improvement as needed in the wild wild AFC West.    The Bucs have a lot more to play for than the Chargers.


Seahawks over Panthers - There seems no bloom left for the 2015 NFC champs as they limp into Seattle off another bitter loss, but upon further review the Panthers have won three of their last five.  The inconsistency of the Seahawks may also factor in favor of the Panthers - 3-2-1 in the Seahawks' last six games and with a semi-epic meltdown at Tampa Bay to go with a 1-2 record against the NFC South.   So this may be a tougher game than one might think a #2 seed in the NFC would get.


NY Jets over Colts - What one needs to know about this matchup - Scott Tolzien cannot play (winless as a starter) and Andrew Luck is atrocious against AFC East teams - 2-9 lifetime and hasn't beaten an AFC East team since beating the Dolphins in 2012.   The Jets limp into this game looking to salvage something and look to get it, though their longer-term issue of trying to sell tickets instead of build a credible program remains.



So it's down to the nitty gritty - we apologize for the cliches.

NFL Week Twelve Changes Everything

And suddenly the NFL season is becoming what a lot of people thought would not happen when thirteen teams were 1-3 and it appeared the same teams were going to make the playoffs yet again. Thanksgiving weekend left a lot of thanks for a lot of teams to give.

The New England Patriots became the first team born in the American Football League to reach 500 franchise wins - and did so against the franchise against whom in September 1960 that got their first win.

In that process Tom Brady tied Peyton Manning for most career wins at 200, and did so in vintage clutch matter.

While the Patriots still lead the AFC East at 9-2, that lead is no longer comfortable, nor is the top seed in the AFC secure; the AFC South is now in flux as well, because....................

The Miami Dolphins clawed to a 31-24 lead and needed a goalline stand to win the game against a 49ers team that's 1-9 yet now playing better, despite the poor quarterbacking quality and worse intellectual views of Colin Kaepernick, who insulted Miami's Cuban community by supporting the late unlamented Cuban dictator and Soviet-era stooge Fidel Castro.   

Meanwhile the Tennessee Titans raced to a 21-7 lead at the Bears and led 27-21 late, but they too needed a goalline stand to win the game.   They are now 6-6 and within striking range of the AFC South with yet another poor performance by Brock Osweiler and the Houston Texans. 

The Dolphins are now the six seed in the AFC playoffs, because........

The Denver Broncos fell in one of the bitterest grinders of a game they've had in years against the Kansas City Chiefs.    Trevor Siemian exploded with two huge touchdowns in the second half, but Alex Smith stormed down in the final minutes and nailed a controversial late touchdown, then a two-point conversion that forced overtime.   The exchange of field goals led to a missed 62-yarder by the Broncos.................

..........then the Chiefs pulled off the most preposterous field goal in years for the 30-27 win.  

The Broncos thus fell out of the playoffs at 7-4 on the conference tiebreaker with the Dolphins.  

The Oakland Raiders secured their first winning season since their 2002 Superbowl season and did it in one of the wildest games of the year.   The Raiders won despite blowing a 17-point lead; they trailed by eight late, tied the game, booted a go-ahead field goal, then stopped Cam Newton hard.   They nonetheless fell to the #2 seed in the AFC on the conference record tiebreaker with the Patriots.

Meanwhile the Bucs have clawed into potential playoff contention while puncturing the myth of Seahawks invincibility - the Seahawks have now failed to win in four road games, this even though nobody could score once the two teams it 14-5.    Alterraun Verner picked off Russell Wilson, an especially bittersweet moment for him given tragedy that befell him days earlier.  

The Bills are also still in playoff contention after a spirited duel with the Jacksonville Jaguars.


So the net result of all this is shown below -


AFC PLAYOFF SEEDINGS AS OF WEEK 12 - 

#1 New England Patriots - East
#2 Oakland Raiders - West 

#3 Baltimore Ravens - North, vs. #6 Miami Dolphins
#4 Houston Texans - South, vs. #5 Kansas City Chiefs

STILL WITH WINNING/.500 RECORDS -

Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans



NFC PLAYOFF SEEDINGS AS OF WEEK 12 -  

#1 Dallas Cowboys - East
#2 Seattle Seahawks - West

#3 Detroit Lions - North, vs. #6 Washington Redskins
#4 Atlanta Falcons - South, vs. #5 New York Giants

STILL WITH WINNING RECORDS -

Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings



And looking at this list, the Titans look good enough to steal the AFC South; the Steelers and Bills are too uneven; the Broncos are still tough but no longer the juggernaut thought of them - while the Vikings no longer look like a playoff team.  


There are still five games left so the season is yet again subject to revision, but it also looks like a lot of teams are going to light up the scoreboard in that process.

Brady's Back And Week Five's Back Breakers

Tom Brady returned to the NFL in Week Five and him being back was a back-breaker in Week Five

Tom Brady had no rust as he killed the already-moribund Cleveland Browns, who lost their promising young quarterback and had to rely on the inept journeyman Charlie Whitehurst

The Minnesota Vikings continue their unbeaten run, pounding the Houston Texans, who may be second-guessing getting Brock Osweiler as Osweiler has been shaky the last few games

No more win streak for the Broncos and while the Falcons didn't put up the monster numbers they'd put up their previous three games their offense bullied the Broncos defense convincingly.   This game also raised some doubts about Paxton Lynch, whose debut was woefully weaker than Trevor Siemian's

The Eagles finally fell and Carson Wentz threw a pick, but their start was a lot better than anyone expected and this setback shouldn't ruffle anyone in Philly.   It was also an encouraging win for Matthew Stafford, though a playoff berth remains unlikely

The Bears nearly pulled off the win at Indianapolis and put up some 500 yards of offense with better-than-expected play from Brian Hoyer; Hoyer seems certain to be the permanent replacement for the inept Jay Cutler

Marcus Mariota accounted for all four Tennessee Titans touchdowns at Miami and it was a promising effort toward long-term improvement, while the Titans broke out of a competitive game and broke the back of the Dolphins; the replacement for Ryan Tannehill should already be being scouted by Dolphins personnel people

The Bungles tried to get the number of the Dallas truck that ran over them - it was driven by Dakota Prescott and Zeke Elliott, who hasn't hit the wall (unlike Chase Elliott at Charlotte again) but instead is hitting the holes. The sight of a laughing Tony Romo on the sideline was pathetic as Romo's career with the Cowboys should be over

The surprise perhaps of the day was the Bills - written off when they were 0-2 they've now won three in a row while blunting the Rams' early surge in the NFC West; suddenly the prospect of the Bills making the playoffs for the first time since 1999 is for now no longer a joke

Also no joke is the Oakland Raiders as they surged to 4-1 in perhaps the most competitive game of the day.  The gagged FGA by the Chargers at the end and more INTs by Philip Rivers have become the norm for the Chargers - when they have to step up, they fail

NFL Redzone's touchdown compilation from Week Five

The Mess Of NFL Week Four

The NFL season has become a mess with surprises and disappointments galore in Week Four and already a disturbing percentage of the league has been eliminated from playoff hope.

Carolina's loss to the Falcons - which included injury to Cam Newton - apart from being a surprising resurgence for Matt Ryan (though flying out of the gate is something we saw from the Falcons last season), was just one of a striking number of games that illustrated a disturbing pattern this year, as even before the Sunday Night affair between the Chiefs and Steelers a whopping thirteen teams stood at 1-3 with the Browns buried at 0-4.  Being 1-3 is the traditional death knell for playoff chances. One offhand can't remember the last time so many teams - in essence half the league - were realistically finished from playoff contention this early in a season.

Three-fourths of the AFC South stands at 1-3 with the Houston Texans at 3-1. The Colts staged a strong rally against the Jaguars in London but Andrew Luck's traditional monopoly over division opponents didn't come through and he has a terrible record over his last ten starts. The Titans meanwhile yet again failed to finish a comeback attempt as they erased a 17-3 gap and later tied the game 20-20 but gagged on a punt return. The loss leaves Marcus Mariota stuck on just four wins in his still-short career.

In contrast the Denver Broncos just keep rolling along almost unchallenged, even after Trevor Siemian was injured and had to be taken off on the meat wagon; rookie Paxton Lynch didn't miss a beat in his first NFL action. Meanwhile Jameis Winston has fallen to 1-3 and the Bucs are in the bottom half in points scored, with only six teams in the conference with fewer points scored.

The Cardinals are another 1-3 team, but the bigger surprise is the 3-1 Rams and Case Keenum.   Jeff Fisher had struggled to surpass 7-9 records since being hired by the Rams in 2012 but he won against enough quality foes to stay, and so far patience is beginning to pay off.   The Cardinals meanwhile lost Carson Palmer to a concussion and even without that they've needed to question the wisdom of keeping him with the scattershot quality of his entire career. 

The resurgence of the Oakland Raiders continued with a close win over the Ravens - last year's shootout win introduced the league to Derek Carr and this win may propel him further.


Of course the elephant in the room that got slayed by Gwangi is the New England Patriots and the 16-0 shutout by Rex Ryan and the Bills.   Jacoby Brissett illustrated the myth that is "anyone can win in this Patriots system," because his play was singularly embarrassing - they didn't trust him to run the offense so they ran a laughingly dumbed-down offense and even that was too much for him with few completions and nothing to show for it outside of a few completions to Martellus Bennett.   Getting Tom Brady can't come too soon with the Patriots now the #2 seed in the AFC and the hated Broncos still cruising.  


So what to conclude right now?  Some big picture takes -


With half the league realistically out of the playoffs, the best bet for them is to just stay their course and keep fighting, stop worrying about making the playoffs, worry instead about winning the next game - and the next one, and the next one.....

Oakland and the Rams illustrate that staying the course does work, and there is legitimate talent on a lot of those 1-3 teams - and even on the 0-4 Browns.  

Even with that some of these teams need to start preparing for change - the Saints for one need to start considering a post-Brees (and perhaps even post-Payton) era; the Chargers likewise have been stuck in mediocrity with Mike McCoy and Philip Rivers; if Josh McDaniels indeed becomes a candidate for a head-coaching job in 2017 Tennessee (which wanted him for this year but couldn't wait longer than it did for him to become available) should get him because it's a good environment for him.

That's just a few areas where change is needed or appears to be inevitable as 2016 has yet to play out.

NFL Week Three Heightens Expectations

All of Week 2's touchdowns as we count down to Week 3

The NFL enters Week Three amid some genuine shockers but also amid a surprising - and surprisingly sharp - drop in TV ratings; explanations for why have varied between boycotting of Colin Kaepernick, boycotting of Roger Goodell, the absence of Tom Brady, the retirement of Peyton Manning.   Certainly there is likely some element of all involved.   A correction was probably overdue so right now one should not be excessively worried. 

Certainly it's not for lack of competitive games; the first two weeks have been strikingly well-played and competitive, and expectations have thus been heightened for Week Three.   Picks for the week -





Patriots over Texans -  Jacoby Brissett has to start with the out-of-left-field shoulder injury to Jimmy Garappolo and his unplanned foray into the NFL against the Dolphins showed his rawness but also showed there is legitimate ability there.   He will certainly have better preparation knowing he's going onto the field so leading more than two scoring drives should be a given, though one should keep an eye on Stephen Gostkowski after his stunning gag of a makeable late FGA.   They face a Houston team that's clearly on its way to a strong season with Brock Osweiler, a guy clearly not intimidated by facing the Patriots, but with a defensive front led by JJ Watt that isn't any better than the Cardinals and Dolphins fronts the Patriots O-line has manhandled already, plus Watt has been decidedly quiet against the Patriots in the past, notably last season in his own house.  


Cardinals over Bills - The Cardinals showed they mean business by laying 40 on the Bucs and they go to New Era Stadium for a Bills opponent that fired their offensive coordinator but that put up 31 points last time out. The Ryan brothers are buffoons, though, so they will find a way to lose.


Panthers over Vikings - The Vikings are onto something this year after stunning the Packers, but they go to a Panthers team that was stewing over the lost opportunity at Denver and responded by breaking out of a competitive game against the Niners and turning it into a massacre. A key matchup to keep an eye on is Sam Bradford to Stefon Diggs, who exploded against the Packers.     


Broncos over Bengals - This one I think will be tighter than some may expect. Clearly there is no collapse for the Broncos as Trevor Siemian has already proven doubters wrong with poised play, but this is his first road trip and he goes to a Bengals team hitting its home opener. The Bengals got embarrassed last week at Pittsburgh and have the talent to fight back given the opponent, the defending champs, and one recalls the last time the Broncos visited Cincinnati. The matchup to watch is AJ Green vs Aqib Talib.


Lions over Packers - This is an upset pick for me; both teams are 1-1 and both are coming off losses. The Lions, though, face a Packers team that has now lost four of its last five division meetings and hasn't won a home game against the division since 2014. The Packers also have signs of locker room dissension with one of Aaron Rodgers' O-linemen calling him out publically after the loss at Minnesota. Rodgers' inability to lead a comeback when he has to erase a gap of at least two scores showed up again at Minnesota.   


Ravens over Jaguars - Suddenly the Baltimore Ravens are stringing together wins again after a head-shaking 2015, while the Jaguars still have not taken that next step, and looked awful at San Diego last week.  


Dolphins over Browns - Only the Browns.   They go to a shellshocked Dolphins team hitting its home opener with a revamped Joe Robbie Stadium - now sporting sponsorship from Hard Rock - and with a quarterback in Ryan Tannehill playing his way out of the NFL.   But the Browns have bigger problems - they fell apart against the hated Ravens and such collapses usually bode ill for the season. 


NY Giants over Redskins - They didn't do it against the Cowboys and now the Redskins face a 2-0 Giants squad that's eking out grinders of wins.  

Andre Johnson's game-winner at Detroit

Titans over Raiders - This could be the highest-scoring game on this week's slate as Marcos Mariota and Derek Carr lit it up in their preseason matchup and their teams are 1-1; Carr has exploded the Raiders to 63 points scored while Mariota staged a memorable comeback from down two scores to beat the Lions; his touchdown to Andre Johnson was an absolute thing of beauty.   Anyone for a Titans-Raiders playoff meet?


Seahawks over Forty-Niners -  The Seahawks are struggling out of the gate having lost on the road again to the Rams, and they face a Niners squad that Blaine Gabbert has made into a team that's not the joke their backup quarterback has become.   The Seahawks did win their home opener and the Niners come back from the East Coast and Russell Wilson is the kind of quarterback who can start turning things around fast.


Buccaneers over Rams - Tampa Bay's obliteration by the Cardinals was the punch in the face that should motivate them to lash it out against a Rams team traveling from the West Coast to the East and which has shown zero offense.  


Chargers over Colts - There is an ominous sign for the Colts. The opinion has been expressed that the Colts made a fatal mistake signing Chuck Pagano instead of Bruce Arians, but the real warning sign is Andrew Luck may have plateaued in 2012-13 and simply can never be the transcendent quarterback his talent promised he'd be. He lit up the scoreboard at home against the Lions and still lost, then struggled against a Broncos team he'd dominated. San Diego has won six of the last seven meetings with the Colts, and Philip Rivers is 1-0 against Andrew Luck so far.


Chiefs over NY Jets - The Chiefs are smarting after losing to the Houston Texans, and they face a high-scoring NY Jets team that's looking like a team going for the playoffs.   I doubt Andy Reid will let the loss in Houston carry over to this meeting with the Jets, a team Reid has yet to lose to. 


Eagles over Steelers - The Steelers have a potent offense and a proven championship quarterback, but in the Eagles they face a team that's well ahead of expectations and has a quarterback in Carson Wentz who's looking like the real deal.


Cowboys over Bears - Why John Fox keeps Jay Cutler remains baffling as he is a failure, as Dak Prescott steadily proves himself to be one to watch down the road. 


Saints over Falcons - Neither team has proven they're up to a playoff bid, and one should start to be concerned that Drew Brees is no longer the elite competitor.   Matt Ryan certainly is not an elite anything even with a strong win at Oakland.  


So we await Week Three.