Giants prevailed over Cowboys last Sunday
The New York Giants were able to prevail over the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday in a rematch of their week one game. In that game, The Cowboys won 24-17 in New York. This game, played in Dallas, ended up 29-24 in favor of the Giants. The win helps move the Giants to a 6-2 record. Dallas, meanwhile, falls to just 3-4. The Giants are at the top of the division while the Cowboys’ season hangs in the balance this upcoming week. The game, like many for Dallas, ended in a dramatic fashion with an overturned call.
New York got off to a great start scoring 13 points in the first quarter compared to no points scored by the Cowboys. They added ten in the second quarter and had a 23-10 lead going into the second half. In that half they were only able to score two field goals in the fourth quarter while the Cowboys got 2 touchdowns. They let Dallas get back into the game, but got enough to pull out the win. Eli Manning had a rough day throwing for just 192 yards and completing just 15 passes. He also had an interception to boot, as his running game had to bail him out time and time again. The defense helped bail him out as well scoring a touchdown as well.
Dallas gained 434 yards of total offense relying nearly solely on their passing game. Tony Rome threw for 437 yards, but was intercepted four times. I guess that will happen when you have to throw the ball 62 times though. This need to pass came from an inability to run the ball. On the day Dallas gained just 19 yards rushing. Although they somehow managed two rushing touchdowns, the rush game was a big reason they lost.
Dolphins score 30 points against Jets
The Miami Dolphins scored 30 points in last Sunday’s victory over the New York Jets. What made this more impressive was the fact that they were able to do this in New York. Even more amazing, however, may be the fact that this win was possible despite their rookie starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill getting injured. Despite this, backup Matt Moore was able to come in and guide his team to victory. The game final was 30-9.
The Dolphins scored ten points in each of the first two quarters while allowing 0 to the Jets offense. Ryan Tannehill was just 2 of 5 for 18 yards before leaving the game to injury. Matt Moore came in and did an admirable job replacing him. He completed 11 of his 19 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown while throwing no interceptions. The team also had just over 100 yards rushing between two backs. Given these low offense numbers, it is amazing that they got such a lopsided win. This is especially true when you know they had gained just 236 total yards.
The New York Jets, in comparison, gained 363 total yards in Sunday’s game. The teams lone score came from a touchdown pass from Mark Sanchez to Schilens in the 4th quarter. Sanchez completed 28 of 54 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown, but threw one pick. The team also rushed for 105 yards. This game was a perfect example of how statistics can be overrated. Thankfully, for Miami, their bad stats still translated to a win.
Bears get huge comeback against the Panthers
The Chicago Bears got a huge come-from-behind victory at Soldier Field last Sunday. The team hosted the Carolina Panthers, and looked terrible against them early. The Bears got off to a hot start, but quickly went flat and did not score another point until the 4th quarter. That is when they blew up offensively and earner their 6th win of the season with a 23-22 victory.
The Bears have struggled little to this point of the year and have been productive on both sides of the ball. The game showcased how balanced the team is as they scored touchdowns rushing, passing, and even defensively. The team began to make their comeback in the fourth quarter. That is when they got a couple quick scores thanks to a pick 6 after a scoring drive. They scored 16 points in that quarter alone to get a one-point-lead.
Carolina struggled in all aspects of team football, and scored no touchdowns on the day. The team in general had just one touchdown, which came from their defense. A majority of their points, 15 to be exact, came from field goals. They scored 19 points in the first 3 quarters, but just 3 in the final period of the game. Ultimately this cost them another game, which has been an unfortunate commonplace for the team. This must be even more frustrating to the team due to the fact that they gained more then 400 yards. Defensively they have been bad however, and they still make costly mistakes.
Dallas on prime time again
The Dallas Cowboys will travel to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta to take on the Falcons this Sunday Night. The game will be televised on NBC’s Sunday Night Football at 8:20 PM ET. The Cowboys come into the game in a must win situation as they are just 3-4 so far to this point. The home team Falcons, however, remain to be the only team left in the NFL that has yet to lose this season. They are 7-0 to this point and could really all but seal up a playoff spot with a win.
Dallas has continued to be up and down this year, but is coming off a hard-fought loss to the Giants last week. That game was another classic Dallas implode though, as the team had a solid lead most of the game. They found a way to lose however and are now set for a matchup that will be just as demanding of them. The final of their game versus New York was 29-24.
The Falcons have handled every opponent of theirs pretty well thus far, but have struggled little to this point of the year. Last week they made quick work of the Eagles 30-17 in Philadelphia. They have, however, been in a lot of close battles against teams that are not considered good by many however. This includes very tight games against the Raiders and Panthers. This Sunday’s matchup against the Cowboys may actually be one of their biggest test of the year given their simple schedule.
Steelers travel to NY to take on the Giants
The Pittsburgh Steelers will travel to New York to play the defending Super Bowl Champion Giants this Sunday. The game will be played at the Giants MetLife Stadium at 4:25 PM ET. Due to the recent super storm Sandy that blew through, the travel plans for the Steelers have been changed, which could possibly affect the team. They will now have to Travel the day of the game and will be leaving right after. This was due to the fact that Pittsburgh could not book a hotel in New York due to massive power outages.
The Giants may also be affected by the storm themselves as many of them live in the area and have been out of power as well. Many of the players live in the area and have family in the area, which could produce obvious stress. The Giants do come into the game with a 6-2 record, however, but their latest wins have not come easily. They have barely squeaked by the Cowboys, Redskins, and Browns in the past three weeks.
Pittsburgh will be affected by the flight, but do come into the game after finally looking like they have established their identity. The team is still a bit beat up and will be without safety Troy Palomalu. They come into the game with a 4-3 record and were able to breeze by the Redskins last week in Pittsburgh. That game ended with a 27-12 final, and showed that the Steelers D and O were still solid crews.
The Bears show consistency
The Bears have been a very quiet, and surprising, 6-1 this season. Despite a history of blow-ups and up and down play, Chicago has been consistent. They have shown glimpses of their former selves from time to time this season, but ultimately they have shown that they are a team to be afraid of. They have done it on both sides of the ball and are 6-1. This may surprise many as they are not talked about by the national media and have remained very under-the-radar. Their next test comes this week in the form of the 3-5 Tennessee Titans.
Chicago will be traveling to Tennessee’s LP Field for this matchup and are coming off another difficult win. In week 8 they faced the struggling Carolina Panthers at home, and just eked out a victory 23-22. The win came after a huge 4th quarter comeback that saw them score 16 points in the last quarter to get the win. Before that point, their only other 7 points came from a 1st quarter touchdown.
Tennessee enters the game coming off a tough home loss to the Colts 19-13. Tennessee hoped to knock off the Colts to stay afloat in the AFC South. The division is currently dominated by a 6-1 Texans team, but a win could have kept their heads above water. A loss this week would certainly lead to a drowning in the division and Tennessee, being at home, could give the Bears a real run for their money.
Texans will host the Bills on Sunday
The Houston Texans will host the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium this Sunday in Texas. The two teams come into the game with two very different halves of the season under their belts. Houston comes into the game with a 6-1 record and has the best record in the AFC to this point. The Bills are 3-4 coming into the game, and have been up and down with their play all season. Nevertheless, their division has also struggled a bit until as of late when the Patriots have begun to pull away. As we get into the second half of the season the games get more and more critical each week, and both of these teams really need a win.
Houston is coming off a bye week and should be well-rested and healthy heading into this game. Their last game, week 7, ended in a 43-13 embarrassment of a strong Baltimore Ravens team. Houston has not lost a game since week 6 against the Green Bay Packers. That game was their lone loss of the year and ended 42-24 in Houston. Houston seems to have rebounded from that game and is using it to motivate them further into the season.
The Bills, on the other hand, continue to play generally poor football. After a promising start, they have seen their play become very sporadic on both sides of the ball. They too had their bye week last week and have not played since week 7. In their week 7 game, they played a close back-and-forth game against the Titans at home. They went on to lose that game 35-34, and have not won since a week 6 victory over the Cardinals.
Redskins will battle the Panthers on Sunday
The Washington Redskins will face the Carolina Panthers this week at 1 PM ET at FEDEX Field in Washington this Sunday. The Redskins come into the game with a competitive 3-5 record while the Panthers are just 1-6 to this point. Inevitably, these two teams are always compared by their very similar quarterbacks. NFL freshman Robert Griffin III does share one similarity with Carolina NFL sophomore Cam Newton, but feels he is separate from him, so far, where it matters most. When asked about their similarities RGIII offered what some may take as a slap in the face to Cam.
Media will take these two quarterbacks and put them on a pedestal beside one another, and they will take their numbers and plaster them beside each other as well. RGIII was asked about the comparison and responded in what some may say was a knock on Cam Newton. In reality, though, knowing what we do know about RGIII to this point I feel it was simply an honest answer.
RGIII said that he would rather be compared to a Super Bowl champion like Aaron Rodgers and that he is more worried about wins and losses. This easily could be looked at as a Cam Newton reference because he has yet to have much success in the NFL in regards to winning. Last season, although successful statistically, produced few wins. Meanwhile, this season, has been less successful statistically while still producing little victory. RGIII though has shown everyone that he is not that type of guy and his reference was merely one that showed what the game meant to him. Winning.
Cardinals hope to regain ground in their division
The Slumping Arizona Cardinals will face the rising Green Bay Packers this week. The Cardinals started off the season 4-0, but have since lost 4 straight to get to an even 4-4 record this season. The Packers, on the other hand, started slow but have since got hot. They are currently 5-3 on the year and have a chance to gain some ground in a division they fell behind in from their early play. Arizona could all but be eliminated from any playoff hopes with a loss. The game will kickoff at 1 PM ET at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
Arizona has simply looked terrible as of late. The offensive line is hands-down the worst in the league. They give up constant sacks and continuously give their quarterbacks no time to throw the ball. I say quarterbacks because both have gone down with injuries this season after being demolished by opposing defenses. Skelton, who should start this Sunday, has been knocked out (literally) this season. Kolb, who accounted for all of the Cardinals wins, has been out due to injured ribs suffered on a sack. The team has lacked a running game as the lineman can not block for that either and it honestly is a miracle that the team won 4 games.
Green Bay seems to be hitting a championship stride as they have found their identity again. Their last week came in Green Bay against the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-15. They have won 3 straight, and have not lost a game since week 5 in Indianapolis. Currently they find themselves behind the Bears for the division lead. They have been trying to gain ground, but the Bears continue to win games. It may just end up coming down to these two meeting to decide who will take the division.
Which rookie QB will succeed?
The Miami Dolphins will meet the Indianapolis Colts in a very intriguing matchup of rookie QBs this Sunday. Miami will come into the game behind rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill while the Colts will have 1st overall selection Andrew Luck under center. Both teams are all knotted up with 4-3 records and need a win to stay in the hunt in their division. The game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana. To this point in the season, both signal callers have led their team well and have pretty solid numbers.
Ryan Tannehill has completed 120 of his 203 passes for nearly 1500 yards. He has just 4 TD passes on the year, but has thrown 6 interceptions. He has also ran one TD in this season. The Dolphins last game last week was a very convincing one in New York against the Jets. There, they were able to dominate the Jets to pick up a 30-9 victory. Miami and Tannehill, however, have relied heavily on their run game while the Colts have had more luck in the passing game.
Indianapolis has gotten nearly 2000 yards from Andrew Luck who has completed 160 of his 288 passes. He has 8 passing TDs and has added 3 on the ground. Luck has thrown 8 interceptions to this point of the season. In the Colts last game week 8, they defeated the Tennessee Titans 19-13 in Tennessee. Miami does present a big challenge as they play solid team defense, but the story of the day will be the rookie QBs.