NFL playoff picture: AFC

Week 12 brought us three exciting Thanksgiving Day games with plenty more thrills and spills when the rest of the league took to the field later on in the week. This week's games only muddied the AFC playoff picture. As for the NFC well Thursday Night Footballs sees the Saints and the Falcons go head to head in an NFC South clash which has playoff ramifications to go along with bragging rights. For now we are going to take a look at how things currently stand in the American Football Conference with an overview of each division and see who has the best chance of reaching the playoffs.

AFC current standings:

AFC EAST	W	L	T	PCT
New England Patriots	8	3	0	.727
Miami Dolphins	5	6	0	.455
New York Jets	4	7	0	.364
Buffalo Bills	4	7	0	.364
AFC NORTH	W	L	T	PCT
Baltimore Ravens	9	2	0	.818
Pittsburgh Steelers	6	5	0	.545
Cincinnati Bengals	6	5	0	.545
Cleveland Browns	3	8	0	.273
AFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PCT
Houston Texans	10	1	0	.909
Indianapolis Colts	7	4	0	.636
Tennessee Titans	4	7	0	.364
Jacksonville Jaguars	2	9	0	.182
AFC WEST	W	L	T	PCT
Denver Broncos	8	3	0	.727
San Diego Chargers	4	7	0	.364
Oakland Raiders	3	8	0	.273
Kansas City Chiefs	1	10	0	.091

Divisional leaders:

The AFC's leaders are the Patriots, Ravens, Texans and Broncos. All of which are pretty much guaranteed a spot in the playoffs but they still have seeding to battle it out for with the top two seeds earning a bye week when the playoffs begin.

The Patriots currently hold the third seed with their win over the Broncos earlier in the season being the tie breaker but if the Broncos were to beat the Ravens when they meet up and in theory all three hold the same record then the tie break would get complicated as it was the Ravens who beat the Patriots earlier in the season.

As well as that the Patriots and the Texans still have a matchup against each other to worry about and both have divisional rivals hunting for wild card spots. These four teams will be the top four seeded teams come the end of the regular season but with potential tiebreaker chaos and some crunch games coming down the stretch it's anyone's call as to who will earn home field advantage as well as the byes.

The wildcard hunt:

In the South we have the Colts who still have to play the Texans twice. Indianapolis wants to confirm its place in the post-season as soon as possible and potentially if they put on a late run of wins they could dethrone the Texans in the South but a lot would need to go their way.

The East sees the Dolphins take on their divisional leaders twice when they face the Patriots in week 13 as Miami hopes to get back to .500. Their chances of reaching the post-season though are not as likely as the Colts especially as they'll lose the tiebreak to them if it comes down to it following their defeat to Indianapolis earlier in the season.

The other two AFC East teams are the Bills and Jets who are both 4-7 and would both appear to be out of the playoff picture. For the Bills all are in agreement but some believe the Jets could sneak in if they manage to win at least 4 of their next 5. The only way that is could even be a possibility is if Tebow time happens and he produces the god like form, no pun intended, that he did for Denver last season. So in other words, the Jets need miracle.

In the other two divisions all is very different as the West has no potential wildcard teams in the division. It is safe to say that the likes of the Chargers and the Raiders won't make a late surge as they've been shooting themselves in the foot all season.  Meanwhile in the AFC North an injury to Steelers quarterback Big Roethlisberger shook the division up.

Pittsburgh looks mediocre without its franchise QB especially after the week 12 defeat to the Browns. Their rivals, the Bengals, have crept up to a 6-5 record to match the Steelers and look like they could snatch the final wildcard spot. With Pittsburgh facing the Ravens next potentially come the end of week 13 the Steelers will be out of the playoffs at that point in time.

Looking ahead

Steelers @ Ravens: This game is as crucial for Baltimore as it is for their rivals, whether Big Ben returns at quarterback or not for the Steelers it will be the Ravens who come out on top in this one as they hang on to the No. 2 seed for another week.

Patriots @ Dolphins: The Dolphins will give it their all but this mountain is probably too high for Miami. It has the potential to be close as even the Jets and the Bills have had games that have gone to the wire with New England this season but the Patriots know how to win games. With the Patriots currently on a streak of 5 wins in a row they're hitting their second half of the regular season form with both defense and offense taking care of the ball so they'll wrap up another win in week 13 and move on to 9-3.

Bengals @ Chargers: Some people have the Chargers down as a team who could still  make a late sprint in to a wildcard spot but as most people know this San Diego team is no playoff squad. With the Bengals having to endure a rugged schedule in the next few weeks it makes this game even more of a must win if they are to have a shot at making the playoffs. Tough call but Cincinnati should edge it.

Buccaneers @ Broncos: Despite a setback last week this 6-5 Tampa Bay team could still make the post-season but they go on the road against Peyton Manning and co. A Denver win keeps their second-seed dreams alive and Peyton knows how to get a job done so no matter how close this potentially could be for the Broncos they'll win and go on to 9-3.

Colts @ Lions: With the madness going on in the NFC in regards to the playoff picture the Lions will be disappointed that their young talented team couldn't go from good to great this season. They may also be envious of Andrew Luck and the Colts who with a win would create significant clarity in the AFC playoff picture with the wildcard spot firmly in their grasp. Matthew Stafford and co are not going to go down without a fight though, with both young quarterback's knowing how to pull off a 4th quarter comeback I see this going down to a game winning drive by either one of the two; you heard it here first.

And looking even further ahead...

Come the end of the regular season all of the current leaders in the AFC will win their respective divisions. Personally I feel one of the Ravens or the Texans will lose their current bye week seeding but I'm going to try and let my head rule my heart over the following decision:

Seed 1: Houston Texans 14-2
Seed 2: New England Patriots 13-3
Seed 3: Denver Broncos 13-3
Seed 4: Baltimore Ravens 12-4


The Texans have played good football all year, they'll hold on to home advantage and the number one seed. They'll lose two games maximum of their remaining five but more importantly for the Texans if they do take the first seed they need to know that no first seed in a conference has gone on to win the Super Bowl since the 2003 Patriots so Houston fans hold your horses.

I would have rather put the Pats, Broncos and Ravens all at 12-4 or all at 13-3 but I doubt all three will finish with the same record. With that being said regardless of what happens there's going to be a tiebreaker headache and they'll be a tiebreaker between the two of the three or all of them come the climax of the regular season.

Let's assume for a second that New England and Denver sweep their schedules and finish 13-3 and the Ravens win 4 of their remaining 5 with the one loss coming against Denver it will be the Patriots who would win the tiebreaker meaning they'll take the second seed and the bye week based off a better AFC record (11-1) than the Ravens (10-2) and Broncos (10-2). 

Tom Brady knows how to get it done at this stage of the season and Bill Belichick's men are 16-0 if you combine the second half of the seasons over the past two years, 17 now following their week 12 win. The same can be said for Peyton Manning, he and Brady are both future hall of famers and have been in this position so both Denver and New England will finish the season strongly.

Overall I'm going with the Patriots and the Texans getting that pass in to the divisional round. Baltimore's injuries on defense will take their toll resulting in a defeat to say Denver; that will open up the race for the second seed which I fancy New England to end up taking.

As for the wildcard spots well Andrew Luck has had a great year for the Colts and despite whatever is thrown at them Indianapolis seem to find a way through so they'll take the fifth seed for the playoffs. The sixth seed is the tougher call, usually the Steelers have the know-how and resilience to win games but the young Bengals have found a way to get back in the playoff picture. 

Honestly it will come down to the week 16 matchup between the two as no other AFC team has the capability of putting a run together to challenge for that last wildcard spot. Pittsburgh's defense can keep them in games until Big Ben returns but regardless of that I think like Indianapolis it will be the Bengals who enjoy a fairy-tale of their own by also reaching the playoffs.

One thing's for sure, it is going to be a very exciting end to the season as the playoff chase is now definitely in full swing!

NFL Thanksgiving

Houston Texans (10-1-0) 34-31 Detroit Lions (4-7-0)

Stafford tried his best the this young Lions team need to learn how to go from good to great.

A feast of Thanksgiving Day football began at Ford Field in Detroit where the Lions narrowly missed out against the Texans who won the game in overtime and moved on to 10-1 as they look to seal the number one seed in the AFC for the playoffs.

The game started well for the Lions when Mikel Leshoure scored on a 2 yard touchdown run just over five minutes in to the first quarter to put Detroit 7-0 up.

The Texans score on a running play of their own when the explosive Arian Foster ran in to the end zone from 6 yards out to tie the game up. Foster rushed for 102 yards on the day from 20 carries and with his two scores on the day he now has 12 rushing touchdowns on the season.

The rest of the second quarter was a passing battle between Matt Schaub and Matthew Stafford with Stafford putting the Lions 14-7 ahead with six minutes to go until halftime when he found Mike Thomas at the back of the end zone on 3rd & goal.

Houston levelled it up again on a third down of their own when Schaub threw to Owen Daniels on a 9 yard touchdown play which made it 14 each but Detroit went in to half time ahead by seven when Stafford found the uncoverable Calvin Johnson giving Megatron the touchdown reception from his quarterbacks 22 yard pass.

A 46 yard field goal from Jason Handson made it a two possession game but then Justin Forsett scored an 81 yard rushing touchdown although he appeared to be down but with the whistle not being blown he was allowed to run down the field and score.

Nevertheless the touchdown stood and with Shayne Graham making a 45 yard field goal for the Texans the 10 point deficit was wiped out meaning that the teams went in to the fourth quarter tied at 24 apiece.

This young talented Lions team looked like they were going to pull off an upset by fighting hard all day and when it took until 1.55 remaining for Arian Foster to cancel out Joique Bell's touchdown for Detroit earlier in the fourth. Stafford and co had a shot to get down the field and win it but couldn't convert on third down meaning that this one did indeed go to overtime.

Overtime was just as exciting as the fourth quarters of regulation with both kickers missing an opportunity to win the game for their teams and with the extra period nearing a two minute warning it looked like it could end up finishing as a tie but it was Houston who ended up with a win on the road and their second overtime win in less than a week when Shayne Graham kicked the winning 32 yard field goal.

Young Stafford edged the quarterback battle on the day but sadly it was his opposite numbers team who got the win which effectively ended any chances of Detroit reaching the post-season. Stafford threw for 441 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions on the day whereas Matt Schaub threw for 315 yards, 1 touchdown and one interception for Houston.

The Texans are sitting pretty at the top of the AFC South as they look to hold on to the number one seed in the AFC ahead of the playoffs and seek home-field advantage, they play divisional rivals the Tennessee Titans (4-6-0) in week 13. Meanwhile the Lions are bottom of the NFC North after 11 games with a 4-7 record and will still hope to finish the season strongly starting with a week 13 match up against Andrew Luck and the Colts (6-4-0).

Washington Redskins (5-6-0) 38-31 Dallas Cowboys (5-6-0)

RGIII aired it out for long periods as the Redskins look to reach the post-season.

A few weeks ago with the Redskins at 3-6 head coach Mike Shanahan said he was disappointed and gave off the impression that his team's season was over in regards to a shot at the playoffs. Washington's bye week came after their sixth defeat and when they returned to the field they battered NFC East rivals the Eagles 31-6.

This week they took on another NFC East rival when they went on the road to Texas to take on Dallas where rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns in his first Thanksgiving Day game to lead the Redskins to a 38-31 victory over the Cowboys. With the four touchdown passes Griffin became the first Washington quarterback to throw four TD passes in successive games.

The game started off quietly with the Cowboys leading 3-0 at the end of the first but then the start of the RG3 show began when the QB fired a 68 yard touchdown pass to Aldrick Robinson giving the game its first touchdown.

That touchdown send the Washington offense in to overdrive as they then put up another three touchdowns in the quarter with the first coming midway through the period when Alfred Morris rushed in to the end zone from a yard out to put the Redskins up by 11 following a Dallas turnover leading to this resulting scoring drive.

With just over two minutes to go until halftime Griffin threw a perfect pass to Pierre Garcon who outpaced the trailing defenders as he sprinted down the field for the 59 yard score. Then Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo threw an interception, his first in three games, to DeAngelo Hall whose return set up great field position for Washington and lead to their fourth touchdown of the quarter when Griffin threw another perfectly accurate pass; this time to Santana Moss to put the Redskins 28-3 up at the break.

In recent weeks it looked like Romo and co had saved Dallas' season and they didn't give up as they rallied back in the third quarter with a Dan Bailey field goal and a great pass out of the pocket by Romo late in the quarter which found Dez Bryant who made his way in to the end zone for the 85 yard touchdown.

So going in to the fourth the Cowboys trailed 28-13. RG3 looked to kill off any hopes of a comeback when he found tight end Niles Paul on a 3rd & inches play for a 29 yard score on which Paul was so uncovered he had time to fall over and pretty much roll in to the end zone.

But as usual Dallas wouldn't die and despite throwing two picks in the game in the fourth he almost helped his team pull of the unlikely as he threw two touchdown passes to Felix Jones and Dez Bryant midway through the quarter with Bryant's reception coming on a crucial 4th & 4 play in the red zone. That left the Cowboys down by a touchdown with the score 35-28 to Washington.

Following a field goal by the Redskins they lead by 10 and Dallas went down the field but had to settle for a field goal of their own as Dez Bryant catch was broken up in the end zone as the Cowboys looked to cut the lead further. Following kicker Dan Bailey's 51 yard field goal they went for the onside kick but were unsuccessful meaning that Mike Shannahan's Redskins picked up the win on the road.

The win leaves both teams at 5-6 in their division as they both cross their fingers in hope of Green Bay doing a job over NFC East leaders the Giants who with a defeat on Sunday Night would be only a game ahead of the two teams at 6-5.

Tony Romo and the Cowboys shot themselves in the foot once again early on and despite some second half heroics they couldn't pull out the win. They'll now look ahead to week 13 where they take on the division's bottom placed side, the Philadelphia Eagles who are 3-7 but will still want to put one over their rivals. A win for Dallas will put them back on track as they hope to sneak in to the post-season.

The Redskins will play a third successive divisional matchup in week 13 when they host the Giants at FedExField. If, as mentioned previously, the Giants lose to the Packers then a win for Washington over New York would leave both teams at 6-6 with 4 games to play as the intensity heats up in the NFC East.

Even more mouth-watering is that if Dallas defeats the Eagles then all three teams will hold a 6-6 record and with more divisional games to come the end of the regular season looks very interesting for the Redskins, Giants and the Cowboys as they all dream of reaching the post-season.

New England Patriots (8-3-0) 49-19 New York Jets (4-7-0)

Tom Brady was all smiles after feasting on the Jets defense in the Patriots huge Thanksgiving Day win.

Gone in 60 seconds, 53 to be exact, is the only way to describe this one as the New York Jets crumbled in the second quarter giving up 35 points and three touchdowns in less than a minute. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots pounded the sloppy Jets who watched any glimmer of hope for their season vanish in front of their own eyes leaving them with not much to celebrate on Thanksgiving.

The Patriots will be giving thanks to Rex Ryan's team for performing so badly as New England won convincingly in this 30 point blowout. Despite losing superstar Tight End Rob Gronkowski to a broken forearm only a few days prior to the game in their Sunday night win over the Colts the Patriots offense was on fire.

The embarrassment on the Jets was perfectly orchestrated by Tom Brady who threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score in the teams win. The first score of the game came six seconds in to the second quarter when Brady found Wes Welker in the corner of the end zone on a 3 yard touchdown play.

On 4th & 1 the Jets fumbled the football leaving Patriots safety Steve Gregory to recover the ball; he also picked off Jets QB Mark Sanchez in the first quarter. On the next play New England got their second touchdown when Brady found Shane Vereen on a quick slant and with room to run the running back sprinted past the New York secondary for the 83 yard touchdown.

So 14-0 down the Jets looked to come out and cut the lead but Mark Sanchez was floored by his own lineman as Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork helped cause the chaos leading to the QB dropping the football which fell to Steve Gregory to pick up and return the fumble for a 32 yard touchdown.

Things got even better for the Patriots when on the resulting kick off Devin McCourty hit Joe McKnight hard leading to another Jets turnover and the football fell out of McKnight's hands in to those of Julian Edelman who returned the fumble for New England's third touchdown in 53 seconds.

The Jets did manage to get on the scoreboard just before halftime when Nick Folk converted a 32 yard field goal but that was minutes after another Patriots touchdown when Tom Brady aired it out for Edelman for a 56 yard touchdown on 3rd & 5.

Brady completed 18/28 passes for 323 yards and three scores on Thursday night's game meaning that he now has 27 touchdown passes on the season, has thrown for 3299 yards with a passer rating of 105.0 and has only thrown three interceptions in the team's 11 games.

The Patriots were scoreless in the third as the Jets cut the deficit to 23 following a safety midway through the quarter and a 4 yard touchdown run by Bilal Powell but the defense put up a brilliant goal-line stand on 4 plays by New York leaving them scoreless on that particular drive.

So going in to the fourth the Patriots were up by a score of 35-12 and within minutes of the final quarter beginning Brady's 1 yard touchdown run rubbed salt in to the wounds of the wounded Jets. A minute later Stevan Ridley rushed in to the end zone from 9 yards out making it 49-12.

Sanchez eventually got his touchdown pass late in the quarter when he found Dustin Keller but it was meaningless with the defeat leaving the Jets bottom of the division at 4-7. Tim Tebow was being called for by the home fans but it was revealed he had broken his ribs. Nevertheless Sanchez should have been replaced weeks ago but Rex Ryan refuses to admit when he is wrong which now leaves the Jets looking ahead to next season.

As for the Patriots well offensively they got it going nearly every time they were on the field and a particular highlight was Aaron Hernandez returning to help ease the pain of losing Gronk for the foreseeable future. New England's defense continues to improve with another impressive performance and they lead the AFC in turnovers as they look to step up to the standards set by those on offense and those expected by head coach Bill Belichick.

The big win for the Patriots moves them on to 8-3 and effectively wraps up the AFC East for them. New England is now looking to rack up the wins in hope of securing a bye week when the playoffs come around. If history is anything to go by then that looks indeed possible as Bill Belichick is 8-0 in the second half of the season over the last two years. Their week 13 opponents are divisional rivals the Miami Dolphins at Sun Life Stadium.

Present vs Future

The Colts ran out of luck when they visited Gillette stadium on Sunday as the New England Patriots blew out Indianapolis in a 59-24 victory. The defeat ended a four game winning streak for rookie Andrew Luck and the Colts as the team were schooled by veteran quarterback and opposite number on the day Tom Brady with the Patriots dominating on both sides of the ball.

New England's defense stepped up to the plate with a big performance meaning that their offense, which at times has carried the Patriots this season, didn't take the field as much this week so it was a great all round performance. The blitz worked very well and confused Andrew Luck with the rookie ending up trying to force things in the latter stages meaning that he threw 3 picks on the day.

Things did start well for Indianapolis as Delone Carter's 1 yard touchdown run put them up by 7 within the first five minutes of the game but then New England hit back three minutes later when Tom Brady connected with Rob Gronkowski from 4 yards out for the touchdown to level it at 7-7. In the closing stages of the first Luck threw a brilliant 14 yard touchdown pass to the back of the end zone with T.Y. Hilton hauling in the pass to put the Colts 14-7 up going in to the second quarter.

The Patriots tied the game up immediately when Julian Edelman returned a punt for a touchdown with a spectacular 68 yard run. Special teams was brilliant all day for New England and Edelman himself put in an amazing performance. He performed like the playmaker any team would desire and with him racking up yardage all over the field he resembled Patriots hall of famer Troy Brown by putting on a monster game. Edelman finished the game 58 yards receiving in the air and a score, 117 yards returning off two punts and even rushed for 47 yards on his one running play.

The momentum took another big shift towards New England just a minute after the punt return when debutant and new acquisition Aqib Talib picked off Andrew Luck and returned the interception for 59 yards for the touchdown putting the Patriots 21-14 ahead. Talib made the teams secondary look very stable and the the defense as a unit took a big step forward this week with this great performance. Although one player can't change a teams fortunes with Talib and Dennard at cornerback and the likes of Devin McCourty shifting to safety this secondary is looking dangerous along with the rest of the defense which includes the likes of veteran Vince Wilfork as well as rookies Chandler Jones and Hightower up front.

A field goal each by either team meant that the Colts went in to halftime trailing 24-17. The third quarter was all for the Patriots though as Tom Brady kicked in to top gear by throwing two touchdown passes. The first was on a 2 yard play to Edelman and the second was a 24 yard pass to Gronk. Tom Brady put up brilliant numbers again with another efficient performance as he completed 24/35 passing attempts. He threw for 331 yards which included his three TD passes meaning that his season numbers after ten games now stand at a very impressive 2976 passing yards, 23 touchdown passes, only 3 interceptions and a passer rating of 102.5.

The amazing tight end Rob Gronkowski also had a brilliant day as he racked up 137 receiving yards off of 7 receptions including his two scores but sadly for New England a fantastic day was dampened by the news that Gronk broke his forearm late in the fourth which required surgery and means that one of their most influential options on offense is now out for 4-6 weeks but will be back in time for the playoffs. Thankfully for the Patriots Aaron Hernandez is back for the thanksgiving day game against the Jets meaning that they still have one head of the double-headed tight end monster available for the big AFC East matchup.

So with the Colts down 38-17 going in to the fourth Andrew Luck looked to get something going in the final quarter but was picked off in the first 13 seconds of it when Alfonzo Dennard returned the interception all the way in to Indianapolis's end zone from 87 yards. Two minutes later Luck threw his second touchdown pass on the day when he linked up with T.Y. Hilton again on a brilliant 43 yard play. The first round overall pick may not have had his best day but he still played well as he completed just over 50% of his passes and racked up 334 passing yards. Despite dropping to 6-4 after this loss the Colts schedule leaves them with a lot of winnable games so if they can regroup they can still make the post-season.
 
Despite the bad news the Patriots' running game this year has been a great weapon and showed its talent again in this win with Steven Ridley and Shane Vereen being the two running backs who took the snaps this weekend. Ridley is having a very productive season and rushed for 28 yards from 13 attempts for the one score, Vereen who hasn't seen as much play time but has still looked good got the most yardage on the day at running back as he rushed for 40 yards from 11 carries and also got a score. The two touchdown runs came after the Colts last score on the day and with those two scores for New England it meant that the Patriots wrapped up the huge 35 point victory in style.

The New England Patriots are now 7-3 on the season and lead the rest of the AFC East by 3 games. A win for them over the Jets on Thursday will almost certainly clinch them the division as they will then look to push on and hope that they can clinch one of the top two seeds in the AFC to try and get them a bye week in the playoffs. At this moment in time they have the third seed in the conference but with the 8-2 Baltimore Ravens having some injury problems of their own as well as New England still having to play the 9-1 Houston Texans anything is possible as the Patriots look to get home field advantage as Tom Brady and co strive to return to the Super Bowl in February hoping that they can win a fourth championship for the franchise.

NFL Week 10.

Week 10 of the NFL saw some teams get back in to the playoff hunt with big wins and certain games brought us unexpected upsets. In this review we look at three divisional matchups from the NFC South, NFC East and the AFC East as well as Sunday nights big game between two 7-1 teams who were looking to stamp their authority on their respective conferences.

Atlanta Falcons (8-1-0) 27-31 New Orleans Saints (4-5-0)

Drew Brees was instrumental in ending the Falcons unbeaten run

Despite being 8-0 going in to this game the Atlanta Falcons had come under criticism from many. They’ve been branded as over achieving and losing a big divisional game did little to silence those doubters.

Luckily for the Falcons this loss did little in harming their season as they still comfortable at the top of the NFC South but the win for the Saints gives them hope of making the post-season despite a difficult schedule ahead for Drew Brees and co.

It is Atlanta’s schedule that fuelled the fire for criticism around the league as the Denver Broncos were the only team that they’ve played and beaten who have a winning record this season. Despite that this is the NFL and as we know on any given Sunday anything can happen so this Falcons team is due credit.

Although saying that this Sunday presented them with an opportunity to quiet the smack talk but it turned out that two stops by the New Orleans defense in the final few minutes of Sunday’s game would give the Saints the 31-27 win and shock the previously unbeaten Falcons.

Down by 4 Matt Ryan led Atlanta down the field and on to the New Orleans 1 yard line with 2 minutes to play however over the next four plays they the Saints managed to stay clutch on defense and hold out which enabled them to run the rest of the clock out and savour a sweet win in front of their home fans at the Superdome.

The game was an exciting one as well as tense with Saints quarterback Drew Brees completing 21 of 32 passing attempts for 298 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. New Orleans have now won two in a row as they moved to 4-5 ahead of a week 11 game on the road against the Raiders as they look to tie their record up at 5 wins and 5 losses.

A win for the Saints next week would get them back in the playoff hunt especially as the Falcons face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week in another NFC South divisional battle. Drew Brees has carried this team in what has been a difficult season for all those involved with the franchise but there could be light at the end of the tunnel with a shot at the playoffs now a slight possibility.

As for the Falcons well they go back to the drawing board after their hopes of a perfect season were ended at the halfway stage. Matty ice was still efficient at quarterback on Sunday night as he threw for 411 yards by completing 34/52 attempts which included three passing touchdowns and an interception.

The Falcons will go back to the drawing board and look to clear up the few mistakes they made in this loss as they know they are going to the playoffs. The one thorn in their side is the fact that they haven’t won a playoff game in so long but with so much time to focus on the post-season head coach Mike Smith will make the most of this opportunity and look to prove the Falcons’ doubters wrong.

Houston Texans (8-1-0) 13-6 Chicago Bears (7-2-0)

J.J. Watt was key for Houston on defense as always in the teams narrow win.

The most anticipated game from week 10 saw two of the best sides from either conference lock horns at Soldier Field in Chicago with the home towns Bears facing off against the Houston Texans.

With both teams possessing talented defenses this game turned out to be one massive defensive slugfest in which Texan’s quarterback Matt Schaub threw the game’s lone touchdown to Arian Foster which helped Houston prevail 13-6.

Running back Foster had 102 yard rushing yards on 29 carries and added 15 yards on five receptions including his score. With the win it was the Texans who moved on to 8-1 on the season and they tied a franchise record by winning their fourth consecutive road game.

Chicago was not helped by the fact that quarterback Jay Cutler left the game at halftime after suffering a concussion which meant backup Jason Campbell stepped in but didn’t step up to the challenge.

When he stepped in to the game the Bears were down 10-3 at the half and a late third quarter field goal by Robbie Gould took Chicago to within 4 points going in to the fourth but it wasn’t to be for Chicago.

They will now look to bounce back from this defeat when they take on the 49ers in a huge NFC clash in what looks set to be the battle of the backup quarterbacks as San Francisco’s Alex Smith also suffered an injury this week.

With Shayne Graham’s 42 yard field goal with just under 5 minutes left in this on going through the posts the Texans went on to post the 7 point victory as they look to push on and try to claim the number one seed in the AFC for the playoffs.

It’ll be tough for Houston as the Colts are still sniffing around behind them in their division and they also have to take on AFC rivals the New England Patriots but after regaining some of their early season momentum following a defeat to the Green Bay Packers the Texans will be hopeful of ending the regular season on a high note.

Buffalo Bills (3-6-0) 31-37 New England Patriots (6-3-0)

Tom Brady was efficient as always as the Patriots held off the Bills.

Tom Brady moved to 20-2 against the Bills in his career and helped the Patriots go 6-3 on the season but Buffalo almost pulled off an upset in what turned out to be a very close encounter at Gillette Stadium.

It was Devin McCourty’s interception of Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in the end zone which prevented a late New England collapse as the Patriots held on to win 37-31.

Tom Brady was efficient on the day as he completed 23/38 passing attempts for 237 yards and two touchdowns. Running backs Steven Ridley and Danny Woodhead chipped in with a score each and along with Shane Vereen the three combined for 118 rushing yards on the day.

The Patriots were explosive at times and were playing along to their normal tune as they led the Bills by 7 at halftime. They appeared to be heading in to the break with a two possession lead following Brady’s 2 yard touchdown pass to Rob Gronkowski but Buffalo hit back when Fitzpatrick threw a touchdown to Scott Chandler with 31 seconds left keeping it tight.

A short four play drive saw Brady find Danny Woodhead on an 18 yard touchdown pass midway through the third. At that point you thought the Patriots would break away but Fred Jackson ran in to the end zone just before the end of the quarter to again cut it to a seven point gap.

Then a Gostkowski field goal gave New England a 10 point lead early in the fourth but when Donald Jones hauled in a Fitzpatrick pass for a touchdown only a field goal separated the teams. With the Patriots failing to get a touchdown they had to settle for another field goal with 2.06 left in the game which put them up by 6.

This gave the Bills the opportunity they craved but after head coach Chan Gailey saying all week that his team could finish the game it turned out that the moment was too much for the Bills as they just came up short following the late pick by the Patriots defense.

Buffalo’s season is pretty much over in regards to a wildcard spot in the playoffs but they have another AFC East rival to play in week 11 when they take on the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night football.

As for New England well they are now two games clear at the top of the AFC East as Bill Belichick’s men prepare for another home game with this one being against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. 

The Colts are also at 6-3 and in the playoff hunt; they offer the Patriots a different challenge so this week 11 match up will be interesting. Indianapolis have had improved fortunes in 2012 thanks to their rookie quarterback and with the rivalry between the two teams moving on to a different chapter it is something to look forward to as Tom Brady takes on a new opponent in what is being anticipated as a possible classic with New England taking on one of their fiercest AFC rivals.

Dallas Cowboys (4-5-0) 38-23 Philadelphia Eagles (3-6-0)

Tony Romo consoles his opposite number after saving Dallas' season.

Both teams have had “must win” games for weeks now but this was really a must win game for both as two under fire quarterbacks looked to try and save their teams season.

With the Giants losing earlier in the day it gave both the added incentive, if that was needed, to go out and get the win which would put them firmly back in the hunt to try to dethrone their NFC East rivals at the top of the division.

Well Eagles quarterback Michael Vick left the game in the second quarter with a concussion so any hopes of him turning in to a messiah of sorts in front of the team’s home fans went down the drain. Instead Nick Foles stepped in at quarterback and did his best as the rookie completed 22 of 32 passing attempts for 219 yards and a touchdown. 

Foles performance proved that anyone calling for him to start in week’s gone bye may have been right as he looked good but unfortunately he lost a fumble that was recovered by the Cowboys in the end zone which ultimately proved costly.

It turned out that Tony Romo and co have now appeared to have saved their season. Romo was an efficient 19 of 26 through the air for 209 and two scores while Felix Jones amassed 93 yards from scrimmage and caught a touchdown pass in the victory.

Dallas was effective all over the field, especially in the fourth quarter where they racked up 21 points to give them the win. Going in to the final quarter the teams were tied at 17 but a 78 yard touchdown punt return by Dwayne Harris early on put them up 24-17.

Brandon Carr then returned an interception in to the end zone for 47 yards and the previously mentioned fumble in the end zone was the final score which gave them the convincing road victory.

The Cowboys will take go back to Texas to host the 2-7 Cleveland Browns in what on paper looks like a game that they should win. Following that they will play then play the Redskins on thanksgiving in week 12 and if they win both of these games to move to 6-5 it will put pressure on the Giants who host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers that week with defeat for them leaving them and Dallas tied at the top of the NFC East with five games to go.

As for the Eagles well they have now lost five straight games for the first time in Andy Reid’s 14 year tenure as head coach which puts him under extreme pressure. They are tied for last in the division and will take on rivals the Washington Redskins in week 11 at FedEx Field.

Round-up of other week 10 games:

Indianapolis Colts (6-3-0) 27-10 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8-0) – The Colts got their revenge for an early season defeat to the Jags by winning this one by 17 and continue this fairy-tale story by giving them a genuine shot at the playoffs.

Oakland Raiders (3-6-0) 20-55 Baltimore Ravens (7-2-0) – In a game which saw these teams rack up 75 points between them it was Baltimore who won it in a blowout by 35 to keep them above the Steelers in the AFC North ahead of the two teams’ match up in week 11.

Denver Broncos (6-3-0) 36-14 Carolina Panthers (2-7-0) – Experience prevailed in this one as Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos put in an efficient second half performance to get this win on the road.

New York Giants (6-4-0) 13-31 Cincinnati Bengals (4-5-0) – In what was the shock of the week the Bengals completely outplayed the Giants and beat them by 18. New York has suffered a mini collapse with two defeats in a row ahead of a big game against the Packers.

Tennessee Titans (4-6-0) 37-3 Miami Dolphins (4-5-0) – Ryan Tannehill threw 3 picks as the Dolphins looked to try and bounce back in search of a shot at a AFC wildcard spot but it wasn’t to be as the Titans seemed to take out their 2012 frustrations on Miami in this one.

Detroit Lions (4-5-0) 24-34 Minnesota Vikings (6-4-0) – This 2012 Lions team has the talent but you just don’t know what side is going to show up this week and unfortunately for them it wasn’t the good one this week as they fell to the Vikings in a 10 point defeat leaving them bottom of the NFC North.

San Diego Chargers (4-5-0) 24-34 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4-0) – This win for Tampa Bay keeps them within a realistic shot of the NFC wildcard spot if they can keep up this form meanwhile the Chargers need to beat the Broncos in week 11 or their season is all but over.

New York Jets (3-6-0) 7-28 Seattle Seahawks (6-4-0) – The headache going around the Jets franchise has mutated in to a migraine following another defeat leaving them tied for last in the AFC East but for Seattle it was another good home win and another good overall football performance by them.

St. Louis Rams (3-5-1) 24-24 San Francisco (6-2-1) – The NFL got its first tie since November 2008 this week as nothing could separate the two NFC South rivals with it ending in a stalemate.

Kansas City Chiefs (1-8-0) 13-16 Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3-0) – Despite the Steelers coming out with the win in overtime and moving to 6-3 Big Ben went down with a shoulder injury and will miss the teams big week 11 AFC North divisional game against the Ravens.

NFL Week 9.

Week 9 saw the NFL move in to the second half of the season. This week saw brought us many close games with each team trying to press on and gain momentum now that the post-season is in sight. This week we’ll take a look at some teams that haven’t been reviewed as much in the past few weeks as I look to mix it up a little.



Chicago Bears (7-1-0) 51-20 (3-6-0) Tennessee Titans

The Chicago Bears maintained control of the NFC North with a blowout win over the Titans. The Bears were outstanding on both sides of the ball and even led their opponents 31-5 at halftime.

Chicago hasn’t lost since their week 2 setback in Green Bay and will hope to continue this fine run of form in order to clinch the divisional crown over the Packers.

It was a long day for Tennessee from the start as literally the first play of the game saw them turn the football over when Bears cornerback Charles Tillman forced a fumble by hitting receiver Kenny Britt in the middle of the field.

Chicago’s defense was at it again early in the first quarter when Corey Wootton managed to score a defensive touchdown following a blocked punt to get the scoring rolling.

Overall the Bears defense forced five turnovers in this huge win as they showed why they are championship calibre especially when they possess the likes of Brian Urlacher who returned an interception for a touchdown in the win and Charles Tillman who forced an amazing four fumbles in the game.

When the season began everyone knew that this team’s defense could and most likely would come up big but it was on offense were questions were being asked but thankfully for all those associated with the Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and his offense have helped this team rally to a 7-1 record at the halfway point of their schedule.

Cutler himself was efficient on the day as he completed 19 passes out of 26 attempts for 229 yards and 3 touchdowns in one of his best performances of the season. His buddy Brandon Marshall was the man who hauled in all three of those touchdown passes as he managed 122 receiving yards off 9 receptions.

Matt Forte also got the Bears run game going as he ran in for a score in the first quarter and racked up over 100 yards on the day.

As for the Titans well they didn’t have much to celebrate as they slumped to 3-6 meaning that their season is over in regards to the playoffs although Chris Johnson did manage to pull off a 80 yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

The defeat leaves owner Bud Adams with plenty to stew over following his team’s poor performances with many questions now being asked about the future of many of those in Tennessee.

The Titans will now travel to Sun Life Stadium to take on the Dolphins in week 10. Meanwhile the highflying Bears have a huge game at home against the Houston Texans who are also 7-1 on the season as the two match up on Sunday Night football with both needing a win as they look to try and cement the first seed in their respective conferences.

Miami Dolphins (4-4-0) 20-23 Indianapolis Colts (5-3-0)

This game saw the battle of the two rookies as Ryan Tannehill and Andrew Luck lock horns with the two bidding to move their respective teams forward in hope of reaching the playoffs.

Come the end of the this week’s games it was revealed that the winner would currently hold the 6th seed in the AFC following the first half of the campaign and it was the Colts who managed to come out on top by 3 in a very close one at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Andrew Luck put in another fantastic performance in what is turning out to be an amazing rookie year for the number one overall pick. He threw for an NFL rookie-record 433 yards as the Colts earned a 23-20 victory over the Dolphins.

Neither team was expected to be over .500 heading in to week 9 of the NFL season especially with rookie quarterbacks at the helm but both have defied the odds. The Colts are now looking to go to 6-3 when they take on AFC South rivals the Jaguars on Thursday as they look to keep up the pressure on the Texans as well as the other AFC playoff hopefuls.

Miami are not done and dusted as this loss snapped a three game winning streak so Tannehill and co will look to get back to basics and more importantly winning ways when the Dolphins take on the Titans at home in week 10.

As for this game well it will go down as one of the memorable ones of the season especially for Indianapolis if it helps give them the momentum to go on and make the post-season. Andrew Luck’s passing skills continue to improve and he completed 30 out of 48 passing attempts on the day.

Luck managed throw a pair of touchdowns and on the day completed many crucial third downs, 204 yards overall on third down plays. Along with that he made some big plays down field to his receivers with one of his touchdown passes going to T.Y. Hilton for 36 yards.

Reggie Wayne was the man who hauled in the young quarterback’s other touchdown pass as this Colts offense once again showed that they know how to get the job done. Wayne himself leads the league in receiving yards with 835 yards and Luck is in the top 5 quarterbacks for passing yards along with Tom Brady, Eli Manning and Drew Brees.

Ryan Tannehill threw for 290 yards and a touchdown but Miami literally fell short in this one as they were a yard from moving the chains on fourth down meaning that the Colts sealed the win.

It was a great day for Indianapolis who once again played with heart and determination in front of an emotional home crowd as head coach Chuck Pagano was in attendance as he continues his treatment for leukaemia.

Adam Vinatieri’s 43 yard game winning field goal means that Andrew Luck has now led five fourth quarter or overtime game-winning drives in his first 8 games as an NFL quarterback and this win means the Colts have now won 3 in a row.

Minnesota Vikings (5-4-0) 20-30 Seattle Seahawks (5-4-0)

This week 9 matchup also paired two young quarterbacks against each other as rookie Russell Wilson took on sophomore Christian Ponder with them battling it out in a close one at CenturyLink Field.

Pete Carroll’s Seahawks have performed well this season but with a top quality defense it isn’t as surprising as Minnesota’s success as they are also 5-4 after 9 games. Both teams are competing in tough NFC divisions and both will look to push on in their next 7 games as they look to try and reach the post-season.

As for this game well it was Seattle who came out on top as Russell Wilson threw three touchdown passes, 173 yards, to lead them to a 30-20 win at home. The Seahawks are unbeaten at home and have another game at CenturyLink Field to look forward to when they host the Jets in Week 10.

This game also saw two of the best running backs in the NFL go head to head. Adrian Peterson is back to his old self for the Vikings this year and racked up 182 yards on the day as well as two touchdowns. It was AP who got the scoring going in this one by giving Minnesota a 7-0 lead early in the first.

His second touchdown came early in the second quarter and tied the game at 14-14 following two Seattle passing touchdowns. Wilson connected with Golden Tate on a 6 yard pass and former Viking Sidney Rice on an 11 yard play.

A Blair Walsh field goal appeared to give the road team a 3 point lead at the half but with 44 seconds to go in the first half Russell Wilson connected with Tate again to give the Seahawks a 21-17 lead at the break.

On this day Marshawn Lynch may not have rushed for as many yards as Adrian Peterson but Lynch was the one on the winning team as he rushed for 124 yards and a score. His touchdown came with just over 4 minutes to go in the third and put Seattle up by 10.

A deep 55 yard field goal by Vikings rookie kicker Walsh put them within 7 but Seattle scored a field goal midway through the fourth and ended up winning this one by 10. Vikings quarterback Ponder had a disappointing day as he completed just 50% of his passes for only 63 yards and also threw a pick.

Minnesota now has a huge matchup in week 10 ahead of them as they look to bounce back from this loss when they take on the resurgent Detroit Lions in a clash between 3rd and 4th in the NFC North. Despite their standings within a very competitive division both teams have a shot at the playoffs if they can put a run together so Sunday’s matchup could be crucial come the end of the season.

Roundup of other Week 9 games:

Kansas City Chiefs (1-7-0) 13-31 San Diego Chargers (4-4-0) – Somehow Nov Turner’s team are in playoff contention but then again the Chiefs have only won once this season. 

Denver Broncos (5-3-0) 31-23 Cincinnati Bengals (3-5-0) – Peyton Manning and the Broncos went on the road and racked up another win. With each passing week Denver are starting to look more like a contender in the AFC.

Baltimore Ravens (6-2-0) 25-15 Cleveland Browns (2-7-0) – Despite the Ravens defense seemingly getting more depleted week by week they managed to get another win under their belt and maintain control of the AFC North.

Arizona Cardinals (4-5-0) 17-31 Green Bay Packers (6-3-0) – The Green Bay Packers managed to keep some pressure on the Chicago Bears in the NFC North with this win whilst the Cardinals early season form has now gone out the window.

Buffalo Bills (3-5-0) 9-21 Houston Texans (7-1-0) – The Texans moved to 7-1 with another win under their belts ahead of a big game on Sunday night against the 7-1 Chicago Bears.

Detroit Lions (4-4-0) 31-14 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7-0) – This young Detroit Lions team have turned a corner and with two wins in a row they’ve given themselves something to play for in the second half of the season.

Carolina Panthers (2-6-0) 21-13 Washington Redskins (3-6-0) – Cam Newton topped RGIII in a close one as Carolina managed to win just their second game of the season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4-0) 42-32 Oakland Raiders (3-5-0) – In this high scoring contest the Bucs killed off the Raiders late in the fourth to win the game and move to an equal 4-4 record.

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3-0) 24-20 New York Giants (6-3-0) – The Steelers rallied back from 10 points in the fourth quarter to win by 4 leaving them just a game behind the Ravens in the AFC North. As for the Giants well despite the lost they are still in control at the top of the NFC East.

Dallas Cowboys (3-5-0) 13-19 Atlanta Falcons (8-0-0) – The Falcons went on the road and beat the Cowboys. Despite the score being close Atlanta were always in control as Matt Ryan and co won this one by six.

Philadelphia Eagles (3-5-0) 13-28 New Orleans Saints (3-5-0) – Drew Brees continued his record of at least one touchdown pass per game to 43 games as New Orleans got another much needed win over the disappointing Eagles.