NFL divisonal round

There are 3 hours until the divisional round of the NFL playoffs begin! Last week's wild card round brought us plenty of excitement with the Seahawks, Packers, Ravens and Texans all progressing. We'll take a look at each game now with predictions from yours truly.

Baltimore Ravens vs Denver Broncos

The Ravens are rejuvenated following the return of influential leader Ray Lewis. The linebacker returned from injury last week against the Colts are played incredibly well as he racked up 9 tackles and almost got an interception which would have capped off a perfect day for Baltimore. Last week they played the rookie Andrew Luck and no disrespect to him because he has all the talent in the world but last week the Colts just didn't show up but this week the Ravens have a huge task ahead of them when they go on the road to face Peyton Manning's Broncos.

Denver finished the regular season 13-3 with the join best record in the league and the best record in the AFC. They have won their last 11 games in a row and Manning has been spectacular in his first year as a Bronco. Many have the Bronco's down to win this especially after they knocked off the Ravens 34-17 three weeks ago but here I am about to give Baltimore some hope with two key points:

1. Peyton Manning despite being arguably one of if not the greatest quarterback to play the game actually does not have a great playoff record. While we all know his regular season success has been well documented over the years in the post-season Manning won 9 and lost 10 throwing 29 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. The stats are not great and you could compare him to Bronco's legend John Elway for maybe not being able to get it done in the "big games" although both are former Super Bowl champions so they are not exactly choke artists.

2. Now this may sound like I am clutching at straws but hear me out; when the weather is cold Manning freezes under pressure, sorry I couldn't resist it. When the temperature has been below 32 degrees Manning has only won 3/8 games now obviously when he was quarterback for the Colts they played indoors but Denver has high altitude and not the greatest of weather at this time of year. The temperature is predicted to be around 20 degrees in Denver when kick-off comes around so who knows what will happen and it is worth mentioning that Peyton Manning also lost his only two cold playoff games with both ending in defeat to the New England Patriots with him just throwing one touchdown and a costly five interceptions in those two games.

With that being said maybe the most important stat of all is that Manning is 9-2 against the Ravens in his career and even worse for the Ravens is that those two defeats came in his first two games against Baltimore so since that loss in 2001 Manning has won 9 straight against them. When the two teams go head to head tonight the league's number 5 offense takes on the league's number 16th defense and with the Broncos themselves ranked number 2 on total defense you can expect Denver to advance to the AFC Championship game.

Predicted Score: Ravens 24-30 Broncos


Green Bay Packers vs San Francisco 49ers

I think on paper this game is the most evenly matched out of the four we have for the divisional round and it really is so close to call. The 49ers pipped the Packers to the bye week and thanks to Green Bay's convincing win last weekend against the Vikings they now travel to Candlestick Park to play San Francisco. Both of these teams suffered the same fate in last season's playoffs when they were defeated by the New York Giants but this year with the two matching up against each other both will believe that with a win tonight they will be the ones to go on and represent the NFC at Super Bowl 47.

These are the two best teams in the NFC but both get things done differently. The 49ers offensive has taken a new lease of life since the emergence of second year quarterback Colin Kaepernick and with it now being dynamic in the air as well as being dangerous on the ground they are almost as scary on this side of the ball as they are on defense. The Niners defense is ranked 3rd in the league in total yardage giving up less than 300 yards a game but we saw how they almost threw away a big lead when they took on the offensive might of the New England Patriots during the regular season and how they were swept away by the Seahawks so there are signs that the Packers can get it done tonight.

Although their defense is improving Green Bay getting it done on offense will be the main factor tonight. If the likes of Greg Jennings, Randall Cobb and Jermichael Finley can get it done then the Packers have a chance. With that being said it will be down to quarterback Aaron Rodgers to get the ball to them but if he can continue his regular season form and put in another MVP like performance for the Packers then I fancy them to beat San Francisco in their own back garden. Jim Harbaugh made a tough call when he put in Kaepernick for Alex Smith and although the young kid has lot of talent I think a playoff run is a step to far this season and ultimately the decision to bring him in will haunt Harbaugh but only for now as from next season onwards the Niners will come out firing on all cylinders.

Predicted Score: Packers 30-27 49ers


Seattle Seahawks vs Atlanta Falcons

I wouldn't necessarily call the Seattle Seahawks a surprise package but let's just say I don't think nobody predicted this football team would look so complete in the 2012 season. Tomorrow they come up against a Falcons team that has looked like a complete squad for a couple of seasons but a win in the playoffs still eludes them.

The Seahawks finished the regular season 8-0 at home but were only 3-5 on the road. With that being said they went on the road last weekend and beat the Redskins 24-14 to move on to 12-5 this season. The team's defensive is ranked 4th best overall for yardage in the league and 3rd in the playoffs just trailing the Broncos and the 49ers. The Seahawks boast having the best defense in the league when it comes to their opponents scoring against them and out of the remaining teams in the NFC they have the best turnover differential along with none other than the Atlanta Falcons with plus 13.

The Falcons offense has been brilliant for the majority of the season but they haven't blown any teams out of shown that wow factor which some would require is needed to get to the next level. Nitty gritty wins are good as your team shows heart but it just seems like the Falcons may choke once again especially when you look back to when they played the Cardinals and Matt Ryan threw 5 interceptions.

This matchup for many comes down to the Falcons offense vs the Seahawks defense but for me I think the decisive factor will be how well Seattle themselves do on offense. They go to the Georgia Dome which is by no means the easiest place to play in and rookie quarterback Russell Wilson will have to show composure once again if he is to lead his team to a victory on the road. The rookie QB was efficient last weekend against Washington when he threw 1 touchdown pass for 187 yards and we know he can hit the next gear as he tied Peyton Manning's rookie touchdown record during the regular season when he threw 26 touchdown passes.

If Wilson performs and Marshawn Lynch gets it done like we know he can when he is called upon by this Seattle offense then I think the Seahawks knock off the number one seed Falcons and advance to the NFC Championship game. Oh and you can expect cornerback Richard Sherman to intercept Matt Ryan tomorrow night and add to his 8 interceptions this season.

Predicted Score: Seahawks 28-20 Falcons


Houston Texans vs New England Patriots

The last time these two teams played the New England Patriots destroyed the Texans 42-14. Tom Brady dismantled Houston's defense but now it's the playoffs and as we know anything can happen. The Texans will want revenge and will want to give what they feel to be a true account of themselves when they come up against the Patriots again tomorrow night but despite their wild card win over the Bengals the Texans once again looked lackluster on offense in comparison to the team we saw during the early stages of the regular season.

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub will feel he has a point to prove when he takes his team on the road as he looks to prove he has what it takes to be elite. Judging on his season to date especially looking at recent form the chances of him instigating a performance to shock the Patriots is unlikely but that was also said of Jets QB Mark Sanchez in the 2010 season, After New England humiliated the Jets 45-3 in the regular season Sanchez and Gang Green went on the road to knock off their rivals 28-21 in the divisional round.

So that brings us to the 2012 playoffs and the New England Patriots are in a very similar scenario. Whether they have the comparisons to the 2010 season in their mind is anyone's call but you could say that is unlikely as this football team is completely different to the 2010 Patriots. Last season New England just missed out on a 4th Super Bowl championship and you can see that Tom Brady and the Patriots are on a redemption mission this season to get back to the big game for another shot at the Lombardi trophy.

On offense Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has once again been in spectacular form as he finished the regular season with 34 touchdowns to just 8 interceptions. Tomorrow he could overtake the legendary Joe Montana for playoff wins and move on to 17 post-season victories if they can knock off the Texans. That looks likely now that they have tight end Rob Gronkowski back on offense, he didn't play in the blowout, and now that the running game has regained stability along with a defense that leads the league in turnover differential with +25 the signs are there for a New England win.

For the Texans to win J.J. Watt needs to rediscover his superstar form. You can expect Houston to throw a lot of blitz packages at Tom Brady tomorrow with Watt himself leading his group all in hope of getting to Brady. Any chance Houston has of winning though will depend on the offense's ability to get first downs and put points on the board; now that sounds obvious but they didn't do it last time and have struggled to do that of late.

You can expect this game to be much closer than the two teams first encounter but with the Patriots being at home again and their roster back to pretty much full strength ahead of the playoffs expect New England to start their playoff run with a win as they advance to the AFC Championship game next week.

Predicted Score: Texans 24-34 Patriots

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.

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 6

As the 2012 regular season nears its halfway point week 6 saw a few upsets and various tightly contested games. We take a look the clash of the titans matchup in the NFC, Sunday night’s high scoring game and Mondays memorable clash between two AFC West rivals as well as a quick review of the other games that took place in the NFL this week.

New York Giants (4-2-0) 26-3 San Francisco 49ers (4-2-0)

In a repeat of last season’s NFC Championship game and quite possibly a preview of this year’s NFC Championship game the New York Giants walked in to and all over the 49ers at Candlestick Park.

At the start of the second quarter San Francisco lead by three but then the nightmare day for quarterback Alex Smith started when he threw a pick to Prince Amukamara. The turnover resulted in a quick drive by the Giants which ended with Eli Manning throwing a 6 yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz.

New York only lead by 7 at halftime but after Ahmad Bradshaw’s one yard touchdown run on a 3rd & goal there was no looking back by the Giants. The 49ers seemed to have the life sucked out of them after missing out on another key defensive redzone stop. Bradshaw was great for the Giants as he rushed for 116 yards on 27 carries for his one score.

So at 17-3 the 49ers looked to make it a one possession game but Alex Smith was picked off with just over 10 minutes left in the third by Antrel Rolle. Rolle got two interceptions on the day for the Giants meaning that Smith threw 3 interceptions.

Smith came in to the game only throwing one pick on the year and on the back of a big win over Buffalo, the poor performance meant that he had his first three-interception game since 2009. His one highlight and one of the 49ers only positives was when Smith hooked up with Randy Moss downfield for a 55 yard catch.

On the other hand Eli Manning was very efficient for the Giants as he completed 15 out of 28 attempts for 193 yards and the one touchdown play. He managed the clock well and with the teams defense on top of their game everything clicked for New York. At 17-3 the next 9 points came from three more Lawrence Tynes field goals which wrapped up the big 23 point victory.

After a slow start to the season the Giants are now top of the NFC East with a 4-2 record. Next week they face divisional rivals the Washington Redskins who are 3-3 in a big one as Manning faces an unfamiliar opponent in the shape of rookie RGIII who has looked impressive in his first season in the league.

As for the 49ers well their next opponents are the Seattle Seahawks meaning that it’s the clash of two of the NFL’s best defences and it is also a divisional matchup. Seattle got a big 24-23 win over the Patriots this week so the 49ers will need to bounce back and be at their best when they host them in a game which could have big playoff ramifications as the NFC West is tightly contested.

Green Bay Packers (3-3-0) 42-24 Houston Texans (5-1-0)

Going in to week 6 only two teams were still undefeated but after Sunday night’s game the Houston Texans couldn’t boast any more as Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers looked like their old selves in a high scoring game at Reliant Stadium.

Aaron Rodgers put on a phenomenal display as the reigning league MVP tied a franchise record for the Packers by throwing six touchdown passes. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 337 yards as Green Bay bounced back from a tough loss to the Colts in week 5.

The game started when Rodgers completed a 41 yard touchdown pass to Jordy Nelson as the Packers got off to an explosive start. On the next possession Rodgers danced round the pocket to find Randall Cobb before finishing off the drive with a 6 yard touchdown play to James Jones who has 7 TD receptions on the year.

Early in second Arian Foster cut the lead to 7 with a 1 yard touchdown run but the 14 point lead was restored when Rodgers fired a 21 yard bullet in to the end zone for Nelson to haul in for the score. Shayne Graham kicked a field goal for Houston to leave the Texans down 21-10 at the half.

Any chance of Houston comeback was cut short by the Green Bay’s opening second half drive as it took 6.44 off the clock. The 16 play, 80 yard march downfield ended with another Jordy Nelson touchdown reception but to make matters worse the drive could have resulted in just a field goal if the Texans were not penalised for unsportsmanlike conduct on a Green Bay field goal attempt.

Arian Foster got his second rushing touchdown to close the gap to 11 once again. Despite his two TD runs the running back only rushed for a disappointing 29 yards. The Texans didn’t turn the ball over early on but in the end it was as lacklustre for quarterback Matt Schaub as it was for his running back as he threw 2 picks and was sacked 3 times.

The game as a contest ended early in the fourth when Rodgers managed to throw to Tom Crabtree on a 48 yard touchdown play despite taking a big hit whilst throwing the ball. That put Green Bay up 35-17 and a couple of minutes later another touchdown was scored following a Sam Shields pick which set up Rodgers and co in good field position giving him the opportunity for his sixth touchdown pass; a 17 yard play to James Jones.

A late blocked punt return touchdown for the Texans meant that they lost by 18 when full-time came around. The defeat meant that only the Atlanta Falcons stayed unbeaten on the season following their victory earlier in the day against the Raiders taking them to 6-0.

As for the Packers well they were flying on all cylinders. The offense put in an extremely impressive performance and much like the many we saw during last year’s regular season. Aaron Rodgers monster throwing display meant that Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb both racked up over 100 receiving yards.

Green Bay still sits third in the NFC North behind the Vikings and the Bears. They now look forward to a road game against the Rams who also hold a 3-3 record on the season. Meanwhile the Texans look to regroup as they have a huge match against AFC rivals the Baltimore Ravens who are also 5-1 meaning that the two teams in the AFC with the best records so far this season will play each other at Reliant Stadium in week 7.

Denver Broncos (3-3-0) 35-24 San Diego Chargers (3-3-0)

These two AFC West rivals did battle in a Monday Night classic. This game defined a tale of two halves with the Broncos being sluggish all throughout the first half before rallying from 24 points down to win the game by 11.

Denver’s comeback was mainly down to a bit of Manning magic as Peyton put on a master class by completing 24 of 30 passing attempts for 309 yards and three touchdown passes; one interception.

Some poor ball handling and special team’s plays cost Denver early on meaning that the Chargers led 10-0 at the end of the first thanks to a Nick Novak 32 yard field goal and a 15 yard touchdown pass from Phillip Rivers to Antonio Gates.

Despite Rivers throwing an interception to Jim Leonard midway through the second quarter the Chargers returned an interception of their own when Quentin Jammer picked off Manning and got in to the end zone for an 80 yard play giving them a 17-0 lead with 6 minutes left in the half.

The Chargers completed an impressive first half when Rivers found Gates in the end zone again for an 11 yard touchdown play meaning that San Diego led 24-0 at the break leaving the Broncos to dwell on their mistakes.

But dwell for long they did not do, the Broncos received the ball to start the second half and got on the scoreboard with an 8 play, 85 yard drive which resulted in a Demaryius Thomas 29 yard touchdown catch.

San Diego’s downfall started on its next drive. Rivers was sacked at midfield which resulted in a fumble that eventually found its way to Tony Carter who returned it 65 yards for a score bringing Denver within 10 with 4.41 left in the third.

The fourth started with Denver in possession of the ball and still only down by just 10 after the Chargers were forced to punt after their last drive. Manning found Jacob Tamme on a 3rd and 16 for a 25 yard gain to move the ball in to San Diego territory before capping the 9 play drive by hitting Eric Decker on a short 2nd and 3 pass for a 7 yard touchdown to make it a three point contest with plenty of time remaining.

Rivers threw his second interception of the game, this time to Tony Carter who had a big game for the Broncos and his 15 yard return following the pick put Denver at midfield to start their next drive. Manning took advantage of another favourable field position with a 21 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Stokley on the right side of the end zone to put the Broncos on top 28-24.

San Diego looked to make it interesting and moved the ball to the Denver 41 yard line but the drive was cut short when Rivers threw his third pick of the game as Chris Harris made a diving catch to haul in the interception. The resulting drive ended in no score but then Harris got his second pick which meant Rivers threw four interceptions on the day and this time the Denver cornerback returned the ball in to the end zone for a 46 yard touchdown.

The memorable comeback was complete with Denver racking up 35 unanswered points in the second half and the win means that the Broncos are now tied with San Diego at the top of the division with both teams holding a 3-3 record after 6 games as they head in to their bye week.

Roundup of week 6’s other results:

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-3-0) 23-26 Tennessee Titans (2-4-0) – The Titans grabbed a narrow win at LP Field when Rob Bironas kicked a 40 yard field goal as time expired.

Oakland Raiders (1-4-0) 20-23 Atlanta Falcons (6-0-0) – It was closer than many expected but the Falcons remained undefeated with a win at home over Oakland thanks to a 55 yard field goal by kicker Matt Bryant.

Dallas Cowboys (2-3-0) 29-31 Baltimore Ravens (5-1-0) – This win for the Ravens gave them control of the AFC North while defeat for the Cowboys leaves them bottom of the NFC East as they missed out on overtime by failing to convert a 2 point conversion late in the 4th to tie the game.

Cincinnati Bengals (3-3-0) 24-34 Cleveland Browns (1-5-0) – The Bengals had a shot to move to 4-2 but were brought back down to earth as Cleveland won their first game of the season by 10.

St. Louis Rams (3-3-0) 14-17 Miami Dolphins (3-3-0) – Both teams needed to win with both in tightly contested divisions and it was Miami who came out on top as rookie QB Ryan Tannehill stole the show.

Indianapolis Colts (2-3-0) 9-35 New York Jets (3-3-0) – The Colts were brought back down to earth following week 5’s emotional win over Green Bay as the Jets literally ran riot in a blowout.

Detroit Lions (2-3-0) 26-23 Philadelphia Eagles (3-3-0) – A late rally by Matthew Stafford and the Detroit Lions sent this game to overtime with Jason Hanson kicking the game winning field goal.

Kansas City Chiefs (1-5-0) 10-38 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3-0) – The Chiefs’ tough start to the season continued as they lost heavily on the road to the Bucs by 28.

Buffalo Bills (3-3-0) 19-16 Arizona Cardinals (4-2-0) – This win for the Bills in overtime kept them on track with the other 3 teams in the AFC East as the Cardinals slipped to a second straight defeat.

New England Patriots (3-3-0) 23-24 Seattle Seahawks (3-3-0) – The best offense in the NFL met the best defense and defense prevailed as missed opportunities for the Patriots cost them meaning that a late touchdown for the Seahawks got them a big win leaving New England stunned.

Minnesota Vikings (4-2-0) 26-38 Washington Redskins (3-3-0) – RGIII’s spectacular 76 yard touchdown run late in the fourth killed the Vikings off as the Redskins got a huge home win ahead of a divisional week 7 matchup vs the Giants.