NFL News, Opinions, Rants & More

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Broncos And Raiders Clash On Thursday Night In Week 14

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Kyle

The AFC West division is already decided, with the Denver Broncos locking it up last weekend. The Broncos don’t get much time to enjoy that win though, as they will have a short week when they take on the Oakland Raiders on Thursday Night Football.

We all know that the Raiders haven’t put up much of a fight this season in the division at 3-9, but they can definitely hinder Denver’s ability to challenge for a first-round bye in the postseason. The Broncos seems to be clicking on both sides of the ball though, and look like they will be a real threat to win the AFC.

But good teams win the games that they are supposed to win, which Denver has done this season. That will be tested once again, as they are double-digit favorites in this one, on the road! Continue reading →

Week 14 NFL Power Rankings

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Bryan

With less than a handful of games left, it’s beginning to be crunch time for many of the teams in the NFL in the hunt for the playoffs. Some teams, like the Falcons, Patriots, Broncos, and Texans, have already locked up their division or at least a playoff berth.

It shouldn’t be a surprise the most, or all of these teams will be fixated somewhere in our top-five power rankings going into Week 14 of the NFL season.

Let’s check them out.

1. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons got over the proverbial hump last Thursday night, knocking off archrival New Orleans for the first time in two seasons. It was a big win, for a pure confidence standpoint for the Falcons. They dominated on defense, forcing five Drew Brees interceptions, and ended his consecutive streak of touchdown passes. Now, Atlanta is in firm control of trying to lock down home field advantage, going on the road to Carolina this week. Continue reading →

Broncos, Falcons And Patriots Lock Up Division Titles On Sunday

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Matt

The Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, and New England Patriots locked up division titles in Week 13, making them the first to do so this season.

The Falcons won back on Thursday night, and needed a loss from Tampa Bay on the road to Denver. And with the broncos getting the win, two divisions were won with that one victory.

New England handled their business as well, beating AFC East rival Miami by a touchdown 23-16 to ensure that they are going back to the playoffs to try and defend their AFC championship title and potentially second-straight Super Bowl berth.

All three of these teams look like serious contenders for a Super Bowl this season as well. Continue reading →

Ray Lewis Might Be Back As Soon As Week 15

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Bryan

We thought that it might have been the last we ever saw of the great Ray Lewis, when he went down with a torn triceps back on October 14.

The injury prompted head coach John Harbaugh to say that the 12-time Pro Bowl linebacker was out for the season.

Not so fast.

Reports out of the Ravens organization indicate that Lewis and the training staff in Baltimore have a target date to try and mae a comeback this seaso, just two months after we thought he might be done for. That date would be the December 16 In Week 15 matchup against Pyeton Manning and the Denver Broncos.

Lewis’s return would ertainly be welcomed. Baltimore has been banged up all season long on the defensive side of the ball. Despite the injury issues, the Ravens are in the front of the AFC North with a 9-2 record.

“He is not imminent to return to play (in a game) or anything like that, so to me it’s really a nonstory,” Harbaugh said. “He’ll go out there when he’s ready to practice when the elbow holds up. And when that happens, we’ll let you know.”

The Ravens are currently three games up on the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC North. That will get a chance to increase this Sunday, when the two teams meet on the field. Baltimore has won four of their five games without Lewis so far this season.

Baltimore can potentially clinch the division title this week with a win over Pittsbugh, combined with a loss by Cincinnati to the San Diego Chargers. We won’t see Lewis in the lineup this week, but just the news that he could come back at some point should make NFL fans everywhere happy and excited.

The Ravens also find themselves into a dogfight with Houston for control of home field advantage in the AFC playoffs. Baltimore is one-game behind Houston for the best record in the conference, with just five games remaining on the schedule.

Falcons vs Saints Week 13 Thursday Night Football Preview

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Kyle

The Atlanta Falcons are 10-1 on the Season. The only loss to their record and blemish on the card came on the road in Week 10 to the New Orleans Saints. The Falcons had their opportunities in the one too, scoring just three points on two trips inside the five-yard line.

The result was a 31-27 defeat. In Week 13 on Thursday night, Atlanta will have the chance to exact some revenge on the Saints, who come to the Georgia Dome reeling from a loss last week that severely damaged their playoff chances.

New Orleans appeared to be on a roll following that win over Atlanta, and had pulled to 5-5 on the season. But a slip up last week at home to San Francisco has painted New Orleans into a corner. With a game against Atlanta this week, and the New York Giants the next, the Saints appear to be in trouble at 5-6 on the season for the playoffs. Continue reading →

Week 13 NFL Power Rankings

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Bryan

It was an exciting weekend of football that started on Thanksgiving Day. There was some teams that really impressed us over the weekend, while at the same time, others who we thought were on the way up, ended up disappointing.

Let’s see how the Week 13 NFL Power Rankings Stack Up

1. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons moved to 10-1 this season,going on the road and getting a win over a tough Tampa Bay team. Atlanta had to play physical game, something that many were questioning if they were able to do. The Bucs are a physical team and gave the Falcons all they could handle. But Atlanta showed toughness, and got a big road win. Continue reading →

Atlanta Falcons Can Be First Team To Lock Up Division In 2012

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Matt

The Atlanta Falcons got a big win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday on the road to move to 10-1 on the season. The win put the Falcons four games up on the Bucs. Combine that with a Saints loss that put New Orleans at 5-6 on the season, and the division is within Atlanta’s grasp this week.

The Falcons and Saint have a short week to get prepared, as they meet on Thursday Night in the Georgia Dome. Of course, the only loss by the Falcons this season was on the road to New Orleans. And it looked like the Saints were rolling and making a second half push for the playoffs until a loss on Sunday to the 49ers at home.

The loss really puts New Orleans into a corner. The Falcons know that a win on Thursday, combined with a Bucs loss would give them the division.

Sure, it’s probably only a matter of time, but it’s always nice to be the first team to wrap up the division and secure the playoff berth. Continue reading →

San Francisco 49ers Have Tough Quarterback Decision To Make

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Bryan

Conventional thought was that players do not lose their starting job because of injury. But in today’s world, in this ‘what have you done for me lately’ mentality, coaches perhaps can’t afford to abide by that, especially when that back up player comes in and seems to ignite.

That appears to be what is unfolding in San Francisco.

When 49ers quarterback Alex Smith went down a couple of weeks ago, back up Colin Kaepernick came in to fill the void and lead San Francisco through what looked like a grueling two-game stretch against some of the best in the NFC in Chicago and New Orleans

But Kaepernick led the 49ers to a blowout win over the Bears two weekends ago. Then this past Sunday, he might have orchestrated an even more impressive victory on the road over New Orleans, 31-21. Continue reading →

2012 NFL Thanksgiving Day Matchups

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Matt

Three games highlight the Week 12 slate on Thanksgiving Day in the NFL, and the great thing is that all of these games play a big role in the playoff picture going forward. Gone are the days where Thanksgiving football had no impact on the division and conference races as had been the last couple of years.

No more snooze fests aided by the food coma.

We have some good ones this year.

Houston Texans as Detroit Lions (12:30 pm ET, CBS)

The one-loss Houston Texans go on the road to Detroit to take on a Lions team needing a win to stay in the NFC playoff picture. the Lions suffered a big loss at the hands of NFC North rival Green Bay on Sunday, and need to rebound. On the other side of the field, Houston survived against a one-loss Jacksonville team in overtime that certainly exposed some vulnerabilities. The Texans are trying to move towards clinching the AFC South and the No.1 seed in the conference. They are just one game up on Baltimore in the AFC though. Continue reading →

NFL Power Rankings Week 12

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Kyle

Not much to say here, other than let’s get right into the latest edition of the 2012 NFL Power Rankings going into Week 12 of the season.

1. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons did not play well against Arizona at home on Sunday, which included five Matt Ryan interceptions. Despite all of the mistakes though, Atlanta was able to overcome those and remain undefeated at home. The Falcons are now 9-1 on the season and will get a chance to close out the division over the next few weeks on the season with division games on the horizon beginning with Tampa Bay on the road this week. Continue reading →