Saints v. Dolphins, Monday Night Match Up

I don't know about the rest of you who watched the games yesterday, or if you were like me following them on your phones at work, but there were quite a few surprises. Here's what we know after an interesting Sunday.

The Steelers, Giants, Jaguars and Buccaneers are still winless.
The Broncos, Seahawks, Chiefs and Patriots are undefeated, although New England and Seattle barely pulled off their 4 wins this week.
The Lions are much better with Reggie Bush.
The Bills are better than anyone, except maybe Bills' fans, thought. Keep watching rookie QB EJ Manuel.
Even though they played were playing the Bengals, not say, the Broncos, the Browns are looking pretty good.
We'll talk much more about week 4 stats, players, wins & losses, and week 5 later. But for now let's look at tonight's Monday Night football match up:

One of these two teams' winning streak will end tonight. The 3-0 Miami Dolphins head to the real south to take on the 3-0 New Orleans Saints. The Dolphins haven't had a winning start like this since 2002. They have already tackled a win over the Browns, Colts and Falcons. So, are the Saints next? The Saints have had an easier schedule so far, but the game that should have been an upset, ended with just a 2-point defeat over the Bucs. The biggest thing that will keep the Saints in the driver's seat of this game is, in addition to QB Drew Brees, is TE Jimmy Graham. I'm not just saying this because he is also Miami Hurricane (like me); I'm saying it because he is simply an incredible athlete. He played basketball at the U but was drafted in the 3 round of the 2010 NFL draft. In just 4 seasons, he has over 3,000 yards and almost 30 touchdowns. This season, he's already racked up 23 receptions, 358 yards and 4 TD's. But two players are not enough to grab a W. The Saints may win this one, but it's going to be awfully close.

Don't forget to post your own predictions, as well as your comments and questions. Check back this week as I take one more look back at Week 4 before moving on to what's to come in Week 5.

Week 4 Sunday Match Ups

Let's take a look at the game's for this Sunday...

Baltimore Ravens (2-1) @ Buffalo Bills (1-2)

Cincinnati Bengals (2-1) @ Cleveland Browns (1-2) --> AFC North Divisional Game

Chicago Bears (3-0) @ Detroit Lions (2-1) --> NFC North Divisional Game

New York Giants (0-3) @ Kansas City Chiefs (3-0)

Pittsburgh Steelers (0-3) @ Minnesota Vikings (0-3)

Arizona Cardinals (1-2) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3)

Indianapolis Colts (2-1) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3) --> AFC South Divisional Game

Seattle Seahawks (3-0) @ Houston Texans (2-1)

New York Jets (2-1) @ Tennessee Titans (2-1)

Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) @ Denver Broncos (3-0)

Washington Redskins (0-3) @ Oakland Raiders (1-2)

Dallas Cowboys (2-1) @ San Diego Chargers (1-2)

New England Patriots (3-0) @ Atlanta Falcons (1-2)

Miami Dolphins (3-0) @ New Orleans Saints (3-0)

Some interesting things going on this week. There are some divisional games which are always exciting. But the games to watch:

First of all, the Steelers and Vikings are in London. Yes, that London. The NFL does one game every year across the pond. Both teams are 0-3. As it is, Europeans don't really care about American football, and sending two losing teams to play there, not so smart in my opinion. Matt Cassel will take over for an injured Christian Ponder at QB,  but the only notable player on the team Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 88 yards last week against the Browns. But Mike Tomlin is pissed at the performance of his Steelers over the past 3 weeks. If the Big Ben and his team doesn't pull off a win this week, there may be a lot of changes going on in Pittsburgh. 

Another 0-3 team to watch this week, the New York Giants. Poor Eli already has it tough this season with his big brother putting up record numbers. But the Giants just can't seem to get it together. They play in Kansas City against former Division rival head coach Andy Reid, and the Chiefs are 3-0. They've already beat Cowboys and the Eagles, so why add one more win over an NFC East team? Coughlin and the Giants need a miracle, and some TD's, to get their first win. 

Speaking of the Eagles, Philly travels to high altitude this week to play the winning Manning brother and the Broncos. Not much to say here. Peyton is on fire. And the Eagles only have a handful of wins left in them. The Eagles will put up a good fight, but with travel, altitude sickness, and the question of how much longer Vick will stay healthy, the Broncos will put up a lot of numbers, perhaps another record?, and win at home at Mile High.

Let's look at the AFC South divisional game: Colts v. Jaguars. First of all, the spread on this game is between 8-10 points, with Indianapolis as the favorite. Andrew Luck has lead the Colts to a 2-1 record so far this season, with 658 yards and 3 TD's. Though Luck's top RB, Ahmad Bradshaw is out with a neck injury this week, the 2012 number one draft pick already has 100 rushing yards and 2 TD's. The Colts may be on the road, but they will take home a win. 

Don't forget to post your comments and picks for today's games! And check back tomorrow as I break down the Saints v. Dolphins game in New Orleans for Monday Night football. Happy Sunday :)

Week 4 Kicks Off with TNF: Rams v. 49ers

Ladies, are you ready for some Thursday night football? The 49ers head to St. Louis for a divisional matchup tonight. Whether you're a fan of either of these two teams or not, it's shaping up to be an interesting night for the NFC West. Let's review...

Jim Harbaugh and his Niners started the season off with 34-28 win over Green Bay. In Week 2, the Niners' only managed to get points on the board with one field goal before they were embarrassed by NFC West leaders, the Seattle Seahawks. And the Niners 2nd loss came at home against the Colts in Week 3. At this point, the San Francisco team that went to Super Bowl XLVII is no where to be found.

The Rams' regular season kicked off with their only win so far, defeating divisional rivals, the Arizona Cardinals. The next two weeks brought losses against the Falcons (31-24) and then the Cowboys (31-7).

Both teams are off to a similar start; it's a tough call on who's taking tonights game. Perhaps a look at the numbers over the first 3 weeks will help you decide who will be victorious: 49ers or Rams...

• Both teams are 1-2. In fact, the only team in this division that is not 1-2 is Seattle with a winning 3-0 record. 
• Kaepernick has thrown for 689 yards and 3 TD's so far; Sam Bradshaw for 891 and 6 TD's
• The Rams have more total yards per game (339.7) and more points per game (19.3) than the Niners, but their defense has also allowed more yards per game (393)
• The Niners have given up 10 TD's in 14 red-zone trips
• LB Aldon Smith is out indefinitely after recently checking into rehab. TE Vernon Davis is still questionable for tonight but Kaepernick needs his TE back desperately. 

Right now, St. Louis is looking a little better than San Francisco. Both teams are hungry for a win and hoping to enter October without a 1-3 record. But I think the Niners want, and need this win more. It is the first time in his career that Jim Harbaugh has suffered not only back-to-back losses, but a combined loss of 46 points. The 49ers may be on the road, but I think they will take home a win tonight.

Who do you think will win this NFC West matchup? Which team do you think wants it more and what players do you think will be key in pulling off a W?  

Feel free to post your answers, questions, comments and reactions, and ENJOY Thursday Night Football :)

THE BLOG HIATUS IS OVER AND I'M BRINGING FOOTBALL BACK!

It's been awhile since I've written a post, but it is definitely time to revive and reboot this blog.

Football season is well underway, and I couldn't be happier. It's fall and it's football season which makes it the best time of year. The NFL is wrapping up week 3 and so much has already happened.

Just to bring you up to speed...

There was Manningbowl III (big bro beat little bro). The Jets started rookie QB, Geno Smith. The Giants are 0-3 (ouch!)  The Dolphins are 3-0??!!  RGIII isn't turning out to be what he, Mike Shanahan, or the rest of the world expected. The Jags and Bucs are still terrible. And speaking of the Bucs, despite his move from New York to Tampa (and a $16million/year contract), Darrelle Revis still isn't happy.  The 49ers were embarrassed by the Seahawks in 29-3 loss in week 2. (Also during which the Guinness World Record for loudest stadium was set at Century Link Field in Seattle.) There have been a number of injuries, with many occurring during preseason and training camp, like Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski, Lions DL Jason Jones, Texans WR Andre Johnson, and Niners TE Vernon Davis to name a few.
All in all, it's certainly been an exciting and surprising first few weeks of the regular season. Now onto what's ahead...

Tonight is Monday Night Football (#MNF). An AFC West matchup of the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders in Denver, and with Peyton Manning back and better than ever, the Broncos will go 3-0. At age 37, no youngin' in the world of pro football, and after a neck surgery two years ago that could have ended his NFL career, Peyton Manning still has it. Last season, the Broncos finished 13-3 and 1st in the AFC West, then lost in the Divisional Playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens who went on to win the Super Bowl. This season is looking quite similar for the Broncos, except for one thing...they will win the divisional playoffs and continue on to Super Bowl XLVIII. In just two games, Peyton Manning has thrown for 769 yards and 9 touchdowns, 7 of which were during game one against the defending Super Bowl champions, tying the NFL record. With wide receivers like Wes Welker, Eric Decker and Demaryious Thomas, Manning is sure to add many more yards and TD's to his stats tonight. All-in-all, Peyton and the bucking Broncos are looking solid as gold as they head into tonight's game.