Category: NFL (Page 253 of 1282)

      2010 NFL Week 13 Odds

      December 2, 2010 /
      New York Jets Jayson Taylor forces a fumble and sacks New England Patriots Tom Brady in week 2 of the NFL season at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on September 19, 2010. The Jets defeated the Patriots 28-14. UPI /John Angelillo Photo via Newscom

      Jets (9-2) @ Patriots (9-2), 8:30PM ET, Monday
      After that 49ers-Cardinals debacle last Monday night, ESPN owes fans one. Fortunately for them, we get to cash that favor this week with a battle of two 9-2 AFC East teams fighting for the top seed in the playoffs. Round 1 went to the Jets back in Week 2 and if they can beat the Bill Belichick’s again this Monday, they’ll essentially be up two full games over their division rivals. Tom Brady completed 20-of-36 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns against Rex Ryan’s defense earlier this season, but he also threw two costly interceptions. Can he get the best of gang green this time around?
      CURRENT ODDS: PATRIOTS –3.5

      Steelers (8-3) @ Ravens (8-3), 8:20PM ET
      The Sunday Night Football game hits another home run this week. The Ravens own a tiebreaker over the Steelers by virtue of their win earlier this season in Pittsburgh, but that victory came during Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension. Big Ben was in a walking boot after the Steelers’ win in Buffalo on Sunday and could be limited in practice throughout the week. He says he’ll play, but if he’s immobile then the Ravens’ aggressive front seven could have a field day. Pittsburgh better hope its banged up offensive line is up for the challenge this week. This should be a knock-‘em-down, drag-‘em-out kind of a fight between two heavy-hitters in the AFC North.
      CURRENT ODDS: RAVENS –3

      Falcons (9-2) @ Bucs (7-4), 4:15PM ET
      Do the Falcons ever catch a break? After facing the Bucs, Ravens, Rams (on the road) and Packers in consecutive weeks, Atlanta will once again face a playoff contender when it travels to Tampa this Sunday. The good news is that the Falcons face the Panthers twice in their last five games. The bad news is that the Saints and Bucs are breathing down their necks in the NFC South, so they can’t afford to take a week off. Both of their losses came on the road this year and the Bucs played them tough in the Georgia Dome a month ago. Bettors, be weary of a trap.
      CURRENT ODDS: FALCONS –2

      Cowboys (3-8) @ Cowboys (6-5), 4:15PM ET
      Given what has transpired over the past couple of weeks, this game is incredibly intriguing. Thanks to interim coach Jason Garrett, the Cowboys are playing with a renewed sense of confidence and could have beaten the Saints last week had Roy Williams not fumbled in the closing minutes, which set New Orleans up for its game-winning touchdown drive. On the other side, the Colts have looked overmatched the last two weeks and are now on the verge of dropping to .500 on the year. Peyton Manning looked horrid last Sunday night against the Chargers and while Dallas’ defense can be had, the ‘Boys are playing much better on that side of the ball these days. If Peyton Manning puts together his third straight poor performance, there will be no doubt that someone in the media will start to question if age is starting to catch up to him.
      CURRENT ODDS: COLTS -5

      2010 NFL Week 13 Odds & Over/Under Totals

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, NFL

      Brett Favre: “I’m done.”

      December 2, 2010 /
      LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 28: Brett Favre of the Minnesota Vikings against the Washington Redskins at FedExField November 28, 2010 in Landover, Maryland. The Vikings won the game 17-13. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

      Brett Favre reiterated on Wednesday that this will be his final season.

      “I’m done, I’m done,” he told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

      Uh, huh.

      John Paulsen asked me if I thought Lord Favre meant what he said. My response? I think he means it………………right now.

      Favre has had a tough year but we’ve been through this all before. He said at the beginning of the season that this would be his last, but he’s complemented retirement before only to return the following year. He even held a press conference with the Packers saying that he was retired and then – surprise! – he changed his mind and wound up in a New York Jets uniform.

      Favre needs the spotlight, although even I have to admit that after this Jenn Sterger debacle he may mean it this time. His play has also fallen off a cliff and unless he puts up MVP-like numbers over these last five weeks, it’s doubtful that he’ll convince himself that he still has it and return for another year.

      That said, his word means nothing when it comes to retirement. Until he files the paperwork and is nowhere near a NFL stadium for the opener of 2011, I don’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth.

      External Sports, NFL

      2010 Fantasy Football: Week 13 Rankings

      December 1, 2010 /

      I’m pleased to report that with a #5 finish in Week 12, I am still holding on to the #1 overall spot in FantasyPros’ accuracy contest.

      The beat goes on for John Paulsen (The Scores Report) as he continues to hold down the #1 spot as the most accurate expert in our contest. Paulsen has been the overall leader for so long that the Lions, Titans and Dolphins have each gone through 3 starting QBs since he last trailed someone else in the standings. In other words, this makes it 8 consecutive weeks at #1. In week 12, Paulsen had another strong showing (#5 overall), marking the fourth time this season he has finished in the top 5 of the weekly standings. And for the season, Paulsen continues to shine at each of the positions that factor into our overall scoring: RB (#2), WR (#2), TE (#4), and QB (#9).

      Four more weeks to go!

      Below is my first stab at Week 13’s rankings. Be sure to check back because they will definitely change throughout the week as news trickles in.

      Updated Sunday, December 5.


      If you can’t see the FantasyPros widget (they’ve been having heavy traffic issues leading up to kickoff the last couple of weeks), then look below for text rankings. Just a warning though — I can’t update these as easily as the widget.

      Quarterbacks

      1. Michael Vick (PHI vs. HOU)
      2. Aaron Rodgers (GB vs. SF)
      3. Peyton Manning (IND vs. DAL)
      4. Matt Cassel (KC vs. DEN)
      5. Drew Brees (NO @ CIN)
      6. Philip Rivers (SD vs. OAK)
      7. Kyle Orton (DEN @ KC)
      8. Tom Brady (NE vs. NYJ)
      9. Jay Cutler (CHI @ DET)
      10. Eli Manning (NYG vs. WAS)
      11. Sam Bradford (STL @ ARI)
      12. Mark Sanchez (NYJ @ NE)
      13. Josh Freeman (TB vs. ATL)
      14. Matt Ryan (ATL @ TB)
      15. Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF @ MIN)
      16. Matt Schaub (HOU @ PHI)
      17. Jon Kitna (DAL @ IND)
      18. Joe Flacco (BAL vs. PIT)
      19. Ben Roethlisberger (PIT @ BAL)
      20. Matt Hasselbeck (SEA vs. CAR)
      21. David Garrard (JAC @ TEN)
      22. Chad Henne (MIA vs. CLE)
      23. Carson Palmer (CIN vs. NO)
      24. Donovan McNabb (WAS @ NYG)
      25. Kerry Collins (TEN vs. JAC)
      26. Brett Favre (MIN vs. BUF)
      27. Troy Smith (SF @ GB)
      28. Jake Delhomme (CLE @ MIA)
      29. Derek Anderson (ARI vs. STL)
      30. Jason Campbell (OAK @ SD)
      31. Drew Stanton (DET vs. CHI)
      32. Jimmy Clausen (CAR @ SEA)

      Running Backs

      1. Arian Foster (HOU @ PHI)
      2. Peyton Hillis (CLE @ MIA)
      3. Jamaal Charles (KC vs. DEN)
      4. Chris Johnson (TEN vs. JAC)
      5. Adrian Peterson (MIN vs. BUF)
      6. Michael Turner (ATL @ TB)
      7. Steven Jackson (STL @ ARI)
      8. LeSean McCoy (PHI vs. HOU)
      9. Matt Forte (CHI @ DET)
      10. Knowshon Moreno (DEN @ KC)
      11. Maurice Jones-Drew (JAC @ TEN)
      12. Mike Tolbert (SD vs. OAK)
      13. Ray Rice (BAL vs. PIT)
      14. Felix Jones (DAL @ IND)
      15. Fred Jackson (BUF @ MIN)
      16. Rashard Mendenhall (PIT @ BAL)
      17. Ahmad Bradshaw (NYG vs. WAS)
      18. Cedric Benson (CIN vs. NO)
      19. Darren McFadden (OAK @ SD)
      20. Donald Brown (IND vs. DAL)
      21. LaDainian Tomlinson (NYJ @ NE)
      22. Maurice Morris (DET vs. CHI)
      23. Thomas Jones (KC vs. DEN)
      24. Jonathan Stewart (CAR @ SEA)
      25. Christopher Ivory (NO @ CIN)
      26. Brian Westbrook (SF @ GB)
      27. Mike Goodson (CAR @ SEA)
      28. LeGarrette Blount (TB vs. ATL)
      29. BenJarvus Green-Ellis (NE vs. NYJ)
      30. Brandon Jackson (GB vs. SF)
      31. Brandon Jacobs (NYG vs. WAS)
      32. Ronnie Brown (MIA vs. CLE)
      33. Marshawn Lynch (SEA vs. CAR)
      34. Toby Gerhart (MIN vs. BUF)
      35. Shonn Greene (NYJ @ NE)
      36. Danny Woodhead (NE vs. NYJ)
      37. Tashard Choice (DAL @ IND)
      38. Anthony Dixon (SF @ GB)
      39. Ricky Williams (MIA vs. CLE)
      40. Chris “Beanie” Wells (ARI vs. STL)
      41. Justin Forsett (SEA vs. CAR)
      42. Keiland Williams (WAS @ NYG)
      43. Aaron Brown (DET vs. CHI)
      44. Ryan Mathews (SD vs. OAK)
      45. James Davis (WAS @ NYG)
      46. Darren Sproles (SD vs. OAK)
      47. Reggie Bush (NO @ CIN)
      48. Mike Hart (IND vs. DAL)
      49. Carnell “Cadillac” Williams (TB vs. ATL)
      50. Tim Hightower (ARI vs. STL)

      Wide Receivers

      1. Dwayne Bowe (KC vs. DEN)
      2. Roddy White (ATL @ TB)
      3. Brandon Lloyd (DEN @ KC)
      4. Andre Johnson (HOU @ PHI)
      5. DeSean Jackson (PHI vs. HOU)
      6. Reggie Wayne (IND vs. DAL)
      7. Greg Jennings (GB vs. SF)
      8. Santonio Holmes (NYJ @ NE)
      9. Mario Manningham (NYG vs. WAS)
      10. Jeremy Maclin (PHI vs. HOU)
      11. Mike Williams (TB vs. ATL)
      12. Larry Fitzgerald (ARI vs. STL)
      13. Calvin Johnson (DET vs. CHI)
      14. Steve Johnson (BUF @ MIN)
      15. Marques Colston (NO @ CIN)
      16. Terrell Owens (CIN vs. NO)
      17. Wes Welker (NE vs. NYJ)
      18. Johnny Knox (CHI @ DET)
      19. Pierre Garcon (IND vs. DAL)
      20. Mike Wallace (PIT @ BAL)
      21. Braylon Edwards (NYJ @ NE)
      22. Chad Ochocinco (CIN vs. NO)
      23. Mike Thomas (JAC @ TEN)
      24. Sidney Rice (MIN vs. BUF)
      25. Santana Moss (WAS @ NYG)
      26. Dez Bryant (DAL @ IND)
      27. Miles Austin (DAL @ IND)
      28. Percy Harvin (MIN vs. BUF)
      29. Anquan Boldin (BAL vs. PIT)
      30. Davone Bess (MIA vs. CLE)
      31. Derrick Mason (BAL vs. PIT)
      32. Danny Amendola (STL @ ARI)
      33. Deion Branch (NE vs. NYJ)
      34. Blair White (IND vs. DAL)
      35. Hines Ward (PIT @ BAL)
      36. Ben Obomanu (SEA vs. CAR)
      37. Danario Alexander (STL @ ARI)
      38. Michael Crabtree (SF @ GB)
      39. Steve Breaston (ARI vs. STL)
      40. Brian Hartline (MIA vs. CLE)
      41. Mike Williams (SEA vs. CAR)
      42. Eddie Royal (DEN @ KC)
      43. Jacoby Ford (OAK @ SD)
      44. Randy Moss (TEN vs. JAC)
      45. Brandon Marshall (MIA vs. CLE)
      46. Nate Burleson (DET vs. CHI)
      47. Malcom Floyd (SD vs. OAK)
      48. Nate Washington (TEN vs. JAC)
      49. Lance Moore (NO @ CIN)
      50. Jabar Gaffney (DEN @ KC)
      51. Lee Evans (BUF @ MIN)
      52. Steve Smith (CAR @ SEA)
      53. James Jones (GB vs. SF)
      54. Jordan Shipley (CIN vs. NO)
      55. Jason Avant (PHI vs. HOU)
      56. Robert Meachem (NO @ CIN)
      57. Seyi Ajirotutu (SD vs. OAK)
      58. Derek Hagan (NYG vs. WAS)
      59. Earl Bennett (CHI @ DET)
      60. Devin Hester (CHI @ DET)

      Tight Ends

      1. Jacob Tamme (IND vs. DAL)
      2. Jason Witten (DAL @ IND)
      3. Antonio Gates (SD vs. OAK)
      4. Tony Gonzalez (ATL @ TB)
      5. Marcedes Lewis (JAC @ TEN)
      6. Dustin Keller (NYJ @ NE)
      7. Vernon Davis (SF @ GB)
      8. Kellen Winslow (TB vs. ATL)
      9. Kevin Boss (NYG vs. WAS)
      10. Todd Heap (BAL vs. PIT)
      11. Rob Gronkowski (NE vs. NYJ)
      12. Visanthe Shiancoe (MIN vs. BUF)
      13. Chris Cooley (WAS @ NYG)
      14. Brandon Pettigrew (DET vs. CHI)
      15. Brent Celek (PHI vs. HOU)
      16. Greg Olsen (CHI @ DET)
      17. Benjamin Watson (CLE @ MIA)
      18. Joel Dreessen (HOU @ PHI)
      19. Tony Moeaki (KC vs. DEN)
      20. Jermaine Gresham (CIN vs. NO)
      21. Jimmy Graham (NO @ CIN)
      22. Zach Miller (OAK @ SD)
      23. Anthony Fasano (MIA vs. CLE)
      24. Aaron Hernandez (NE vs. NYJ)
      25. Heath Miller (PIT @ BAL)

      Kickers

      1. David Akers (PHI vs. HOU)
      2. Adam Vinatieri (IND vs. DAL)
      3. Mason Crosby (GB vs. SF)
      4. Josh Brown (STL @ ARI)
      5. Dan Carpenter (MIA vs. CLE)
      6. Nate Kaeding (SD vs. OAK)
      7. Nick Folk (NYJ @ NE)
      8. Garrett Hartley (NO @ CIN)
      9. Matt Bryant (ATL @ TB)
      10. Olindo Mare (SEA vs. CAR)
      11. Josh Scobee (JAC @ TEN)
      12. Ryan Longwell (MIN vs. BUF)
      13. Rob Bironas (TEN vs. JAC)
      14. Sebastian Janikowski (OAK @ SD)
      15. Robbie Gould (CHI @ DET)
      16. Ryan Succop (KC vs. DEN)
      17. Shaun Suisham (PIT @ BAL)
      18. Lawrence Tynes (NYG vs. WAS)
      19. Matt Prater (DEN @ KC)
      20. Billy Cundiff (BAL vs. PIT)

      Defense

      1. Green Bay Packers (GB vs. SF)
      2. Chicago Bears (CHI @ DET)
      3. Seattle Seahawks (SEA vs. CAR)
      4. New York Giants (NYG vs. WAS)
      5. San Diego Chargers (SD vs. OAK)
      6. New Orleans Saints (NO @ CIN)
      7. Tennessee Titans (TEN vs. JAC)
      8. St. Louis Rams (STL @ ARI)
      9. Baltimore Ravens (BAL vs. PIT)
      10. Minnesota Vikings (MIN vs. BUF)
      11. Miami Dolphins (MIA vs. CLE)
      12. Indianapolis Colts (IND vs. DAL)
      13. Pittsburgh Steelers (PIT @ BAL)
      14. Detroit Lions (DET vs. CHI)
      15. New York Jets (NYJ @ NE)
      16. Philadelphia Eagles (PHI vs. HOU)
      17. Washington Redskins (WAS @ NYG)
      18. Cleveland Browns (CLE @ MIA)
      19. Arizona Cardinals (ARI vs. STL)
      20. Atlanta Falcons (ATL @ TB)

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Strength of Schedule (SOS): Week 13

      November 30, 2010 /

      What am I looking at?

      Below you’ll see a table for each position with a list of team names on the left. If a square is pink, it means that the matchup is tough. If it’s green, it means it’s a favorable matchup. On the far right, the column “R16” shows the average SOS for the remaining weeks.

      It’s important to note that this is NOT straight fantasy points allowed. I removed the bias of schedule by looking at the opponents of each defense and how they fared in their other games. For example, if a particular defense faced a series of great QBs, then that is taken into account in these tables.

      How do I use these tables?

      Generally speaking, I use strength of schedule as a tiebraker between two similarly ranked players. Let’s say I’m trying to decide between starting BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Ronnie Brown. All else being equal, these two players are very close in my mind. But if BGE has a great matchup and Brown has a bad matchup, the choice is clear. In fact, if BGE just has a mediocre matchup while Brown has a bad matchup, I’d probably go with the Law Firm.

      Be careful not to read too much into these tables. You aren’t going to bench Chris Johnson in a bad matchup unless you somehow have Arian Foster waiting in the wings.

      Note: I apologize for the size of the text, but there really is no other way for me to present this data, at least not at this point.

      Continue reading »

      External Sports, Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL investigating whether or not Bucs’ corner Talib threatened official

      November 30, 2010 /
      ATLANTA - DECEMBER 14: Cornerback Aqib Talib #25 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches play against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on December 14, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

      Cornerback Aqib Talib is one of the many bright young stars on the Buccaneers’ roster. His six interceptions tie him for second in the league behind the Eagles’ Asante Samuel (who has seven), and Talib continues to play at a Pro Bowl level this season.

      But he can’t help the Bucs if he’s suspended, which may be the result of his actions following last Sunday’s game against the Ravens.

      The St. Petersburg Times is reporting that the NFL is looking into a run-in that Talib had with a game official following Tampa’s 17-10 loss at Baltimore. Talib was furious with field judge Boris Cheek during the game about a pass-interference call on teammate Myron Lewis. Per the report, Talib lobbed a couple of expletives at Cheek as he left the field.

      As the story goes, a member of the officiating crew told Talib, “You play like a (expletive).” To which Talib intelligently replied: “I’ll (hit) you in your (expletive) mouth.”

      This isn’t the first time that the young corner has been in trouble. He’s already hit a teammate with a helmet in practice and he also punched a taxi driver in August of this year (which earned him a one-game suspension earlier this season). One more strike against him and it’s not unrealistic to think that he could be suspended for multiple games.

      Of course, the league can’t have officials taunting and cursing at players. Talib was wrong to say what he did, but part of an official’s job is to keep the peace. How can a referee be trusted not to be biased if he’s verbally fighting with players after a game?

      However the situation turns out, Bucs coach Raheem Morris would be wise to sit Talib down and express to him how much Tampa needs him on the field. I don’t see how this (below) helps Talib grasp the situation:

      “He didn’t do anything wrong,” said Morris. “He was just in conversation, so I’m not going to sit here and act like Aqib did anything wrong toward the official because I’m not into that. That’s between those two men, and whatever happened happened.”

      Morris has done a great job in his second year and who am I to tell him how to run his team? That said, I’ve seen coaches play the role of friend with players before and it never works out. Teams can fracture when it’s perceived that one player is getting special treatment, especially when he acts like an idiot.

      The Bucs have a good young team and it would be unfortunate if things were to unravel for Morris, who has transformed the Bucs into a competitor in only his second year. He has to find a way to get through to Talib so that these types of issues don’t keep surfacing.

      External Sports, NFL

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑