Category: NFL (Page 554 of 1282)

      Jay Cutler loves himself the interception

      December 13, 2009 /

      The good, bad and ugly of Jay Cutler was on full display in Week 14, as the Bears lost to the Packers, 21-14.

      Cutler made some outstanding throws into tight coverage while throwing for 209 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown pass (which gave Chicago a 14-13 lead early in the second half) was a laser to Devin Aromashodu (who?), who made an incredible grab along the sidelines.

      But what has often been the case for Cutler in 2009, he threw two horrible interceptions, which aided in the Bears’ demise. On both picks, he underthrew Johnny Knox because the pair weren’t on the same page. Cutler thought Knox would break off his route, while Knox continued to head up field.

      Who’s more at fault? Who knows. The only thing that matters is that Cutler’s first year in Chicago has been a small disaster and the Bears have fallen to 5-8 despite having Super Bowl aspirations in preseason.

      As for the Packers, Aaron Rodgers (16-of-24, 180 yards) didn’t tear up the stat sheet but then again, he didn’t have to. Ryan Grant rushed for 137 yards on 20 carries and the Green Bay defense once again turned in a solid performance in the victory.

      This was actually a bigger win than some may think. After beating the Ravens on Monday night, this could have served as a letdown game of sorts for Green Bay. But they stay focused, earned a win on the road and will now jockey for position in the NFC Wild Card race the rest of the way.


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      Brandon Marshall sets NFL-record for catches

      December 13, 2009 /

      Although it was in a losing effort, Broncos’ receiver Brandon Marshall hauled in an eye-popping 21 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns in Denver’s 28-16 loss to the Colts in Week 14. Marshall broke Terrell Owens’ 20-catch performance from 2000.

      The Colts had Tim Jennings covering Marshall at most times. Who the hell thought that matching the 5’8” Jennings up with a freak like Marshall was a good idea? They might as well set up a rocking chair and hoped Marshall tripped over it coming out of his break.
      (Although hey, who am I to question the coaching staff of an undefeated team?)

      Indy raced out to a 21-0 lead in the first half, but Peyton Manning kept the Broncos in the game by throwing three interceptions. Denver just couldn’t convert on the opportunities that were given to them and their defense had no answer for Manning and the Colts’ offense inside the red zone. (Indy was 4-4 once they got inside the 20.)

      Dallas Clark also had a great day, finishing with five catches for 43 yards and a hat trick of touchdowns. He had some great catches, including a diving grab (pictured above) on a 4th and 4 in the second half that set up the Colts’ third touchdown of the game.

      With this win, the Colts locked up a first round bye in the postseason.


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      Q&A Question of the Week: Week 14

      December 13, 2009 /

      Every week, I pick one question from our Fantasy Football Q&A and post it on Sunday morning. This week’s question comes from Matt, who is wondering what to do with Cedric Benson.

      “At RB, Pick 2. AP, Benson, and Charles. Leaning towards using Charles this week. Your thoughts?”

      My answer: Charles looks like a better option than Benson this week, though Benson has run well against good rush DTs before (so be warned).

      With the news that Benson is expected to share carries with Larry Johnson, Charles definitely looks like the better play this week. He has been hot (four straight games with a TD) and he has a terrific matchup against the league’s worst rush defense (BUF). Meanwhile, Benson has a terrible matchup (MIN) and is going to share carries with LJ. I’d bench him.


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      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Clayton: Tom Brady “should” start vs. Panthers

      December 13, 2009 /

      ESPN’s John Clayton just reported that Tom Brady should be able to start Sunday’s game against the Panthers.

      Brady, who has been dealing with finger, rib and shoulder injuries, was limited in practice this week due to his wife giving birth to their child. It’s unclear at this point whether or not he missed parts of practice due to the injuries or to attend to his wife.

      The Patriots are in mini crisis mode after losing two straight and having four players sent home earlier this week after they showed up late to team meetings. One of those players was Randy Moss and another, Adalius Thomas, is expected to be benched for today’s game.

      But assuming Brady is healthy, I think this is the day the Pats turn the corner by drubbing the Panthers at home. Just when you think Bill Belichick’s team is going to fall apart, they beat the snot out of somebody at home.


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      2009 NFL Week 14 Picks & Predictions

      December 12, 2009 /

      Saints (12-0) at Falcons (6-6), 1:00PM ET
      Matt Ryan and Michael Turner are listed as questionable, but if you actually believe they have any chance of playing on Sunday then you must have dipped into Jonathan Babineaux’s personal stash. The Falcons are a mess, the Saints have their sights set on perfection and Drew Brees won’t sleep Saturday night thinking about how many yards he’s going to rack up against Atlanta’s brutal secondary.
      Odds: Saints –10.
      Prediction: Saints 34, Falcons 10.

      Packers (8-4) at Bears (5-7), 1:00PM ET
      The Packers are hot after rattling off four in a row and they’ll face a Bears team on Sunday that might be the biggest disappointment in the NFC. That said, if the NFL has taught us anything over the years is that parity has a way of bringing teams back to earth. Call this my small upset special of the week: Bears get up for this one and beat their division rivals in frigid Chicago temperatures.
      Odds: Packers –3.
      Prediction: Bears 20, Packers 17.

      Broncos (8-4) at Colts (12-0), 1:00PM ET
      I thought the Colts’ best chance at losing was two weeks ago when they played an inspired Texans team at home. But they didn’t – even when they trailed by double digits in the first half. Last week, I thought the hot Titans would put a scare into Indy in an AFC South grudge match. But they didn’t. I’m not going against Peyton Manning this week, even though logic says the Broncos should keep this game close with their solid defense. Indy won’t run away with this won, but the game won’t be in doubt.
      Odds: Colts –7.
      Prediction: Colts 24, Broncos 16.

      Bills (4-8) at Chiefs (3-9), 1:00PM ET
      Things haven’t gone too well for first-year head coach Todd Haley and I’m afraid they won’t get much better this week when the lowly Bills knock the Chiefs off at Arrowhead (which was a place teams used to fear).
      Odds: Bills –1.
      Prediction: Bills 13, Chiefs 10.

      Bengals (9-3) at Vikings (10-2), 1:00PM ET
      This ought to be the game of the week, but I’ve got a bad feeling that it won’t be as close as people think. The Bengals are good – damn good. But they’re playing an unfamiliar opponent in unfamiliar territory in a hostile environment. Something tells me that this will be a statement game for Brett Favre and company after the Vikes lost to the Cardinals last Sunday night on prime time.
      Odds: Vikings –7.
      Prediction: Vikings 28, Bengals 20.

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