Week 3

   Several awful things happened last week, leaving sports fans ripping their own hair out.  The injuries have been piling up, and key player such as Jamaal Charles, Miles Austin and Dez Bryant will not be playing for a while. However, there were many great performances from a variety of teams and players. For example, Tom Brady has set the record for the most yards thrown in 2 NFL games (940 passing yards). Not to mention, the Bills, the Lions and the Redskins are all 2-0. The match ups this weekend should be great, and the NFL Report has everything you need to know about Week 3.

Adrian Peterson

Game to Watch: Green Bay vs. Chicago: Looking to redeem themselves after an awful loss to the Saints, Jay Cutler and the Bears will face off against their division rivals; the Green Bay Packers .The last time these two team played, Jay Cutler left the NFC Championship game early in the third quarter, and the Bears ended up losing 21-14. Both teams defenses look extraordinary, and the Packers probably have the advantage in terms of offense over the Bears. Plus, the Bears' offensive line allowed the Saints defense to sack Jay Cutler SIX TIMES last weekend. Now, they are forced to battle the Packers defense, which should not end very well for Cutler. In this division match up, the Packers will win on the road, and will improve to 3-0. The key thing for the Bears is the offensive line and the defense. If both can do well, it will be a great game.
Green Bay over Bears 21-13


Player to Watch: Tom Brady: After a historic two games, Brady will try and stay on track for 7,000. As he faces the Bills this weekend, a team that hasn't fully proven itself to be a legitimate contender, we have high hopes for Brady. I doubt Brady will get 400 yards for the 3rd week in a row, but he still will have an outstanding performance.
Tom Brady: 310 yards, 3 TD's


Stand-Out Performance: Michael Turner: The Atlanta running back has had back to back 100 yard games, and will be playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend. The Bucs have allowed the 2nd most rushing yards out of any defense in the league. This will lead to an outstanding performance by Michael Turner. Turner had 1,371 yards last year with 12 rushing TD's. The most underrated running back will do extremely well this week, putting up the best numbers of his career.
Michael Turner: 145 yards, 3 TD's


Week 3 Game Predictions:


Patriots over Bills


Panthers over Jaguars


Bengals over 49ers


Dolphins over Browns


Lions over Vikings


Saints over Texans


Eagles over Giants


Titans over Broncos


Jets over Oakland


Chargers over Chiefs


Ravens over Rams


Packers over Bears


Cardinals over Seahawks


Falcons over Buccaneers


Steelers over Colts


Dallas over Redskins

Week 3 Power Rankings

The Ravens lost to the Titans?! The Colts are 0-2?! The Lions are 2-0?! Two weeks have gone by in the 2011 season, and many things have surprised us football fans. That is why the NFL Report has Week 3 power rankings!

1. New England Patriots: A great start for this years New England Patriots; 2-0, Tom Brady combines for 940 passing yards in 2 games, and a win over the San Diego Chargers. However, the defense is very inconsistent, and the secondary looked extremely sloppy against the Chargers. If Brady can continue to stay healthy, and the defense improves slightly, good things are in store for the Pats

2. Green Bay Packers: Although the Packers have the best all-around team in the league, I was not happy with the Panthers game. In order for the packers to be number one, they can't win by a single touchdown against a team like Carolina. I am also worried about their pass-defense; it has given up 419 yards to Drew Brees and 432 to rookie Cam Newton.

3. New York Jets: The 2-0 Jets destroyed the Jaguars last weekend, after previously beating the skilled Cowboys in a shootout. The defense looks superb this year and even their offense is doing well. Expect a deep playoff run with this New York team.

4. Houston Texans: Surprisingly, the fourth place position is awarded to the Texans. In two games, their offense has let up 13 combined points. Also, they are without RB Arian Foster, (yet Ben Tate has been a great substitute). Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson are connecting very well, and the Texans are on a great streak.

5. New Orleans Saints: A dominating win over the Bears resurrects New Orleans after a close loss to the Packers in week 1.  Drew Brees is doing extremely well, and the offense as a whole is 5th in total yards (429.5 yards) and 5th in total passing yards (330 yards) so far this season. The offense looks great, and the defense is doing well. This could be another great year for Drew Brees and the Saints.

6. Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta pulled off a must win game, and hopefully will put the Bears game behind them. Michael Turner looks stellar this year (6.9 yards per carry), and hopefully Ryan will be able to connect more with his WR's. The defense looks mediocre (ranked 27th in pass-defense), and they are hoping for a division W over the Tampa Buccaneers this week.

7. Philadelphia Eagles: A tough loss against Atlanta has dropped the Eagles down in the rankings, yet they should bounce back to beat the Giants this week. Their running game is doing very well (ranked 2nd) and a 6th ranked passing defense should help over the weekend. We need to wait and see if Vick plays (concussion). It will be a hard season for the Eagles if their QB continues to be injured.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers: The Ravens loss last weekend to the Titans (yes, the TITANS!) definitely  benefited Pittsburgh in the NFC North rankings. An easy win over the Seahawks did not prove a lot, yet both the defense and offense look great, and they are, once again, a threat this year.

9. Chicago Bears: Six. That's how many times the Saints sacked Jay Cutler last weekend. The Bears NEED to improve the O-line, or else Jay Cutler may sprain his MCL again! The Bears face Green Bay on Sunday, which should test Jay Cutler's protecters. Luckily it is at Chicago, and it will be important for them to beat their division rival and prove the Atlanta game was not a fluke.

10. Baltimore Ravens: Are you kidding me! After defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, they lose to the Tennessee Titans! Although the defense did a great job shutting down Chris Johnson last weekend, they must have completely forgotten about stopping Matt Hasselbeck (358 YDS, 1 TD). I don't expect this to happen again, and they should beat the St Louis Rams at St. Louis.

11. San Diego Chargers: Although I predicted the Chargers to beat the Patriots, I was not surprised when they lost in Foxborough. Unfortunately, they could not follow through in the red zone very well, throwing interceptions at the wrong time. However, the passing game continues to look great, and they should bounce back to beat the Chiefs.

12. Detroit Lions: I would have never guessed; the Lions are 2-0! I am not completely in love with Detroit due to the fact they haven't faced a challenging team yet. Stafford and Johnson are connecting extremely well, and even the defense looks above-average (WOW!). Minnesota should be an easy win, but it will be interesting to see how they do against the Cowboys in 2 weeks.

13. Dallas Cowboys: Ouch! The Cowboys suffered many key injuries in Week 2, such as Miles Austin (out for several weeks), Tony Romo (questionable), Felix Jones (questionable) and Dez Bryant (questionable). Their rushing game has been pitiful, yet their 3rd ranked passing game and 2nd ranked rush-defense are doing very well. It will be interesting to see how they do against the Redskins this week.

14. Buffalo Bills: What may turn into this year's Cinderella story, the Buffalo Bills are 2-0. Surprisingly, they are ranked 1st in the league in rushing yards per game (190.0). As they play the New England Patriots this weekend, we will find out if the Bills are a legitimate team.

15. Washington Redskins: Although they have the worst logo in football, the Redskins look like a decent team. They are 11th in total passing yards per game (270.5), 10th in rushing yards per game (123.0) and 8th in rushing yards allowed per game (84.0). As I said earlier, this weekends game against the Cowboys will be interesting, and if Dallas are missing players due to injuries, the Redskins might go 3-0!

Week 2

     Week 1 is in the books and, unlike last year, there were not many outstanding performances by a breakout player (such as Arian Foster in '10). The main headline we drew from Week 1 was Cam Newton, who had one of the best rookie debuts in NFL history (422 yards, 2 passing TD's, 1 rushing TD). I am not sure if this is the start of something huge, but there is definitely potential in Cam Newton. Another shocker from Week 1; Bears DESTROYING the Falcons. The Bears defense looked spectacular, and if it can stay consistent, they might make a run deep into the playoffs. Week 2 has many great match ups, which should lead to another great week of football.

Game to Watch: Patriots vs Chargers. Brady vs. Rivers. Great offense vs great offense. Every football fan is looking forward to the clash of the QB’s, when Philip Rivers and the Chargers take on Tom Brady and the Patriots this weekend. The last time these two teams faced off, the Patriots walked into San Diego and beat the Chargers 23-20. Now, Brady is coming off of a 500 yard performance against the Miami Dolphins, and it looks like he’s in mid-season form. This year, however, the Bolts look better than ever, with a Pro-Bowl QB, two great receivers returning from injuries, and a decent running game.

         The Patriots are coming off a horrendous defensive performance; they gave up 400 yards to QB Chad Henne. Yes, you heard that right. Chad Henne. I can’t possibly imagine what will happen when they play Philip Rivers (4,700 yards in 2010). The Chargers may have had one of the worst defenses in 2010, but last weekend, they allowed the fewest total yards out of any team in the NFL. I know they have only played one game, but this could be the start of something huge. In the end, it will come down to which defense can shut the opposing team’s QB. In their last 7 meetings, the Patriots are 5-2 against the Chargers, and the Pats will look to extend their 26 game home-regular season win streak. As the Chargers walk into Foxborough with a 1-0 record, I think they have the advantage over New England. However, these two teams will likely face each other once more in this year’s playoffs.

Prediction: Chargers over Patriots 31-24

Player to Watch: RB CJ Spiller. This will be Spiller's second year in the pros, and he already has a touchdown this season. Spiller is extremely fast, explosive and elusive. Luckily, he will be playing the Raiders, a team who let up the 4th most yards to running backs. He had an amazing college career at Clemson (Spiller college highlights), and I hope he can have a standout performance this week.
CJ Spiller: 90 total yards, 2 TD's


Stand-Out Performance: Philip Rivers. After missing Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates for most of 2010 (played together only once last season), Philip Rivers will face off against the Patriots in Foxborough. Rivers had a mediocre game against the Vikings, yet Minnesota appear to have a decent defense this year. The patriots on the other hand  are coming off a horrendous defensive performance against the Dolphins, allowing 390 passing yards in their first game. Rivers is 4x better than Chad Henne, and he should have an amazing game against the Patriots.
Philip Rivers: 470 yards, 3 TD's


Week 2 Game Predictions:


Bills over Raiders


Packers over Panthers


Lions over Chiefs


Browns over Colts


Buccaneers over Vikings


Saints over Bears


Jets over Jaguars


Steelers over Seahawks


Ravens over Titans


Cardinals over Redskins


Cowboys over 49ers


Broncos over Bengals


Texans over Dolphins


Chargers over Patriots


Eagles over Falcons


Giants over Rams

Calvin Johnson: No. 1 WR In the NFL?

    There were many great player performances in Week 1, a great start to the 2011 season. One player who always puts up great numbers, day in and day out, is wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Against the Buccaneers last weekend, Megatron caught two touchdown passes and had 88 total receiving yards. However, is he the best wide receiver in the NFL right now? The answer is yes.

Calvin Johnson

     Calvin Johnson's career has been a roller coaster; a mediocre rookie season in 2007, an outstanding year in 2008 (12 TD's, 1,331 receiving yards), a below average year in 2009, and a great year in 2010 (77 receptions, 12 TD's, 1,120 receiving yards), even without QB Mathew Stafford. The important thing for Calvin Johnson is if Mathew Stafford can stay healthy. Stafford has only played 14 NFL games throughout his entire career. When Stafford is healthy, Johnson averaged 75 yards per game and has total of 9 receiving touchdowns. If Stafford can play at least 12 games this year, don't be surprised if Megatron gets more than 15 touchdowns. 

     One name that constantly appears with Calvin Johnson is the other All-Pro Johnson; Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans. Andre Johnson has played in the NFL for 9 seasons, and is a 5-time Pro-Bowler. If you were to look at the statistics, you would see from 2007 to 2011, Calvin Johnson has combined for 33 touchdowns and 4,191 receiving yards, compared to Andre Johnson's 33 touchdowns and 5,211 receiving yards. Although Andre has better statistics, he is aging and will not perform as well as he did in the past.

     Johnson, 25 years old, may be one of the most exciting wide receivers to watch. His amazing leaping abilities allow him to out jump just about any cornerback in the NFL. Also, he is extremely fast for a 6 ft 5, 235 pound wide receiver, running past defenders so he can make the easy catch. However, the only problem with Johnson is his route running. From time to time, he might do a poor job of faking the defender on a route, and the play will end up looking really sloppy. Most of the time, however, we can expect a great performance out of Johnson, and hope to see another spectacular catch.

    It is still early in the NFL season, and it is hard to make prediction based on injuries, but if all goes well, Calvin Johnson will have the greatest receiving performance of the year.

Week 1

Peyton Manning not playing in the season opener? Troubled Albert Haynesworth signed by the strict New England Patriots? Are the Eagles truly the dream team of the NFL? This crazy offseason has led to some crazy Super Bowl predictions. Now, the post-lockout season has begun, and Week 1 should have many wild season openers.

Michael Vick

Game to watch: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens. Every time the Steelers face off against the division rival Ravens, you can expect a blood-bath. It is clear neither team likes the other, and both have one of the best defenses in the league. Not to mention it is always a close game. Since 2005, 9 games were decided by a touchdown or less. History shows the Steelers are the better team. They have an all-time record against the Ravens of 19-11. However, with home field advantage, and the new acquisition of WR Lee Evans, the Baltimore Ravens have a slight edge over Pittsburgh.
Ravens beat Steelers 20-17


Player to Watch: Rookie QB Cam Newton. The 2010 Heisman winner will now put on the Carolina Panthers jersey for his first NFL game. Many say he will not do well in the pros and will just become another first pick bust. Luckily, though, he is facing the Arizona Cardinals in his first game, a team who ranked 29th in points allowed per game (27.1).  I don't expect Cam Newton to play like Michael Vick in his first game, but I am projecting him to do moderately well.
Cam Newton: 210 yards, 1 passing TD, 1 rushing TD.


Stand-Out Performance: QB Tom Brady.  The reigning MVP has a new (possibly lethal) weapon in WR Chad Ochocinco, and he will try to match his outstanding 2010 season. His 9 to 1 TD/INT ratio is an outstanding statistic, and his WR corp of Welker and Ochocinco will certainly  help him against the Dolphins this weekend. As the 2011 kicks off, the expectations are high for this accomplished Quarterback.
Tom Brady: 390 yards, 3 Passing TDs, 75.0 completion percentage.


Week 1 Game Predictions:


Falcons over Bears


Browns over Bengals


Texans over Colts


Titans over Jaguars


Bills over Chiefs


Eagles over Rams


Lions over Buccaneers 


Panthers over Cardinals


Chargers over Vikings


Seahawks over 49ers


Giants over Redskins 


Jets over Cowboys (OT)

Patriots over Dolphins


Broncos over Raiders


Ravens over Steelers

NFL 2011 Predictions

Now that the season is finally underway, the questions linger. Who will be this years breakout player? Which team will be the biggest bust? And most importantly, who will win the Super Bowl? The NFL Report has this years predictions:


AFC:1 Patriots (13-3) 2. Ravens (13-3) 3. Chargers (12-4) 4. Texans (11-5) 5. Jets (12-4) 6. Steelers (12-4)
NFC:1. Packers (13-3) 2. Falcons (12-4) 3. Eagles (12-4) 4. Rams (10-6) 5. Cowboys (12-4) 6. Saints (11-5)

AFC 1st Round: 3. Chargers over 6 Steelers (OT) & 5. Jets over 4. Texans
NFC 1st Round: 6. Saints over 3. Eagles & 5. Cowboys over 4. Rams

AFC 2nd Round: 3. Chargers over 2.; Ravens & 1. Patriots over 5. Jets
NFC 2nd Round: 1. Packers over 6. Saints & 2. Falcons over 5. Cowboys

AFC 3rd Round: 1. Patriots over 3. Chargers
NFC 3rd Round: 2. Falcons over 1. Packers

Super Bowl:Patriots over Falcons 28-17
Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady

MVP Philip Rivers

Defensive Player of the Year Demarcus Ware

Coach of the Year Jim Garret

Comeback Player of the Year Tony Romo 


Biggest Team  Bust: Chicago Bears


Breakout Player: CJ Spiller

The Big Bang

     Tonight, after a long and monotonous lockout, the 2011 NFL season will kick-off, literally. The season opener featuring the Packers and the Saints, is what many people say will be the 2011 NFC Championship game. Although it's hard not to love these two teams, I'm predicting neither team will make the NFC Championship Game.

     Packers Evaluation: The Green Bay Packers have one of the most, if not the most, talented group of  players in the NFL. However, the reigning champions will be the team to beat this year, and everyone will try their hardest against them. I'm not saying they won't make the playoffs, but I don't think they'll be able to win the championship game, let alone the Super Bowl! It's too hard, and who knows, Aaron Rodgers might suffer from concussion symptoms (like Sidney Crosby) and miss the entire season!

     Saints Evaluation: The New Orleans Saints is a great team to watch: Great fans, great QB, and a fun atmosphere. What I don't understand is why all of a sudden everyone thinks the Saints will win the Super Bowl. I think they should be thinking more about winning their division more than the Super Bowl. The Falcons are a great team who has a better defense, a better running game, and a better WR. corp. The only thing the Saints have over the Falcons is a better QB (which is arguably the most important). Then again that's the only thing the Saints have. Period. Drew Brees is the only reason (besides a decent defense) the Saints do so well. I think they'll lock up the Wild Card spot, yet that playoff loss to the Seahawks was a tell tale sign their reign might be over.
     
We will see what happens tonight.
    
Prediction: Packers Win 28-16