Football Matchup Report

Peyton Manning plays for the Indianapolis Colts and has been with the Colts since 1998 when he was the first round draft pick of that year. Manning has broke many records including the record for most NFL MVP awards and is the Colts all time leader with career wins, career passing yards,attempts,completions and passing touchdowns. He has been selected for the Pro Bowl a total of 11 times throughout his career and was the fastest quarterback to reach 50,000 passing yards and fastest to have 4,000 completions.

Sitting on the line with an even win/loss ratio the Falcons head into Detroit in an effort to keep the momentum from last week’s win against Carolina going strong. They will have their work cut out for them, however, as they bring their 17th overall ranked offense up against the 4th overall ranked offense of the Detroit Lions. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has shown flashes of both brilliance and confusion as he enters week seven with eight touchdowns and six interceptions on his 2011 record. On the other side, Matthew Stafford has been leading the Lions to a breakout year with fifteen touchdowns and only four interceptions. Consistency is the biggest difference between these two teams and that fact certainly reflects in their records. The Lions have only lost one game, last week to the 49ers. The Falcons, however, are up one week and down the next. Here are highlights from the preseason matchup this year:

Stafford’s awesome productivity will likely find more success when facing up against Atlanta’s defense, which is currently ranked 27th overall in the NFL. Detroit will need an effective passing game, however, because its running game currently ranks 25th in the league. Not being Read more »

This past season, the Baltimore Ravens were once more bounced early from the playoffs. The team is solid in so many places, yet they don’t have the impact that carried them to their only Super Bowl victory. Last years addition of Anquan Boldin was genius, however it was still not enough to carry them to the big game.

The offensive play calling was questionable, and needs to change. This is a team that needs to rest on the shoulders of Ray Rice. Yes, Joe Flacco is the franchise QB for this team, and he is very good, but he is not someone that can do everything on his own. The ground attack for Baltimore needs to be the bread and butter of their attack. Pound with Rice, then hit the big play with Flacco.

To help Rice, and Flacco lead this team to the Super Bowl the Ravens need to work on increasing the skill level of their offensive line. While the line was steady, stronger defenses have steadily run over them. They have a good offensive line, but are lacking a true championship one.

Despite the addition of Boldin, the team still needs a true down the field threat. That may be something that the team can address in the draft. The Receiving corps is good, without being great, a good free

Read more »

Another football season has come and gone in Houston, and once more the Texans have fallen well short of expectations. For a team that sports such a high powered offense there is no excuse for them to be swimming at the bottom of the AFC.

The retention of coach Gary Kubiak is one of the biggest surprises of the early post season. He has proven time and time again that he simply doesn’t know how to build up his defensive staff. The Houston offense is one of the most high octane groups in the NFL, however Kubiak’s failure to bolster the defensive staff is one of the most glaring issues of his entire tenure in Houston.

The biggest issue for the Texans remains on defense. The Houston defense has, over the years, been the squads one major weakness. They share a division with three other very good teams in the Colts, Titans, and Jaguars, which means Read more »

The Washington Redskins had high expectations going into the 2010 NFL season as they came into the year with some of their biggest expectations in a long time. In the offseason, the team was able to acquitted a new head coach in the infamous Mike Shannahan and was also able to get Donovan McNabb from the Philadelphia Eagles.

The team went to a new defensive scheme, going to the 3-4 rather than their usual 4-3, and also got the services of Jim Haslett as their new defensive coordinator. Clinton Portis came back from an injury plagued 2009 and the same cast of Santana Moss, Mike Sellers, and Chris Cooley was back. The team also done good in the free agent market picking up Jamaal Brown from the Saints, Mike Williams from the Bills, and also using their top pick on big Trent Williams from Stanford to sure up the offensive line.

The year started off with a big win over the Cowboys and in the month of October were Read more »

The St. Louis Rams had a great 2010 season in the National Football League. Since the team plays in the NFC West, which is widely perceived as the weakest division in the NFL, the Rams nearly made the playoffs as division champions.

Of course, the Rams could be considered a surprise playoff contender for 2010, since not much was expected out of the squad. Coach Steve Spagnuolo inspired his team through some savvy game plans, and basically turned the franchise back into a respectable team.

The play of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford was inspiring and showed he belongs in the NFL and may one day lead the team to several successful seasons. Running back Steven Jackson had another solid season, while not his best statistical performance, he proved he Read more »

For the 49ers to make the playoffs next year, there needs to be some big change! They have already taken a step in the right direction with the hiring of Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh was by far the hottest coach on the market, and for the 49ers, he could make a huge difference.

He was very successful at Stanford, taking them from a 1-11 team to a team that finished 12-1 and won the Orange Bowl in 2011. Harbaugh has shown a remarkable ability to turn programs into winners, starting with the University of San Diego, then moving on to Stanford. Now, he has to prove that he can do it in the NFL.

Unfortunately, other than the hiring of Harbaugh, there isn’t too much positive to talk about. They need a quarterback badly. Alex Smith is clearly not the answer. For whoever plays quarterback in San Francisco, there are a few good targets, such as Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan and Vernon Davis. At running back, the 49ers Read more »

The Arizona Cardinals expected to have an off year after losing future hall of famer Kurt Warner to retirement, however the depths to which the team sank in this past season expose the multiple flaws in this team.

Since the departure of Warner the most noticeable question on the Cardinals team has been at the quarterback position. Derek Anderson was not the answer, and in reality never really could have been. John Skelton, and Max Hall were more like sideshows that potential starters. The Cardinals need someone who can come in and fill this spot immediately if the coaching staff wants to stay in place. A trade for Kevin Kolb is a possibility, he would make a good fit for the pass happy offense. Another good choice for Arizona may be former Titans starter Vince Young who could add some diversity to the offense.

Another glaring problem Arizona suffers from is it’s offensive line. In 2010 the line played so badly it is doubtful that even Warner could have save the team. It also prevented Bennie Wells, and Tim Hightower from being able to attack on the ground. The QB’s haven’t had the chance to throw, and the running backs haven’t gotten much push on the ground. This more than anything may be the biggest problem in Arizona right now.

The Cardinals also need to find someone to fill in the void left by Anquan Boldin’s departure. Larry Fitzgerald remains one of the NFLs elite receivers, however he is the only true offensive weapon Arizona sports. He needs someone in the slot who can draw attention away from him.

The defense of Arizona was yet another huge disappointment in a team filled with them. While the defense has never been elite they have been able to keep games close enough in the past for the offense to uncork. With the recent weakening of the offense the Cardinals defense was exposed even further. They need help up front, and in the secondary equally if this team wants to be competitive anytime in Read more »

The Steelers weren’t prepared for that, I am sure. They thought that playing the Browns would be easy, and the result won’t matter, now it seems that this is a game that can either make or break them.

They wanted to have their playoffs situation sorted by now, that was the plan and they were acting on it (and as if everything was going according to that plan) but unfortunately for them, things didn’t work as they meant to and they are now in a position whereby a loss to the Browns can mean the end of their Super Bowl dream (and that even before the playoffs have even started). A sad position to be at I tell you.
Read more »

The story plot
—————————-
The Colts had 1 Nov winning run conclude last sunday. Nevertheless, aided by the troubled Bengals visiting the Colts, they have a good possibility to extend another.

Indy are tyring for an 8th straight Nov home win Sunday, while they in addition try to increase a streak of dominance over the Cincinatti team which covers Peyton Manning’s career.

Indy (5-3) picked up thirteen consecutive Nov matchups right up Read more »