NFL 2015 Week 1 preview

Finally, after all the talk of air in balls and the end of Deflategate, the gates to the greatest show on turf can finally be opened as the road to Super Bowl 50 begins in earnest. All roads lead to San Francisco now.

What to expect from this season though? The reinstatement of Tom Brady for the entire season means the Patriots remain the big noise of the AFC with challenges coming from Indianapolis, Baltimore and if Arian Foster stays healthy perhaps Houston.  On the other side of the conference battle, the Seattle Seahawks remain the team to beat with the Green Bay Packers although the loss of Jordy Nelson will remove a potent weapon for Aaron Rodgers.

The great thing of week 1 is the thrill of the new and that anything can happen with new rookies, players on new teams and the excitement of another season upon us.

Throughout the season I hope to bring you in this blog, a preview of the match of the week, picks for every game, upset special and fantasy focus advice.

Match of the Week

 v 

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys  

A familiar match up between two heated rivals, who feel they have a chance to win the division this season. The Cowboys give the impression of going all in this season in an attempt to win their first Super Bowl since the mid 1990s, they signed Greg Hardy on free agency and took a chance with Randy Gregory in the draft; whilst releasing DeMarco Murray after a career year.  Can the OL protect Tony Romo from getting hit and can Dez Bryant remain open and score enough points as even though they improved last season, you will always score against this Cowboys defence.
 
Which brings us to the Giants, who have just as impactful a QB-WR duo in Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. who was Rookie of the Year last year. Will ODB suffer with second season syndrome or will the Giants make strides again for a playoff run with an improved defence; and a good draft means the Giants are one of three teams in a chance to win this division along with the Redskins, sorry I mean the Eagles.

Since Jerryworld opened, Eli Manning has a good record there, able to deal with the large crowd that puts too much expectation on a team.  It will be high scoring but I fancy the Giants to ride out of Dallas with a big road win to start their season.

Picks 

(winner in capitals)

Pittsburgh @ NEW ENGLAND

GREEN BAY @ Chicago

Kansas City @ HOUSTON

Cleveland @ NY JETS

Indianapolis @ BUFFALO

MIAMI @ Washington

Carolina @ JACKSONVILLE

SEATTLE @ St. Louis

New Orleans @ ARIZONA

DETROIT @ San Diego

Tennessee @ TAMPA BAY

Cincinnati @ OAKLAND

BALTIMORE @ Denver

NY GIANTS @ Dallas

PHILADELPHIA @ Atlanta

MINNESOTA @ San Francisco

Upset Special

 v 

Some of my selections will no doubt raise some eyebrows, yet the most pressing upset for me is the visit of Andrew Luck and his deflated Colts visiting Rex Ryan's Bills on the opening week.  Whilst the Colts have the better QB, he may not face a more pressing defence than the one Ryan will throw at him this weekend in the Bills' home opener.  This will be a test of Luck's receiver core, can TY Hilton step up as the number one. If it becomes a shootout, I cannot see Luck being able to find enough people open.  The Bills meanwhile have a few better offensive options in Shady McCoy and Sammy Watkins in the deep, despite the less than heralded Tyrod Taylor starting.

Fantasy advice

- Take the Bills defence

- Jimmy Graham (Seattle) as a legitimate red zone target

- Devante Adams (Green Bay) will get a lot of targets and looks v Chicago

- Alfred Blue (Houston) with Arian Foster out week 1, 

expect a lot of touches for Blue v Kansas City

Follow me on Twitter @JamieGarwood. Let me know what you think

NFL Week 13 Thanksgiving Preview

Thanksgiving means so much to so many Americans.  Apart from a public holiday less than a month before Christmas and one long weekend to do your shopping for the next holiday it also means a chance to sit down with the family, hoover down your food and then retire to the Laz-e-boy and watch three NFL games back to back, beer to beer, turkey leg to pumpkin pie.

This year like last there is three Thanksgiving games featuring the two regular hosts of Detroit and Dallas as well as an almighty Thursday night showdown in the AFC North for the NFL Network.

Green Bay Packers (5-5-1) at Detroit Lions (6-5)
In the first game, the Detroit Lions host their division rival Green Bay Packers in a match for the supremacy of the NFC North where it appears only one team from that division will make the playoffs due to the play of the Carolina Panthers and the West division.
The Lions have so much talent in abundance and yet they have conspired to lose their last two games at Pittsburgh when Stafford had over 300 yards in the first half and yet Calvin Johnson had no receptions in the second half leading to a 10 point loss. Last week they lost at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a game again they should have won on paper, yet they are a team who lose from winning positions. Not good for momentum and play off pushes.
The Packers will be starting Matt Flynn who led the team well in the tie versus Minnesota on Sunday, Flynn knows the system and has good targets in Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Jarrett Boykin.
Expect a lot of throws in this game although Eddie Lacy could make a differemence in the dome where his asthma problems will not surface, having sat out the fourth quarter and overtime at the weekend.

Prediction: Lions by 4

Oakland Raiders (4-7) at Dallas Cowboys (6-5)
The Cowboys will like their chances of getting to seven wins before the Eagles travel across the country to Arizona on Sunday in a close encounter.
Oakland came close to defeating Tennessee but oddly two missed field goals by Seb Janokowski meant they lost by four instead of winning by two.  Matt McGloin is decent at times and done a good job but the Titans are just as good at defence as are the Cowboys.  Expect Rashad Jennings to have a good day with the run, although the Raiders do not have the same number of wide out weapons that Tony Romo has to call upon - Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, Miles Austin.

Prediction: Cowboys by 7

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-6) at Baltimore Ravens (5-6)
The Steelers have done extremely well to get close to .500 having opened the season 0-5, this has been due to the offense being left to Big Ben and the defence slowly resurfacing to past glories.
The Super Bowl champions however have had a god awful year not helped by the lose of veteran defenders to retirement, Denis Pitta lose to injury before the season started and then the ineffective play of both Ray Rice and Joe Flacco. 
Something to remember about this match-up is that this is always close and comes down to a late field goal as it did earlier in the season at Pittsburgh when Shaun Suishman connected with a time expiring field goal for a home victory. This again will be close.

Prediciton: Steelers by 3

Follow me on twitter @JamieGarwood

NFL Week 9 preview

Week 8 had one of the greatest endings in recent NFL history as the Lions overcame the Cowboys at home thanks to a record-setting day by Calvin Johnson, leading to a tantrum by Dez Bryant on the touchline but maybe the Cowboys should look at their defence that gave up 623 total yards in a game they should have won.

Personally, this writer went to Wembley Stadium in London to watch the San Francisco 49ers steamroll the Jacksonville Jaguars 42-10 in a very one-sided victory, but the 49ers look good again as they have returned to basics getting a lot of rushing yardage from Colin Kaepernick who had 2 rushing touchdowns, Frank Gore who got the first one of the day and some good carries for Kendall Hunter also.

Elsewhere, the Broncos overcame a 21-7 deficit at home to Washington to score 38 unanswered points as Robert Griffin III had one of the worst games of his career. Washington were victims of being greedy, after going head thanks to a Manning turnover (third consecutive game with one for Peyton) they continued to throw when they should have used Alfred Morris and Roy Helu on the ground to eat up time and frustrate the Broncos.  Instead RG3 thought he was a Manning aiming downfield to passers unable to catch in double coverage when screens and short passes would be key.

New England overcame a 17-3 half-time deficit to Miami at home and yet came up big in the third quarter as Tom Brady with a swollen hand did enough to get to 6-2 and again be in control of the AFC East following defeats for the Jets (at Bengals) and Bills (at Saints).

Week 9 preview Byes for Denver, Detroit, New York Giants, Arizona, 49ers, Jacksonville

Bengals (6-2) at Dolphins (3-4)
The Dolphins have now lost four games in a row, and they continue to protect their quarterback. Now they go up against a formidable defence who made life a misery for Geno Smith last week. Coupled with Andy Dalton looking solid himself, not turning the ball over, this one looks a foregone conclusion.
Prediction: Bengals by 8

Steelers (2-5) at Patriots (6-2)
The Steelers are a frustrating sort of team, they should beat a team like Oakland and frustrate Terrelle Pryor but Pryor is making plays week in, week out. The Patriots are seemingly trying to build momentum and for them it is all about balance. Avoid Brady in fantasy until his receiving core gets to full health as they are getting good yards and scores from Stevan Ridley and Brandon Bolden currently.
Prediction: Patriots by 6

Chiefs (8-0) at Bills (3-5)
The Chiefs are probably the least convincing undefeated side in recent years owing to a soft schedule but you can only play who is on your sheet.  The Bills have shown flashes but miss CJ Spiller and the Chiefs defence should be able to get to Thad Lewis enough, but the Browns got within a touchdown of the Chiefs owing to Jason Campbell not turning the ball over. Yet Alex Smith protects the ball better than anyone at the moment in the NFL.
Prediction: Chiefs by 7

Vikings (1-6) at Cowboys (4-4)
The Cowboys will be grateful for this match-up as they can get back on the horse so soon after falling off. The Vikings are woeful and they had no answer to Aaron Rodgers and his depleted receivers, the Cowboys have plenty of catching talent and should be dominant as they usually are against teams with losing records.
Prediction: Cowboys by 10

Titans (3-4) at Rams (3-5)
The Rams came so close to rocking the apple cart by getting a signature win over the Seahawks at home, they outgained the Seahawks in yardage and kept them to only 129 total yards yet gave up an 80+ yard TD to Golden Tate.  They are at home but face a Titans team coming off a bye and if Jake Locker is healthy and plays to the level he showed before his hip injury then they should have too much.
Predition: Titans by 4

Saints (6-1) at Jets (4-4)
The Saints are as under the radar as Katrina was in the White House, yes Drew Brees is having another stellar season and Jimmy Graham caught two touchdowns despite not being 100% yet it is the Rob Ryan defence that is making noise and turning sufficient heads.  Geno Smith has had few answers to complicated defensive schemes as Belichick and Mike Zimmer (last week) has showed. Watch out for Kenny Vaccaro their first round draft pick who should be in the Defensive Rookie of the Year discussion
Prediction: Saints by 14

Chargers (4-3) at Washington (2-5)
The Chargers come off a bye and have a great balance currently with running backs Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead making first downs and then Philip Rivers doing the rest.  Washington need to get back to basics, much like the 49ers did after their mini-crisis when 1-2. Start running the ball again RG3
Prediction: Chargers by 7

Falcons (2-5) at Panthers (4-3)
The Panthers were impressive at the Bucs last week and right now Cam Newton is playing excellent football; his stature in the pocket and explosiveness out of it makes the Panthers a viable wild card contender for the playoffs.  They have this divisional match-up and two games versus the Saints to come but I like the Panthers run and gun offence currently, run first and they still have Steve Smith and Greg Olsen as receivers.  Matt Ryan had four interceptions last week, another week to forget for pre-season Super Bowl favourites.
Prediction: Panthers by 7

Eagles (3-5) at Raiders (3-4)
Expect the Raiders to outrush the Eagles who have forgotten how to score an offensive touchdown. Whatever happened to this vaunted Eagles offensive machine that was going to change football?  The Raiders have been impressive, much more than I imagined they would be thanks to Terrelle Pryor. I think I might lose a bet with a friend of mine over the Raiders win total, which may be beaten in the next three games.
Prediction: Raiders by 7

Buccaneers (0-7) at Seahawks (7-1)
How do we still get these blowout sort of games. The Bucs have little run defence so expect Lynch to have a better day than he did on Monday, Percy Harvin's return cannot come soon enough for this Seahawks offence. Bucs will remain winless, but they are not as bad as Jacksonville, with Mike Glennon showing some competency at quarterback
Prediction: Seahawks by 10

Ravens (3-4) at Browns (3-5)
Jason Campbell did some good things last week and did not turn the ball over, whereas Joe Flacco does turn the ball over.  The Browns defence is underrated, maybe this is the surprise of the weekend.
Prediction: Browns by 3

Colts (5-2) at Texans (2-5)
This must have been thought as a high profile divisional match-up but the Colts are right now a good team playing above expectations at offence and defence. Whilst Case Keenum did well and kept it close against the Chiefs, he came up short and if the Colts defence play to a level like they did versus the Broncos this will be one-sided.
Prediction: Colts by 7

Bears (4-3) at Packers (5-2)
The Packers and especially Aaron Rodgers were from another planet (24 of 29 completed passes) as they had seven successive scoring drives on Sunday, on the eighth they kneeled to end the game. The combination of Jordy Nelson (123 yards, 2 TDs) and Eddie Lacy (89 yards of 192 total rushing yards) who is offensive rookie of the year material may be too much for a Bears defence who gave up 48 points to Washington. The defence have to contend with Josh McGown as Jay Cutler is still out with a groin injury.
Prediction: Packers by 10

Lets Talk About Dez

The Dallas Cowboys still claim to be America's Team despite them not winning a Super Bowl this millennium, despite Tony Romo only ever winning one playoff game. The Cowboys have been an exciting team this season in a sub-par division, well they have been involved in two exciting regular season games.  Two of the most exciting games in recent memory, and they have lost both of them.

They scored 48 points in a game, and lost to the Denver Broncos on a time expiring Matt Prater field goal at JerryWorld thanks to a Tony Romo interception that negated his entire 500 yards he threw for previously to the one costly reception to a Bronco.

On Sunday, they succumb on the road to the Detroit Lions as they allowed a Matthew Stafford one yard rushing touchdown when Stafford jumped over his offensive line to break the plain and give tie the game before an added on point gave them the 31-30 scoreline with 12 seconds remaining.

Stafford's touchdown led to a very volatile shouting and shoving match between Cowboys wide receiver, Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten as they jawed about how the team has somehow lost from a winning position of 30-24 whilst in possession of the ball with 84 seconds remaining.  This was Bryant's second spat of the game as he earlier was seen being volatile towards Tony Romo on the sideline following another unsuccessful drive.

Bryant's comments and behaviour is thought to stem from some professional jealousy as Bryant was on the sideline watching Megatron Calvin Johnson gain 329 receiving yards from Stafford off of 14 receptions and 16 targets.  Stafford-Johnson cemented their reputation as the best QB-WR combo in the NFL currently, as Stafford's ability to get the ball to Johnson and Johnson's sheer skill in grabbing the ball out of the air sometimes in triple coverage.

Bryant shares an element of that faith and belief with Tony Romo, yet Bryant's ability is sometimes blown aside by his downbeat demeanour which makes people question his skill level but not his talent.  Bryant has all the ability in the world, yet his head is sometimes not there.

On Sunday in Detroit, Bryant had 3 receptions for 72 yards for 2 TDs off of 6 targets.  On the opposite side, Terrance Williams had 2 receptions for 64 yards for 1 TD off of 10 targets.  In comparison to Johnson's record setting day these numbers are pitiful and in the shoot-out that this game became you would expect Bryant to break three figures.  Yet this is indicative of the Cowboys unwillingness to take a game by the scruff of the neck and conspire to mess up from a winning position.

Whereas in the Broncos game they were always playing catch-up against the Manning machine, here they were ahead for most of the game until the last 12 seconds.  They were sitting on the threshold of a 5-3 record a two game lead over the others in the division, instead they sit at .500 (4-4) and a one game lead over the Eagles whom they embarrassed last week on the road.

The Cowboys defence gave up too many points to the Broncos and in spite of the sterling effort of Sean Lee who picked off Stafford twice on Sunday, they could not shutdown Johnson when he was the only person Stafford was aiming at.  Whilst Johnson had 329 the next best receiver Kris Durham had 64 yards only.

You cannot begrudge Bryant's behaviour, he could tell something was going wrong and that the Cowboys were not taking advantage of the situation they were in. Whilst teams like Denver and San Francisco (against Washington and Jacksonville) went for the jugular on Sunday, the Cowboys showed a lack of a killer instinct.

Against poor teams they are very good, wins versus Rams, Redskins and Eagles attest to that but they have lost to four playoff bound teams in Kansas, Denver, San Diego and now the Lions. 

Their defence now ranks last in passing yards, allowing 315.4 and they still have to face Drew Brees, Jay Cutler (if back from his groin injury), Aaron Rodgers and Eli Manning on the run-in. If they get to 8 wins they should win the NFC East and have a home playoff game but that might be against the 49ers or Seahawks which they will be no match for.

Bryant made have made a lot of noise on Sunday, but maybe he was saying the right things, unfortunately for him no-one in Dallas is choosing to listen.

NFL - Week 8 Picks

Well, week 7 was a bit of a mad week.  The Jets came back from the dead; the Bucs and Bears put on a show in Wembley stadium; the Colts laid down on Sunday night and the Ravens did themselves no favours - best team in AFC, please, you have to be able to win at the Jaguars, who were up for it no doubt.

This week, the teams with the byes are: Atlanta, Chicago, Green Bay, Oakland, NY Jets and Tampa Bay

But what about this week; some boring matchups and one sided looking contests:
Cardinals @ Ravens - a very short week for the Ravens, but have to bounce back with a win at home to the feeble Cardinals.

Vikings @ Panthers - a battle of rookie QBs but the more established name of Newton will be too much of a force for Ponder and his Vikings.

Jaguars @ Texans - a great win fror the Jags, but the Texans have an amazing player in Arian Foster and homefield is the key in this division tussle

Dolphins @ Giants - the Giants will want to cement their supremacy atop the NFC East, the Dolphins should be 1-6, instead they are searching for a win.

Saints @ Rams - the schedule has been awful for the depleted Rams, and the Saints are back to form following a 62 point smash on the sorry Colts

Colts @ Titans - the Titans were shameful against the Texans, but if Hasselbeck can control the ball then a win for Tennessee here

Lions @ Broncos - because of Tebow this is closer to call and the Lions are lacking confidence after two straight losses;they have to find another dimension following the injury to Jahvid Best

Redskins @ Bills - the Bills are fresh off of a bye, expect them to put up some big numbers.

Bengals @ Seahawks - a solid defensive display from Cincy here for the W

Browns @ 49ers - San Fran are off a bye and fresh so good to go.

Patriots @ Steelers - last season i picked against my boys and they put on one of their best displays of the season, no way I am doing the same mistake again.

Cowboys @ Eagles - no way Murray can have as big a game as he did last week, Andy Reid has never lost a game following a bye (11-0) big game, home win

Chargers @ Chiefs - San Diego have to close out games, although the Chiefs have seemed to turn a corner.  Closest game of the MNF season.

And how did I do last week:

Chargers @ Jets - 21-27 - I called it right though they left it late.
Bears @ Bucs - 24-18 - Josh Freeman needs to grow up
Redskins @ Panthers - 20-33 - Cam Newton continues to impress
Falcons @ Lions - 23-16 - No Best, no chance
Seahawks @ Browns - 3-6 - Worst game of the season
Broncos @ Dolphins - 18 -15(OT) "Tim Tebow returns to Florida, he leaves with a W"direct quote!!
Texans @ Titans - 41-7 - Embarassing display from the Titans. At home. After a bye.
Chiefs @ Raiders - 28-0 - I bet a lot of people called this wrong
Steelers @ Cardinals - 32-20 - Pittsburgh get the job done
Packers @ Vikings - 33-27 - Christian Ponder asked the most questions of the Pack since the Saints
Rams @ Cowboys - 7-34 - Huge rushing performance from Murray
Colts @ Saints - 7-62 - And I had the Colts to cover the 54 point difference
Ravens @ Jaguars (MNF) - 7-12 - Another awful performance in a weekend of bad football from Ravens

Week 7: 10-13
Total: 29-39

All the best and enjoy the American football, live coverage on Sky Sports 2 from 6pm Sunday evening. You can watch NFL action at Switch Bar, follow us on twitter @SwitchBarLondon

NFL - Week 6 picks

This week there are some interesting divisional matchups and teams returning from the first Bye week of the season, for some it was a much needed break for recuperation and re-evaluation, whilst for others it is a chance to regain some composure and rebuild momentum into their second half of the season. Teams with byes this week are Denver, Tennessee, Arizona, San Diego, Seattle and Kansas City. Whilst returning we have the Cowboys who get a fit again Miles Austin and Des Bryant, and a Ravens team eager to continue their good form.

Week 6 picks
49ers @ LIONS - what a match up this will be but the Lions roll on because of their D-line, which will snuff out the threat of Gore and will attack Alex Smith and make him attempt to escape the pocket therefore make mistakes and force turnovers.

Rams @ PACKERS - i dare call this my lock, but this will be a long day for the sorry Rams.

Panthers @ FALCONS - Cam Newton is due a down day, and the Falcons are a better team at home and even though they lost to the Packers, a lot of teams will have the same fate but expect a home team to bounce back here.

Colts @ BENGALS - the Bengals are on a roll and will look to continue, the Colts so close to a first win might not get a chance for another in a few more weeks.

Bills @ GIANTS - the Giants need to bounce back and the Bills will need to make a statement. The pressure will be on the Bills to win again, the Giants play better when they are expected to lose, as here.

Jags @ STEELERS - Big Ben showed that even on one leg he belongs in the elite status.

Eagles @ REDSKINS - the Eagles make mistakes, Rex Grossman is being told not to. Ball retention and less turnovers wins this one, and the Eagles just make too many at the moment on both sides of the ball.

Texans @ RAVENS - the Texans go back to their stuttering ways and the Ravens with their older defense come back from a week's rest hungry for a QB to maul, beware Matt Schaub.

Browns @ RAIDERS - whilst the Browns have improved, the Raiders are rolling with a typical ball and air combo,expect big numbers from McFadden in this one.

Cowboys @ PATRIOTS - expect a close one here than any line suggests, the deep threat of returning Austin/Bryant will be important test for the young Pats defence but maybe the fact Brady does not turnover will be the difference, and Romo does.

SAINTS @ Bucs - oddly I consider this to be the only road win of the week, but I feel the Bucs will be eager to bounce back, but the Saints are growing into a major threat this season with a rejuvenated defence and always inspirational Drew Brees

Vikings @ BEARS - a slugfest on Sunday night in Chicago, but the Bears need to find this balance again on offense:give Forte the ball but allow Cutler to do his thing.

Dolphins @ JETS - the Jets are there for the taking, unfortunately they play a woeful Miami team still searching for a first win.

Last weeks picks
Eagles @ BILLS                    24-31     Turnovers that the Bills capitalised on 1/1
CHIEFS @ Colts                  28-24      Colts were close but seemingly not close enough  2/2
CARDINALS @ Vikings      10-34     3 TDs early from AP were enough to hurt heartless Cards 2/3
Seahawks @ GIANTS          36-25     Shocker, but a last minute INT cost Eli             2/4
Titans @STEELERS              17-38     Should have been my lock                              3/5
SAINTS @ Panthers              30-27    As close as i expected                                     4/6
Bengals @ JAGS                   30-20     2 young QBs, lot of mistakes                          4/7
Raiders @ TEXANS              25-20    Damn Texans, but RIP Al Davis                      4/8
Bucs @ 49ERS                      3-48       A San Fran coming out party                         5/9
CHARGERS @ Broncos       29-24   Tim Tebow made this a lot closer than it should have been 6/10
Jets @ PATRIOTS                21-30   Go my Pats!!                                                    7/11
PACKERS @ Falcons           25-14    These Packers are good                                  8/12
Bears @ LIONS                    13-24    Big TDs from Best & Johnson help Lions         9/13

Last week: 9/13

What do you guys predict, any shocks worth noting.

NFL - Week 3 Thoughts & Feelings

Going into week 3 of the NFL, there were many things starting to take place already.  Already the worse teams were happy sitting at the bottom contemplating life for next year wishing the lock out had occured, yet seeing a silver lining in the form of Andrew Luck in the 2012 Draft.  The better teams have set off like collective terraced houses on fire, Patriots (2-0), the champion Packers (2-0) and the Saints (1-1) although that one defeat came against the prevailing Pack on opening night and went to the last play of the game. 

Surprises the Eagles are (1-1), shooting themselves in the foot at Atlanta last Sunday evening when victory was there for the taking.  The fear I had about the Eagles was starting to come to fruition, hype can be a worrying aspect of any side and Michael Vick needs to be healthy and on the field of play for four full quarters.

Further surprises can be found by 2-0 sides the Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions.  Whilst the first two names did turn some heads, I have not been surprised by the Lions success - the core for a solid defence has been in place for some time (and they still have Nick Fairley to return), they have a fully fit Matthew Stafford who did wonders with one arm, imagine what he can do with two and he has weapons.  A beast wide out in Calvin Johnson, a solid running back in Jahvid Best coupled with the poise Stafford has shown, maybe the Lions can be the team to push the Packers in the NFC North instead of the Chicago Bears.

So going into the NFL's third week it was a bit surprising to find people thinking that things will follow their natural course.  The Bills upset the Patriots at home 34-31 scoring off a last kick field goal breaking a 15 game losing streak and making a statement, Tom Brady still threw for 300+ yards but his four interceptions were costly.  And for the second week running the Bills score with a last minute drive led by Ryan Fitzpatrick who is becoming a leader for the Chan Bailey led offense that is getting results.  The Bills are for real, and the AFC East is now a three team race.
    A three team race because the New York Jets lost in Oakland, a surprise to many but for me I called this one on the ESPN game 'Pigskin Pick'em' as I felt Oakland were on the wrong end of a shootout in Buffalo last week and did enough through the air and on the ground to worry a Jets defense that has to travel to the other side of the country.  This seems an odd factor in the NFL, east teams hate travelling west and vice versa and so often the fact that teams are taken out of their comfort zone and go to a near enough foreign land does strange things to a professional athlete.  They know the schedule so why does it happen?

Detroit won a game they might have lost last season, winning in OT in Minnesota so a big road win for the Lions but worries persist for the Vikings who again threw away a halftime lead and cannot seam to get their act together for 60 minutes, and once Peterson has had a good half the Lions blocked him up and their offence became stagnant as Stafford and company responded to go 3-0.

The Eagles as I suspected (though I did not pick it) lost at home to an Eli Manning led Giants side 29-16 which flatters the supposed 'Dream Team' as Manning threw 4 TDs and found weapons when he apparently had none.  Michael Vick again did not last the game, this time suffering a suspected broken hand which may mean him missing next week's action which may not be all bad news.  Vick's type of play and lack of cohesion means things like injuries are common place, and he is currently 1-6 dating back to last season.

The Chargers won again but unconvincingly in a division battle against the poor Chiefs, with Philip Rivers winning but throwing another two INTs - the Chargers are in danger of being sucked up into a proper division battle if the Raiders maintain their good form.

Monday Night Football this evening comes from Dallas (1-1) in their home opener against the Redskins (2-0), the Cowboys could have been 0-2 but for the intervention and inspiration of Tony Romo last week in San Francisco who came off the bench with a rib injury and punctured lung to win the game in OT.  Unfortunately, his main weapon that day Miles Austin is not playing and Des Bryant remains doubtful, along with a 50% Felix Jones at running back so expect Jason Witten to be utilised whilst Rex Grossman continues his rising from the ashes and attempts to go 3-0 and sit atop the NFC East.  Prediction; a low scoring encounter which may come down to a FG or maybe even OT - but the Redskins look more complete due to the injury setbacks the Cowboys are suffering.