NFL – New York Jets walked the walk against the New England Patriots

Things got down and personal between the Jets and the Patriots during the week leading to their Divisional Round game in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Patriots where a -9 point favorite on the spread against the Jets, so when in the first two quarters of the game, Pats quarterback Tom Brady was sacked 4 times, things certainly seemed to have gone south for the team with the best record in the regular season. The Jets, with a second year quarterback and a team with a big mouth and somewhat of a tumultuous attitude has managed to outplay the Patriots on the road to claim a 28-21 win on Sunday for their second consecutive trip to the AFC Championship game.

In a few simple words, the New York Jets defense quite simply managed to make the New England Patriots look like a very unbalanced and poor performing team. For a couple of quarterback the Jets managed to make Bill Belichick’s team look its worse. The team that went 14-2 during the regular season and won each and every one of their 8 regular season home games was nowhere to be seen.

The young Mark Sanchez keeps on proving that he can perform at his best when his team needs him most. He has now outplayed the Indianapolis Colts Peyton Manning during the Wild Card Round and on Sunday he certainly outperformed Tom Brady of the Patriots. It’s been a while since the Jets’ have had the support of a talented quarterback as Mark Sanchez. As a matter of fact, in only his second year as a pro he already holds the record as the second best Jets for passer rating.

Sanchez had a great game completing 16 of his 25 passes for 194 yards for 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. On the other hand, the great Tom Brady went for 29 of 45 for an overwhelming 299 yards yet, the player who went for 335 passes in the regular season (setting a league record while at it) was picked once early in the game and sacked 5 times. His two touchdown-passes where not enough to secure the Patriots its first win in the postseason in the last two years.

Looking for a key to the Pats upset. Well, let’s just stick to the numbers. The Pats are certainly struggling right in the middle. The New York Jets were able to gain 66 yards on 17 rushes right up the middle. The Jet’s offensive was as sharp as it gets during this weekend. Sanchez connected touchdown passes with LaDainian Tomilson, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes.

All thought towards the end the Patriots but on an effective offense in an attempto to shorten the distances, Deion Branch went on for a touchdown late in the game, after a 13 yard-pass from Tom Brady. Brach made it 28-21 as he tried to close the gap, but time ran out for the Patriots.

The New York Jets will now face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Pittsburgh on Sunday January 23rd. The Jets will try to take another win like they did on December 19 on the road when they defeated Big Ben and the Steelers 22-17. As of press time the Steelers are a -3 point favorite on the spread.

NFL – New England Patriots clinch Playoffs Berth

It seems as if the New England Patriots are having a brilliant season.  There is no doubt about that. The Patriots have an 11-2 record so far into the season and the team’s smooth but powerful snow-plowing of the Chicago Bears, 36-7, at Soldier Field Stadium under heavy snow, might be the motivational boost the squad needs to finish the regular season on a high-note.

The Patriots have now won 5 consecutive games, including some important victories over powerful teams that have really proved that Bill Belichick’s team chances of making it to the Super Bowl XLV in the Cowboys Stadium on February 6, are legit. The last 5 weeks the Patriots have defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Indianapolis Colts, the Detroit Lions, and gave the New York Jets a 45-3 crushing that was quite a warning call for the Jets.

And then came the Chicago Bears. It was snowing, windy, and simply it looked like a cold-hell for players and Chicago fans alike, as the Patriots just kept on attacking and breaking through the Bear’s offense. Just for the record, under Belichick’s guidance, the New England Patriots are 10-0 in snowy conditions. So it seems that the bears got cold.

What’s the key to the Patriots success? Well, for starters, Tom Brady is throwing like a real champ, he is fine tuning all his passes and making it very hard for the opposing team defense to pick him up. Then, there is the brilliant mix of players that Bilicheck has brought into the team. Sure, Randy Moss has been gone since early in the season, and some even question Brady’s commitment when he missed part of the preseason traning camp, but heck, the Pats got a very young defense and a extremely experienced offense, a mix that could certainly pay off at the end.

Now, the Patriots will have to face a very complicated game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Packers are not experiencing their finest season ever, but still, although favorites, and possibly the strongest team in the league, the Pats should avoid an upset at all costs.

NFL – Tom Brady guides the New England Patriots in 39-26 win over Steelers

Tom Brady had a couple of under par games earlier this season, but this was not one of them.  Although Ben Roethlisberger had a great game went for 387 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception, trying to lead the Steelers to break their spell against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, it was still not enough.

The Patriots had suffered an embarrassing loss last week against the Cleveland Brown. That 34-14 win really hurt Tom Brady who was clearly outplayed by the Browns’ defense and served the Pats their second defeat of the season. Colt McCoy, the former college star and current Cleveland Browns had an amazing game. He made no mistakes and completed 184 yards for two touchdown passes and even scrambled for a touchdown himself. So yes, Tom Brady was a bit embarrassed and wanted to punish the Steelers for what had happened with his team in their unexpected lost to the Browns.

And Brady made them pay for it. It was an epic battle. Brady was able to get over the Steelers who where defending their home turf. Sure, no NFL team wins more games in their own stadium then the Pittsburgh Steelers, but heck, no other quarterback has really found the Steelers weaker spots like Brady. Brady has won six of seven overall games against the Steelers, and that includes 4 of 5 games while visiting and embarrassing the home crew at Heinz Field.

Brady was simply fantastic last Sunday. The ingredients were there. Brady had to bring back the edge into the Patriots game. He had a motif. And sure, it was Sunday Night Football once again, and the rivalry atmosphere was there, making it the perfect environment for Brady’s almost perfect game. The Patriots quarterback went for 30 of 43 for 350 yards with no sacks and no interceptions and a touchdown himself. Yes, Brady at his finest, like in the old times.

The Patriots and the New York Jets are now officially atop of the AFC East with a 7-2 record each, after the Jets won over the Cleveland Browns 26-20 in overtime.  So yeah, it was a big deal for the Pats. This was Tom Brady’s sixth game in his career with at least 350 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He has now tied the second place record at 6, with another great player: Peyton Manning. The No.1 spot belongs to the great veteran (yet still active) quarterback Brett Favre, who leads the perfect game record in the league with 8.

It just seems as if Brady has the secret ingredient in his arm to render helpless the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. Brady has now averaged 373 yards in his last 3 starts against the Steelers. But it was not all Brady. BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 87 yards, while Rob Grankowski received three touchdown passes for his 72 yards in the game.

The Steelers are now going to face the Oakland Raiders. As of press time, the Steelers are a 7.5 favorite on the spread. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots will be facing the Indianapolis Colts in what should be one heck of a game. As of press time, the Patriots are a 3-point favorite on the spread. Keep visiting our blog for more NFL wagering action.

NFL – Minnesota Vikings will play New England Patriots on Sunday

Rumor has it, and if its not true it the story is still worth telling, that the Minnesota Vikings quarterback, the legendary Brett Favre brings in more drama before the big day then Lady Gaga. And this week is no exception as a reportedly injured Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings take a go at each other this Sunday afternoon. Favre and no other then the resilient Tom Brady will go head to head once again. One Issue, Brady is younger, perhaps fitter and throws fewer interceptions per game, and key-here, he is healthy. Brett Favre is suffering from an injured ankle and just last week with his two last untimely interceptions cost the Minnesota Vikings their game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

And then there is the X factor. Specially if you are into wagering on the NFL. There are a couple of issues you must take into consideration for this game. As the week progresses, the rumor that Favre might not be able to play (forget about been fully recovered, as it seems that as long as he can jog a bit over that ankle he will go out and play) has pushed this wagering line all over the place. The Minnesota Vikings were a

NFL – New York Jets defeat the New England Patriots

We are experiencing his second year as a pro, and despite many commentators and sports analyst might keep down their expectations when it comes to the Jet’s second year quarterback Mark Sanchez, one thing is certain: he is got what it takes to really bring down a winning game. But is he consistent? He was key in this week’s 28-14 win over the New England Patriots, and whether you like the kid or not, you must admit that he did outplay no other then Tom Brady last Sunday. So sure, he is key to this comeback for the Jets, but heck, he is also a bit responsible for what happened last week.

Things are looking swell for the New York Jets, particularly after the team’s season opening performance against the Baltimore Ravens in the first NFL Monday Night game in the current season. And boy, where they disappointed after this first lost. The Ravens won their sixth consecutive game against the New York Jets, and all though it was a small margin, the Ravens’ defense kept the Jets to a very low 176 yards, six first downs, and managed to keep Sanchez under the 74 passing yard mark.

It was not a good debut for the Jets. The $1.6 billion New Meadowlands Stadium was filled with over 70,000 Jets fans that were really hoping that their team would walk the walk after all the talking they had made in the opening weeks at the news and in their behind the scenes HBO special. But the Ravens got in the way.

And then came the New England Patriots and Mark Sanchez put his foot down and played like he is expected to. He was the Master and Commander of a recharged offense that was finally giving in some good results. The New York Jets’ quarterback came in for a career-high 21 passes on 30 attempts passing for 220 yards with 3 touchdown passes via Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller.

This was some sort of a closing for what had been a very tumultuous week. Not only the Jets’ a 1 point loss against the Ravens in a game where the Jets were a -1.5 point favorite on the spread, but also because the Jet’s players were involved in a scandal in which the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had to initiate an investigation in regards to the treatment that a female reporter, Ines Sainz from TV Azteca, received while she was performing some interviews.

But that’s a different story. Here is what matters, the Pats went home with their first defeat of the season, and despite Brady trying to put on a late show comeback, all he was able to bring onto him was two interceptions. Now, when it comes to betting on the NFL, here are a couple of interesting notes. The Jets were a

NFL – Rookie Sam Bradford key in Rams win over Patriots

Sam Bradford knows well how to handle the pressure. At least he knows very well how to handle himself in the field when the pressure is on. Especially for a guy who knows that his team has just made a 50 million-dollar inversion on him. Bradford has just made his official debut with the Saint Louis Rams and he past the test with flying colors no other then against the New England Patriots in the Ram’s 35-36 victory in their preseason game.

The Oklahoma University graduate managed to complete 15 of 22 for 189 yards in his first game as a starter. He completed 2 touchdown passes. He made some good plays along the game. And he even managed to manage some intelligent throwaways. The thing is that he not only completed easy passes, he even went in an took some risks, and they paid off.

NCAA success does not guarantee much when it comes to the pros. But on a personal note I have to confess that it came as something of a surprise what happen to both Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy once they made it to the pros. I might not be an expert, but back in the days when they were in college, playing for the best two teams in the Big 12, it was hard, very hard for me to believe that once they made it into the pros, Bradford, coming from quite a successful career with the sooners was going to be worth 10 times, that’s right, 10!, more then his counterpart over at the Longhorns.

Sure, it happens every year. For every Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer (who made it into the NFL as the No.1 draft) there are plenty of Tim Couch and JaMarcus Russell’s to prove along that taking on the No. 1 draft will mean a multimillion dollar bet that can either get you a Vince Lombardi Trophy or a series of financial mishaps from which it is very hard to recover. Uh-um: anyone said Cleveland Browns and the Raiders?

The regular season begins on September 9th with the Minnesota Vikings making a visit to the defending Champions the New Orleans Saints. As of press time, the Saints are a -4