Ballgame’s Points

Three Week 17 blowouts giving way to a trio of wild-card rematches. Wow. Let’s get right to the breakdowns of a quartet of truly pick ‘em Round 1 games. NY Jets (9-7) at Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) Make no mistake.  The Jets are dangerous.  They can run the ball and defend the run.  The defense gave [Read More...]

More often than not, teams that rise to greatness use adversity as a springboard at some point before their ascent. The 2003 Patriots jettisoned franchise mainstay Lawyer Milloy a week before the season opener at Buffalo. Milloy ended up with the Bills and played a significant role in Buffalo’s 31-0 Week 1 pasting of the [Read More...]

1. New Orleans Saints (13-0) December has gone for the Saints the way it went for the Patriots in 2007: some close calls but the same results. 2. Indianapolis Colts (14-0) Jacksonville became the latest in a slew of Indy opponents to outplay the Colts but end up on the losing end. 3. San Diego Chargers (10-3) [Read More...]

With four games to go, both the Saints and Colts remain undefeated, the Chargers are making their typical late-season push and the Patriots are uncharacteristically tearing at the seams.  How has all that affected the latest power poll?  See for yourself. 1. New Orleans Saints (12-0) Washington had the Saints cooked last Sunday but poor special [Read More...]

The calendar has turned to December, which is another way of saying the NFL playoff picture is coming into focus. Right now, it looks like the race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the pursuit of the second bye in the AFC are going to be hotly contested, whereas the wild [Read More...]

Let’s go back to Jan. 21, 2007.  The site is the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, the contest is the AFC Championship.  The Patriots have watched an 18-point lead evaporate and are clinging to a 34-31 advantage.  New England is faced with a third-and-4 at its own 46.  There’s 2:30 remaining in the game and [Read More...]

1. New Orleans Saints (8-0) With a couple of cupcakes in the Rams and Bucs on the horizon, it’s going to be difficult for the Saints not to look ahead to a monster Monday Night showdown with the Patriots on Nov. 30. 2. Indianapolis Colts (8-0) The Colts have looked mortal the last two weeks, squeaking [Read More...]

The 2009 NFL season is nearing its midway point with three undefeated teams still standing.  That trio heads the latest power poll, but how does the rest shake out?  Read on. 1. New Orleans Saints (6-0) Turning a 21-point deficit into a 12-point win in Miami last week was a resounding statement on the part of [Read More...]

When all is said and done, Week 6 of the 2009 NFL season will go down as Statement Week. The Saints, Patriots and Broncos all made varying statements, and all were emphatic. Naturally, those statements led to some hefty changes in the power poll. 1. New Orleans Saints (5-0) The Saints — who are [Read More...]

Let’s get this straight.  The Angels are the only team with a winning record in the regular season (56-44) against the Yankees over the last decade.  They are the one club that has bumped New York from the playoffs twice in that same time period. Individually and collectively, they’ve gotten to the Yanks one [Read More...]