Big Time

Kansas City Chiefs 27 New Orleans Saints 24 (Overtime)

Kansas City and New Orleans both came into week three 0-2 desperately needing a win. It turned out being one of the best games of the year so far. I loved watching this game because I am a die-hard Chiefs fan, and for them to not give up showed a lot about who this team is. Kansas City trailed the Saints 10-6 at half and with about five minutes left in the 3^rd quarter Drew Brees hooked up with Jed Collins for a 6 yard touchdown pass to up the lead to 24-6. It looked like all was lost for a struggling Kansas City team and they were going to fall to a devastating 0-3, then 20 seconds later running back Jamal Charles broke a 91 yard touchdown run scoring the Chiefs only touchdown of the game but it was just the spark the Chiefs needed. How did the Chiefs score 27 points if they only had one touchdown? It’s as simple as one very clutch leg. Chief’s kicker Ryan Succop went a perfect 6 for 6 on field goals, one of which was a 43 yarder with 3 seconds left in regulation to tie it and then one more from 31 yards in overtime to give the Kansas City Chiefs their first win of the season.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Kansas City-You can make an argument of who the player of the game for the Chiefs was, but in my eyes this was an amazing team effort. Everyone stepped up big and made the plays they needed to win the game. Succop’s 6 for 6 on field goals, Jamal Charles astonishing 233 yards rushing, Matt Cassel’s poise near the end of the game to get Succop in field goal range, and the defense for coming up with an interception and a big safety to cut the lead to just 3. Congratulations on the win boys, you guys definitely earned this one.

New Orleans-Drew Brees threw for 240 yards and 3 touchdowns to earn my player of the game award. However he may have cost his team the game with a very costly safety in the 4^th quarter. This loss put his team in a 0-3 hole to start the season.

Atlanta Falcons 27 San Diego Chargers 3

It was a complete no show by the San Diego Chargers on Sunday when they hosted the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta is just rolling through AFC West teams, they have beaten all three opponents they have played and have a chance of making it a perfect 4 for 4 when they host Oakland in week 6. Despite Atlanta being a perfect 5-0 in San Diego coming into Sunday, I personally thought that the Chargers would take this game, being at home where they play their best ball. I thought that Phillip Rivers would have his guys ready, boy was I wrong. The Falcons defense was a total stone wall; they just wouldn’t allow this Charger offense to get a drive together and four turnovers by San Diego was a killer as well. This all allowed Matt Ryan and his team to play Falcon football and they executed it to perfection. The game was basically over by halftime with the score at 20-0. San Diego did manage 3 points on a Nate Kaeding field goal in an embarrassing week 3 outing. As the last few fans remaining watched on in agony the game ended with the final score at 27-3.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Atlanta-For the third week in a row quarterback Matt Ryan earns my player of the game for Atlanta. The guy has just been a stud as of late, Sunday he went 30 for 40 and threw for 275 yards and 3 touchdowns. This guy has this team clicking on all cylinders and they are a major force in the league this year.

San Diego-Can’t manage to pick someone who had a decent game from San Diego so I will just say that next week they visit Kansas City and they better bring a whole better game than they did Sunday.

Houston Texans 31 Denver Broncos 25

After a three interception outing last weekend, Peyton Manning came back and threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. However it was still not enough to out due an outstanding performance by Houston quarterback Matt Schaub who threw four touchdown passes even after taking a ferocious hit that made him lose a little piece of his ear. (This isn’t boxing is it?) The Texans jumped out to a 21-11 lead at half and by the end of the 3^rd quarter the lead was up to 31-11 in favor of Houston. Manning did all he could to try and brew an amazing 4^th quarter comeback, he threw two touchdown passes to pull the lead to 31-25, but it was too little too late for the Denver Broncos. The final score ended at 31-25 and put the Texans at a perfect 3-0 for the season. Denver however dropped their second game in a row putting them at 1-2 record and really needing to correct some offensive worries.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Houston-Quarterback Matt Schaub had a very nice game, he only had 17 completions but they led to 290 yards passing and 4 touchdowns to help Houston stay perfect on the season.

Denver-Peyton Manning had a very good game throwing for 330 yards and two touchdowns; it was just not enough in the end to come out on top.

Pittsburgh Steelers 31 Oakland Raiders 34

The rally caps were on in Oakland as the Pittsburgh Steelers took 31-21 lead going into the 4^th quarter. Pittsburgh was missing key defensive starters Troy Polamalu and James Harrison which allowed Oakland to keep pace with Steelers offense. It was a tight game throughout, both teams keeping pace with one another. Just when you think the game may be getting away and the Steelers taking a 31-21 4^th quarter lead, the Oakland Raiders did not fold up. Carson Palmer threw a 5 yard touchdown pass to Denarious Moore clawing back to only a three point deficit. With Sebastian Janikowskis great leg the game was perfectly in reach for the Oakland Raiders. Janikowski tied the game at 31-31 with 6:30 left in the 4^th quarter on a 32 yard field goal and then with time running out he became all clutch and knocked a 42 yard field goal threw the up rights as the time ran out. This win gave Oakland their first win of the season and gave a whole load of confidence to a team who was in need of some.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

 Oakland-Darren McFadden had a great game rushing for 113 yards and one touchdown to help his team avoid and 0-3 start to the season.

Pittsburgh-Ben Roethlisberger had a tremendous game for the Steelers throwing for 384 yards and 4 touchdowns. I find it hard to believe that this wasn’t enough for the Steelers to come out on top, but you have to give credit to Oakland for not giving up.

Rough Week for the AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs 17 Buffalo Bills 35

After seeing both teams fall flat on their faces during week one, I was anxious to see which team would rebound and get there season on track. It was no horse race to the finish, the Bills blew the Chiefs away from the get go. Kansas City was hobbling with injuries in week one, but in week 2 they had key players such as Brandon Flowers and Tamba Hali back. However it did not make a difference, running back CJ Spiller had a tremendous game, rushing for 123 yards and getting in the end zone two times on Sunday. The Bills offense was running on all cylinders and the Chiefs on the other hand couldn’t get a drive together to save their lives. This led to a 21-0 half time deficit and an early game for Chiefs fans to watch.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Buffalo-If you were lucky enough to have CJ Spiller as a fantasy running back then congratulations to you. Spiller had 15 carries for 123 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He also added to a great game with 3 receptions for 47 yards.

Kansas City-I am going to have to take a pass this week. In my eyes nobody deserves to be player of the game. Any good stats you see happened at the end of the game against the Bills second string defense. Kansas City better show up soon or its going to be a short season.

Oakland Raiders 13 Miami Dolphins 35

The Chiefs were not the only AFC West duds on Sunday. Oakland followed up a loss against San Diego last week by getting man handled in Miami by the Dolphins. Carson Palmer did his best to keep Oakland in the game by passing for 373 yards. The problem was the ground game for Oakland and the problem was that there wasn’t one. McFadden all Oakland rushers with 22 yards and there is a very slim chance of winning in the NFL when you can’t run the ball. Miami had no such problems though; Reggie Bush was a star rushing for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was rookie Ryan Tannehill’s second start and a much better one. Tannehill threw his first professional touchdown and also rushed for one more. Oakland did keep it relatively close and actually went into halftime with a 10-7 lead, but it was all Miami in the second half which led to a 35 to 13 Dolphin victory.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Miami-Running back Reggie Bush was unstoppable and gave hope to a rebuilding Dolphin team. His 172 yards rushing gives him my honor of player of the game. If he can keep it up then who knows how far this team can go.

Oakland-Caron Palmer did all he could to help Oakland win the game, he threw the ball like the pro bowl quarterback he is. The problem was he didn’t have a lick of help from his running game.

Tennessee Titans 10 San Diego Chargers 38

Phillip Rivers was a perfect 5-0 against the Titans going into Sunday and he didn’t want his perfect record to change. Rivers had a very solid game passing for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns. The big surprise was who was on the receiving end of those passes. Tight end Dante Rosario made good time of Antonio Gates’ absence from the game. Rosario who coming into the game had a total of 8 career touchdowns, ended up catching all 3 of Phillip Rivers touchdown passes. With the Chargers going 5 for 6 in the red zone it made for a 35 to 13 route. It was a very rough day for the Titans, both offense and defense getting beaten up all day and leading to a 0-2 start for the Tennessee Titans.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

San Diego-Tight end Dante Rosario had a career day grabbing 3 touchdown passes from Rivers. If he keeps being a productive target then I assume we will see his minutes increase greatly.

Tennessee-Safety Michael Griffin tallied up 16 tackles and 1 tackle for loss (yes you read safety correctly). Guy has a gift for finding and pursuing the ball.

Denver Broncos 21 Atlanta Falcons 27

Peyton Manning seemed to forget which team he was playing for on Monday night. Manning threw a whopping 3 interceptions in just the first quarter of Monday night’s game against the Falcons. Matt Ryan and the Falcons took advantage of the 3 interceptions and built a 10-0 lead after the first quarter. After Matt Ryan hooked up for a touchdown with Roddy White in the third quarter that pushed the lead to 27-7. The Broncos tried to make a game of it by scoring twice in the 4^th quarter on Willis McGahee’s rushing touchdowns, but it was too little too late and ended in another victory over an AFC West team for the Atlanta Falcons.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Atlanta-Matt Ryan passed for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was no amazing game by Ryan but he made the plays he needed to get his team the victory and that is all that matters at the end of the day.

Denver-Willis McGahee had a solid game rushing for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns; if only the passing game had been equally as good this game may have ended a bit differently.

Out of the Gate

Atlanta Falcons 40 Kansas City Chiefs 24

Falcon quarterback Matt Ryan couldn’t have dreamed of having a better offensive day, he racked up 4 touchdowns (1 rushing) and threw for nearly 300 yards. The Kansas City Chiefs defense was just too shorthanded this week, missing key starters Brandon Flowers, Kendrick Lewis, and Tamba Hali. In the first half Matt Cassel and the Chiefs offense kept it a game, nearly matching Falcons score for score and keeping it a close 20-17 score in favor of the Falcons. However in the second half the wheels began to fall off the wagon. Missed field goal, turnovers, and an unstoppable Falcon offense led to a 40 to 24 victory for Atlanta.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Atlanta-No brainer Matt Ryan, nearly flawless and could put the ball wherever he wanted. Matt Ryan is one of the best quarterbacks in the league and he showed it today.

Kansas City-Dexter McCluster came up big in many situations as a receiver for the Chiefs. He made crucial third down catches that kept drives alive. He ended the game with 6 receptions for 82 yards.

Pittsburgh Steelers 19 Denver Broncos 31

Sunday Night Football did not disappoint as loud and pumped up Mile High Stadium welcomed Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers to town. With the Steelers connecting on 11-19 on third down conversions and controlling the time of possession throughout the game it really kept Peyton Manning out of the game, but when Manning did get the ball the future Hall of Famer really made it count in his Bronco debut. Manning was accurate and clutch connecting on 19 of his 26 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns and led the Broncos down the field in 4^th quarter to take the lead 22-19 with nine minutes left in the game. From there with a big pick six by Bronco’s cornerback Tracy Porter it was enough to seal a 31-19 Bronco victory.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

Denver-Peyton Manning shined for Denver in the season opener hushing the haters at least momentarily. Along with a very nice performance Sunday night, Manning also set a personal mile stone by being one of only three quarterbacks to pass for 400 touchdowns in NFL history. (Trailing Dan Marino’s 420 TD’s and Brett Favre’s 508 TD’s)

Consolation prize to Bronco linebacker Wesley Woodyard who led the defense and all players with 12 solo tackles including 1 sack.

Pittsburgh-Although Ben Roethlisberger did throw a crucial interception late in the game, up until that point he played the best of any of the other Steelers. He threw for 245 yards on 22 of 40 passing and had passing two touchdowns.

San Diego Chargers 22 Oakland Raiders 14

It was a big Monday night game in the AFC West when the Oakland Raiders hosted the San Diego Chargers. With the bright lights shining above the Chargers and Raiders had a rugged defensive battle. Offense was a rarity in this game with each team only scoring one touchdown and both combining for only 77 yards rushing, San Diego severely missed starting running back Ryan Mathews who was out Monday night’s game due to injury. Special teams are what won the game for the San Diego Chargers, Charger kicker Nate Keading kicked and made five field goals to help get some points on the board. When Oakland’s Pro Bowl long snapper Jon Condo went down with a head injury it caused many problems for Oakland’s punting unit. A couple of poor snaps and one blocked punt impacted special teams greatly. I am sure the Chargers are very pleased to leave Oakland with a win, but both teams will know that next week they will have to step their games up.

Tyler’s Player of the Game for Each Team

San Diego-Nobody wowed for the Chargers, but Nate Keading’s 5 for 5 on field goals are going to earn him my player of the game award.

Oakland-Darren McFadden didn’t have the best game rushing, only managed 32 yards on 15 carries. He did however catch a career high 13 balls for a total of 86 yards to help the Raider offense move the ball what little they did.

Preview Week 1

Atlanta Falcons @ Kansas City Chiefs-Sunday @ 12:00 P.M.

Tony Gonzalez is returning to Kansas City after his departure in 2009 as the Falcons come to town to play the Chiefs to start their season openers at Arrow Head stadium. Injury plagued corner back Brandon Flowers and linebacker Derrick Johnson are expected to be ready to go for kickoff on Sunday after getting injured in preseason. This is highly anticipated to be one of the much closer games in week 1 with a great head to head match up. Matt Ryan’s highly talented offensive will certainly give the Chiefs banged up defensive a tough 4 quarters, but if they stay healthy and remain on the field then expect a rough grind it out game that can go either way.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos-Sunday @ 7:20 P.M.

Come Sunday night you’re going to hope you’re around a TV as the Steelers face off against the Broncos at Mile High Stadium.  This is Peyton Manning’s Denver debut and he couldn’t have had a tougher test. Although Pittsburgh’s ferocious defense did take a hit when they found out that safety Ryan Clark won’t be suiting up for the game Sunday night due to a sickle cell trait that makes it dangerous for him to play at high altitudes. Outside linebacker James Harrison and strong safety Troy Polamalu will have to lead this defense in a tough battle against Peyton and the Broncos in is what to be a thriller season opener on Sunday night.

San Diego Chargers @ Oakland Raiders-Monday @ 9:15 P.M.

The first division game of the season will take place on the big stage of Monday Night Football between the Chargers and Raiders. Charger’s starting running back Ryan Mathews is expected to suit up but will probably see minimal action Monday night after breaking his collarbone early in the pre-season. As for Oakland, wide receivers Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford are questionable for the game, but work horse running back Darren McFadden will be ready to carry the load and lead the Oakland Raiders into battle. It will be a one of the key games of opening week and both teams are looking to get a leg up in the AFC West.