Bronx, NY - The New York Jets lost three-straight road games and were left for dead after only 5 games in the 2011 football season. It wasn't so much that they lost those games after starting the year 2-0. It was the way they lost them. They lost by 10 traveling across the country to face the Oakland Raiders in the Black Hole. The following Sunday night they got abused back east by the Baltimore Ravens. The final was 34-17 but the game was never that close. They had a chance to right the ship when they faced hated division rival the New England Patriots. They only trailed by 3 at halftime but could not stop Tom Brady and company in the second half as the Pats amassed 446 total yards by game's end. Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis trampled over Rex Ryan's defense for 136 rushing yards.

Then the infighting began with veteran wide receiver Santonio Holmes calling out the offensive line and their failure to protect quarterback Mark Sanchez. When Derrick Mason, Plaxico Burress, and Holmes complained to Ryan about the offensive play calling, Mason gets traded to Houston. Although Ryan and General Manager Mike Tannenbaum denied it, many in and out of the organization felt Mason was used as a scapegoat. The New York Jets were in an early season crossroad when they faced the winless Miami Dolphins.

Although they came away with the victory, Miami gave them a run for their money. The more talented San Diego Chargers came into MetLife Stadium before the Jets were scheduled for their bye week. Sanchez throws 3 touchdown passes to Burress and Shonn Greene rushed for 112 yards. The defense forced 2 Phillip Rivers interceptions and shut out the Chargers in the second half. After the bye, their next 2 games would be against the Buffalo Bills and the rematch against New England. A chance to distance themselves and put themselves in the position to win the division. One down one to go.

In what may have been their best defensive performance, the Jets shook off first-half offensive mistakes and buffaloed the Bills 27-11. How dominant were they defensively? They only allowed 14 first downs for the entire game while picking off two Ryan Fitzpatrick's passes. Buffalo did not score in the first half. They kicked a field goal early in the third quarter and did not score again until the game was totally out of reach. Fitzpatrick had averaged 234 yards per game. He ended up with 191. The running game, led by Fred Jackson, came into the game averaging 135 yards. The Jets stuffed them, giving up only 96 yards. If not for a first-quarter Sanchez red zone interception, a fumble and a Nick Folk-missed field goal, the game would have been a complete laugher.

The New York Jets had been 0-2 under Rex Ryan coming off the bye week. He reminded the team of that stat and it must have caught their attention. Now he's hoping they can keep the momentum going when Wonder Boy, Tom Brady, comes to town Sunday night.
A win would at least give them a tie, depending on what Buffalo does when they travel to Dallas Sunday afternoon.

Know one thing: The Jets will be looking at the tapes from the New York Giants, Patriots game to see what Big Blue did on both sides of the ball to come away with a 24-20 victory. It was the first time the two teams met since the Giants blew up New England's quest to run the table in the 2006-2007 season winning the Super Bowl in Arizona. Although the game Sunday did not have that kind of significance, it showed the Giants could overcome injuries at key positions against a quality team. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw was out with broken bone in his right foot. Starting wide receiver Hakim Nicks hamstring prevented him from playing. Still, Eli Manning showed why he is becoming one of the elite quarterback's in the league. Twice, with his team trailing, he drove them downfield to take the lead.

First, down 3 (13-10) with a little more than 7 minutes to go, Manning directs an 8 play, 85-yard drive connecting on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham. Brady gets the ball with 3 minutes to go and good field position as Manningham was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Nine plays later, the Patriots took their last lead of the day when Brady finds tight end Ron Gronkowski for a 14-yard touchdown pass. With 1:36 left in regulation, a field goal would have sent the game into overtime. Manning wanted it all. Starting at their own 20, Manning completes passes to wide receiver Victor Cruz (19 yards) and tight end Jake Ballard (28 yards). Looking downfield on his next pass attempt, Manning steps up in the pocket and scrambles for 12 yards. On the next play with Cruz streaking towards the end zone, Manning heaves the pass as Cruz gets bumped by free safety Sergio Brown who is called for pass interference. It sets up the game-winning, one-yard touchdown pass to Ballard.

Both the New York Jets and the New York Giants set themselves up with big wins to dictate how their season will go from this point on. After losing three in a row, many were ready to throw dirt on the Jets. They can put some room between them and New England with a win Sunday night. The Giants travel to San Francisco to play the surprising (7-1) 49ers. It only gets more interesting after that as they face the Eagles, New Orleans, and Green Bay. Hopefully, they can get both Bradshaw and Hicks back. They're going to need them.

East Rutherford, NJ - They were not going to let it happen two weeks in a row. The New York Giants were in the same situation against the surprising Buffalo Bills (the real New York State team) that they were in against the Seattle Seahawks last week. This time, instead of turning the ball over in their last possession, the Giants put the winning points on the board, courtesy of a Lawrence Tynes 23-yard field goal with just over a minute left in the game. Still, like they did last week, the Giants once again made a crucial mistake with a chance to put 6 points on the board before the winning kick.

Last week, in their last drive that would have given them a lead over Seattle, they got called for a false start at the 5-yard line. Eli Manning would then force a pass to Victor Cruz and the pass tips off his hand and gets returned for a touchdown. Sunday at the 17-yard line, tackle Stacy Andrews gets for a false start. This time, they decide to keep the play calling simple, leading to the winning score.

The Giants put the first points on the board the second time the offense took the field. Starting on their own 31, Manning (21-32, 292 yards and no turnovers) leads them to a 9 play, 69-yard drive ending in a 1-yard touch down run (the first of 3) by Ahmad Bradshaw. He would finish his day with 104 yards on 26 carries, his first 100-yard day this year. With Brandon Jacobs missing his second straight game with a sore knee, the Buffalo defense keyed on Bradshaw but the offensive line did a good job of opening holes. Said Bradshaw, "I'm very proud of our offensive line. The front did a great job for me to push it in on the goal line."

The Bills didn't waste any time showing everyone why they are one of the top teams in the AFC. They scored quickly on their next 2 possessions in a big way. First, Fred Jackson rumbles 80 yards tying the game at 7. The last couple of yards, he stumbles, but the Giants defense could not bring him down. Then, at their own 40, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick connects with Naaman Roosevelt for a 60-yard touchdown pass. Both plays took less than 3 minutes. It could have set the tone for the defense for the rest of the day, but Big Blue tightened up the rest of the day. Said head coach Tom Coughlin, "we had a couple of lapses on defense with the big plays. But we settled in there."

New York took a brief 3 point halftime lead (17-14) after Tynes' second field goal and Bradshaw's second touchdown run, but the Bills sent the teams to the locker room tied at 17 after a Rian Lindell long 49-yard field goal. Buffalo out-gained the Giants in the running game 125 to 46 but Fitzpatrick only threw for 99 yards. The Giants defense had to make adjustments while the offense needed to open up the running game. They did both in the second half.

The Giants took a 7 point lead (24-17) midway of the third quarter as the tandem of Manning and tight end Jake Ballard continue to click. In the 10 play, 75-yard drive, they connect on passes totaling 31 yards. It ends in Bradshaw's last touchdown of the day. Ballard finished his day with 5 catches for 81 yards. Said Ballard of the chemistry between the two, "you do what Eli expects of you to do and you're going to get the ball." With Fitzpatrick moving the ball from their own 41, he looks for Stevie Johnson deep down the left sideline. Corey Webster steps in front for the interception (his first of the day) returning the ball to the Bills 48. Looking like they would put more points on the board, Tynes attempts a 51-yard field goal that gets blocked. The lead would stand up until the fourth quarter as the defense did not give up any points in the third.

Buffalo would not go away quietly. They came from behind trailing New England by 21 points so it surprised nobody when Fitzpatrick moves them 51 yards in 11 plays after the block as Johnson catches a 9-yard touchdown pass. Webster would then pick off his second pass of the day as Fitzpatrick tested him again looking for Johnson on another deep pass to the left side. Not only did Webster snatch the pass but as he is returning the pick, Johnson gets called for a 15-yard face mask penalty. The Giants begin their game-winning drive on their own 27. A beaming Webster talked about his defense. "We didn't start off well early on giving up the two big plays. Other than that, we kept on fighting and ultimately we got the 'W'."

The New York Giants have the luxury of a bye week hoping they can get healthy on both sides of the ball. Jacobs' knee is a real source of concern. Justin Tuck is still battling neck and groin problems. First-round draft pick Prince Amukamara ran last week and might be ready when they face the Dolphins at home October 30th. Wearing a Yankee cap, Ballard said it best when asked how important it was to win going into the bye week. "It's huge. If we had lost this game, we would have had to wait two weeks to play again."

All of the good feelings that came out of the New York Jets locker room after they dismantled the Buffalo Bills a week ago, were quickly snuffed out when they traveled to Pittsburgh to face a team hosting their home opener. The Steelers were also playing with a chip on their shoulders after losing to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos the week before. The last time the Steelers set their spikes on the home turf, they walked off with heads down and shoulders shrugged as Tim Tebow threw a game-winning, overtime touchdown. Seemed like Pittsburgh remembered how that game ended as they brought the Jets back to reality in their 27-10 victory at Heinz Field.

With both teams missing key defensive players, (Darrelle Revis for the Jets and Troy Polamalu for the Steelers) the Jets did pick up where they left off in their home opener against the Bills. Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead after a Shaun Suisham 45-yard field goal. In New York's first possession, QB Mark Sanchez completes 4 of 5 passes for 80 yards, ending in a 14-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes. It was all downhill from that point on for the offense as the Steelers defense suffocated Gang Green the rest of the game. After Nick Folk converted a 38-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-6, the Jets would not get on the scoreboard again.

The defense that Jets head coach Rex Ryan cited as "the best he's coached" since he's been here, could not stop Pittsburgh when it mattered. It began late in the first half with the Steelers starting on their own 20. Ben Roethlisberger completes six passes on the drive for 55 yards. The big play came after connecting with Emanuel Sanders for 19 yards. Thirteen yards were added after safety LaRon Landry gets flagged for a late hit. The drive ends in a one-yard touchdown pass to Heath Miller giving the Steelers a 13-10 lead. The Jets offense sputtered the rest of the game with Sanchez only completing 6 of 22 passes for 58 yards. The running game was non-existent as they gained only 90 yards, 22 of those yards coming from Tim Tebow out of the wildcat formation.

The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the time of possession holding on to the ball for more than 13 minutes than New York. It wore on the Jets defense as Roethlisberger finished his day throwing for 275 yards completing 24 of 31 passes. As in his customary fashion, Big Ben shook off several Jets defenders scrambling out of the pocket before tossing a complete pass. As solid as Roethlisberger was overall, Sanchez was only able to complete one pass to his wide receivers in the second half.

Two games do not a season make but it's clear that the New York Jets should be a tad concerned when they travel to Miami to face a team coming off a rout over the Oakland Raiders. Couple that with the fact that Miami is facing its ex-head coach Tony Sparano (now offensive coordinator for the Jets) and just like the Steelers, the Dolphins will be playing with a little extra incentive.

Upon Further Review: Shame on Dallas, the Jets, Minnesota, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, San Diego, New Orleans, Green Bay, and the Eagles 

I wish the first 11 weeks were as easy to write about the results of the NFL games as Week 12 was. Why, do you ask? Very simple: There were two sets of turkeys, the ones that were carved up on the dinner table and the ones that were carved up on the football field.

In order, starting with the traditional annual holiday day games, Dallas, the Jets, Minnesota, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, San Diego, New Orleans, Green Bay, and Philadelphia did not give their fans any reason to celebrate the long weekend. In fact, they were probably responsible for more upset stomachs and throbbing (hangover) headaches after watching their teams lose in the fashion they did.

Dallas took a 3-0 lead against the Washington Redskins and then were burned by 28 second-quarter points as Robert Griffin 3rd threw touchdown passes of 68, 59 and 6 yards in the 38-31 win. The Cowboys did manage to make a game of it with a second-half run, but the lead was insurmountable. The Boys go on to host the Eagles Sunday night while the Skins host the Giants Monday night...The Jets laid the biggest turkey egg of the weekend when they hosted the hated New England Patriots. There are a lot of things you can do in a span of 52 seconds. Having 3 touchdowns scored against you should not be one of them. That's exactly what happened to Gang Green in their 49-19 loss. The Patriots scored 35 points in the second quarter putting the Jets asleep faster than the chemical digested from having too much turkey. Most embarrassing was Jets QB Mark Sanchez bouncing off the rear end (insert joke here) of right guard Brandon Moore causing Sanchez to fumble and recovered by Steve Gregory who returned it 32 yards for the touchdown. The Jets and their playoff hopes are as done as the turkey that was waiting for them after the game. They host Arizona while the Patriots travel to Miami. Their stomachs are hurting not from the amount of food they ate but because they are still laughing at the outcome of the game...Minnesota had a chance to tie Chicago for first place when they faced the Bears on Sunday. They got out to a 3-0 lead then saw the Bears score the next 25 points in their 28-10 win. Chicago's defense helped the cause by getting into the end zone twice. The Vikings go to Green Bay while the Bears play another home game against Seattle...Oakland is still asking themselves why they trekked halfway across the country to play the Bengals. Before they knew it, the Raiders were down 24-0 in losing 34-10. Cinci's QB Andy Dalton throws for three TDs and 210 yards while running back BenJarvis Green-Ellis ran for 129 yards and one TD. The Bengals play another west coast team, but this time they travel across the country when they face the Chargers who allowed a 4th and 29 conversions to the Ravens losing in overtime 16-13. Baltimore was on its own 37 with 1:37 left in the game when Rutgers star Ray Rice took the screen pass and scampered the 29 yards needed for the first down. Justin Tucker kicked the 38-yard field goal to send the game into overtime in which they won to push their record to 9-2. The Ravens host the Steelers who started third-string QB Charlie Batch but could not overcome 7 turnovers in their 20-14 loss to Cleveland. It was only the second time the Browns had beaten Pittsburgh in their last 18 games. Cleveland goes to the black hole to face the Raiders...The Titans were facing a Jacksonville team that had only one win coming into the game. The Jaguars left with their second win after QB Chad Henne threw two TDs in the 24-19 win. The Jags came into the game having lost their previous seven games. Tennessee goes home to face Houston while Jacksonville goes to Buffalo who are coming off a loss to the surprising Colts 20-13 as Indianapolis improved its record to 7-4. The Colts head to Detroit who is still trying to get over their 34-31 OT loss at the hands of the Texans. It appeared that Texans running back Justin Forsett was down but he continued to run and turned it into an 81-yard TD run. Before the play could be reviewed, Lions head coach threw the challenge flag which not only negated the review but penalized Detroit for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Texans would score a late touchdown and then kick a field goal in overtime to win the game and improve to 10-1. The Saints took a hit to their playoff chances when they fell at home to San Francisco 31-21. For his second straight start, backup QB Colin Kaepernick had a solid game throwing for one TD and running for another. Saints Drew Brees threw three TDs but also threw two INT's, which were returned for touchdowns. The 9ers visit St. Louis while the Saints play Atlanta Thursday night...The Eagles free fall continues in losing Monday night to Carolina 30-22 for their seventh straight loss. Carolina saw Cam Newton pass for 2 TDs (306 yards) and run for another 2 (54 yards) as they visit the Chiefs...Atlanta squeezed by Tampa 24-23 to become the second team with 10 wins...The Rams invade the Cardinals Janoris Jenkins picks off two passes and returns them for touchdowns in the 31-17 rout. The Cards are another team with a seven-game losing streak. Miami kicked a field goal as time expired in its 24-21 win over Seattle. Ex-Jets running back Leon Washington (seems like the ex-Jets are the only ones having a good year) ran a kickoff back for a touchdown. The eighth time he has done that tying an NFL record...Denver kept the Chiefs winless at home in its 17-9 win to improve to 8-3. Peyton Manning continued his campaign for MVP throwing 2 more TD passes and 285 yards. Denver hosts Tampa...Finally, talk about taking advantage of a bye week. The Super Bowl Champion New York Giants were coming off 2 straight losses (Pittsburgh and Cincinnati) when they came off their bye week to face the Green Bay Packers. Giants QB Eli Manning shook off the "weak arm" rumors by throwing three TDs for 249 yards in the whipping of the Packers. The defense had Packers QB Aaron Rodgers on the run all night as he was sacked 5 times before the night was over.

So Week #12 is in the books. I'm not sure who had the worst weekend, the turkeys that were cooked for hours in the oven or the teams that were cooked on the field.

Upon Further Review: Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons, and the San Diego Chargers, three of these teams are still undefeated

New York, NY - And then there were three! If Week Three is any indication of the kind of football year it will be, both betters and bookies are going to be in for a long, expensive year.

Let's start with the three teams that remained undefeated: Once again, the Arizona Cardinals shocked everyone when they stomped the visiting Philadelphia Eagles 27-6 getting off to their best start in 38 years. The Eagles entered the game with the best offense after two games, even though both games were won by a total of two points. Arizona forced two Michael Vick fumbles, one returned for a 93-yard touchdown by James Sanders. The Cardinals pressured Vick all game, sacking him five times as he misfired on 20 of 37 pass attempts. Cards QB Kevin Kolb, once a member of the Eagles, passed for 222 yards on 17 of 24 attempts and two touchdowns. The Cardinals have now won their last seven home games. They have only done that one other time in team history. They host the Miami Dolphins Sunday. Philadelphia will play its first division game of the year when it hosts the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants...

The Houston Texans joined the 3-0 club the hard way going on the road sending Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos to its second straight loss 31-25. The Texans QB Matt Schaub threw four touchdowns and Arian Foster ran for 105 yards on 25 carries. As a franchise, Houston has never begun a year winning its first three games. Up next, the Texans host the Tennessee Titans. Speaking of the Titans, the team came away with the craziest win of the weekend over the Detroit Lions in overtime 44-41...

To finish off the victorious trifecta we travel west to find the Atlanta Falcons visiting the San Diego Chargers. Both teams came into the game undefeated but the Falcons rode the arm of QB Matt (Matty Ice) who threw three touchdowns to three different receivers connecting on 30 of 40 passes for 275 yards. Atlanta comes home to host Carolina while San Diego looks to regroup as it travels to Kansas City...The same Chiefs team that kept New Orleans out of the win column despite falling behind 24-6 with little more than six minutes to go in the third quarter. From that point on, KC did not give up another point and did not allow a Drew Brees (20-36, 240 yards) pass completion in all of the fourth quarter or overtime in their 27-24 win...The Saints joined the Cleveland Browns (they may not win a game this season) as the only winless team when they hosted the Buffalo Bills. The ugliest game of the weekend was as exciting as watching paint dry especially after Buffalo lost its leading rusher in CJ Spiller. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns, including a 32-yard screen pass that Spiller turned into a touchdown. Soon after, Spiller would get tackled after a first-quarter run, landing on his shoulder ending his day. He is not expected to play next Sunday when they face division rival New England...The Patriots may well be playing without head coach Bill Belichick who made contact with a referee at the conclusion of its 31-30 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. After a game-winning 27-yard field goal by Ravens Justin Tucker that just cleared the right goal post, Belichick attempted to get the attention of a ref. The "Hoodie" tugged at the ref who continued to run off the field. Belichick also questioned calls during the game. Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith was playing with a heavy heart a day after his 19-year-old brother Tevin Jones died in a motorcycle accident the day before. Smith caught 2 touchdown passes. The Ravens have a short week as they host those lowly Browns...Looking like the most dominant team coming into week three, the San Francisco 49ers visited the Minnesota Vikings. Another week and another suicide pool upset. The Vikings saw QB Christian Ponder run for one touchdown and throw for two more in their 24-13 victory. The 9ers were coming off impressive victories over Green Bay and Detroit but could not get anything going consistently on offense or defense. San Fran now has to travel cross country to face a New York Jets team coming off the second ugliest game of the weekend. When the Jets face the Miami Dolphins, games are usually entertaining coming down to the last possession that determines the outcome. Not Sunday in South Florida. The Jets did come away with a win in overtime (the third OT game of the day) but not after both teams did everything they could to give the game away. Dropped touchdown passes, shaky running, pass defense and costly penalties plagued both squads. Making matter worse for Gang Green was losing Darrelle Revis for the rest of the year with a torn ACL in his left knee. The Jets defense is clearly not the same without Revis in the lineup. That was evident after he came out of the home opener win against Buffalo and in the loss against the Steelers the following week due to a concussion. New York may be 2-0 (2-1 overall) in its division but the schedule starting next week is brutal...The other New York team, the Football Giants could not have had a better-extended break after routing the Panthers last Thursday night. Big Blue was without four offensive starters (David Diehl, Ahmad Bradshaw, Hakeem Nicks, and Dominic Hixon) but the defense suffocated Carolina's Cam Newton all night while the offensive back-ups led by Eli Manning stepped up big in the 36-7 scorching. Newton, who is just as dangerous with his legs as he is with his arm, only ran for six yards on six attempts. Cam was picked off three times while Manning (27-35 288 yards) had all day to find his receivers. Andre Brown ran for 113 yards on 20 carries and two TDs. Ramses Barden hauled in nine passes for 138 yards and one touchdown. The health of the four and whether or not they will be available against Philadelphia has not been determined yet...The Raiders and Jacksonville got into the win column by beating the Steelers and Indianapolis respectfully. Oakland trailed by 10 (31-21) late in the third but shut out Pittsburgh the rest of the game. Seven touchdown passes were thrown (4 by Pittsburgh 3 by Oakland) while the Raiders Darren McFadden gained 113 on 18 carries and one touchdown in the 34-31 OT win. The Steelers get a bye next week while Oakland travels to Denver...The Jags turned back the Colts 22-17 as Maurice Jones-Drew ran for 177 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown. The Colts wasted a passing performance by Andrew Luck who threw for 313 yards and one touchdown. Like the Steelers, the Colts have a bye while the Jags host the Bengals...Dallas improves to 2-1 with an unimpressive win (16-10) in its home opener over Tampa Bay (1-2)...Same for the Bears (2-1) who dropped the Rams (1-2) 23-6 in a game that saw Chicago's Major Wright return an int 45 yards with the score 13-6 extending the lead...The Bears travel to Dallas next Monday night while the Rams host Seattle...Finally, those Seahawks and Packers finished off week three with a rock'em, sock'em affair Monday night that ended in the most bizarre fashion in recent NFL history. Packers QB Aaron Rogers was sacked seven times in the first half as Green Bay was kept off the scoreboard in the first half (7-0). The Packers returned the favor shutting out Seattle in the third quarter while taking the lead kicking two field goals and a touchdown to take a lead (12-6) until the very last possession. If the play that ended the game does not wake up the NFL hierarchy to end the ref lockout, nothing will. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson throws up a Hail-Mary pass in the direction of wide receiver Golden Tate. Just before Tate jumps up, he clearly pushes Sam Shield in the back (with both hands) driving him to the turf. Tate and Packers MD Jennings rise at the same time and it appeared that Jennings came up with the interception (the TV replays shows the ball pressed against Jennings' chest) but as they crash to the ground, Tate is awarded possession and the game-winning touchdown. The backlash, as a result of the game, will be talked about the rest year even when and if the dispute between the NFL and the referee union is resolved.

Upon Further Review: Derrelle Revis out, but Jets offense and defense awful

East Rutherford, NJ - So this is what the New York Jets defense looked like with the best cornerback in football Darrelle Revis out with a torn ACL in his left knee. The San Francisco 49ers spent the week in Ohio rather than travel back home after getting beat by the Minnesota Vikings last week.

After losing 34-0 to the 49ers at MetLife Stadium, it's not only the defense the Jets have to worry about. It's the 11 players on offense that head coach Rex Ryan should be concerned with. Ryan was clearly steamed afterward using some language he had to apologize for. Parents may want to shield their kids from the following quote.

"I apologize for my language," he began his postgame press conference. "Because I was going to say we got our butt kicked. But really, we got our ass kicked. There's no two ways ins or outs about it."

He then dissected how the ass whipping took place.

"We go in and it should be 7-3 at halftime. It's 10-0 because of the mistakes we make. Then we come out, turn the ball over four times. Here's the recipe for getting our ass kicked: 2 for 13 on third down that 15%, four turnovers, a blocked punt when they rush one guy and give up 245 rushing. How's that for a recipe."

Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, and Atlanta Falcons Still Undefeated

Things won't get any easier for Gang Green as they host one of the three teams that remain undefeated in the Houston Texans. They stayed perfect by rolling over the Tennessee Titans 38-14...The other two teams that are without a loss, Arizona, and Atlanta, had to work hard to come away with victories.

The Cardinals needed overtime to beat the Miami Dolphins (24-21) as QB Kevin Kolb threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns. Miami wasted a great performance by their QB Ryan Tannehill as he threw for 421 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Brian Hartline entered the Dolphins record book by hauling in 12 catches for 253 yards...The Falcons needed to go 90 yards with a little over one minute left to eke out a 30-28 win over the Panthers. Matt (Matty Ice) Ryan finds Roddy White for a 59-yard pass completion and then watches Matt Bryant kick the game-winning 40-yard field goal. Ryan finished his day throwing for 369 yards as White caught eight passes for 169 yards...

Washington, Rams, Vikings, Patriots, Chargers, and Broncos Among the Winners

Redskins wonder QB RGIII passes for 323 yards in its 24-22 win over Tampa. Another nail-biter as Washington's Billy Cundiff nails a 41-yard field goal with three seconds left...Seattle was brought back to reality after its gift win Monday night against Green Bay as the Rams turned them back 19-13. Rams field goal kicker Greg Zuerlein was feeling his oats as he converted four field goals. The first, a 58-yarder that was followed up by a club record 60 yards. Expect him to be named special team player of the week...The disappointing Lions lose for the third time in four weeks after as the Vikings go on the road and come away with a 20-13 win. Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson continues to impress coming off knee surgery as he ran for 102 yards on 21 carries. Detroit's QB Matthew Stafford threw for 319 yards...For the second time this year, the Buffalo Bills gave up more than 45 points in a game. Sunday, they gave up 52 to the New England Patriots. The Bills did take a 14-7 halftime lead then saw their defense give up 45 points in the second half in the 52-28 loss. Patriots QB Tom Brady threw for 340 yards and two TDs...San Diego (37-20) and Denver (37-6) routed Kansas City and Oakland respectively. The Chargers jumped out to a 20-0 lead and Denver scored 21 third-quarter points running away with the victories...

Bengals and Ravens Tied for First in AFC North; Cleveland and New Orleans Still Winless

Don't look now but the Cincinnati Bengals are tied for first in the AFC North after its 27-10 road win over Jacksonville. The Bengals are tied with the Ravens who just got by the winless Cleveland Browns last Thursday 23-16. The Browns had a chance to send the game into overtime but Cleveland's QB Brandon Weeden pass in the end zone went out of bounds...They join the only other winless team, the New Orleans Saints who were edged by Green Bay 28-27. The Saints had a chance to take the lead but Garrett Hartley misses a 48-yard field goal with a little less than three minutes in the game...

New York Giants Lose a Heartbreaker to Philadelphia Eagles

The New York (Football) Giants fell to 2-2 and 0-2 in the division after losing Sunday night in Philadelphia 19-17 to improve their record to 3-1. Big Blue had a chance to win it after Lawrence Tynes missed his first attempt at 54 yards but Eagles head coach Andy Reid called a timeout. Tynes could not take advantage of the second opportunity as the kick came up short. Giants QB Eli Manning did throw for 309 yards and two touchdowns but the running game was non-existent. The Eagles did not turn the ball over for the first time this young season. The Giants host those lowly Browns Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Everything is not Big in Texas As Dallas Loses to Chicago Bears at Home

Finally, the Chicago Bears (3-1) went into Dallas (2-2) and picked off Tony Romo five times (tying a career high) coming away with a 34-18 win. Bears QB Jay Cutler completed 18 of 24 passes for 275 yards and two TDs while wide receiver Brandon Marshall pulled in seven catches for 138 yards and one touchdown. Dallas now gets a much-needed bye week, as Romo and his offense, try to figure out how to straighten out their issues. When they return to the field, four of their five following games will be on the road.

Howard Cross Talks Life After Football

What's The 411 TV correspondent, Andrew Rosario, interviews former NY Giants tight end Howard Cross at the 2nd Annual John Starks Bowling Fundraiser.

Odell Beckham, Jr., a game changer, didn’t get enough looks in the Game 2 loss

KEISHA: So we're going to move from the hard courts of the NBA and we're going to go to the Gridiron of the NFL and we are going to talk about one of our favorite teams and one of our favorite players at least mine, and that's Odell Beckham Jr.

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., told Kimberly A. Martin of Yahoo Sports that he feels like he can help out much more in the passing game to steer the Giants in the right direction.

Mike, do you think that Odell Beckham is being utilized enough or is it the team's 1 - 2 to start that is causing Beckham to search for answers?

MIKE: Well, the first game he was certainly utilized enough in the game against Jacksonville, no question about it against the toughest defense in the NFL, right now, that certainly he played a very good game and I thought that they gave him enough opportunities throughout that game. And then, of course, Game 2, I didn't think that they gave him, they looked at him enough in that loss where they lost that second game of the season. But, I felt like in Week 3, the offense was really clicking on all cylinders. And, I think a lot of that had to do with the offensive line. If the offensive line is playing well, there's no question that Eli Manning is going to get more and more opportunities to get Odell Beckham, Jr. the ball. The guy is a game changer. There's no question about that and they need him, you know, they certainly need him but Keisha what I'll finish with is it's going to be a tricky road for the next month of the Giants, you know, they face the New Orleans Saints and then they go and they have to play the Carolina Panthers they back that up on a short week against the Philadelphia Eagles and then play the Atlanta Falcons. Now, these are four teams that wound up making the playoffs last season, 3 out of the last four years, I think three of those four teams with the exception of New Orleans has won the NFC.

KEISHA: I think the Saints were out last year right there.

MIKE: Yeah, exactly. They lost to Minnesota (Vikings). I think in that crazy last-second miracle game. But I think for the Giants this is going to be a tough road ahead and it's going to be a tough test for Pat Shurmur and Odell Beckham, but I think that the biggest question mark they have is the offensive line at that offensive line, which really started to come around and that win against Houston if it's starting to play a lot better than Odell Beckham certainly will be happy.

KEISHA: Yeah, definitely. I agree with you. I think that his, Odell's frustrations or his sentiment was based on that Dallas (Cowboys) game Week 2 where he only had four receptions in 51 yards. And I think you know the Giants offense has struggled scoring for the past couple of seasons. I mean the last time they scored 30 points in the game was January 3rd, 2016.

That's a lot of football to happen and you can't score 30 points when you have an Odell Beckham Jr., when you have a Sterling Shepherd. At one point, they had Brandon Marshall, but he was gone within like the first couple of games of the season but when you have an Evan Engram when there's talent that you know, it's one of the best receiving corps in an NFL in if you can't score 30 points, there's an issue. The offensive line really rebounded and played well on the third game against the Houston Texans and there was a shift in the line where Ereck Flowers was sidelined. He was benched and that was a sigh of relief and probably jubilation for most of us who just really are shaking our heads as to why Ereck Flowers has been allowed to start this long. But, the offensive line is key. And you know, I think Odell was probably, maybe if you read between the lines he was talking to Eli because Eli has overthrown him or short-thrown him or haven't seen him wide open.

So it's going to be imperative for Eli to be able to notice and fairly quickly because even with the better play from the offensive line, he's not going to have tons of time to just sit and scan for like 30 seconds, 10 seconds or whatever. So, you know Eli's got to make sure that he sees the field see it quickly and get and delivers the ball to him. And with Odell, it doesn't have to be a pinpoint precise pass just throw it somewhere in his area, he's gonna get it with those big hands he's got. And, then also, you know, it's going to be up to the offensive coordinator Mike Shula to make sure that he is running an offense that's going to get Odell involved. I mean and it doesn't necessarily I don't think you have to force feed it to him. I think because you have Sterling Shepard and you have Evan Engram who presents enough of a threat that you can pass the ball, so you're not forced feeding and showing your hand all the time.

So, you know, if the game against the Houston Texans was any indication that how the season's going to go, Odell is going to be happy, Giants' fans are going to be happy. We're gonna win some games, maybe make a push for the playoffs and all will be right in New York City.

Bryant doesn’t stop with Jones, calls Dallas Cowboys’ linebacker, Sean Lee, “a snake”

The saga of Dez Bryant continues. Recently, it appeared that Bryant was minding his own business when a tweet from Sirius/XM misquoted Stephen Jones, who has among many titles, the director of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys. The tweet with the misquote, read: “how Dak Prescott would be better off without Bryant in his ear.”

Now, you know, Dez was not going to let that go, so he posted on Twitter and we’re cleaning up the profanity:

“Here we go with that scapegoat s—.. I charged everything to the game and went the other way.. y’all know what the real problem is .. don’t put it on me with that bulls—.. garbage a– play calling.. Everybody lined up in the same spot for 17 weeks..,”

Sirius/XM later posted the audio from Jones, which stated,

"He's gotta trust the system, which at times last year, there was pressure.. with Dez in his ear and to some degree Jason in his ear. Those great players want the ball"

Here's the audio from the Cowboys Stephen Jones about @DezBryant from our training camp stop today...

"He's gotta trust the system, which at times last year, there was pressure.. with Dez in his ear and to some degree Jason in his ear. Those great players want the ball" pic.twitter.com/DmjugEtU2c

— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) July 27, 2018

Bryant went on to call linebacker Sean Lee, a fellow Cowboys teammate who sat across from his locker, a snake.

He’s not clueless.. Jerry was the only one who was clueless.. shit was a planned to get me out ask Travis and my brother snake Lee I mean Sean Lee https://t.co/7BK9cEkW90

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) July 27, 2018

Rashad Jennings is making a positive impact on young people through his nonprofit foundation, the Rashad Jennings Foundation

Rashad Jennings, a former running back for the New York Football Giants, is now a free agent, but he is not letting any grass grow under his feet.

On his LinkedIn post, Jennings says he spends his off-seasons traveling, training, and impacting lives through his 501(c)3 nonprofit, the Rashad Jennings Foundation. During the 2015-2016 school year, the Rashad Jennings Foundation was in over 25 schools in four states and impacted over 20 thousand students. The foundation’s focus is on literacy, mentorship, and health & fitness initiatives.

For more information about the Rashad Jennings Foundation’s and to get involved with the Rashad Jennings Foundation on an individual or corporate level, please visit RashadJenningsFoundation.org.