0 Colts Win NFL-Record 22nd straight as they beat the Broncos 28-16! Posted by DieHardFans | at 10:36 PM

Brandon Marshall of the Broncos may have broken an individual NFL record Sunday in Indianapolis, but the Colts set a team record. In beating Denver, 28-16, the Colts established a new standard of greatness by winning their 22nd consecutive regular-season game. That breaks the previous NFL record, which was held by Tom Brady's New England Patriots. Interestingly enough, the Patriots and Colts along with the Steelers have been the most dominant teams of this decade. What the Colts do in the postseason, however, will define their ultimate legacy much more than this record. They've "only" won the Super Bowl once, while the Patriots have three rings and the Steelers have two. "It does [feel good]," Colts linebacker Clint Session said staying unbeaten and breaking the consecutive regular-season wins record. "I'm a part of history right now, so it feels real good. It's something we can tell our kids and grandkids that we did something no one else had done. It's definitely a great accomplishment."

On Sunday, they stormed out of the gates, jumping to a 21-0 lead within the first quarter and a half. The Broncos were able to climb back into the game on the strength of the sensational Marshall and an uncharacteristic three picks from Peyton Manning. When Marshall caught a touchdown with 9:49 left in the game, the Colts led by just five, 21-16. What happened on the ensuing drive shouldn't really surprise anyone who has followed the NFL for the past decade.

Manning methodically took the Colts 80 yards in 14 plays, eating up more than seven minutes. The drive concluded with Dallas Clark's third touchdown catch of the game and it was Manning's fourth TD pass. Yes, just another Indianapolis Colts win. They are now 13-0 and have clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Rookie head coach Jim Caldwell is still undefeated in his career, and the team is now 88-21 since the start of 2003. Sunday's victory also gave them the NFL record for most wins in a decade (114), breaking the previous mark held by the 1990s 49ers. If nothing else, the Colts are synonymous with winning in the regular season. And they are working to shed the last little caveat there, which is why you're likely to see them resting regulars in spots for the last three regular-season week.

0 Big Day for RB Johnson as the Titans destroy the Rams 47-7! Posted by DieHardFans | at 2:24 AM

The Tennessee Titans have fast become one of the leading sides out there. Their win-loss record alone this season, is 2nd to only a few, with quarterback Vince Young behind center. As the Titans and St. Louis Rams battled for 60 minutes at LP Field, Young would play but injure himself midway through the second quarter failing to return. Fortunately for the Titans, Young’s absence didn’t hurt them as Kerry Collins threw for a score while Chris Johnson scored three times, as Tennessee easily disposed the Rams 47-7.

The first quarter could have very easily been renamed the Chris Johnson Quarter as he scored twice for the Titans, once on a 39-yard touchdown run and a 66-yard touchdown reception from Young, giving Tennessee a 14-0 lead with 6 seconds left in the period. Another three drives led to a trio of field goals by Rob Bironas (27, 34 and 36 yards, respectively) driving the Titans advantage to 23-0 at halftime. After a 50-yard FG by Bironas, Johnson would score his third TD of the game, taking the Titans’ lead to 33-0. The Rams would finally get on the scoreboard as Keith Null connected with Randy McMichael on an 11-yard TD pass, narrowing their deficit to 33-7; Alge Crumpler would score on a 1-yard TD pass from Collins and safety Vincent Fuller would return an interception 45 yards for a score, making it 47-7. Young, who got injured in late second qtr, went 6 of 8 for 132 yards and a TD while Collins went 11 of 19 for 154 and a TD; Null went 27 of 43 for 157 yards and 5 interceptions. Johnson led the Titans rushing attack with 117 yards on 28 carries and 2 TD’s and caught 3 passes for 69 yards and a score; Tennessee (6-7) look to hang onto their very slim play-off hopes as they continue their home stand, hosting the Miami Dolphins next Sunday while St. Louis (1-12) returns home to host the Houston Texans next Sunday.

0 Pathetic Rams no match for the Bears in the windy city after 17-9 loss... Posted by DieHardFans | at 2:16 AM

The same old sorry ass Rams showed up at Soldier Field in Chicago this week. They found a way to lose again by giving up big pass plays on defense and committing mistakes on offense. It was the same script as the past two weeks as the St. Louis Rams continually settled for field goals when they were able to get into field goal range and never had any semblance of a passing game. They were ineffective on offense all game. However, what was most glaring was when they got the ball to start their drive 3 times around midfield in the first half, but were unable to muster any points on those 3 drives, instead settling for punts.

The second half was not much different than the first as their offense moved slowly if ever as the Bears focused on Steven Jackson when he was in the game and Boller was unable to threaten the Bears secondary. Boller continues to assert himself as a quarterback you would never want starting for any team in the NFL. He was easily rattled and inaccurate when he had time to throw. The Bears knew he likes to run to his right and kept a defensive end out there that caused a lot of problems for Boller and the Rams offense. Even Steven Jackson was less than his normal self as he looked as ginger as he did last week against Seattle. He was unable to break out of arm tackles on most cases, but he was still able to push the pile when he needed to. But, that was not enough for the Rams to beat the Bears. Their defensive secondary was burned early by Jay Cutler on a long pass and a long pass interference penalty on Quincy Butler.

In the second half, the same problems continued as Jay Cutler threw an easy short touchdown pass to Earl Bennett. That score put the game out of reach for the anemic Rams offense, which only passed 200 yards of total offense inside 2 minutes in the fourth quarter. The Rams managed a late frantic drive down 8 points, but once again stalled right after making it into Bears territory which made it an even 9 times into Chicago Bears territory and only 9 points. The Rams are really bad, and there is not much else to say about that. There’s no progress, there’s very little fire and there are many more questionable decisions than good ones. The front office is certainly concerned about their team’s performance this season, and is looking for more options to come along next season.

0 Colts fell the Titans 27-17 to stay undefeated! Posted by DieHardFans | at 2:12 AM

As I have said on more than one occasion in reference to the Colts, they find new and creative ways to win each and every week. Some weeks, it is Peyton Manning and his arm; others are down to their secondary. They are also developing a real ability to come back from the brink in the last minutes of the game! The Colts didn’t have to rely on a 300-yard game from Manning or a comeback attempt during Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium; instead, they more or less played “keep away” with the ball, allowing Indianapolis to tie an NFL record with their 21st consecutive win, in this case a 27-17 win over Tennessee.

The Colts started things by going on a 75-yard drive, capped by a 8-yard Joseph Addai touchdown run, taking a 7-0 lead; after a 20-yard field goal by kicker Rob Bironas, Indianapolis drove 77 yards down the field over nearly 4 minutes with Addai hitting on a 1-yard run, boosting the Colts’ advantage to 14-3. Although the Colts failed to cash in on the Titans’ first turnover, Manning would capitalize as he threw a 4-yard TD pass to Austin Collie, padding the Colts’ lead further at 21-3. Tennessee finally got back in the game on a 6-yard Vince Young to Kenny Britt TD pass, narrowing their deficit to 21-10. With no time left in the third quarter, Matt Stover connected on a 43-yard FG, giving the Colts a 24-10 cushion; Stover would put the nail in the Titans’ coffin as he converted a 36-yard FG with 3:14 left in the game, icing the victory for Colts. Manning had a decent outing for the Colts, going 24 for 37 for 270 yards with a touchdown while Young went 24 of 43 for 241 yards with 2 TD’s and an INT.

Indianapolis (12-0) goes for win number 13 and a NFL-record 22nd win when they host the Denver Broncos next Sunday while Tennessee (5-7) returns home to host the St. Louis Rams next Sunday.

0 Benson Impresses on his return, as Bengals muscle the Lions 23-13! Posted by DieHardFans | at 4:00 AM

The Cincinnati Bengals were happier than ever in slop knowing that running back Cedric Benson would start for them during Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions at Paul Brown Stadium. Benson ran like the proverbial pig running to the trough; he ran for 110 yards in his return from a hip injury, leading Cincinnati to the impressive 23-13 win over Detroit. The Lions struck first as Matthew Stafford hit paydirt, throwing a 54-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson with 3:27 left in the opening quarter, allowing Detroit to take a 7-0 lead; the second quarter was all Bengals as they scored in three different ways: on a 45-yard interception return by defensive end Jonathan Fanene, a 36-yard Carson Palmer to Chad Ochocinco TD pass followed by a 44-yard Shayne Graham field goal; the 17 unanswered points gave the Bengals a ten-point lead going into halftime. Cincinnati poured it on in the third quarter as Graham connected on a 39-yard FG, pushing their lead to 20-7 and would ice the game on another Graham field goal and this one a 23-yarder.

The Detroit Lions, in addition to losing the game, may lose Stafford for at least a game as he was slammed to the turf by Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones late in the fourth quarter and would not return. Palmer was mediocre, going 17 of 29 for 220 yards with a TD and an interception while Stafford went 11 of 26 for 143 yards with a TD and 2 INt’s before he was hurt. Dante Culpepper came in relief, going 2-of-3 for 49 yards. Benson was impressive in his return, rushing 36 times for 110 yards to lead the Bengals while Kevin Smith led the Lions rushers with 75 yards on 16 carries. Ochocinco led all Bengals receivers with 9 receptions for 137 yards and a TD. Cincinnati (9-3) plays again next Sunday when they visit Minneapolis to take on the Vikings while Detroit (2-10) travels to Baltimore to face the Ravens next Sunday.

0 Turnovers cripple the Bucs after losing 16-6 to Carolina! Posted by DieHardFans | at 2:26 AM

The Carolina Panthers are the epitome of inconsistency right now. Poor quarterback play along with regular loss of possession has contributed to poor sets of results for some time. During Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium, they displayed some sloppy quarterbacking and even committed a couple turnovers. Perhaps the only saving grace was that the Panthers’ defense was superb as they were responsible for 5 interceptions, enabling Carolina to claw their way to a 16-6 win over Tampa Bay. The Panthers took a 10-0 first quarter lead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Stewart and a 23-yard field goal by kicker John Kasay. The Buccaneers came back as Connor Barth connected on a pair of FG’s in the second quarter to put them to within 10-6, the score that both teams would take to their locker rooms at halftime.

The third quarter was nondescript as time of possession was the rule, with the only scoring courtesy of a 40-yard Kasay FG, boosting the Panthers’ advantage to 13-6; the Panthers would score once in the final quarter again on a FG by Kasay which would be enough to seal the victory for Carolina. Josh Freeman, who is still going through the growing pains that all rookie QB’s go through, went 23 of 44 for 321 yards, but hurt himself by throwing 5 interceptions. Meanwhile, Matt Moore, subbing for Jake Delhomme, was mediocre at best as he went 14 of 20 for 161 yards and an INT. Jonathan Stewart, getting his first start, led the Panthers rushing attack with 120 yards on 26 carries and the game’s only TD while Carnell Williams led Tampa Bay’s rushers with 92 yards on 17 carries. Carolina (5-7) plays again next Sunday when they visit Foxborough, MA to take on the New England Patriots while Tampa Bay (1-11) returns home to host the New York Jets.

0 Seattle demolish 49ers playoff hopes after a 20-17 loss. Posted by DieHardFans | at 2:18 AM

Back in Week 2, the San Francisco 49ers dismantled the Seattle Seahawks with an old school game plan. They ran the football and played sound defense. Thus, it would have only made sense to enter Seattle with a similar game plan. Instead, with their backs against the playoff race wall, the Niners did a complete 180 and it didn't work, as they lost 20-17.

Alex Smith attempted 45 passes and Frank Gore had just nine rushing attempts. The result was a ton of 310 passing yards from Smith and a loss. The Seattle Seahawks won the football game despite being outgained by 64 yards, due to timely defense and moving the chains when it mattered. They may have allowed over 300 yards passing, but they took the ball away from the Niners twice, including a huge fourth quarter fumble recovery by Josh Wilson. Also, the Seahawks held the 49ers to just one third down conversion on 13 chances and made them kick field goals in their two red zone trips. That was enough to limit the Niners, but they were still tied at 17-all with less than a minute left in the game. And the Niners had the ball. It was time for more timeliness. They took the ball with 51 seconds left at their own 11. So they had less than a minute, one timeout, and almost the length of the field to go. It was questionable, to say the least.

A 21-yard Nate Burleson punt return, a defensive holding penalty and a 32-yard strike from Matt Hasselbeck to Deon Butler all-of-a-sudden had the Seahawks ready for a game-winning field goal. This after the 49ers took the ball with 51 seconds left in a tie game. San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary's head had to have been spinning. A quick setup run by Julius Jones was all the Seahawks then needed before having Olindo Mare kick a 30-yard field goal as time expired to win the game. It was a big blow in more ways than one. Seattle’s kick virtually ended any chance of the 49ers making a run at the Wild Card. With the Arizona Cardinals victory over Minnesota Sunday night, the writing is on the wall for both of these 5-7 teams. They are playing strictly for pride in 2009, as neither has a realistic shot at the postseason. Still, it had to be nice for the Seahawks to ruin the season of a division rival.