NFL Week 11 Review

Last week Rich got 10-6 in his predictions and is gradually showing improvement week to week. Check out his predictions here and read on to see how he did.

Overall record = 19-11

NY Jets lost to DEN Broncos by 4
Original Prediction: We’re keeping the faith with Tim Tebow, Broncos to win by 6. 

This time around Rich wins through on Thursday night with another bet on Tebow to beat the Jets. Shoddy play calling on the final Broncos drive put the nail in the coffin for the Jets, who would be much better with a more efficient offence.

CIN Bengals lost to BAL Ravens by 7

Original Prediction: Ravens to win by 10. 

Again, not far off by Rich who outlined almost exatly how the game would pan out. Bengals could have done with AJ Green on the last drive to catch the clutch TD instead of seeing TE Jermain Gresham fumble the game away.

JAC Jaguars lost to CLE Browns by 4

Original Prediction: We’re going to say Jags to win by 7 

I will be honest, it was going to be hard to call the winner of this game regardless and the jags only lost because of a blown call on the goal line. Jags and Browns seriously need to re tool for next season.

CAR Panthers lost to DET Lions by 14

Dbl Coverage Prediction: Lions to win by 14. 

Probably the game of the week and Rich got it spot on. Stafford is making a habit of starting slow and finishing hot and this was the best example of that this season. Carolina continue to show promise and will improve next season with the return of star linebacker Jon Beason. On a side note the celebrations in this game were outrageous.

TB Buccaneers lost to GB Packers by 9

Original Prediction: Green Bay to win by 17.

The Packers defence started to show its weakness against the run, especially on THAT Blount run for a touchdown. However as long as their offence continues to put up huge numbers  the D can get away with having an off day. Tampa have all the potential in the world, but they need to start getting it together.

BUF Bills lost to MIA Dolphins by 27
Dbl Coverage Prediction: Miami steal it and win by 3.

Miami did more than steal a win, they outright stomped all over Miami. Matt Moore is doing his best Dan Marino impression and Reggie Bush seems to have found his mojo. Buffalo have folded faster than paper at an origami party and might regret giving Ryan Fitzpatrick that contract midway through the season.

OAK Raiders beat MIN Vikings by 6

Original Prediction: We like a weekly upset and we reckon it will come in this game, Vikings to win by 7. 

Maybe Rich doesn’t like his weekly upset so much anymore?? The Vikings have reason for hope next year as rookie QB Ponder continues to show promise regardless of turnovers. The Raiders look to have a real find in Carson Palmer and this can only make the Bengals happy with the guarantee of a 1^st round pick if the Raiders make the playoffs.

DAL Cowboys beat WAS Redskins by 3

Original Prediction: The Cowboys to win by 10. 

The Cowboys need to figure out how to get the ball to Dez Bryant more consistently if they want to avoid winning games by the skin of their teeth. The Redskins appear to be more fluffy rabbit than angry rabbit http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2011112005/2011/REG11/cowboys@redskins#menu=highlights&tab=recap and really need to solve the problems at QB to compete in their division.

ARI Cardinals lost to SF 49ers by 16

Original Prediction: The 49ers to win by 6. 

Another dominating performance from the best defence in the league right now. Arizona never really got started and Coach Ken Wisenhunt placed the blame firmly on QB John Skelton. An easy pick for Rich to make.

SEA Seahawks beat STL Rams by 17

Dbl Coverage Prediction: The Rams to win by 7. 

Take away the Rams run game and they really struggle. Seattle are really good at stopping the run and have an under rated defence. All this added up to a Seahawks win and they obliged with a big win. Sam Bradford is well and truly in the middle of a sophomore slump.

TEN Titans lost to ATL Falcons by 6

Dbl Coverage Prediction: The Falcons to win by 6. 

Another spot on prediction for Rich, putting him at two for the weekend. The Titans have to have liked what they saw from rookie Jake Locker who threw for 140 yards and 2 TD’s after coming on in the 3^rd quarter to replace Matt Hasselbeck.

SD Chargers lost to CHI Bears by 11

Dbl Coverage Prediction: The Bears to win by 10. 

So close to a hattrick of correct scores on the weekend! The Chargers are having major problems in their team, but this should come as no surprise seeing as they lost both coordinators in the off season. Bears will have to overcome the injury to Jay Cutler and will be hoping Caleb Haine can step up and the hand ball off to Forte consistently.

PHI Eagles beat NY Giants by 7

Dbl Coverage Prediction: Giants to win by 14.

The Eagles showed why it is important to have a solid back up that matches your starters skills with Vince Young leading them to victory over divisional rivals and keeping their slim playoffs hopes alive. Giants need to get over the jinx the Eagles have over them at home if they want to be serious playoff contenders in the future.

KC Chiefs lost to NE Patriots by 31

Dbl Coverage Prediction: Patriots to win by 14.

The Patriots defence is much maligned in pass coverage, but they are pretty strong against the run and stifled the Chiefs all day on the ground. The Chiefs started well and got after Tom Brady, but eventually the future HOF QB connected with Gronkowski and that was all she wrote.

Solid weekend for Rich with 10 correct predictions and 2 correct scores and is nearly .750 since we started. Not too shabby at all!

Overall record = 29-15

NFL Week 11 Top 10 Power Rankings

Unlike our BUAFL power rankings, we’re sticking to a top 10 ranking for the NFL (what? You think we’re paid for this!?).

A quick nod to the Giants, who slide out of our top 10 after sitting at number 7 last week. Also kudos to the Dolphins and Broncos as they both continued on winning streaks extending their runs to 3 weeks!

1. Green Bay Packers (10-0)
Before the season began I predicted Jordy Nelson would have a breakout year. With his latest performance my prediction doesn’t look like a bad shout. A tough victory over the Bucs this week showed that the Pack defence may not be as good as people think. Blounts monster touchdown looked like a man against boys. Now 10-0 everyone will be trying to end the Packers unbeaten streak.

2. San Francisco 49ers (9-1)
After a comprehensive divisional win over Arizona the 49ers could lock up their division this weekend depending on results. Thursday’s thanksgiving matchup will see Jim Harbaugh facing off against younger brother John Harbaugh in a potential superbowl preview.

3. New Orleans Saints (7-3)
The Saints move up to number 3 this week even though they were on a bye. With their next two games against teams vying for playoff places, the Saints will need to be on top form if they want to remain at the top spot in the NFC South.

NFL Daily Digest: News and Rumour

Our Daily morning digest for you to catch up on all your NFL news in one place. First off is the injury news:

Julio Jones is out for week 12 according to his twitter account. (warning, awful background alert!)

The curse continues for Peyton Hillis as he says he will sit next weeks game vs the Bengals

The MRI on Vikings RB Adrian Peterson revealed a high ankle sprain according to Jeremy Fowler of the St Paul Pioneer Press



The Chiefs have officially put Matt Cassel on IR, ending his season according to Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston.

The Ravens think Ray Lewis may not be out for the season

CBS have reported that the Bills can dump most of struggling QB Fitzpatrick's contract.



Jake Plummer likes Tebow, but wants him to cut out some of the relegious stuff.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has reported that Brian Urlacher thinks the Bears should use the "Tebow Offence"


Jack Del Rio has shifted blame for his teams loss onto his coordinator. Smooth move Jack...

BUAFL Power Rankings 10 - 1

Unlike our friends across the pond, this week’s college ball didn’t provide any shock results knocking the top seeds atop our rankings, but we expect to see some movement now that the bye weeks are over.

1. Hertfordshire Hurricanes (2-0)

No game for the #1 ranked team this week, sitting atop of the SEC with 110 points scored and only 15 points conceded. Unless Essex or Kent can spring a surprise when play Hearts, they should remain rooted to the top spot for a long time.

2. Portsmouth Destroyers (2-0)

Like the ‘Canes, the Destroyers were on a bye week and retained their spot in our power rankings. With three other teams unbeaten in the TVC, Portsmouth may have a fight on their hands to retain their conference crown.

Photo courtesy of Mike Hinton

3. Birmingham Lions (2-0)

A solid 54-0 victory for the Lions this week over second year team the Coventry Jets. From the sounds of thinks, as well as their offence posting big numbers, the Lions defence also had an outstanding performance by scoring two touchdowns and not letting the Jets offence get a 1^st down all game.

4. Loughborough Aces (2-0)

Another MAC team to get a comprehensive victory this week, a 49-0 win over the Warwick Wolves keeps the Aces at number 4 for the third consecutive week. With the defence yet to concede a point and an easy schedule until they face Derby, the Aces shouldn’t be moving down any time soon.

5. Hallam Warriors (2-0)

I feel sorry for Hallam I really do, if I was playing for them I’d have been gutted that they couldn’t reach the three digit mark in the scoreboard (they won 97-0 if you didn’t know). With nothing to separate the top 5 teams on this list, the Warriors end up at number 5 due to the fact they have easier conference opponents in the Northern Conference.

 

Photo courtesy of uwebullets.co.uk

6. UWE Bullets

A good 13-0 victory over Bath sees the Bullets hold onto to the number 6 spot by their fingertips. With teams starting to show their dominance and rise up the charts, UWE will need to pick up their game if they want to win the SWAC and more importantly, remain in the #6 spot of our rankings.

7. Southampton Stags (3-0)

I’ll admit I didn’t buy into the Stags hype, but after giving up 48 to BNU they’ve only conceded 12 points combined against Reading and Brunel, winning 48-6 this week. I still don’t think they are as good as people are making out but if they continue to prove me wrong they I won’t be afraid to admit that they are better than I thought. 

8. Newcastle Raiders (3-0)

Newcastle are like Hallam, they put up big scores, don’t concede many points and unfortunately due to being based up north they get to dominate every team so they don’t look as good as the stats suggest. After a 38-0 victory this week, I still fully expect them to get a good seed in the national rankings so I’ll make a better judgement once they reach the playoffs, for now though they are our number 8 team in the country.

9. Kent Falcons (2-0)

If this was the BCS rankings then the number 2 seed in the SEC would be number 2 in our power rankings, unfortunately this is not the case. A narrow victory over Brighton Tsunami keeps the Falcons in our top 10 for another week.

10. UH Sharks (2-0)

Some people may disagree that the Sharks don’t deserve to keep this place as they had a bye and there are numerous teams tied for the Northern Conference lead. Eventually teams will start to filter out and I believe the Sharks will finish in the championship playoffs spot along with Hallam, big game against Leeds Carnegie next week which may alter the power rankings.

BUAFL Power Rankings 11-20

11. Derby Braves (2-0)

Now Derby actually have a QB who can throw the ball they may have a fighting chance of shocking one of the top 2 teams in the MAC. Solid wins over the Stallions and NTU means Derby find themselves at number 11 in our rankings. A matchup of two potentially unbeaten teams, versus Loughborough on December the 11^th, will show if this team is worth the hype they have been receiving. 

12. Bristol Barracuda (2-0)

The ‘Cuda may feel hard done by to find themselves at the number 12 spot this week. I’m sorry but if you keep struggling you will continue to drop down when other teams are performing better than you. A week after a narrow victory over Bath Spa, Bristol needed overtime to put away Exeter Demons 20-14. In a tough conference where everyone can beat each other, it seems that Bristol may struggle to return to the Championship playoffs.

Photo courtesy of Air3 Radio

 13. Stirling Clansmen (3-0)

Congrats Stirling you are 3-0, scoring 166 points and conceding 0 which puts you top of the Borders Conference, but let’s be serious for a second. The three teams that Stirling have faced so far have a combined record of 1-5 with 54 points scored and 245 conceded...Until Stirling face a good quality opposition, they won’t be moving up for quite a while with better teams firmly placed above them.

14. Bangor Muddogs (3-0)

What has happened to Bangor? I remember two years ago when they scored 0 points and conceded around 440 odd. Fair play to them for turning it around and leading the Northern Conference, blowing out the Manchester Tyrants 48-6 this week, next week’s matchup against the other Sheffield Uni (Sabres) seems like a potential game of the week with two high scoring opponents going against each other.  

15. OBU Panthers (2-0)

It’s not been a good week for Phil DeMonte. Not only are his former team (who he predicted to lose) 2-0, he also had worse prediction results than the Dbl Coverage team! Two well earned wins over respectable opponents has got the Panthers off to a good start this year. With the national champs on the horizon in two weeks time, the Panthers will be able to show if they truly are contenders this year.