MySports Today

The Baltimore Ravens upset the Tennessee Titans in Nashville on Saturday on a 43-yard field goal by Matt Stover with only 53 seconds left in the game. The Ravens are poised to return to that 2000 NFL Championship form in a similar fashion – wild card team with a dominant defense, winning 3 playoff games on the road to advance to the Super Bowl. We’ll see if the Ravens can repeat that magic.

The Ravens forced 3 Titans turnovers which negated good statistical games from the Titans offense. Kerry Collins completed 26 of 42 passes for 281 yards. But Collins threw a costly interception in the red zone and did not have a touchdown pass. Chris Johnson had a good start to the divisional playoff game but was forced to leave in the 2nd quarter with a right ankle injury. Johnson scored the Titans only touchdown of the game on an 8-yard run on the game’s opening drive, and rushed for a total of 72 yards on 11 carries. In reserve, LenDale White rushed for 45 yards on 15 carries, but had a turnover that cost the Titans a chance to score in raven’s territory. Alge Crumpler also had a fumble for the Titans.

Ravens Quarterback Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense did just enough to get the victory. Flacco helped the Titans tie the game at 7 on a 48-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason. Flacco completed only half of his passes (11 for 22) for 161 yards, good for a 89.4 passer rating. Flacco is the only rookie quarterback to lead his team to 2 NFL playoff game victories. The Ravens also only had 50 rushing yards, but that was enough to help set up 2 field goals by Matt Stover in the 4th quarter. Stover connected from 21 yards out in the early part of the 4th quarter to give the Ravens a 10-7 lead. After the Titans tied the game at 10 on a Rob Bironas 27-yard field goal with 4:23 left in the game, Flacco orchestrated the drive that set up Stover’s 43-yard game-winning field goal.

Now it’s off to Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship. Although the Steelers defeated the Ravens in both regular season meetings (by a combined 7 points), the Ravens held their own in both contests and match up well against the physical Steelers. It should be a fun, grind it out football game. Are you ready for some smash-mouth football?!

AFC Wrap:

The Tennessee Titans defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-14 on Sunday to clinch the best record in the AFC. The Titans will have home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Titans had a balanced attack against a stingy Steelers defense. Kerry Collins was efficient – 20 for 29 for 216 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions. Chris Johnson rushed for 69 yards and 1 touchdown, while LenDale White rushed for 48 yards and 1 touchdown. Justin Gage led the Titans in receiving with 5 catches for 104 yards and a score. Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completed 26 of 40 passes for 331 yards and he threw 2 touchdown passes. “Gentle Ben” also threw 2 costly interceptions, however, including an interception that was returned by the Titans Michael Griffin 83 yards for a touchdown that sealed the victory for the Titans with only 18 seconds remaining. The Titans will presumably rest some key players next week in order to gear up, and stay healthy, for the all-important playoff run.

NFC Wrap:

In a surprise upset, the Atlanta Falcons hung on for a 24-17 win over the Vikings in Minnesota. The Vikings could have clinched a 1st place finish in the NFC North and a playoff berth. The Vikings loss opens the door for the Chicago Bears. With a win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football tomorrow night, the Bears would move into a tie with the Vikings atop the NFC North. The Vikings would need to win at home next week against the New York Giants in order to secure the division win (they hold the tie-breaker against the Bears), but if the Vikings were to lose and the Bears were to defeat the Texans in Houston, the Bears would be crowned the NFC North kings. Stay tuned for 3 exciting games left to determine the NFC North winner.

Before going to jail for his involvement as the leader of an illegal dog fighting ring, Michael Vick enjoyed himself with several shopping sprees in the months leading up to his incarceration.

As it turns out, it looks like Vick spent millions right up until November 19, 2007, the day he entered jail. And now it looks like Vick might be seeking bankruptcy protection from creditors. Talk about a big turn of events.

Not only has Vick had to spend the last 13 months in jail, with 11 months still left to be served. But now it looks like he won’t even have any of the $18.2 million he earned as an NFL quarterback during his short career. Talk about pathetic.

And the way NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell treats NFL players that have been involved in illegal off-the-field activities, who knows if the NFL will welcome Vick back with open arms after he completes his “debt” to society for his vile actions. And if he is allowed back in the NFL, will any teams really be willing to fork over the dough to an individual with Vick’s character issues? Will any teams be willing to open their city and fan base to the constant taunts and protests that will surely follow Vick wherever he lands? Vick is set to be released towards the end of 2009 – it should be interesting to see if Vick lands on his feet for the 2010 NFL season!?

New York Giants Wide Receiver Plaxico Burress has told team officials that he accidentally shot himself in the leg in a Midtown Manhattan Night Club on Friday night. Does this really sound believable?

Burress did not suffer any serious life-threatening injuries, but did require an extended stay at a New York City hospital. All the details have not yet come to light just yet, so we will be sure to follow this story over the next few days. Here is the latest Plexico Update from ESPN.com.

Burress was already ruled out for the Giants game against the Washington Redskins in Landover, Maryland and Burress may be subject to further disciplinary action from the Giants organization and/or the NFL.

Donovan McNabb redeemed himself on Thanksgiving Day with an incredible performance. McNabb rewarded head coach Andy Reid who had benched McNabb at halftime of last week’s loss after a slew of turnovers. The Eagles took a 24-7 halftime lead, scored at least 10 points in each quarter and cruised to a 28-point win over the NFC West-leading Cardinals. The Cardinals are not in danger of missing the playoffs in the atrocious NFC West, but their chances of over-taking the New York Giants for home field advantage are all but gone now.

McNabb completed 27 of 39 passes for over 300 yards passing. McNabb threw 4 touchdowns and did not throw an interception – good for a 121.7 passer rating. Eagles running back Brian Westbrook rushed for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns and also caught 4 passes for 20 yards and 2 touchdowns. 4 touchdowns on the day made a LOT of Westbrook fantasy football owners very happy.

On the Cards side, Kurt Warner completed only 21 of 39 passes for only 235 yards. Warner did throw 3 touchdowns passes, but he threw 3 costly interceptions.

Brady Quinn is done for the year. Quinn broke the tip of his right index finger and suffered tendon damage to the finger in the 2nd start of his career on November 17th at Buffalo, a game in which the Browns emerged victorious. He received several medical opinions regarding the index finger and decided to go ahead and start his next game against the Houston Texans. That turned out to be a bad decision.

The Browns ended up losing to the Texans. Quinn completed only 8 of 18 passes for 94 yards. He did not throw any touchdown passes, but threw 2 interceptions and was ultimately replaced by Derek Anderson, the Browns former starting quarterback. Following the game, the Browns announced that Quinn did more damage to the injured index finger by playing, and that he would not play the rest of the season. It is still unclear as to whether or not Quinn will undergo surgery to repair the index finger.

It is a frustrating time for Quinn and the Browns. He waited a year and a half to make his 1st NFL start, and he played well in his first 2 starts, going 1-1. Being done after the 3 starts, after waiting so long to make 1 start is not easy for Quinn or Browns’ fans. Cleveland will have to wait another season to have Quinn start for a full year and hopefully make a run at that elusive post-season appearance.

The New York Jets sent a message loud and clear to the rest of the NFL on Sunday. With their 34-13 drubbing of the previously unbeaten Titans in Tennessee, the Jets proved that they are a team and a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the season. Could we be setting the stage for an all-New York Super Bowl in Miami with the Giants defending their title against the Jets?

After starting off the NFL season with a 1-2 record, the Jets have won 7 of their last 8 games and are on a current 5-game winning streak. Facing the NFL’s best scoring defense, the Jets decided to try a new strategy against the Titans – they spread out the field and had Favre throw, throw, throw in an attempt to wear down the Tennessee defense. The game plan worked. The Jets dominated time of possession – controlling the clock for more than 40 minutes. Favre threw 32 passes and completed 25 of them. He threw 2 touchdowns passes and had only 1 interception, good for a 103.6 passer rating. The Jets also had 192 net rushing yards – 96 from Thomas Jones and 82 from Leon Washington. Washington busted the game open in the 4th quarter with a 61-yard touchdown explosion that gave the Jets a 27-6 lead, and another 4-yard touchdown run that pushed the lead back up to 21 points right before the 2-minute warning.

For the Titans, Chris Johnson carried the ball only 10 times for 46 yards. The Titans rushing attack has really fizzled of late. Quarterback Kerry Collins completed 21 of 39 passes for 243 yards. He had 1 touchdown pass and no interceptions, but the team never really got into a good offensive rhythm for any consistent period of time.

The Titans are still in great position to maintain home field advantage through the AFC Championship Game. They are 10-1 and have a 2 game lead over the Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers with only 5 games to play. The next 3 contests should be wins for the Titans – at Detroit, home against the Browns and at Houston. They finish with the Steelers at home and then on the road at Indianapolis during the final week of the NFL season.

At 8-3, the Jets have also put themselves in great position with 5 games to play. With a favorable schedule – 3 home games against the Broncos, Bills and Dolphins and 2 road games against the 49ers and Seahawks – it would not be inconceivable to see the Jets win all 5 games. If they do that, and the Titans stumble against the Steelers and Colts, the 2 would be tied for the best record in the AFC and the Jets would get home field advantage because of the head-to-head win.

It will definitely be a fun and wild ride the rest of the way…

The Browns almost blew another 13-point lead as they needed a 56-yard field goal from Phil Dawson with only 1:39 left in the game to give the Browns a 29-27 win over the Bills in Buffalo. After streaking out to a 13-0 lead after 20 minutes, the Browns fell behind for the first time in the game on Trent Edwards’ touchdown run with only 2:25 left to play in the 4th quarter. The Bills led 27-26 and the Browns needed a heroic effort from Phil Dawson in order to pull out the dramatic win. Dawson had already connected on 4 field goals on the night – 40, 33, 43 and 22 – as the Browns offense continued to sputter when it reached the red zone. Dawson’s longest attempt on the night – a 56-yarder – sailed through the uprights with less than 2 minutes to play. Head Coach Romeo Crennel and the rest of the team had to sweat out the outcome, however, as the Browns defense actually allowed the Bills a last second chance to steal a victory on Rian Lindell’s 47-yard field goal attempt with 38 seconds remaining. But Lindell’s kick veered wide right, and the Browns ran out the clock and celebrated a much-needed victory.

Brady Quinn was mostly ineffective in his 2nd ever NFL start. Quinn completed only 14 of 36 passes for 185 yards. He did not throw a touchdown pass or an interception. Jamal Lewis pounded the ball 18 times for 65 yards but did not score any touchdowns. The Browns’ 2 rushing touchdowns went to Josh Cribbs on a 2-yard run in the 2nd quarter and Jerome Harrison on a 72-yard explosion on the 1st play from scrimmage in the 4th quarter. Braylon Edwards led the Browns’ receiving corps with 8 receptions for 104 yards. Kellen Winslow, Quinn’s primary target in the Browns’ loss last week against the Denver Broncos, had only 3 catches for 40 yards, and underwent a precautionary MRI on his injured shoulder on Tuesday.

Despite almost blowing the lead once again, the Cleveland Browns defense held the Bills offense to only 334 yards and forced the Bills into 4 turnovers. Trent Edwards was 16 of 26 for 148 yards and 1 touchdown, but he also threw 3 costly interceptions. Running Back Fred Jackson fumbled the ball twice for the Bills, one of which was recovered by the Browns.

The Browns ended a 2-game losing streak, and . Next up for the Browns are home games against the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. Their chances of making the playoffs are slim, however, as the Browns still have road games at Tennessee, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Bills are a team headed in the wrong direction. The Bills started off the season with a 5-1 record, and with Brady out for the Patriots and Favre still learning the new scheme in New York, the AFC East title looked within the reach of the young Bills roster. Since then, however, the Bills have lost 4 straight games, and sit in last place in the AFC East behind the Jets, Patriots and Dolphins. Chances of making the playoffs are slim to none.

The Tennessee Titans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-14 to move to 10-0 on the 2008 NFL season. For the 2nd year in a row, the NFL has had a team reach the 10-0 mark (the New England Patriots completed the regular season undefeated last year and went to 18-0 through the AFC playoffs before losing to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl). The Titans trailed 14-3 at halftime in Jacksonville and never really seemed “in sync” during the game’s first 30 minutes. The Jags’ Maurice Jones-Drew had paced the rushing attack for Jacksonville with 2 touchdown runs in the 2nd quarter.

However, the Titans came out blazing in the 3rd quarter. Quarterback Kerry Collins connected with Brandon Jones on a 13-yard TD pass to cut the lead to 14-10. The Titans took the lead for good on another Kerry Collins TD pass – this time a 56-yarder to Justin Gage. The Titans put the game on another Collins to Gage 38-yard touchdown pass in the 4th quarter, giving the Titans a 24-14 edge that would stay the final score. Collins had a mediocre completiong percentage of 13 for 23, but he did throw for 230 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Titans defense shut down the Jags offense in the 2nd half. The Jags did not score in the game’s final 30 minutes and Jags’ Quarterback David Garrard finished the day 13 of 30 passing with 1 interception.

The Titans need 6 more wins to match the Patriots undefeated 2007 season record. Will they do it? Stay tuned…

The Tennessee Titans defeated the Chicago Bears 21-14 at Soldier Field on the Chicago lakefront. The Titans increased their record to 9-0 and remain the only unbeaten team in the NFL. The Bears scored the 1st and final touchdowns of the game – the problem was, they didn’t score any other points in between. Rex Grossman, starting in place of the injured Kyle Orton, had a mediocre game against one of the NFL’s best defenses. He completed 20 of 37 passes for 173 yards. He threw one touchdown pass and one interception and also scored a rushing touchdown. Bears Running Back Matt Forte had a spectacular game – 20 rushes for 72 yards and 7 receptions for 54 yards including a 5-yard pass from Grossman for the game’s 1st touchdown.

The Bears defense kept the NFL’s best rushing attack in check throughout the game. LenDale White had only 14 yards rushing, but did score the game winning touchdown in the 4th quarter. Chris Johnson had only 7 yards rushing and was held out of the end zone. The Bears’ focus on the run allowed Titans’ Quarterback Kerry Collins to have his best passing game of the season. Collins completed 30 of 41 passes for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns. He did not throw an interception.

The Bears fell to 5-4 and are in a 1st place tie with the Minnesota Vikings, who defeated the Green Bay Packers 28-27. The Bears travel to Lambeau Field on Sunday to take on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in a must-win game for the Bears.