Monday Night Football week 7

The Monday Night games pits the Baltimore Ravens against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Florida. Jacksonville opened with a Josh Scobee field goal of 54 yards in the first quarter. They made it 6-0, the halftime score on a replica field goal from Scobee, another 54 yarder. The Jaguars got the score up to 9-0 in the third quarter with a 22 yard field goal from Scobee. Baltimore shook it up a bit in the fourth quarter with Joe Flacco passing 5 yards for a touchdown to Anquan Boldin, and Billy Cundiff added an extra point to put them within two. They would not take the lead, as Scobee put the game away for Jacksonville on a late 51 yard field goal, good for a 12-7 win. The Jaguars jumped up to 2-5, pushing the Ravens to 4-2.

NHL Day 19 2011-2012

There are three games on Monday night, and we begin with the Philadelphia Flyers hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonas Gustavsson and Sergei Bobrovsky partook in the battle of the backups. Toronto led off with the ninth of the season by Phil Kessel, with assists by Joffrey Lupul and John-Michael Liles. Philadelphia replied on a power play goal by Jaromir Jagr, coming off of Claude Giroux and Kimmo Timonen. The Flyers took the lead in the second period, as Scott Hartnell drained the puck into the net via Danny Briere on the power play. Hartnell extended the Philadelphia lead in the third period on his second of the game, courtesy of Giroux and Jagr. The Maple Leafs pulled back with Dave Steckel notching his third of the year, with help from Matt Frattin and Matthew Lombardi. The Flyers secured victory on the second of the game by Jagr, assisted by Hartnell and Timonen. The final was 4-2 and the three stars were Jagr, Hartnell, and Timonen.

In the next game, the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Florida Panthers. Jacob Markstrom and Peter Budaj took part in the second battle of the backups. Montreal opened with an Erik Cole power play goal, powered by Max Pacioretty and Raphael Diaz. Florida replied with their own power play goal, the second of the season from Tomas Fleischmann, and Kris Versteeg picked up the lone assist. The scoring resumed in the third period, as the Panthers went up 2-1 on a Scottie Upshall goal fueled by Dmitry Kulikov and Tomas Kopecky. They would hold this lead to the end, and the three stars went to Markstrom (40 for 41 in saves), Budaj (29 for 31 in saves), and Kulikov, which is at least reasonable.

Finally, the Winnipeg Jets host the New York Rangers. Keeping with the backups trend for the night's game, Martin Biron and Chris Mason spelled their more often used keepers for the game. New York was first on the board with a Ruslan Fedotenko power play goal, guided in by Dan Girardi and Michael Del Zotto. Winnipeg tied it with a Nik Antropov goal, his second of the season aided by Alex Burmistrov and Evander Kane. The Rangers took a 2-1 lead that would last 'til the end as Ryan Callahan potted his second of the year with the man advantage, thanks to Fedotenko and Girardi. The three stars went to Biron (27 for 28 in saves), Fedotenko, and Antropov, although Girardi was slightly better than Antropov.

Fantasy Hockey All-Stars week 2

Another early week in the season, with a little more clarity as to the goods and the bads. Here's who looked stellar this week.

Center: Jason Spezza, 3 goals, 4 assists, 0 +/-, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 8 shots on goal
Left Wing: Alex Ovechkin, 2 goals, 3 assists, +2, 2 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 6 shots on goal
Right Wing: Kris Versteeg, 3 goals, 2 assists, +2, 4 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 14 shots on goal
Defenseman: Zdeno Chara, 1 goal, 2 assists, 0 +/-, 23 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 9 shots on goal
Goaltender: Jonathan "Shutout" Quick, 3 wins, 0.00 goals against average, 83 saves. 100% save percentage, 3 shutouts

That's all for this week, and a huge shoutout to Quick for such a fantastic week. You won't see numbers like that again this season.

Sunday Night Game week 7

Tonight's game features the New Orleans Saints against the Indianapolis Colts. New Orleans struck first with a Drew Brees touchdown pass to Marques Colston, good for 14 yards, and John Kasay had the extra point. Brees and Colston met up later in the first quarter for a 4 yard touchdown connection, and Saints went up 14-0 after Kasay kicked the extra point. New Orleans continued to make Indianapolis look foolish, as Brees passed for his third touchdown, this time going to Darren Sproles, a 6 yard play. Kasay added another extra point. The Saints took to the ground to make it 28-0, as Jed Collins ran a yard for a touchdown, and Kasay had one more extra point. Kasay and New Orleans spared some dignity, as the kicker kicked a 23 yard field goal. The Colts finally got on the board with a Delone Carter 2 yard touchdown run, and Adam Vinatieri took care of the extra point, making it 31-7. Kasay replied with a field goal of 47 yards for a halftime score sitting at 34-7 in favor of the Saints. New Orleans got right back to work as Brees tossed a 4 yard touchdown to Jimmy Graham in the third quarter, and Kasay applied another PAT. Brees and Graham met up again shortly after for a 2 yard touchdown connection, and Kasay made another extra point. The Saints refused to let up, allowing Sproles to run 16 yards for a touchdown, and Kasay would take another easy extra point. Just fourteen seconds later, the defense added a touchdown as Leigh Torrence picked off Curtis Painter and returned 42 yards for a touchdown, with Kasay making another extra point. This made the final 62-7 in favor of the Saints, moving them to 5-2 and pushing the Colts to a humbling 0-7.

NHL Day 18 2011-2012

We have one game today, and that is the Anaheim Ducks hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. Mike Smith and Jonas Hiller will put on the goalie masks. Martin Hanzal led off the scoring for Phoenix, getting help from Mikkel Boedker and Radim Vrbata. Anaheim replied with Lubomir Visnovsky sending in the tying goal thanks to Corey perry and Luca Sbisa. The Ducks grabbed the lead on Ryan Getzlaf's goal, courtesy of Teemu Selanne and Cam Fowler. The Coyotes retied it as Hanzal potted his second of the game, with assistance from Keith Yandle. Phoenix took the lead in the second period with Boyd Gordon's goal off of Taylor Pyatt and Lauri Korpikoski. The Coyotes extended the lead with Korpikoski netting his second of the season via Pyatt and Adrian Aucoin. Phoenix made it 5-2 with Yandle's goal, assisted by Shane Doan and Ray Whitney. Anaheim finally got back into gear and Kurtis Foster scored, guided in by Francois Beauchemin and Saku Koivu. The Ducks made a late assault as Getzlaf potted his second of the game and of the year, fueled by Visnovsky. However, they failed to find the equalizer and lost 5-4, with the three stars being Hanzal, Smith (29 for 33 in saves), and Getzlaf, although the honorable mentions could be second stars, as Yandle, Visnovsky, and Korpikoski all had a goal and assist.

NFL Late Games week 7

The other four games at regularly scheduled times are here in this post.

First up, the Arizona Cardinals host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh led off with a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Heath Miller for 12 yards, and Shaun Suisham applied the extra point. The Steelers added on a 95 yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace, with Suisham kicking in another PAT. Arizona finally scored with Alfonso Smith rushing a yard for a touchdown, and Jay Feely got the extra point. Suisham kicked a 41 yard field goal for Pittsburgh, making it 17-7 at the half. The Cardinals pulled much closer as Kevin Kolb found LaRod Stephens-Howling for a 73 yard touchdown connection, and Feely kicked another extra point. The Steelers replied with a 4 yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Emmanuel Sanders, and a Suisham extra point to top it off. On the Pittsburgh kickoff, the Steelers added a safety after a penalty to Arizona. Pittsburgh kept it coming with a 33 yard Suisham field goal in the fourth quarter, followed by another from 39 yards. Kolb tried to get the Cardinals closer by throwing a 2 yard touchdown to Early Doucet, but they failed the two point attempt with an incomplete pass toward Jeff King. The final was 32-20, moving the Steelers to 5-2 and knocking the Cardinals back to 1-5.

West to Oakland, with the Raiders welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City was the first on the board with a 59 yard Kendrick Lewis interception return on an errant Kyle Boller throw. Ryan Succop added the extra point. The Chiefs tacked on another as Le'Ron McClain ran a yard for a touchdown, and Succop provided another extra point. The score was 14-0 after a silent second quarter, in favor of KC. The Chiefs kept at it in the third quarter with a Javier Arenas rush of 7 yards for a touchdown, and Succop had another PAT. Kansas City added another touchdown, this time defensively as Brandon Flowers sang Mr. Brightside to distract Carson Palmer picked Carson Palmer off and returned the ball 58 yards to the house, where succop then made it 28-0 after the extra point. This was the final, with the Chiefs going up to 3-3 and bringing Oakland down to 4-3.

Over to Dallas, with the Cowboys hosting the St. Louis Rams. Dallas struck first with a 91 yard touchdown run by DeMarco Murray, and Dan Bailey made the extra point. The Cowboys got another touchdown when Tony Romo passed a yard to Jason Witten, and Bailey kicked the extra point. St. Louis quickly replied with a 6 yard Steven Jackson touchdown rush, and a Josh Brown extra point made it a one-touchdown game. Bailey tacked on a 30 yard field goal to make the halftime score 17-7 Dallas. The Cowboys added on a Bailey field goal of 51 yards. Dallas continued in the fourth quarter with a 6 yard Phillip Tanner touchdown rush, and Bailey added another PAT. The Cowboys made it 34-7 with Romo finding Dez Bryant for a 20 yard touchdown, and Bailey had yet another extra point. This was a final, and Dallas improved to 3-3 while the Rams fell to a winless 0-6.

Up north to our last game, with the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Green Bay Packers. Minnesota wasted no time scoring, as Christian Ponder threw 2 yards to Visanthe Shiancoe for a touchdown. Ryan Longwell was called on for the extra point. Green Bay answered with Aaron Rodgers' throw to John Kuhn, also a 2 yard touchdown reception, with Mason Crosby adding the extra point. The Vikings retook the lead on an Adrian Peterson touchdown run, good from 1 yard, and Longwell added another extra point. The Packers pulled a little closer with Crosby kicking a 39 yard field goal. Minnesota made it 17-10 with a 52 yard field goal by Longwell. Crosby answered back to make it 17-13 on his 45 yard field goal, which produced the halftime score. Green Bay went ahead in epic fashion as Rodgers threw a 79 yard touchdown pass into Greg Jennings hands and legs, and Crosby had the extra point to make it 20-17. The Packers continued to attack with a Rodgers touchdown pass of 2 yards to Jermichael Finley, and Crosby would make another PAT. Crosby followed it up with a 24 yard field goal for Green Bay. The Packers extended the lead further with Crosby nailing a 58 yard field goal. The Vikings finally replied with Longwell kicking a 46 yard field goal in the fourth quarter. He also added on an extra point when Ponder threw to Michael Jenkins for 24 yards and a touchdown, putting the game at 33-27. This was the final, and Green Bay went up to an undefeated 7-0 while Minnesota fell to 1-6.

NFL Early Games week 7

This morning we have seven games on the slate. I'll try to keep these as accurate as possible, as I am a bit under the weather this weekend.

First up, the Detroit Lions hosting the Atlanta Falcons. Jason Hanson put Detroit on the board first with a 43 yard field goal. Atlanta tied it on a 23 yard field goal by Matt Bryant. The Falcons took the lead with a 1 yard Matt Ryan run, capped off with a Bryant PAT. The Lions pulled back with a 38 yard Hanson field goal. Atlanta made it 17-6 at halftime on a touchdown pass from Ryan to Roddy White, an 18 yard play, and Bryant made the extra point. Hanson got Detroit going in the third quarter with a 29 field goal, but Bryant replied for the Falcons with a 47 yard kick. The Lions finally added on a touchdown, pulling closer with a Matthew Stafford pass to Calvin Johnson, good for 57 yards. Hanson made the extra point. Bryant made it a 7 point lead for Atlanta on his 40 yard fourth quarter field goal. This held to be a 23-16 victory, improving the Falcons to 4-3 and dropping the Lions to 5-2.

Down to SoBe, with the Miami Dolphins hosting the Denver Broncos. The scoring opened in the second quarter with Dan Carpenter nailing a 38 yard field goal, and he followed that up with a later 36 yard kick. This made the score 6-0 Miami, which lasted until halftime. The Dolphins got to work again in the fourth quarter, where Matt Moore passed 16 yards for a touchdown to Anthony Fasano, but they failed on the two-point attempt, as Moore's pass to Brandon Marshall was incomplete. Miami made it 15-0 with a 43 yard Carpenter field goal. Denver finally showed up to the game in the fourth quarter on a Tim Tebow pass to Demaryius Thomas for 5 yards and a touchdown. Matt Prater supplied the extra point. With just 17 seconds on the clock, Tebow added a touchdown of 3 yards to Daniel Fells, making it 15-13. The two point attempt was converted on a Tebow run, which tied the game at 15. The Broncos won the game 18-15 in overtime on a Prater field goal of 52 yards, and improved to 2-4, leaving the Dolphins winless at 0-6.

Backing it up to Tennessee with the Titans hosting the Houston Texans. Houston led off with a Neil Rackers field goal from 32 yards out. The Texans extended the lead with Matt Schaub finding Joel Dreessen on a 10 yard touchdown pass, and Rackers added another extra point. Houston made it 17-0 on a 78 yard catch and run from Schaub to Arian Foster, good for a touchdown with Rackers making the extra point. Rackers made it 20-0 at halftime for the Texans with a 29 yard field goal. Houston got back to work in the third quarter on a 1 yard touchdown rush by Foster, and a Rackers PAT. Tennessee finally found the scoreboard with Matt Hasselbeck throwing 5 yards to Jared Cook for a touchdown, and Rob Bironas supplied the extra point. The Texans made it 34-7 on another Foster touchdown run, this time a 5 yard play, and Rackers added another extra point. Houston was defensive on the next touchdown, as Brice McCain intercepted Hasselbeck for 38 yards and a touchdown, and Rackers would succeed on another extra point. The final favored Houston 41-7, and they improved to 4-3, while dropping the Titans to 3-3.

Heading to Florida again, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers welcome the Chicago Bears to Wembley Stadium in London, England. Chicago busted out the first touchdown with a Matt Forte run of 32 yards to score, and Robbie Gould supplied the extra point. Forte was also involved in the next scoring play, running -2 yards for a safety for Tampa Bay. The Bears added on to the lead with a 25 yard touchdown pass from Jay Cutler to Roy Williams, and Gould made the extra point. The Buccaneers made it 14-5 with a Connor Barth field goal from 33 yards. Chicago added on in the third quarter with a 12 yard Marion Barber run for a TD, and a Gould extra point. Tampa Bay added on a little more in the fourth quarter with a 2 yard touchdown pass from Josh Freeman to Kellen Winslow, but left the score at 21-11 after failing on the two-point attempt from Freeman to Mike Williams. The Buccaneers kept charging with Freeman throwing a touchdown to Dezmon Briscoe for 24 yards, and Barth had the PAT. Gould added a Bears FG of 25 yards to make it 24-18. This would hold up for a Chicago win, improving them to 4-3 and bringing Tampa Bay down to the same level.

North to Ohio, where the Cleveland Browns will host the Seattle Seahawks. Cleveland opened the scoring with a Phil Dawson field goal from 52 yards in the second quarter. This would put the halftime score at 3-0. Seattle tied it in the third quarter on a Steven Hauschka field goal of 20 yards. The Browns retook the lead in the fourth quarter with a 53 yard field goal from Dawson. The final was 6-3 Cleveland, moving them to 3-3 and knocking the Seahawks to 2-4.

East to the Meadowlands, with the New York Jets welcoming the San Diego Chargers. San Diego opened with an early touchdown on a fumble return by Donald Butler, good for 37 yards. Nick Novak made the extra point. New York replied with a Nick Folk field goal, good from 35 yards. The Chargers got offensive on the next touchdown, as Philip Rivers threw 2 yards for a connection with Antonio Gates, and Novak tacked on the extra point. The Jets took those points back on a 3 yard Mark Sanchez touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress, withe Folk adding on the PAT. San Diego went ahead 21-10 with a Mike Tolbert touchdown run of 1 yard, and Novak added on the extra point. This was the score going into halftime. New York got closer once again as Sanchez and Burress met up again for a 4 yard touchdown, and Folk made the extra point once again. The Jets got the lead on a third Sanchez-Burress touchdown connection, another 3 yard play, with Folk adding another extra point. Folk made it 27-21 New York on a 30 yard field goal. They won by this score, improving to 4-3 while knocking San Diego to 4-2.

Finally, the Carolina Panthers host the Washington Redskins. Carolina struck first with an Olindo Mare field goal from 20 yards out. Graham Gano replied in the second quarter for Washington with a 31 yard field goal. The Panthers retook the lead as Mare nailed a 45 yard field goal. Gano retied it for the Redskins on a 49 yard field goal. Mare kept up with the field goal theme, making it 9-6 for Carolina with another 45 yard goal. This was the score going into the locker rooms. The Panthers were back to scoring in the third quarter, beginning with the bucking of the trend by Cam Newton, who ran 16 yards for a touchdown, and Mare only tacked on one point for the extra point. John Beck replied for Washington with his own touchdown rush, a 4 yard play, with Gano making the PAT. Keeping with square-rooting the yardage, Jonathan Stewart ran 2 yards for a touchdown for the Panthers, and Mare made the extra point once again. Carolina struck again with Newton throwing 2 yards to Brandon LaFell, and Mare added an extra point to put the score at 30-13. The Redskins got closer with a touchdown from Beck to Fred Davis, a 7 yard connection iced off by Gano's extra point. Mare put the game away at 33-20 for the Panthers with a 40 yard field goal. They improved to 2-5 and dropped Washington to 3-3.