SEAHAWKS BLOWOUT BRONCOS AND WIN SUPER BOWL!!! WHY?!?!?!?!

If someone told me before this one started that the winner would blow the other team out of the Hudson, I would've put every penny I had on the Broncos. Thankfully, I don't bet and I take my meds so the voices don't come to me like they use to.

Unfortunately, I sat there and watched the Seahawks dominate Super Bowl XLVIII winning by a final of 43-8 over the Broncos. Offense wins games and sets records, but Defense still wins Championships.

The key of the game was turnovers. Well, before that was a bad snap by the Broncos leading to a safety to start the game off. But still, it was turnovers that got to Peyton Manning and the Offense. Four total turnovers committed by the Broncos leading to 21 points off of turnovers by the Seahawks, including the 69 yard interception for a touchdown by Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith late in the 2nd quarter.

Thankfully, the Broncos did score a touchdown as the 3rd quarter ended with a 14 yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas. But even after the successful two point conversion, they were still down by 28.

Seattle would score the final points of the game with Doug Baldwin catching a 10 yard TD pass. early in the 4th quarter. A few more possessions where neither teams did anything and the game was over.

Certainly Seattle's defense dominated this game but a nice job by Russell Wilson and Seahawks' offense. A balanced offense with key 3rd downs being converted went a long way. Also, a couple of Harvin designed runs threw Denver's defense off from the start. Not to mention that Kick Off return for a TD to start the 2nd half off.

Congrats to the Seahawks and the 12th man for winning their 1st Lombardi Trophy. They certainly were the best team of 2013.

P.S. I guess I'm not picking the Broncos for 2014. Sorry Van.

Ray Lewis a Dirty Birdy?

Bad titles are all I have, okay.

Sports Illustrated has a report that will be released on Monday that links Ray Lewis to a Performance Enhancing Drug. Mitch Ross who is Co-owner of the Sports with Alternatives to Steroids (SWATS) says he spoke with Lewis after his triceps tear back in October. Lewis had requested several products to speed up the healing process with Deer-antler spray being the funniest one they had. However, the Spray actually contains a banned substance called IGF-1 which is on the NFL list of banned substances. Ray Lewis addressed these accusations during Media Day of all times and denied using PED's.

Who you rooting for now America? (Forget Randy Moss claiming to be the best WR ever). While Ray Lewis will play in the Super Bowl, this story now possibly becomes a distraction for the team, especially considering that Ray is the heart and soul of that locker room. I think the Ravens are better than that but it's still a possibility.

To all you people out there that say "we don't care about PED's in football as much as baseball," are you Colts fans? Broncos fans? Patriots fans? Because guess what: Ray Lewis lead his team to victory in against all three of those teams in the playoffs and was the lead tackler in each contest. Not to mention the morale boost he gives the defense from simply being on the field also has to be taken into consideration. Still don't care about PED's in football?

P.S. Yes, I'm a 49ers fan and there is a bias but I'm not the one releasing the report on Ray.

Chargers Hire McCoy and Chicago Looks to Canada

A couple more coaching vacancies have been filled in the NFL.

First, the San Diego Chargers hired the offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncs Mike McCoy. This is McCoy's first head coaching job and should thank Peyton Manning for getting him the job. McCoy certainly has his work cut out for him having to try and figure out what's wrong with Phillip Rivers and that offense, and also having to deal with the Broncos and Manning for the foreseeable future. He will definitely get some leeway considering he is taking over for an unpopular coach in Norv Turner.

The 2nd coaching vacancy filled was in Chicago where the Bears hired Marc Trestman, head coach of the Montreal Alouettes since 2008 in the CFL. This is Trestman first NFL head coaching job but has previous coaching experience in the league mainly as an offensive coordinator and/or quarterback's coach. The leash will not likely be as long for Trestman, however, as he takes over for a fairly successful head coach in Lovie Smith who got the Bears to a Super Bowl and finished the 2012 season with a 10-6 record. The Bears, however, did not make the playoffs and Lovie was dismissed after the season.

These couple of hires should be interesting to watch heading into next year, especially considering both coaches enter their new teams with proven quarterbacks. The trick for both of them, however, is trying to figure out how to get their QB's from "good" to "elite."

Andy's Choice... So Easy (Yet Please Reconsider)

Andy Reid gone from the Eagles means that a team will scoop him up and hire him as their next head coach. The two most likely destinations at this point for Reid is either Arizona or Kansas City. Reid  will likely choose a spot very soon... hopefully not too soon as for no one to be interested in this post. Both KC and Arizona have just fired head coaches themselves with the Chiefs letting Romeo Crennel go while the Cardinals dumped Ken Whisenhunt.

Where would Andy Reid be most comfortable? It would be very tempting to say Arizona but I could make a good argument for Kansas City instead. It really has to do with strength of the division (and possibly the conference). Arizona might be alluring with Kevin Kolb and Larry Fitzgerald but you have to think about how strong the NFC West is right now and how strong it will stay for the foreseeable future. With young guns of Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson being the competing QB's along with great defenses behind them, how well do you think the Cardinals are suited for all of that? Andy knows the ins and outs of a strong division and how uncertain it can be.

So why not Kansas City and the AFC West instead? While Peyton Manning and the Broncos might be kings there  now, age catches up to everyone and who's to say how long Manning can delay father time's arrival? You also have to look at the fact that the AFC West has no strong #2 team. The Chargers have the next best record in that division at 7-9 and while there is uncertainty to how well Philip Rivers can play under a new coach, you have to think without viable targets to throw to his career might be in decline.

Despite my attempts to try and sway Andy Reid, he will probably end up in Arizona. The Cardinals are more suited to passing the ball as opposed to the Chiefs who are currently built more for the run at the moment. Kansas City might have the #1 pick in the draft but it's a year too late for maximum value. Seeing the QB class lacking in the draft, Reid will likely choose the Cardinals over the Chiefs.

P.S. Hey, who says you have to keep that draft pick? Why doesn't Andy join the Chiefs and then trade the #1 pick to Seattle for Matt Flynn and some extra picks? It would be a development project for a bit but it could work.

P.P.S. Yes, I am really trying to think of ways to convince Andy to go elsewhere.

Redskins Win NFC East, Vikes Squeeze Into Postseason, Broncos and Pats Get Byes and More

The last week in the NFL was huge as it featured quite a few good games with playoff implications.

The biggest perhaps was the Cowboys vs. the Redskins with the NFC East title on the line and the loser not getting into the postseason. Both sides started out slow and it was tied at 7 heading into the locker room. The 2nd half had more of the Washington's ground game wearing down the Dallas defense. Rookie Alfred Morris managed to run an even 200 yards against the Cowboys and managed 3 rushing TDs. RG3, meanwhile, only had 100 passing yards going 9/18 with 63 rushing yards and a rushing TD.

Dallas fell behind by 11 and managed to cut the lead by 3 with just under 6 minutes left. Tony Romo, however, made a season ending mistake throwing his third interception of the game with this one being picked off by London Fletcher on a dump pass to DeMarco Murray. The Redskins managed to kill the clock down to 1:09 left in regulation and scored the nail-in-the-coffin TD with Morris' third score. Redskins win the NFC East 28-18. Dallas misses the playoffs for a third straight season while Washington gets in with a rookie QB and running back leading the way.

There was also a big game earlier that day involving the Packers and the Vikings. Green Bay was fighting for the #2 seed in the NFC while Minnesota was fighting to just get into the postseason. The Packers knew that Adrian Peterson of the Vikings was going to run on them and they still couldn't stop him. Peterson ran for 199 yards including a 26 yard run to get the Vikings a chip shot field goal for Blair Walsh to win the game 37-34. Peterson, however, still finishes 9 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson single season rushing record. Vikings get into the playoffs as a wild card while the Packers lose the #2 seed with this loss and the 49ers beating the Cardinals 27-13 claiming the bye week for themselves.

Some craziness in the top seeding of the AFC. In an emotional game in which Chuck Pagano made his return to the Colts, Indianapolis beats Houston 28-16. The Broncos and the Patriots both capitalized on the Texans loss winning their respective games. Denver blows out Kansas City 38-3 while New England shuts out Miami 28-0. Broncos get the #1 seed and home field advantage while the Pats grab the #2 seed. Texans are stuck playing in the wild card round of the playoffs as they finished the last 4 games of the season 1-3 after starting 11-1.

As for noteworthy news, the Giants blow out the Eagles 42-7 but are eliminated from playoff contention. Looks like a 9-7 record didn't cut it this year for the G-Men. The Bears win their game 26-24 over the Lions but with the Vikings win they fall just short of the playoffs. Minnesota and Chicago have the same record of 10-6 but the advantage goes to the Vikes who had a better divisional record of 4-2. Last one I'll mention is that the Seahawks beat the Rams 20-13. Not really a significant win with the 49ers claiming the NFC West but Seattle finishes the season undefeated at home with a 8-0 record at CenturyLink Field. Thank goodness nobody has to play them there in the postseason.

A great 2012 regular season ends with a lot of excitement and noticeably 3 rookie quarterbacks leading their teams into the playoffs. Two of them will actually meet in the wild card round of the postseason with the Seahawks traveling to Washington to play the Redskins. It's going to be a good postseason.

P.S. There is also an interesting game on the other NFC wild card game with the Vikings now going to Green Bay to play the Packers. Let's see if the Pack can stop Peterson at home.

P.P.S. Click here for a full recap of the 49ers win over the Cardinals. Be sure to check out the 49ers section at prosportsblogging.com for updates on the team before and after each game.

Steelers Out, Cowboys and G-Men Lose, Packers in Line for a #2 Seed and More

Week 16 was a big week in the NFL for the playoff picture and some playoff hopefuls. The Steelers, however, have gone down to playoff "Nopefuls."

The Cincinnati Bengals have lost their last 5 games against the Pittsburgh Steelers but could make up for all of that by clinching a playoff spot at Heinz Field. It was a close game throughout being tied up at 10-10. The Steelers had the ball with 44 seconds left in the game and were trying to get within field goal range for their kicker. Ben Roethlisberger then made a mistake and threw an interception to Safety Reggie Nelson of the Bengals on a pass intended for WR Mike Wallace. After a 21 yard pass from Andy Dalton to AJ Green, the Bengals kicker Josh Brown hit a 37 yard field goal to win the game with 4 seconds left. Bengals win 13-10 clinching a playoff spot while also eliminating the Steelers from the postseason picture.

Meanwhile, there were a lot of big games involving the NFC East teams. First, the Redskins were able to hold off the Eagles to win it 27-20. Robert Griffin III made his return after a week off due to injury and went 16/24 for 198 passing yards, 2 TD passes, and one INT. Meanwhile, the Cowboys fought back from14 down against the Saints and managed to tie the game forcing OT. However, the Saints got the ball after the Cowboys initial possession and managed to hit the game winning FG after a fumble by Marques Colston went their way and the ball was recovered by Saints TE Jimmy Graham at the Dallas 2. Garrett Hartley hit the 20 yard chip shot to win it for the Saints 34-31. As for the G-Men, they get manhandled for a 2nd week in row (though not shutout) with this loss coming at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens 33-14. The Ravens had 25 first downs in this game compared to the G-Men's 11 and had the ball for nearly 40 minutes.

As for other games in the NFL, the Packers destroyed the Jaguars 55-7 as Aaron Rodgers threw 3 TD passes in this game. That win combined with the 49ers loss gives Green Bay control of the #2 seed in the NFC heading into the last week of the season. Andrew Luck and the Colts clinched a playoff spot with a win over the Chiefs 20-13. The Colts get back into the playoffs after the horrible season last year. Last I'll mention that the Patriots and the Broncos win their respective games while the Texans fall to the Vikings 23-6. Houston still has control of the #1 seed in the AFC with the tie breaker over Denver while the Broncos have a 1 game lead over the Pats for the #2 seed.

One more week means some great games to finish the season. The biggest one might be the Redskins and the Cowboys taking over Sunday Night with the NFC East title on the line.

P.S. For a recap on the 49ers loss, click here. Be sure to check out the 49ers section at prosportsblogging.com before and after every game.

Redskins' Revenge Over G-Men, Colts Beat Lions in Comeback Win, McElroy Time? (and more)

Week 13 of the NFL season finished last night with the New York Giants going down to Washington DC to face the Redskins. In a nail biting game back in October, the Giants managed to have the last laugh is  a close game 27-23. This time, however, had the Redskins laughing last. Being down by 6, the Redskins managed to drive 86 yards in 12 plays from the late 3rd into the 4th quarter that resulted in a go ahead TD. Robert Griffin III managed to connect with Pierre Garcon for a lead grabbing 8 yard touchdown pass. The Giants can't get anything going on two more drives while the Redskins killed the clock at the end. Redskins win it by one 17-16. Washington is now 6-6 and still alive for the postseason.

Sunday, itself, was highlighted by Andrew Luck leading a comeback win for the Colts against the Lions. Detroit was up by 12 with 8:41 left in the game and the Colts somehow managed to pass them by. Andrew Luck threw a 42 TD pass to LaVon Brazill to bring them to within 5. Then, as time expired, Luck threw the game winning TD pass to Donnie Avery for 14 yards for the win 35-33. The unlikely season for them continues as the Colts are now 8-4. The Lions nightmare season, meanwhile, doesn't end as they are 4-8 and have lost 4 in a row.

As for the rest of Week 13, Mark Sanchez was finally benched but not for Tebow as Timmy was injured. Greg McElroy comes in and manages to get the game's only TD in the 4th quarter on a one yard pass to Jeff Cumberland. Jets beat the visiting Cardinals 7-6. The Seahawks managed to beat the Bears in OT 23-17 in an exciting finish. Russell Wilson hit Sidney Rice for the game winning 13 yard TD pass in OT. The Steelers steal a win from the Ravens in Baltimore 23-20 with Charlie Batch in as Pittsburgh's starter. Batch managed to keep it together after an interception as he threw the game tying TD and then managed to lead the Steelers down field for a game winning FG as time expired. I'll end by mentioning the Denver Broncos beating the Buccaneers 31-23 and clinch the AFC West. Peyton Manning threw for 242 yards and 3 TDs with just one INT in this division clinching win.

4 weeks to go and while the playoff picture seems clearer, not everything is decided. Down the stretch they come.

P.S. For my report on the 49ers loss to the Rams, click here. Be sure to check out the 49ers section at prosportsblogging.com for my take on the team before and after the game.

Saints Finally Win a Game, Pats Beats Broncos, Bad Luck for Packers and More

Week 5 is here no thanks to that boring display on Thursday night. Made it easier to change over to Big Bang Theory. (I'M ON THE WEST COAST, OKAY!!!)

The Saints have struggled to find a win this year most likely because of the year long suspension of their head coach, Sean Peyton. The one week, however, he's allowed to come and watch the team play, they win the game. The Chargers came into town to face the Saints on the Sunday Night Football stage. Drew Brees had another monster game with 4 TD passes and 370 passing yards with only one pick. With that first TD pass to Devery Henderson for 40 yards in the 1st quarter, Brees passed Johnny Unitas for consecutive games with a TD pass. Brees has sole possession of the record at 48. Big picture, the Saints are able to hold off the Chargers late in the game and get their first win of the year 31-24.

Another good match up was earlier in the day featuring another chapter of Brady v. Manning with Peyton Manning now on the Denver Broncos. Manning had a huge day with 345 passing yards along with 3 TD passes. Meanwhile, Tom Brady's numbers had lesser numbers with 223 passing yards and 1 TD pass. The Patriots still win the game, though, 31-21. (What?) They have a running game now (Oh). Steven Ridley had 151 yards on the ground with a TD run. 3 Rushing TD's on the day for the Pats and 251 yards on the ground.

The rest of the days games interest me less (excluding the 49ers of course). Andrew Luck and the Colts come back from a 21-3 half time deficit to the Packers and win it 30-27. Luck was 31/55 with 362 passing yards, 2 TD passes, and one INT. Game ball went to Chuck Pagano. Get well soon. The Steelers managed to squeak by the Eagles, 16-14. Shaun Suisham hit the game winning 34 yd FG as time expired. No picks for Vick but he fumbled it to the other team twice. Cam Newton and the Panthers fall to another team, this time being the Seahawks, 16-12. Can we start questioning just how good Cam Newton is already? Last one I'll mention is that the Falcons stay undefeated as they beat the Redskins 24-17. RG3 sustained a concussion in the game after getting hit hard by Sean Weatherspoon. Where's the fine Goodell?

More football over except for tomorrow night's blowout win for the Texans. Thank goodness the Saints finally got a win. The team and the fans needed it.

P.S. For my complete take on the 49ers record day, click here. Check out the 49ers section at Prosportsblogging.com for my scoop on the team before and after the game.

P.P.S. Also check me out on Twitter @TheSportsKhanSF. "Does this uniform make me look fat?"

Falcons Beat Manning and Broncos on MNF

Peyton Manning had a fine week 1 performance and so did the replacement refs for the most part. Both sucked this week.

Yesterday had the Broncos and Manning going into Atlanta to face the Falcons. Manning threw for 253 yards and 2 TDs last week vs. the Steelers defense so it should stand to reason he should do better against the Falcons D. However, Atlanta was ready for him, especially in the 1st quarter. Peyton Manning threw 3 picks and all in the 1st quarter and all in the first three drives of the Broncos. Now the Broncos managed to cut the lead down to 6 late in the 4th quarter but the Falcons got it back and managed to convert for 1st downs to win the game. Falcons win 27-21.

The other story of the week were the replacement refs and their mistakes. They didn't really have an overall effect on the outcome but with time. The game took forever to complete because of the officiating mistakes and delays. They couldn't even manage to separate players after a fumble. It wasn't just this game but all over the NFL this last week. Fumble call on a throw in the Eagles win, a play that shouldn't have happened in the 49ers win, ruling that Roger Goodell's Toupee looks real.

The NFL's arrogance is getting tiring to see here and everywhere else. As for Manning, too little evidence to say this is cause for concern. Probably just a fluke performance. Can't afford that vs. the Texans, though.

Manning's Fine Broncos Debut, RG3 King of the Rookies, Jets Score a Lot and More

The first NFL Sunday of the year passed by with a lot of stories to talk about. One of which was Peyton Manning.

Manning made his Broncos debut and at Mile High where they faced the visiting Steelers. Manning got off to a slow start not using the offense that he is use to. When they did switch to the no huddle style of Manning's, it was fantastic. Manning threw two TDs on the day which got him over the 400 mark for a career, the first of which was a 71 yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas. The Broncos did win the game thanks to a late pick six by Tracy Porter to seal the deal. Final was 31-19.

There were a lot of rookie QB's on showcase yesterday and they stunk for the most part with the notable exception being Robert Griffin III. The Redskins and RG3 went into the Superdome to take on the angered Saints and they surprisingly came out on top. RG3 threw for 2 TDs on the day including the one in the first quarter to Pierre Garcon for 88 yards. RG3 went 19/26 with 320 passing yards and also ran the ball 10 times for 42 yards. Meanwhile, Drew Brees looked sub par going 24/52 with 339 passing yards, 3 TD passes, and 2 INTs. The debuting RG3 and the Redskins upset the Saints 40-32.

While that was a surprising outcome, the Jets shocked me more. Despite a lack of preseason TDs, there was no shortage going against Buffalo. They managed 4 offensive TDs with the first three of them being 3 TD passes from Mark Sanchez (not Tebow). One of his finest performaces ever as Sanchez goes 19/27 with 266 passing yards, 3 TD passes, and 1 INT. Jets pick apart the Bills 48-28.

As for some other games, the Patriots beat the Titans 31-13 as Brady threw for 236 yards and 2 TDs. They actually had a running game here with 162 yards on the ground with 125 of that coming from Steven Ridley. Both the Lions and the Eagles escape upsets. Detroit beat St. Louis 27-23 and Philly beats Cleveland 17-16. Matthew Stafford threw 1 TD and 3 INTs while Vick threw 2 TDs and 4 INTs. Then Russell Wilson and the Seahawks almost beat the Cardinals with less than a half minute remaining in part because of the officiating crew forgot how many TO's Seattle had. Luckily for Arizona, Braylon Edwards drops what so should've been the winning score and the Cardinals win 20-16.

An eventful first Sunday across the NFL as there were plenty of surprises. I'm sure if you're a Jets fan you do like that. Week 1 wraps up tonight with two Monday Night games with the first being Bengals vs. Ravens and the second being Chargers vs. Raiders.

P.S. To see my full scoop on the 49ers beating the Packers, click here. Be sure to visit the 49ers section at prosportsblogging.com for my take on the 49ers each week before and after the games.

2012 AFC West Preview: AH S**T, MANNING!!!

This division was so chaotic last year with the Raiders somehow getting worse with Carson Palmer, the Chiefs falling flat on their faces, the Chargers' Phillip Rivers unable to throw much like Tebow, and then actual Tebow leading the Broncos to the playoffs. It might be chaotic again this year... that is until Peyton Manning joined the Broncos and ruined the fun.

The biggest off-season move was The Bachelor Peyton Manning choosing for looks (John Elway and the Broncos) rather than quality, stability and personality (49ers). Elway then couldn't wait to kick the Jesus freak (Tebow) out of the house. With Manning on the team, their offense is stable and can actually move the ball before the 4th quarter arrives. If the defense can play like it did under Tebow, watch out AFC West.

As for contenders outside of Denver, they could all possibly contend for the division or for a Wild Card spot. I would keep my eye on the Chiefs the most as they get Jamaal Charles back from injury and are looking forward to having a running attack again. Also Romeo Crennel had the team doing better when he took over towards the end of last season.

I'm not quite sure what to think of the Chargers or the Raiders. One team has a QB that had a lost season last year and the other team wanted to mirror that. Unless Rivers can actually prove that he still has it, the Raiders might have the edge. Their running is better led by Darren McFadden and Carson Palmer at QB could be better considering that he actually had a off-season to work with the team.

My pick is going to the Broncos but mainly because of Manning. Overall, I think the Chiefs are better but Manning is that good.