Xavier Smith

NFL

NFL: Falcons Look to End Playoff Jinx Against Giants

• Al Dannity

• Last Updated: January 5, 2012

Matt Ryan is a fourth year quarterback, Tony Gonzalez is in his fifteenth season. Neither has ever won a game in the playoffs. This Sunday they get a chance to change all that against the Giants. Not time to panic This time last year Aaron Rodgers had never won in the post-season. Like Ryan, Rodgers...

NFL

NFL: Texans and Bengals Meet in Wildcard Battle

• Al Dannity

• Last Updated: January 5, 2012

One team has a horrible record in the post-season. The other has never made the playoffs before. Together the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans truly are the odd couple of the NFL Playoffs. Al Dannity breaks down the key battles that will decide the day at Reliant Stadium. Bengals built on defensive might and rookie...

NFL

NFL: Steelers Battle Broncos in Playoff Showdown!

• Al Dannity

• Last Updated: January 4, 2012

Will Tim Tebow be the real wildcard on Sunday? Al Dannity looks at the prospects for the NFL’s most discussed quarterback and breaks down the key battles between Pittsburgh and Denver. Steelers must work around missing parts Pittsburgh’s ground game leaned heavily on Rashard Mendenhall through the regular season but they will have to make...

NFL

Cowboys-Giants Tilt Has All the Signs Of an NFL Classic

• Joe LaTengo

• Last Updated: December 29, 2011

The Dallas Cowboys and the N.Y. Giants will square off in the final game of the NFL regular season. The winner will claim the division title, while the loser will watch the playoffs from the sidelines. Joe LaTengo gets his popcorn ready. All is quiet on New Year’s Day, according to U2, but on the...

NFL

Evenly Matched Bears, Vikings Too Close To Call

• Joe LaTengo

• Last Updated: December 28, 2011

Neither the Bears nor the Vikings have anything to play for, so Joe LaTengo explores why anyone other than the most die-hard supporters should care. Are you a fan of the Chicago Bears or the Minnesota Vikings? If not, it isn’t immediately obvious why you should spend part of your Sunday watching this game. There...

NFL

Ryan, Jets Need Many Feet for NFL Playoff Dance

• Joe LaTengo

• Last Updated: December 27, 2011

The N.Y. Jets have the playoffs to gain and a lot to lose in their matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Here’s what Joe LaTengo thinks. Rex Ryan knows how to use his mouth, and for more than just (allegedly) sucking his wife’s toes. Unsexy Rexy likes to give juicy quotes to the media, and it...

NFL

Unlikely Comebacks and Playoff-Relevant Results in NFL's Week 16

• Joe LaTengo

• Last Updated: December 26, 2011

Lots of things went right, and wrong, in the NFL during Week 16; Joe LaTengo looks at some of the highs and lows. There was no shortage of storylines and talking points to emerge from the second-last week in the 2011 NFL regular season. From faltering quarterbacks to a notably gruesome injury to an acrobatic...

NFL

NFL Power Rankings – Green Bay Still No 1

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 20, 2011

And the Chiefs are the new kings! Oh no, wait. Maybe that’s not how it goes. Green Bay is still the best team in the League, but there is movement among the top contenders in both conferences. Frank Doyle ranks ‘em after Week 15. 1 (-). Green Bay Packers (13-1, 9-5-0 ATS). Green Bay is...

NFL

Roethlisberger's Status Unclear as Steelers visit 49ers

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 19, 2011

Ben Roethlisberger’s fitness is one of the intangibles when Pittsburgh visits San Francisco tonight. Frank Doyle reports. The past two Monday Night games weren’t the most attractive but tonight more than makes up for it. Pittsburgh visits San Francisco tonight in what is a potential Super Bowl showdown. The teams have resolutely different images –...

NFL

Brady v Tebow: Patriots at Broncos is the Game of the Week!

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 16, 2011

New England is historically unsuccessful at Mile High – how will the Patriots fare now that the Tebow era has begun in Denver? Frank Doyle reports. New England has only won twice in seventeen visits to Denver since Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Whether it’s a hex or the altitude or a statistical anomaly...

NFL

NFL Preview: Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 15, 2011

Everyone who wrote off Atlanta at the end of September may need to think again. Frank Doyle previews Jacksonville’s visit to the Georgia Dome tonight. Atlanta was a popular sports betting dark horse pick for the Super Bowl at the start of the season. Then the Falcons started 2-3, with defeats against the Bears, Bucs...

NFL

NFL Power Rankings: Week 14

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 13, 2011

The Packers remain in a class of their own, San Francisco stumbles and the Broncos continue to upset the odds. Frank Doyle ranks ‘em after Week 14. 1 (-). Green Bay Packers (13-0, 9-4-0 ATS). The ball of yarn puts up more resistance to the kitty-cat than the Raiders managed against the Packers on Sunday....

NFL

Monday Night Football: St Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks Preview

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 12, 2011

Frank Doyle sees trouble ahead for the St Louis Rams at Seattle tonight. Let’s be honest. It’s going to be a massacre. St Louis has beaten the Rams just once in its past thirteen attempts. That was October 3rd of last year, when Steven Jackson passed Marshall Faulk, making him No 2 on the Rams’...

NFL

New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys Preview

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 9, 2011

The Cowboys and Giants are both flawed teams, but they look likely to serve up a hell of a game on Sunday night. Frank Doyle reports. Timing is everything – in life, and in football. This time last week, Dallas looked like it was taking control of the NFC East while the Giants were listening...

NFL

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – Rust Belt Rivalry Preview

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 8, 2011

Frank Doyle previews the 119th playing of the Rust Belt Rivalry this Thursday, a rivalry that Cleveland hasn’t enjoyed in quite some time. Cleveland returned to the NFL in 1999. There have been 25 games played in the Rust Belt Rivalry since then, and the Browns’ record in those games is a miserable 4-21. That’s...

NFL

NFL Power Rankings: Week 13

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 6, 2011

The cream has risen to the top in the NFL as we move into December. Frank Doyle ranks ‘em. 1 (-). Green Bay Packers (12-0, 8-4-0 ATS). The Giants hit Green Bay with their best shot, and still Aaron Rodgers found a way to win. 2 (-). San Francisco 49ers (10-2, 11-1-0 ATS). San Francisco...

NFL

Monday Night Football Preview: San Diego Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 5, 2011

The secret to making a pick for tonight’s Monday Night Football? Throw the formlines out the window. Frank Doyle reports. Form counts for nothing in Jacksonville tonight. These are two bad teams, but not reliably so. San Diego and Jacksonville are both teams in transition, and whichever one of them responds best to that transition...

NFL

Is Donovan McNabb the Answer for the Bears?

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 2, 2011

The Bears have a problem at quarterback. Donovan McNabb is a quarterback with a problem. Is this a match made in Heaven? Frank Doyle reports. The story would be fantastic of course. McNabb was waived by the Vikings last night and, while he said that he hasn’t spoken to anybody and has no ulterior motive,...

NFL

Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks Preview

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: December 1, 2011

Frank Doyle previews tonight’s Battle of the Birds between the Eagles and the Seahawks! Not many teams win at Seattle. Philadelphia is one of those that do. The Eagles are 5-2 straight up in trips to the Seahawks since Seattle joined the League as an expansion team in the 1970s, and haven’t lost in the...

NFL

NFL Power Rankings – Jaguars Fire Jack Del Rio, 49ers Remain No 2

• Frank Doyle

• Last Updated: November 29, 2011

Jack Del Rio is the first coach to get fired as San Francisco remains second best team the League, despite losing the Harbowl. Frank Doyle ranks ’em. 1 (-). Green Bay Packers (11-0, 8-3-0 ATS). Nobody’s laid a glove on the Pack all year. The perfect season is well within the Packers’ grasp. 2 (-)....