St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are leading the National League Central division of baseball with a 1 ½ game lead. The golden number needed to clinch the division is currently 4. The Cards last won a World Series in 2011 and were National League Champions in 2013.

The Cardinals are currently wrapping up a 3 game series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. In Tuesday’s game, the Cardinals fell to the Cubs 4-3. St. Louis scored all 3 of their runs in the 6th inning and Chicago scored 2 in the first, 1 in the fifth and 1 in the tenth inning. On a positive note, outfielder Matt Holliday became a 2-home run hitter for his ninth straight season. This game as a whole however was an obvious shift from Monday’s game, which the Cardinals dominated, winning 8-0. Pitcher Adam Wainwright extended his scoreless streak to 21 innings and this game solidified his second 20-win season.

The St. Louis team definitely has some things in their favor as they strive to advance into post-season play. The team’s roster is rich in depth led by Wainwright. Other notable pitchers include John Lackey and Shelby Miller. The Cardinals also have playoff experience. While teams are often young and hungry (as we all saw last year with the Seahawks playing in the Super Bowl), it’s challenging to beat the experience factor – teams know what they’ll face and know what they have to do to win. St. Louis is the only team in the league to have advanced to the playoffs in 4 straight years. The Cardinals are also leading in Defensive Runs Saved as a team. This is noteworthy and as the saying goes, “Offense sells tickets but defense wins games.”

The Cards will conclude their 3 game series in Chicago on Wednesday night before continuing on the road to play against the Arizona Diamondbacks, concluding their regular season play Sunday afternoon.

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are currently 1-1 after most recently defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday Night Football last week. Currently, the Bears are ranked 1st in the NFC North division.

The Bears have a strong passing offense with quarterback Jay Cutler and big wide receivers, Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey. Other playmakers for Chicago include RB Matt Forte, CB Charles Tillman and WR Santonio Holmes, who is in his 1st season with the Bears but a 9-year NFL veteran.

Last Sunday’s game was a solid display of the talent amongst the team as they beat the 49ers 28-20. While San Francisco had slightly higher possession of the ball, they also committed 4 turnovers and had 16 penalties (118 yards). Chicago had zero turnovers and 10 penalties (58 yards). Cutler threw for 176 yards and 4 TDs, scored by Brandon Marshall (3) and Martellus Bennett (1). The game began with a fairly even pace, San Francisco starting with a lead and then Chicago making a comeback, but in the 4th quarter, the Bears came out strong. Once they started, they couldn’t be stopped, scoring 21 of their 28 points in the final quarter.

The Bears began their season with a loss at home to the Buffalo Bills, 23-20 but last week’s game was a leap in the right direction for a successful season. In addition to facing their NFC North division rivals: the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions, the Bears will face off against the NFC South division rivals as well as the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots. While their final regular season is an away game, the preceding 3 games are all at home which could be a definite advantage late in the season as teams look to secure their place in the playoffs. The Chicago Bears continue their season by facing off against the NY Jets on the road next week in Monday Night Football.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are off to a 2-0 start this season. While victorious in their first 2 games, the Eagles acknowledge that there’s plenty of room for improvement and are working to keep growing.

The Eagles have had slow first halves in both of these games yet have been able to finish strong enough, claiming victory. Most recently, the Eagles defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Monday Night Football, winning 30-27. The Eagles began their scoring with 1 field goal in both the 1st and 2nd quarters. Touchdowns were scored by RBs LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles in the 3rd quarter. In the 4th quarter, QB Nick Foles threw a pass to WR Jeremy Maclin for a TD and kicker Cody Parkey scored his 3rd field goal of the game, ensuring the Eagles victory.

In addition to powerhouse players like McCoy, Sproles and TE Zach Ertz, the Eagles have a solid head coach in Chip Kelly, who is in his 2nd year with the team. Prior to joining Philadelphia, Kelly was the head coach at Oregon. Long-time head coach Andy Reid was let go in 2012 after the Eagles finished the season 4-12. Last year, Kelly’s first year with the team, the Eagles finished 10-6, losing in the first round of playoffs to the New Orleans Saints. Kelly recently stated that the team is an equal opportunity distributor, capable of making different plays depending on the defense.

Philadelphia faces the Washington Redskins next at home at Lincoln Financial Field this Sunday. Eagles LB Mychal Kendricks will not play due to a calf injury and former Eagle/current Redskin WR DeSean Jackson is questionable due to his shoulder. Getting a stronger start in their upcoming games will be a key for Philadelphia’s continued success. This should help them succeed in their quest to Fly Eagles Fly!

New York Jets

The New York Jets kicked off their season with a home victory last Sunday over the Oakland Raiders, winning 19-14. The Jets had 212 rushing yards and scored field goals in both the 1st and 3rd quarters. The team’s 2 TDs in the 2nd and 4th quarters were scored by RB Chris Johnson and RB Chris Ivory. Second year veteran QB Geno Smith, finished the game 23/28 for 221 yards. WR Eric Decker also caught 5 passes for a total of 74 yards. The Jets received 11 penalties for over 100 yards in the game and Rex Ryan stated after the game he expected much more from the team. They got the victory, but it could have been prettier.

Many teams have major rivals and the NY Jets are no exception. With some of the most epic rivalries in the league and some of the toughest fans in the nation, the Jets have a lot to prove on the field. Two of the team’s biggest rivals are AFC East division opponents: the Miami Dolphins and the New England Patriots. In 2013, the Jets were 1-1 against the Patriots and 1-1 against the Dolphins. This year, the Jets will close their regular season play in late December with games against each of these rivals.

Another traditional rival for the Jets are the NY Giants, with whom the Jets share MetLife Stadium. Because it is home to both teams, MetLife Stadium hosts more NFL games than any other stadium in the country each year. This rivalry is more historic as the 2 teams rarely play each other in today’s game. In 2011 the NY teams faced each other, both seeking a victory in order to advance to the playoffs. The Giants defeated the Jets 29-14.

The Jets will face the Green Bay Packers next at Lambeau Field on Sunday, September 14.

Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills began the 2014 NFL season with an overtime victory on the road against the Chicago Bears last weekend, defeating the Bears 23-20 in a game that surprised many.

In the game at Soldier Field, the Bills and the Bears each scored a touchdown in the 1st quarter. The 1st Bills TD was scored by QB EJ Manuel. A 2nd quarter pass from Manuel to RB C.J. Spiller and a 50 yard field goal by kicker Dan Carpenter, led the Bills to be up 17-7 at halftime. Chicago went on to score 10 in the 3rd quarter and with each team making a field goal in the 4th quarter, overtime was required. RB Fred Jackson set up Carpenter, whose field goal in OT sealed the win for the Bills.

In addition to Manuel and Spiller, Buffalo signed rookie WR Sammy Watkins. Watkins was the 4th pick in the 2014 NFL draft and played football at Clemson University. He signed a 4 year guaranteed contract with the Bills for just under $20M.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Terry and Kim Pegulas reached an agreement to buy the Buffalo Bills. They also own the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Donald Trump and a Toronto based buying group which included Bon Jovi, were also said to be bidding on the team. Pegulas will be just the 2nd team owner after founder, Ralph Wilson, who passed away in March 2014. The sale is still pending league approval, although reactions on various social media outlets by fans are for the majority, quite positive.

The Bills have not made the playoffs since 1999 and currently have the longest active losing streak – the team has not finished a season with a winning record since 2004. Will 2014 be the year that ends this decade long drought? With Manuel, Spiller and Watkins, and a 1-0 record to start the season, anything is possible! The Bills are also known for having one of the most loyal and dedicated fan bases across the league.

Buffalo’s next opponent is the Miami Dolphins, who they will face at home in Ralph Wilson Stadium on Sunday, September 14.

New Orleans Saints

ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters predicted records for all teams in the upcoming NFL season and predicted that the New Orleans Saints will finish the 2014-2015 regular season with a record of 11-5 and are likely to win the NFC South division title. The Saints began regular season play by losing on the road to division rivals, the Atlanta Falcons.

The Saints roster boasts plenty of talent including QB Drew Brees, WR Marques Colston, TE Jimmy Graham and RB Pierre Thomas. Brees has been nothing but great news for the Saints since arriving in 2006 from the San Diego Chargers. He has won numerous accolades including MVP and Offensive Player of the Year and led the team to its Super Bowl XLIV victory. The Saints have been well known for finding talent in the undrafted rookie free-agent pool, which is where they found Thomas in 2007, beating out a 4th round draft pick. Colston has established himself throughout the league as a difficult-to-defend target and Graham is considered an NFL elite tight end and rising star, becoming a favorite target of Brees. In the Saints’ preseason victory over the Tennessee Titans, NOLA fans voted Graham as the offensive MVP.

As well as defeating the Titans in preseason play, the Saints were also able to grab victories over the St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts although they were defeated in the final preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, losing 22-13. 

In addition to facing their NFL South division rivals each twice this season, the Saints will also face off against the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears among other squads. The Saints only have 2 back-to-back road games, at the very start of the season and have a midseason stint of 3 home games in a row. Fans and analysts have high expectations for the team and they have rarely disappointed in the past several years. The Saints are definitely a squad for other teams to watch out for.

Seattle Seahawks

Earlier this week, ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters predicted records for all teams in the upcoming NFL season, which kicks off this Thursday night. The Green Bay Packers will face off against the Seattle Seahawks who were ranked 1st in these predictions, with reporters forecasting a 13-3 season that will be good enough to clinch the NFC West division and likely beyond. The Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVII and many fans and analysts alike have not expressed much surprise at the thought of them repeating this victory for the 2014-2015 season. The team is young, talented and surpassed constant doubt last season to dominate.

Last year’s Seahawks Super Bowl squad was the 2nd youngest team in NFL history to be named champions, with the roster’s average age a mere 26.4 years old. The team may be young in general, but is stacked with top tier talent including WR Doug Baldwin, CB Richard Sherman, who were former Stanford teammates under current San Francisco 49ers head coach, Jim Harbaugh and went on to win the 2011 Orange Bowl in college; QB Russell Wilson and veterans - RB Marshawn Lynch and WR Percy Harvin who are also key players for the Seahawks. These guys know what they’re doing as does head coach, Pete Carroll who came to the Seahawks from USC in 2010 where he had spent 9 years as the head coach, producing 53 NFL draft picks during his tenure.

In preseason play, the Seahawks faced minor challenges, finishing 2-2. The Seahawks lost to their previous Super Bowl opponent, the Denver Broncos as well as the Oakland Raiders but were able to defeat the San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears. Wilson completed 33 of 42 passes and the team is considered to have an impressive offense, keeping 7 wide receivers and 3 tight ends on their final roster.

With a stacked roster and hungry passion supported by the NFL’s loudest crowd, also known as 12th Man, the Seahawks are a fierce contender for repeating a Super Bowl victory and at the very least, advancing far into the playoffs. Kickoff for their season opener is on Thursday, September 4th at 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC.