Giants 37, Packers 20 All week America focused on the Giants pass-rush. In the end, it wound up being the Giants secondary that felled the 15-1 Packers. Corey Webster and Aaron Ross were tremendous outside, Antrel Rolle tightened down the slot and safeties Deon Grant and Kenny Phillips astutely identified route combinations over the top. Even perpetually bullied rookie Prince Amukamara prevented any passes from coming his way on a handful of second half cameos. The best statistical illustration of the Giants’ sensational coverage wasn’t that no Packer receiver had more than four catches or 45 yards, or that Aaron Rodgers registered a season-worst 5.7 yards per attempt. It’s that Rodgers ran the ball seven times. Granted, he gained 66 yards and picked up five [...] Continue reading → | Aaron Rodgers, Alex Smith, Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Drew Brees, Ed Reed, Eli Manning, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, New Olreans Saints, New York Giants, T.J. Yates, Tebow Patriots, Tim Tebow, Tom Brady

The much-improved Houston Texans (11-7) battled toe-to-toe with the potentially Super Bowl bound Baltimore Ravens (13-4) for four full quarters, but came up just a hair short, as the Ravens prevailed 20-13 and advance to play the New England Patriots (14-3) on the road next Sunday at 3:00pm EST in the AFC Championship Game. However, it was far from a banner, dominate showing by Baltimore.  The Texans performed better in the running game.  Arian Foster chalked up 132 yards on 27 carries with a touchdown and five [...] Continue reading → | 2012 AFC Championship Game, 2012 NFL Playoffs, Arian Foster, Baltimore Ravens, Barry Barnes, Ben Reiter, Ed Reed, Houston Texans, Jacoby Jones, Jonathan Mathis, Kevin Walter, Matt Schaub, Michael Gartman, Ravens Beat Texans 20-13, Ravens Can Beat Patriots, Ray Rice, Ricky Williams, T.J. Yates, Texans Outplayed Ravens, Texans vs. Ravens Playoff Game Recap, Twitter

Do you love defense?  The third clash in the Divisional Round of the 2012 NFL Playoffs features a bare-knuckles brawl between the Houston Texans (11-6) and Baltimore Ravens (12-4) in M&T Bank Stadium at 1:00pm EST on CBS. The parallels between these two teams in postseason play are almost unparalleled. [...] Continue reading → | 2012 NFL Playoff Predictions, 2012 NFL Playoffs, Andre Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Arian Foster, Baltimore Ravens, Ben Tate, Houston Texans, Joe Flacco, Michael Gartman, Ray Rice, T.J. Yates, Texans To Upset Ravens, Texans vs. Ravens

Broncos 29, Steelers 23 (OT) We’re supposed to be talking about an all-time fourth quarter performance from a gimpy Ben Roethlisberger and his darting young receivers. Or, about the debut of the NFL’s new playoff overtime format. Instead, we’re once again talking about the magic of Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos – though justifiably this time. In his biggest game as a pro, Tebow disproved (at least temporarily) his legions of naysayers by connecting on throws against man coverage. That’s [...] Continue reading → | Andy Dalton, Ben Roethlisberger, Calvin Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals, Demaryius Thomas, Detroit Lions, Drew Brees, Houston Texans, Ike Taylor, J.J. Watt, Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow vs. Steelers

The highly-anticipated 2011 NFL playoffs are about to kick into full swing with the Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) at the Houston Texans (10-6) in Reliant Stadium at 4:30pm EST on NBC.  I'm providing individual game previews and predicting each playoff game one-by-one. Predictions Record vs. Experts: As seen in my final comprehensive power rankings of the season, I finished 170-86 in my regular season predictions—losing to NFL Network's Michael Irvin (172-84) and Yahoo! Sports' Mike Silver (176-80), tying NFL Network's Kurt Warner, CBSSports.com's Clark Judge and Yahoo Sports' Les Carpenter and beating everyone else [...] Continue reading → | 2011 NFL Playoffs, 2011 NFL Playoffs Predictions, Andy Dalton, Bengals vs. Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Michael Gartman, T.J. Yates

The 2011 New England Patriots were the only team to repeat as division champions this season, and were also the only team to repeat as the #1 seed in the playoffs.  I will not say much in this post with the Patriots not even playing, but I would imagine they would pay attention to the Texans/Bengals matchup, since a Bengals win means they'll be hosting Cincinnati.  Of course, as New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan could point out, Patriots Pro Bowl QB Tom Brady most likely won't watch any of these crapshoot wild card games. The big Patriots story this week involves offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien's hiring as the next head coach at Penn State University.  While interesting, don't expect this to be like Charlie Weis leaving the Kansas City Chiefs at the end of last season. [...] Continue reading → | 1SKILLZ Gameplan, AFC Wild Card, Atlanta Falcons, Bill O'Brien, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Josh McDaniels, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, NFC Wild Card, Penn State University, Pittsburgh Steelers, Saint Louis Rams

Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) @ Houston Texans (10-6) Bengals O vs. Texans D The Bengals’ power run game, which features bell cow Cedric Benson and a meaty five-or-sometimes-six-man offensive line, struggles a bit against fast defensive front sevens. The reason is Benson has underrated lateral agility and short area quickness, but he lacks the necessary initial quickness to explode [...] Continue reading → | Andy Dalton, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnait Bengals, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions playoffs, Eli Manning, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, T.J. Yates, Tim Tebow playoffs

The holiday season couples many of the things we covet most in life—family, friends, faith, food and football. Christmas reminds us that miracles can happen and that God is always here to light the way in the darkness. It’s also important to remember that it always feels better to give than to receive. On behalf of everyone at GridironGrit.com and NFLTouchdown.com, we hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas (and Happy Hanukkah) and enjoy a Happy New Year! Week 16 was [...] Continue reading → | 2011 NFL Playoff Picture, 2011 NFL Playoff Picture Week 17, adrian peterson, Adrian Peterson Injury, America's Most Charitable Professional Athlete 2011, Andre Johnson and Wade Phillips Could Return For Week 17, Andrew Luck, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Ravens Playoff Scenarios, Bengals Beg Fans To Attend Week 17, Best-Selling Religion Author 2011, Braylon Edwards, Braylon Edwards Cut By 49ers, Braylon Edwards Inspirational Story, Buffalo Bills, C.J. Spiller, Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, CBSSports.com, Chicago Bears, Chris Beanie Wells, Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Bengals Playoff Scenarios, Cleveland Browns, Colt McCoy, ComcastSports.com, Dallas Cowboys, Dan Orlovsky, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Don Banks, Drew Brees Breaks Dan Marino's 27-Year Single-Season Passing Record, Elliot Harrison, ESPN.com, Falcons Want Revenge Against Saints After Brees Set Record, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jim Harbaugh, John Skelton, Juan Castillo, Kansas City Chiefs, Kevin Kolb, Kevin Kolb vs. John Skelton Stats, Kyle Orton, Latest NFL News, Lee Russakoff, Mark Sanchez, Marshawn Lynch, matt moore, Matthew Stafford, Matthew Stafford Stats 2011, Miami Dolphins, Michael Gartman, Minnesota Vikings, Ndamukong Suh, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, New York Jets Playoff Scenarios, NFL power rankings, NFL Power Rankings Week 17, NFL Week 17 Playoff Scenarios, NFL.com, NFL.com Expert Power Rankings, NFL.com Power Poll, Norv Turner, Norv Turner Firing, Oakland Raiders, Oakland Raiders Playoff Scenarios, Packers To Rest Starters vs. Lions in Week 17, Pat Shurmur, Pete Prisco, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Steelers Playoff Scenarios, Raheem Morris, Reggie Bush, Rex Ryan, Robert Griffin III, Romeo Crennel, Ryan Fitzpatrick, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Shahid Khan, SI.com, St. Louis Rams, Steve Spagnuolo, Suck For Luck, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tarvaris Jackson, Tennessee Titans, Tennessee Titans Playoff Scenarios, Tim Tebow, Tom Coughlin, tony romo, Washington Redskins, Why Lions Need To Beat Packers Week 17

Getting ready for Week 13 by reviewing some of the film from Week 12.... Texans O vs. Jaguars D Jack Del Rio’s defense gave a stellar performance in what turned out to be their head coach’s final game. It wasn’t a challenging task for the Jags, really. With backup Matt Leinart under center, and especially with third-stringer T.J. Yates under center, the Texans simplified their passing game to the point of near-fecklessness. Their play-action rollouts became predictable and defensible. On those plays, Jacksonville’s ends did a great job at maintaining backside containment, while the linebackers and safeties consistently hunted up the tight end crossing routes. The Jaguars dialed in on Arian Foster in the receiving game, bottling him up on every screen and [...] Continue reading → | Blaine Gabbert, Blaine Gabbert Jaguars, Christian Ponder, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, T.J. Yates, Washington Redskins

The Houston Texans (7-3) have suffered a significant blow following Sunday’s 37-9 blowout over the Bucs, as GridironGrit.com Senior Writer Tanner Thoms reports that Matt Schaub is likely out for the season (right foot) and might not experience a smooth recovery. Matt Leinart, a former first-round-pick in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, is taking over the reins in Houston.  This begs the question—can the Texans still get into the playoffs, win the AFC South and have a shot at the Super Bowl? In [...] Continue reading → | 2011 AFC Playoff Picture, Andre Johnson Expected To Return Week 12, Ben Tate and Arian Foster, Can Matt Leinart Win Super Bowl, GridironGrit.com, Houston Texans, Houston Texans Super Bowl Contender 2011, Jason La Canfora, Matt Leinart, Matt Schaub, Michael Gartman, NFL.com, Wade Phillips