2015 NFL Kings of the Cellar

Wow, start a new job and it takes up most of your time. I apologize for the delay.

Well, it appears once again that the 3-13 Cleveland Browns snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by losing the first pick in the draft. Close, but no cigar.  They will have to watch while another team enjoys the beer in the cellar.

Congrats to the 3-13 Tennessee Titans! They are the 2015 NFL Kings of the Cellar and winners of the coveted first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Their four game losing streak and loss to the Browns in Week 2 sealed the Cellar door and the win.

There are a few honorable mentions this year. The first one goes to the Dirty Birds themselves, the 8-8 Atlanta Falcons. They started 5-0 and forgot how to play winning football, finishing the season at 3-8. The second one goes to 4-12 Dallas Cowboys for their collapse when Tony Romo went down. Finally, the last honorable mention goes to the New Orleans Saints defense, especially CB Brandon Browner, who was the most penalized player in the league and whose penalties at key points during the season cost the 7-9 Saints at least three wins.

As much fun as we have with the updates, it's important to remember that the Last Place Updates are a tongue-in-cheek look at teams with the worst records in the featured sports on this blog. However, only a tiny percent of the population is good enough to even be a professional athlete. It's also important to remember and appreciate that it takes that special kind of athlete to earn the privilege to play for a professional sports team, whether it's for only a few games or a long Hall of Fame career. The rest of us can only dream of the life these people live, regardless of how good or bad their team is.

Congrats to the NFL for a good season!!!

Last Place Update - December 24

Merry Christmas everybody! It appears the 4-10 San Diego Chargers wanted something other than the beer in the Cellar when they beat the 5-9 Miami Dolphins. Henceforth (at least this week), this week's Kings of the Cellar are the 3-11 Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns. Why? As the great John Blutarski once said, "Why not?" The Titans have only one division and home win and Cleveland is...well,...just Cleveland.

Move over Dirty Birds. You're out as this week's honorable mention. That distinction now goes to the 6-8 Indianapolis Colts. Why? Because they're sporting a three game losing streak after sporting a three game winning streak after sporting a three game losing streak, while sporting...well, you get the picture. What's worse, they scored over 30 points only once this season and that was in week 3. This week, Indy visits the Miami Dolphins. Will this begin another win streak?

Next losses...

Tennessee hosts the division rival 7-7 Houston Texans. The Titans lead the series 15-12, but are 5-10 against Houston since 2008. Indy hasn't swept a season series against the Titans since 2007 and it won't happen this year either. They first met in 2002, when the Titans won 17-10. They never played against each other in the postseason, but did go to overtime twice. That series is tied 1-1. The last OT have happened in 2013 when the Texans won 30-24. There is only one shutout in the series. In 2010, Tennessee got blanked 20-0.

Cleveland will invade Arrowhead Stadium to take on the 9-5 Kansas City Chiefs. The series is tied 11-11-2. They first met after the NFL/AFL merger in 1971, when Len Dawson and the Chiefs won 13-7. They never met in the postseason, but went to overtime twice. The Chiefs won the last one in 2006, 31-28, but their first overtime game ended in a 10-10 tie in 1989, which was their last tie. Again, there is only one shutout in the series, After the 1989 tie, Kansas City spanked Cleveland in 1990, 34-0.

Here are a few historical scores for teams playing each other this week, on December 24,

2006  Carolina 10 - Atlanta 3
2006  Baltimore 31 - Pittsburgh 7
2006  Denver 24 - Cincinnati 23

On a different note, my ebook, Rickshaw, New Mexico will be free for the Kindle through Christmas weekend. If you haven't already, click the link, download your copy, and tell a friend.

Now to the burning questions of the week.

Will Tennessee wrest control of the Cellar from Cleveland? Will Cleveland win another game? Will Indy break the streaks of 3 and hold on to the honorable mention?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - December 16

So much for the crowd thinning out. Once again, there's a three-way tie and this week, the 3-10 San Diego Chargers are Kings of the Cellar. It's true that the 3-10 Cleveland Browns and 3-10 Tennessee Titans deserve a seat in the Cellar, but the Chargers earned the title this week, because they have no division wins. That and they're 1-8 since October 4. Had the Browns lost last week, they would be in sole possession of last place. Oh well.

Okay Dirty Birds, break time's over. That's right. The 6-7 Atlanta Falcons rose up and are once again this week's honorable mention. They snatched the mention from the 8-5 Minnesota Vikings by getting shut out 38-0 by the 13-0 Carolina Panthers, Carolina's first ever shutout victory over the Dirty Birds. It's the first time Atlanta has been shut out since 2004, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spanked them 27-0. The last time Atlanta was shut out 38-0 was in 1987 by HOFer Rickey Jackson, HOF nominee Sam Mills (who should be in the Hall of Fame) and the New Orleans Saints.

Next loss...

The San Diego Chargers will host the 5-8 Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Miami leads the series 16-14 and are 2-9 against the Dolphins since 1995. They first met in 1966, back in the AFL, when the Chargers spanked Miami 44-10. Every postseason game these two teams played in was in the divisional round. Their last playoff game was in the 1994 season, when San Diego won 22-21 and went on to lose Super Bowl XXIX. That series is tied 2-2. They went to overtime three times and the Chargers won every one. They last time the two teams went to overtime was in 1984, a 34-28 Chargers win. The last time Miami shut out San Diego was 37-0 in 2014. The last time San Diego shut out Miami was 24-0 in 1967.

Here are some historical scores for games being played this week, from December 16,

1962  St. Louis Cardinals 45 - Philadelphia 35
1978  Pittsburgh 21 - Denver 7
2002  Tennessee 24 - New England 7
2012  Houston 29 - Indianapolis 17

Will San Diego hold on to their place in the Cellar? Will Atlanta rise up and lose the rest of their games? Will Cleveland even score against Seattle?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - December 9

The crowd has thinned this week, because we have only one team by the beer. That's right. The 2-10 Cleveland Browns are this week's Kings of the Cellar, kicking out the 3-9 Tennessee Titans over their shootout win over the 4-8 Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans finally got their first home, division, and conference win of the season. However, breathing down Cleveland's necks are the Titans and the 3-9 San Diego Chargers, so the Brownies had better be vigilant if they want the first pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.

The 6-6 Atlanta Falcons get a break this week, so the honorable mention goes to the 4-8 St. Louis Rams. The Rams are losers of five straight and lost their last two games by a score of 58-10. Their last two wins came against teams with losing records as does this week's opponent, the 4-8 Detroit Lions. Can St. Louis bring back The Greatest Show On Turf this week?

Next loss...

Cleveland will host the 4-8 San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Believe it or not, the Browns lead the series 11-7 and are 3-1 against the Niners since 1993. Then again, there was that hiatus when the original Browns moved to Baltimore, but that's another story for another day. They first met in the AAFL in 1946, when the 49ers won 34-20. They never met in overtime, but they did meet in the postseason. In 1949, the Browns won the final All-American Football League championship over the Niners 21-7. The last time Cleveland shut out San Francisco was 7-0 in 1974. San Francisco has never shut out Cleveland.

Here are some historical scores for teams playing each other this week, December 9,

1951  Detroit 24 - Los Angeles Rams 22
1990  Washington 10 - Chicago 9
2012  Carolina 30 - Atlanta 20

Okay, since there are only three, here some more historical scores from December 10,

1961  Houston Oilers 48 - New York Titans 21
1977  Cincinnati 17 - Pittsburgh 10
1995  Indianapolis 41 - Jacksonville 31
2006  Jacksonville 44 - Indianapolis 17
2012  New England 42 - Houston 14

Much better.

Will Cleveland provide the 49ers with their first ever shutout of the Browns? Will the Titans and Chargers barge into the Cellar? Will Atlanta lose again to be next week's honorable mention?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - December 2

Okay, it's a little tight, but there's enough room. This week, we'll honor two teams. The 2-9 Cleveland Browns and 2-9 Tennessee Titans are this week's Kings of the Cellar. Cleveland is sporting a six game losing streak, while the Titans haven't won any home, division, or conference games. That and they're on a three game skid. Neither team should get comfortable, because the 3-8 Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers, and San Francisco 49ers are a game back.

This week's honorable mention goes once again to the 6-5 Atlanta Falcons. Once again, the Dirty Birds rose up and snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Now Atlanta is 1-5 since losing to my Saints. Can they beat an improving Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Next loss...

Cleveland will host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The Browns trail the series 39-45 and are 7-16 since 2004. They first met in 1970 when Cleveland won 30-27. Paul Brown's Bengals won their second ever meeting and he called it the greatest win of his career. They never played each other in the postseason, but they did go to overtime four times. The overtime series is tied 2-2, with their last OT game being a 23-20 Cleveland loss in 2009. The last time Cincinnati shut out Cleveland was 30-0 last season. In fact, the Bengals shut out the Brownies 30-0 before, in 2006, and 14-0 in 2008. The last time Cleveland shut out Cincinnati was 18-0 in 2001.

Tennessee will go for their first win at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans lead the series 23-19 and are 8-7 against the Jags since 2008. They first met in 1995 when the then Houston Oilers won 10-3. They met only once in the posteason. In the 1999 AFC Championship game, the Titans went on to Super Bowl XXXIV with a 33-14 victory. They never went to overtime nor has either team ever shut out the other.

Here are some historic scores from teams playing each other this week, December 2,

1945  Detroit 14 - Green Bay 3
1984  New York Giants 20 - New York Jets 10
1984  Cincinnati 20 - Cleveland 17 (OT)
1990  Atlanta 23 - Tampa Bay 17
2001  New Orleans 27 - Carolina 23
2001  Dallas 20 - Washington 14

Who will break the tie to take the Cellar? Will the Dirty Birds win another game? Will Dallas remain winless without Tony Romo at quarterback?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - November 24

It's getting a little crowded in the Cellar. However, there can only be one this week. The 2-8 Cleveland Browns get the boot in favor of this week's Kings of the Cellar, the 2-8 San Diego Chargers. Although the 2-8 Tennessee Titans have no division, conference, or home wins, the Chargers have something the other two 2-8 teams don't have: a six game losing streak. Cleveland is right behind San Diego with a five game losing skid, but it's not enough to take the Cellar.

This week's honorable mention goes to the Dirty Birds themselves, the 6-4 Atlanta Falcons. After going 5-0, the Falcons went 1-4 and will host an improved Minnesota Vikings this week. NFL analysts say the Matt Ryan has regressed in recent weeks. Let's see which Matty Ice shows up this week.

Next loss...

San Diego will host the 4-6 Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chargers lead the series 5-2 and are on a four game winning streak against Jacksonville. They first met in 2003, when the Jags won 27-21. They have never gone to overtime nor have they played each other in the postseason. Neither team has ever shut out the other.

Here are some historical scores for teams playing each other this week from November 24,

1940  New York Giants 21 - Washington 7
1974  New York Jets 17 - Miami 14
1986  Miami 45 - New York Jets 3
2013  Tennessee 23 - Oakland 19
2013  New England 34 - Denver 31 (OT)

Will San Diego hold on to the Cellar? Will Cleveland or Tennessee make a move? Will the Dirty Birds continue their collapse by letting Adrian Peterson run all over them?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - November 17

Meet the new Kings of the Cellar; definitely not the same as the old Kings, thanks to the 2-7 Detroit Lions' win over the Green Bay Packers. This week's Kings of the Cellar are the 2-8 Cleveland Browns. The Browns are enjoying a 5 game losing streak and been scored on by 30 or more points over the last three games. Five teams are a half game back, including the division rival 2-7 Baltimore Ravens and evicted Kings of the Cellar 2-7 Detroit Lions.

This week's honorable mention goes to the 4-6 New Orleans Saints defense. Over the past three games, the sieve of a defense allowed 1,425 yards, 526 of them came courtesy of the 5-5 Washington Redskins, hence costing defensive coordinator Rob Ryan his job. Remember, the Saints passed over Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel for Ryan. New Orleans has an bye this week, so maybe the defense will show some improvement.

Next loss...

The team named after legendary coach Paul Brown has a bye this week, so the 2-7 former Houston Oilers go to sunny Florida to take on the 3-6 Jacksonville Jaguars in a divisional matchup. The now Tennessee Titans lead the series 23-18, but the Titans are 8-6 against Jacksonville since 2008. They first met in Jacksonville's inaugural season of 1995, when the Oilers won 10-3. There are no overtime or postseason games in the series. Neither team has ever shut out the other.

Here are some historical scores for teams playing each other this week, November 17,

1974  Green Bay 19 - Minnesota 7
1974  Baltimore Colts 17 - Atlanta 7
1991  Minnesota 35 - Green Bay 21
2002  Minnesota 31 - Green Bay 21

Will Cleveland's off week cost them them their spot in the Cellar? Will the 2-7 Dallas Cowboys win now that Tony Romo is back? Will the Baltimore continue to collapse their way to the Cellar?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - November 11

Before we get started, I have a message for all of you who served or are serving our country. THANK YOU!!!!! Thank you for your service and sacrifice. You are most definitely appreciated. Now let's have some fun.

This week's Kings of the Cellar did not lose last week. Then again, they didn't play either. Hence, the 1-7 Detroit Lions hold on to the Cellar for one more week. The 2-6 Tennessee Titans had a chance to kick out the Lions, but their overtime win over my New Orleans Saints ruined that opportunity. The 2-7 San Diego Chargers and Cleveland Browns round out the bottom three. Cleveland is sporting a four game losing streak, but San Diego does one better by losing their last five games.

Today's honorable mention goes once again to the 2-6 Dallas Cowboys, losers of their last six. Say what you want about QB Tony Romo, but the Cowpokes are not the same team without him. This week, Dallas visits the New Sombrero to take on the 3-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Unless the former America's Team can play 60 minutes of good football, Jameis Winston and the Bucs will notch win #4.

Next loss...

In a rivalry that goes back to the Great Depression, the former Portsmouth Spartans will travel to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. The now Detroit Lions trail the series 67-97-7 and are 7-25 against the Packers since 1999. They first met in 1930, when Green Bay spanked the former Spartans 47-13. The teams met in the postseason twice and the Packers lead that series 2-0. Both games were in the Wild Card round in 1993 and 1994. They went to overtime four times and the series is tied 2-2. The last overtime game was a 16-13 Detroit loss in 2005. The last time Green Bay shut out Detroit was 26-0 in 2009. The last time Detroit shut out Green Bay was 34-0 in 1973. Their last tie was 13-13, also in 1973.

Here are some historic scores from games played today, November 11,

1979  Chicago 27 - Los Angeles Rams 23
1979  Buffalo 14 - New York Jets 12
1984  Miami 24 - Philadelphia 23
1984  Los Angeles Rams 29 - Chicago 13
2001  Pittsburgh 15 - Cleveland 12 (OT)
2007  Denver 27 - Kansas City 11
2007  Pittsburgh 31 - Cleveland 28

Will Detroit hold on to the Cellar? Will the Browns and Chargers continue their collapse and take the Cellar? Will Dallas ever get a win without Tony Romo this season?

Stay tuned...

Have a great day!!!!

Last Place Update - November 4

The Cellar giveth and The Cellar taketh away. Thanks to their 29-26 victory over the 2-6 San Diego Chargers, the 2-6 Baltimore Ravens got evicted from the cellar. And this week, to paraphrase the old The Who song, meet the new Kings of the Cellar; same as the old Kings of the Cellar. Who's that? It's the 1-7 Detroit Lions! They are sporting a two game losing streak by the combined score of 73-29. The 1-6 Tennessee Titans trail the Lions by a half game and are a six game losing streak and have scored more than 7 points in each of the last two games.

This week's honorable mention goes to the 2-6 Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are 0-5 since Tony Romo went down. However, none of those losses were blowouts and the last four were by a touchdown or less. Nevertheless, as Stephen A. Smith would say, Dallas always finds a way to lose.

Next loss...

Since Detroit has a bye this week, we'll focus on the next team up. The former Houston Oilers will invade the former Louisiana Superdome to face the New Orleans Saints. The now Tennessee Titans lead the series 7-5-1 and are 4-1 against the New Orleans since 1996. They first met after the NFL/AFL merger in 1971, when the two teams broke even at 13-13, the lone tie in the series. The Titans and Saints never had an overtime game nor have they met in the postseason. Neither team has ever shut out the other.

Here are a couple of historic scores for teams playing each other this week from November 4,

2007  Atlanta 20 - San Francisco 16
2007  Dallas 38 - Philadelphia 17

Since there are only two scores from today, here are some scores from tomorrow, November 5,

1961  Los Angeles Rams 31 - Minnesota 17 (First ever meeting)
1967  Buffalo 35 - Miami 13
1972  Miami 30 - Buffalo 16
1978  Atlanta 21 - San Francisco 10
1989  Minnesota 23 - Los Angeles Rams 21 (OT)
2000  Philadelphia 16 - Dallas 13 (OT)


Will new head coach and former Minnesota Vikings/Pittsburgh Steelers TE Mike Mularkey lead the struggling Titans over former Chicago Bears QB Sean Payton and the improving Saints? Will Detroit lose, even with a bye this week? Will the Cowboys sweep the season series over the 3-4 Philadelphia Eagles?

Stay tuned.

Have a great day!!!

Last Place Update - Week 11

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. The race for the first pick in the 2013 draft is heating up.

   Although the bottom two teams are 1-9, since the Jacksonville Jaguars took a good Houston Texans team to overtime, the Kansas City Chiefs are this week's Kings of the Cellar. I picked them as an upset special over a vulnerable Cincinnati Bengals team, who instead dominated the Chiefs. Both the Chiefs and Jags lost seven straight, but Kansas City hasn't scored more than 16 points since Week 4, scoring 20 in a loss to the San Diego Chargers.

   The 2-8 Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns trail the Chiefs and Jags by a game, both taking their respective opponents to overtime, but losing. Cleveland hosts a Pittsburgh Steelers minus Ben Roethlisberger. However, the Browns are not the Baltimore Ravens and will keep pace with the Jags and Chiefs.

   Arizona seems to practically reside here. This week's honorable mention is a tie between the 4-6 Arizona Cardinals and the 3-7 Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams have played poorly and lost six straight. Both teams also have a shot at a win this week. Arizona faces a struggling St. Louis Rams team. Philly, after getting schooled by RGIII, hosts Cam Newton and the Panthers.

Next Loss...

   Kansas City hosts the surging Denver Broncos. Upset Special? Not this time. I'm 0-2 with the Chiefs on that pick. Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense will give Kansas City an easy loss.

   Jacksonville returns home to face the Tennessee Titans. Although this could be an upset special, the Titans have won their last two on the road and are coming off a bye week. The Jags will keep it interesting and pull off the loss.


Here are some historical scores for this week's matchups: Today, November 20:

1949  Los Angeles Rams 28 - Chicago Cardinals 28
1955  Cleveland 41 - Pittsburgh 14
1960  Pittsburgh 14 - Cleveland 10
1977  Chicago 10 - Minnesota 7
1977  Denver 14 - Kansas City 7
1988  Cleveland 27 - Pitssburgh 7
1994  Dallas 31 - Washington 7
2005  Jacksonville 31 - Tennessee 28
2005  Tampa Bay 30 - Atlanta 27
2005  Arizona 38 - St. Louis 28
2011  Dallas 27 - Washington 24  OT

Last Place Update

Welcome to this week's Last Place Update. Congrats to Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints for breaking a once considered unbreakable record of throwing a touchdown pass in 48 straight games. Job well done!! Tom Brady owns the next longest streak, which is less than a season of games behind Brees. Trivia note: Johnny Unitas wore number 19. His number was called in the record breaking play, as Brees threw a touchdown pass to number 19, Devery Henderson. Unitas' son Joe handled Brees surpassing his father with class, by attending the game and supporting Brees with his accomplishment. Now to the Update.

   The 0-5 Cleveland Browns fought the good fight against the New York Giants, but they are now this week's Kings of the Cellar. They are the lone winless team in the NFL. The San Diego Chargers made key mistakes against the Saints and Brees made them pay the price, which were the first victory of the season and the record. Cleveland is 0-5 for the first time since 1999, their first year back after the original club moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens in 1996. The 1999 Browns started 0-7. The Browns are also sporting a 11 game losing streak, their last win coming in Week 11 last season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

  There are five teams with a 1-4 record and the loser of that group is the Carolina Panthers, who lost three straight, including a 16-12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Although the Panthers were 4-2 in the final six games of last season, that promise was broken by not being able to overtake or put teams away. They also started the season 1-4 last year and went 1-5 before beating the Washington Redskins. At least they last beat a team with a winning record last season.

   This week's honorable mention goes to the 2-3 Buffalo Bills. Although the showed a spark by beating the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland, other opponents exposed they weaknesses. The New York Jets (honorable mention runner-up), New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers all spanked the Bills by scoring a minimum of 45 points, with the Pats putting up 52 on them.

Next Loss...

   Cleveland returns home to face their cross-state rivals the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals swept the series last season. The Browns have beaten the Bengals only three times since 2004, the last time in 2010. The last time Cleveland swept Cincinnati was in 2002, the Browns' first winning season since their return in 1999. However, this could be an upset special and if there is to be one, this is it.

   Since Carolina,  New Orleans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have a bye this week, let's focus on the other 1-4 teams.

   The Kansas City Chiefs travel to sunny Florida to take on the 1-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This could be an upset special and if Jamaal Charles runs against the Bucs like he did against the Saints, then it will be a definite upset. However, Tampa Bay's defense is much better than the Saints' defense, which makes the upset less likely.

    The Tennessee Titans will host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. Much like the Saints-Falcons rivalry, the records don't matter much for this game. Pittsburgh swept the series last year. but if the Titans can get their running game in gear, this too, could be an upset special. Tennessee has never swept a Pittsburgh season series with Ben Roethlisberger as Steelers' quarterback. In fact, the last time the Titans swept the Steelers was in 2000. As with the Saints, Lions, and Packers, the Titans are a better team than their record indicates, but until they show up for sixty minutes, the Steelers will emerge victorious on Thursday.

   Here are some historical scores for teams playing each other this week, today in:

1977  New England 31 - Seattle 0
1977  Houston Oilers 27 - Pittsburgh 10
1994  New York Jets 16 - Indianapolis 6
2011  San Diego 29 - Denvver 24
2011  Pittsburgh 38 - Tennessee 17

Last Place Update

December 13, 2011 – Welcome to this week’s Last Place Update.  Once again, the 0-13 Indianapolis Colts maintain their two game lead as Kings of the Cellar.  They were easy pickings for the Baltimore Ravens, losing 24-10.  Their magic number is now two.  Two more losses guarantee the Colts the first pick in the 2012 draft.

This week’s first honorable mention goes to the 2-11 St. Louis Rams.  They went into Seattle and laid an egg, losing 30-13.  This is their fourth straight loss with no relief in sight.  Their last three games are against teams with a winning record.

The second honorable mention goes to the 4-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who can’t seem to win, even when they’re supposed to.  This is a game they should have won, but instead were blown out 41-14.  You can’t have seven turnovers and win.  Just ask the 1977 Denver Broncos.  They had eight turnovers while losing to the Dallas Cowboys 27-10 in Super Bowl XII.

Next Loss

Indy hosts the Tennessee Titans, fresh off their loss to the New Orleans Saints.  The Colts lost at Tennessee 27-10, but the Titans have not beaten a team with a winning record since Week 2, when they beat the Baltimore Ravens 26-13.  This could be an upset special, if only Indy could defend the run.  The last time Indy lost a season series against Tennessee was in 2002.  Titans should win an easy one and win the season series.

The Rams host the Cincinnati Bengals.  Cincy leads the series 6-5.  The Rams lost their last meeting in 2007, the first time they lost to the Bengals since 1993.  St. Louis has a shot at an upset special, but this could be a toss-up.  The Rams will make a game of it, but the Bengals will hand the Rams their 13^th loss.

The 2-11 Minnesota Vikings take on the New Orleans Saints at home.  Last week, Jared Allen said on a local TV show that the two cities he hated to play in most were Detroit and New Orleans.  He even said New Orleans was like a third world country.  As the saying goes, never give an opposing team an additional incentive to beat you.  The Saints are not the Lions.  Although the Vikings made a game of it, Minnesota still lost to an undisciplined Detroit team.  In addition, this is not the same Vikings team who almost went to the Super Bowl in 2009.  Adrian Peterson is Minnesota’s best chance for a win, but his efforts won’t be enough.  The Vikings won’t avenge their 2009 NFC Championship loss against New Orleans.  Instead, the Saints will easily hand Minnesota its 13^th loss.

Here are a few historical scores on this day for teams facing each other this week: December 13,

1959 – New York Giants 24 – Washington 10

1980 – Washington 16 – New York Giants 13

1997 – New York Giants 30 – Washington 10

Some Lagniappe NFL Series Trivia

Here’s some random NFL trivia…

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers go to Lambeau Field to take on their former NFC Central rival Green Bay Packers.  Although Green Bay’s expected to win, Tampa Bay is 8-4 against the Packers since 1998.  They have gone to overtime five times in the series, the last time in 2003, when Green Bay won 17-14.  The last time Green Bay shut out Tampa Bay was 27-0 in 1991.  Tampa Bay has never shut out Green Bay.  Their only tie game was 14-14 in 1980.

The Carolina Panthers face the Detroit Lions for only the sixth time ever.  Detroit leads the series 4-1.  Carolina won their first ever meeting in 1999 and Detroit won the rest.  They last met in 2008.

The Oakland Raiders play the Minnesota Vikings for the 15^th time, including Super Bowl XI.  Oakland leads the series 10-4, but is 4-3 against the Vikings since 1987.  They last played in 2007, which Minnesota won.  Neither team has ever shut out the other.

The Washington Redskins host the Dallas Cowboys.  This is one of those rivalry games where you throw the records out the window, but Dallas is 21-7 against Washington since 1997.  They’ve gone to overtime twice, the last time in 1999.  Dallas last shut out Washington 17-0 in 2009.  Washington has never shut out Dallas.  Their last tie game was 35-35 in 1962.

The Buffalo Bills go to Miami to face the Dolphins.  This is another one of those “throw the records out” games.  In this case, they are 17-17 since 1995.  They’ve gone to overtime twice, the last time in 1987.  The last time Buffalo shut out Miami was 21-0 in 2006.  The last time Miami shut out Buffalo was 28-0 in 1985.  Their last tie game was 14-14 in 1968.

The Atlanta Falcons lead their series with the Tennessee Titans 7-5, winning their last five games in the series.  The Titans have never beaten the Falcons under the Tennessee name.  The last time they beat Atlanta was in 1993, when they were the Houston Oilers.

The Philadelphia Eagles/New York Giants rivalry is one of the older rivalries.  They’re meeting for the 146^th time.  They first played each other in 1940, but Philly is 6-2 against the Giants since 2008.  They’ve gone to overtime seven times, the last time in 2006.  The last time the Giants shut out the Eagles was 20-0 in 1998.  The last time the Eagles shut out the Giants was 24-0 in 1996.  Their last tie game was 23-23 in 1973.

On the college football front, the Valparaiso Crusaders got their first win since 2009, beating the Campbell Fighting Camels 34-31.  Congrats for breaking the longest active college football losing streak, Valpo!!

Here are some historical NFL scores on this day for teams facing each other this week, on November 18,

1951 – Chicago Cardinals 27 – San Francisco 21

1960 – Boston Patriots 42 – Dallas Texans (Chiefs) 14

1962 – New York Giants 19 – Philadelphia 14

1973 – Miami 17 – Buffalo 0

1979 – Washington 34 – Dallas 20

1991 – Buffalo 41 – Miami 27

2007 – Dallas 28 – Washington 23

2007 – Minnesota 29 – Oakland 22

Have a great weekend!!

Some Random Musings

November 11, 2011 - Just have some random thoughts:

• First of all, thank you veterans!!  Thank you for serving our country and for protecting our freedoms!!  You stepped up when others didn’t and we appreciate your sacrifices.
  
  
• The Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers are playing each other for only the fourth time ever.  Carolina won the first meeting in 1996, when Tennessee was still the Houston Oilers, but the Titans won the other two.  They last played each other in 2007.
  
  
• As with Tennessee and Carolina, the Baltimore Ravens play the Seattle Seahawks for the fourth time ever this week.  Baltimore also leads 2-1 and they last played each other in 2007.
  
  
• The Washington Redskins play the Miami Dolphins this week.  Miami leads the series 11-7, but the series is 3-3 since 1987.  They faced each other in two Super Bowls.  Miami won Super Bowl VII over the Skins 14-7 to cap off their perfect season.  Washington beat Miami ten years later in Super Bowl XVII 27-17.
  
  
• In another multiple Super Bowl rematch, the Dallas Cowboys host the Buffalo Bills.  Dallas leads the series 5-3 and hasn’t lost to the Bills since 1996. The Cowboys faced the Bills in two consecutive Super Bowls.  Dallas won Super Bowl XXVII over Buffalo 52-17 and Super Bowl XXVIII over the Bills 30-13.
  
  
• Since we’re talking about NFL Championship rematches, let’s go old school.  The team once from Cleveland, the St. Louis Rams go to the Dawg Pound to take on the Cleveland Browns.  Including the NFL Championship games, Cleveland leads the series 11-10.  Cleveland beat the Rams for the NFL Championship in 1950 and 1955.  The Rams beat the Browns for the NFL Championship in 1951.
  
  
• I haven’t talked about this in a while.  The Valparaiso Crusaders own NCAA Division I’s longest active losing streak.  They’ve lost 29 games in a row and go for number 30 this Saturday against the Campbell University Fighting Camels.  Valpo's last win came in their second game of the 2009 season when they beat Concordia University of Wisconsin 20-17.

Have a great weekend everybody!!

Last Place Update

October 25, 2011 – The 0-7 Indianapolis Colts made a statement Sunday.  They are seriously in the hunt for the first pick in the 2012 draft and the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

The Colts were owned by the New Orleans Saints 62-7 to keep their current title of Kings of the Cellar.  However, this is not the first time the Saints experienced that score.  The only other time was when they were on the receiving end of a 62-7 spanking by the Atlanta Falcons on Opening Day in 1973.  The Colts played like the 1973 New Orleans Saints on Sunday night.

This week’s honorable mention goes once again to the 0-6 Miami Dolphins.  Again, they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and extend their losing streak to nine games.  They were leading in the fourth quarter 15-0 with 7:34 left.  All they had to do was run the ball and get first downs.  Hello?  Dolphins running game?  Is anybody home?  Bueller?  Bueller?  Hats off to Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos for pulling off an improbable comeback.

The 0-6 St. Louis Rams were dominated by the Dallas Cowboys 34-7.  Okay, they get an honorable mention, too.  At least Miami was in the game.

Next Loss…

The Indianapolis Colts face division rival Tennessee Titans on the road.  This could be an Upset Special…unless the ghost of the ’73 Saints shows up again.  Tennessee got hammered by Houston 41-7.  I’ll go out on a limb and say the Colts will get their first win.

The cellar dwellers are just having the worst luck.  First Indy and now St. Louis.  The Rams face the New Orleans Saints at home.  Although the Saints could have a letdown after drubbing the Colts and give the Rams a chance at a win, they won’t.  It won’t be 62-7, but this should be an easy loss for the Rams.

The Miami Dolphins go to the Meadowlands to face the New York Giants.  The Giants are coming off a bye and should take care of the Dolphins.  This could be an Upset Special, but it won’t be.  The Dolphins should keep pace with the Colts in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.