Madden NFL Simulation Franchise: 2007 and Beyond

[kblu54]

Seattle, Pittsburgh set to duke it out in Super Bowl rematch
NFL News

A few years ago, Seattle and Pittsburgh clashed in the Super Bowl. This season, their matchup isn't as big, but it is important for both teams as they try to gain an edge in their respective divisions.

Pittsburgh secured a 24-17 victory over Arizona last week, while Seattle fell 26-23 to the 49ers. Both teams come into this contest with 3-1 marks, which puts them at the top of their divisions. A win could mean a permanent spot there.

The Steelers are traditionally known for their defense, but will enter the game with the NFL's 5th-best offense. The backfield tandem of QB Ben Roethlisberger and RB Willie Parker have created a very balanced and dangerous attack.

The Seahawks have a very respectable and balanced offense as well, ranked 9th in the league. As for the defenses, Pittsburgh seems to be having trouble against the pass (28th) while Seattle can't stop the run (30th).

I think Pittsburgh's home-field advantage plays a role here. The teams are so evenly-matched that it has to come down to something else. I say the Steelers pull out a low-scoring victory.

Seattle Ratings Pittsburgh
89 ---Overall--- 88
90 ---Offense--- 88
89 ---Defense--- 88
91 ---Special Teams--- 88


Seattle Team Stats (NFL Rank) Pittsburgh
26.0 (t-5th) ---Points Per Game--- 24.5 (7th)
1,246 (9th) ---Total Offense--- 1,361 (5th)
508 (10th) ---Rush Offense--- 563 (6th)
738 (11th) ---Pass Offense--- 798 (5th)
1,113 (12th) ---Total Defense--- 1,207 (23rd)
561 (30th) ---Rush Defense--- 407 (6th)
552 (5th) ---Pass Defense--- 800 (28th)
+3 (t-4th) ---Turnover Diff.--- -1 (t-19th)


Prediction: Pittsburgh 17, Seattle 14

[kblu54]

Seattle plays great game in hostile territory, knocks off Pittsburgh
NFL News

It's hard to win in Pittsburgh. Someone forgot to tell the Seahawks.

Seattle played a very efficient game on offense and clutched up on defense to finish the game, winning 24-20 on the road over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Seattle built a 17-7 lead but allowed Pittsburgh to tie before surging ahead early in the 4th and holding on.

Seattle's offense played nearly mistake-free football, holding the ball for over 34 minutes, converting 14-of-18 third downs and earning 23 first downs. QB Matt Hasselbeck led the way, throwing for 242 yards and 3 TDs on 28-of-38 passing. WR Deion Branch caught 10 balls for 104 yards and a 37-yard TD, while RB Shaun Alexander added 113 yards rushing and caught a TD.

Pittsburgh put up quite a fight in defending their home turf, but came up a little short. QB Ben Roethlisberger led the comeback and the Steelers knotted the game at 17, and cut the last lead to 4 with a field goal with 6:25 to go. Unfortunately, Roethlisberger ran out of magic and Pittsburgh took the loss.

Roethlisberger threw for 190 yards and a TD but was picked off twice. RB Willie Parker was the star for the Steelers' offense, running for 156 yards on 23 carries and scoring on a 60-yard jolt.

Box Score

SEA 7 : 10 : 0 : 7 - 24
PIT 0 : 10 : 7 : 3 - 20

1st Quarter
(7:50) SEA --- Alexander 2 pass from Hasselbeck (J. Brown kick) --- SEA 7-0

2nd Quarter
(12:17) SEA --- J. Brown 30 FG --- SEA 10-0
(11:14) PIT --- Parker 60 run (Vanderjagt kick) --- SEA 10-7
(7:25) SEA --- Branch 37 pass from Hasselbeck (J. Brown kick) --- SEA 17-7
(2:36) PIT --- Vanderjagt 22 FG --- SEA 17-10

3rd Quarter
(7:50) PIT --- Ward 2 pass from Roethlisberger (Vanderjagt kick) --- TIE 17-17

4th Quarter
(13:05) SEA --- Hackett 11 pass from Hasselbeck (J. Brown kick) --- SEA 24-17
(6:25) PIT --- Vanderjagt 28 FG --- SEA 24-20

Team Stats

1st Downs:
SEA --- 23 ... PIT --- 17
Total Offense:
SEA --- 372 ... PIT --- 351
Rushes-Yards:
SEA --- 34-135 ... PIT --- 24-171
Passing (C-A-I):
SEA --- 28-38-1 ... PIT --- 17-28-2
Passing Yards:
SEA --- 237 ... PIT --- 180
Times Sacked:
SEA --- 1 ... PIT --- 2
3rd Down Conversions:
SEA --- 14-18 ... PIT --- 5-11
Turnovers:
SEA --- 2 ... PIT --- 2
Penalties-Yards:
SEA --- 7-44 ... PIT --- 7-50
Time of Possession:
SEA --- 34:36 ... PIT --- 25:24

Individual Stats

SEATTLE

Matt Hasselbeck, QB --- 28 - 38 - 242 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT

Shaun Alexander, RB --- 26 att. - 113 yds; 5 rec. - 35 yds, TD

Deion Branch, WR --- 10 rec. - 104 yds, TD
Marcus Pollard, TE --- 5 rec. - 38 yds
Bobby Engram, WR --- 4 rec. - 24 yds
D.J. Hackett, WR --- 3 rec. - 22 yds, TD

Lofa Tatupu, MLB --- 8 tkls, 1 sack, INT
Bryce Fisher, DE --- 6 tkls
Julian Peterson, OLB --- 5 tkls, 1 sack
Leroy Hill, OLB --- 5 tkls, INT

PITTSBURGH

Ben Roethlisberger, QB --- 17 - 28 - 190 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT

Willie Parker, RB --- 23 att. - 156 yds, TD

Hines Ward, WR --- 5 rec. - 67 yds, TD
Heath Miller, TE --- 5 rec. - 39 yds

James Farrior, MLB --- 9 tkls
Clark Haggans, OLB --- 8 tkls
Larry Foote, MLB --- 7 tkls
Aaron Smith, DE --- 6 tkls

[kblu54]

Green Bay signs veteran RB Dillon to save sluggish run game
NFL News

The savior has (hopefully) arrived.

Green Bay picked up a player than can hopefully turn their current skid around. With RB Ryan Grant out for several more weeks with an injury, the Packers' run game has been iffy at best. QB Aaron Rodgers has struggled staying upright without run support, and the Packers have gone 0-4 to start the year.

Enter Corey Dillon. The Packers went out this week and signed the veteran RB to a 3-year deal, bolstering a weak run game and hopefully providing Rodgers with another weapon. Dillon will be a much better option than Vernand Morency, who has been starting since Grant went down in the final preseason game.

Grant is expected to return around Week 9, but until then Dillon should get the majority of the workload. The Packers face the Bears at home on Sunday Night Football this Sunday.

In other free agent news, the Rams signed guard Kris Jacox and the Saints picked up MLB Ronald McKinnon. Jacox should help the Rams account for injured starter Claude Terrell, who is still out.

[kblu54]

Game Recaps

St. Louis 35, Arizona 21

St. Louis rolls up 431 yards of offense in a rout of Arizona.

STL: Marc Bulger, QB --- 26 - 34 - 318 yds, 4 TD
ARZ: Edgerrin James, RB --- 26 att. - 124 yds, TD

Tennessee 20, Atlanta 3

Tennessee plays well off their bye week, dominating Atlanta for their 1st win of the season.

TEN: Vince Young, QB --- 137 pass yds, 79 rush yds, 2 pass TD
ATL: 5 giveaways (QB Byron Leftwich --- 4 INT)

New Orleans 20, Carolina 14

New Orleans squeaks past Carolina after bye week.

NO: Drew Brees, QB --- 20 - 26 - 166 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
CAR: DeAngelo Williams, RB --- 31 att. - 134 yds, TD

New England 26, Cleveland 14

Patriots outscore Browns 19-0 in the 2nd half.

NE: Randy Moss, WR --- 8 rec. - 135 yds, TD
CLE: Derek Anderson, QB --- 17 - 31 - 177 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT

Washington 39, Detroit 22

Washington dominates off the bye week behind RB Clinton Portis' 3 TDs.

WAS: Clinton Portis, RB --- 30 att. - 129 yds, 3 TD
DET: Jon Kitna, QB --- 2 pass TD

Kansas City 31, Jacksonville 10

QB Michael Vick runs wild in return from injury, keeping their win streak alive despite QB controversy.

KC: Michael Vick, QB --- 183 rush yds, 3 TD
JAX: Fred Taylor, RB --- 19 att. - 121 yds, TD

Miami 24, Houston 6

Miami sends Houston crashing back down to earth behind RB Ronnie Brown's huge game on the ground.

MIA: Ronnie Brown, RB --- 30 att. - 208 yds, 2 TD
HOU: Ahman Green, RB --- 24 att. - 109 yds

New York Giants 35, New York Jets 10

Giants crush the Jets behind QB Eli Manning's great game, dealing them their 2nd straight loss.

NYG: Eli Manning, QB --- 27 - 35 - 308 yds, 4 TD
NYJ: Chad Pennington, QB --- 15 - 33 - 206 yds, TD

Tampa Bay 28, Indianapolis 14

Tampa Bay scores all their points in the 2nd quarter and rattles QB Peyton Manning on the road.

TB: Jeff Garcia, QB --- 19 - 30 - 160 yds, 3 TD
IND: Peyton Manning, QB --- 20 - 32 - 222 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT

San Francisco 17, Baltimore 6

San Francisco leads 17-0 at the half, holds on to keep the Ravens winless.

SF: Frank Gore, RB --- 22 att. - 97 yds, TD
BAL: Willis McGahee, RB --- 34 att. - 126 yds

Denver 23, San Diego 17 (OT)

QB Jay Cutler tosses game-winning 43-yard TD to WR Javon Walker on 2nd play of OT to ruin great offensive day for San Diego.

DEN: Jay Cutler, QB --- 161 pass yds, 2 TD (1 rush)
SD: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB --- 206 total yds, 2 TD (1 rec)

Green Bay 38, Chicago 17

Newly-signed RB Corey Dillon leads Green Bay to blowout of Chicago at home, giving the Packers their 1st win of the year.

GB: Corey Dillon, RB --- 29 att. - 81 yds, 3 TD
CHI: Rex Grossman, QB --- 17 - 23 - 171 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT

Dallas 17, Buffalo 14

Dallas sneaks past Buffalo on Monday Night Football to stay atop the NFC East.

DAL: Julius Jones, RB --- 40 att. - 147 yds, TD
BUF: Lee Evans, WR --- 10 rec. - 159 yds, TD

Week 5 Notable Injuries

Eric Johnson, TE, New Orleans --- Out 8 weeks (dislocated knee)

[kblu54]

AFC Standings (after Week 5)

East
1) New York Jets --- 3-2
2) New England --- 3-2
3) Miami ---- 3-2
4) Buffalo --- 2-3

North
1) Pittsburgh --- 3-2
2) Cincinnati --- 2-2
3) Cleveland --- 2-3
4) Baltimore --- 0-5

South
1) Houston --- 3-2
2) Indianapolis --- 3-2
3) Jacksonville --- 2-2
4) Tennessee --- 1-3

West
1) Denver --- 4-1
2) Kansas City --- 3-2
3) Oakland --- 1-3
4) San Diego --- 1-4

AFC Players of the Week

Offense:
Michael Vick, QB, Kansas City
9 - 17 - 86 yds; 17 att. - 183 yds, 3 TD

Defense:
Keith Bulluck, OLB, Tennessee
8 tkls, 1 sack, 2 INT, FF

[kblu54]

NFC Standings (after Week 5)

East
1) Dallas --- 4-1
2) Philadelphia --- 3-1
3) New York Giants --- 3-2
4) Washington --- 2-2

North
1) Chicago --- 3-2
2) Minnesota --- 2-2
3) Green Bay --- 1-4
4) Detroit --- 1-4

South
1) Tampa Bay --- 3-2
2) New Orleans --- 2-2
3) Carolina --- 2-3
4) Atlanta --- 2-3

West
1) St. Louis --- 4-1
2) Seattle --- 4-1
3) San Francisco --- 2-3
4) Arizona --- 2-3

NFC Players of the Week

Offense:
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
27 - 35 - 308 yds, 4 TD

Defense:
Michael Lewis, SS, San Francisco
3 tkls, 2 INT, FR

[kblu54]

Week 6 Schedule
(Note: Gold = Game of the Week, Bold = Sunday Night Football, Red = Monday Night Football)
(Note: All times EST)

Cincinnati @ Kansas City, Sun. 1:00 pm
Houston @ Jacksonville, Sun. 1:00 pm
Miami @ Cleveland, Sun. 1:00 pm
Minnesota @ Chicago, Sun. 1:00 pm
Philadelphia @ New York Jets, Sun. 1:00 pm
St. Louis @ Baltimore, Sun. 1:00 pm
Tennessee @ Tampa Bay, Sun. 1:00 pm
Washington @ Green Bay, Sun. 1:00 pm
Carolina @ Arizona, Sun. 4:05 pm
New England @ Dallas, Sun. 4:15 pm
Oakland @ San Diego, Sun. 4:15 pm
New Orleans @ Seattle, Sun. 8:15 pm
New York Giants @ Atlanta, Mon. 8:30 pm

[kblu54]

Eagles, Jets prepare for possible high-scoring tussle
NFL News

In Week 1, the Jets were highlighted in the Game of the Week against the New England Patriots. They shocked everyone by knocking off the seemingly-dominant Patriots in OT, which jump-started a 3-0 start to the year. But after losing their last two contests, the Jets find themselves again the focus in the Game of the Week matchup, this time against NFC contender Philadelphia. Can the Jets find some magic again?

The Eagles will visit the Big Apple this Sunday to take on the Jets, fresh off their bye week. Philadelphia struggled in their last game, getting beat by the surging Giants. Hopefully, with a week to prepare, the Eagles can bring their explosive offense back up to speed and keep themselves in the NFC East title race.

The Jets really need this win to stay atop of AFC East after two straight losses have put them in a tie with New England and Miami. The Jets lost big (35-10) to the Giants last week, and need to stay sound all game to beat the Eagles.

In the end, I can't see the Eagles losing with 2 weeks to prepare, despite being on the road. Their offense is just waiting to drop a bunch of points on the Jets, who can't seem to re-gain the rhythm they had to open the year. The Eagles' top-ranked defense may truly be the difference. I say the Eagles win handily.

Philadelphia Ratings New York Jets
90 ---Overall--- 87
90 ---Offense--- 87
89 ---Defense--- 87
90 ---Special Teams--- 89


Philadelphia Team Stats (NFL Rank) New York Jets
20.5 (t-17th) ---Points Per Game--- 24.7 (t-5th)
1,436 (13th) ---Total Offense--- 1,472 (12th)
577 (19th) ---Rush Offense--- 644 (7th)
859 (9th) ---Pass Offense--- 828 (14th)
1,035 (1st) ---Total Defense--- 1,452 (20th)
451 (5th) ---Rush Defense--- 556 (13th)
584 (3rd) ---Pass Defense--- 896 (23rd)
-6 (t-27th) ---Turnover Diff.--- +1 (t-13th)


Prediction: Philadelphia 34, New York Jets 17