Even All-Stars Fade Away ~ A Madden NFL 15 Franchise

[patriotway]

Media Reaction
Mark Schlereth - @MarkSchlerethEA: Jerod Mayo really played like a mad man this week. #AFC
Ross Tucker - @RossTukerEA: It's clear that Luke Kuechley is capable of doing anything he wants on that field. #NFCPoW
Skip Bayless - @SkipBaylessEA: It would have been a travesty had Marshawn Lynch not been named #NFCPoW

[patriotway]

NFL Standings - Week 2
NFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Washington Redskins	1	1	0	56	52
New York Giants	1	1	0	27	54
Philadelphia Eagles	1	1	0	66	31
Dallas Cowboys	0	2	0	21	61
NFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Detroit Lions	1	1	0	30	26
Green Bay Packers	1	1	0	41	40
Chicago Bears	0	2	0	38	54
Minnesota Vikings	0	2	0	25	58
NFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Atlanta Falcons	2	0	0	66	57
Carolina Panthers	1	1	0	30	27
New Orleans Saints	1	1	0	59	58
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	0	2	0	25	53
NFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
San Francisco 49ers	2	0	0	51	24
St. Louis Rams	2	0	0	50	23
Arizona Cardinals	2	0	0	67	27
Seattle Seahawks	2	0	0	63	38
AFC EAST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Buffalo Bills	2	0	0	64	28
Miami Dolphins	1	1	0	31	54
New England Patriots	1	1	0	61	44
New York Jets	0	2	0	24	36
AFC NORTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Pittsburgh Steelers	2	0	0	72	23
Cincinnati Bengals	1	1	0	56	55
Cleveland Browns	0	2	0	26	55
Baltimore Ravens	0	2	0	44	75
AFC SOUTH	W	L	T	PF	PA
Indianapolis Colts	2	0	0	51	38
Tennessee Titans	2	0	0	51	20
Houston Texans	1	1	0	30	42
Jacksonville Jaguars	1	1	0	49	73
AFC WEST	W	L	T	PF	PA
Kansas City Chiefs	1	1	0	37	38
Oakland Raiders	1	1	0	30	27
Denver Broncos	0	2	0	34	51
San Diego Chargers	0	2	0	37	70

[patriotway]

A game between division rivals is always exciting. The intensity of the game is amplified when there is one player that recently switched from one team to the other. DeSean Jackson will return to Philadelphia for the first time since being released from the Eagles. His departure from the team didn't g well. A great game from Jackson could help Washington win the game and stay atop the NFC East.


Even better than a division rival game is a Super Bowl rematch. Both teams are heading in complete opposite directions as the 0-2 Denver Broncos head to Century Link Field to play the 2-0 Seattle Seahawks. The Broncos' main concern might be getting their first win of the season rather than exacting revenge.

Week 3 Schedule

Thursday's Games

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) @ Atlanta Falcons (2-0) l 8:25 PM

Sunday's Games

San Diego Chargers (0-2) @ Buffalo Bills (2-0) l 1:00 PM

Dallas Cowboys (0-2) @ St. Louis Rams (2-0) l 1:00 PM

Green Bay Packers (1-1) @ Detroit Lions (1-1) l 1:00 PM

Houston Texans (1-1) @ New York Giants (1-1) l 1:00 PM

Indianapolis Colts (2-0) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) l 1:00 PM

Minnesota Vikings (0-2) @ New Orleans Saints (1-1) l 1:00 PM

Oakland Raiders (1-1) @ New England Patriots (1-1) l 1:00 PM

Baltimore Ravens (0-2) @ Cleveland Browns (0-2) l 1:00 PM

Tennessee Titans (2-0) @ Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) 1:00 PM

Washington Redskins (1-1) @ Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) l 1:00 PM

San Francisco 49ers (2-0) @ Arizona Cardinals (2-0) l 4:05 PM

Denver Broncos (0-2) @ Seattle Seahawks (2-0) l 4:25 PM

Kansas City Chiefs (1-1) @ Miami Dolphins (1-1) l 4:25 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) @ Carolina Panthers (1-1) l 8:30 PM

Monday's Games

Chicago Bears (0-2) @ New York Jets (0-2) l 8:30 PM

BYE WEEKS: NONE

[patriotway]

The New England Patriots will have a lot of decisions to make at the running back position when the season ends. Depending on how things turn out, they may or may not have to draft a player at that position. Whatever turn the situation may take, it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

[patriotway]

Media Reaction
Robert Flores - @RoFloEA: Had Geno Smith on the show, he's excited about the matchup this week against the #Bears.
Ross Tucker - @RossTuckerEA: Maybe not on everyone's radar, but watch out for the #Steelers/#Panthers matchup this weekend.
Trey Wingo - @WingozEA: Tonight we'll be talking about every NFL matchup this week, including the Broncos/Seahawks game.
Chris Mortensen - @mortreportEA: Torn on who to pick for the #49ers up against the #Cardinals. Give me a reason to lean in the other direction.
Adam Schefter - @AdamSchefterEA: Bengals updated their injury report. Folks should expect to see A. Smith this week.

[patriotway]

Week 3 Power Rankings
RK (LW)	Team	Record	Next Game
1 (5)	Pittsburgh Steelers	2-0	@ Carolina Panthers
2 (12)	San Francisco 49ers	2-0	@ Arizona Cardinals
3 (9)	St. Louis Rams	2-0	vs. Dallas Cowboys
4 (2)	Atlanta Falcons	2-0	vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5 (3)	Indianapolis Colts	2-0	@ Jacksonville Jaguars
6 (14)	Buffalo Bills	2-0	vs. San Diego Chargers
7 (15)	Arizona Cardinals	2-0	vs. San Francisco 49ers
8 (8)	Seattle Seahawks	2-0	vs. Denver Broncos
9 (10)	Tennessee Titans	2-0	@ Cincinnati Bengals
10 (1)	Cincinnati Bengals	1-1	vs. Tennessee Titans
11 (16)	Washington Redskins	1-1	@ Philadelphia Eagles
12 (7)	New York Giants	1-1	vs. Houston Texans
13 (21)	Detroit Lions	1-1	vs. Green Bay Packers
14 (29)	Houston Texans	1-1	@ New York Giants
15 (4)	Carolina Panthers	1-1	vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
16 (6)	Miami Dolphins	1-1	vs. Kansas City Chiefs
17 (18)	Green Bay Packers	1-1	@ Detroit Lions
18 (25)	Kansas City Chiefs	1-1	@ Miami Dolphins
19 (11)	Oakland Raiders	1-1	@ New England Patriots
20 (20)	New Orleans Saints	1-1	vs. Minnesota Vikings
21 (13)	Philadelphia Eagles	1-1	vs. Washington Redskins
22 (17)	New England Patriots	1-1	vs. Oakland Raiders
23 (32)	Jacksonville Jaguars	1-1	vs. Indianapolis Colts
24 (19)	Cleveland Browns	0-2	vs.Baltimore Ravens
25 (23)	Baltimore Ravens	0-2	@ Cleveland Browns
26 (27)	Carolina Panthers	0-2	@ New York Jets
27 (28)	Denver Broncos	0-2	@ Seattke Seahawks
28 (22)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	0-2	@ Atlanta Falcons
29 (24)	Minnesota Vikings	0-2	@ New Orleans Saints
30 (26)	New York Jets	0-2	vs. Chicago Bears
31 (30)	Dallas Cowboys	0-2	@ St. Louis Rams
32 (31)	San Diego Chargers	0-2	@ Buffalo Bills

[patriotway]

Matchup Preview *|* September 21, 2014
	@
Oakland Raiders (1-1, 1-0 Away)		New England Patriots (1-1, 0-0 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 492 (32nd) Total Offensive Yards 889 (1st) 366 (Tied - 27th) Passing Yards 684 (2nd) 126 (24th) Rushing Yards 205 (11th) 15.0 (Tied - 23rd) Points Per Game 30.5 (7th) 3 (Tied - 12th) Passing TD 5 (Tied - 4th) 0 (Tied - 26th) Rushing TD 1 (Tied - 14th) 21 (Tied - 31st) First Downs 45 (1st) 7 (Tied - 10th) Red Zone Attempts 12 (Tied - 1st) 0-2 Red Zone TD-FG 6-2 28% (Tied - 32nd) Red Zone Percentage 66% (Tied - 24th) Defensive Stats Comparison 527 (3rd) Total Yards Allowed 714 (21st) 318 (2nd) Passing Yards Allowed 342 (3rd) 209 (23rd) Rushing Yards Allowed 372 (32nd) 13.5 (Tied - 6th) Points Per Game 22.0 (17th) 3 (Tied- 12th) Sacks 6 (2nd) 0 (Tied - 18th) Fumble Recoveries 2 (Tied - 4th) 3 (Tied - 7th) Interceptions 2 (Tied - 13th) 5 (Tied - 8th) Red Zone Attempts 3 (Tied - 2nd) 3-1 Red Zone TD-FG 2-1 80% (Tied - 19th) Red Zone Percentage 100% (Tied - 29th) Injury Report P. Sims/Dislocated Hip (7 Weeks) D. Penn/Dislocated Knee (5 Weeks) Game Notes The New England Patriots will host their first game of the season at home against the Oakland Raiders. While competing on the road is never easy, things are made that much tougher for the Raiders with Donald Penn set miss the next few weeks with a knee injury.

[patriotway]

Oakland Raiders at New England Patriots
Sep 21, 2014	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Oakland Raiders (2-1)	7	7	3	3	6	26
New England Patriots (1-2)	0	9	8	3	0	20

Team Stats Comparison
	OAK	NWE
Total Offense	361	379
Rushing Yards	185	50
Passing Yards	176	329
First Downs	18	22
Punt Return Yards	24	42
Kick Return Yards	84	146
Total Yards	469	567
Turnovers	1(+3)	4(-3)
3rd Down Converstion	8-18(44%)	6-15(40%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0(0%)	0-1(0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0(0%)	1-1(100%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/1	1/1
Penalties	2-20	3-25
Posession Time	34:40	33:01

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		OAK	NWE
6:20	(OAK) M. Jones-Drew, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski kick)	7	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		OAK	NWE
11:51	(NWE) S. Gostkowski, 48 Yd FG	7	3
5:53	(OAK) M. Jones-Drew, 1 Yd run (S. Janikowski kick)	14	3
1:16	(NWE) S. Gostkowski, 51 Yd FG	14	6
0:00	(NWE) S. Gostkowski, 29 Yd FG	14	9
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		OAK	NWE
8:38	(OAK) S. Janikowski, 53 Yd FG	17	9
3:25	(NWE) B. LaFell 7 Yd pass from T. Brady (S. Gostkowski kick)	17	17
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		OAK	NWE
13:17	(OAK) S. Janikowski, 29 Yd FG	20	17
1:20	(NWE) S. Gostkowski, 47 Yd FG	20	20
OVERTIME SCORING		OAK	NWE
7:18	(OAK) D. Moore 24 Yd pass from D. Carr	26	20

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT M. Shaub (RAT:85.7) 18/26(69%) 162 0 0 D. Carr (RAT: 117.2) 5/8(62%) 45 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD M. Jones-Drew 29(Fum) 146 5.0 2 D. McFadden 8 29 3.6 0 M. Schaub 1 10 10.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD M. Jones-Drew 7 46 6.5 0 M. Rivera 5 46 9.2 0 R. Streater 2 20 10.0 0 D. Moore 2 26 13.0 1 A. Holmes 2 10 5.0 0 J. Jones 2 30 15.0 0 D. McFadden 2 6 3.0 0 B. Leonhardt 1 23 23.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK A. Howard 1 1 K. Barnes 0 2 DEFENSE T-A SACK INT TD T. Branch 9-2 0 0 0 K. Mack 7-0 0 0 0 S. Moore 6-1 1 0 0 N. Roach 5-0 (FR) 0 0 0 T. Brown 5-1 0 2 0 C. Woodson 4-0 0 0 0 J. Ellis 3-0 0 0 0 D. Hayden 3-0 1 0 0 C. Rogers 3-0 0 0 0 K. Maiava 3-0 0 1 0 T. Carrie 3-0 0 0 0 L. Woodely 3-0 0 0 0 B. Filimoeatu 2-0 0 0 0 A. Smith 1-0 0 0 0 C. Wilson 1-0(FF) 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Janikowski 2/2 2/2 8 53 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 M. King 7 357 51.0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD L. Murray 2 43 21.5 0 T. Carrie 2 41 20.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD T. Carrie 2 24 12.0 0

New England Patriots PASSING C/A YDS TD INT T. Brady (RAT: 66.5) 34/52(65%) 344 1 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD S. Ridley 17 58 3.4 0 S. Vereen 3 1 0.3 0 T. Brady 1 -9 -9.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD R. Gronkowski 8 47 5.8 0 D. Amendola 6 68 11.3 0 A. Dobson 6 84 14.0 0 B. LaFell 6 62 10.3 1 J. Edelman 5 37 7.4 0 S. Vereen 3 46 15.3 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK R. Wendell 1 0 DEFENSE T-A SACK INT TD J. Mayo 12-1 1 0 0 D. McCourty 7-1 0 0 0 J. Collins 7-0 1 0 0 P. Chung 6-0 0 0 0 D. Revis 5-0 0 0 0 C. Jones 4-0 0 0 0 D. Hightower 4-0(FF) 0 0 0 K. Arrington 3-0 0 0 0 L. Ryan 2-0 0 0 0 Cha. Jones 2-0(FR) 0 0 0 R. Ninkovich 2-0 1 0 0 A. Dennard 2-0 0 0 0 D. Easley 1-0 0 0 0 N. Ebner 1-0 0 0 0 V. Wilfork 1-0 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG S. Gostkowski 4/4 0/0 12 51 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 R. Allen 4 200 50.0 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD D. Amendola 6 146 24.3 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD D. Amednola 3 34 11.3 0 J. Edelman 1 8 8.0 0

A week two road victory against the Minnesota Vikings should be a confidence booster for the New England Patriots. In week three, they finally returned to Gillette Stadium to host their first home game of the year. While no NFL team should be taken lightly, the Oakland Raiders haven't exactly been known as a team to fear for the last decade plus.

Although the game started slowly on offense for the New England Patriots, their defense played well.

The Patriots offense was a little stagnant early on in the game. The Raiders were able to take advantage of this by finding the endzone first. Something else the Raiders were able to do was keep the Patriots out of the endzone in the first half. However, three field goals kept the Patriots within arms reach of their opponent.

Three second quarter field goals by Stephen Gostkowski kept the Patriots in the game.

After the Raiders extended their lead in the third quarter, the Patriots finally found the endzone. Late in that quarter, Tom Brady connected with first-year Patriot Brandon LaFell on a 7 yard TD pass. Just as the Patriots seemed to find their rhythm, the Raiders running game exploded.

The fourth quarter was a seesaw battle between the Patriots and the Raiders for control of the game. The Raiders, who had stayed with their running game despite not getting much from it, started to see much better results. Oakland's success with the running game in the fourth quarter helped them retake the lead. The Patriots managed to kick a field goal of their own, tying the game at 20.

The turnovers by the Patriots were too much to overcome in the long run. Even after winning the coin toss and getting possession of the ball first, the Patriots were not able to score. The Raiders marched down the field on their ensuing drive and scored on a 24-yard pass to Denarius Moore.

The Patriots will have to put this tough loss behind them quickly and prepare for another game on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs. What has become a problem for the Patriots is their run defense. If they can't manage to get this problem fixed, they will have a lot of trouble in Kansas City.

Media Reaction
Mark Schlereth - @MarkSchlerethEA: Gotta respect the way the Raiders played in OT. Kept their cool, got it done.
Matt Miller - @MattMillerEA: Strong showing by Maurice Jones-Drew who butchered the Patriots defense this week.
Trey Wingo - @WingozEA: Tom Brady reached a major milestone this week -- a 50,000 passing yard milestone to be exact.