New England Patriots get impressive win over the Pittsburgh Steelers

The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers have been two of the most successful teams in the NFL over the past decade or so, but coming into this NFL regular season it was pretty uncertain whether these two storied NFL franchises would be able to dominate the competition like they had done so easily in the past.

Fortunately, coming into their Week 10 matchup both the Patriots and the Steelers were sporting 6-2 records and were considered to be amongst the elite teams in the NFL this season, but only one team could come out on top with two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s squad having the edge in NFL odds with a -4 point spread.

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Despite being arguably the better team on the defensive side of the football and playing well over the last few weeks of the season, Mike Tomlin and company struggled all day long against Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots and Tom Brady put on a show with 350 yards passing and four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing).

Pittsburgh Steelers vs New England Patriots at...
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Even though Tom Brady’s impressive performance overshadowed Ben Roethlisberger’s, Big Ben put up some pretty impressive numbers as well with 387 yards passing, three touchdowns and one interception. So even though Big Ben had a big game, it just wasn’t enough to lead his team to victory as the Patriots were able to hold on their lead all game long and come out with a 39-26 win.

One big problem the Pittsburgh Steelers had in this AFC Conference heavyweight showdown was the absence of go to wide receiver Hines Ward who went down with a concussion early in the contest, but fortunately young wideout Mike Wallace was able to step it up for the Steelers in place of Ward by finishing with 138 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

As for the New England Patriots, it was tight end Ron Gronkowski that became Tom Brady’s favorite target in the offense with five catches for 72 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. This came as a surprise to both the Pittsburgh Steelers and everyone watching as tight end Aaron Hernandez has been the number one tight end in the offense, but Gronkowski just happen to be who Brady was targeting this past Sunday.

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There was no question coming into this Week 10 matchup that the New England Patriots were legitimate Super Bowl title contenders and could compete with the New York Jets for the AFC East division title, but this big win over the Pittsburgh Steelers has convinced many people that Tom Brady and company are officially the real deal and arguably the best team in the league.

Even though the New England Patriots have proven that they are one of the league’s elite teams moving forward and could be headed for Cowboys Stadium in February, they will have their work cut out for them once again in Week 11 against an old rival in Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

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Can the St. Louis Rams win the NFC West?

The NFC West division has been dominated by the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks over the past decade or so, but with so many changes to these two dominant teams like the Seahawks rebuilding and the Cardinals losing former NFL MVP quarterback Kurt Warner to retirement, the division was wide open for change and this season the St. Louis Rams seem destine to change it.

Before this NFL regular season began, the St. Louis Rams were owners of the first overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and with so many disappointments at quarterback ever since Kurt Warner left town, the Rams had their eyes set on former Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford of Oklahoma.

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There was a lot of debate heading into the 2010 NFL Draft about the number one pick and whether or not the St. Louis Rams should take a chance on a quarterback that had multiple shoulder injuries in his last year with the Oklahoma Sooners, but despite everyone doubting the young quarterbacks ability to stay healthy and transcend his game on the NFL level, the Rams went with Bradford and haven’t looked back.

DETROIT - OCTOBER 10:  Sam Bradford #8 of the ...
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Last season the St. Louis Rams were arguably the worst team in the league as they had only won one game all year long and were thought to produce similar results this season, but that hasn’t been the case as Sam Bradford has been able to lead them to four wins and a first place standing in the NFC West coming into Week 10.

Obviously, there is still a lot of football to be played and the Seattle Seahawks (4-4), Arizona Cardinals (3-5) and maybe even the San Francisco 49ers (2-6) could potentially be a threat to win the NFC West division moving forward, but not one of these teams have played as well as the St. Louis Rams this season.

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There is no question that the Rams still have a ways to go before they can be considered a legitimate force to be reckoned with in the NFC Conference as they are pretty thin at wide receiver, especially with all their injuries this season, but they are definitely moving in the right direction as Sam Bradford is without a doubt just what the doctor ordered for this struggling NFL franchise.

Coming into Week 10, the St. Louis Rams will square off against the division rival San Francisco 49ers in what could be a very important game in terms of division position.

As of right now, the San Francisco 49ers are favorites to come out on top in this NFC West showdown with a -6 point spread, but I believe the St. Louis Rams will continue to play well this week and pull off the upset while maintaining their first place standing within the division.

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NFL Week 10: Ravens @ Falcons

Baltimore Ravens @ Atlanta Falcons Thurs. Nov. 11th 2010 8:20pm EST

The Baltimore Ravens came into this NFL regular season with high hopes of competing for a Super Bowl title and no one could doubt them as they were able to add a key player to the offensive side of the football in Pro Bowl wide receiver Anquan Boldin, but even though they have gotten off to a good start this season with a 6-2 record and a first place standing in the AFC North division, Joe Flacco and company will have their work cut out for them in Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons.

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Much like the Ravens, the Falcons have been on the verge of turning the corner over the past few years, but have struggled to get into the playoffs as they have had to contend with the likes of the defending Super Bowl New Orleans Saints within the NFC South.

Last season Matt Ryan and company were ready to make another run in the playoffs, but fell just short as the Saints won the division and the Falcons were on the outside looking in on the NFC Wildcard.

Fortunately, this season has turned out to be much different as they are now the team to beat in the NFC South division and arguably the entire NFC Conference for the matter. With a first place standing in their division and their most recent win over the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Atlanta Falcons are flying high right now and will have no intentions of going down without a fight in Week 10 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Despite playing some impressive football over the past few weeks, the Atlanta Falcons will be outmatched in my opinion this weekend as they will be defending their home field against a very good Baltimore Ravens team that is being considered by some to be the best team in the league right now.

As of right now, the Atlanta Falcons are getting the advantage in this one in terms of NFL picks as they have a -1 point spread in their favor, but I believe it is just strictly due to home field.

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The Baltimore Ravens defense hasn’t played with the kind of dominance that they have in years past, but with the offense stepping up the way they have this season they really haven’t needed to in order to get wins. With that being said, the Ravens have been able to stay in contention in every single game this season with only two losses on the year so far.

In my opinion, this game should be the game of the week in the NFL as these two Super Bowl title contenders will not be giving up an inch to each other, but in the end I can’t see the Atlanta Falcons coming out on top as the Baltimore Ravens should get their seventh win of the season and maintain their first place standing in the AFC North division.

MLB Top Free Agents and Where They Might Land

1. Cliff Lee

His postseason mystique was shattered by the San Francisco Giants in the just concluded World Series. The Giants’ surprisingly heavy bats battered Lee. It’s not like it matters though because Lee is still the biggest free agent out there.

Destination: Obviously, buzz has been swirling that the Yankees will throw a load of cash Lee’s way. But after Yankee fans disrespected Lee’s wife during the AL championships Lee may think twice. Then again with the kind of money the Yankees are willing to spend you’d be stupid not to sign with them.

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2. Carl Crawford

Considered the top free agent position player in the market, Crawford will not be offered big money by the Yankees since they have Brett Gardner.

Destination: Crawford has stated his intention to stay with the Rays. But if the Red Sox, Angels and Tigers offer him a $100M multi-year contract it would be hard not to choose money over loyalty.

3. Jayson Werth

Werth is showing signs that he has no intention of returning to Philadelphia. He shortly filed for free agency after the conclusion of the World Series. Werth is likely in line for a payday worth $13 million or more per year.

Destination: ESPNBoston.com reports that the Red Sox have contacted Werth. The Angels are also ready to offer Werth a contract.

4. Rafael Soriano

The 30-year-old is one of the best closers in the game. He had 44 saves and a 1.76 ERA last season.

Destination: Nothing is certain yet for Soriano, but he’ll not be in a Rays uniform next season.

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5. Magglio Ordonez

Ordonez was a $15M-type of salary player until he fractured his ankle in July.

Destination: Ordonez will likely return to the Tigers. The 36-year-old can act as a leader-veteran type player to young players.

NFL Week 9: Jets @ Lions

New York Jets @ Detroit Lions Sun. Nov. 7th 2010 1pm EST

Coming into this NFL regular season, the Detroit Lions were thought to be on the verge of finally turning their struggling NFL franchise around. With players like quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Calvin Johnson and rookies Jahvid Best and Ndamkong Suh, the Lions seemed to have the right pieces of the puzzle to finally give teams in the NFC Conference and possibly in the NFC North division a run for their money.

Unfortunately, in Week 1 against the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions suffered a bit of a setback as Stafford went down with a shoulder injury that would keep the up and coming quarterback out until Week 8 against the Washington Redskins.

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Despite not having their promising young quarterback under center for the first seven weeks of the season, the Detroit Lions were able to give some of the best teams in the league a run for their money, but were only able to come up with one win against the St. Louis Rams.

Fortunately, right when Stafford got back under center last week against the Redskins, the Lions were able to get their potent offense right back on track and 212 yards and four touchdowns later, Detroit had their second win of the season.

Even though the Lions seem to be able to get back on track offensively in Week 8, they will have their hands full in Week 9 against arguably the best defense in the league as the New York Jets will be looking to show why they are the best defense in the league by making it a long day for Matthew Stafford and company.

Last week the New York Jets hit a bit of a speed bump coming out of their bye week as they were unable to score against the Green Bay Packers defense. Fortunately, Darrelle Revis and company were able to hold the once potent offense of the Packers to just nine points, but that wasn’t enough to secure their sixth win of the season as they just seemed hopeless on the offensive side of the football and lost their second game this year.

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Coming into their matchup with the up and coming Detroit Lions, Mark Sanchez and company will be looking to establish their offense early and offense, probably by going to the ground game and having running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene wear down the defense. Along with getting their offense going, the Jets defense will be concentrating on stopping Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson in the air attack. When these two promising young players get going they are near impossible to stop and that was never more evident than it was last week against the Washington Redskins when they two players hooked up for three touchdowns.

As of right now, the New York Jets are favored to come out on top with a -4 point spread and even though the Detroit Lions can put up a lot of points quickly, Rex Ryan’s squad should get the win and cover the spread.

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