Join Us Now for Live Game Day Chat

 

I will update this blog every few minutes with observations and reactions to the various Week 10 story lines as they play out at stadiums around the country. I might give fantasy advise, complain about the Saints, debate controversial play calls and referee decisions, while being a good host and reacting to your comments to the blog or any questions you might ask on Twitter.

Click here for a few of my pre-game thoughts and more info on The Sports Casters.

7:45: I hope you all enjoyed watching the games with me today. Enjoy the night games and check back next week for another live blog. Also, don’t forget to follow @sports_casters on twitter for more information about upcoming podcasts and future blogs. Goodnight.

7:35: Last thing, for the sake of argument let’s pretend that the favored Jets and Packers win the two remaining week 10 games. This is how the playoffs would look if the NFL made the shocking decision to play them next week.

AFC

1. Houston (AFC South)
2. Pittsburgh (AFC North)
3. Jets (AFC East)
4. Oakland (AFC West)
5. Baltimore (AFC Wild Card #1)
6. Cincinatti (AFC Wild Card #2)

7:25: Before I sign off for the night, here is a quick one liner about each of the 4:00 games and how the outcomes could affect on the rest of the season.

• Bears 37 Lions 7: The Bears are one of the hottest teams in the National Football League. With a dominating performance at home against the slumping Lions the Bears move ahead of the Lions in the playoff race and control the first wild card spot in the NFC. The Lions are reeling and need to beat Carolina at home next week. If not, the Lions will be 6-5 heading into the Thanksgiving battle against the Packers.
• Seahawks 22 Ravens 17: The Seahawks improve to 3-6 and have a signature victory that they can build on as they play out the rest of a otherwise disappointing season. The Ravens lose the dreaded trap game and fall to 6-3 and a half a game behind the Steelers for the lead in the AFC North.
• 49ers 27 Giants 20: The win for the 49ers puts them at 8-1 going into their bye week and it doesn’t get much better than that. The 49ers should coast through the rest of the season and secure one of the two byes in the NFC. This loss doesn’t kill the Giants, but it does give some life to the Cowboys who are now only one game back.

7:22: After reviewing the play, referee Scott Green says that the ruling on the field stands. Lynch is in all out beast mode and the Ravens will use their last timeout.

7:19: The last piece of business for the day is if the Seahawks can hold on to defeat the Ravens. Baltimore is challenging the play before the 2-minnute warning in what seems to be another impossible challenge. The ref explains that the Ravens are challenging the spot of the ball on the previous run. That seems like it’s possible. It initially seemed like the Ravens wanted to challenge a phantom fumble call. Interesting review.

7:15: On fourth and 2 in the red zone, Eli Manning has his pass batted down at the line by Justin Smith. The 49ers will take over on downs and line up in the victory formation. The 49ers improve to an incredible 8-1 and the Giants will fall to 6-3 only one game ahead of the surging Cowboys.

7:14: M. Lynch just juked Jarret Johnson out of his ACL.

7:10: As dull as these games looked a half an hour ago we should get two good finishes out of three. The Bears are killing the Lions. You can forget about that game. With 5-minutes left in Seattle the Seahawks are holding on to a 5-point lead over the Ravens. In San Francisco, the 49ers lead the Giants by 7 at the 2-minute warning.

7:05: On fourth down, Eli Manning makes a beautiful throw to Mario Manningham for a first down. The 49ers have challenged the ruling on the field.  I don’t see anything on the initial replays that would make me think this could be over turned. Another horrible challenge by an NFL coach. Update: The ruling on the field stands.

7:04: The Ravens get a Flacco to Dickson touchdown pass to cut into the Seahawks lead. In Seattle, it’s 22-16

7:03: The Lions and the Bears are having a fight. That game is ugly.

6:57: I forgot to mention this earlier, but my Mom is disgusted by Ryan Fitzpatrick’s beard. She think that he needs to shave it to ends the Bills losing streak.

6:55: If I buy a new Ford, do I have to have a press conference? If I do, would it be okay to not talk about the car and instead focus on the podcast and blog?

6:52: On 3rd and 7, Manning goes for it all and drops the ball onto the hands of Hakeem Nicks who makes a fantastic catch in the back of the end zone. With almost 9 minutes left, the Giants have cut the deficit to 7-points.

6:51: The Giants are driving the ball and must get a touchdown if they want a chance to get back in this game.

6:50: Here is an example of why fantasy football can be frustrating.The Chicago Bears are dead last in the league against opposing tight ends. The Lions have one of the best young tight ends in football so you would figure that Brandon Pettigrew would be a great start for today. Well, so far he has four catches for only 34 yards.

6:46: The late afternoon games seem to be lacking the excitement we had earlier in the day. Give me the Jets over the Patriots tonight on Sunday Night Football, and the Packers over the Vikings tomorrow.

6:42: For the second time today, Carlos Rodgers intercepts Eli Manning. On the next play, Kendall Hunter takes the off tackle handoff to the house to give the 49ers a 27-13 lead. The 49ers have 2 touchdowns a 2-point conversion and an extra point, and an interception on the last 5 snaps in the game.

6:40: The red zone channel is showing highlights of the Rams vs Browns game from earlier. Brandon Lloyd makes a great catch then he waves his hand in front of his face. Lloyd catches a ball in the end zone and he waves his hand in front of his face. Does he walk around all day waving his hand in front of his face?

6:36: On 2nd and 4, Alex Smith finds a wide open Vernon Davis coming across the middle of the field and Davis hurdles his way into the end zone. Smith then hits Crabtree on the two-point conversion to give the 49ers a 20-13 lead.

6:34: Frank Gore is on the sideline in a awfully heavy looking jacket as the 49ers start the fourth quarter on the Giants side of the field. Also, apparently, Hakeem Nicks is playing today.

6:32: Billy Cundiffmakes a 35-yard field goal to close the gap on the Seahawks lead. 22-10 Seattle with :52 seconds left in the third quarter.

6:26: This is a new post. This is not a duplicate. Matt Stafford is intercepted by Charles Tillman who returns it to the end zone for a touchdown. The Bears have quickly extended their 13-point halftime lead into a 34-6 lead early in the third quarter.

6:21: The Lions start the second half with an awful Matthew Stafford pass that is intercepted and returned for a touchdown by Major Wright. The Bears take a 27-6 lead.

6:20: Another beautiful throw by Eli Manning is dropped perfectly over Toliver into the arms of Mario Manningham for the first touchdown of the game. The Giants take a 13-12 lead.

6:16: My bold prediction on the podcast this week was for the Seahwaks to defeat the Ravens. Halfway through the third quarter, the Hawks lead the Ravens 22-7 in a bird-team-battle for the ages. I get most of my bold predictions wrong so I’m not trying to come across as a genius. This one made sense to me. I know how much the Ravens put into the Steelers games. They got home early Monday morning after the win of the season and then had to fly across the States to Washington for a game against Seattle. Quest Field is always a tough place to play. Im not surprised that the Ravens are struggling.

6:14: Eli Manning makes a drops a beautiful ball over the top into the arms of Victor Cruz for a long gain.

6:08: Pam Oliver reports that Frank Gore is questionable to return with a knee injury. On cue, Frank Gore jogs onto the field apparently ready to return.

6:03: A couple of notes about The Sports-Casters podcast. Last week, we recorded episode 50 featuring interviews with Mike Tirico from Monday Night Football, Kerry J. Byrne from Cold Hard Football Facts, and Dave Dameshek from NFL.COM. Next week, we are lucky enough to have the author of the new Walter Payton biography, Jeff Pearlman and SI and SI.COM writer Steve Rushin. We will also have some coverage from Penn State and talk about the difficult game that is fantasy hockey.

6:02: I tell only the truth. The Bears and Lions game is at halftime.

6:00: The is a lengthy review taking place in Chicago and :23 seconds remain in the FIRST half.

5:55: David Akers is 4-4 and the 49ers have extended their lead to 12-6 over the Giants. If you love field goals, and most of us do, this 49ers/Giants game is the one for you.

5:52: The Bears and Lions have decided to play all night long. The Bears have a 20-6 lead in a game that refuses to go to half.

5:49: Instead of trying to eat the ball through his face mask, Ginn Jr. catches an Alex Smith pass with his hands. Interesting to track, Frank Gore has started the half on the sideline and Kendall Hunter has been running the ball.

5:47: Pam Oliver reporting for Fox in San Francisco quoted Brandon Jacobs as saying, “They’re scared” as he returned to the field for the second half. Never have I seen such a frightened team with a 9-6 lead in the game.

5:46: Matthew Stafford is sacked on third and goal and the Lions are going to have to settle for a late field goal.

5:41: The Ravens miss a field goal at the gun and the Seahawks take a 19-7 lead into the half.

5:40: Colston spoke to reporters after the Saints big victory over the Falcons. We are lucky enough to have a picture.

5:37: Titus Young catches a slant pass from Matt Stafford and a loud cheer from Rochester is heard in Buffalo.

5:35: The Seahawks only gain 1-yard after the Ravens fumble. but Steven Hauschka made no mistake from 35-yards away to give the Hawks a 19-7 lead.

5:33: Ndamukong Suh is a mean individual on the football field and he wanted to make sure Jay Cutler was aware of that face so he ripped Cutler’s helmet off of his head.

5:32: At the half, the 49ers lead the Giants 9-6.

5:31: Ouch. The Ravens just fumbled the kickoff following the Seahawks field goal.

5:30: Ted Ginn Jr. lets a perfect pass go through his hands, off his helmet, and into the arms of the waiting Giants defender.

5:27: Marshawn Lynch appeared to get a first down for the Seahawks, but review proved that Ed Reed knocked him out just short of the marker. The Ravens hold the Seahawks to a field goal

and they extend their lead to 16-7.

5:23: Eli Manning is picked off by Carlos Rodgers. The former Redskin gets his fourth interception of the season.

5:20: Fantasy studs from the early games? Arian Foster, DeMarco Murray, Tony Romo, Stephen Jackson, Drew Brees, Laurent Robinson, Reggie Bush, MJD, Harry Douglas, Marques Colston, Chris Johnson, and Larry Fitzgerald.

5:17: Strange stat from the late games. Frank Gore has 0 yards rushing at the 2:00 warning of the first half against the Giants. David Akers adds his third field goal of the half to give the 49ers a 9-6 lead.

5:15: I am not allowed to touch the yummy looking photos covered in chocolate and sprinkles (pictured below). No big deal, I already ate two of them when no one was looking so I’m good.

5:09: Alright, there are still three games being played. Devin Hester is ridiculous. He just retuned yet another punt for a touchdown to give the Bears a 19-0 lead over the Lions with the extra point pending. In San Francisco, the 49ers kicked a field goal to tie the game at 6 and then caught the Giants sleeping by executing a surprise onside kick. The Seahawks have just answered the Ravens first touchdown drive of the day with a field goal to extend their surprising lead to 13-7. We are up to date. Let’s do this.

4:45: Before we start to focus on the 4:00 PM games, here is a quick one liner about each of the 1:00 games and  how the outcomes affect on the rest of the season.

• Saints 26 Falcons 23 (OT): The Saints are now 7-3 having beat each of their division rivals on the road. The Falcons fall to 5-4 and are going to have to come together during the week after a strange decision by their coach in overtime.
• Titans 30 Panthers 3: The Titans put a spanking on the Panthers who didn’t have it today. The Panthers can shake off the loss and find things on tape that can help them improve in the future. The Titans are 5-4 and have worked there way into the playoff picture. They will probably need to win at least 5 of their last 7 to make it.
• Steelers 24 Bengals 17: The AFC North is very tight. The Steelers are 7-3, the Bengals are 6-3 and the Ravens are playing late looking to go 7-3. This was a huge road win for the Steelers and is a loss the  Bengals will be thinking about if they miss the playoffs by a game or a tiebreaker. Good news for the Bengals, AJ Green was knocked out of the game but he will be back next week.
• Rams 13 Browns 12: Sam Bradford is healthy and the Rams have won 2 of the last 3 and Steven Jackson is on fire. The Browns did nothing today to calm down local radio guy Tony Rizzo. The Browns are in need of talent on offense.They just don’t have any playmakers.
• Cowboys 44 Bills 7: The Bills hopes at a fairy tale season ending in the playoffs died today in Dallas. The Bills are still ahead of schedule, but they are not ready to be a playoff contender. The Cowboys are building momentum and should challenge the Giants for the NFC East. DeMarco Murray is a stud.
• Jaguars 17 Colts 3: This is all kinds of ugly. The Colts have established themselves as the worst team in the NFL and seemed to have secured their control of the first overall pick in the NFL draft. The Jaguars are nothing to be thrilled about, but the future is bright with the improving Blaine Gabbert.
• Broncos 17 Chiefs 10: The Chiefs have lost back to back games at Arrowhead to the Broncos and the Dolphins. The AFC west is awful. The Raiders lead the division at 5-4 and the Broncos, Chiefs, and Chargers are deadlocked with 4-5 records. The Broncos beat the Chiefs today with only 2 completed passes by Tim Tebow.
• Dolphins 20 Redskins 9: The Redskins are on their way to 3-13 the hard way. After starting 3-1, the Redskins are now 3-6. The Dolphins have won two in a row and have got three great games in a row by the explosive Reggie Bush.
• Cardinals 21 Eagles 17: The Cardinals have won back to back games to improve to 3-6 and the Eagles have lost two in a row to fall to 3-6. The idea of the Eagles as a dream team has long since faded and the chances of the Eagles in the playoffs seem to be slim to none. DeSean Jackson was left inactive today, benched by his coach for being selfish, where does he go from here.
• Texans 37 Buccaneers 9: The Texans have done a whole bunch of winning without star receiver Andre Johnson who should be close to returning to the team. Arian Forster is the fantasy stud we expected in August and Ben Tate gives Foster rest when needed and the Texans the  best 1-2 punch in the league. I think at this point in the season, the Texans are the best team in the AFC.

4:39: Somehow during the excitement of the blogging and the thrill of the Saints game, I missed some serious treats being made in the kitchen

4:31: The kick is good. The Saints have defeated the Falcons on the road to improve to 7-3 at the bye with the Falcons falling to 5-4. The Saints are now 3-1 in the division and in complete control of the NFC South. Mike Smith is going to have a long week of being second guessed on his decision to go for it on 4 and inches at his own 30 in sudden death overtime. I need five minutes to compose myself.

4:27: The Falcons get STUFFFFFFFFED!!!!!!!!

4:26: The Falcons are considering going for it on 4th and inches in overtime from their own 30. IF they miss, the loose.

4:21: The Eagles have blown the fifth fourth quarter lead of the season. This is the worst of them all. The previously 2-6 Cardinals have gone into Lincoln Financial Field and left the Eagles season on life support.

4:19: The Saints punt back to the Falcons after another atrocious attempt on 4th and 3. Instead of throwing the ball past the sticks the Saints again tried to dump the ball off to Sproles five yards away.

4:15: The Falcons go three and out and the Saints will get the ball in a decent spot.

4:13: With 1:53 left, the Cardinals take their first lead of the game on a short touchdown pass. 21-17

4:12: All of the early games are over except for the Saints vs. Falcons and the Cardinals vs Eagles. The Cardinals are inside the 5 at the two-minute warning with a chance to take the lead in Philadelphia.

4:11: The Saints are now 0-11 in coin tosses. How is that possible? The Falcons will get the ball first and surely march down the field for a wining field goal.

4:10: Sorry to leave you. I was bouncing around in my living room trying to save the Saints from defeat. Matt Bryant kicks a short field goal and the game is tied at 23 headed to overtime. The Jimmy Graham penalty that took points off the board was killer.

4:03: The Saints have let Harry Douglas catch 3 long passes without laying a hand on him. The Falcons are in easy field goal range and should get a couple of shots at the end zone. I feel sick.

4:01: An injury to keep an eye on, Mike Vick has left the game after taking a hard hit on a scramble.

4:00: The Steelers have defeated the Bengals 24-17. That is a huge victory on the road after the heartbreaking loss to the Ravens last week.

3:59: After an awful holding call on Jimmy Graham erases a Joh Kasay field goal, the Saints are forced to punt the ball to the Falcons at the 2-minute warning.

3:55: The Cowboys have defeated the Bills, 44-7 and the Dolphins have defeated the Redskins 20-9.

3:54: The Browns get a very short field goal blocked down 1 late in the fourth quarter.

3:53: The Steelers intercept an Andy Dalton pass. The Saints convert a huge 3rd and 11. The Saints and the Steelers each take one step closer to huge division victories.

3:50: The Falcons try an onside kick that is recovered by the Saints.

3:47: A crazy four play sequence in Antlanta. on 3rd and 3 the Falcons take a long shot downfield that falls incomplete. On fourth down, they complete a short pass to Roddy White for a first down. On first down, Ryan again finds White for about twenty yards. On the first play from the red zone Ryan finds Tony Gonzalez in the end zone for a touchdown. 23-20 Saints with 4;30 to go.

3:46: The Jaguars are now 3-6 after defeating the Colts 17-3 in Indianapolis. The Colts are 0-10 and firmly settling into their position of sucking for Luck.

3:42: Things are heating up again as Larry Fitzgerald catches his second touchdown of the day for the Cardinals to tie the game at 14 in Philadelphia.

3:41: The Cowboys are routing the Bills as if it’s a Super Bowl. 44-7

3:40: The Rams capitalize on a Josh Cribbs fumble with a field goal to take a 13-12 lead over the Browns.

3:36: Quick reset: All of the games are in the fourth quarter. Houston, Tennessee, and Dallas have huge leads. The Saints are up 2 scores on the Falcons. The Steelers are up 7 on the Bengals. The Rams are down 2 in Cleveland, and the Steelers have a 7-point lead over the Bengals.

3:35: Playing in his 295th NFL Game, John Kasay gives the Saints a 23-13 lead over the Falcons with about 7-minutes remaining.

3:31: The Dolphins are on track to win their second game in a row after Reggie Bush scored his second touchdown of the day to give them a 20-9 lead over the faddddddding Redskins. Also, MJD has scored a late touchdown in Indy to give the Jaguars a 17-3 lead over the Colts who look like they will remain winless.

3:25: The Broncos have opened up a 17-7 lead over the Chiefs. Tim Tebow connected with Eric Decker for a 56-yard touchdown. Tebow is 2-8 for 59 yards with 1touchdown and 0 interceptions. He also has 44 yards rushing and a touchdown on the ground.

3:23: The Texans are putting a beating down on the Buccaneers. Derrick Ward scored on a 4-yard scamper to give the Texans a 30-3 lead. The Texans are my choice for best team in the AFC 10 weeks into the season.

3:21: The Broncos are holding on to a 10-7 lead at Arrowhead. Tebow is now 1-7 with 13-yard through the air.

3:19: The Steelers have taken the lead again in Cincinatti with another Rashard Mendenhall rushing touchdown. The Steelers lead 24-17 with a little bit of time left in the third quarter.

3:17: On the final play of the third quarter in Atlanta, Saints linebacker Scott Shanle intercepts a Matt Ryan pass to give the Saints the ball on the Atlanta 30.

3:15: Ryan Fitzpatrick is intercepted by the Cowboys and the Bills don’t seem to be the same team that had Western New York in bedlam after a September victory over the Patriots. My Mom can’t even watch anymore. She is searching for news about my brother Anthony on the internet.

3:10: The Saints answer right back with a smooth drive that mixed short runs, Marques Colston catches, and a a long touchdown pass from Brees to Meachem. The Saints talk the lead back 17-13.

3:07: Houston is slowly but surely talking care of business against the Buccaneers. The Texans have 152-yards rushing and receiving from Arian Foster and have built a 23-3 lead over the answerless Buccaneers.

3:05: The Bengals, once down 14-0 to the Steelers, have tied the game at 17 on a 1-yard td pass from Dalton to Jermaine Gresham.

3:03: Things are picking back up as the Jaguars have scored in Indianapolis to take a 10-3 lead over the winless Colts. Time is ticking on the Colts chances of getting a win in the 2011 season.

3:00: The Saints defense just humiliated themselves on a sequence of  awful plays that would be hard to duplicate. First, facing 3rd and 10 the Falcons easily converted when Harry Douglas came across the middle of the field uncovered. Next, on a 4th and 1 the Falcons lined up and easily rushed for 4 yards. On the next play, Jason Snelling took a simple drop pass broke 9 tackles and dragged half of the Saints defense into the end zone. Ugly. 13-10 Falcons.

2:56: Tim Tebow is having an incredible day through the air. With 7 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, Tebow is 0-5 for 0 yards through the air.

2:55: It seems like the games have sort of stalled out a bit across the county. The Saints force a fumble but don’t recover it. That has been a disturbing trend all season.

2:50: The Bills attempt a 4th and 3 inside the redone and go for it all with a pass into the endzone. The pass is incomplete and the Cowboys take over on downs.

2:46: The Saints just totally botched a redone sequence. Pierre Thomas ran for 9-yards on first down. Then fell down in the backfield and turned 3-1 to 3-5. Then instead of trying to complete a 5-yard pass the Saints tried to dump it off to Sproles and have him break at least one tackle and run for the first down. Fail. The Saints wills settle for a short field goal and take a 13-9 lead. Fail. John Kasay misses a short field goal and the Saints end up with nothing.

2:44: Why do NFL coaches challenge plays just for the sake of challenging them? Mike Smith the coach of the Falcons is in the midst of a terrible challenge. Robert Meachem caught a pass down the filed near the turf and clearly got his arms underneath the ball to secure it for a good catch. I have a better chance of morphing into a Transformer on my couch than Smith has to win this challenge. Who told him throw that red flag?

2:41: I should mention that Kenny Albert and Daryl Johnston are handling the broadcast of Saints vs. Falcons today on Fox. Albert is a friend to The Sports-Casters having appeared on episode 39.

2:40: LeSean McCoy rushed for a 1-yard touchdown with :20 seconds left in the first half to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead.

2:35: Halftime entertainment. Here is the video of David Nelson giving his touchdown ball to his girlfriend, the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.

Nelson to GF

2:30: The Jaguars and Colts are thrilling football fans everywhere. Adam Vinatieri and Josh Scobee have each successfully kicked one field goal each.The fans on hand in Indy are the envy of football fans everywhere. I feel for the good guys at 18to88.

2:27: Matt Bryant misses a field goal at the gun and the Saints head into the locker room with a 10-6 lead over the Falcons.

2:26: The Dolphins keep Reggie Bush hot as the running back has scored for the third week in a row. The Dolphins lead the Redskins 10-6.

2:25: John Skelton. Yea, John Skelton the starting quarterback for the Cardinals just threw a touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald. 7-7

2:20: Tony Romo had the half of a lifetime. 18 for 19 237 yards and 3 touchdowns. 28-7 Cowboys at the half.

2:17: Snacks have been served.

2:12: DeMarco Murray plows his way through the Bills defensive line for a touchdown. Dallas 28 Buffalo 7. Murray has been so good that Felix Jones has been spotted seeking advice from Wally Pipp.

2:07: Clearly, Asante Samuel is reading this blog on the sideline. Seconds after my last post, Samuel intercepted a pass intended for Larry Fitzgerald and took it to the house. Also, Jimmy Graham made up for his earlier drop catching a touchdown pass from Drew Brees to give the Saints a 10-6 lead. Graham dunked the ball over the crossbar so hard that its crooked and needs repair. Brees officially passes Brett Favre for second all time with a touchdown pass in 37-streaight games.

2:05: What is going on in Philadelphia? 0-0 with ten minutes left in the second quarter?

2:00: The Saints have been poor on third-down so far today. Brees is only 8-12 for 60-yards.

1:54: David Nelson caps off a much needed touchdown drive for the Bills catching a short touchdown pass from Ryan Fitzpatrick. Nelson takes off and sprints around the field to give the ball to his girlfriend who is a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.

1:50: Speaking of getting pounded, the Titans are putting it on the Panthers in Carolina. After the long punt return TD, the Titans have added a Matt Hasselbeck to Damian Williams 48-yard touchdown pass and a 38-yard Rob Bironas field goal.

1:45: The Cowboys continue to pound the Bills as Romo finds Robinson for a 58-yard touchdown pass. The Bills seem DOA, but they have been in this spot twice before (against New England, and Oakland) and managed to pick themselves up and win the game.

1:43: A play to remember as the day goes on. On third and long in Atlanta, Brees throws a strike to Jimmy Graham for what would be a first down but Graham drops it. The Saints are forced to punt the ball away. Plays like that, in games like this, are deadly.

1:40: Speaking of deadly connections for years to come, Andy Dalton throws a long touchdown pass to A.J. Green to bring the Bengals to within 7.

1:37: Sam Bradford hist Brandon Lloyd for a short touchdown pass in Cleveland. Bradford and Lloyd should be a deadly combination for years to come.

1:31: Rashard Mendenhall scores on a short run to give the Steelers a 14-0 lead. The Bengals don’t seem ready for a game this big just yet. They need to make the next big play or it could be a long day.

1:30: Tony Romo is 10 for 10 for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns. That is a fantastic strategy. Complete as many passes and score as many points as possible in the first three quarters so that if another meltdown happens in the fourth quarter it won’t cost the team the game.

1:25: Tony Romo makes an ultra-athletic play to buy some time and find Laurent Robinson wide open for his second touchdown pass of the day. 14-0 Cowboys. Also, John Casey hits a 52-yard field goal to even the Saints and the Falcons at 3.

1:20: DeMarco Murray is making it look easy in Dallas for the fourth consecutive week. During his first three weeks as a starter, Murray rushed for more yards than any other Cowboy in any three game stand ever.

1:18: The Steelers strike first in Cincinnati. Roethlisberger finds former Jets stat Jerricho Cotchery. Also, Tim Tebow runs for 7-yards up the gut to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead at Arrowhead.

1:16: After a long, methodical drive down the field, the Falcons stall out inside the red zone where the Saints defense has been horrible all season. The Falcons run 15 plays but are held to a field goal. 3-0.

1:13: The Titans have taken a 7-0 lead on a long punt return by Marc Mariani a second year player from Montana. He only has 5 catches for 24 yards this season. His punt return touchdown of 79-yarsds was more than triple his yardage on the offensive side of the ball.

1:10: The Falcons seem to be content to just pound Michael Turner up the middle against the Saints. So far, the Saints don’t have much of an answer.

1:07: Jacoby Jones scores the first touchdown of the week after catching an 80-yard bomb from Matt Schaub. Quickly, Dez Bryant scores against the Bills. It was a classic, “I am taller and stronger than everyone here  so just throw it high” touchdown.

1:05: How about this for a crazy stat. The Saints are 0-10 in the coin toss this season.

1:00: Kickoff! On my biggest television is the Saints vs. Falcons. On the smaller television is Bills vs. Cowboys and on the computer screen is the NFL Red Zone Channel.

12:55: The live blog room is filling up with people desperate to witness a small piece of history. In reality, I am here with my dog Colston and my girlfriend and mother are in the kitchen baking for a fund raiser. Check out the room.

12:45 PMEST: After hours of preparing and waiting, the live blog is officially, well…live. We are about fifteen minutes away from kickoff and a few interesting pieces of information have emerged from the morning.

• Sean Payton will be coaching from the sideline for the first time since he broke his leg against Tampa Bay. Also, Mark Ingram is back from a bruised heal and Chris Ivory is inactive.
• DeSean Jackson has been benched. He isn’t going to be walking around in uniform and held out for just a few plays before jogging back in. He is INACTIVE. Andy Reid is making a statement.
• Only days after being cut by the Patriots, Albert Haynesworth will be starting for the Buccaneers today.