For many, Orlando Prates versus Kaizer Chiefs is more than just a game. For 90 minutes families are divided, friendships strained and marriages put on pause. This is the power of the Soweto Derby– South Africa’s grandest sporting event.

It will be no different this Saturday; as the gods intended when the game was first conceived in 1970, a lot rides on the encounter.

The fact that the fixture was sold out last Thursday is a measure of its importance and anticipation. Come kick-off, Soccer City will be filled to its 90,000 brim, the noise deafening. There are several of reasons for this, the biggest being that, for the first time in eight years, the Premiership race looks like a two horse race between the Chiefs and the Pirates. As such, Saturday’s clash has been transported to the times of Doctor Khumalo and Teboho Moloi– Jomo Sono and Ace Ntsoelengoe before that– when its outcome defined lives.

Saturday’s installment is arguably more important for the Chiefs. Though they haven’t played badly, Amakhosi are suddenly only three points ahead of the Pirates, having at one stage led the Buccaneers by eight. This only goes to illustrate the recent ability of the Ghost to slip into their opposition’s slipstream, something that will undoubtedly haunt Amakhosi fans until the fat lady sings. The Pirates have forged a reputation as comeback kings over the past two seasons and will remain confident of clawing their way back even if the unthinkable happens at Soccer City.

As is, the sides go into the game with nearly identical records, head and shoulders above the rest. The Chiefs are top with 30 points, three ahead of the Bucs. The Chiefs are the goal kings with 27, and the Pirates the best defense with just seven conceded.

As with any derby there are countless pre-game questions: Which eleven will Roger De Sa pick? Will the Chiefs stay true to their recent attack instincts?

De Sa’s selection will be interesting, as he clearly still has to find his best line-up. Things have no doubt been muddled further by Wednesday’s Chippa performance, and with the Pirates having played a day later than the Chiefs in the week, De Sa may be set to tinker once more.

The Chiefs’ rise this season, on the other hand, has been based predominantly on a slick offense. After a dreadful start, a 4-1 mauling by Sundowns in the MTN8, Stuart Baxter has built a side primed in attack: 27 goals in 13 league games have come, with Bernard Parker, Lehlohonolo Majoro and Kingston Nkhatha providing a sharp spearhead.

All the same, any overly attacking approach on Saturday could leave the Chiefs exposed to a Pirates team deadly in transition. It won’t escape both coaches’ minds that recent meetings have been swayed down the flanks, Tlou Segolela being the main protagonist. With the Chiefs’ Bafana fullbacks Siboniso Gaxa and Tshepo Masilela still finding their feet after injuries, any unchecked exposure could tip the balance.

As the Bucs’ boss De Sa says, “For the first time in a while both teams are evenly matched.” It’s difficult to argue and so even the smallest of details come into play as well.

The Chiefs will be playing an afternoon league match for only the third time this season, having performed poorly in their previous two – a labored draw with Free State Stars in Bethlehem in September and losing their unbeaten record to Platinum Stars in Rustenburg a fortnight ago. Could this be a factor on Saturday?

The state of the pitch after a Lady Gaga concert last weekend may also throw up curve-balls to the extent to which game-plans may have to be adjusted. Who will adjust best?

Perhaps the only certainty is the importance of midfield battle– the impressive Chiefs duo of Willard Katsande and Reneilwe Letsholonyane against a Pirates core is likely to welcome back Andile Jali.

Both midfields will be tasked with providing their teams with the rhythm and balance so crucial on such occasions. With so much on the line memories naturally wonder to glorious encounters of yesteryear – the Pirates’ 4-1 win in 1996 marked by Jerry Sikhosana’s ferocious hattrick, the tension-filled 1988 Bob Save Superbowl final, the Chiefs’ thrilling 3-2 extra-time victory in the 1992 Coca-Cola Cup, or the 2001 Lesley Manyathela show when Slow Poison inspired Pirates to a stunning 3-0 league win.

And that’s another reason why tomorrow’s match is significant.

In some ways the Soweto Derby has been diluted from its fierce origins thanks in part to a deluge of commercially-driven friendly meetings such as the Vodacom Challenge and the Carling Black Label Cup more recently. Familiarity has bred tolerance.

The respective teams’ decline in terms of true star power, coinciding with Tshwane sides Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United winning the league from 2005 to 2010 also had an effect. This resulted in derbies that not only didn’t have any bearing on the title race but, even worse, at times lacked the quality the occasion demands.

Though there has been a renaissance in the past 18 months, Saturday’s derby could really bring the sexy back. As it happens, the game will coincide with SuperSport supplying a feed to American broadcaster ESPN reaching 19 countries on four continents.

Final word goes to Baxter: “This is a big match and we have to make it an event that can trumpet South African football to the outside world.”

So there you go, Saturday’s Soweto Derby is the biggest in a while. Let game begin, and let another glorious chapter be written in the storied history of this timeless rivalry.

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The New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs have connections with each other. From the GM of the Chiefs, Scott Pioli, to the currently injured quarterback of Kansas City, Matt Cassel, to the defensive coordinator for Kansas City, Romeo Crennel. The one thing they don’t share is success on the football field.

The Patriots are coming off a crucial road win against the Jets to gain sole possession of first place in the AFC East and sweeping the season series with New York. The Chiefs have dropped two straight after winning four in a row, but without their starting quarterback, they will have to turn to Tyler Palko to keep them in the hunt for the AFC West.

For the Chiefs, they might not be getting Cassel back anytime soon. Coach Todd Haley said Cassel suffered a “significant” hand injury against the Broncos last Sunday and potentially could miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on Monday. Palko has only thrown 13 passes in the NFL and will be leading the Chiefs for now.

“Tyler is the next in line, and he’s done a terrific job, like I said, of keeping himself ready,” Haley said. “That’s what the No. 2 quarterback has to do, because you don’t know. At a moment’s notice, you could be in there playing, just like any other position.” The Patriots, on the other hand, are sitting pretty atop the AFC East after responding well against the Jets behind Brady’s 329 yards and three touchdowns.

Brady will look to continue that against a defense ranked 22^nd overall giving up 364.3 yards per game. ”No matter what happened last week, whether we won, lost, at home or on the road or in London, it doesn’t matter. Once that game is over, we have to put it behind us,” Belichick said.

“Now it’s about preparing for Kansas City, what they do, what their schemes are, what their players are, what their tendencies are in certain coaching decision situations that we’ll have to make.” Brady has not faced the Chiefs since the season opener in 2008 in which he was knocked out for the year, which led to Cassel starting for the Patriots and eventually getting traded to Kansas City.

“In order to make plays, you have to run good routes, you have to make good throws, you have to pass protect against one of the best pass rushers that we face in (Tamba) Hali,” Brady said. Hali has 6 of the Chiefs 9 total sacks, but even with pressure from him Brady should be able to find his tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

The Patriots offense has never been the problem; the problem lies with the defense that played very well against the Jets. Defensive end Andre Carter had four sacks against the Jets and, if he can keep that going, the battered Patriots secondary could have an easier time.

Cornerback Devin McCourty who suffered a shoulder injury in the game against New York will likely be out for a few weeks and safety Patrick Chung is questionable this week. Without those players, the Patriots may not be able to match up against wide receiver Dwayne Bowe who has 19 touchdowns since 2010.

Coach Bill Belichick isn’t counting on a significant drop off from Cassel to Palko. “I think that Palko can do everything that he needs to do from what Matt has done,” he said. “I wouldn’t expect them to deviate too far from what they like to do.” This is a must win for both teams.

The Chiefs are looking to keep pace in the crowded race for the West and the Patriots look to increase their lead over the Jets, who lost on Thursday to Denver, and stay a game ahead of Buffalo who right now owns the tiebreaker having beat the Patriots back in Week 3.

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The Packers are again at the top of the Power Rankings this week as they remain undefeated. The Ravens and Steelers switch spots after Joe Flacco led a late drive to win the game at Heinz Field. The Bears, Texans, and Bengals all cracked the top 10 this week with the Patriots and Bills both losing and falling out of the top ten.

The big winner this week is the Dallas Cowboys who jump from 21^st to 15^th, with a win over Seattle to stay within striking distance of the Giants who have a tough schedule coming up. Another big move was the Jets who while only moving from 13^th to 11^th with their win over Buffalo, have jumped both the Patriots and Bills to be the highest ranked AFC East team.

The big losers this week are the New England Patriots who fell from 6^th to 13^th after their second straight loss. The Bills also saw themselves fall from 14^th to 8^th after getting beat at home by the Jets. The Chiefs dropped from 21^st to 16^th after their four game win streak was snapped by the winless Miami Dolphins in a big way.

The Cardinals, who last week fell behind the Rams, switched with the Rams again this week after beating St. Louis in OT on an amazing punt return by rookie Patrick Peterson. Rounding out the bottom of the rankings again this week are the Indianapolis Colts who lost again this week and look like they’ll be the front runners for Andrew Luck in next year’s draft.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have been up and down through this first half of the season. They started off 0-3 and looking like one of the worst teams in football. With injuries to starting running back Jamaal Charles, tight end Tony Moeaki, and safety Eric Berry for the season it looked like another long one for Chiefs’ fans.

Then they were able to turn things around and find a way to win for four straight games. The fourth win coming last week against division rivals the San Diego Chargers and move into a tie for first with San Diego and the Oakland Raiders at 4-3 being the first team to ever do so. They look to continue with this momentum this Sunday against the winless Dolphins and should have a pretty good chance.

“The great part about this team is that we continue to keep our heads and continue to work,” quarterback Matt Cassel said. “Our mentality is you just try to get one win and then two wins and three wins. Now we are on a four-game win streak. Everybody is excited about that, but we know there is a lot of season left to be played. We’re happy about where we are at right now.”

The Dolphins season started like the Chiefs, but has continued going south. In the past two weeks they’ve blown chances to get that elusive first win giving up a 15 point lead with three minutes in the fourth to Tim Tebow and the awful Broncos. Then last week they had a 7 point lead going into the fourth and still couldn’t finish it out against the Giants.

“We have to learn to finish,” defensive end Randy Starks said. “Once we do that, it’ll be a different season. In the past we were able to win these games. Right now we haven’t found a way.” The Dolphins want to end this winless streak badly and if Reggie Bush who’s solid game last week could duplicate his performance the Dolphins will have a shot.

That will be a little tougher because C Mike Pouncey may not play having left the game last week with a neck injury. Bush rushed for 103 yards on 15 carries last Sunday. Kansas City is ranked 22^nd against the run surrendering 122.1 yards a game so there is a possibility Bush can still do it.

While the Chiefs rank 20^th in passing defense facing Matt Moore won’t be too much of a challenge and the Chiefs secondary has been forcing more turnovers in the past few weeks. If Matt Cassel continues his good play look for him and WR Dwayne Bowe to take advantage of the Dolphins questionable pass defense.

The Dolphins are ranked near the bottom at 27^th overall giving up 270.7 yards per game. If Cassel gets help from a good run game the Chiefs should be good to go. With the Chiefs having tons of momentum and playing great football the last month they are going to make it five in a row.

They will be too much for the Dolphins to handle at Arrowhead Stadium and should handle business against a winless team. Final Prediction: Dolphins 17 Chiefs 28.

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Besides the Packers which are again atop the Power Rankings this week, there is some shake up near the top of this week’s rankings with some big losses and gains. The 49ers move up into the number 2 spot sitting at 6-1 atop the NFC West. The Steelers, after their big win over the Patriots, move up to number 3 and are the top team in the AFC just ahead of division rivals Baltimore who moved from 8^th to 5^th.

The Patriots and Saints saw themselves drop four spots from 2^nd and 3^rd to 6^th and 7^th respectively after bad losses this week. The Chargers are the big losers this week dropping all the way from 7^th down 15^th after a loss for the 2^nd straight week this time coming at the hands of division rivals the Chiefs.

The Eagles saw themselves jump four spots from 22^nd to 18^th after an impressive victory over the Cowboys. The Vikings also saw themselves making a jump from 28^th to 23^rd behind a second impressive game from rookie QB Christian Ponder and another stud performance from Adrian Peterson.

The Rams who got their first win of the season against the Saints saw themselves leapfrog the Cardinals who blew a 23-6 halftime lead against the Ravens. Bringing up the rear of the rankings again this week are the Dolphins at 31 and the Colts at 32 as both teams failed to get a win again and don’t look very good.

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The Packers top the Power Rankings again this week with another impressive performance from Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers make a push for the top jumping up to 5^th, and with a win over number 2 New England can jump up next week. The Texans, Falcons, and Chiefs all jumped up 5 spots to 12^th, 14^th, and 19^th respectively.

The Ravens saw themselves drop from 3^rd to 8^th after a horrible loss to the Jaguars. The Raiders dropped 7 spots from 9th to 16th after trouble at the QB position post Carson Palmer trade gave them a loss going into their bye week. The Bucs also dropped 5 spots from 12^th to 17^th after getting whooped in London by the Bears.

The Colts again round out the bottom of the rankings this week after getting obliterated by the Saints 62-7 and they don’t look poised to move anytime soon.

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As we enter week four of the NFL regular season, teams look to prove if they are contenders or pretenders. This week does not feature a divisional game, like in week two, because of fear of the lockout. Still, there are intriguing match-ups to be played in week four.

Carolina Panthers @ Chicago Bears: Cam Newton came away with his first career win last week despite the horrible weather conditions. Bears look to confuse the rookie with their cover 2 schemes. Bears 24-17

Buffalo Bills @ Cincinnati Bengals: Ryan Fitzpatrick leads the Bills into Cincinnati after another amazing comeback, this time coming against the New England Patriots. They are 3-0 but this game might be a must-win. They still have to play the Jets twice, the Patriots in New England, a game in San Diego and the NFC East Division. Bills 28-24

Washington Redskins @ St. Louis Rams: Redskins let one get away at Dallas Monday night. They stay on the road to play a Rams team in the lower echelon in total defense. Washington is looking to bounce back. Redskins 23-14

San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles: Michael Vick left last week against the Giants with a broken right (non-throwing) hand. The CT scan on Monday reported it was just a contusion. Vick should be able to make the start. 49ers have to travel from east to west — not good. Eagles 26-17

Minnesota Vikings @ Kansas City Chiefs: For the third straight game, the Vikings blew a double-digit lead and lost the game. The Chiefs competed for the first time this season last week against the Chargers, but fell short. McNabb’s job is in jeopardy. Vikings 27-14

New Orleans Saints @ Jacksonville Jaguars: Blaine Gabbert looks to capture his first win of his career. He’ll have to do it against the high-powered Saints who hung up 40 points on the Texans and 30 in the second half. Saints 28-14

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Houston Texans: Big Ben looks to stay upright against Mario Williams and the Texans’ improved defense. Texans defense failed their first test against an Elite quarterback last week. Ben Roethlisberger is of that caliber. Steelers 27-24

Detroit Lions @ Dallas Cowboys: Lions have not run the ball well this season and are using their TEs to get yardage. Detroit plays back to back games on the road. Dallas looks to win the time of possession battle. Dallas 23-17

Tennessee Titans @ Cleveland Browns: Titans are taking a huge hit after losing WR Kenny Britt for the season. He tore both his ACL and MCL. There is cause for concern as RB Chris Johnson is yet to get it going. The signing of Matt Hasselbeck has looked good thus far. Titans 20-17

Atlanta Falcons @ Seattle Seahawks: Falcons always struggle on the road, while Seattle plays better at home. Falcons are the better team. They’ll get it done. 21-13

N.Y. Giants @ Arizona Cardinals: Giants could be in for a letdown, coming off a huge divisional road win last week. The Cardinals secondary has been horrible so far in the first three weeks. Giants 31-24

Miami Dolphins @ San Diego Chargers: Dolphins are still searching for their first win this season. Phillip Rivers looks to pick apart their secondary. Chargers 27-14

New England Patriots @ Oakland Raiders: Patriots almost never lose back to back games. Raiders looked impressive against the Jets and look to take advantage of one of the worst defenses in the league. Tom Brady finds a way to win. 28-27

Denver Broncos @ Green Bay Packers: Denver has had trouble stopping anybody. It might be time to see Tim Tebow. Packers look ready to repeat. Packers 31-20

N.Y. Jets @ Baltimore Ravens: Jets were embarrassed last week and they know it. Rex Ryan and his old team meet again. This game could be a shootout. Jets 28-24

Indianapolis Colts @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Colts played well last week but can they take it with them on the road. Tampa is back after a tough week one loss. Tampa 17-10
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