The New York Giants’ defense forced six turnovers and held off the Dallas Cowboys 29-24 after blowing a 23 point lead to improve to 6-2 on the season.

On 2nd and 6 at the Giants 37 yard-line Dallas quarterback, Tony Romo dropped back and threw the ball to wideout Dez Bryant in the end-zone. Bryant caught the ball and the play was initially called a touchdown. The play was reviewed and overturned because Bryant’s hand touched out of bounds. Romo converted a first down to tight-end Jason Witten to move up to the 27 yard-line.

Romo, threw an incomplete pass to Miles Austin and was left with one second on the clock. On the final play Romo scrambled out of the pocket and threw the ball out of the back of the end-zone handing the Giants the victory.

Romo struggled early and often against the Giants. Romo completed 36-of-62 yards for a career high 437 yards one touchdown, one rushing touchdown and four interceptions. Dallas’ first four drives resulted in three interceptions. Romo’s third interception was intercepted by defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul who took it back 28 yards for seven.

Tight-end Jason Witten had a career day catching 18 passes for 167 yards. Witten’s 18 catches broke his previous team record. In addition, his 18 catches was the most by an NFL tight-end. Austin also caught nine passes for 133 yards and Bryant caught five receptions for 110 yards.

The Cowboys were unable to run the ball against the Giants front seven. They compiled 19 yards on 17 carries.

As for Eli Manning and the Giants offense they were unable to move the ball very effectively. Manning completed 15-of-29 passes for 192 yards and one interception. Wideout Ruben Randle led the receiving crew with 68 yards. Both Hakeem Nicks and tight-end Martellus Bennett caught four passes. The Cowboys secondary contained Victor Cruz limiting him to two catches for 23 yards.

Running back Ahmad Bradshaw, carried the ball 22 times for 78 yards and one fumble. Also running back Andre Brown carried the ball three times for 21 yards and punched in a touchdown towards the end of the first quarter.

Giants kicker, Lawrence Tynes was a perfect 5/5 scoring 17 of the Giants 29 points. Tynes play was essential considering the Giants offense was unable to produce anything inside Cowboys territory.

Giants safety, Stevie Brown, was the defensive MVP for New York. Brown, led the team with eight tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

The victory gives the Giants an early NFC East lead with the second place Eagles and Cowboys sitting at 3-4. The Giants will look to expand their winning streak to five games next week as they welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to MetLife Stadium. As for the Cowboys they will have another tough match-up against the undefeated Atlanta Falcons.

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The Chicago Bears forced Tony Romo to throw five interception to improve to 3-1 and defeat  the Dallas Cowboys 34-18.

The Bears defense had a busy evening, forcing turnovers the entire night. Bears safety, Major Wright, had two interceptions giving him a total of three on the season, and the second best in the NFL.  Cornerback, Charles Tillman, picked off Romo in the 1st quarter and ran it back 25 yards for a touchdown. Linebacker, Lance Briggs, picked Romo off in the 3rd quarter and took it back 75 yards for another touchdown. Cornerback, D.J Moore, also had an interception. The Bears lead the NFL with a total of 11 interceptions. Bears Safety, Chris Conte, led the Bears with 11 tackles.

Romo’s five interceptions tied a career high for the Dallas quarterback. Interestingly enough, Romo’s first five interception game was back in 2007, also on Monday night. Four weeks in, and Romo currently leads the NFL with eight interceptions. Romo did throw one touchdown to wide receiver, Miles Austin. Austin finished the game with four receptions for 57 yards.

Romo’s awful performance ended late in the 4th quarter and back-up, Kyle Orton, took over. On Orton’s only drive, he completed 8-of-9 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown. Orton’s lone touchdown was too tight-end, Jason Witten; Witten finished the game with 13 receptions for 112 yards. Cowboys running back, DeMarco Murray, struggled running the ball for a third straight week. Murray had 11 carries for 24 yards. Murray was featured in the pass game, catching seven passes for 57 yards.

Chicago Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler had a season best 75% completion percentage, threw for 275 yards and had two touchdowns. After being contained under 100 receiving yards the last two weeks, Brandon Marshall caught seven passes for 138 yards and one touchdown. Devin Hester caught Cutler’s first touchdown pass of the night, and Hester caught three passes for 38 yards. The Bears were delighted to welcome Matt Forte back after missing last week because of an injury. Forte had 13 carries for 52 yards.

The Bears are currently atop the NFC North Division with the Minnesota Vikings at 3-1. Chicago will be on the road again next week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. As for the Dallas Cowboys, they are in a three-way tie at 2-2 in the NFC East Division. Luckily for the Cowboys, they can rebuild and get things together during their bye week. The Cowboys will be back in action in Baltimore to take on the Ravens October 14th.

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The Bills come into the game on Sunday looking to avoid losing two in a row for the first time this season when they travel to Jerryworld to square off with the Cowboys who are trying to keep pace with the Giants for the NFC East. “The focus is trying to win a game. … We got everything in front of us — we hold our own destiny in our own hands, so we gotta go take care of business,” coach Chan Gailey said.

Buffalo, who sit at 5-3 tied atop the AFC East with the Patriots and the Jets, failed to take care of any business last Sunday against the Jets. They fell 27-11 and saw their high power offense, which is tied for the highest scoring in the AFC with the Patriots at 27.8 points per game, sputter as the Jets made them look like the one win Dolphins. The Bills went 3 for 11 on third down and turned it over three times.

Ryan Fitzpatrick threw two interceptions and had his worst game of the year going 15 of 31 for 191 yards and a touchdown. ”It was a bad game,” said Fitzpatrick. “We certainly didn’t have our best effort out there, and I think that’s where a lot of disappointment and frustration comes in.”

Fitzpatrick will look to bounce back facing a Cowboys pass defense that’s right in the middle of the pack ranked 16^th giving up 232.5 yards per game. The Bills are led by running back Fred Jackson who is having a career year leading the AFC at 100.4 yards per game and helping the Bills to the 7^th ranked rushing attack with 135 yards per game.

However, the Jets held the team to only 96 yards on the ground and forced Jackson’s first fumble of the year. They will look to get back to the run, as Dallas has struggled lately giving up 401 yards on the ground the past two weeks. Dallas will get Sean Lee back who is their leading tackler and this should help them somewhat.

For Buffalo to keep pace for the AFC East title they’ll have to go at least 2-1 on their three game road trip facing Dallas, Miami, and then the Jets again before heading home to face Tennessee. ”It will be a difficult stretch, but we don’t have to play all three of them at the same time,” Jackson said. “If we go out and continue to make plays like we have been throughout the season, we feel like we’ll be OK.”

Buffalo has struggle so far on the road this year by going 1-2, but the losses came against the Giants and the Bengals, both who are in first place in their divisions. Each loss was only by three points. The Cowboys sit at 4-4, but are looking to make a push in the second half of the season as they benefit from an easy schedule. They also benefit from the first place Giants having a tough stretch over the next few weeks.

After the Bills the Cowboys face Washington, Miami, and Arizona who have a combined record of 6-18. After that, the Giants come to town in what looks to be a pivotal matchup. ”We’ve done a lot of things to build on over the first eight games, a lot we can be positive about. … But we have to get better,” said Garrett

When starting running back Felix Jones got hurt, people expected the running game to take a step back, but the opposite has happened with rookie DeMarco Murray shining rushing for 466 yards in three games. They hope he can keep it up against a Bills run defense that ranks 20^th giving up 120.8 yards per game.

“We are going to have a great 1-2 punch when Felix gets healthy,” Witten said. “It’s going to put us in a great situation.” The Cowboys are a little banged up with Felix Jones still being questionable and wide receiver Miles Austin out for possibly a month after he reinjured his hamstring last week.

With no Austin, Dez Bryant figures to see a lot more targets, along with tight end Kevin Ogletree and wide receiver Laurent Robinson. Buffalo’s defense, while rich with playmaking ability, they lead the AFC with 15 interceptions, isn’t that great. They rank 25^th against the pass giving up 260.4 yards per game.

The game should be a close contest as both teams can put up a lot of points in a hurry. Both teams need to win to keep pace in their respective races, but with the Bills on the road and Dallas’ defense being run by Rob Ryan, Rex’s twin brother, they will see a dose of the same stuff they saw against the Jets. The Cowboys should be able to get a win at home. Final Prediction: Bills 17 Cowboys 27.

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The Dallas Cowboys came out of the game against the St. Louis Rams with an easy 34-7 win, with the help of rookie running back DeMarco Murray. Murray, backup for starter Felix Jones, ran for a franchise record of 253 yards, including a 91 yard touchdown at the beginning of the game on Sunday.

Murray’s touchdown was the second-longest touchdown in the history of the Cowboys, second only to Tony Dorsett’s 99-yard touchdown, which holds the NFL record. The Cowboys (3-3) end their two game losing streak with help from quarterback Tony Romo, who threw 14 for 24 and two touchdowns to Dez Bryant and Jason Witten.

A performance like this would be expected against a team like St. Louis, who has the worst defense against the run in the NFL, allowing 163 yards per game. The only points received by the Rams were due to a rushing touchdown by Steven Jackson. St. Louis quarterback A.J. Feeley threw 20 of 33 for 196 yards and one interception.

The Rams (0-6) were not even able to stop fourth-string running back Phillip Tanner from running a 35 yard drive for a touchdown after Murray was taken out of the game with an injury. The Cowboys travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday, while the St. Louis Rams go back home to face the New Orleans Saints.

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In the Monday night football game against the Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboy star Tony Romo was outfitted with special Kevlar lined pads to protect his ailing ribs. Romo had to resort to wearing the pads after suffering a broken rib and a punctured lung. Romo’s injuries were caused by taking a brutal hit from San Francisco linebacker Ahmad Brooks in Week 2.

The special pads were designed and developed by Unequal Technologies, and this was not the first time that the company has designed pads for an NFL quarterback. Last year Unequal Technologies mocked up similar types of pads for Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick after he damaged his rib cartilage in a game.

The material the pads are created with are reported to be five times stronger than steel and they are the no. 1 shock suppression material in the world, according to Unequal Technologies. However, there is some validity to the statements made by Unequal Technologies. On CBS’ The NFL Today Show, Dan Marino swung a bat at Boomer Esiason, as he shielded himself using some of the protective material.

While Boomer did feel the impact of the strike, he was able to walk away, unharmed. Albeit Marino’s shot was more on the side of an overly aggressive love tap than a full out swing, the material gave Boomer the willingness to be hit in the ribs with a baseball bat and not have any regrets about his decision.

The Kevlar pads obviously provide an extra layer of a protection, and the question that should be on every players lips is why these haven’t become league standard. The pads should not just become standard for QB’s, but for every player who gets on the field. In 2010 30 percent of all NFL players had to miss a game due to injury according to the NFLPA.

Jason Witten, the Cowboys star tight end, was also fitted with a pair of the pads for Monday night’s game so he could return to the football action early. Unequal Technologies’ creation could prevent some of these injuries from happening or from becoming a serious issue. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been quoted as saying “One of our most important priorities is protecting our players…”

It is encouraging to hear that from Commissioner Goodell , but first a plan of attack needs to be form to tackle the issue of lower body padding. The NFL doesn’t mandate that players wear knee and thigh pads, but does recommend the idea. As a result players, mostly running backs, tend to ignore the recommendation and choose not to wear lower pads.

It is believed by players they can obtain faster speeds quicker and for longer without the hindrance of bulky lower pads.  Without pads on the lower extremities chances of players getting injured are increased; this plays a part in why running backs are habitually sidelined for weeks at a time.

While there has been talk by league offices to enforce players to wear the lower padding, at the moment nothing has come to fruition. However the NFL should receive some credit because addressing the issue is a crucial first step on the path to maximum player safety.

With any luck in the near future, when players suit up on Sunday’s they will be covered from head to toe in best padding, even if that padding just happens to be made of Kevlar
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It was an emotional day for all of America with the opening Sunday of football falling on the 10 year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. There was no bigger game Sunday that that between America’s team the Dallas Cowboys and the new kings of New York the Jets. Both teams with Super Bowl ambitions started their long quest to obtain a ring with a thrilling game.

The Cowboys came out firing on all cylinders marching right down the field on the opening drive making the Jets defense look like a practice squad.  The Jets had trouble covering TE Jason Witten all game who torched them for 110 yards and CB Antonio Cromartie didn’t have his best game getting beaten twice for both the Cowboys passing touchdowns.

The Jets offense led by Mark Sanchez got off to a real slow start, which unfortunately is becoming a regular thing, and were virtually useless until a good two minute drill to end the 1^st half was capped by a 4 yard pass from Sanchez to Dustin Keller for the score. The “ground n pound” that has run the Jets offense was non-existent as newly appointed feature back Shonn Greene only rushed 10 times for 26 yards, yet Sanchez had 44 attempts.

The Jets defense kept them in the game as best they could, but the Jets found themselves down by two touchdowns going into the fourth quarter and it was looking like the Cowboys would come into MetLife stadium and steal a win from a Super Bowl contender on a day where everyone was honoring New York.

The Jets fighting to stay in it put together a nice quick drive down the field capped by another Sanchez touchdown this time finding new wide receiver Plaxico Burress for a 26 yard pass. This was Burress’ first game since spending two years in jail on a weapons possession charge and his first touchdown which cut the defecit to 7.

Burress would finish the game with 4 catches for 72 yards and the 1 score a respectable game for his first game back. Then on a punt RB Joe McKnight who has been scrapping to find anyway to stay in the good graces of the organization was able to get free in the middle and made a diving one handed block on a punt causing the ball to bounce backwards.

It was picked up by unlikely hero CB Isaiah Trufant who was the 46^th man of the 46 man roster and was promoted from the practice squad Saturday and he ran it into the end zone to tie the game up at 24. With the Jets missing an opportunity to drive down the field for the winning score Tony Romo and the Cowboys had the chance to do the same thing.

Then Romo broke the one rule that just about every QB in the league abides by. He threw the ball to Darrelle Revis’ side of the field and ended up stranded on Revis Island. A great play call baited Romo into throwing to his side thinking there was man to man coverage on a blitz and Revis was right there for his first interception since his pick against the Chargers in the playoffs two years ago.

He returned the pick to the Cowboys’ 34. A few plays later K Nick Folk got revenge against the team that cut him two years ago nailing a 50 yard field goal which sealed an improbable comeback victory by the Jets for their first win of the season in dramatic fashion. This was a game every bit as dramatic as the day in which it was held on and the Jets are flying high as they prepare for their Week 2 opponent the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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