How ‘bout that for a Houston Texans Monday Night Football debut? In their first Monday game ever as a franchise, the Texans steam rolled the Jaguars 30-17 and climbed into sole possession of third place in the AFC South.

RB Steve Slaton and WR Andre Johnson were once again the stars of the evening for Houston, along with its solid defensive play and disciplined coaching. While the chances of Houston making the postseason are slim to none even with the win, the team has much to build on and can improve with four games down the stretch. Read more »

“Wide right” is the cruelest phrase a person can utter in western New York.

Brady Quinn and the Browns used it to their advantage and escaped Buffalo with a narrow 29-27 win on Monday night. The victory moves Cleveland to 4-6 on the season and keeps its razor-thin-playoff hopes alive, while Buffalo’s setback drops them to 5-5 and last place in the AFC East. Read more »

Ladies and gentlemen, we give you a nominee for the 2008 ‘game of the year.’ The 49ers and Cardinals ended up giving most viewers way more than they bargained for. It wasn’t even because the game came down to the wire with one final play, but mainly because the game was close at all.

The Niners came in as nine point ‘dogs in the desert, but in the end barely lost to Arizona 29-24. Although the entertainment value was high, the game lacked discipline from both sides as the teams racked up a combined 20 penalties for 164 total yards. Read more »

The NFL was again generous in locating a Monday Night Football game in our nation’s capital on the eve of a monumental presidential election.

The Steelers however, were determined not to lose the head position in their AFC North office, and soundly defeated the host Redskins 23-6. Even without the majority of the people’s votes, Pittsburgh’s campaign relied on an always ready defense to shut down Washington’s offense.

With the commissioner on hand and a nation of potential voters looking on, there was no question as to who was the unanimous victor from FedEx Field. If the old adage “defense wins championships” is true, then the Pittsburgh Steelers may be serious title contenders with their top-ranked unit. Read more »

For those of you that weren’t watching a rainy Game 5 of the 2008 World Series, there was a football game on Monday night.

The Titans, in typical Tennessee fashion this season, won yet another game 31-21 over the Colts to extend their runaway lead to four games in the AFC South. The Indy loss gives Tennessee the largest lead over a second-place team in any division in football. Read more »

Finally, a lopsided game on Monday Night Football in 2008. However, it was the team not expected to prevail that was on the winning side of a 41-7 rout.

The host New England Patriots spanked the Denver Broncos in a game that left Patriots fantasy owners smiling. Oppositely, the blowout also left us wondering where in the heck has Denver’s high-powered offense gone over the past few weeks?

In what was billed to be a clash of AFC powers, it seemed that only one contender showed up to play; likewise, the quarterback in white expected to shine on the national level was upstaged by a no-name fill-in not named Brady. Read more »

Those that missed Monday night’s game between the Giants and Browns again missed out on another primetime delight.

It was underdog Cleveland that handed New York its first loss this year, a 35-14 statement that not only knocked out the champs but also hopes to kick-start the Browns season.

In an unexpected finish, it was a strange reversal of roles between the two teams. The Giants looked flat on both sides of the ball, much like the Browns in their first four games. Meanwhile, Cleveland resembled the 2008 Giants with an explosive offense and a stiff defense that held its own against tough teams.

The case was similar individually for both quarterbacks: Eli Manning put up Derek Anderson-like numbers while Anderson himself looked much like New York’s Super Bowl MVP. Read more »

Note to readers: DO NOT miss another Monday Night Football game this season!

It seems like every week on Monday night, viewers get a treat from the NFL. That gift has come in the form of three incredible primetime games in the past four weeks.

Last night’s Vikings-Saints contest went down to the final minutes and was settled by Ryan Longwell’s 30-yard field goal to give Minnesota a 30-27 win. Despite the offensive futility in the first half, it took only a few plays for this game to go from sloppy to downright thrilling. Read more »

Who says a game without high-flying offenses can’t be exciting?

It took more than four quarters Monday night to settle a defensive brawl between Baltimore and Pittsburgh, one that ended on the leg of Jeff Reed to give the Steelers a 23-20 overtime win.

After a brutal offensive showing in the first half, the Steelers turned the tables on the Ravens with two touchdowns in 15 seconds during the third quarter. With a rejuvenated Heinz Field crowd, Pittsburgh played efficiently for the remainder of the half, and played Baltimore into overtime before sending the fans home happy. Read more »

With their first win of the year, the San Diego Chargers can finally build towards a promising season. Brett Favre and the New York Jets may be heading in the opposite direction.

Philip Rivers stole the show with three touchdown passes on a beautiful Monday Night in southern California, as the Chargers defeated the Jets 48-29. Although these teams put up only one less point (77) than the Eagles and Cowboys (78) last Monday Night, this game felt over long before the final seconds expired. Read more »