It would be a game that both teams needed to win as the Baltimore Ratbirds are running away with the division and a win would get one of these teams closer to catching up. It would also be for pride, for the love of the game and for everything in between.

The game of the season, Turkey Bowl IV, would turn out to be more of a dark comedy for these two offenses though as they would combine for 12 turnovers. Seven interceptions would be gobbled up by Pittsburgh Defense as their offense would toss three of their own and fumble not once but twice inside the Bengals 10 yard line. The first fumble coming on their opening drive when Jonathan Stewart would caugh up the ball as he crossed the 5 yard marker.

The Bengals would turn that fumble into a touchdown but it was mostly down hill for them from their as the Steelers defense, led by Troy Polamalu, who had three interceptions on the day, would take over for most of the rest of the game and it would be the fourth quarter before either of these two teams could score again as they spent time play hot potatoe the rest of the half and deep into the third period.

The Steelers, who have revamped their running game by trading for J. Stewart and rebuilt their secondary by adding corner back Kelvin Hayden and FS, A. Bethea, via trade as well got several contributions from their new stars but not all was positive as Stewart would pound two fumbles into the turf while Bethea would pick up a contraversial pass interference that lead to the Bengals substaining a rare drive without an interception being thrown and getting their second score of the game. Hayden was the one who earned his paycheck on the day though as he picked of his first and second pass as a Steelers in his first game with the team, one inwhich he turned into a pick six.

“The game was ugly, every time we got a drive going they forced us to turn it over, then they would get a drive going and our defense would take it back. Crazy game man, not sure how we escaped it with the win to be honest.” said Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, after the game.

Heath Miller would get the Steelers second touch down on the day by getting behind a blitzing defense for a 55 yard catch and run to give his team the lead.

“I say the blitz and looked at Ben and he knew exactly where I was going, I just ran up the field and he hit me over the top and I was lucky enough to run it in the rest of the way.” said Miller of his touch down catch.

The Bengals would tie the game at 14 all with :57 seconds left in the contest as it looked like this one would be going into over time. That was before Ben Roethlisberger was able to find second year WR Mike Wallace streaking down the field on a 48 yard catch that put the Steelers in perfect position for a game winning FG. With no time outs left and only :26 seconds left on the clock, kicker Jeff Reed was called apon to get the game winning boot and did just that as the Steelers would finish their 17 point 4th quarter with a game winning FG by their trusty kicker.

The Steelers have now got themselves back into the division race with a pair of wins over the Patriots and Bengals but the season does not get any easier as the undefeated Atlanta Falcons are up next. It won’t be an easy game to win, but if the defense can gobble their way to another victory, this team may have just found the final peices to the puzzle and become a real threat in the AFC.

The Panthers showed that they could move the ball with a long drive that brought them to within 7 points in the first quarter and then stopped the Saints on 4th and 1 in the red zone. FB Tony Flammetta would catch a 63 yard pass that put the Panthers in a position to close the gap and get back in to the game. The Saints D held tough and a missed field goal would set the tempo for the rest of a game that would see the Panthers being stopped short of the first down marker all through out the game. Coach Devo stated that his team got beat from the opening play due to the lack of consistency on offense and the inability to keep the Saints off of the field.

Saints Running Back Reggie Bush was the player of the game with 20 carries for 185 yards from scrimmage and 2 touchdowns. Drew Brees showed why he is the best quarterback in the league by completing 12 of 14 passes with 1 TD. The Panthers were able to get some big plays from FB Tony Flammetta who led the team with 4 receptions for 82 yards and Rookie DT Rico Pitts led the defense in his second start with 4 tackles.

The Panthers are all but playing for pride and face the 3-4 Browns next week who must win to keep up with their division rivals.

CUTLER SITS IN DISGUST AFTER THE BEATING HE TOOK FROM THE BLITZING PATS

The Patriots defense also came into this game with alot of energy and just made the Bears offense look like the Bad News Bears only allowing 104 total offense and collecting 6SCK and 2INT and 1 Fumble Recover.

PATRIOTS DEFENDERS BLITZ HARD ON THE BEARS ALL GAME LONG

GM Phil did not like the effort of the Bears or the Coaching staff in this game and said their is no way that they should have been taken care of so easy and have stressed to Coach Smith that the team needs to be pushed harder from here on out.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots both entered this game at 1-3 and were on a collision course to save their seasons. It would be billed as the Patriots high powered offense verse the Steelers hard hitting defense. The game would start slow as both teams struggled to score early but a defensive explosion in the fourth quarter by the Steelers would be the difference in this one.

The teams would trade a pair of FG’s and both score a touchdown during the first half to take a 13 all tie into the locker room. WR Randy Moss scored on a 22 yard TD catch while newly aquired HB Jonathan Stewart got his first touchdown as a Steeler on a 2 yard run.

The second half would see all the fireworks though as the Steelers rookie HB, Larry Mata, would set them off by turning a 50 yard scamper into 6 points on the opening drive of the third quarter for his team. The Patriots would add a FG during the same period but the grand finally would start mid-way through the fourth period as the Steelers special teams and defense, who harrased Tom Brady all day with 3 sacks and several more pressures and 3 interceptions on the day, would begin to take over the game.

The Patriots opened the scoring in the fourth period after WR M. Colston grabbed a nice pass for a 13 yard touchdown but that is when things began to unravel for the Patriots. The ensuing KR would be returned for a 96 yard score by Stefan Logan and All Pro safety Troy Polamalu would turn a great one handed interception 35 yards for a touch down in a span of :13 seconds. On the next patriot drive Brady would throw his 3rd interception of the game as rookie CB James Fluellen would grab his 4th pick of the season and return it to the 6 yardline for his team. Jonathan Stewart would get his second TD on the day shortly after that as the Steelers ended their 21 point late game flurry and the patriots chance for a win.

“It was a great game, the patriots gave us everything we could handle, that pass game is very good but we made the right adjustments at the half and it payed off late in the game. We had several big plays today but the unsung hero is rookie DE, Jackson Hailes who in his first start, was in the Patriots backfield all day. The pressure he created lead to the turnovers and gave the defense the spark we needed. I am proud of how the men played today, they never gave up and faught back everytime they fell behind.” said Steelers coach Mike Tomlin after the game.

The Steelers would go on to win 41-30 and get the monkey of three consecutive, close losses off their back after opening the season with a win over the Broncos. Up next are division rivals the Cincinatti Bengals and the Steelers will need another great outing by their defense verse one of the leagues most high powered offense’s, if they are to keep pace in the division and turn their season around.

MOSS TAKING ONE 93YRDS TO THE HOUSE ON OPENING KICK OFF

The fans knew that their Bears were coming in here to prove a point against the Jets. The Cutler Olsen connection continued to steam roll yet another defense as Cutler found Olsen for a 51yrd TD pass to put the Bears up 14-0 1st quarter.

OLSEN CELEBRATING A 51YRD TD PASS AND HIS 3TD ON THE YEAR

But the Jets would not be out done scoring 14 points on their own. With the score tied up at 14 the Bears and Cutler went on a quick hit and strike and hit Malcolm Floyd for a 69yrd TD pass and take a 21-14 lead into the half.

SHONE GREENE RUNNING FOR A 11YRD TD

The third Quarter showed more of the Bears offense and the running and catching ability of Devin Hester. Coach Smith put him back in the slot for this game and game up with 2 big TD catches 48yrds, 58yrds and also returned a a miss FG for 107yrds to give the Bears 21 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter.

HESTER RUNS BACK A 107YRD MISS FG BY THE JETS AND SCORES 21 POINTS IN THE HALF ALONE

Now with the game out of reach the Bears and Coach Lovie Smith put it in cruse control to try and not get anyone hurt. The Jets who did not give up scored 14 unanswered points to make the final score 28-42 Bears and the Bears improved to 4-1 on the season

COACH SMITH TELLING THE GUYS DON’T ACT LIKE THEY WON SOMETHING AFTER WIN AGAINST JETS

The Carolina Defense had four interceptions in this game but the Panthers were unable to capitalize on any of these mistakes.  Donovan McNabb was was taken out of the game as a precautionary measure after a big hit by the Carolina interior linemen.  Kevin Cobb was unable to lead his team to victory and looked shaky as McNabb’s replacement as he threw 3 interceptions.

Coach Devo commented that this is a young team with six rookies in the starting lineup.  Newly acquired TE Adam Saint had a solid game catching 3 passes for 51 yards. The rookie tandem of Crosby and Barclay were held to one catch between the both of them.  HB Deangelo Williams was held to 31 yards on 17 attempts but he was able to score on the first series of the game on a 6 yard run.

Notable Players of the Game

CAR WR Azaveus Phelps: 5 receptions, 166 yards, 1 TD

PHI HB LeSean McCoy: 20 carries, 100 yards rushing

CAR CB Tye Hill: 5 Tackles

PHI MLB Stewart Bradley: 5 tackles

McNabb leaves the game with an injury.

Azaveus Phelps scores the game winning TD.

CUTLER THROWS 1 OF 2 INT OF THE GAME

The Bears would respond on the next play and kick a Field Goal after the drive was stalled. The Giants would come right back with Jacobs and killing the clock on the entire drive and Scoring with Jacobs.

JACOBS TAKES HAND OFF FROM MANNING FOR SCORE
Again the Giants defense came right at the Bears and cause yet another Pick from Cutler as for a second Hester looked open and Webster would pick him off.

COREY WEBSTER SITS BACK AND READS THE EYS OF CUTLER AND PICKS HIM OFF
The Bears knew they needed some type of score before the half and would you know it early MVP candidate Matt Forte Breaks a 73yd TD run to make it a game once again.

FORTE BREAK AWAY FROM THE GIANTS D AND SCORES.

Now in the 3rd quarter the giants are driving and at the Bears 14yrd line and down a score 17-28 and still with time to make a comeback even with the Giants just milking the clock away of ever drive since they took the lead. Something weird would happen the sound would go out and lights in the stadium would go black.

THE STADIUM GOES PITCH BLACK
I get booted from the game at 17-28 in the 3rd I think I still had a chance to comeback in the game might could have held him to  a FG and scored a TD and would have been within a TD but he did not want to start the game over so tough cookies for us. I just put the score what it was when i got booted and only said 2 int by Cutler cause that’s all i threw before i got booted also

Pittsburgh would be down to a rookie and an aging back-up to lead the ground game. Though Larry Mata has done a fine job in his first NFL season thus far, the Steelers felt he needed more help then un-drafted free agent HB, DJ. Claytor, and Mewelde Moore, in the backfield.

After several weeks of trade talks with the Carolina Panthers, help is on the way as Pittsburgh finally got their man. A running back that they felt got away from them a few years ago in the draft. That player is none other then All Pro, Jonathan Stewart.

“We felt we needed to give Larry some help, he has played great for a rookie, but we are a two back offense and knew the minute Mendy went down we would have to find a player of his caliber to fit the bill and we think we did that by aquiring J Stew.” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

The Steelers would have to part with another rookie, first round pick, TE Adam Saint and a 2nd round pick in next years draft to aquire Stewart but with Heath Miller on the roster having Saint was a luxary they could afford to lose. In return Pittsburgh would aslo recieve TE Jeff King who will take over the role of second string TE right away.

“I loved playing in Carolina and the team has been good to me, but the chance to be a Pittsburgh Steeler and run for a team with their tradition is awsome. When coach asked me how I felt about the trade, I said when does the plane leave? I can’t wait to lace them up and put on the Black & Gold and help my new family get their season back on track.” said Stewart when asked about the trade.

The Steelers can use all the help they can get these days too as they have started the season a miserable 1-3 and have a long way to go to catch the streaking Ravens and Bengals in the division. The year is young though and the team has not lost hope on the season yet.

Rumor has it that the Steelers are still interested in adding to the team and this may not be their final trade before the deadline. Coach Tomlin was quoted as saying ’We are always open to adding talent and are in the mix to get more depth for our secondary, specifically at free safety.”

What that could mean is any fans guess, but stay tuned for another announcement soon, if the Steelers are able to find a player they covet and the price is right.

Frank Gore has officially landed in Green Bay. Coach Mike McCarthy was seen arriving at Green Bay’s Austin Straubel Airport to pick up Gore in a black SUV. Gore then demanded that McCarthy let him drive, as a way of showing he would be driving this team towards a championship. McCarthy promptly got his fat ass out of the car and allowed Frank Gore to do as he pleased. No one is going to tell the 2-time Pro Bowler what to do. Gore and McCarthy drove back to the Green Bay training facility to get Frank acclimated to the Green Bay offense. He immediately punched Aaron Rodgers in the face and called him a little bitch, and told him to go inside and make him a sandwich. It appears as if the dynamics of this Green Bay offense are about to change.

Frank then suited up for his first Green Bay practice, and immediately injured the entire practice squad defense. GM SilverwingSMV was seen clapping and laughing as the practice defense was carted off the field. He was truly happy to be gaining a runningback of this caliber. After an hour-long workout, Gore quickly headed into the city of Green Bay and to the mayor’s office. He held the mayor ransom, demanding that it be Frank Gore Day “anyday I want it to be, homie”. The Mayor hastily signed the documents and gave him a key to the city before fainting. Before Gore left City Hall, he asked to know which house was the richest in Green Bay. He drove his car over to that house and quickly evicted the family living there. The owner of the house, George A. Marshall, was not mad in the slightest. “Hell, Frank Gore is beast. If anyone is allowed to kick me outta my home and make me live on the street, it’s that guy. GO PACK!”.

We attempted to catch up with Gore to ask him a few questions about his new life in Green Bay, but anytime we tried to run after him, we were easily trucked aside, stiff armed, then left in the dust. We expect anyone who tries to stop this freak of nature to be met with the same.

Atari Bigby tied the single game record for INT’s in a game with 4, returning 3 for TD’s as the Packers stole a win in the 4th quarter by a score of 42 -20 over the NFC North rival Vikings. To go along with Bigby’s big day, Aaron Rodgers rebounded from shoddy performances to complete 18 of 27 passes for 262 yards, 2 TD’s and just 1 INT. The Packers came into the 4th quarter down by a score of 20 to 8. The Vikings had held the Green Bay offense in check for most of the game and were looking to lock up the game in the 4th. That’s when Rodgers stepped up to the plate, leading Green Bay on a march into Vikings territory. There, Rodgers would find Donald Driver on a short route across the middle for a 2 yard strike. The Packers would miss the 2 point conversion. But after a Viking punt on their ensuing possession, Rodgers would find Greg Jennings on a 68 yard play action strike to put the Packers ahead 21-20. With 4 and a half minutes remaining, Atari Bigby entered into beast mode.

Bigby picked off an errant Tarvaris Jackson throw intended for TE Jim Kleinsasser, and darted downfield, breaking several tackles before finding the end zone for his first TD of the night. But he wasn’t done just yet. On the next Viking possession, Bigby intended to storm down the middle on a SS Blitz, but instead found the ball coming his way down the middle. Using quick instincts, Bigby picked off the ball yet again and raced past the Viking offensive lineman for his second TD of the day. But this still was not enough of a game for the man named Atari. On the next Minnesota possession, he would once again take advantage of a poor throw by Tarvaris Jackson and raced his 3rd INT of the game down a wide open sideline for the score. In the closing seconds, he would add a meaningless pick in the endzone for his 4th of the game, tying a single game record held by Deltha O’ Neal of the Cincinnati Bengals. Bigby attributes his inspired play to watching the offense make some inspired plays of their own minutes before “Once we took that one point lead at the start of the 3rd, we came together as a defense and vowed not to let our offense down. We didn’t want their work to be in vain, and we definitely didn’t want to let the Vikings come into our house and push us around. So, I decided to push back. The ball and I just had a great relationship out there today.”

The Vikings had been in control of the game until the 4th. Adrian Peterson was finding holes through rushing and receiving and was proving to be the X factor for 3 quarters. Tarvaris Jackson’s inaccuracy proved to be the downfall for the Vikings. He finished 17 for 31 with 2 TD’s and 4 picks. The Viking defense had been holding the Packers in check for most of the game. Good pressure was applied by Kevin Williams and Jared Allen, who had kept Aaron Rodgers from making good passes to start the game. The game simply boiled down to poor throws made by Jackson.

The Packers will take on the Lions for the 2nd time this season in Detroit next week, while the Vikings will take their bye week next week and have a chance to prepare for their next game in 2 weeks against the Lions. We wish luck to Curtgreen24 and the Vikings, and are looking forward to our second matchup Week 7 in Minnesota!