NFL Week 4 Picks

Picks for Week 4. Hopefully, none of you took my advice last week.

Week 4 Record: 8-8
Year to Date Record: 26-21

Carolina Panthers vs Atlanta Falcons
So, is it time to panic in Carolina? Everyone was hyped up for them against the Giants and expected them to take care of the short handed Giants last Thursday. Instead, the Panthers were whipped like a government mule. The offense couldn't move the ball at all, and the defense could not stop the Giants on the ground or through the air. Steve Smith called out Cam Newton after the game and told him to quit pouting. People seem to be making a bigger story out of it than it seems. Now the Panthers risk the possibility of going 1-3 with this trip to Atlanta. The Falcons have looked almost unstoppable on offense. And last Sunday the defense went into San Diego and shut down a pretty good Chargers offense. If the Panthers couldn't stop Ramses Barden, what makes me think they will stop Julio Jones and Roddy White? Nothing. Falcons win this one.

Atlanta 31  Carolina 20

Justin C's Take: Stars, Goats & Notes from Week 3 of the NFL

Game of the Week: Tennessee Titans 44  Detroit Lions 41
-Talk about a wild affair. It appeared the Titans were on the verge of winning this game until the Lions came back late with a hail mary to send it to overtime. Then there was the giant miscommunication between Shaun Hill, the Lions center, and coach Jim Schwartz on 4th and 1 in overtime deep in Tennessee territory. I have to give credit to the Titans. I did not think they were capable of putting up 44 points in a game after getting manhandled rather easily in their first two games. Was it Jake Locker's breakout performance? I will wait to see a couple more performances before I decide on that. But I love a high scoring overtime game, so this gets my vote this week.

The WWE RAW Truth Review for 9/24/12

I'm baaaccckkk! After missing last week's show I return to review RAW this week. Enjoy!

Get Out Here Scab!
RAW started with Paul Heyman and C.M. Punk in the ring. Heyman said RAW would not start until justice is served. Heyman replayed the footage of Punk's foot being on the ropes last week. Heyman invited the referee to the ring and demanded he tender his resignation. The ref came to the ring and said he made a mistake and that he feels terrible. The ref refused to resign. Punk interrupted him and said he didn't care how he feels. Punk asked how he got his job. He said when RAW expanded to 3 hours, A.J. called him and said they needed more officials. Heyman gave him a blindfold with a WWE and NFL logo and said he should wear it when he goes to sleep. Punk said A.J. should come to the ring and fire him.

NFL Week 3 Picks

Week 2 is gone, Week 3 is here. Computer problems are fixed, so I will get back to my regularly scheduled posting starting now!

Last Week's Record: 10-6
Year to Date: 18-13

St. Louis Rams vs Chicago Bears
I don't know if any quarterback will have a worst performance this season than Jay Cutler did in Week 2: 11-27 for 126 yards, 1 touchdown and 4 interceptions. That works out to a QB rating of 4.7. Cutler was also sacked seven times. He was getting in the face of his offensive line as well, which may cause some problems. While some of the blame can lay on the O-Line, Cutler also held on to the ball a bit too long at times. Cutler's leadership has always been a question mark. And the Bears also lost Matt Forte for a couple weeks with a high ankle sprain. The Rams scored a mild upset last week over Washington. They slowed down Robert Griffin enough and the offense made big plays through the air. I'm sure they sent a big thank you gift to Josh Morgan for his bonehead play to put the Skins out of field goal range. The Rams offense is nothing to look down on. I think they keep it close, but the Bears defense wins out in the end.

Chicago 27  St. Louis 23

Buffalo Bills vs Cleveland Browns
Fred Jackson is often looked on as the heart and soul of the Bills franchise. C.J. Spiller, however, is looking to ch age that. Spiller has come on in a big way this season. He has gone over 100 yards and scored 2 touchdowns in both games so far this year. Spiller has helped take the offensive burden off of QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has struggled a bit to start the year. The Bills defense played well last week completely shutting down the Chiefs until garbage time. Mario Williams has still yet to make an impact. Cleveland showed signs of improvement last week against Cincinnati but still came up short. Trent Richardson had a solid game and even Brandon Weeden played well, but the defense was torched by Andy Dalton and definitely missed CB Joe Haden. The Bills haven't won a road game since Week 1 last year. If they want to be a Playoff team, they have to win on the road. And I think they do here.

Buffalo 28  Cleveland 20

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Dallas Cowboys
Different season, same inconsistent Dallas Cowboys. Dallas goes in to New York on Wednesday night and beats the Super Bowl Champs on opening night. Then they go to Seattle the next week and get beat by a mediocre at best Seattle team. And they were beat badly. When will the Cowboys ever change their ways? And if the Cowboys keep it up, will it be the end of the line for Coach Jason Garrett and QB Tony Romo? The offense sputtered last week and could just not get anything going. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, put up a fight against the Giants right until the end of the game. I know much has been said about the end of the game, but I have no problem with what the Bucs and coach Greg Schiano did. A kneel down isn't a free play, especially when it is still a one possession game. Tampa Bay looks like a team that will be competitive in every game this year. I'm tempted to go with the Bucs here, but I think the Cowboys defense can stop the Bucs. The Boys win their home opener.

Dallas 31  Tampa Bay 21

New York Jets vs Miami Dolphins
So who are the Jets? Are they the team that played great in Week 1? Or the team that looked terrible last week against Pittsburgh? I think they are somewhere in between. But the Jets definitely need to get their offense on the right page. The run game has not been good in the first two games. And on the opposite side of the ball, the defense needs to do a better job of stopping the run. The good news for the Jets is that they get Darelle Revis back after missing last week's game do to a concussion. That is bad news for Dolphins rookie QB Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill doesn't have many weapons on offense to throw to. I would expect Reggie Bush to shoulder the load for the Phins. Remember Miami is where the Jets had their huge blow up last year to end the season. I like Miami here. I expect another big day from Reggie Bush.

Miami 17  NY Jets 14

San Francisco 49ers vs Minnesota Vikings
Two weeks into the season and I feel confident saying that the 49ers are the best team in the NFL. Their defense is still great, and Alex Smith continues to do all that is asked of him to keep his team and the offense going. This game also marks the return of Randy Moss to Minnesota. I just love everything about how Jim Harbaugh coaches this team and gets them ready for a game. That's why it will be a long day for Christian Ponder and Co. I expect the 49ers to throw a variety of blitzes at Ponder, who still struggles at times when faced with pressure. The Vikings will try to get Adrian Peterson going, but San Fran has been great at stopping the run too. Enough said here, 49ers win.

San Francisco 30  Minnesota 10

Kansas City Chiefs vs New Orleans Saints
This is a battle between two 0-2 teams that many did not expect to be here. The Chiefs have not looked good in their first two games. In Week 1 they were thrown on all day by Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. Last week, they were run over by C.J. Spiller and the Bills. And the offense just can't seem to get going. Matt Cassel has yet to live up to the part of a very good starting QB. All of the hype that surrounded last year's team is gone. The Saints, meanwhile, have looked surprisingly bad on defense. They have yet to look good on that side of the ball. And on offense, Drew Brees hasn't quite looked himself. It almost feels like Drew Brees is trying to do too much for the Saints. Brees has the weapons on offense and he needs to relax and let his team help him out. The good news for the Saints is that they are at home, and should win here against the Chiefs.

New Orleans 35  Kansas City 21

Cincinnati Bengals vs Washington Redskins
Washington could easily be 2-0 right now if not for Josh Morgan's bonehead play last week. Now there is no guarantee that the Skins would have won, but I like their chances with Robert Griffin as QB. Griffin still played well last week. The Redskins defense, however, took a huge blow last week. Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker were both lost for the season. That cripples what was a very good Redskins front seven. And Washington is also still waiting to see if WR Pierre Garcon can go this week. Cincinnati rebounded off a bad opening week loss by taking care of the Browns. Andy Dalton carved up the Browns defense. The Bengals defense, however, still didn't look as good as they did last year. The Browns offense that looked terrible in Week 1 looked better in Week 2. I like Robert Griffin and the Skins to rebound here and win their home opener. But long term, their defense will struggle with the loss of Orakpo and Carriker.

Washington 26  Cincinnati 24

Detroit Lions vs Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are not who we thought they were. I thought they would look better than they have in their first two games this year. Jake Locker is struggling in his first couple games, and Chris Johnson looks like a guy who just got paid and is raking in the money. And the defense has been run over the first two games. The Lions have also struggled a bit. They had to make a late comeback to beat the Rams at home and were shut down by the 49ers last week. The Lions running game will get a boost this week with the return of Mikel LeShoure to their line-up. Detroit has never been a great road team and I think the Titans now the importance of not starting 0-3, but I think Calvin Johnson is too much for the Titans secondary to handle, and the Lions eek out a win on the road.

Detroit 27  Tennessee 24

Jacksonville Jaguars vs Indianapolis ColtsHmm, what is there to say about this game. Andrew Luck has played okay in his first two games as QB. He would be better if he had a good running game behind him. Unfortunately Donald Brown has not lived up to the pre-season hype he had around him. Luck is also going up against a Jacksonville team that has yet to give up a passing touchdown this season. Jacksonville's offense struggled last week against Houston but they should find some success here against the Colts in the air. If Blaine Gabbert is going to have a good game, this one would be it. I'm picking the Colts here.

Indianapolis 21  Jacksonville 20

Philadelphia Eagles vs Arizona Cardinals
This is an interesting game to me. The Cardinals are 2-0 and are coming off a huge win last week against the New England Patriots. They shut down Tom Brady and won with only getting one catch from Larry Fitzgerald. Now the Cardinals go against Kevin Kolb's former team. Most critics say that the Eagles got the better end of the trade, so you know Kolb will be out to have a good game against his former team. The Cardinals defense has played surprisingly well too. But they will have a tough time containing Mike Vick. Vick was having another average game last week until late. Vick will also be without WR Jeremy Maclin this week. That will allow the Cardinals to focus on stopping DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy. The Cardinals showed that they can win without production from Larry Fitzgerald, and I think they do it again here. The Eagles play has been inconsistent the first two games.

Arizona 30  Philadelphia 26

Atlanta Falcons vs San Diego Chargers
Another battle between 2-0 teams. The Falcons have looked good in both of their games this year. The passing offense has been playing well and Julio Jones and Roddy White have looked unstoppable with Mat  Ryan throwing to them at times. But sooner or later, the Falcons will need to get some type of running game going. And it didn't help the Falcons that Michael Turner went and got himself arrested after Monday nights game. The Falcons defense played especially strong last week, picking off Peyton Manning three times. San Diego is 2-0 and they are about to get better with the return of RB Ryan Matthews. Matthews missed the first two games and his return will already better a very good Chargers offense. San Diego's defense has also played well, but they also haven't faced an offense like the Falcons yet. If the Chargers can get a pass rush going on Ryan, then maybe the Chargers can rattle him. But until they are stopped, I think the Falcons will be a tough team to beat this year.

Atlanta 31  San Diego 28

Houston Texans vs Denver Broncos
So, which Peyton Manning is the real Peyton Manning we will get this year. The good Peyton that played well against Pittsburgh, or the Peyton that was picked off three times against the Falcons. Manning has been know to try and force things at times during his career, but some of those throws he made Monday night were just awful. The defense was also carved up by Matt Ryan. The Texans have steam rolled over two soft opponents, and Denver will be their first real test of the year. It looks like the Texans now have a two headed monster at running back with Arian Foster and Ben Tate in the backfield. That will help take some pressure off of Matt Schaub. I would expect Wade Phillips to bring some heavy pressure on Peyton Manning and try to get him to make some mistakes like he did on Monday. I think the Texans are a very strong team overall and they will force Peyton Manning into a few mistakes and pull off a win on the road.

Houston 23  Denver 17

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Oakland Raiders
The Steelers were without Troy Polamalu and James Harrison last week and still shut down Mark Sanchez and the Jets. They will be without those same two guys this week and they should not have a problem. The Oakland Raiders offense has done very little this year and they now face the best defense they've seen all year. Expect the Steelers to load up the box and shut down Darren McFadden. And Carson Palmer has done very little this season to show that he can win games with his arm. How long until the Raiders see what Terrell Pryor has to offer? If you can't tell, I don't like the Raiders chances here. I think this will be an easy one for the Steelers.

Pittsburgh 28  Oakland 13

New England Patriots vs Baltimore Ravens
So was that simply a blip on the Patriots radar? Or a sign of things ahead? New England was shut down by a far inferior team in the Cardinals. What made it worse was that the Patriots shut down Larry Fitzgerald and they still allowed the Cardinals to pull out a victory. New England also suffered a blow on offense with the loss of Aaron Hernandez for a couple weeks. They signed Kellen Winslow, but he is no Aaron Hernandez. I would expect the Pats to lean more on Wes Welker with Hernandez out now. The Ravens lost a close game last week against Philadelphia. They place a lot of the blame on the replacement refs, but it is no excuse. But the Ravens offense is still playing well, I would say they are better than the Patriots offense at this point in the year. Joe Flacco is still not an elite QB, but he is playing some of the best football in his career. Baltimore has a handful of weapons on offense for the Patriots to focus on. Ray Rice will be the focal point, but if the Pats focus too much on him they will be exposed in the secondary. I like the Ravens to win here on the road. They almost one in Foxboro last year, and they will win here at home.

Baltimore 31  New England 23

Green Bay Packers vs Seattle Seahawks
The Packers offense still doesn't look like the same offense we saw last year. Maybe teams have figured them out, but Aaron Rodgers hasn't put up the same impressive number he did last year. Teams are getting pressure on him and taking advantage of a weak Packers offensive line. The good news for the Packers is that they got Cedric Benson going last week and may have found the run game they were missing last year. And the defense played big last week, getting constant pressure on Jay Cutler. Expect them to bring a lot of pressure on rookie Seattle QB Russell Wilson this week. Wilson still hasn't played well in the first couple weeks. I would expect Seattle to lean on Marshawn Lynch again. But if the Packers get up early, an Russell Wilson keep up with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers? I don't think so. I'm going with the Pack here.

Green Bay 34  Seattle 24

If I Were A Betting Man, I Would Make These Four Bets
Buffalo -3 at Cleveland: If the Bills lean on Spiller, this line shouldn't be a problem
Arizona +3.5 vs Philadelphia: Eagles have been living dangerously first 2 weeks
Pittsburgh -4 at Oakland: Raiders have no offense to speak of
Atlanta +3 at San Diego: Game will be close either way

Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka

NFL Week 2 Picks

The NFL season is back, and we are through one week of picks. Now lets lets go on to Week 2!

Last Week's Record: 8-7

Kansas City Chiefs vs Buffalo Bills
These are two teams that got off to starts last week that did not meet their expectations. The Bills were absolutely schooled by the Jets last week. Ryan Fitzpatrick did not look good. The new and improved defense got no pressure on the QB, and that resulted in the young secondary getting torched by Mark Sanchez. Buffalo also lost Fred Jackson for a few weeks and WR David Nelson for the year. C.J. Spiller will pick up the load on offense, and he did well last week. Kansas City hung with Atlanta for a little bit but ended up getting blown out in the end. The Chiefs gave up 20 unanswered points and only scored a late garbage time TD in the second half. Kansas City was without some key players on defense. They may get CB Brandon Flowers back though. The Chiefs have some tough games coming up, but I think the Bills are more motivated by all of their doubters after Week 1. And they are at home. I'll take Buffalo.

Buffalo 27  Kansas City 21

WWE Night Of Champions Preview + Thoughts on Jerry Lawler

This Sunday is WWE Night of Champions. Its kind of weird talking about the PPV after the events that transpired on RAW Monday, but I will talk about that at the end today. Night of Champions is the one PPV a year where the WWE actually has to make it seem like they care about every Title they have. If the WWE actually tried to make their mid-card Titles important, then maybe this PPV would feel like a bigger deal.

But instead the show seems like a one match show. The WWE has focused their entire build of the show around C.M. Punk, John Cena and the WWE Championship. The Intercontinental and United States Championship matches weren't even announced or mentioned until the past week. I understand the gimmick of the PPV is already set in stone. But make us give a damn about the matches that will be on it. Don't just announce the matches one week in advance. A solid mid-card build can do wonders for TV and business.

NFL Week 1 Review

Team of the Week: San Francisco 49ers
In the first week of the season, I like to look for teams that make a statement. And I think San Francisco made the biggest statement. They went into Lambeau on opening day and handled the Green Bay Packers rather easily. The score makes the game seem closer than it actually was. The 49ers shut down the Packers offensive attack. They had constant pressure in Aaron Rodgers face all day and made the Packers run game non-existent. San Francisco was a botched punt return away from going to the Super Bowl last year, and they returned the majority of their starters on both side of the ball this year. The offense has more weapons. Randy Moss played well yesterday and Alex Smith continues to be a solid game manager. He won't put up spectacular stats but he is a solid starter who plays well with the talent around him. San Fran looks like the team to beat in the NFC.

Game of the Week: Minnesota 26  Jacksonville 23 (OT)
-Who would have thought that quite possibly the least intriguing game of the week would wind up being the best one? Minnesota took a five point lead in the 4th quarter before Blaine Gabbert of all QBs lead a 6 play, 76 yard TD drive in just under one minute to give Jacksonville a lead. Minnesota then went 32 yards in three plays and allowed Blair Walsh to tie the game on a 55 yard field goal. Then we saw the new OT rules come into effect but the Jags could not convert after Minnesota's field goal. It may be the most interesting game these two teams play all year.

The Jon Gruden "Let Me Tell You About These Guys" 3 Stars
3. Matt Ryan
Ryan needed to shake off a bad Playoff performance last year against the Giants, and he did just that against the Chiefs. Ryan threw for 299 yards and 3 touchdowns in Atlanta's win over Kansas City. The NFC South, in my opinion, is the Falcons division to lose. As the Saints showed yesterday, they may not be as good as people think. And Carolina stumbled out of the gate against Tampa Bay. Ryan has plenty of weapons surrounding him so there is no excuse for bad play. The Falcons face a big test next week with the Denver Broncos coming to town.

2. Adrian Peterson
AP tore his ACL in Week 17 last year. Nine months later, Peterson was back on the field and looked pretty much like his normal self in the Vikings overtime win over Jacksonville. Peterson ran the ball 17 times for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns. To come back from an ACL tear and perform as well as Peterson did was quite admirable. The Vikings offense will go as far as Peterson will take them this year.

1. Robert Griffin
For anyone who would listen to me, I have been telling them constantly that I think Robert Griffin will be a very good QB this year and in the future. I think he is a better version of Mike Vick. His arm strength and mobility are very good. But I did not expect to see the performance I saw from Griffin against the Saints. The kid just kept making play after play. He easily outplayed Drew Brees. When the Saints cut the lead to 8, Griffin lead the Redskins down field in 3 minutes to give the Redskins the double digit lead again. The Redskins will cause some problems in the NFC East this year.

The Matt Millen "What Were They Thinking" Goats of the Week

3. Mario Williams
Williams was brought in to be a pass rushing force for the Bills this year. What was his stat line against the Jets? One tackle. Williams could not get anything going all game against a vastly inferior opposition from the Jets offensive line. And after the game? Williams complained about being held and getting hands to the face all game. Mario, I love you for choosing the Bills. But you are paid to beat the opposition. Not complain when you can't.

2. Titus Young
The Lions were expecting a breakout season from Young. But instead of having a big first game, what does Young do? He goes and gives a headbutt to Rams CB Janoris Jenkins. Not only that, but he did it right in front of his own head coach Jim Schwartz. Schwartz benched Young for the rest of the game and you have to wonder if this will affect Young's playing time going forward. The Lions have had multiple mental lapses during the off-season and it wasn't a good way to start for Young and the Lions. The Lions won but they should have easily beaten the Rams.

1. Cleveland Browns Offense
The Browns defense did everything they possibly could to keep the team in the game. They picked off Mike Vick 4 times and even helped the offense out by returning one for the touchdown. Brandon Weeden looked like a rookie QB nowhere near ready to start a game. What was Brandon Weeden's final stat line? 12-35, 118 yards, no touchdowns and 4 interceptions. That gave him a QB rating of 5.1. Cleveland only mustered 210 yards of total offense. Their longest drive was 6 plays for 53 yards that ended with an interception. It is going to be a very long season for Cleveland fans.

Other Week 1 Notes
-I've gone this far without mentioning Peyton Manning. Well, he looks just like he did two years ago. It seriously looked like he didn't miss a beat. Manning made quick decisions with the ball and looked like his old self calling audibles at the line of scrimmage. I specifically liked how he called two audibles near the goal line when it looked like Troy Polamalu was blitzing. He called a timeout after still not seeing what he liked. Then they converted on the next play. If the Broncos defense could have gotten off the field on third down, they would have won the game by a wider margin. But the Broncos showed last night that they will be the team to beat in the AFC West.

-Yes it is only Week 1, but it looks like the toughest division to call will be the NFC East. The Eagles looked terrible against a weak Browns team. The Cowboys went into New York and defeated the Giants. And the Redskins went into New Orleans and beat the high powered Saints offense. These teams are going to beat up on each other this year. It would not surprise me if the winner of the division ended up 9-7. I still like the Giants. They've shown their ability to pull out tough games late in the season and Eli Manning knows how to win big games late. The Redskins will pull off a couple upsets along the way. The Eagles and Cowboys will play really good one week then terrible the next like they have in the past. I don't see any team pulling away with this division.

-It is only Week 1, and we are starting to get people asking whether or not Joe Flacco is elite again. Yes, Flacco had a good game against a good defense in Cincinnati. But everybody has surprisingly good games. Flacco has still not won his team a Super Bowl like Eli Manning has. To be, Flacco is a solid starting QB who will have good games like he did this Monday and bad games like I'm sure he will throughout the season. I can name at least 10 QBs I would rather have besides Flacco, so I would in no way say that he is an elite QB.

The Booker T FAB FIVE
1. San Franciso 49ers
2. New England Patriots
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Houston Texans
5. Chicago Bears

The King Booker Peasant 5
28. Buffalo Bills
29. Seattle Seahawks
30. Indianapolis Colts
31. Miami Dolphins
32. Cleveland Browns

3 Games I'd Like To See Next Week
Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers: Packers have a legit shot of starting 0-2
Detroit Lions vs San Francisco 49ers: The Handshake Part 2
Denver Broncos vs Atlanta Falcons: Lets see how Peyton performs on the road

Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka

The RAW Truth Review for 9/10/12

RAW is live in Montreal tonight. Bret Hart is there for the first time on WWE TV since the infamous Montreal Screwjob. So even though he has made amends with everyone involved, expect it to be brought up numerous times tonight.

I Don't Know If Even C.M. Punk Could Have Saved WCW
Bret Hart came out to a pretty loud ovation. Bret said that the last time he was in Montreal it was a pretty dark day. But Bret said it was the people of Montreal that got him through those dark days and he thanked the crowd for their support. C.M. Punk interrupted. Punk said that everything Bret Hart talked about was already overblown in his book. If he wrote a book, it would be called What If. What if C.M. Punk wrestled Bret Hart instead of Shawn Michaels. Hart said he would have beaten Punk in less than a minute. Punk said he would have beaten Bret and wouldn't have needed Vince's help. Punk said he would have changed the course of the WWE, there would be no Attitude Era, and he would have jumped to WCW. Hart said at least he showed up every night, unlike Punk last week. Punk said he was in a hurry to enjoy his day off. Punk asked if Hart asked Cena to be his white knight. Hart said he asked Cena to come out first as a show of respect. Punk said to not talk about respect, and if he knew anything about respect he wouldn't talk down to the WWE Champion. Punk said just like Cena, Bret Hart is over-rated and he will put Cena to sleep at Night of Champions. Hart said just like he is putting these fans to sleep right now. Punk said he will leave Cena a beat down shell of a man just like Bret Hart is.

NFL Week 1 Picks

Yes, its back. The NFL Season is finally here and with that it is the return of my picks! Nothing changes from last year. I will post my picks here with some analysis. I know I missed Thursdays game. I will try to tweet my pick for that game before hand so I have proof of it. Good thing I didn't do that this week. Hopefully I can get some of these games right.

Indianapolis Colts vs Chicago Bears
Tough way for Andrew Luck to break into the league. Luck had a decent pre-season, but he is walking into a very tough match-up against the Chicago Bears and their defense. Luck can expect to face some heavy pressure from Julius Peppers and Brian Urlacher. It will be tough for the Colts offense to get anything going either on the pass or on the ground. Jay Cutler, meanwhile, finally gets the #1 WR he has been so desperately missing since he has come to Chicago. Cutler and Brandon Marshall were very good together in Denver and Chicago is expecting the same thing from them. The Bears also have a great one-two punch in the backfield with Matt Forte and Michael Bush. The Bears can't afford any slip ups if they want to compete for the NFC North Title, and I think they win this one rather easily.

Chicago 31  Indianapolis 13

The C.M. Punk-Paul Heyman Alliance: What's Next?

Okay, be honest. How many people were shouting and wooting at your television at the end of RAW on Monday. In something that happened in only the most die hard Internet wrestling fan's dreams, RAW ended with C.M. Punk driving away from a beaten John Cena, with Paul Heyman the one driving the car. I can honestly say that I never expected to see those two united together on screen. Even when Paul Heyman returned to manage Brock Lesnar, and there was talk of the two doing some work together down the line, I still wasn't expecting anything to come from it.

But those expectations changed after RAW on Monday. First off, I must say it was a smart move on the WWE's part. Monday Night Football starts next week and the WWE needed to do something to keep viewers from tuning away next week, and they did just that with the end of RAW. I never thought I would give props to the WWE for something like that, but you know they planned that out in advance.

The RAW Truth Review for 9/3/12

RAW is in Chicago tonight, which means the crowd is guaranteed to make this a good show. Why doesn't Triple H come out and give a retirement speech tonight?

After a video recap of last week's happenings, we were showed Jerry Lawler and C.M. Punk brawling backstage. Punk took out Lawler with a weak kick to the face. Lawler basically ran into Punk's foot.

You Can't Turn C.M. Punk Heel In Chicago
Sheamus came out after the usual intro. He said everytime he comes to Chicago, the party never stops. Before he could talk about Alberto del Rio, C.M. Punk interrupted. Punk told Sheamus to stop trying to talk to his hometown. Punk said this is his hometown, and they can relate to him. Punk said Lawler got exactly what he deserved, and he got it Chicago style. Punk said Lawler has been running his integrity down for weeks, and he was going to teach Jerry Lawler respect. Until John Cena came along. Punk said that by disrespecting him Cena has turned his back on the WWE Universe. Sheamus said that if Punk wants to come in here and talk about being the best in the world and demanding respect, he did the complete opposite by disrespecting the World Champion. Sheamus invited him to the ring. Punk said at best, that makes him the second best in the world, so shut your mouth. Sheamus told Punk to turn around because it sounds like he is talking to an ass. A.J. came out and made two matches: C.M. Punk vs Sheamus and John Cena vs Alberto del Rio.

Looking Ahead To Wrestlemania 29

Yes, it is still 7 months away. But I always love looking ahead to try and figure out next year's Wrestlemania card. And you know that the WWE is already planning ahead to the event as well. But of course, the WWE changes things almost hourly, so anything they would do know is more than likely going to be scrapped anyways. It is always good to have an initial idea and try to figure out how to get there, however. The WWE's problem is that they always lose faith in someone so quickly that they feel the need to make things change because of it.

Now if it were up to me, as you know, I would have booked this Brock Lesnar angle completely differently. My main event matches would have been The Rock vs C.M. Punk and Brock Lesnar vs John Cena for the WWE Championship. But since Lesnar/Cena is not happening, we have to go with something else. Because this year's show is in the backdrop of New York City, the WWE will want to have as many big name matches as possible.