Category Archives: NFL

Can the Steelers Take Down the Patriots?

Entertainment, NFL

Can the Steelers Take Down the Patriots?

**Assumptions made**

The Patriots are the heavyweight favorites. Some are saying QB Tom Brady is the league MVP even though he missed four games and the team only lost once without him. The No. 2 seed in the AFC, the closest team to the Patriots, is Kansas City. They only got that because the Raiders lost QB Derek Carr and got destroyed by the Broncos in Week 17, giving up the No. 2 spot. In Houston, QB Brock Osweiler was benched and is now back only because Tom Savage got hurt.

In short, the Patriots are the favorites to get to the Super Bowl as much because of whom they have to beat as because of what they’ve done. No one really thinks the Carr-less Raiders are a threat, the Texans stumbled through a weak division, and the Dolphins are still the Dolphins, a team that impressively rallied to get 10 wins, but even they are just in the playoffs because the Broncos fell apart and left the door open.

The Chiefs deserve some credit, but they don’t have that much firepower. Alex Smith threw just 15 touchdowns all season. That’s less than one per game, and he still had eight picks. You’re not going to beat the Patriots with maybe one touchdown.

So, that leaves the Steelers.

Pittsburgh has one thing all the rest lack: Experience. QB Ben Roethlisberger, who has won two Super Bowls, is far and away the best AFC QB not named Brady in the playoffs. No one else even comes close. He’s a guy who can be a top-five QB with ease when he’s healthy.

Overall, the Steelers have more complete offensive weapons than even the Patriots. Antonio Brown is better than any wideout they have. As effective as Julian Edelman has been, Brown is a game-changer, an athlete who is simply on another level. The same is true for Le’Veon Bell, who blew through the 1,000-yard mark even though he had to miss the first three games of the year.

Pittsburgh has been held back by injuries. Last season, those three barely played together at all. They missed time as a trio this season, as well. Notably, when the Patriots beat the Steelers in October, Roethlisberger was out. He’d just had surgery on his knee. Landry Jones got the start and the Steelers still only lost 27-16. That’s 11 points. You don’t think Roethlisberger is worth 11 points? He absolutely is.

The Patriots have been terrific. Brady has been nearly flawless. They deserve to be No. 1. But that doesn’t mean they’re unbeatable. If the Patriots and the Steelers meet in the postseason, it’s going to be one of the best, most hard-fought games of the year. Get your playoff tickets now!

Biggest Sporting Events in the US

college football, Entertainment, MLB, NFL, Sports

The Biggest Sporting Events in the United States

We love sports in the United States. The Super Bowl breaks TV records every year because sports are our favorite form of entertainment. Few other things come close, especially when looking at consistent viewership numbers over time. To get an idea of what we really like the most, here are the top sporting events in the U.S.

1. Super Bowl

It’s not a surprise that the Super Bowl tops this list. It’s the culmination of the most popular sports season in the country. People watch even if they don’t care about either team that made it to the big game — and even if they hate those teams. They throw massive Super Bowl parties and basically treat this as a holiday. Want proof? In 2012, people ate 100 million pounds of chicken wings while watching the game.

2. Masters

Golf is, in many ways, the opposite of football. It’s quiet, reserved, yet still loved by sports fans. It’s been around for decades, starting in 1934 — that’s still seven years before the United States got involved in World War II, for some perspective — and it’s still golf’s biggest event. The green jacket that the golfers battle for has become the most iconic image in the sport.

3. Kentucky Derby

This is the headliner of all horse racing events, a race that is as famous as the sport itself. People who haven’t watched a single horse race all year will tune in for this one event. The race is all of two minutes long, but it spawns weeks of festivities leading up to those 120 furious seconds.

4. World Series

Baseball may not be America’s pastime anymore, the way it used to be, but the World Series is still a well-loved event. There’s something nostalgic about it that people really connect with, no matter who makes it to the final seven games. Of course, the fever pitch reached an all-time high this year, as the Chicago Cubs were finally able to win after more than 100 years since their last victory.

5. College Football Playoffs

College football isn’t as popular as the NFL, but it’s a close second and still rounds out the top five. It used to be a single game, which ranked highly, but people complained about simply voting on the teams who would face off. In recent years, college football has switched to a four-team playoff system. This has raised interest, and it means that fans of powerhouse teams like Alabama and Ohio State have a chance to watch extra games as their teams advance.

Here at Headline Tickets, we have premium tickets for all of the major and minor sporting events that Americans love!

A Patriots/Cowboys Super Bowl?

Entertainment, NFL, Sports
Photo Credit: iStock Photo
Photo Credit: iStock Photo

A Patriots/Cowboys Super Bowl Would be the Most-Watched Ever

Things change in a heartbeat in the NFL. A few bad breaks, and a team can go from looking like a Super Bowl favorite to out of contention.

That being said, two of the hottest teams in the NFL this season are the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys. Some have already predicted that they’ll meet up in the Super Bowl.

That same prediction from Fortune had one curious twist, though: It also predicted that the amount of people who watch the Super Bowl would be slightly lower than it was for Super Bowl 50. That game, between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos, had about 110 million people tuning in. The drop won’t be far, but Fortune thinks it will fall this time around.

It could be true. Certainly, the NFL has seen declining viewership all year.

However, what Fortune is somehow ignoring is that these are the two teams with the best fan bases in the NFL. The Cowboys are the biggest and have been for years. Texas is a huge state, the Cowboys are an iconic team — there is a reason they’re called “America’s Team” — and they have a huge fan base even when they’re going 8-8. Fan support always swells when a team is good. With a rookie QB, they’re now one of the best in the NFL, and the fans are loud and proud. If that rookie — Dak Prescott — leads them all the way to the Super Bowl, it will be incredible.

Tied for second, according to CBS Sports, are the Patriots. Most of it just has to do with winning. The Patriots have won four Super Bowls with QB Tom Brady in the last decade and a half. They almost always win the AFC East. When you’re that good for that long, you create a ton of stalwart fans.

Of course, both teams are also hated, as is so often the case in the NFL. People despise the Cowboys for remaining so popular when they haven’t won in years. They hate the Patriots because they win and because many fans feel they cheat to do it.

However, that’s still going to create an epic matchup. People are going to want to watch every second — from here on out, really, not just in the playoffs and the Super Bowl — just to see if the teams lose.

Again, things can change in two seconds. Injuries happen, teams lose games they should win, and a new challenger could rise up. But, if the trajectory holds steady and those two teams do meet in the Super Bowl, as has been predicted, it’s going to be insane.

To watch everything come together as the end of the regular season plays out, get your Cowboys tickets and Patriots tickets today!

Dallas Cowboys Have an Epic QB Dilemma

Entertainment, NFL, Sports

With Dak Prescott and Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboys Have an Epic QB Dilemma

Not since the 49ers were trying to decide between Joe Montana and Steve Young has there been such a QB dilemma in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys, with the best record they have had in years, must choose between veteran starter Tony Romo and rookie Dak Prescott.

Prescott was a mid-round pick this year, seen as a project QB. He was often compared to Tim Tebow and ran a very college-style offense at Mississippi State. He wasn’t meant to start. The Cowboys had just learned last season, when Romo broke his collarbone twice, that they needed to work on depth at the position.

Then Romo hurt his back in the preseason. He was scrambling against the Seahawks and got hit from behind. Suddenly, the Cowboys had to start Prescott, the rookie no one thought was ready.

Not only was he ready, but he has led the Cowboys to their best start ever. They look like a potential Super Bowl contender. He’s setting high marks for rookies in NFL history; he’s beating almost everyone he plays. As of the win over the Browns on Nov. 6, he had thrown 12 touchdowns and just two picks. His QB rating was 104.2 and he had just over 2,000 yards on the season.

Those aren’t Peyton Manning type numbers, but his ability to protect the ball has been terrific and he’s only getting better. He threw three touchdowns, a career high, against Cleveland. He did the same two weeks before, against the Packers.

While all this was going on, though, Romo was healing. He was going to rehab. He was going to practice. Now, he’s finally been cleared to play.

The Cowboys didn’t expect to be at the top of the NFC East when he came back. If they were 2-5, this would be an easy decision. But Prescott has wildly outperformed what they expected from him, and he’s one of the most exciting rookie QBs in recent memory. It’s not so easy to decide if they should go back to Romo.

Romo is more experienced and the better passer. He’s a guy who has thrown three touchdowns in a game many times. He knows this offense.

On the other hand, it’s not possible for the Cowboys to do anything but stay the same — or get worse. Even if they win with Romo, that’s the same thing they’re doing with Prescott. Do they look to the future with the young QB or switch back to the vet and perhaps stunt this incredible run?

If history is any guide, they’ll go with Prescott. The 49ers, after all, got rid of Montana, went with Young, and won a Super Bowl. If you’d like to see how the drama plays out in Dallas, get your Cowboys tickets today!

NFC Title Matchup?

Entertainment, NFL, Sports

Raised Football Generic

Cowboys and Vikings Moving Toward NFC Title Matchup

There’s a lot of NFL football left to be played, but some things are already falling into place. We’re getting a much better idea of who is out of the playoff race and who could be heading for a postseason collision. At the top of that list, in the NFC, are the undefeated Minnesota Vikings and the 5-1 Dallas Cowboys. Are they going to meet up in the NFC Championship Game, to see who goes to the Super Bowl?

The Dak and Zeke Show

Both teams are a surprise, but let’s start with the Cowboys. Last season, QB Tony Romo and WR Dez Bryant got hurt, and the Cowboys couldn’t win a game. They were a disaster, and everyone blamed those injuries.

This year, Romo and Bryant are hurt again, but the Cowboys are rolling. They just knocked off the Green Bay Packers in decisive fashion, in Green Bay.

There are many reasons for the turnaround, but the two main reasons are rookie QB Dak Prescott and rookie RB Zeke Elliott. Elliott was the team’s top pick, out of Ohio State. He knows all about carrying a team with QB issues. When Ohio State won the National Title, they were down to their third-string QB. Elliott put the team on his back and ran them to the title.

Prescott has also been impressive, especially when it comes to limiting mistakes. He’s a threat through the air and with his feet. He was compared to Tim Tebow before the draft but he’s established himself as a passer in the NFL, as well. It’s to the point that many people think he should keep starting, even when Romo comes back.

Defense and Bradford

The Vikings also have a number of huge injuries. Adrian Peterson, at one time the best RB in the NFL, is out. QB Teddy Bridgewater blew out his knee before the regular season.

They’ve responded in a huge way. They traded for QB Sam Bradford, giving up a first-round pick in a shocking move, and he’s been great. They also geared up on defense and are winning largely on that side of the ball. They don’t need to score 40 points a game if their opponents can’t find the endzone. They have one of the best defenses in the league and no one has beaten them yet.

Who Would Win?

There are several factos to consider. History says that the top defenses tend to beat the top offenses in the postseason, giving the edge to the Vikings. However, the Cowboys are winning without their top playmakers and stand to get even better down the stretch. If you want to see the race toward the postseason in person and for a great price, get your NFL tickets here at Headline Tickets.