Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Match preview

The Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs enter Sunday's matchup having opened the season in Week 1 with as divergent of victories as possible. While each team will offer a unique challenge compared to the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars, respectively, the expectation is that this game will be very competitive.The Cowboys exchanged jabs with the Giants throughout last week's contest, eventually coming out on top by the final count of 36-31. The offense was efficient and the defense was able to force six turnovers, raising questions as to why the game was played so closely on the scoreboard.Dallas can't expect the Chiefs to be so lax with the football, especially in front of a pumped up Kansas City crowd.The Chiefs, however, are coming off a complete team effort during their 28-2 victory over the Jaguars. But Dallas is a much better team in all aspects of the game than Jacksonville, so Kansas City will have its work cut out if the team wants to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2010.

Match Details

Dallas Cowboys vs Kansas City Chiefs

Sunday, September 15 at 1:00 pm ET

Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO

Often injured throughout his career, DeMarco Murray has proven to be a dynamic running back when healthy -- evidenced by a career average of 4.8 yards per carry and a 91-yard touchdown run in a game against the St. Louis Rams during his rookie season back in 2011.Murray has also proven to be a capable receiver out of the backfield, including eight snags for 39 yards in last week's victory over the Giants.Kansas City's defense will be aggressive on Sunday, creating a vulnerability to the big play -- especially for Murray, who has the ability to create distance once he hits the second level.The Chiefs will be aggressive on defense and could give up a few big plays against a talented Cowboys offense. Disrupting Tony Romo's timing and pocket is top priority, however, so look for Kansas City to stop at nothing in accomplishing this goal.Dallas only yielded two sacks against a Giants defense known for pressuring the quarterback, but the Chiefs are a far cry from their 2012 version that only produced 27 sacks of their own -- a total good for third-worst in the NFL.Kansas City's pass rush is not only limited to Justin Houston and Tamba Hali anymore (19 of the 27 sacks last season), as Dontari Poe, Tyson Jackson and an aggressive scheme should help this defense emerge as one of the league's best at getting to the opposing quarterback.Aggression on defense yields the big play, but it will also allow Romo to find his safety blanket more often as plays break down.Tight end Jason Witten is coming off an eight-catch, 70-yard, two-touchdown performance in last week's win over the Giants, and could be even more effective against a Kansas City defense that will rely on man coverage when heavily pressuring Romo -- which will happen often on Sunday.Dwayne Bowe tied for the team lead in targets (six) and receptions (four) in last week's win, but only produced 30 yards and was not able to find the endzone. Chalk the lackluster stats up to game situation, however, as the Chiefs got out to an early and did not have to lean on its heavy-lifters to carry the team to victory.While Alex Smith will spread the ball around to different receivers, it is obvious that Bowe is still the biggest threat in Kansas City's passing offense. With only him and Jamaal Charles to worry about -- that is until someone else beats them -- Dallas should be in position to keep the wide receiver relatively quiet all game long.

Miami Dolphins vs Indianapolis Colts NFL Match predictions

The Indianapolis Colts host the Miami Dolphins in Week 2. Both teams are coming off rather unspectacular victories.The Oakland Raiders gave the Colts all they could handle, but Indianapolis eventually pulled it off with a 21-17 win. The defense is looking to rebound after letting Terrelle Pryor set the franchise record for rushing yards by a quarterback. The good news is that they still have Andrew Luck, who could take the next step in his second NFL season.The Dolphins also eked out an ugly win, beating the Cleveland Browns, 23-10. Their running game struggled against Cleveland's front seven, as Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas combined for just 17 yards on 18 carries.With both teams coming off unconvincing wins, most experts predict this game to be close. Seven out of 11 ESPN analysts are picking the Colts to win, and six out of nine experts on CBS Sports are also going with Indianapolis. The Colts are 3.5-point favorites, and three CBS panelists are picking against the spread.

The Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins NFL 2013 match info

NFL 2013 week 2 match between The Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins, who are 26-2 at home since 2009, haven't lost back-to-back games since October of 2010 and are coming off of a loss as they host the Redskins in their home opener on Sunday.Washington began to gain some traction after a slippery start against the Philadelphia Eagles, but the 'Skins still fell to Philly in their opener and now have to face the league's all-time highest-rated quarterback in an attempt to get back to .500. The lopsided matchup of the game is glaring. The Washington secondary struggled last year and let Michael Vick have somewhat of a field day in the opener. The 'Skins had trouble containing elite quarterbacks like Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning last season, and Rodgers is probably the best pivot they've faced since the team became competitive at the start of 2012.Nothing's impossible in this league, but there's good reason for Green Bay being a seven-point favorite in Vegas. Find a way to control the pace. Obviously, that didn't happen against Chip Kelly's squad last week. This time, they at least have a shot. This is a defense that gave up 494 yards against San Francisco in Week 1 and surrendered 4.5 yards per carry on the ground last season. Force turnovers and prevent big plays. I know, that's pretty much what every defense has to do to be successful. But I don't mind the 'Skins giving up gains underneath all day—the key is just to slow them down. Brandon Meriweather's presence in the secondary should help.Trent Williams and Tyler Polumbus: That pass rush is fierce and Clay Matthews is dangerous, especially when angry and with dual-threat quarterbacks in his crosshairs.

NFL Week 2 Match Details

Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins

SUN, SEP 15 | Time : 1.00 pm. ET

Lambeau Field

Minnesota Vikings Vs Chicago Bears NFL Match prediction

The Chicago Bears were edged out by the Vikings for the final NFC playoff spot in 2012 but took a step towards putting that disappointment behind them last Sunday with a come-from-behind 24-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. As they battled in Chicago, the Minnesota Vikings stumbled in their first test of the 2013 season, losing 34-24 to the Detroit Lions.The Bears rode Jay Cutler's right arm, 21 Completions in 33 Attempts, 242 Yards, 2 Touchdowns, 1 Interception for a 93.2 Passer Rating along with three turnovers created by their Pro Bowl cornerback tandem of Charles "Peanut" Tillman and Tim Jennings to provide Marc Trestman with his first victory in his first game as an NFL head coach.Adrian Peterson broke free on the Vikings' first play from scrimmage for a 78 yard touchdown run but the team couldn't overcome a dismal performance by Christian Ponder at quarterback. Ponder completed 18 Passes in 28 Attempts for 236 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 3 Interceptions and a 63.1 Passer Rating.The Vikings have lost 11 times in their last 12 visits to Soldier Field so trying to pass off a Bears victory prediction as bold would be cheating but here are three predictions that would open fan's eyes if they took place on Sunday.

In Week 6 of the 2011 NFL Season, Donovan McNabb started at quarterback for the Vikings against the Bears in Chicago. In the fourth quarter, with the Bears pounding the Vikings 36-10, Christian Ponder entered the game for the first time as the Vikings quarterback. McNabb stayed rooted to the bench the remainder of the year and retired from football after the season.In Week 2 of 2013 the circle becomes complete. There were times in 2011 when Ponder played like the first round pick that he is, particularly in Week 17 when he threw for 3 Touchowns while leading the Vikings into the playoffs with a 37-34 win over the Packers.Unfortunately for the Vikings, success's like that have been few for Ponder. A majority of his career he's been more closely compared in talent to fellow 2011 first round pick Blaine Gabbert. After last season's 10-6 record and playoff appearance Vikings fans aren't going to show the patience to wait for Ponder to improve if he continues to struggle in 2013.One of the most popular players on an NFL team is the backup quarterback and Matt Cassel is the man of the hour in that position in Minnesota. If the Bears' defense tee's off on Ponder early, Cassel will be the man for the rest of the season for the Vikings.As bold as predicting the New England Patriots to make the playoffs? How about this prediction being on a par with one saying Geno Smith will be the quarterback of the next great New York Jets dynasty (that the Jets have yet to have their first great dynasty isn't important).The last time a Bears' quarterback went two consecutive games without being sacked was in 2005, Kyle Orton during his rookie season. Whether measured in years or Bears starting quarterbacks, that is quite a while ago.As well as the Bears revamped offensive line protected Cutler in Week 1, they're sure to improve during the season as they continue playing as a unit. In November and December this achievement could become more commonplace than bold.On the Vikings' first play from scrimmage last week Peterson made it look like his prediction of rushing for 2,500 yards in 2013 was no idol boast. Even though he did rush for a second touchdown against the Lions, he was only able to net 15 yards in the remainder of his 17 carries.In 2012 he was held under 100 Rushing Yards a game for the first three weeks of the season. For Peterson, that pattern continues in 2013. The Bears' defense surrendered only 63 Rushing Yards in 21 Carries to the Bengals and they'll being keying on Peterson this Sunday.As the result of these three events taking place, Nostr-Thomas finishes by predicting a 31-16 victory for the Bears over the Vikings in Week 2 at Soldier Field.

Carolina Panthers vs the Buffalo Bills match preview

A pair of teams hoping to rebound from devastating Kickoff Weekend losses meet in Western New York on Sunday when Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers visit E.J. Manuel and the Buffalo Bills.Both clubs saw fourth quarter leads evaporate at home last Sunday as Carolina fell 12-7 to Seattle and the Bills dropped a last second 23-21 decision to rival New England.The Panthers held the highly-regarded Seahawks to a single touchdown, but Jermaine Kearse's TD reception early in the fourth quarter proved to be the he difference.Newton was 16-of-23 for a career-low 125 yards and a touchdown, adding 38 yards on five rushes for the Panthers, who are looking to improve upon a 7-9 mark in 2012."We have to be more aggressive and take the bull by the horns and go," Newton said. "We did some things that were very exciting today, but as an offense we have to finish drives. We have to get the first down."Steve Smith ended with 51 yards on six receptions, while DeAngelo Williams recorded 76 yards on 16 attempts, but coughed up the ball on a key late possession, the Panthers' third fumble of the contest."We did plenty of good things on both sides of the ball, but have to eliminate mistakes," Carolina coach Ron Rivera said. "It was not one player guilty of repeatedly making errors, but it would be a guy here and then a guy there and in the end, we made too many."The Bills, meanwhile, came up just short in Manuel's first NFL start as the Pats' Danny Amendola returned from a groin injury to play a key role in New England's come-from-behind win.Trailing by a point, the Patriots defense forced a three-and-out against the aggressive play-calling of the Bills rookie coach Doug Marrone. Instead of relying on the running game to eat up more of the clock, Buffalo opted to pass and Manuel, the first quarterback chosen in April's draft at No. 16, picked up only four yards on 3rd-and-10."It wasn't a situation we felt we needed to milk the clock," Marrone said. "We felt that we still needed to score to win the game."The Patriots got the ball back with 4:31 to play in the final frame, and quarterback Tom Brady twice hooked up with Amendola to convert third downs, the latter a 10-yard gain on 3rd-and-8 from the Buffalo 39.Shane Vereen followed with a 15-yard run around left tackle on the next play, setting up Stephen Gostkowski's game-winning 35-yard field goal with five seconds left.Manuel connected on 18-of-27 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns, the second putting the Bills up 21-17 with 11:03 remaining in the third quarter."I thought he was pretty phenomenal," tight end Scott Chandler said. "Protected the ball, threw the ball well."Wide receivers Stevie Johnson and Robert Woods -- a fellow rookie -- were the recipients of Manuel's first two NFL touchdown passes."Obviously with every play I was continuing to get more and more confidence in myself and continuing to relax, stay calm throughout the whole thing and stay poised as a quarterback," said Manuel.Leading the way on the ground for Buffalo was Fred Jackson with 67 yards on 13 rushes while the defense was spearheaded by recently signed safety Jim Leonhard, rookie middle linebacker Kiko Alonso and strong safety Aaron Williams, who all had nine tackles on the day. Alonso also forced and recovered a fumble in his NFL debut.Buffalo and Carolina will be meeting for just the sixth time in the regular season. The Bills hold a 4-1 advantage all-time but the Panthers earned their lone win in the series during their last visit to Buffalo back in 2005.

Match Details

SUN, SEP 15

1:00 p.m. ET

Ralph Wilson Stadium

NFL 2013 || St. Louis Rams vs The Atlanta Falcons match info

Sam Bradford was well-protected in the St. Louis Rams' opener by an offensive line that included the newly acquired Jake Long.The Atlanta Falcons may wish they had made a bid for Long as well.Long and the Rams will get a look at a cornerstone of their past in Steven Jackson when they visit the Falcons on Sunday.The Rams hadn't started with a win since 2006, and the delight they took in Sunday's 27-24 comeback victory over Arizona was obvious."Watching the game clock tick to zero, that's my most favorite part," coach Jeff Fisher said. "You know, we're really excited."They haven't been 2-0 since winning the NFC championship in 2001.The Rams are in position to equal that mark because their pass protection continued to trend upward last week. St. Louis gave up a league-worst 55 sacks in 2011 and 35 last season, then didn't allow any Sunday."I can't say enough about those guys up front," Bradford said. "They played outstanding, and I think it shows that we've taken leaps and bounds from where we were last year."Long, the No. 1 overall pick by Miami in the 2008 draft, went to the Pro Bowl in his first four seasons but allowed a career-high seven sacks last year.On Sunday, he was part of a unit that helped the Rams not allow a sack for the third straight game - the first time they've achieved that feat since 1973."Not that there's much carry-over from last year, but at least we're off to the right start," said Fisher, who said Bradford was hit just six times Sunday.The Falcons wish they could say the same, as they allowed three sacks amid pressure that played a key role in their 23-17 loss to New Orleans last week.Matt Ryan was forced to throw the ball away on a third-and-goal in the first quarter. He absorbed a 10-yard sack and an intentional grounding penalty to send the Falcons' promising final drive of the half to a premature end.Ryan was hit on six other occasions."We don't want Matt to be under any pressure," center Peter Konz said. "We don't want anyone touching Matt, much less sacking him."Some of these struggles are likely the result of the state of flux on the Falcons' offensive line. Left tackle Sam Baker and left guard Justin Blalock are the only holdovers from last year's starting unit, while Konz has shifted from guard to center to replace the retired Todd McClure.Lamar Holmes made his first career start at right tackle Sunday, and Garrett Reynolds, with 14 starts since 2009, started at right guard."I'm absolutely confident we've got right guys," coach Mike Smith said. "The biggest jump you have during the season is always from Week 1 to Week 2. We're playing a lot of younger guys who have not played much. This was a great learning experience for them."They'll get more such experience from a St. Louis team that led the NFC with 52 sacks last year. The Rams looked dangerous again in their opener, with Robert Quinn accounting for three of their four sacks.St. Louis didn't run the ball particularly well in the first game of the post-Steven Jackson era, though, compiling 67 yards on 24 carries.Jackson, who set the franchise record with 10,138 rushing yards over nine seasons, got off to a promising start in Atlanta with 11 rushes for 77 yards and five receptions for 45 yards. He did have a key drop on third-and-goal, however, with the Falcons looking to score a last-second touchdown.On fourth down, Ryan's pass was tipped and intercepted to seal the defeat.For St. Louis, Greg Zuerlein helped ensure the opposite ending with a 38-yard tying field goal and a 48-yard winner in the fourth quarter."Basically, I stay calm, swing like I know how and the rest takes care of itself," Zuerlein said. "I don't even know the distances when I go out there, to be honest. I just go out there and try to do my job."Jared Cook, in his first game for the Rams after four seasons with Tennessee, overcame an early fumble to record a franchise-record 141 yards at the tight end position."I told him when we came back to the sideline, I said, 'Hey bro, be ready. It's coming right back to you,'" Bradford said. "It would have been easy for him to get down out there. He showed a ton of maturity and confidence."

Liverpool V Swansea City Premier League soccer Match info

Brendan Rodgers is set to return to the city of Swansea for the first time since taking the reins at Liverpool during the off-season. The Northern Irishman is 12 Premier League games into a three-year contract at Anfield and has experienced a mixed bag of results.However, since their defeat to fierce rivals Manchester United, Liverpool have gone on a seven-game unbeaten streak in the league.Swansea have adapted well to life after Rodgers, with the team making a seemingly easy transition under the guidance of new manager Michael Laudrup. The Welsh outfit have picked up five points out of a possible nine in their last three Premier League games and they will be confident of a positive result on Sunday, given their record against Liverpool.Liverpool may make few changes from the side which was victorious over Chelsea in midweek, with Andy Carroll keeping his place ahead of Craig Bellamy after some strong displays in recent weeks.The Reds will be playing for pride at the Liberty Stadium as they look to leapfrog their local rivals to seventh in the Premier League, so manager Kenny Dalglish may play his strongest side to end the season on a high. Only central midfielders Lucas and Charlie Adam are long term worries, both with knee injuries.Swansea are likely to field a similar side to that which lost to Manchester United last time out and Leon Britton will most probably start after shaking off a knee injury to feature as a second-half substitute in that defeat.

KICK-OFF: Sunday, 1.30pm

Live on Sky Sports 1 at 1.30pm

PAST THREE MEETINGS…

Liverpool 1 (Suarez) Swansea 3 (Chico, Dyer, De Guzman), Capital One Cup, October 2012

Swansea 1 (Graham) Liverpool 0, Premier League, May 2012

Liverpool 0 Swansea 0, Premier League, November 2011

The Australian Wallabies vs Argentina los pumas rugby preview

The Australian Wallabies first played against Argentina (Los Pumas) on 27 October 1979, resulting in a win to Argentina. The teams have met seventeen times, with Australia winning twelve, Argentina four and one match drawn. Two of the encounters have been Rugby World Cup pool matches, in 1991 and 2003.The teams' next Tests will be in the 2013 Rugby Championship where Australia will be trying to defend the Puma Trophy.Australia: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Nick Cummins, 13 Adam-Ashley Cooper, 12 Christian Lealiifano, 11 James O'Connor, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Rob Simmons, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 James Slipper.

Replacements: 16 Saia Faingaa, 17 Scott Sio, 18 Ben Alexander, 19 Kane Douglas, 20 Jake Schatz, 21 Nic White, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Jesse Mogg.

The Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union (UAR, from the Spanish: Unión Argentina de Rugby).Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British Isles team. As of May 2013 they are ranked 8th in the world by the IRB, making them the highest-ranked nation in the Americas. They have competed at every Rugby World Cup staged since the inaugural tournament of 1987, and the country is undefeated against all American nations, with the exception of Canada, against whom they have suffered two losses out of eight test matches.Although rugby union is nowhere near as popular as football in Argentina, Los Pumas' impressive results since the 1999 World Cup have seen the sport's popularity grow significantly. Argentina has achieved several upset victories, are tough contenders when playing in Buenos Aires, and are fully capable of regularly defeating Six Nations sides. A surprise victory over the hosts France in the first game of the 2007 World Cup took Argentina to fourth in the IRB World Rankings. The team were undefeated in their pool, and reached the semi-finals for the first time, beating Scotland 19–13 in their quarter-final. They were defeated 37–13 by eventual winners South Africa in the semi-finals, but followed this up with a second win over France to claim third place overall.

In March 2008 the team reached an all-time high of third in the IRB World Rankings. As of 23 March 2001 Argentina ranked fifth in the world behind Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Ireland, but have since slipped to 8th place.After their advances in competitiveness and performance during the 2000s, coupled with their location in the Southern Hemisphere, Argentina was invited to play in the 2012 The Rugby Championship tournament against the national teams of New Zealand, South Africa and Australia.[4] The team managed only one draw in the 2012 Rugby Championship, but annual exposure to the standards and style of southern hemisphere international rugby is widely expected to see Argentina improve over coming seasons.

Argentina national rugby team:

Agustin Creevy,Eusebio Guinazu,Marcos Ayerza,Matias Diaz,Juan Figallo,Nahuel Lobo,Juan Pablo Orlandi,Patricio Albacete,Manuel Carizza,Mariano Galarza,Tomas Lavanini,Julio Farias Cabello,Juan Manuel Leguizamon,Benjamin Macome,Pablo Matera,Juan Martin Fernandez 

Leonardo Senatore,Tomas Cubelli,Martin Landajo,Felipe Contepomi,Nicolas Sanchez,Marcelo Bosch,Santiago Fernandez,Martin Rodriguez 

Gonzalo Tiesi,Joaquin Tuculet,Horacio Agulla,Gonzalo Camacho,Juan Imhoff,Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino,Juan Martin Hernandez 

new zeland All Blacks vs South Africa Springboks head to head rugby match preview

Heyneke Meyer is preparing for the toughest match of his coaching reign, saying the Freedom Cup Test between New Zealand and South Africa at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday has the potential to be a "war".The Springboks coach said in Auckland after arriving from Brisbane having overseen the 38-12 win over Australia that the All Blacks would step up for the game because they knew the tourists had shown they could win away from home."They will be very well prepared and the one thing about the All Blacks is that they always lift themselves when there is a challenge," Meyer said. "We need to be much better than the previous week and we need to be very, very clinical and much more focused and bring a lot of energy."Meyer said some teams would be happy to settle with two wins on the road out of three, but his side wanted to win every game and they were aware they could still improves substantially despite the magnitude of their win over Australia. "We're still way, way off from where we want to be," Meyer said.Meyer said that New Zealand would miss Richie McCaw as he was an inspirational captain and one of the greatest players to have played the game. "Obviously if we lose Jean, I know what it will mean to our team. "They've still got great leaders, Kieran Read and a lot of other guys as well, but there's only one Richie McCaw and definitely it will be a big blow for them."But Meyer said that New Zealand had several quality openside flankers. "They've won a lot of games without Richie as well, and they won't change their game plan. We know what to expect and we think the breakdown is going to be war like it always is."Meyer said that South Africa would focus on their own game. "I truly believe this is going to be the ultimate challenge. It is going to be tougher than we have ever had before," he said.Meyer said the scrum changes had gone well for South Africa, and they were getting the reward for their effort as the changes were opening up the scrum as an attacking base from which tries could be scored. But the All Blacks always had a great scrum, he said, and they always lifted themselves against South Africa."There're no weaknesses there. They can play an open, running game, they can play a tactical game, the set-piece, especially their lineout, has really improved the last couple of years, and they've always had a great scrum so we know we're up for the ultimate challenge and we know it's going to be really tough," Meyer said."Test match rugby is about how you cope with the pressure, and this puts a lot of pressure on them being the world champions, and playing at home, and they are probably expected to win."