The Thursday Night game saw a color rush match up between the Titans and Jaguars, and the Jaguars uniforms looked like the gutter outside Pat O'Brien's at 3AM. The Titans uniforms on the other hand looked pretty cool. That powder blue works, but unfortunately for the Titans their offense didn't and they lost to the Jags 19-13.
The Jaguars are 4-6 and if Indy and Houston both lose today, both of which are highly possible, they'll be a 3 way tie for 1st place in the AFC South at 4-6. The other key games this week see Green Bay trying to stop their 3 game skid by heading to Minnesota to face a Vikings team that is 7-2 and in 1st place in the NFC North. Tony Romo returns for Dallas in hopes they can run the table and make the playoffs. The 49ers head up to Seattle, but this game just doesn't have the juice it did in recent years as the 49ers are 3-6, while Seattle is 4-5. Lastly, Cincy heads to Arizona on Sunday Night, for a game between 2 future playoff teams, and it'll be interesting to see Carson Palmer face his former team, as many people think he quit on the Bengals. Let's take a look at Week 11.
Oakland
at Detroit Even
I've taken Oakland the last couple of weeks and gotten burned. This game is a pick em, but the real show down everyone should be watching is Megatron vs. Charles Woodson. I doubt Stafford goes all day without throwing a pick. The Lions are riding high after getting a win at Green Bay for the first time since 1991. The numbers between Carr and Stafford are very similar, as are the numbers between Meagtron and Amari Cooper. This one should be a high scoring game, and I think Oakland is the better football team with the better head coach and the better QB. I'm stubbornly going with the Raiders yet again. Oakland 38 Detroit 35.
Indianapolis
at Atlanta -4.5
The Falcons and Colts both had last week off, and Indy is without Andrew Luck, but the Colts have actually been better without him. They are 2-0 with Matt Hasselbeck under center, and 2-5 with Luck as their QB this year. Now granted, Hasselbeck played the Jags and Texans in his 2 games, but there's no question Luck has struggled this year. The Falcons meanwhile started off red hot at 5-0 and have since gone 1-3. Atlanta has a 2 game lead on a litany of 4-5 teams for that last Wild Card spot, so they desperately need this win, and I think with it being at home they'll get it. Freeman and Julio Jones should both have big games against a bad Colts defense. Atlanta 27 Indy 21.
NY Jets -3
at Houston
The Texans shocked the world on Monday Night bouncing Cincy from the ranks of the unbeaten. The Jets however, completely blew their chance to get a game up in the Wild Card by losing to Rex and the Bills on Thursday Night. I think the Jets get back on track this week and beat a Texans team that is playing it's 2nd string Running Back, and TJ Yates. Ryan Fitzpatrick gets some revenge on his old team today, even with that injured non-throwing hand, and the Jets win 23-13.
Tampa Bay
at Philadelphia -6
Jameis pulled out a late comeback win against the Cowboys last week, and the Bucs will hope to do the same against Mark Sanchez and the Eagles in Philly today. Sanchez practically gave a win to the Dolphins last week, as all he had to do was fall down 3 times and kick a FG to beat the Dolphins, instead he decided to throw an INT in the end zone to cost the Eagles the game. If this game was in Tampa, I'd have the Eagles on upset alert and they may still be, but I think Philly gets it done today. They need every win they can get, because they have a brutal stretch to end the season. Philly 34 Tampa 23.
Denver -1.5
at Chicago
The Broncos parted ways with John Fox, Jay Cutler, and Adam Gase, and now their starting QB is Brock Osweiler. It's freezing in Chicago right now, actually it's below freezing, as the ground crews are shoveling snow and ice off the field. Cutler has played pretty well this season, especially of late, and I'm sure he'd love to get some revenge on the Broncos. The Bears aren't sure if Matt Forte will play today, but Jeremy Langford has done a great job for them in Forte's absence. Fox downplayed the "revenge game" mantra surrounding this game all week, but this looks like a game where the Bears are primed to upset the Broncos. The Bears are 3-0 against the AFC West so far this year, and I think they make it 4 in a close game. Chicago 20 Denver 18.
St. Louis/Los Angeles
at Baltimore -2.5
How bad are things for the Rams? They're playing a 2-7 team and they're underdogs. The Rams benched Nick Foles, less than 4 months after giving him a 2 year contract extension that will guarantee he gets paid nearly $14 million. For the Ravens though, things are actually worse. The NFL admitted this week that the Jaguars stole a win from Baltimore last week due to bad officiating at the end of the game, but at this point for Baltimore it was probably a gift, because they'll get a better draft pick. The Ravens have found every way possible to lose close games this year, but I think they beat Case Keenum and the Rams this week to get to 3-7. Ravens 23 Rams 16.
Dallas -2
at Miami
Dallas gets Tony Romo back today, but it may be too little too late. They'll almost have to run the table if they want to make the playoffs. With Tony and Dez both back for the Cowboys, I think they'll get a win in Miami today, but it'll be a close game. You'll see some rust from Romo out of the gate, but he'll settle in and lead the Cowboys to victory in South Beach. Dallas 20 Miami 16.
Washington
at Carolina -7
Did Cam Newton maybe dance a little too long last week against the Titans? Yes. Does it matter? No. Sports are supposed to be fun, and having a come apart for someone dancing after a touchdown reeks of manufactured bias masquerading as moral outrage. By the way, I didn't hear anyone complaining when Avery Williamson, the same player who was upset at Newton for dancing, did his best Drake impression after a sack earlier in the same game.
The Panthers sit at 9-0, as a decent Redskins team comes to Charlotte looking for an upset. There are a lot of Redskins fans in the Carolinas, so expect Washington to be well represented, just don't hang any banners in Bank of America Stadium. Bill Callahan has done a great job with that Redskins offensive line, and Kirk Cousins looks like he might be the long term QB for Washington. He'll have his hands full today though with that Panthers defense. Philly Brown is out for today, which means Devin Funchess opposite Ted Ginn, Jr. will get his first NFL start. He struggled early on, but has made some big plays in recent weeks. Look for another hard fought game between both teams as the Panthers focus on their run game and Greg Olsen. The Redskins will give Carolina a fight, but the Panthers make enough plays to stay perfect and beat the Redskins 31-24.
Kansas City -3
at San Diego
The Chargers sit at 2-7 despite having a good offense, because their defense leaves a lot to be desired. The Chiefs are 4-5 with the ultimate game manager at the helm. This is a game where all signs point to the Chiefs winning. They've won their last 3 games, and San Diego has been riddled with injuries, especially along the offensive line. Additionally, the Chargers Malcolm Floyd has a torn labrum in his shoulder, but will somehow play through it today. I'm going with the Chiefs to get the win today, but this game could be a fluky one where Philip Rivers just puts the team on his back. Kansas City 24 San Diego 20.
Green Bay -1
at Minnesota
P-A-N-I-C. If Green Bay wants to host a playoff game, they better get it together this week against the Vikings, because right now the NFC North goes through Minnesota. The Packers can't run the ball, and their defense is atrocious, which makes perfect sense that they're going up against a team that has Adrian Peterson and plays great defense. That having been said, I think Green Bay knows that this is a must win game and Rodgers makes enough plays and they grit out a win on the road. Packers 28 Vikings 27.
San Francisco
at Seattle -13.5
One of these two men will be an NFL head coach in 2016. This used to be the best rivalry in the NFL over the last 4 years, but those days are long gone. Colin Kaepernick is set to have season ending surgery this week, and probably will never play another down for the 49ers. The 49ers are likely going to be in the QB business come this off season and the draft, because I can't see them starting Blaine Gabbert next year. As for today, Seattle has too much talent, and the 49ers are going to have a long day in the Pacific Northwest. This game has blowout written all over it. Seattle 27 San Francisco 9.
Cincinnati
at Arizona -5
Carson Palmer faces his old team in the desert tonight, as the 8-1 Bengals come to town. I think this is one where the Bengals are going to drop their 2nd game in a row, not because they've been exposed, but because they're having to go on the road and face a good football team in the Arizona Cardinals. Andy Dalton will play better, but it won't be enough as the Cardinals move to 8-2. Arizona 31 Cincy 24.
Courtesy of en.yibada.com
Buffalo
at New England -7
The Patriots vs. The World Tour continues in Foxboro on Monday Night. What's really been impressive is that New England has been plugging in players along the offensive line all season without missing a beat. With Edelman out with a broken foot for the what could be the rest of the regular season, someone else is going to have to step up for New England. Look for Brandon LaFell to get an increased number of targets this week. For the Bills, they beat the Jets last week and currently hold that last playoff spot in the AFC. I've already picked the Jets to beat the Texans, and I'm going with the Patriots because they're the Patriots and they're playing at home. So that means that the Bills and Jets should flip positions this week for the last Wild Card spot. Patriots 34 Bills 24.
Is this the week Carolina and/or New England finally lose? What a story it would be if the Super Bowl had 2 undefeated teams playing for perfection. It's unlikely to happen, but the media is dreaming about this scenario. Enjoy football Sunday. Cheers.
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