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Isn’t it amazing how fast this season is going? It feels like it just started, yet here we are, in Week 11 already!
Some teams are almost sure things to at least qualify for the playoffs. The 9-0 Pittsburgh Steelers and 8-1 Kansas City Chiefs, in particular, come to mind.
Then, there are some teams who almost assuredly will not qualify for the postseason. The 0-9 New York Jets and 1-8 Jacksonville Jaguars, specifically, come to mind.
A tale of two extremes. And much like the Chiefs and Jets, two of the most extreme examples of teams on polar opposite ends of the spectrum, met some weeks ago, this week, we have a similar match-up between the Steelers and Jaguars.
Of course, there are plenty of other games, this week, as well. So, let's take a look:
Pittsburgh at Jacksonville – Wow! One of the hottest and clearly best teams in the NFL, against one of the clearly coldest and worst teams in the league. Talk about a mismatch. Yes, the Jaguars played well last week up in Lambeau Field, and gave the Packers all that they could handle. But can they actually beat the undefeated Steelers? It is really very difficult to see how they can. Pittsburgh has one of the most explosive, dangerous offenses in the league, and are averaging about 30 points per game. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have one of the worst defenses in the league, allowing an average of about 30 points per game. So unless something strange happens, you can bet that the Steelers will score at least 30 points. And the Jaguars offense hardly looks ready to try and keep up with that. So while surprises and upsets can certainly happen, it is just difficult to imagine how Jax can really pull this game off. Maybe they can keep it relatively close, but most likely, that itself can only go so far. This is just a mismatch, and frankly, the Steelers should be able to win this, convincingly and relatively easily. My pick: Pittsburgh
New England at Houston – Okay, the Patriots are probably not quite on the level that they have been, and that we have gotten used to them playing at for many seasons now. However, they are still very dangerous. That much should be obvious, because they appear to be getting hot right now. Just ask the Baltimore Ravens, who fell short in Foxboro last week. And now, the Pats go down to Houston, to face a weak Texans team, and New England clearly would love to get revenge for their loss to the Texans last season. Houston really has not appeared that good this season, having won only two games. The Texans have one of the worst offenses, and one of the leakiest defenses, which is clearly not a good combination. Meanwhile, the Pats have also struggled on offense this season, but their defense is in the top third of the league. That, and the momentum that they seem to be building, is why they are my pick in this particular game. My pick: New England
Cincinnati at Washington – Both of these teams have shown some promise at times this season. Washington stunned the Eagles in the season opener, and dominated the Cowboys a few weeks ago. The Bengals, one of the very worst teams last season, also showed some promise here and there, tying the Eagles in Philadelphia, and outright beating the Jaguars and stunning the Titans a few weeks ago. But mostly, this season has been disappointing for both of these two teams. Joe Burrow is still a promising QB prospect, but has struggled in a manner typical of rookies, understandably. The offense has shown some explosiveness, while Washington’s offense has really, really struggled. My suspicion is that the Bengals manage to pull off a road win here. My pick: Cincinnati
Philadelphia at Cleveland – Two teams who are fighting to make the playoffs in their respective conferences, yet who have looked suspect at times, especially of late. Philly looked like a favorite in the NFC East at the beginning of the season, and indeed, for now, still are alone in first place. But they lost a bad game to the Giants last week that could have given them a virtual stranglehold on the division. The Browns, meanwhile, have an impressive 6-3 record, but have looked suspiciously flat and vulnerable in their last four games. Their offense seems at times to be one of the most dangerous in the league, yet they scored a total of 23 points in three recent losses, including two losses to the Steelers and Raiders. That offense will have to kick it into higher gear if they hope to win this one. This could go either way, so I will go ahead and predict the Eagles, who feel like the better overall team. My pick: Philadelphia
Tennessee at Baltimore – The Titans raced out to an impressive 5-0 start this season, and appeared to be one of the league’s powerhouse teams. But since then, they have dropped three out of their last four games, and they appear on the verge of a serious collapse, if they are not careful. Their defense has looked particularly suspect, and that should be a scary prospects against the Ravens, who have one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league, and still have a solid running game. Plus, Baltimore’s defense is just very, very tough. All of that makes the Ravens the clear favorites to win this one. My pick: Baltimore
Atlanta at New Orleans – The Saints are flying high right now. After a surprisingly slow 1-2 start, they are starting to finally look more like the team that many expected them to be, and appear to be emerging as one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl. They have that explosive offense led by veteran quarterback Drew Brees, and their defense has been stepping up in a big way to help this team win. In the last two weeks, the Saints have allowed a total of 16 points against Tampa and San Fran. So they are damn good, and the Falcons will have a difficult time with that. Yet, it should be noted that, for whatever the reason, the Falcons have often had surprisingly good fortunes in New Orleans. Plus, Atlanta has been coming on themselves in recent weeks, with two straight wins. But my guess is that this will not for in favor of the Falcons and that the Saints win this one fairly decisively. My pick: New Orleans
Detroit at Carolina – The Lions are desperately trying to hang onto their playoff hopes right now, which were teetering on the brink after two straight losses. But they earned a solid win against Washington last weekend, which had to restore some of their faith. And the Panthers, meanwhile, are reeling, having lost five straight now, and largely dropped out of relevance. If Detroit wants to have any chance of sneaking into the playoffs, this obviously is a must win. Not sure if the Lions will get to the playoffs or not, but they should have enough to get past the Panthers in this one. My pick: Detroit
Miami at Denver – The Dolphins are playing some of the best football in the league at the moment. Yes, Miami has now won five straight games, completely turning around from a bleak 1-3 start, and now appear headed for the postseason. They have a ton of momentum, and their offense seems often dangerous and explosive. Plus, their defense is one of the better units in the league. Meanwhile, the Broncos are struggling, with both their offense and their defense being ranked near the bottom. Hard to see how the Broncos can stop the Dolphins in this one. My pick: Miami
NY Jets at LA Chargers – Oh boy. The Jets are back, following a bye week. And they travel across the country to Los Angeles, to face the Chargers. On the surface, this seems like a real chance for Gang Green to collect their first win of the season. After all, the Chargers are 2-7, hardly qualifying them as a powerhouse team. Indeed, maybe the Jets will have a chance at a win here. However, the Chargers also have an offense that is potentially very dangerous and explosive. After a slow start to the season, they have scored 175 points in their last six games, which averages to just under 29 points per game. So, they can score some points, which will be problematic for a Jets defense that ranks quite close to the botto0m of the league. And while the Chargers defense is quite leaky, they are facing a Jets offense that is literally the worst in the league right now, averaging just over 13 points per game. I am not sure whether the Jets will remain winless until the end of this season, but I just do not think that they will be able to snap their now historically worst franchise start ever this week. My pick: LA Chargers
Green Bay at Indianapolis – This is a good game. A quite intriguing match, as the explosive Packers offense travels down to Indianapolis to face the tough and physical Colts defense, one of the best units in the league. Indy cannot afford to lose their narrow lead, but the 7-2 Packers want to stay well ahead in their division, and keep pace with the Saints for possible home field advantage. That said, somebody will have to lose. And right now, I suspect that the Packers are more vulnerable. They started off the season with their offense looking historically good, but they have cooled down significantly since, having been held to 24 points or less in three of the last five games. They barely escaped an upset to the Jaguars at Lambeau last weekend, but the Colts in Indy is a different ball of wax altogether. My pick: Indianapolis
Dallas at Minnesota – At the start of the season, many expected the Dallas Cowboys to return to glory, with some expecting a Super Bowl berth, and some even predicting a Super Bowl win. But the season spiraled out of control and quickly has become a disaster. They currently have an active four game losing streak that they are trying to snap, and their 2-7 record is testament to how disappointing this season has been to date. The Vikings, meanwhile, also were highly touted in the beginning of the season, and like Dallas, also plunged to a dismal 1-5 start, and seemed to have no shortage of problems. But they have turned that around in a big way with three straight wins, and this is a team seemingly brimming with confidence. Their offense has shown explosiveness at times this season, and that should bode well against the Cowboys defense, which is literally ranked dead last, allowing on average 32 points per game. This should be a convincing win for the Vikings, who will likely stay hot after this one. My pick: Minnesota
SNF: Kansas City at Las Vegas – What a game this one can be! The defending Super Bowl champions are still hot at 8-1, and currently sporting a four game winning streak. But their one loss was to the Raiders, and this time, the Chiefs will be on the road. Jon Gruden’s seems to have the Raiders going in the right direction, as they are 6-3, and this game presents them with a real opportunity to get very much in the division race, as a win would give them a season sweep of KC, and pull them to within a game of first place. The Raiders offense is getting better, and this can be another high scoring showdown between these two teams. However, in the end, I still suspect that the Chiefs are the better team, and if anything, that earlier loss should serve as a wake-up call. They should be able to win this one, even on the road. My pick: Kansas City
MNF: LA Rams at Tampa Bay – A big game between two teams who figure to be in the playoffs. The Rams might not have the powerful offense that they enjoyed two years ago, when they went to the Super Bowl largely due to their explosiveness. But they have one of the league’s best defenses, and that makes them dangerous. Meanwhile, the Bucs continue with their Cinderella season, as they continue seemingly to get all of the pieces of their puzzle right. It seems that the addition of Brady and Gronkowski were the right moves, and the acquisition of Antonio Brown could prove to work in their favor as well. Their offense should test that tough Rams defense, and in addition, they themselves have a decent defense that could give the Rams problems. Home field advantage doesn’t hurt, either, and so all of those things make them my pick to ultimately take this game. My pick: Tampa Bay
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