Week 11 of the 2015/2016 is officially underway. The Jacksonville Jaguars set the tone Thursday night with a 19-13 win over the Titans sporting those ugly mustard yellow jersey’s. With the playoffs quickly approaching let’s take a look at the upcoming games.
(4-5) Indianapolis Colts at (6-3) Atlanta Falcons – (ATL -5)
No Andrew Luck, No Problem? So far that has been the case for the Colts as they are 2-0 with Matt Hasselbeck under center this season. Can Hasselbeck make it 3-0? Maybe, but if not those 5 points are awfully tempting. Atlanta has proven they are vastly over rated as their best win so far is arguably a week 2 win over the Giants. The Colts have given themselves a chance to regroup over the bye week as I expect them to win outright in a close game.
Colts defeat Falcons 27-22
(4-5) St. Louis Rams at (2-7) Baltimore Ravens – (BAL -2.5)
I’m sorry but Baltimore doesn’t have any business being favorites over anyone. The Ravens have been favorites in 7 of their 9 games losing outright in 5 of those games. St. Louis on the other hand is in playoff contention as this game should be considered all but a must win. The Rams will look to lean on the running game after the Rams benched Nick Foles. For those who may not know Case Keenum can be efficient at quarterback who had a successful collegiate career at the university of Houston. While he didn’t necessarily shine during his brief stint with the Texans he is talented enough to pull out a win against this awful Raven team.
Rams defeat Ravens 23-19
(4-5) Washington Redskins at (9-0) Carolina Panthers – (CAR -7.5)
The D.C. Grudens have quietly improving each and every week under their head coach Jay Gruden. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has shown serious progression under Gruden as this game could be considered a trap game for the undefeated Panthers. As much as I have been impressed with the Panthers they are not a team who’s going to put up a ton of points each week. Yes Carolina’s defense is good but anything more than a touchdown is simply to much. After watching Washington put up 47 on New Orleans I’m convinced they can make a game of it. Nevertheless I expect Carolina to keep their undefeated streak alive for another week.
Panthers defeat Redskins 21-17
(2-7) Dallas Cowboys at (4-5)Miami Dolphins – (DAL -1)
Welcome back Tony Romo you have inherited a mess. After starting the season 2-0 the Cowboys have failed to win a game going 0-7 since Tony Romo injured his collarbone. Let’s face it whatever your feelings are about Romo Dallas was completely unwatchable without him. Can Romo ring off 7 in a row to lead the Cowboys to a possible playoff birth? No, but he should manage to lead his team to a win over a shaky Dolphins squad. I expect Romo to have a shaky first have willing his team to a win late in the fourth quarter.
Cowboys defeat Dolphins 31-27
(7-2) Denver Broncos at (4-5) Chicago Bears – (DEN -1)
This is by far the most interesting game of the weekend to me. Is Brock Osweiler good? Will the Broncos regret firing John Fox and Adam Gase go who now coach for Chicago? Can Jay Cutler prove the team wrong that drafted him in the first round in 2006? The story lines to this game simply do not end. Regardless of how well Brock Osweiler plays I tend to believe Denver’s defense will hold Chicago to around 10 points. If that is the case I expect the Broncos to take this game on the road righting the ship with Peyton manning on the sidelines.
Broncos defeat Bears 27-10
(4-5) Oakland Raiders at (2-7) Detroit Lions – (DET -1)
For starters I do not care that the Lions beat the Packers last week, this Raiders team could easily find themselves playing in the postseason this year. The Lions did everything they could to hand Green Bay the win last week and will likely post a disappointing performance coming off an emotional high. The Raiders are in sort of must win territory as they take on the Lions and Titans during the next two weeks. Take Oakland this ones a no brainer.
Raiders defeat Lions 35-20
(4-5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers at (4-5) Philadelphia Eagles – (PHI -5.5)
It’s the Mark Sanchez show for the Philadelphia Eagles this week which means you can count me out. Give me an additional 5.5 points with the Bucs sounds right to me. Jameis Winston has been improving each and every week and actually has the Bucs in playoff contention. The Eagles on the other hand will lean on Mark Sanchez to win this week. Philadelphia finds themselves in a race for the NFC East title as it is remarkable to think Chip Kelly has lead this franchise to two 10 win seasons in his first two years. Give me the improved Lovie Smith defense to slow down the “Sanchize”.
Bucs defeat Eagles 35-30
(4-5) Kansas City Chiefs at (2-7) San Diego Chargers (KC -3)
Kansas City looked like world beaters against the Broncos last week dismantling a crippled Peyton Manning. Combined with the fact that the Chargers somehow stink with Philip Rivers leads me to believe something sounds to good to be true. Frankly San Diego is better than a 2 win team and will right the ship at home in a divisional game. Any match up that features Alex Smith vs Philip Rivers will make me side with Rivers.
Chargers defeat Chiefs 27-17
(6-3) Green Bay Packers at (7-2) Minnesota Vikings (MIN -1)
What’s going on with the Packers? After losing to the Lions last week it may be time to actually P-A-N-I-C. The biggest problem I have seen with the Pack is the play calling, a duty head coach Mike McCarthy gave up in favor of his offensive coordinator. Meanwhile the Vikings have been a revelation this season due to the veteran coaching staff of Mike Zimmer and Norv Turner. Can the Vikings muster up enough points as the weather continues to get worse? Maybe, but I’ll stick with my gut. The Packers can’t drop 4 in a row right?
Packers defeat Vikings 34-21
(3-6) San Francisco 49ers at (4-5) Seattle Seahawks (SEA -13)
The 49ers have been a dumpster fire all season but Seattle doesn’t beat anybody by 13. The only team they have is this 49er team which is way I expect them to repeat on that at home. Carlos Hyde is out for San Fran which means a bulk of the work load will go to rookie Mike Davis. Can Blaine Gabbert and Mike Davis manage to put up even one touchdown at Seattle? Probably not, while the line is enormous if you have to pick the game I lean towards the hawks.
Seahawks defeat 49ers 35-9
