NFL Week 11: Everything You Need to Know for Sunday's Games
Another weekend means another round of NFL action. We're now in Week 11, and while the playoff picture is beginning to solidify, there is still room for a few surprises.
Last Monday, the Houston Texans went into Cincinnati and knocked the Bengals from the ranks of the unbeaten. This leaves the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers as the league's only remaining undefeated teams.
On Thursday night, the Jacksonville Jaguars pulled out a nail-biter against the Tennessee Titans to surprisingly remain alive in the AFC South. The Jaguars also became the first team to pick up a win here in Week 11.
On Sunday, 24 other teams will attempt to notch one in the win column. An intriguing round of contests includes divisional games between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers and between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. The day's 12-game slate also features a wonderful matchup between the Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals for the nightcap.
Here's everything you need to know about Sunday's games.
Biggest Questions
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Is a Healthy Osweiler Better Than a Hurt and Aging Manning?
Because of Peyton Manning's foot injury, the Denver Broncos are going to start fourth-year quarterback Brock Osweiler this week against the Chicago Bears.
Now, Manning has been pretty close to awful for much of the season, even before his current injury. He has tossed 17 interceptions, has a passer rating of just 67.6 and is rated 56th overall among quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus.
He's also gone 7-2 as a starter.
This is why Osweiler's pending start is so interesting. Manning has done enough to win most of his games this season, albeit with major assists from the Denver defense. Can Osweiler be any worse than Manning has been at his lowest points? Probably not.
What matters for Denver is Osweiler being able to do enough when he needs to for the Broncos to come away with a win Sunday. Inside linebacker Brandon Marshall believes the young signal-caller will.
"Oh, he's ready. He looks good," Marshall said, via the team's official website. "He looks really good. I'm excited, and I think everybody is excited to have him out there."
If Osweiler plays really well? Then we might have a true quarterback controversy brewing in Denver.
How Will Tony Romo Perform in His First Game Back?
One thing we know for certain is how the Dallas Cowboys will perform without star quarterback Tony Romo. Here's a hint: It isn't good.
The Cowboys have lost every single game this season since Romo suffered a fractured clavicle in Week 2. That's seven straight losses following a 2-0 start. Even more telling is the last time Dallas won without a starter named Romo was all the way back in 2010.
Unquestionably, the team is better with him under center.
The question this weekend, though, is how well can Romo perform after two months away from the field? His health obviously isn't an issue—otherwise, it would be foolish to bring him back for a season that is wobbling on a razor's edge toward lost.
Can Romo leap right back into Pro Bowl form, though? Maybe.
He has to be better than the duo of Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel at least, right?
How Will Case Keenum Perform as Foles' Replacement?
We might as well make this an all-quarterback edition of Biggest Questions. The St. Louis Rams have apparently seen enough of the Nick Foles project and have decided to turn this week to former Houston (the university and the Texans) quarterback Case Keenum.
The 6'1", 205-pound signal-caller has seen 10 starts in his NFL career, all with the Texans. He also spent part of last season in St. Louis before returning to Houston (the pro team) to start the final two games.
The point is this isn't Keenum's first NFL rodeo. He's also had a handful of impressive games in his career. As Matt Harmon of NFL.com recently pointed out, Keenum once passed for 350 yards and three scores in a game.
Harmon picks Keenum as a potential Week 11 fantasy sleeper. Against a Baltimore Ravens team that is allowing an average of 271 yards passing per game (26th in the NFL), it's easy to see why.
Can he be better where it counts than Foles, who is rated a mere 60th among quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus? This is the real question.
Game of the Day
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What: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings
When: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where: Fox
How could we possibly pick a different game this week? Sunday afternoon's game offers up a classic NFC North matchup between the Packers and the Vikings, as well as a game between two likely playoff teams.
Oh, and the division could be at stake.
Right now, the 7-2 Vikings stand alone atop the NFC North standings and share a record with the Arizona Cardinals. If the Vikings can move ahead of Arizona, they can put themselves in position to earn a first-round playoff bye.
The Packers, meanwhile, are trying to stop a three-game skid and regain their place at the top of the division. At 6-3, Green Bay is right behind Minnesota in the standings and can help its cause by pulling even in terms of record and notching the first head-to-head win.
Though the Packers have been struggling, don't expect Minnesota to overlook their opponents.
"I don’t really worry too much about them as far as what’s happened to them or anything else," Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said of the Packers, per the Vikings' official website. I just watch the tape and see the type of team they are. ... They’re the top level and we’re just trying to get into the mix."
These two teams will meet again in the regular-season finale, when it could be for all the marbles. That matchup will really be must-see television. This week, however, is still bringing us one heck of a game.
Honorable Mention: Cincinnati Bengals at Arizona Cardinals
Sunday night's matchup between the Bengals and Cardinals is likely to be nearly as intense as the rivalry game mentioned above. Though these two teams rarely play, they share a connection in quarterback Carson Palmer.
Palmer, you see, was once the Bengals' franchise signal-caller. He forced his way out of Cincinnati a few years ago and took a roundabout way to Arizona. The Bengals, meanwhile, drafted quarterback Andy Dalton and haven't looked back.
Though Palmer is doing well with the 7-2 Cardinals this season, he hinted earlier this week that there is something extra and personal to playing Cincinnati.
"It’s not just another game," Palmer said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "I'm not going to bore you with that. There is definitely a lot on this one for me in particular."
These two teams have a combined 15-3 record right now, and each is in position to earn a first-round bye in its conference. Even without the Palmer connection, there's a lot at stake in this one.
Stats of the Week
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Yards rushing by St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley in last week's loss to the Chicago Bears. This is the lowest total he has produced as a starter in his rookie season. Slowing Gurley, who has 709 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the season, will be the key for the Baltimore Ravens to pull out a win this week, especially with Case Keenum making his first start of the season for the Rams.
Yards rushed by Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in last week's win over the Oakland Raiders, his highest total of the 2015 season. Similarly, the Packers are going to need to at least slow Peterson this week to have any chance of halting their three-game losing streak.
Rushing yards per game allowed by the Atlanta Falcons this season, third-fewest in the NFL. If the Colts, who are forced to start backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck for the time being, are going to find a way to win Sunday, it might not come via the ground game. On the bright side, Hasselbeck is 2-0 as a starter this year and has yet to throw an interception.
Passing touchdowns allowed by the Seattle Seahawks in last week's home loss to the Cardinals. The Seahawks had allowed only one passing touchdown at home this season prior to the Arizona game. Getting back on track against Blaine Gabbert and the San Francisco 49ers will be important if the Seahawks are to get back in the NFC West chase.
Career passing yards of Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler, 35 fewer than Peyton Manning produced in his best game this season. For his career, Osweiler has gone 31-of-54 for 305 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. His lone interception came last week against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Teams still alive in the AFC South divisional race. Yes, this includes the 2-8 Titans. The Colts and the Houston Texans are tied atop the standings at 4-5. The Jaguars are right behind at 4-6. Neither the Colts nor the Texans are favored this week.
What a division.
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Who's Favored?
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Here are the odds for Sunday's games, via Odds Shark:
| Game Time (ET) | Away Team | Home Team | Favorite |
| 1 p.m. | Indianapolis | Atlanta | Atlanta -5 |
| 1 p.m. | St. Louis | Baltimore | Baltimore -2.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Washington | Carolina | Carolina -8.5 |
| 1 p.m. | Denver | Chicago | Even |
| 1 p.m. | Oakland | Detroit | Even |
| 1 p.m. | NY Jets | Houston | NY Jets -3 |
| 1 p.m. | Dallas | Miami | Even |
| 1 p.m. | Tampa Bay | Philadelphia | Philadelphia -5.5 |
| 4:05 p.m. | Kansas City | San Diego | Kansas City -3 |
| 4:25 p.m. | Green Bay | Minnesota | Even |
| 4:25 p.m. | San Francisco | Seattle | Seattle -13.5 |
| 8:30 p.m. | Cincinnati | Arizona | Arizona -5 |
Matchups to Watch
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Jeremy Langford vs. Broncos Run Defense
The Broncos defense hasn't quite looked like the championship-caliber unit it was touted to be in recent weeks. However, that defensive front is still good and rated third overall in run defense by Pro Football Focus.
This week, the unit will try to clamp down on Bears running back Jeremy Langford, who has produced at least 70 rushing yards and a touchdown in each of his past two games. Bears running back Matt Forte is officially listed as questionable and could make his return this week, so he could be a factor as well.
Either way, expect the Broncos defense to do its best to ensure Osweiler comes away with a win in his first pro start at quarterback.
Philip Rivers vs. the Kansas City Secondary
The New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns are off this week, so we have no real choice other than to pick on the pitiful defense of the San Diego Chargers. To date, the Chargers have allowed an average of 27.7 points per game (29th in the NFL) and are rated dead-last in overall defense by Pro Football Focus.
This is why Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is likely to have his hands full trying to keep pace on the scoreboard Sunday. He'll try to do so against a Chiefs secondary that is only allowing an average of 244.3 yards per game through the air (15th in the league) and has logged 13 interceptions (fourth).
Kirk Cousins vs. Panthers Secondary
Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins went all NBA Jam triple-basket on the Saints last weekend, putting up 324 passing yards and four touchdowns. Over his last three games, he has produced 858 yards passing with eight touchdowns and just one interception.
Washington has gone 2-1 in that span, the only loss being to the unbeaten (and possibly unbeatable) Patriots.
Can Cousins continue his hot streak this week against Carolina? It'll be tough, as the Panthers boast one of the best overall defenses in the NFL this season.
The Carolina defense is allowing just 19.4 points per game (sixth in the NFL) and is rated second overall in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus.
Injury Report
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Each week, we'll take a look at the most significant injuries from around the league.
Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos (out)
As mentioned earlier, Manning (foot) won't play against the Bears this week. In fact, according to Mike Klis of 9News.com, Manning isn't even traveling with the team this week. Pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware has also been ruled out.
Eddie Royal, WR, Chicago Bears (out)
Royal (knee) has been ruled out against the Broncos. Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (groin) and running back Matt Forte (knee) are both listed as questionable.
Phillip Dorsett, WR, Indianapolis Colts (out)
Quarterback Andrew Luck will be out for a while with a lacerated kidney and an abdominal injury. This week, the Colts will also be without receiver Phillip Dorsett (ankle) and safety Mike Adams (ankle).
Brian Hoyer, QB, Houston Texans (out)
Hoyer (concussion) has been ruled out against the Jets. T.J. Yates will get the start, and the Texans recently claimed Brandon Weeden to serve as the backup. Cornerback Kareem Jackson (ankle) has also been ruled out.
Sam Bradford, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (out)
Bradford and running back Ryan Mathews have both been ruled out with concussions against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jared Abbrederis, WR, Green Bay Packers (out)
The Packers will be without wide receiver Jared Abbrederis (rib) this week against the Vikings. Fellow receiver Ty Montgomery (ankle) is listed as questionable.
Morris Claiborne, CB, Dallas Cowboys (out)
Claiborne (hamstring) has been ruled out, along with receiver Brice Butler (hamstring) and defensive end Ryan Russell (abdominal).
Rob Havenstein, OT, St. Louis Rams (doubtful)
Starting tackle Rob Havenstein is officially listed as doubtful with a calf injury. According to ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner, rookies Cody Wichmann and Andrew Donnal are likely to be in the starting lineup.
Adam Jones, CB, Cincinnati Bengals (doubtful)
Jones (foot) is officially listed as doubtful, as is pass-rusher Michael Johnson (back) and defensive tackle Pat Sims (knee).
Expert Picks and Predictions
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Each week, we take a look at picks and predictions from Bleacher Report's top NFL writers. We also spotlight the experts' results on a week-to-week basis.
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