Week 11 NFL Picks: Teams That Won't Defend Home-Field Advantage

Don't expect every Week 11 game to go as you might expect. It's the NFL, and things don't work like that.

This week's slate features a handful of interesting matchups, a few of which will favor the home team. Normally, that would hand one team a major advantage, but not in this case.

As each week passes, it becomes more obvious that this is a weird NFL season. Anything, more so than usual, can happen. No team is safe, no matter what.

Let's take a look at three teams that won't defend home turf this week.

New England Patriots

Gillette Stadium is never easy to walk into, but Andrew Luck has the stones to come away successful. He's done nothing but prove that so far in his rookie season.

Indianapolis, as winners of four straight, is red hot. Luck is doing things that first-year players shouldn't be doing and living up to the hype of a No. 1 pick each and every game.

With Donald Brown back in the backfield, Vick Ballard as a solid No. 2 option and Reggie Wayne catching balls on the outside, the Colts have exactly what you need to exploit New England's defense.

On top of that, the Patriots will struggle to pass against the Colts. They're just 15th in the league at defending balls in the air, but they're brimming with confidence after a few great games in a row.

Luck has been great, but it's time for him to really arrive. Beating Tom Brady and the Patriots is exactly what it takes, and he's going to make that happen on Sunday.

Buffalo Bills

Buffalo's only real advantage over anyone is running the football, but Miami's fifth-ranked run defense won't have any of that.

I know, picking the Bills to lose is pretty most of the time. But Ralph Wilson Stadium isn't an easy place to walk into, especially if you're used to warm weather like Miami.

The Dolphins won't be phased though. This team needs a win. They've lost two in a row, and getting blown out by a lousy Titans team isn't going to go over well. Expect Ryan Tannehill and Co. to exploit a poor Bills defense, ignoring Buffalo's anxious fans in the process.

Miami looked like a darkhorse candidate for a wild card spot for a little while there. That hope is gone, but that doesn't mean the season is dead. The Dolphins have a chance to make some noise next year, and the building process starts right now.

I would say this pick is a no-brainer, but Ralph Wilson Stadium can be tricky. Either way, Miami takes the cake here.

Pittsburgh Steelers

With Ben Roethlisberger officially ruled out (per Cindy Boren of The Washington Post) of the lineup on Sunday, this is an easy one for me.

Baltimore has struggled mightily on defense, but this is a rivalry game. Statistics, at least to a point, can be thrown out the window. The Ravens will bring their best Sunday night.

Byron Leftwich is going to be starting his first game since 2009. He completed half of his passes as Roethlisberger's replacement Monday night, but that doesn't mean anything. He didn't look all that comfortable, and he's Byron Leftwich. I mean, come on, say that a few times.

Pittsburgh will be without its leader. The Steelers can't rely on their run game like they used too, which will hurt the defense. Baltimore will key on the run, forcing the time of possession to swing way in its favor.

This is the first time these two will meet this season, but they'll have another one coming up in two weeks. It's hard to say where Big Ben will be by the time they meet for a second time, but the Ravens will take the first one in his absence.