Week 11 NFL Picks: Breaking Down Most Underrated Battles on Tap

Week 11 in the NFL needs no hype. 

From San Francisco vs. New Orleans on Sunday afternoon to Kansas City vs. Denver and New England vs. Carolina serving as the pair of prime-time games, it's an explosive, important group of matchups. 

But there are some very underrated games on the slate, as well. Let's take a closer look at some of them, along with my picks for every contest. 

Road Team	Home Team	Date	Time (ET)	Pick
Indianapolis	Tennessee	Thur, Nov. 14	8:25 p.m.	Titans
Cleveland	Cincinnati	Sun, Nov. 17	1 p.m.	Bengals
Oakland	Houston	Sun, Nov. 17	1 p.m.	Texans
Baltimore	Chicago	Sun, Nov. 17	1 p.m.	Bears
Arizona	Jacksonville	Sun, Nov. 17	1 p.m.	Cardinals
N.Y. Jets	Buffalo	Sun, Nov. 17	1 p.m.	Jets
Atlanta	Tampa Bay	Sun, Nov. 17	1 p.m.	Buccaneers
Washington	Philadelphia	Sun, Nov. 17	1 p.m.	Eagles
Detroit	Pittsburgh	Sun, Nov. 17	1 p.m.	Lions
San Diego	Miami	Sun, Nov. 17	4:05 p.m.	Chargers
Green Bay	N.Y. Giants	Sun, Nov. 17	4:25 p.m	Giants
Minnesota	Seattle	Sun, Nov. 17	4:25 p.m	Seahawks
San Francisco	New Orleans	Sun, Nov. 17	4:25 p.m	Saints
Kansas City	Denver	Sun, Nov. 17	8:30 p.m.	Broncos
New England	Carolina	Mon, Nov. 18	8:40 p.m	Panthers

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

At the beginning of the season, this looked like one of the most anticipated matchups of the year. 

Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White gave the Falcons one of the most dangerous passing games in the league, while the addition of Steven Jackson added some impressive balance. On the other side of things, the Bucs featured a stout running game, solid weapons in the passing game and a much-improved secondary. 

Both teams looked like potential playoff squads. 

Now, thanks to injuries, inconsistent play and locker-room turmoil, they are both contending for the No. 1 pick in this year's draft. 

Still, both teams have plenty of talent, making this an interesting matchup—even if there is very little on the line. 

The Bucs have played far better as of late, boast the better defense and are at home, so I'll take them, but the narrow spread (1.5 points, per Covers) says it all: This one will be an exciting back-and-forth contest. 

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles

If you like offense, missing this game is not advisable. 

Remember when these teams played in Week 1? There were 60 combined points, 825 total yards and five touchdowns that went for more than 20 yards.

Well, guess what? This time around, the defenses are still erratic, and the offenses are even better. 

Nick Foles, who quietly has 16 touchdowns and zero (!) interceptions on the season, has played out of his mind over the last two weeks (13.8 yards per attempt, 10 touchdowns) and served as a legitimate upgrade over Michael Vick. 

Robert Griffin III, meanwhile, has looked more healthy every week since showing so much rust in that Week 1 matchup and is starting to resemble the 2012 version of himself. 

Buckle up. This one is going to have points, points and maybe even more points. Throw in the fact that it serves as an important divisional battle, and it's easily one of the most captivating matchups of the week. 

New York Jets at Buffalo Bills

It's not quite Andrew Luck vs. Robert Griffin III, but Geno Smith vs. EJ Manuel has the chance to be a pretty compelling rookie quarterback matchup. 

Both have showed the propensity to struggle at times, but both have also made it pretty clear they are the future for their respective franchises. It'll be intriguing to see them on the same field on Sunday. 

The Jets aren't the same team on the road, where they are just 1-3, but their defense—and front seven in particular—will give them the advantage in this one.