NFL Week 11 Picks: Predicting Most Enthralling Matchups on Schedule

Following weeks with few big-ticket slugfests, Week 11 of the NFL slate features three matchups showcasing six of the league's strongest Super Bowl contenders.

The Detroit Lions versus the Chicago Bears was nice, and the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals provided some interesting drama. We thank the football gods for presenting that fine bounty, but this week spoils us with last year's NFC champions squaring off against Drew Brees while the AFC's two premier squads battle for first place in the AFC West.

Let's not the forget the grand finale: Cam Newton's red-hot Carolina Panthers face the New England Patriots, who took out all of their frustration out on the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago in a 55-point barrage.

Now this is more like it. Let's look ahead at Week 11's juiciest bouts.

Away	Home	Time (ET)	Pick
New York Jets	Buffalo Bills (-1)	1 p.m.	NYJ
Cleveland Browns	Cincinnati Bengals (-6	1 p.m.	CIN
Washington Redskins	Philadelphia Eagles (-4.5)	1 p.m.	PHI
Detroit Lions (-2.5)	Pittsburgh Steelers	1 p.m.	DET
Atlanta Falcons (-1)	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1 p.m.	TB
Chicago Bears (-3)	Baltimore Ravens	1 p.m.	CHI
Arizona Cardinals (-7.5)	Jacksonville Jaguars	1 p.m.	ARI
Oakland Raiders	Houston Texans (-7)	1 p.m.	HOU
San Diego Chargers (-1.5)	Miami Dolphins	4:05 p.m.	SD
San Francisco 49ers	New Orleans Saints (-3)	4:25 p.m.	SF
Green Bay Packers	New York Giants (-4.5)	4:25 p,m,	NYG
Minnesota Vikings	Seattle Seahawks (-12)	4:25 p.m.	SEA
Kansas City Chiefs	Denver Broncos (-8)	8:30 p.m.	DEN
New England Patriots	Carolina Panthers (-2.5)	8:30 p.m. (Mon.)	NE

San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints

The Panthers sullied some of this showdown's shine by concluding the 49ers' five-game winning streak last Sunday, but this same billing could again manifest in the postseason.

After falling to the Panthers and Seattle Seahawks, the 49ers will attract critics like a dead corpse inviting zombies to feast on its remains. San Francisco can pound the little guy, but can it hang with the conference's top contenders?

Drew Brees annihilated a listless Dallas Cowboys defense that lost linebacker and leader Sean Lee during the contest, but San Francisco should prove a tougher challenge. The defense allows just 316.8 yards per game and isn't allergic to wide receivers.

On the other side of the field, New Orleans' defense plays right into San Francisco's hand. While the Saints stifle the pass but can't prevent the run, the 49ers can't pass much but flourish on the ground. 

If the defense can contain Brees enough to prevent Colin Kaepernick from fighting an uphill battle, Frank Gore will keep Sean Payton's dynamic offense off the field as long as possible, salvaging a much-needed victory for Jim Harbaugh's squad.

Prediction: 49ers 24, Saints 21

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos

The winner claims first place in the AFC West, early bragging rights in the division rivalry, the conference's best record and hefty appraisal as the league's top team.

So I'd say this game is kind of a big deal.

Kansas City's stout defense leads the league with 36 sacks and 23 takeaways, but Peyton Manning is on pace to rewrite the record books with Denver's juggernaut offense. A vulnerable spot will be uncovered in one of these unit's armor on Sunday night.

Neither entity has faced a worthy adversary, as Denver has yet to face a top-10 passing offense (partially because it torpedoes the opposing rates) while Kansas City has faced a hearty helping of third-string quarterbacks just trying to hold the fort down. The winner of this epic clash will come down to the Chiefs' ability to pressure Manning and create turnovers.

It's certainly reasonable to expect Tamba Hali and Justin Houston to make Manning's life difficult, but turnovers are always a dangerous component on which to rely. If not for their six defensive touchdowns, the Chiefs likely would not be undefeated, and that's a nearly impossible facet to predict.

Don't be surprised if Manning leans heavily on Knowshon Moreno against a defense that allows 5.0 yards per carry. Kansas City will put up a good fight, but it's ill-equipped to match points with Denver.

Prediction: Broncos 28, Chiefs 20

New England Patriots at Carolina Panthers

Break out the confetti; ESPN should finally have a good game to display on Monday night.

Not that the games have offered no intrigue, but watching the Green Bay Packers sadly try to fight back without Aaron Rodgers was about as ugly as Kellen Clemens nearly stealing a defensive stalemate from Seattle. Excluding the Packers-Bears battle of the backup quarterbacks, none of the 10 previous Monday Night Football slates featured two teams currently boasting winning records.

The Patriots and Panthers are here to change that. New England broke a major offensive funk (for its standards, at least) by piling up 55 points on Pittsburgh before its Week 10 bye, and Carolina finally captured its statement victory over San Francisco last Sunday.

Nobody is ignoring the Panthers now, but are they about to run into Tom Brady at the worst possible time?

Not only did Rob Gronkowski and Danny Amendola finally look healthy at the same time, but the Patriots are receiving 15 days to rest and prepare. Entering as the underdog will only anger Brady and Bill Belichick even more.

Carolina's defense is legit, but can the offense keep up? Cam Newton forced the defense to keep San Francisco out of the end zone to prevail with a one-point win. Even through New England's offensive snags, it ranks 12th with 361.1 total yards per game.

This time it will be Brady's bunch putting the league at notice with a gigantic victory.

Prediction: Patriots 17, Panthers 12