Week 11 NFL Picks: Predictions for Sunday's Intriguing Showdowns

The NFL schedule often bestows upon us a few hidden gems that turn out much better than expected.

Take last week, when the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers each collected their first win of the season with close victories. Each game boiled down to the wire, producing a close and desirable outcome for those who root for the underdog.

With that in mind, let's divert from this weekend's main attractions to shed some light on some of the lesser-renowned matchups. None of the these squads are playing the part of a Super Bowl contender, but the playoffs still remain within striking distance.

Away	Home	Time (ET)	Pick
New York Jets	Buffalo Bills (-1)	1 p.m.	NYJ
Cleveland Browns	Cincinnati Bengals (-6.5)	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 (PK)	Tampa Bay Bucaneers	1 p.m.	TB
Baltimore Ravens	Chicago Bears (-3)	1 p.m.	CHI
Arizona Cardinals (-9)	Jacksonville Jaguars	1 p.m.	ARI
Oakland Raiders	Houston Texans (-9)	1 p.m.	HOU
San Diego Chargers (-1.5)	Miami Dolphins	4:05 p.m.	SD
San Francisco 49ers	New Orleans Saints (-2.5)	4:25 p.m.	SF
Green Bay Packers	New York Giants (-6.5)	4:25 p,m,	NYG
Minnesota Vikings	Seattle Seahawks (-13)	4:25 p.m.	SEA
Kansas City Chiefs	Denver Broncos (-8.5)	8:30 p.m.	DEN
New England Patriots	Carolina Panthers (-2.5)	8:30 p.m. (Mon.)	NE

Baltimore Ravens at Chicago Bears

Talk about a reversal of fortune for each squad.

Seemingly left for dead, the Ravens respawned to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday, deflating their division deficit to 1.5 games. They nearly squandered a sizable lead by conveniently tipping a desperation heave right to A.J. Green, but overtime prevented the Ravens from remembering the game in infamy.

The Bears did not fare as well in their pivotal divisional clash, falling to the Detroit Lions while losing Jay Cutler again to injury.

This matchup would usually draw marquee billing, but neither squad is itself this season. The loss of cornerstone middle linebackers Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher hurts the hype generator, but the woes travel much deeper.

Chicago ranks 31st with 129.4 rushing yards allowed per game while Baltimore ranks 30th with 73.1 rushing yards per game. As shaky as the Bears look defensively without Lance Briggs, the Ravens are offensively inept without Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta.

While the Ravens have allowed 30 sacks this season, the Bears defense has totaled just 14. Does anybody have a coin handy?

Josh McCown is much a more than serviceable replacement for Cutler, and Chicago is always a threat to engineer some takeaways on the defensive end. That's enough to give the Bears a slight edge.

Prediction: Bears 24, Ravens 20

San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins

This battle of 4-5 squads bears significant playoff implications.

If the New York Jets—who have not collected two straight wins this season—slip up against the Buffalo Bills, the winner of this bout holds a share of the second AFC Wild Card spot. 

Going off point differential, the Chargers are currently deserving of that sixth spot with the conference's sixth-best rate at plus-10. For all of their defensive flaws, only the Denver Broncos generate more yards among AFC offenses.

With wins over the Bengals and Indianapolis Colts but a loss to the Buccaneers, the Dolphins are a tough team to scope. They're ranked 25th both on and against the run, and their passing game has stumbled after a promising start. Yet they have only lost two games (at New Orleans and at New England) by double digits.

The Chargers at least boast one potent unit in their passing offense, and an eight-point loss to the Broncos is no reason to feel ashamed. 

Prediction: Chargers 30, Dolphins 23

Green Bay Packers at New York Giants

Do you smell that? It's the sweet, yet alarming stench of unjustified hope.

It's filling the air throughout the Meadowlands, finding a way to create an even worse stench than the neighboring swamp. But after an 0-6 start, the Giants are just two games outside the NFC East lead prior to facing a Packers squad led by not Aaron Rodgers.

Not Rodgers, otherwise referred to as Scott Tolzien, was not all that bad for a third-stringer pressed into duty last Sunday. He went 24-for-39 with 280 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, but that came against the NFL's second-worst passing defense.

Quietly, and against dreadful competition, the Giants now sport the league's 11th-best passing defense. Recovering from his third torn ACL, Terrell Thomas has looked stronger every week in their secondary.

Now it's the offense's turn to show some life. Not Peyton Manning, also known as Eli, has amassed just 585 passing yards during New York's three-game winning streak. After starting 0-6 because everything around him went wrong, everyone other than Manning and the passing offense has got their act in gear lately.

The winning streak against Josh Freeman, Matt Barkley and a hobbled Terrelle Pryor is a MacGuffin, but look for it to continue against Tolzien and the Packers.

Prediction: Giants 23, Packers 16