NFL Picks Week 11: Advice for Current Vegas Odds, Spreads and Over/Under Lines

There is joy in Detroit. Perhaps not unbridled joy, but genuine happiness because the streak is over.

The Detroit Lions went to Green Bay in Week 10 and won in the state of Wisconsin for the first time since 1991, when Barry Sanders was in his heyday.

The Lions had lost 24 straight road games to the Packers (23 regular-season games and one more in the playoffs), and that streak is finally over, as they pulled out an 18-16 victory.

But does that mean the Lions have found their way, will shake off their poor start and return to the form that made them a playoff team a year ago?

Not likely. The Lions have a lot of problems, and they did not get solved just because the Packers missed a field-goal attempt at the end of the game.

The Lions are struggling defensively and simply can't put enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The Lions rank 25th in yardage allowed this season, and that's not going to be good enough against a balanced and improving team like the Oakland Raiders.

Quarterback Derek Carr is one of the best young signal-callers in the game, and he is surrounded by talented players. The 1-2 punch of Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree is one of the best in the league at the wide receiver position, and running back Latavius Murray uses his speed and power to give the offense some diversity.

Carr, who has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 21-to-6, should be able to carve up the Detroit defense. The Raiders should come out focused after losing to the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday, but they should not be discouraged.

The linemakers have called this game a tossup, according to Odds Shark. That works in the Raiders' favor. They don't have to lay any points, and all they have to do is win the game. They should find a way to pull out the win on the road.

Game	Line	Over-Under	Selection
Tennessee at Jacksonville	Jacksonville -2.5	43	Jacksonville; Under
Indianapolis at Atlanta	Atlanta -7	47.5	Indianapolis; Under
St. Louis at Baltimore	Baltimore -1	42	St. Louis; Over
Washington at Carolina	Carolina -8.5	45	Washington; Over
Denver at Chicago	Even	43	Chicago; Under
Oakland at Detroit	Even	48	Oakland; Over
N.Y. Jets at Houston	No line	--	N.Y. Jets
Dallas at Miami	Even	47.5	Dallas; Over
Tampa Bay at Philadelphia	No line	--	Philadelphia
Kansas City at San Diego	Kansas City -3	44	Kansas City: Over
Green Bay at Minnesota	Even	45	Minnesota: Under
San Francisco at Seattle	Seattle -13.5	40	San Francisco; Under
Cincinnati at Arizona	No line	--	Arizona
Buffalo at New England	New England -7.5	48	New England

Falcons, Colts will engage in low-scoring battle

Earlier in the season, a game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Atlanta Falcons could have been one of the more dynamic and higher-scoring games on the schedule.

When Andrew Luck is at his peak and slinging the ball with confidence, he can light up the scoreboard. Luck will not play in this game, as he has been sidelined with an assortment of injuries. Veteran Matt Hasselbeck will line up under center for the Colts, and while he is a competent leader, he is not going to make a lot of big plays.

The Falcons were rolling early in the season, having reeled off five wins in a row to start the season. However, they have lost three of their last four games. Quarterback Matt Ryan is a smart leader and an accurate passer, but the Falcons have averaged just 19.25 points over the last four games.

After rolling to the tune of 32.4 PPG through their first five games, Ryan, wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman are searching for the winning formula at this point in the year.

Don't expect either team to snap out of it in this game. The oddsmakers have set the total in this game at 47.5, and we see this game reaching the 38- to 40-point level. Go with the under if you want to cash in here.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Vikings assert themselves against slumping Packers

Just a few weeks ago, the Green Bay Packers were cruising along with a 6-0 record and had a two-game lead over the Minnesota Vikings.

However, the Packers have lost three games in a row, and their vaunted passing game has slowed considerably. The Green Bay wide receivers are struggling to get open, and Aaron Rodgers can't make his magic happen when there's nobody to throw to. He is averaging just 236.3 passing yards per game.

While the Packers have been losing, the Vikings have been improving consistently and winning. They have won five straight games, and three of those victories have come on the road.

Teddy Bridgewater continues to take what the defense gives him, and running back Adrian Peterson has returned to top form. He has rushed for a league-leading 961 yards and a 4.9-yards-per-carry average.

Peterson exploded for a 203-yard game against the Oakland Raiders in Week 10, and he figures to continue to pound away against the Packers. 

The Vikings will play this game in front of their loud and supportive home crowd, and they will be able to extend their lead to two games in the division if they can win this game. The oddsmakers have labeled this game as even, and we like the home team.

The Packers don't have a high-level offensive game at this point in the season, and the Vikings will put them away in the second half.