NFL Week 11 Predictions: Initial Vegas Odds, Lines, Spreads and Projections

One month ago, the Thursday night NFL clash between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns looked like it would be a tough game to watch. 

After Pittsburgh reeled off four straight wins and Cleveland defeated Buffalo in Week 10, the Week 11 opener carries playoff implications. 

Mike Tomlin's team enters First Energy Stadium in the second AFC wild-card position, while the Browns could pull themselves to the fringe of a crowded field with a home triumph. 

The AFC North will also be in the spotlight Sunday, with the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Houston Texans in a battle for the AFC's No. 2 seed. 

The matchup at M&T Bank Stadium is also a showcase for two of the NFL's best young quarterbacks in Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson.  

NFL Week 11 Schedule

All Times ET. 

Odds via Caesars, OddsChecker and Vegas Insider; predictions against the spread in bold. 

Thursday, November 14

Pittsburgh at Cleveland (-2.5) (8:20 p.m., Fox/NFL Network) 

Sunday, November 17

Houston at Baltimore (-4) (1 p.m., CBS) 

Jacksonville at Indianapolis (-2.5) (1 p.m., CBS) 

Buffalo (-6.5) at Miami (1 p.m., CBS)

Denver at Minnesota (-9.5) (1 p.m., CBS) 

Atlanta at Carolina (-6) (1 p.m., Fox) 

Dallas (-3) at Detroit (1 p.m., Fox) 

New Orleans (-4.5) at Tampa Bay (1 p.m., Fox) 

New York Jets at Washington (-1) (1 p.m., Fox) 

Arizona at San Francisco (-13.5) (4:05 p.m., Fox) 

Cincinnati at Oakland (-10.5) (4:25 p.m., CBS) 

New England (-3.5) at Philadelphia (4:25 p.m., CBS) 

Chicago at Los Angeles Rams (-6.5) (8:20 p.m., NBC) 

Monday, November 18

Kansas City (-4) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (8:15 p.m., ESPN; Game in Mexico City) 

Predictions

Pittsburgh (+2.5) at Cleveland

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Pittsburgh's four-game winning streak is nothing short of remarkable when you look at its offensive production. 

Devlin Hodges started the run in Week 6, and Mason Rudolph has won the last three games with 684 passing yards and four touchdowns. 

On Sunday, the Steelers won without James Conner and just 42 rushing yards against the Los Angeles Rams. 

Pittsburgh's defense held the Los Angeles Chargers, Rams and Miami Dolphins to under 20 points, and that run could extend into Thursday since Cleveland failed to reach 20 points in the last three contests. 

In Week 10, the Browns used passing scores in the first and fourth quarters to defeat the Buffalo Bills, who held them to six points in the middle stanzas. 

In fact, Cleveland has one touchdown in the second and third periods since its Week 7 bye. 

Pittsburgh's key to silencing the Browns offense for four quarters is limiting Nick Chubb's production. 

In two of their last three wins, the Steelers have held Miami and the Rams under 100 rushing yards. Chubb has three 100-yard performances in his last four contests. 

Conversely, Cleveland gives up the third-most rushing yards per contest at 141.3, so that could lead to Jaylen Samuels and Co. busting a few long gains to support Rudolph. 

If Pittsburgh's run game complements the quarterback, it may open up space to combine with JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington, who led the team with 90 receiving yards in Week 10. 

The same could be said about Baker Mayfield with Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. working against the Steelers secondary. 

While it should be a close affair, Pittsburgh's ability to produce more points in recent weeks and Mayfield's propensity for turnovers will make the difference. 

The second-year man out of Oklahoma has 12 interceptions compared to seven touchdowns, while Rudolph has 10 passing scores and four picks. 

Houston at Baltimore (-4) 

Gary Landers/Associated Press

Baltimore should be a popular pick in Week 11, as it enters on a five-game winning streak. 

Houston boasts four victories in its last five contests, and it should be a worthy road foe for the current No. 2 seed in the AFC. 

The Ravens are 3-1 at M&T Bank Stadium with two one-possession wins over the Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals. 

Bill O'Brien's Texans are 2-2 in true road matchups, and their two defeats occurred by a combined nine points. 

The majority of the points should be scored through the air, as the two sides have the second- and third-best rushing defenses. 

John Harbaugh's team limited the New England Patriots to 74 rushing yards, while Houston conceded the same total to the Jacksonville Jaguars two weeks ago in London. 

Despite the strong rushing defenses, the Ravens and Texans both give up over 260 passing yards and 21 points per contest. 

That means Jackson and Watson could trade scores in a back-and-forth affair deep into the fourth quarter. 

Jackson has utilized a handful of receivers led by tight end Mark Andrews, while Watson has DeAndre Hopkins leading his bevy of targets. 

But Hopkins could be taken away from his quarterback due to the play of Marcus Peters and the Baltimore secondary. 

In the last two weeks, the Ravens forced five turnovers, two of which were interceptions. 

If Peters and Co. limit Hopkins, who has at least five receptions in each game, they may force Watson into making tough throws to other wideouts that lead to giveaways. 

All five of Watson's interceptions have come in true road contests, with two each against Indianapolis and Kansas City. 

Conversely, Jackson has not turned the ball over in his last four games and only two of his five picks occurred on home soil. 

If Baltimore's defense once again comes up with a few takeaways, it could give its second-year quarterback some short fields to work with to earn an advantage. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com