NFL Week 11 Predictions: Picks for Every Game

It is hard to believe that it is already Week 11.  This week is not the strongest slate of games, but it does feature the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens battling for a share of the AFC North lead.

Week 11 is the last week where teams have a bye.  Teams on a bye this week include Indianapolis, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Houston.

New York Jets vs. Denver Broncos

The Jets are clearly the better team in this one.  What will be interesting to see is how they react to having a short week to prepare for the option.  Generally, the option does not work in the NFL, but it can be hard to defend in the short term because it so different from what teams see week in and week out.

Even with all of that being said, it is hard to see the Broncos having much of a shot here.  Look for Mark Sanchez to have a big day with his weapons against the Denver pass defense that ranks 20th in the league.

The key for the Jets will be getting off to a fast start.  They can easily win this one by 20 if they can jump out to a lead and force Tim Tebow to throw the ball.

Jets 24 Broncos 6

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Cleveland Browns

You can expect to see a heavy dose of Maurice Jones-Drew from the Jaguars in this game.  The Browns are 30th in the NFL against the run, and Jacksonville cannot throw the ball.  Expect Cleveland to load the box and dare Blaine Gabbert to take some shots down the field.

It is hard to envision the Browns having much success moving the ball against a Jacksonville defense that ranks fourth in the league in yards allowed per game.  The Browns will try to get their run game going because that is the weakest element of the Jacksonville defense, but even that will be a struggle with Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty out of the lineup again.

Jaguars 17 Browns 7

Carolina Panthers vs. Detroit Lions

The Lions will be out for blood in this one.  They have lost three of their last four after getting off to a hot start. Now they have concerns about Matthew Stafford's health with his injured finger.  It gave him some problems in the game against the Bears.  He should be able to get back on track against a Panthers defense that gives up over 360 total yards per game.

The Detroit defense has been good against the pass but terrible against the run.  The Panthers' best chance to win this game is to control time of possession.  Look for the Panthers to feature DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart heavily this week.  That is going to be their best chance for success, and it will keep the Detroit offense on the sideline. 

Lions 34 Panthers 20

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Green Bay Packers

This could be another name your number game for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense.  The Tampa Bay defense is 28th in the league against the pass.  That is not such a great matchup against the best quarterback in the league and his third-ranked passing offense.

The only shot the Buccaneers have in this one is for Josh Freeman to regain his 2010 form.  He will have some chances against a Packers pass defense that ranks 31st in the league.

This game could be close up to halftime, but the Packers will pull away in the second half.

Packers 35 Buccaneers 20

Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are flying high after two straight wins.  The odds are pretty good that their win streak ends at two.  Their best bet in this one is to feed the ball to Reggie Bush and Daniel Thomas.  Bush has shown some flashes of being the explosive guy he was in college over the last couple of weeks.  Thomas can wear the Bills defense down and keep their offense off the field.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has been struggling the last few weeks.  A matchup against the Dolphins and their 25th ranked pass defense is exactly what he needs to get his season back on track.  The health of Steve Johnson is something to keep an eye on here as he is nursing a shoulder injury.  Fitzpatrick can have a big game even without him, but it is always an advantage to have all of your weapons at your disposal.

Bills 35 Dolphins 24

Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings

This is going to be an interesting matchup between the Raiders and their fourth-ranked rushing offense against the Vikings' sixth-ranked rushing defense.  Oakland's overall offensive attack is more dangerous with Carson Palmer, but they are a run-first team. 

They are hoping to get Darren McFadden back in this one, but they have not missed him as much as you would think because of how well Michael Bush has been playing.

The Vikings, as always, will run their offense through Adrian Peterson.  He should be able to find some room to run against the Raiders' rush defense that ranks 25th in the league.

Peterson will have a big day, but it will not be enough against the high-powered Raiders offense.

Raiders 27 Vikings 17

Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins

The Cowboys look like a different team with DeMarco Murray running the football.  He has given them a dimension to their offense that was not there when Felix Jones was getting the majority of the carries.  The rushing game is going to help take some pressure off of Tony Romo, which is very important because Romo is terrible when all of the pressure is on him.

The Cowboys will roll in this one.  The Redskins have become one of the worst teams in the National Football League.  They cannot move the ball on offense, and their defense is not playing nearly as well as they were in the beginning of the season.

Cowboys 38 Redskins 13

Cincinnnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens

The biggest question in this game is which Ravens team will show up?  Will it be the team that has handled the Steelers pretty easily twice, or will it be the team that lost to the Seahawks last week?

Yards will be at a premium in this one.  Both teams are really good on the defensive side of the ball.

In a game like this, it is a big play that will make the difference.  Cincinnati has an edge in that department if A.J. Green is healthy enough to play.  He has already established himself as a playmaker nine games into his rookie campaign.  Look for Andy Dalton to find Green on a big play late to win the game.

Bengals 17 Ravens 10

Seattle Seahawks vs. St. Louis Rams

This is another good matchup for Marshawn Lynch.  The Rams are dead last in the league giving up 150.6 yards per game on the ground.  Lynch has gone over the 100-yard mark in each of the last two games.  There is no reason to believe he will not do it again in this game.

The Rams will look to take advantage of the Seattle secondary that is giving up 243 yards per game through the air.  Sam Bradford is two weeks removed from his injury now and should be able to put up decent numbers in this one.

This will be a tight game, but Lynch will ultimately be too much for St. Louis,

Seahawks 20 Rams 17

Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers are the most surprising team in the NFL this year.  At this point they have to be mentioned as one of the best teams in the league.  What a difference a year makes.

There is a good chance that Frank Gore will miss this game, but that will not be much of a problem for the 49ers.  Kendall Hunter will step in and have a big day against the league's 21st-ranked rush defense.

It looks like Kevin Kolb will be unavailable for the third straight week.  That is not good news for the Arizona offense this week as they face the 11th ranked defense in the NFL.

49ers 24 Cardinals 13

Tennessee Titans vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons come into this game on the heels of losing their biggest game of the year.  They will get back on track in this one because the Titans are not very good against the run.  Michael Turner should find plenty of room to run against the 22nd-ranked rush defense in the league.

The Titans offense runs through Chris Johnson.  He will have a tough time finding room against the Falcons defense that is third against the run.  Matt Hasselbeck should have a pretty good day throwing the ball because Atlanta is not nearly as good against the pass.

Falcons 27 Titans 17

San Diego Chargers vs. Chicago Bears

The Chargers are going to need Philip Rivers to be good in this one for them to have a chance.  The Bears defense is not as good against the pass as they have been in years past.  In fact, Chicago is 29th against the pass this season. 

Rivers just cannot seem to get it going this year.  If the Chargers are going to have a chance to win their division, he needs to show last year's form against the Bears because they cannot afford to lose many more games.

The Bears will look to take advantage of San Diego's 24th-ranked rush defense with Matt Forte.  Forte has been the star of their offense all season long.  The odds are in their favor in any game where he will have the ball in his hands the majority of the time.

Bears 27 Chargers 24

Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants

Both of these teams have struggled against the run this season.  The Eagles rank 17th and the Giants rank 20th.  The Eagles look to be better able to take advantage of that in this game because the Giants will probably be playing without Ahmad Bradshaw.

The thing to watch here is the health of Michael Vick.  He broke two ribs in last week's loss to the Cardinals.  He might be able to play in this one, but can he be the same dynamic player?

The Giants are clearly the better team in this one regardless of what the numbers look like on paper.

Giants 31 Eagles 17

Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots

The Chiefs did not have much of a chance in this game before it was announced that Matt Cassel was not going to play.  Now they have virtually no chance with Tyler Palko calling the signals.

The biggest weakness the Patriots have is their pass defense, but it is hard to imagine Palko being able to do much to exploit that.

On the other hand, Tom Brady should have no problem moving the ball against the Kansas City's defense.

Patriots 40 Chiefs 10