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EPIC NFL Thanksgiving Slate 🙌

NFL Picks Week 11: Desperate Teams Who Will Botch Must-Win Games

Kyle VassaloNov 19, 2011

We're at the point in the season where one game can make or break teams whose fates are still up in the air.

There are still teams who are just as likely to have a top-10 draft choice in 2012 (assuming they didn't trade it away) as they are to win their division outright.

A win this week will keep their playoff hopes alive, while a loss will make their uphill battles steeper than ever.

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Here are three teams who will botch must-win games this week.

Oakland Raiders vs. Minnesota Vikings

The Raiders are on a tear. Even without Darren McFadden, they've got Michael Bush and should have no problem dismantling the 2-7 Vikings, right?

Not quite. The Metrodome is an awful place to play at on the road, and while the Raiders have only lost one game on the road, Adrian Peterson and the crowd are going to be too much for the Silver and Black to handle.

AP is going up against a Raiders run defense that allows 132.4 YPG. Bush has to run against the Vikings' sixth-ranked run defense that allows just 93.9 YPG.

Carson Palmer is going to be under fire as Jared Allen looks to build on his whopping 13.5 sacks.

It looks like the Raiders should be heavy favorites at first glance, but considering that no team has gone into Minnesota and won by more than a score, it's impossible to have faith in a banged-up Raiders' squad.

The Bucs have to go on the road and take on the undefeated Packers. They are 4-5 and in the brutal NFC South, and falling two games below .500 this late in the season would put the Bucs in a deep hole.

Unfortunately, they've got no shot in this game. Their minus-52 point differential in three road games this season points to how bad the Bucs actually are away from home, and with three losses in a row, Green Bay isn't exactly the team anyone wants to face when they are looking to snap a cold streak.

Albert Haynesworth can't rescue their miserable 31st-ranked defense. Aaron Rodgers is going to eat them alive, and this will be the week fans really start looking forward to April.

The Patriots uncharacteristically have three losses to their name, but the Kansas City Chiefs have no shot at coming into Foxboro and feeding Tom Brady and the Chiefs a loss.

The Chiefs and Patriots have both been up and down this season. At best, the Chiefs are the best team in the AFC West. At worst, they are the very worst team in the NFL. At best, the Patriots are the best team in the conference, while the worst case scenario still lands them in a Wild-Card spot.

The Chiefs are simply outclassed. The Patriots have the worst defense in the league, but the Chiefs' 28th-ranked offense that puts forth 306.7 YPG isn't exactly going to be able to take advantage.

Let's not forget that Brady and the Pats still have the top passing attack in the league. The Chiefs are going to crumble in this high-scoring affair, and even in the lowly AFC West, dropping two games under .500 will put them in a bind.

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