NFL 2012: Week 11 Picks
A lot to get to this week from the Cowboys staying alive in the NFC playoff picture, the Steelers going up against the rival Ravens without Big Ben, Jets players coming out and criticizing their quarterback and it's not Mark Sanchez, to whether or not the Bengals can put together a winning streak and rekindle their playoff hopes. Those thoughts and more in my picks for Week 11.
Week 11 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
BUFFALO over Miami: A 37-3 embarrassment at the hands of the Tennessee Titans last week has me questioning just how good the Dolphins really are. Bills have been disappointing, but I like them at home Thursday night.
ATLANTA over Arizona: After starting the season 8-0, the Falcons finally got their first loss of the season last week in New Orleans, but I like them to return to their winning ways against a Cardinals team that has lost five straight.
DALLAS over Cleveland: How 'bout them Cowboys!?! Dallas kept their season alive with a much needed win over the Eagles in Philly and I think they get another win this week against the Browns to get back to .500.
Green Bay over DETROIT: I really have been disappointed from what I've seen from the Lions this season. Detroit is quickly falling out of the playoff picture at 4-5 in very competitive NFC North and Rodgers will be well rested after the bye. Packers get the win in the Motor City.
ST. LOUIS over NY Jets: The Jets are at it again. New this week are anonymous Jets players telling the New York media that Tim Tebow is terrible and that they are better off with Mark Sanchez at quarterback. I will say that Sanchez has no one to throw the ball too, but if you put Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers on the Jets, I almost guarantee you that they have more than three wins. Mark Sanchez will never be an elite, great or even good quarterback in this league and they Jets are going nowhere with him or Rex Ryan for that matter.
Ryan has no control of this team, the locker room is probably the worst in football and for Tim Tebow's sake, I hope he gets to leave New York this offseason, because I think he's a good guy and an all-around good football player. If I were the Jacksonville Jaguars I'd be trading for Tebow this offseason. Not only will he fill an empty EverBank Field, but I think if one team fully commits to Tebow and builds a team around him, they could be successful. I don't know what will happen to Tebow, but I do think the Jets will lose again on Sunday to the Rams.
NEW ENGLAND over Indianapolis: This used to be one of the premiere rivalries in the entire NFL with Peyton Manning going up against Tom Brady, but I think a new rivalry will be born on Sunday with Andrew Luck. At 6-3, Luck has the Colts in the thick of things in the AFC playoff picture and although I think Brady and the Patriots will win on Sunday; these two teams could meet again in the playoffs.
WASHINGTON over Philadelphia: Michael Vick is out due to a concussion he suffered last week and he, along with head coach Andy Reid, might be out of a job before the season is over.
Tampa Bay over CAROLINA: The Buccaneers are currently riding a three game win streak and have won four of their last five games, scoring at least 34 points in those wins. Reasons for the success? One, the schedule has been favorable. Two, rookie Doug Martin has burst onto the scene with 530-yards and six touchdowns in those four wins. But the biggest reason has to be the improvement of QB Josh Freeman, who has thrown 18 TD and only 5 INT through nine games after throwing 16 TD and 22 INT last season.
HOUSTON over Jacksonville: Houston won by 20 points over Jacksonville back in Week 2 and with the way the Jaguars have been playing, losers of six straight, Houston will probably win by 30 this week.
New Orleans over OAKLAND: If the Raiders gave up 55 points to Baltimore last week, bumping up their average points allowed per game to a whopping 31.6, then I can only imagine how many points Drew Brees and the Saints will put up this week. I'll put the over/under on Saints points at 40 and I'll take the over, of course.
DENVER over San Diego: If Norv Turner is still the head coach of the San Diego Chargers in 2013 then something is seriously wrong. I would have fired him two years ago, but that's just me. Anyway Denver wins again as they set their sights on a first round bye and Peyton Manning continues to build on yet another MVP caliber season.
Baltimore over PITTSBURGH: Always a hard hitting affair, but with Ben Roethlisberger sidelined with a rib and shoulder injury, I expect the Ravens to win this one by at least a touchdown.
SAN FRANCISCO over Chicago: Both quarterbacks Alex Smith and Jay Cutler suffered concussions last week, so their status for Monday night's game is uncertain. Smith has a chance of playing for the 49ers, but I doubt we will see Cutler out there for the Bears. Either way I like the San Francisco at home.
Bengals over CHIEFS: Things have looked pretty bleak for the Bengals the past few weeks, but boy oh boy what a difference a week makes.
With the Bengals very impressive and somewhat surprising victory over the New York football Giants this past weekend, the Bengals now sit at 4-5, good enough for ninth place in the AFC. However, the next three weeks give the Bengals an excellent opportunity to improve their position in the standings.
Over the next three weeks the Bengals play at the Kansas City (1-8), Carson Palmer and Oakland (3-6) come to Cincinnati and then they play at San Diego (4-5). On paper those are all very winnable games and should the Bengals win all three they will be 7-5. Now the arch rival Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) are currently two games ahead of the Bengals, however, Ben Roethlisberger is out for maybe a month and oh by the way, the Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens twice in the next three weeks.
The Steelers also play the Browns in that stretch, who I think they will beat, but I don't see them beating Baltimore either time without Roethlisberger. So, if the Bengals win their next three games, like they are supposed to and the Steelers lose two of their next three, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh will all tied up in the standings with four games left to play. Now the Steelers hold the tiebreaker over the Bengals because they beat them back in Week 7, but this makes the last month of the season very, very interesting.
The Bengals aren't out of it just yet and as a Bengals fan that sure gets me excited. Hard to believe I know, but believe it. This team still have a chance to make the playoffs. Andy Dalton and Co. first need to take care of business Sunday against the Chiefs, however. Kansas City gave Pittsburgh a game last week and I think they'll give the Bengals a game as well, but Cincinnati will come out on top. Bengals 20, Chiefs 13.
Byes: Tennessee, Minnesota, NY Giants, Seattle
Last Week: 9-5
Overall: 94-52
Week 11 Picks (Home team in CAPS)
BUFFALO over Miami: A 37-3 embarrassment at the hands of the Tennessee Titans last week has me questioning just how good the Dolphins really are. Bills have been disappointing, but I like them at home Thursday night.
ATLANTA over Arizona: After starting the season 8-0, the Falcons finally got their first loss of the season last week in New Orleans, but I like them to return to their winning ways against a Cardinals team that has lost five straight.
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| It hasn't been pretty in Big D for QB Tony Romo and the Cowboys this season, but at 4-5, Dallas is still alive in the NFC playoff picture. (Elsa/Getty Images) |
DALLAS over Cleveland: How 'bout them Cowboys!?! Dallas kept their season alive with a much needed win over the Eagles in Philly and I think they get another win this week against the Browns to get back to .500.
Green Bay over DETROIT: I really have been disappointed from what I've seen from the Lions this season. Detroit is quickly falling out of the playoff picture at 4-5 in very competitive NFC North and Rodgers will be well rested after the bye. Packers get the win in the Motor City.
ST. LOUIS over NY Jets: The Jets are at it again. New this week are anonymous Jets players telling the New York media that Tim Tebow is terrible and that they are better off with Mark Sanchez at quarterback. I will say that Sanchez has no one to throw the ball too, but if you put Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers on the Jets, I almost guarantee you that they have more than three wins. Mark Sanchez will never be an elite, great or even good quarterback in this league and they Jets are going nowhere with him or Rex Ryan for that matter.
Ryan has no control of this team, the locker room is probably the worst in football and for Tim Tebow's sake, I hope he gets to leave New York this offseason, because I think he's a good guy and an all-around good football player. If I were the Jacksonville Jaguars I'd be trading for Tebow this offseason. Not only will he fill an empty EverBank Field, but I think if one team fully commits to Tebow and builds a team around him, they could be successful. I don't know what will happen to Tebow, but I do think the Jets will lose again on Sunday to the Rams.
NEW ENGLAND over Indianapolis: This used to be one of the premiere rivalries in the entire NFL with Peyton Manning going up against Tom Brady, but I think a new rivalry will be born on Sunday with Andrew Luck. At 6-3, Luck has the Colts in the thick of things in the AFC playoff picture and although I think Brady and the Patriots will win on Sunday; these two teams could meet again in the playoffs.
WASHINGTON over Philadelphia: Michael Vick is out due to a concussion he suffered last week and he, along with head coach Andy Reid, might be out of a job before the season is over.
Tampa Bay over CAROLINA: The Buccaneers are currently riding a three game win streak and have won four of their last five games, scoring at least 34 points in those wins. Reasons for the success? One, the schedule has been favorable. Two, rookie Doug Martin has burst onto the scene with 530-yards and six touchdowns in those four wins. But the biggest reason has to be the improvement of QB Josh Freeman, who has thrown 18 TD and only 5 INT through nine games after throwing 16 TD and 22 INT last season.
HOUSTON over Jacksonville: Houston won by 20 points over Jacksonville back in Week 2 and with the way the Jaguars have been playing, losers of six straight, Houston will probably win by 30 this week.
New Orleans over OAKLAND: If the Raiders gave up 55 points to Baltimore last week, bumping up their average points allowed per game to a whopping 31.6, then I can only imagine how many points Drew Brees and the Saints will put up this week. I'll put the over/under on Saints points at 40 and I'll take the over, of course.
DENVER over San Diego: If Norv Turner is still the head coach of the San Diego Chargers in 2013 then something is seriously wrong. I would have fired him two years ago, but that's just me. Anyway Denver wins again as they set their sights on a first round bye and Peyton Manning continues to build on yet another MVP caliber season.
Baltimore over PITTSBURGH: Always a hard hitting affair, but with Ben Roethlisberger sidelined with a rib and shoulder injury, I expect the Ravens to win this one by at least a touchdown.
SAN FRANCISCO over Chicago: Both quarterbacks Alex Smith and Jay Cutler suffered concussions last week, so their status for Monday night's game is uncertain. Smith has a chance of playing for the 49ers, but I doubt we will see Cutler out there for the Bears. Either way I like the San Francisco at home.
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| After not getting any pressure on Peyton Manning the previous week, the Bengals had eight quarterback hurries and four sacks on Eli Manning last Sunday in the Bengals 31-13 win. (Frank Victores/ US PRESSWIRE) |
Bengals over CHIEFS: Things have looked pretty bleak for the Bengals the past few weeks, but boy oh boy what a difference a week makes.
With the Bengals very impressive and somewhat surprising victory over the New York football Giants this past weekend, the Bengals now sit at 4-5, good enough for ninth place in the AFC. However, the next three weeks give the Bengals an excellent opportunity to improve their position in the standings.
Over the next three weeks the Bengals play at the Kansas City (1-8), Carson Palmer and Oakland (3-6) come to Cincinnati and then they play at San Diego (4-5). On paper those are all very winnable games and should the Bengals win all three they will be 7-5. Now the arch rival Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) are currently two games ahead of the Bengals, however, Ben Roethlisberger is out for maybe a month and oh by the way, the Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens twice in the next three weeks.
The Steelers also play the Browns in that stretch, who I think they will beat, but I don't see them beating Baltimore either time without Roethlisberger. So, if the Bengals win their next three games, like they are supposed to and the Steelers lose two of their next three, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh will all tied up in the standings with four games left to play. Now the Steelers hold the tiebreaker over the Bengals because they beat them back in Week 7, but this makes the last month of the season very, very interesting.
The Bengals aren't out of it just yet and as a Bengals fan that sure gets me excited. Hard to believe I know, but believe it. This team still have a chance to make the playoffs. Andy Dalton and Co. first need to take care of business Sunday against the Chiefs, however. Kansas City gave Pittsburgh a game last week and I think they'll give the Bengals a game as well, but Cincinnati will come out on top. Bengals 20, Chiefs 13.
Byes: Tennessee, Minnesota, NY Giants, Seattle
Last Week: 9-5
Overall: 94-52
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