NFL Week 11 Picks: Denver Broncos Will Be First To Beat Kansas City Chiefs

Indianapolis (6-3) at Tennessee (4-5)

The Colts were embarrassed by the Rams last week but the Titans didn't fare much better. They allowed the Jaguars to win their first game of the season.

The Titans also lost their starting quarterback, Jake Locker, for the season. The Colts lead the division and they should be able to bounce back against an average Titans team.

Indianapolis wins.

New York Jets (5-4) at Buffalo (3-7)

The Bills only have three wins this season but they are .500 at home (2-2) and .500 against the AFC East (1-1). It's a small sample size but they've been more competitive in these games.

The Jets are consistent this year in the fact that after they win a game, they lose the next one. Winning every other week, the Jets are now in line for a loss. It may seem like only a coincidence but the Jets are also 1-3 on the road this season.

Buffalo wins.

Atlanta (2-7) at Tampa Bay (1-8)

It's hard to like either team this season. Both have struggled to score.

While the Buccaneers finally won a game last week, they also lost their running back, Mike James, to injury. James was in backing up original starter Doug Martin.

The Falcons aren't entirely healthy, but they do have a more experienced squad than the Buccaneers, especially at quarterback. Matt Ryan and the rest of the veterans should be able to pull out a much needed victory.

Atlanta wins.

Detroit (6-3) at Pittsburgh (3-6)

The Lions have won two games in a row and three out of their last four. They are in sole possession of first place in the NFC North. They are third in the league in total passing yards and Calvin Johnson is second in the league in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

The Steelers defense has been much criticized this season. They are in the bottom half of the league in points allowed (18th) and points scored (25th).

Detroit wins.

Washington (3-6) at Philadelphia (5-5)

The Redskins gave up a late lead to the Vikings last week and lost. Their defense is still rather porous.

That's good news for the Eagles, who have been firing on all cylinders with Nick Foles at quarterback. He has 10 touchdown passes in the past two games and 14 in the last four games he has played in.

Philadelphia hasn't fared too well at home this season, but the team looks much improved compared to the beginning of the season and should do well against a bad defensive team.

Philadelphia wins.

San Diego (4-5) at Miami (4-5)

The Dolphins have struggled the past few weeks and last Monday against the Buccaneers they looked quite feeble.

Offensively the play calling is extremely conservative and predictable. The offensive line is awful and can't protect the run or the pass. They also have the most expensive decoy in Mike Wallace, who had four catches for 15 yards last week.

The Chargers aren't overly impressive; the Dolphins just look that bad.

San Diego wins.

Baltimore (4-5) at Chicago (5-4)

The Ravens survived a comeback scare against the Bengals last week, while the Bears lost at home, but despite that the Bears have a good chance of winning this game.

The Ravens are 0-4 on the road this season. The Bears aren't overpowering at home, but they do have a winning record (3-2).

Josh McCown will start this week for the Bears and he has done well this season. It helps when you have the one of the best receiving duos in the NFL in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey.

Chicago wins.

Cleveland (4-5) at Cincinnati (6-4)

The Bengals have been wildly inconsistent this season and are on a two-game losing streak. That being said they are 4-0 at home. They will be looking for revenge from a Week 4 loss against the Browns in Cleveland.

The Browns snapped a three-game losing streak two weeks ago, before their bye week, but are 1-3 on the road this season.

Cincinnati wins.

Oakland (3-6) at Houston (2-7)

Texans running back Arian Foster is out for the season and that is a huge blow to the team.

The Raiders, however, have lost two straight games and are 0-4 on the road this season.

It won't be easy, but at home it is time for Houston to snap their seven game losing streak. As an extra emotional boost, head coach Gary Kubiak is expected to return to the sidelines this weekend.

Houston wins.

Arizona (5-4) at Jacksonville (1-8)

The Jaguars finally got their first win of the season last weekend. The Cardinals, however, are above .500 and on a two-game winning streak.

For the Jaguars, the win against Tennessee was only the second time this year they scored at least 20 points.

For the Cardinals, they will want to see Carson Palmer, who has played decently for the team this season, finally have a game without throwing an interception. Jacksonville is tied for 29th in the league with only four picks.

Arizona wins.

Kansas City (9-0) at Denver (8-1)

The Chiefs are undefeated and lead the AFC West. They've played efficient football all season. They haven't, however, had any convincing victories or gone against the stiffest competition, either.

The Broncos have one of the best offenses in the league, led by Peyton Manning. The 12-time Pro Bowler may be having the best season of his 16-year career.

It will be a competitive game, but the Broncos should have the edge playing at home.

Denver wins.

Minnesota (2-7) at Seattle (9-1)

The Vikings did pick up a win last week, but overall they've found winning difficult this season.

Going to Seattle is a difficult place to try and win back to back games, especially with the Seahawks coming off a big road win last week.

Seattle wins.

San Francisco (6-3) at New Orleans (7-2)

The 49ers had four yards of offense in the fourth quarter against the Panthers last week. They scored a total of only nine games. Against teams currently with winning records, the 49ers are only 2-3.

The Saints continue to win at home week in and week out. They are 5-0 at home this season, winning by an average of just over 20 points per game.

The 49ers rank last in the league in passing yards per game, while the Saints are second in passing yards per game and third in passing yards allowed per game. I don’t know if the 49ers have the firepower to match up with New Orleans on the road.

New Orleans wins.

Green Bay (5-4) at New York Giants (3-6)

The Giants are on a three-game winning streak. It always seems like the Giants turn things around in the second half of the season.

The Packers are now down to their third string quarterback with other injuries to their starting pass catchers. It's just a very depleted team.

New York Giants win.

New England (7-2) at Carolina (6-3)

The Panthers are one of the hottest teams in the league right now with five consecutive victories. They are 3-1 at home this season, winning three straight.

The Patriots have won two straight and for the most part the offense looks like it’s coming together more every game, especially after putting up 55 points against the Steelers two weeks ago. With the bye week to continue to work on chemistry, they could be primed for a good game.

The Panthers defense, however, is quite strong. They are fifth in the league in passing yards allowed per game and second in rushing yards allowed per game. They allowed only nine points last week and in their current winning streak they have not allowed more than 15 points, holding opponents to 11.4 points per game.

At home and riding some serious momentum, the Panthers could have their most important victory of the season yet.

Carolina wins.

Bye Week: Dallas, St. Louis

Last Week: 6-8

Overall: 91-56

Photo Credit.

Peyton Manning: AP Photo/Gregory Bull

NFL Week 11 Picks

A tie in Week 10 between the 49ers and Rams was the first tie game in the NFL in four years. It also counts as a loss in my record, according to me, since I didn't actually pick the winner.

A lot of injured starting quarterbacks this week, especially on good teams, should make things interesting.

Who do you think will win?

Miami at Buffalo

On Thursday on Twitter I picked the Dolphins to win.

Cincinnati over KANSAS CITY

New York Jets over ST. LOUIS

Baltimore at PITTSBURGH

ATLANTA over Arizona

DALLAS over Cleveland

Green Bay over DETROIT

WASHINGTON over Philadelphia

Tampa Bay over CAROLINA

HOUSTON over Jacksonville

New Orleans over OAKLAND

DENVER over San Diego

NEW ENGLAND over Indianapolis

SAN FRANCISCO over Chicago

Bye week: Tennessee, Minnesota, New York Giants, Seattle

Week 10 record: 9-5

Season: 90-55

NFL Week 11 Picks: Chargers To Continue Slide Against Bears

New York Jets over DENVER – I picked the Jets on Twitter Thursday.

GREEN BAY over Tampa Bay

DETROIT over Carolina

Jacksonville over CLEVELAND

Oakland over MINNESOTA

MIAMI over Buffalo –

Dallas over WASHINGTON –

BALTIMORE over Cincinnati

SAN FRANCISCO over Arizona

Seattle over ST. LOUIS

ATLANTA over Tennessee

CHICAGO over San Diego

NEW YORK GIANTS over Philadelphia

NEW ENGLAND over Kansas City

Byes: Indianapolis, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Houston

This Week: 0-1

Last Week: 10-6

Season: 90-57

Photo Credits.
Philip Rivers: AP Photo/Denis Poroy

NFL Week 11 Picks

AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File

Week 11 has already started out well for me as I picked the Dolphins to beat the Panthers on Thursday night.

Colts-Ravens should be a good one as should Giants-Falcons and Patriots-Jets. Redskins-Cowboys is also a heated rivalry that gets another chapter added to the books this weekend.

Here are my picks. Tell me who you like in the comments section.

Miami (24)-Carolina (17). Picked Miami. See bottom of “Wild No More”.

Washington (3-6) at Dallas (6-3)

Washington actually looked like they knew how to play football last week. With an impressive win against the Denver Broncos. Don’t get too excited though Redskins fans, this team is not out of the woods yet. Yes, the Cowboys looked pretty bad last week, especially—again—Tony Romo, but they are still 6-3 and in first place in the division. The game is also in Dallas. So let’s not overreact to both teams’ results in week 10.

Dallas wins.

Cleveland (1-8) at Detroit (1-8)

The NFL could not have paired together two teams worse than Detroit and Cleveland.

The city of Detroit, possibly the city hit the hardest by the economic recession, not only has to suffer with a 1-8 football team, but now, because nobody in their right mind is going to the games because they cannot afford the tickets for such a sorry team, the game will be blacked out locally. For shame, that it had to come against an equally embarrassing team like the Browns, where they have a chance of winning, instead of against a better team like Green Bay, who they host next week.

The Lions do have more offensive weapons than the Browns, so I predict a Detroit victory.

San Francisco (4-5) at Green Bay (5-4)

Both teams are fighting for their playoff lives. Both teams came away with victories last week. Still, the 49’ers were only able to put up 10 points, and really were lucky to benefit from five Jay Cutler interceptions, including one in the end zone as time expired. Green Bay’s win wasn’t that much more glamorous of a game, but they soundly beat a better opponent in the Dallas Cowboys.

At Lambeau Field, I predict the Packers to win.

Pittsburgh (6-3) at Kansas City (2-7)

The loss at home last week against Cincinnati was a tough blow for Pittsburgh to swallow. Good thing for them they get a poor team like Kansas City to rebound off of this week.

Steelers win big.

Atlanta (5-4) at NY Giants (5-4)

Eli Manning in the Giants first five wins (against Washington, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Kansas City, and Oakland; a combined record of 14-31): 1,212 yards passing, 10 touchdowns, and two interceptions. Eli Manning during the Giants four game losing streak (against New Orleans, Arizona, Philadelphia, and San Diego; a combined 26-10): 858 yards passing, five touchdowns, and six interceptions. See any correlation there? As Eli goes and the competition gets better, the giants struggle.

Atlanta is an average team right now after losing to Carolina last week. Their passing defense is one of the worst in the league. Michael Turner, one of the top rushers in the NFL, is listed as doubtful.

The Giants are at home and have had an extra week off to straighten themselves out. As little faith I have in them right now, too much of this adds up to this being the week they get back on track. If they lose this week though, I really don’t know if I’ll ever pick them again.

Giants win.

New Orleans (9-0) at Tampa Bay (1-8)

Possibly the saddest story of the week is the passing of Drew Brees’ mother, ruled a suicide. Even sadder is to learn that Brees had a strained relationship with her, even saying in ’06 that the relationship was “nonexistent”. It will be interesting to see how Brees reacts to the news on the field: Will he muster up an incredible performance to honor the life of his mother, much like Brett Favre did when his father died in ’03, or will he, understandably so, be distracted?

The Saints will also be without Reggie Bush and Sedrick Ellis because of knee injuries.

Still, while it hasn’t always been pretty, the Saints are undefeated and, although they’ve been playing better with the insertion of Josh Freeman at QB, the Buccaneers aren’t good enough to stop New Orleans’ roll.

Saints win.

Buffalo (3-6) at Jacksonville (5-4)

It’s the same story for the Bills. Buffalo still has the worst rush defense in the league. DT Marcus Stroud and LB Keith Ellison will both miss the game. Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew has the fifth most rushing yards in the NFL. The coaching and quarterback changes will mean nothing.

Jaguars win.

Indianapolis (9-0) at Baltimore (5-4)

A lot of people, myself included, have chastised Bill Belichick for his decision to go for it on fourth down last week against the Colts, and rightfully so I believe. However, Peyton Manning threw for 327 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. There is no saying that had the Patriots punted that Peyton wouldn’t have taken the Colts on an even more spectacular drive and still led the Colts to victory. He’s just that good.

Baltimore went into halftime with the lowly Browns tied at zero. They got their act together in the second half, but ever since this team lost to the same Patriots in week four, they have gone 2-4 in their last six games and have unable to get in a groove.

Indy has done a good job in the fourth quarter this year, either coming from behind or closing games out. I like them to beat Baltimore and stay undefeated.

Seattle (3-6) at Minnesota (8-1)

Minnesota is 4-0 at home and 2-0 against the NFC West. I see no reason as to why Seattle will blemish either of these records.

Vikings win.

Arizona (6-3) at St. Louis (1-8)

The only thing going for the Rams is Steven Jackson, the NFL’s fourth leading rusher. Arizona’s seventh ranked rushing defense will neutralize him.

Cardinals win.

NY Jets (4-5) at New England (6-3)

The Jets are 1-5 in their last six games, and that won victory was against Oakland. They did beat New England in week two, but that was at home and before Tom Brady had his legs (literally) underneath him. Bill Belichick seriously goofed last week with his botched fourth down call against the Colts, but you know he is salivating at showing the world that he still is the best coach in the NFL at the expense of the Jets, the team he hates the most.

Patriots win.

Cincinnati (7-2) at Oakland (2-7)

This matchup is a bit of a mismatch. Another huge win for the Bengals last week who continue to prove themselves as a legitimate contender. Meanwhile Oakland lost to Kansas City in a truly ugly contest. Not much to say here.

Bengals win.

San Diego (6-3) at Denver (6-3)

Things aren’t looking so hot in Denver. They have lost three games in a row, they are now tied with San Diego for the division lead (although coming into today’s game they do hold the tiebreaker), and starting quarterback Kyle Orton is a game-time decision because of an ankle injury. Backup QB Chris Simms hasn’t started a game since 2006 when he suffered a life threatening spleen injury.

Denver also has to be thinking about last season when they stormed out to take the division lead only to see it evaporate and San Diego take over in the last week and make the playoffs while Denver watched from home.

San Diego’s last away game was also impressive, in which they came from behind and beat the Giants in a gutsy performance.

I will take San Diego to win today.

Philadelphia (5-4) at Chicago (4-5)

Neither team looked good last week. Chicago looked worse. All they could muster up was six points and five Jay Cutler interceptions. Jay Cutler, I’d like you to meet Asante Samuel, tied for third in the NFL in interceptions with five, and Sheldon Brown, tied for sixth in the NFL in interceptions with four. The Eagles also have a top ten passing defense (ranked number nine) and are tied for second in the league with 29 sacks. Cutler will be pressured, and when he decides to try and make a throw he really can’t, the Eagles secondary will make him pay.

Philadelphia wins.

Tennessee (3-6) at Houston (5-4)

Think Jeff Fisher waited too long to make a quarterback switch? Kerry Collins: 0-6. Vince Young: 3-0. It seemed to make sense when the Titans were 0-3 as well. Young is the younger of the two and it was apparent that Collins would not be getting the Titans back to the playoffs, so why not throw Young in and see if he still is the quarterback of the future.

Tennessee’s offense is rolling scoring over 30 points in each of their last three wins.

Houston is tied for fifth in most rushing touchdowns allowed (12). Titans running back Chris Johnson is tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns scored (8), and six of those touchdowns (along with 495 yards rushing) have come in Tennessee’s last three victories.

Houston’s D isn’t strong enough to really handle Johnson and the Titans are streaking.

I’ll ride the Vince Young train another game and predict a Tennessee win.

This Week: 1-0

Last Week: 8-7

Season: 74-38