Week 11 Game Predictions
Josh's record: 102-45Jacks record: 93-54
Minnesota Vikings (4-5) at Chicago Bears (3-6) 1:00 pm
Jacks Pick: Vikings
After getting blasted by the Packers last week the Chicago Bears season looks to be in shambles and at 3-6 they are pretty much eliminated from playoff contention. The Vikings are sitting at 4-5 after back to back wins and are coming off their bye week. I think the Vikings will win this one because their defense is quietly one of the best in the league, they get great pass rush from end Everson Griffen and rookie LB Anthony Barr has been awesome this year and is a front runner for DROY. They also have the 4th best pass defense in all of football and should limit Jeffrey and Marshall from making big plays. I trust Bridgewater to make some big plays against a secondary that got shredded last week and lead the Vikings to a win.
Josh's pick: Vikings
Bears have played like the worst team in football the last two weeks, allowing 50+ points in back to back games. Both of those losses came on the road, but I don’t look for them to turn things around as they are winless at home this season, standing at 0-3. The Vikes and rookie Teddy Brigdewater should have a nice day through the air, and if their defense plays up to their recent level of play they could easily pressure Cutler and force some turnovers.
Houston Texans (4-5) at Cleveland Browns (6-4) 1:00 pm
Jacks pick: Browns
It’s week 11 and the Browns are in first place in a hellish NFC North division. It has taken me a while to fully recognize it but the Browns are legitimately good and I am taking them against the Texans at home this week. Texans are coming off a bye week but the Browns played Thursday last week so the Browns have had ample time to prepare. After seeing what this defense did to Andy Dalton last week, holding him to 86 yards on 33 throws, I don’t expect Ryan Mallet to do much better in his first start. Also, he will be without top RB Arian Foster who is out with an injury. Without Foster, Mallet won’t put up points against this Browns and Cleveland will get their 3rd straight victory.
Josh's pick: Browns
I really want to take Ryan Mallet in his first start for the Texans, but I will go with the other former Brady back-up. Mallet did have the bye week to acclimate himself more efficiently to the Texans playbook but it would be unreasonable to expect a well-oiled machine. If Mallet was playing a majority of other teams I would pick the Texans, but the Cleveland secondary has been dominant in the last few weeks and has playmakers who can steal possessions. The Browns running back committee should also have a nice day if the Browns pull out the home win.
Seattle Seahawks (6-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-3) 1:00 pm
Jacks pick: Chiefs
This game has huge playoff implications in the NFC and AFC as both teams are currently chasing wildcard spots. Besides a random week 1 loss to the Titans, the Chiefs have been awesome at home with a blowout win over the Patriots and wins over St. Louis and the Jets. I expect this to be a very defensive game but I think the Chiefs will force Russell Wilson to turn the ball over at least twice this game with their pass rush. Also, the Seahawks just lost great run stopper Brandon Mebane which should open up the game for Charles. If Alex Smith can stay mistake free the Chiefs should pick up a big W over the Seahawks
Josh's pick: Chiefs
This is both a pick in my confidence in the Chiefs as a legitimate contender, and my lack of confidence in Russell Wilson and Seattle’s ability to win road games against quality opponents. With Kam Chancellor still out, Travis Kelce becomes a mismatch in favor the Chiefs and could be do for a good game. I also like the Chiefs defense going up against Wilson and his spotty receiving core. For the ‘Hawks to win they have to run the ball effectively and keep the Arrowhead faithful quiet.
Atlanta Falcons (3-6) at Carolina Panthers (3-6-1) 1:00 pm
Jacks pick: Falcons
Monday nights destruction of the Panthers leaves them at 3-6-1 and they haven’t won a game in 5 weeks. Atlanta has been equally bad with one win in the last 7 weeks and two of their three wins have come against the horrendous Tampa Bay Bucs this season. I’m picking the Falcons because Carolina is just so banged up. Cam Newton is not at 100% and he has no offensive line, no running game, and very little weapons in the passing game. The defense hasn’t been very good this season either, especially in the secondary and the Falcons still have a great passing attack. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones should make some big plays against the weak secondary and lead the Falcons to a win.
Josh's pick: Falcons
Both of these teams lie in the abysmal NFC South, so it’s tough to gage which team is better. After watching Carolina implode on themselves during primetime, I am going to take the Falcons on the road. The weapons are there for this Falcons team to be dangerous and they really aren’t there for the Panthers.
Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) at New Orleans Saints (4-5) 1:00 pm
Jacks pick: Saints
Saints maybe should be 5-4 after last week against the 49ers after their last second hail mary was called off by a flop by 49ers CB Perrish Cox. After a hot 3-0 start, the Bengals have pretty much fallen off, and their once great defense is currently 31st against the run and 20th against the pass. New Orleans is a much better team at home and they are currently the 3rd best passing and 6th best rushing attack in football. I think Brees can exploit the Bengals defense and the Saints pass rush will get to Andy Dalton and force some turnovers on the way to a Saints win.
Josh's pick: Saints
Andy Dalton and the Bengals looked horrendous last Thursday night, and although I anticipate a better performance, their defense ultimately will drop this game to the Saints on the road. The Saints know that if they win they keep their division lead and that will be enough to motivate a victory of a recently lack-luster Bengals squad.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-8) at Washington Redskins (3-6) 1:00 pm
Jacks pick: Redskins
This is a matchup between two teams whose seasons are basically over with Washington 4 games out of the division and the Bucs somehow only 3 games out at 1-8. Right now, the Bucs have the 31st ranked pass defense in football and the Redskins, as bad as they have been, still have a great passing attack. With weapons Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon and a healthy RGIII they should attack the Bucs secondary and get a win.
Josh's pick: Redskins
Coming off the bye, I’m sure RG3 wants to silence the criticism he has taken over the course of the season. In his start two weeks ago he showed his deep ball was still as potent as ever, and his receiving corps Pierre Garcon, Andre Roberts and Desean Jackson will service him nicely this Sunday against a Bucs defense that has allowed a lot of big plays. The Bucs have the weapons to make this one interesting, but their lack of a run game to pair with an inconsistent quarterback makes me have more faith in the Redskins.
Denver Broncos (7-2) at St. Louis Rams (3-6) 1:00 pm
Jacks pick: Denver
Denver has made a habit out of blowing out bad teams but the Rams this season have also been playing up to their competition with wins against San Francisco and Seattle. I still don’t see a scenario where the Rams could pull out a win this week, Denver’s offense is going to put up points like it does every week and their defense should keep the pressure on Shaun Hill. Barring big special teams plays like the ones they got against the Seahawks the Broncos should get a win.
Josh's pick: Denver
The Rams showed last week that they have the defense to compete with elite teams, but as long as Austin Davis or Shaun Hill as their starting at quarterback, the Rams offense will be burdened and unable to keep with the teams with elite quarterbacks in this league. The Broncos will end up scoring to many points for the game to competitive and St. Louis’ only hope is if they sustain long drives, running Tre Mason, Zac Stacy or Benny Cunningham productively and often.
San Francisco 49ers (5-4) at NY Giants (3-6) 1:00 pm
Jacks pick: 49ers
San Francisco kept their playoff hopes alive with a win over the Saints in overtime last week and the Giants are essentially eliminated at 3-6. What this game will come down to is the 49ers running game vs the Giants run defense. The Niners currently average 122 yards per game on the ground and the Giants are dead last in the league in rushing yards allowed. Getting the running game going will give Kaepernick a smaller load to carry and that will lead to less turnovers and with a better play action game it will be easier for him to make plays. If the Niners can contain Giants rookie Odell Beckham Jr. who has been on fire as of late, then they will get their 6th win of the season and keep themselves in the playoff hunt.
Josh's pick: 49ers
Last week we saw the Giants give up a franchise record for rushing yards to the Seattle Seahawks, not a trend you want to carry into a game that has Colin Kaepernick, Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde (who is really starting to come into his own). I see the 49ers doing what their rival Seahawks did last week and running the ball effectively to dominate the game.
Oakland Raiders (0-9) at San Diego Chargers (5-4) 4:00 pm
Jacks pick: Chargers
After starting out hot the Chargers have dropped to 5-4 on the season after three straight losses including a 37 point blowout to the Dolphins. Things should get better this week as they face off against the winless raiders after their bye week. Although they have issues on their offensive line, the Raiders don’t get enough pressure and Phillip Rivers should remain comfortable in the pocket and get the Chargers back on track with a win.
Josh's pick: Chargers
Still looking for that first potential win for the Raiders, and I don’t see it coming on the road in San Diego. The Chargers have been irrelevant recently and need this game to assert themselves back into the AFC West and Wildcard chase.
Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) at Green Bay Packers (6-3) 4:25 pm
Jacks pick: Eagles
America’s game of the week this week has huge playoff implications as the Eagles travel to Lambeau to face Rodgers and the Packers. I’m picking the Eagles to win but I’m not very confident, mainly because Rodgers hasn’t lost at home since week 1 of 2012. People look at the Eagles 22nd ranked pass defense and assume that Rodgers will tear them apart, but with the Eagles they haven’t been hurt by good QB’s. Philly has allowed Kirk Cousins, Austin Davis, and Chad Henne to tear their defense apart but they have shut down Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick, Cam Newton, and Eli Manning this year. I don’t expect the Eagles to shut down Rodgers but he won’t do as well as people expect, especially since the Eagles also have pressured QB’s more than anyone in the league with 77 combined QB hits and sacks. Also, the Packers are 30th in rush defense and with a healthy offensive line and all three of the Eagles running backs healthy expect the Eagles to try and pound it out on the ground and keep Rodgers off the field. I expect this one to be close, but I’m going to predict the Eagles win on a Cody Parkey last second field goal.
Josh's pick: Packers
Hard to pick against the Eagles in this one even with Mark Sanchez because they match up so favorably on offense (Shady McCoy and a healthy o-line versus the league worst rushing defense). However the Eagles defense hasn’t played a quality quarterback all season aside from Andrew
Detroit Lions (7-2) at Arizona Cardinals (8-1) 4:25 pm
Jacks pick: Lions
This game is especially tough to predict with two top seeds in the NFC facing off. Arizona has the advantage of being at home but they are without QB Carson Palmer who is lost for the year with a torn ACL. I think the Lions win this game and expose the Cardinals a bit this week, the Cardinals are 30th in the league against the pass and the Lions have Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate healthy right now who will be a handful for Antonio Cromartie and Patrick Peterson. Also, the Lions have the best defense in football right now and are facing Drew Stanton who has been shaky to say the least. I think Detroit gets a big win over the Cardinals and moves to first place in the NFC.
Josh's pick: Lions
There is no denying the talent on Arizona’s defense and their ability to take out the weapons that this Lions team holds. However, it is the Lions defense that will end up winning this game for them because they will get pressure on Drew Stanton and create a rough day for the back-up. The Lions also the top rush defense and will be able to eliminate any effective ground game that the Cardinals attempt, forcing more of the offensive to lie on Stanton’s shoulders. I expect both defenses to play at a high level, causing the difference in the game to come down to the quarterback, where I will take Matthew Stafford over Drew Stanton any day of the week.
New England Patriots (7-2) at Indianapolis Colts (6-3) 8:30 pm
Jacks pick: Colts
This pick was very tough because I see these two teams as pretty much equal and the Patriots may be slightly better but I still have faith in Andrew Luck at home this Sunday night. New England has been playing great and putting up points like no other but they have also had 3 straight weeks at home and a bye week and will now have to go on the road. Luck and the Colts have also had their bye week so both teams have had time to prepare. I see this one being very close but Luck will have a big game and lead his team to a slim victory.
Josh's pick: Patriots
Josh’s Pick: Patriots – With both of these teams coming off byes, neither one truly has the advantage of a bye week as a team regularly would (having an extra week of rest than their opponent). In the Patriots last game, we watched Belichick put together an amazing defensive gameplan to hold Manning and the Broncos to only 21 points. Having a week to prepare for Luck, I would imagine a similar gameplan and execution against a very similarly built offense. Also the Patriots are 2-0 against Luck so far, with the young gun throwing multiple interceptions in each game. TY Hilton is the biggest concern for Patriots fans, but I am looking for Belichick to account for him and double cover him throughout the game. This one should be a shootout, and I am picking Andrew Luck to make at least one more mistake than Tom Brady.
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) at Tennessee Titans (2-7) 8:30 pm Monday
Jacks pick: Steelers
Pittsburgh will be looking to bounce back after an embarrassing loss to the Jets last weekend where they turned the ball over a ton and never got their offense going. Since a week 1 victory over the chiefs the Titans have been 1-7 with their only win coming against the Jaguars. I expect Roethelisberger and Antonio Brown to have big days against their secondary and get the Steelers back on track with a win.
Josh's pick: Steelers
The Titans don’t have the weapons (a quarterback or a true number one receiver) to take advantage of the weaknesses on this Steelers team. I did think about picking the Titans, but the Steelers dropping back to back games to the Titans and Jets sounds very improbable. The Steelers have more talented playmakers and can beat the Titans with a good game from either Antonio Brown or Le’Veon Bell.
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