NFL Week 11 Predictions
Srikar Kalapala
Well, the NFL proves to be a week-to-week Sunday, where any given team can beat any other team. This also holds true for making these picks, as I went from my best week in week ten (11-2), to my worst week (5-9). Week 10 featured a ton of upsets, as well as the game of the year in Vikings vs. Bills. Without further ado, let’s get into my week 11 predictions, in hopes to bounce back from an atrocious week 10.
Overall Record: 90-59-1
Last Week's Record: 5-9
Green Bay Packers (4-6) vs. Tennessee Titans (6-3)
Packers. WE BACK. Is it possible in the laws of the NFL for Aaron Rodgers to own two teams? Aaron at least has a minority stake in the Cowboys and the Bears if you ask me. Down 28-14 in the fourth quarter and this team did not give up. What a performance when the season was on the line, and frankly, a performance I didn’t think we were capable of this year after what happened against Detroit. My bad. Matt Lafleur finally got the run game going this week; we rushed for over 200 yards, and Aaron Jones finally got the touches he needed. I think the Cowboys game showed how important Christian Watson is to this team, with his deep-threat ability, and how much the Packers miss him when he is injured. A-Rod even said that he was a major part of their plans until he got injured in the middle of those games, which hindered this offense even more. I hope this is a building block, and not a one-off, and the Titans are next on TNF. The Titans looked really beatable last week against the Broncos, as they limited Derrick Henry to 2.8 YPC. I’m not quite sure who the Titans can throw to, so I’m confident in Joe Barry’s ability to stack the box this week and stop the Titans, en route to another win at home.
Atlanta Falcons (4-6) vs. Chicago Bears (3-7)
Bears. The Bears lost a close game last week against the Lions, but they are becoming increasingly better to watch, if that’s worth something. They now face off against the Falcons, who…struggled a lot against the Panthers, and Mariota made a lot of mental errors. I think the Bears can knock the Falcons off, but this might be a very close game. I think Justin Fields can finally get another win with his rushing ability.
Indianapolis Colts (4-5-1) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (8-1)
Eagles. The Eagles are coming off a loss to the Washington Commanders. No one expected this game to be the one where the Eagles would lose their undefeated streak. Turnovers plagued the Eagles in this game, and Washington absolutely dominated the time of possession. This form of beating the Eagles is a little hard to replicate since it requires the Eagles to self-inflict harm on themselves, so it will be interesting going forward to see how teams beat them. The Colts won last week against the Raiders in HC Jeff Saturday’s debut, with Jonathon Taylor scoring yet again. I think this Eagles team will be pretty mad after their loss, so I see this as a bounceback for them.
New England Patriots (5-4) vs. New York Jets (6-3)
Jets. The Jets haven’t beaten the Patriots in a long time, and that included their loss to them a couple of weeks ago at home. This is another one of those picks that seems like the Patriots should win, but I’m picking the Jets. Why? I think the Jets should have won that game the last time they played. Mac Jones wasn’t great, and if it wasn’t for some boneheaded decisions from Zach Wilson, they probably would have won that game. That game was at home, and traveling to Foxborough to take on the Patriots is a whole nother animal; however, I think the Jets have enough, and I think Wilson will play much better this week.
Houston Texans (1-7-1) vs. Washington Commanders (5-5)
Commanders. What an effort by the Commanders in their upset win over the previously unbeaten Eagles. That was a signature win for Taylor Heinicke, and I think he should be the starting quarterback going forward. They now go to Houston to take on the Texans, and I think Taylor Heinicke will prove to the coaching staff that he should be QB1 going forward.
New Orleans Saints (3-7) vs. Los Angeles Rams (3-6)
Saints. The Saints looked terrible against the Steelers, but part of that might have been that Andy Dalton always plays terribly against the Steelers. That’s a pick I regretted from last week, as anytime you have Andy Dalton playing against the Steelers, the pick should always be the Steelers. Anyways the Rams might not have Cooper Kupp this week, which would be a huge loss, as he is basically 70% of their offense. The Rams lost the battle of the backups last week, and are essentially eliminated from playoff contention, so I think the Saints defense will finally show up again and give the Saints their fourth win.
Buffalo Bills (6-3) vs. Cleveland Browns (3-6)
Bills. Buffalo, what happened? I won’t lie, I turned off the TV after that fourth & goal and went to do something else before watching the Packers game. Then they showed the Bills game in overtime and I couldn’t believe it, how did they mess up a kneel? Overtime haunts the Bills yet again. It wasn’t even a coin flip this time. Kudos to Josh Allen for playing through that elbow injury, but man has it been a rough couple of weeks for him. He is going on a little streak here with two interceptions per game, and if Buffalo wants to keep its Super Bowl aspirations alive, that can’t keep happening. They aren’t even winning their division anymore, and are actually in third place in the uber-competitive AFC East. Luckily, they face the Dolphins and the Jets in December, so all is not lost yet, but as of right now, they are not controlling their own destiny, and that might prove to be fatal in the playoffs against the team that resides in Arrowhead. Now they face the Browns, who just got absolutely demolished against the Dolphins last week, and if the Bills can’t win this one…now the playoffs will start to come into question.
Baltimore Ravens (6-3) vs. Carolina Panthers (3-7)
Ravens. The Ravens will face off against the 3-7 Panthers this week, where both teams had a lot of time to prepare and rest. The Panthers showed a lot of fight in their win against the Falcons, and that looks good for the long-term prospects of this organization. However, PJ Walker is injured and Baker Mayfield will be starting this game for the Panthers, so I think the Ravens defense will clamp up en route to a seventh win.
New York Giants (7-2) vs. Detroit Lions (3-6)
Giants. This could very well be a Lions upset after their win against the Bears, however, the Lions still struggle with rush-first football teams, and the Giants feature one of the best in Saquon Barkley. The Giants have shown they are not afraid to spam him if their opponent can’t stop it, as shown by his 35 attempts last week. I think Saquon cruises again, as the Giants get their eighth win.
Denver Broncos (3-6) vs. Las Vegas Raiders (2-7)
Raiders. The Raiders just lost to the Colts, who had just hired their interim head coach that week. The Colts didn’t even know who was going to be calling their plays halfway through the week! That is simply an inexcusable loss, and they are most likely eliminated from the playoffs in the crowded AFC. I have no reason to keep picking the Raiders to win games, and I probably shouldn’t, but they are playing the Broncos this week, who might be just as bad, if not worse. The Broncos are the tale of two sides. Their offense is putrid, and they scored 10 points last week. If the Broncos scored 18 points in regulation in every game, they would have 5 more wins. Just 18. Their defense has been top tier on the other hand, and that’s what has led them to three wins. This is a mid-off, so I’ll pick the team that won the last go-around, which was the Raiders.
Minnesota Vikings (8-1) vs. Dallas Cowboys (6-3)
Vikings. That right there was the game of the year against the Bills. I’m sure it makes it a whole lot better when you are on the right side of it too. The Vikings had been looking for their statement win all season, and they got it. Kirk Cousins has probably iced out again on the plane ride home, and for good reason. Also, Justin Jefferson single-handedly carried them in that final drive of the fourth quarter. That catch on 4th & 18 might have been the greatest catch I’ve ever seen. The Vikings simply refuse to lose tight games, boasting a 7-0 record in one-score games, showing huge improvement over the 6-8 record from last year. This team has shown that they are no fluke, as they beat what I think is the best team in the league. Now they go up against the Cowboys at home. The Cowboys are coming off a loss to the Packers off a Mason Crosby game-winning field goal. Some things just never change. Mike McCarthy was visibly frustrated, and rightfully so. His team blew a 28-14 lead in the fourth quarter, and his decision to go for it on fourth down was questioned by many. I agreed with his call though. If they get it, they have a chance to win the game without Aaron Rodgers touching the football. Even if they punted or kicked the field goal, the Packers offense was just too hot for their defense to be able to stop. I miss saying those words on a weekly basis. Anyway, the revenge game didn’t happen, and I think they run into the Vikings at the wrong time, and I think that the Vikings will be able to get their 9th win.
Pittsburgh Steelers (3-6) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
Bengals. This pick goes against my better judgment, especially since the Bengals have a terrible track record against the Steelers at Pittsburgh. TJ Watt is playing as well, and the Steelers are 2-0 in games he has played so far. The Bengals still also don’t have Ja’Marr Chase, which makes it that much harder. So you might be wondering why I’m picking the Bengals. I think this game is going to be a scrap fest, and in crunch time, I’d much rather have Joe Burrow as my QB rather than Kenny Pickett. I think the Bengals will struggle at first yet again, but I can’t pick this Steelers offense to go and win the game.
Los Angeles Chargers (5-4) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (7-2)
Chiefs. The Chargers showed a lot of fight against the Niners last week, but they were just a little too injured. They suffered more injuries on that d-line too, and are now even more of a depleted team than last week. This was a great game on TNF the last time they played, which featured a Chiefs win off the back of a 99-yard pick-six. I’m not predicting that there will be another pick-six, but I am predicting that the Chiefs will take advantage of a depleted Chargers squad en route to their eighth win.
Arizona Cardinals (4-6) vs. San Francisco 49ers (5-4)
49ers. Well, the Cardinals won what was a battle of the backup quarterbacks last week against the Rams. Both Stafford and Murray were out, but that win by the Cardinals pretty much eliminates the Rams from playoff contention. Now they face a 49ers team that is coming off a win against the Chargers, and I think the 49ers will be able to cruise to a win with or without Kyler Murray at QB.
