Week 11

Welcome to my week 11 write up. Week 10 came and went with a bang and ended with a thud. Who didn't think after Baltimore went up 7-0 the Browns were done.

Thursday: Dolphins at Panthers
The Dolphins seem to play well against the AFC East and then not so good. Whenever the Wildcat works the Dolphins seem to win. When it doesn't they struggle. I like the growth of Henne but am scared off by the receivers with drops, not running the right routes, etc. The defense keeps the Dolphins in games.

The Panthers are coming off another nice victory and it is amazing what happens when Jake Delhomme doesn't throw a pick for 3 games. A 2-1 record. If Delhomme plays like he did the last 3 this team has a great running game and a good defense.

I see this as a close game but the Panthers score late to make it look more lopsided. I see Panthers 27-17.

Steelers at Chiefs

The Steelers lost a tough game against the Bengals. The Bengals copied the Steelers and beat them playing Steeler football. I look for the Steelers to bounce back this week and play well in all phases of the game.

The Chiefs had a nice win against the lowly Raiders. The Chiefs had their moments on Sunday but they are still a young team. I expect the Chiefs to have trouble this weekend.

I see a Steelers 27-10 victory.

Browns at Lions

In a game of two teams that are battling for the 1st overall pick. You have two teams that are going in different directions. You have the Lions who seem to have it right. They finally have a qb and an impressive receiving core. Their o-line concerns me and Matt Stafford has suffered from that. Jim Schwartz is molding this team and it may take another year or two but they are playing well.

The Browns on the other hand are going backwards. I wonder if Mangini will announce his qb this week. Randy Lerner went in the wrong direction and now is reaching out to football architects to help rebuild this team. The Browns will have a tough second half.

In a close game I see the Lions winning 17-10.

Saints at Buccaneers

The Saints are 9-0 and coming off two close games in a row. Their offense slowed the other night by the Rams (if you call 28 points slowed). The Saints d is still a solid unit.

The Bucs seem inspired by Josh Freeman. They almost beat the Dolphins last week and their offense seems to be firing now though the defense is still week. That being said I see the Saints winning 28-17.

Falcons at Giants

The Falcons started off great and have lost two tough division match ups the last two weeks. You add in the loss of Michael Turner and this team is going the wrong way. The one thing the Falcons have going for them is that the Giants secondary is hurting.

I see the Giants coming off the bye week and playing real well. As the Giants make a playoff push they could not have gotten more lucky last week. Every team in front of them lost this past week. The Giants still have a great offensive line good running backs, and a receiving core that is building into something special. Defensively the Giants still have a great d-line but are hurting at the lb and secondary positions.

I believe Coach Coughlin has his team ready and the Giants win 24-13.

Bills at Jaguars

The Bills were supposed to be better but with a bad o-line and a qb who did not take the step forward he was supposed to. They have had a tough year.

The Jaguars seem to have figured out to win. After one of the best football moves last week by Maurice Jones-Drew the Jaguars came away with a nice victory. Looking at the Jags the offense is a good one but their defense especially in the pass game puts this team at a disadvantage against good teams.

I see the Jags handling the Bills 31-17.

Redskins at Cowboys

These two teams showed last week why you play the game. The Redskins have looked dead the last few weeks and looked like they would be lucky if they won another game all season. Well their running game was effective, Jason Campbell didn't have a turnover and the d played well (except against Brandon Marshall).

The Cowboys won a huge game against the Eagles two weeks ago and then come back and throw a stinker against the Packers. You do not know what you are getting from the Cowboys and with the loss of Marc Columbo and three others last week this team could have some difficulties going forward.

That being said I do not see the Cowboys having a problem with the Redskins. A little closer than it should but they win 27-17.

Seahawks at Vikings

The Seahawks had a great first half against the Cardinals. Then the Cardinals offense turned it on. Hasselback is still effective and I see him having a nice day against the Vikings. The run game is a non factor and that hurts the Hawks. The defense has flashes but is too inconsistent.

All Favre needed was a familiar offense, his arm to be 100%, and a running game. You add in a defense and you have a great all around team who is a real Super Bowl contender. I see the Vikings pulling away in the second half for a 34-20 victory.

49ers at Packers

So which team is showing up for either one of these two teams. The 9ers have a great running game when Frank Gore is healthy and an average passing game (imagine if they had a good NFL qb). A defense that is developing each week and a team that is a few pieces from being a yearly playoff contender. I think that is why they are inconsistent.

The Packers are inconsistent too. They get beat by a rookie qb against a winless team and then the next week look like world beaters in playing a near perfect game against the Cowboys. The overall team is good but the o-line needs to learn how to protect Rodgers and Rodgers needs to learn how to throw the ball away.

This is a matchup of two teams looking to become contenders. Both teams have people in place
and are taking steps in the right direction. The Packers need this game more and at home so I see them winning a close game 24-20.

Colts at Ravens

The last two weeks the Colts could have lost. From turnovers in the red zone, to missed field goals, and going for it on their own 28 teams have given the Colts every reason to stay undefeated. The Colts have a great offense. Even when Peyton Manning is not at the top of his game the Colts find ways to win. The Colts are suffering in the secondary and it has really hurt their defense.

The Ravens have established a nice passing game for Joe Flacco without much talent to throw too. The o-line is excellent and the run game with Ray Rice has been superb. Defensively the Ravens have taken a step back. That being said the Ravens defense is still a top 5 unit.

I expect the Colts to lose and lose sooner rather than later. It will not shock me if it is this week but I do not think so. I think Peyton and company have too much fire power. I see a 31-20 win for the Colts.

Cardinals at Rams

The Cardinals passing attack just keeps on rolling and seem to be hitting their stride as we speak. They got off to a slow start against the Seahawks but once they started clicking they left the Seahawks in their dust. The Cards defense is the weakness of this team. They are a risk reward type defense. At times they are all over the place and the opposing team is doing nothing. Other times the opposing team is running up the scoreboard on this unit. If the defense can become more consistent and hold a team to 17 points the Cards should win every game. The defense better sure up because where the Cards are going defense wins championships.

The Rams showed some fight last week against the Saints. Steven Jackson is a great running back and with the ball in his hands anything can happen. Marc Bulger played better last week but is not what he once was. The rest of the team is coming along and playing hard for Coach Steve Spagnola.

That being said the Cards offense will be too much for the Rams. I see a Cards victory 38-10.

Jets at Patriots

The Jets have a good team but they do not know how to close out games and win. Each week one unit seems to fail them (Mark Sanchez lost the Saints game, the special teams did not show up for the Dolphins game 2, and last week the defense did not show up in the 1st half and then again on the game winning drive). The offense is lead by a young rookie qb who is showing he has what it takes to play in the NFL. By this time next year he should be one of the top 10 qbs in this league. A defense that has shown it can be great and a very good special teams unit that this team can be a real surprise next year. Rex Ryan did shake things up by mutually agreeing with his d-line coach (Kerry Locklin) to part ways. We'll see if this has an impact on the d-line.

The Patriots are the Patriots. One of the best teams in football. The defense is not what it used to be and that may explain why Bellichek did by going for it on 4th down on his own 28 with 2 minutes left. This could be a season changing move. Fortunately for the Patriots they play in a weak division and should win it without a problem. In the playoffs anything can happen but I see a problem with the d. Tom Brady seems back to his old self and he has been reacquainting himself with Randy Moss and Wes Welker which spells doom for defenses.

I see the Patriots handling the Jets here. The score will be closer than what the game will look like. I see a 28-17 victory for the Patriots.

Chargers at Broncos

Talk about two teams going in two different directions. You have the Chargers with good wins over the Giants and the Eagles. Phillip Rivers is playing great, Vincent Jackson becoming a top receiver, Antonio Gates being one of the to tight ends in the game. The Chargers run game has been anemic at best though LT found the fountain of youth after finding out he will be a father for the first time. The defense has flashed brilliance but still need to finds consistency. It seems to be coming around and at the right time.

The Broncos are going in the wrong direction. After the injury to Kyle Orton the team looks at Chris Simms to help save their playoff chances. Simms has not played in 2 or 3 seasons. I expect him to be ok (he can't be much worse than 3 of 13) when given the reps with the first team. The Broncos will lose some with Simms at the helm but give it time and I think he will surprise people. He will have a good running game and a great receiver and nice complimentary receivers. The Broncos defense continues to play great. I expect the unit to continue to pressure the qb and make plays.

If Orton was the qb I would say that the Broncos would either keep it close or win this game. I do not see that happening. I expect the Chargers to win it 28-13.

Bengals at Raiders

The Bengals have shocked the world. They have swept both the Steelers and the Ravens. The Bengals are doing this by copying the Steelers formula. Great defense and running the ball on offense. Just because they are the Bengals I am not going to say they have done anything yet. Though I am slowly becoming a believer in this team (remember the 8-3 Jets last year). They have a franchise qb, a rb who seems to be for real (plus adding LJ as insurance), and a smash mouth defense this team is building for a deep playoff run.

Well what can you say about the Raiders. Jamarcus Russell is inaccurate, their receivers drop everything, their o-line is bad, and their defense is Swiss cheese (except for Ashmigou). As I said before and I will say it again Al Davis is holding this team back. Until he lets someone else control this team all we will be saying is how bad this team is (except for one of the best punters in the game Shane Lechler).

I see the Bengals running away with this one 35-3.

Eagles at Bears

The Eagles have had a tough few weeks. I think this team is a good team and the offense showed last week they come to play. McNabb put up 450 yards passing last week and he will probably do more of that with Brian Westbrooke's 2nd concussion this year (I hope Westbrooke and the team realise how serious this is and considers sitting out the rest of the year). The Eagles defense let them down this week but I expect them to be blitz happy and opportunistic against the interception prone Jay Cutler.

The Bears I was expecting so much more from them. Cutler and Matt Forte have really hurt this team. Last week against the 9ers the defense did its job. Lovie Smith is probably coaching right now for his job (and offensive coordinator Ron Turner better watch out too). I see Cutler making the same mistakes that doomed them last week.

I see an Eagles victory 31-20.

Titans at Texans

We'll call this the Bird Bowl. Bud Adams the Titans owner and former Houston Oilers flipped the bird at the fans in Buffalo last week and got fined $250,000. Well the fans in Houston want to do the same to Bud. Too bad this game isn't being played on Thanksgiving it would have been perfect. A great way to start Thanksgiving week though with the Bird Bowl.

The Titans offense has awakened with Vince Young being inserted as the qb. Chris Johnson has been unconscious during the three game winning streak. He is quite possibly the best back in football today (my apologies Adrian Peterson from the Vikings). Young has developed a passing game with this team and the defense has been energized by this as well. Too bad Young didn't start earlier. If the Titans win this game they may have an outside chance to make the playoffs. Either way going forward this is a team other teams will not look forward to play.

The Texans were every one's darling this year. Everyone said that this will be the year they took that step. Well Steve Slaton has had some costly fumbles and the offense has struggled because of that. Their passing numbers have been excellent but the loss of Owen Daniels has and will hurt this team. Andre Johnson puts up big numbers each week and no matter how many people are covering him he still finds a way to get open. The defense is just about there. Mario Williams and DeMico Ryans have helped this team out. The addition of Brian Cushing has helped too. This defense should be a unit that should rank in the top 10 defenses in the coming years. If the Texans lose this one a playoff run maybe out of reach and if that happens Gary Kubiak maybe looking for a job and a job that I think people would jump for with all the talent this team has.

I see a great high powered matchup in the Bird Bowl. I say Bud Adams and the Titans will get the trophy with the middle finger sticking up. I see a 28-24 Titans win.