NFL Weekly Wonder Vol. 5 - Week 11
By Peyton Schultze
The Bills enter a huge matchup on Sunday with a 2021 playoff rematch with the Indianapolis Colts in Buffalo (via Bleacher Report).
As fall gets deeper and deeper, the NFL gets tighter and tighter. The NFL season has flown by once again with Week 11 already in sight and Thanksgiving just a week away, but fans across the league can look forward to another excellent series of games this weekend. With the playoff races getting closer and with so many meaningful matchups every single week as the season slowly comes to a close, this could be another great weekend in the league.
But with that said, what does this awesome streak of games in Week 11 have in store? Will the Packers be able to go on the road and squeak by the streaking Vikings? Can Cam Newton and the Panthers keep the momentum with another win over the Washington Football Team? Can the Jaguars continue to fight hard and pull off an upset win over the 49ers? Will the Cowboys’ offense continue to fire off yards in a huge game against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs? And can Justin Herbert and the Chargers defeat the feisty Steelers on Sunday Night Football?
With these major questions right at the forefront heading into another slate of great games, we present our look at Week 11’s biggest matchups across the National Football League:
Deebo Samuel and the 49ers were dominant on Monday night, and will look to continue a playoff push in the NFC a matchup with the Jaguars on Sunday (via SF Gate).
Thursday: New England (-7.0) @ Atlanta, 5:20 pm PT, FOX
Mac Jones and the New England Patriots are the hottest team in football right now, which makes the prospect of this primetime Super Bowl rematch with the Falcons even more interesting. With the Falcons blowout loss to the Cowboys last weekend and the Patriots’ throttling win over the Browns, the idea of another huge New England win has to hang over the heads of bettors once again heading into Thursday night. And while Atlanta may start hot in the first half, this seems like an easy bet right now considering how well the Patriots are playing right now.
New England: 33 Atlanta: 17
Sunday: San Francisco (-6.5) @ Jacksonville, 10:00 am PT, FOX
🚨 *Stay-Away Game*
Certainly one of the hardest picks of the weekend, San Francisco heads across the country this weekend for a morning battle with the Jags after a huge win over the Rams on Monday Night Football. Yet Jacksonville has played much better football as of late, and while the 49ers looked outstanding in Week 10, the idea of traveling across the country for a morning battle with a below-average team is a very scary sight for Niners fans. This is a serious trap game for a San Francisco team that needs to stay in the playoff picture, and while we’ll still take them to win, look for this game to be super close throughout.
San Francisco: 23 Jacksonville: 20
Sunday: Washington @ Carolina (-3.5), 10:00 am PT, FOX
⚡ *Upset of the Week*
The two teams that pulled off the biggest surprises of Week 10 meet up in a key mid-season battle with playoff implications on the line. The Panthers looked like they gained a sudden spark with the addition of Cam Newton once again, but bettors have to keep in mind they faced off against a Cardinals’ team missing a lot of their key players last weekend. This means that Washington might be the play here, especially with that half-point hook, after their great effort last week. Not only should the WFT cover, but we’ll actually take them outright in this matchup between two very even teams.
Washington: 26 Carolina: 21
Sunday: Green Bay (-2.5) @ Minnesota, 10:00 am PT, FOX
Green Bay looked great last weekend against Seattle, but a tough injury to Aaron Jones could really impact their chances this weekend against a hot Minnesota coming off a big win against the Chargers last weekend. With Kirk Cousins and the Vikings’ offense rolling right now, Green Bay’s defense faces another tough challenge this weekend in a huge divisional matchup that could help determine the NFC playoff picture. The Vikings are streaking and have a bit of an edge right now, and with Rodgers looking a bit rusty in his return to the field, take the Vikings to squeak out a narrow win at home.
Minnesota: 27 Green Bay: 24
Sunday: Detroit @ Cleveland (-10.0), 10:00 am PT, FOX
Coming off the first tie of the NFL season, Detroit faces a potential upset against a Cleveland team that is coming off a blowout loss to the Patriots. Yet the Browns have typically played very well against teams under .500 in the past two years of the Baker Mayfield era, which should inspire some confidence in bettors heading into this huge spread. The Lions are due for their first win of the year at some point, but don’t expect it this weekend against a talented Browns’ squad that was just smoked last weekend.
Cleveland: 31 Detroit: 20
Sunday: Indianapolis @ Buffalo (-7.0), 10:00 am PT, CBS
The Bills have been an up-and-down team throughout the season despite their awesome record, while Indianapolis remains a tough AFC squad that is sitting right outside the playoff picture. The Bills are surely one of the best teams in football, especially at home, but they have often played down to physical opponents who run the ball right through the middle of the Buffalo defense throughout the year. That is the exact formula that Jonathan Taylor and the Colts will deploy on Sunday morning, and while the Bills may still hold on for a win, this spread seems just a little too high for this rematch of a playoff matchup from last season.
Buffalo: 28 Indianapolis: 27
Sunday: New Orleans @ Philadelphia (-1.0), 10:00 am PT, FOX
Certainly one of the toughest games of the weekend to predict, New Orleans heads up to Philadelphia after a very narrow road loss last weekend to Tennessee. Following the loss of quarterback Jameis Winston for the season with a knee injury, quarterback Trevor Siemian has actually filled in quite nicely and given this team a shot at making the playoffs. But a tough matchup with a stingy Eagles defense makes this a hard game to predict for the Saints, especially after the Eagles destroyed the Broncos last weekend. Take the Eagles at home this weekend, but don’t be surprised if Sean Payton’s Saints find another wat to win on Sunday.
Philadelphia: 20 New Orleans: 17
Sunday: Miami (-3.0) @ New York J., 10:00 am PT, CBS
The Dolphins are coming off a huge Thursday Night Football win over the Baltimore Ravens last weekend, giving bettors some hope that this once-promising squad might start to turn their ship around. Yet this spread is a little bit of a trick considering the small number, showing that the Vegas oddsmakers actually may be a little more confident in the Jets than the public. This inspires some hope that the Jets might be able to get another home win on Sunday with Joe Flacco under center, although this game may be low scoring and come down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
New York J.: 18 Miami: 17
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are coming off a huge blowout win over the Falcons, but a date with the Chiefs on Sunday afternoon could be a true litmus test (via Blogging The Boys).
Sunday: Baltimore (-6.0) @ Chicago, 10:00 am PT, CBS
🔒 *Pick of the Week*
Few teams have been harder to predict this season than the Ravens, especially coming off a Thursday night meltdown where they folded at the utter dominance of the measly Dolphins. Yet the curveball with this matchup, despite the large number for the favored Ravens, is that Justin Fields and the Bears are coming off a bye following an encouraging performance against the Steelers in their last appearance on the field, and the Ravens have continued to be a terrible passing defense throughout the season. The Bears do not seem like a smart pick outright, but a very close game once again would not be a surprise. This could be another major weekend upset, so roll with the Bears to finally start to show some signs of life in the first year with Fields under center.
Baltimore: 24 Chicago: 23
Sunday: Houston @ Tennessee (-10.5), 10:00 am PT, CBS
The Titans are coming off a much-needed breath after several weeks of play against top tier Super Bowl contenders, which makes this sleepy Sunday matchup a bit of a concern in terms of the spread. With Houston coming off a bye week and with some better health across the board, there is a chance for a sort of trap game for the favored Titans. The NFL continues to make very little sense from week-to-week this year, and what would be more fitting than the terrible Texans somehow playing neck-and-neck with the top seed in the AFC on Sunday? The Titans should win, but we’ll say the game will be much closer than anyone expects.
Tennessee: 28 Houston: 27
Sunday: Cincinnati (-1.0) @ Las Vegas, 1:05 pm PT, CBS
The Raiders may be struggling right now, and the Bengals may be coming off a bye, but this spread may be a little bit of a trap. The bye week factor is often a huge mark for veteran teams who are often banged up midway through the season, but a young group like the Bengals could be entering some troubled waters against a team that was just embarrassed on Sunday Night Football by their divisional rivals. This game may not even be close from the jump, and it would not be a surprise at all to see Derek Carr have one of his best games of the season in a strong home effort from Las Vegas.
Las Vegas: 31 Cincinnati: 20
Sunday: Dallas @ Kansas City (-2.5), 1:25 pm PT, FOX
⭐ *Game of the Week*
Have the Chiefs finally returned back to the top? They looked as dominant as ever last weekend against the Raiders with Patrick Mahomes and the offense flying down the field time and time again, but their opposition on the schedule this week is coming off a blowout of their own against the Falcons. Dallas looks as good as they have in over a decade on both sides of the football, and while Kansas City has enough to make this an exciting thriller, Dallas feels like they have a slight edge on offense and defense this weekend. Expect a tight game that could come down to the wire, but take the Cowboys to get it done and extend their lead in the NFC East.
Dallas: 38 Kansas City: 35
Sunday: Arizona (-2.5) @ Seattle, 1:25 pm PT, FOX
This game could largely depend on the status of Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins entering Sunday, but Russell Wilson and the Seahawks may be out for blood on Sunday following their embarrassment last weekend against the Packers. It is also key to keep in mind that this game will be played in a raucous Seattle environment happy to see their star quarterback back in action, and the Seahawks seem like a desperate team entering the weekend that could have their season possibly broken with a potential loss on Sunday. That creates urgency for Seattle, and even though the Cardinals may lose this battle, it will not be much of an indictment on their season in the bigger picture.
Seattle: 27 Arizona: 23
Sunday: Pittsburgh @ Los Angeles C. (-6.0), 5:20 pm PT, NBC
Sunday night’s primetime matchup brings some extra intrigue following the madness of Week 10, especially since the Chargers fell at the hands of the Vikings and the winless Lions forced overtime and ultimately tied one of the AFC’s current wild card teams with the Steelers. It is key that Pittsburgh should have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back for this weekend, but Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert should be the difference maker in this battle at SoFi Stadium. The Los Angeles offensive line could also dominate on Sunday if pass rusher TJ Watt is ruled out, and in a game that could decide the eventual playoff picture in the conference, we’ll take the Bolts comfortably.
Los Angeles C.: 27 Pittsburgh: 16
Monday: New York G. @ Tampa Bay (-11.0), 5:15 pm PT, ESPN
The Giants have been a mystery all season long, but if recent trends tell us anything about this matchup, New York should be able to keep this game close. Not only are Tom Brady and the Buccaneers struggling right now and coming off a tough two-game losing streak, but a very similar Giants’ team played the reigning Super Bowl champions very well last year and brought it deep into the fourth quarter. Daniel Jones will be called upon to take this game into his own hands on Sunday and while it may not be enough against the explosiveness of Tampa Bay, do not be surprised if this game is much closer than many people expect.
Tampa Bay: 23 New York G.: 20