Week 11 predictions
Friday 1:30am
New York Jets 27-13 Denver Broncos
Rex Ryan will not have enjoyed being completely outplayed by the Patriots, and will be hungry to keep his Jets in with a shot of the playoffs. But Tebowmania stands in his way. Quite how Tim is being held up as a hero after completing TWO passes in a game is beyond me, but Denver are winning. But I can’t help but think that the Jets need this too much to let Tebow win again.
Sunday 6:00pm
Carolina Panthers 20-33 Detroit Lions
Cam Newton and co. were awful last week, and so were Matt Stafford and the Lions, but as the season goes on, the Lions will need to win this type of matchup if they want to get into the post-season. This time, Megatron could prove the difference, as he very often does.
Oakland Raiders 28-23 Minnesota Vikings
Antoine Winfield being out for the season is a massive blow for the Vikes, especially now they have to come up against a revitalised Oakland offense under the stewardship of veteran QB Carson Palmer. The Raiders can run the ball, throw the ball and play some defense. They may well be the AFC’s dark horses, but will have to prove it by stopping the beast that is Adrian Peterson, who will keep Minnesota in it. This is a tighter one to call than you might think at first.
Buffalo Bills 24-26 Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are having something of a revival, while Buffalo are on the slide. Both teams have leaky defenses and this game could be entertaining as a result. There is an upset every week in the NFL, and if Miami can do a good job defending the run, this could just be it.
Dallas Cowboys 35-16 Washington Redskins
Washington are awful right now, and starting with Rex Grossman probably made them worse. So this is an easy call for me, DeMarco Murray is running all over everyone and Tony Romo seems comfortable with Dez Bryant.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-33 Green Bay Packers
Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers are just simply unstoppable at the moment, and Dom Capers’ defense really stepped up to the mark against the Vikings. Stepping up is something no-one on the Tampa bay team seems to be doing at the moment, and they cannot afford that at Lambeau Field
Jacksonville Jaguars 6-9 Cleveland Browns
No offense fans of these teams, but this will be a horrible game between two teams with nothing to play for. A field goal or two will decide it, and I’ll go for the home side.
Cincinnati Bengals 13-25 Baltimore Ravens
What is going on with the Ravens? Beating the Steelers, then losing to the Seahawks. I don’t know what to predict because I have no idea what Baltimore side will turn up. One thing I do know is that coach Harbaugh needs to get the ball into Ray Rice’s hands a lot more. That could be the key to consistency. For the Bengals, if AJ Green can’t go, neither can they.
Sunday 9:05pm
Seattle Seahawks 26-23 St Louis Rams
Both teams are coming into this NFC West showdown off important wins, but the Rams were unimpressive in beating the Browns, and haven’t progressed as much as I thought they would do. The St Louis Secondary is also a mess, and Tavaris Jackson is putting up some yardage with Sidney Rice, so I’ll side with the team that is improving quickest.
Sunday 9:15pm
Arizona Cardinals 16-23 San Francisco 49’ers
Even after Frank Gore got hurt last Sunday, the 49’ers still managed to grind out the win against a good New York Giants team. That says a lot about how good the defense is. If Eli Manning couldn’t break it down, John Skelton won’t either. The Niners will go 9-1… wow.
Tennessee Titans 20-29 Atlanta Falcons
If Mike Smith hadn’t made THAT call last week, who knows what the Falcons’ prospects would be now, but, as it stands, they are going to have to win every game to keep up pressure on the Saints. This won’t be easy, with CJ2K seemingly back in business, but the Falcons are simply a better football team than the Titans, despite their thrashing of Carolina last week.
Monday 1:20am
San Diego Chargers 25-27 Chicago Bears
The Chargers are just not for real, the Bears however, are looking more and more the part. But they need to overhaul the Lions to give themselves the best chance of a wildcard spot in the playoffs. This game could mark the change in fortunes for each team, and Matt Forte will do what he has been doing all year. Give that man a contract!!
Tuesday 1:30am
Kansas City Chiefs 13-45 New England Patriots
This is a classic case of teams meeting on completely different curves. The Chiefs on a downward turn after losing to Tebow’s Denver, while the Patriots were hugely impressive in beating the Jets last week. New England will want to make a statement to the league, and with Tyler Palko starting at QB for Kansas City, there is no better opportunity. Tom Brady could well go close to the form he showed in the first couple of games this season and throw 400+ yards and 4td’s. Is this also where we will see Chad Ochocinco finally back to the form we all know him for? Regardless, the Pats win big.
