Ramblin’ Fans NFL Week 11 Picks and Predictions

November 11, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson (39) tried to leap over San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Patrick Willis (52) and cornerback Carlos Rogers (22) during overtime at Candlestick Park. The against the San Francisco 49ers tied the St. Louis Rams 24-24. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

NFL Week 11 is set to kick off tonight as the Miami Dolphins will travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills on Thursday Night Football.  Following what was a wild week 10 in the NFL which saw some surprising upsets, a near upset from the Bills, and the first tie since 2008 it looks like the NFL is set for a wild playoff race.  This year there seems to be fewer than 6 true playoff caliber teams in the AFC and more than 6 playoff caliber teams in the NFC where 10-6 may not even get you a wild card spot.  This week could be another wild week full of upsets and unexpected tight games as the NFL seems to become less predictable each season.  Last week I went 8-5-1 (or should that be 8.5-5.5?) with my picks so I am hoping this weekend I do a little bit better, here are the picks and predictions for NFL Week 11.

Dolphins @ Bills.  In spite of the fact that the Bills pushed the Patriots last weekend and the game being in Buffalo I have to pick the Dolphins.  In the battle of the QB’s named Ryan I expect the one playing for the Dolphins to perform better.  Fitzpatrick has been pretty turnover prone this season and the Dolphins have a fairly solid defense.  Dolphins win 20 – 12.

Cardinals @ Falcons.  The battle of the birds in Atlanta has blowout written all over it.  The Cardinals have lost 5 straight games while the Falcons are stinging from their first loss of the season.  Not to mention Matt Ryan has been pretty darn good at home in his career.  Falcons win 23 – 6.

Browns @ Cowboys.  The Cowboys on paper are an elite football team, but in this century they are sitting right around .500 and the new Cowboys Stadium hasn’t exactly provided much of a home field advantage.  Tony Romo has been incredible in the month of November in his career and if Murray returns for this game the Cowboys could have a good day against the Browns.  Cowboys win 28 – 21.

Jets @ Rams.  The Rams tied the 49ers in a game where they should have won, if they could only get out of their own way.  The Rams have the youngest roster in the NFL and it has shown in some close games this season.  Fortunately for the Rams the most dysfunctional team in the NFL comes to town, where the Rams have played excellent football, which should help them avoid any close game heartbreak this weekend. Rams win 31 – 13.

Packers @ Lions.  The Packers are coming off their bye week and hoping to win their 5th straight game.  The Lions are coming off a deflating loss to the Minnesota Vikings which has all but killed their playoff hopes this season.  The Packers will probably build a big lead early and hang on to hold off the furious Lions rally in the 4th quarter.  Packers win 38 – 28.

Bengals @ Chiefs.  The Bengals put an old fashioned beatdown on the defending champions last weekend.  The Chiefs finally held a lead in a game this season last weekend in their overtime loss to the Steelers.  The Bengals will probably lean heavily on AJ Green in this game as they make a push to get back into the playoff race.  Bengals win 24 – 17.

Eagles @ Redskins.  The Eagles season was all but lost in their loss last weekend to the Cowboys.  The Redskins are coming off their bye and looking to grab their first NFC East division win with RGIII as quarterback.  With Vick unlikely to play and the Redskins being fresh off their bye week you have to like the Redskins chances.  Redskins win 24 – 10.

Bucs @ Panthers.  The Bucs have developed into a team that plays good run defense with an efficient offense.  Josh Freeman has looked pretty good this year rebounding from his poor sophomore season.  Doug Martin has looked like the answer at running back with a few huge games already this year, and the Panthers are giving up 113 yards per game on the ground.  The Bucs are firmly in the playoff hunt and can’t afford a letdown to a division rival here.  Bucs win 24-21.

Jaguars @ Texans.  The Texans are beginning to look like the most complete team in the NFL.  Following their win against the Chicago Bears in Chicago on Monday Night the Texans have the look of a team that will secure homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.  The Jaguars are, well they are a team on a 6 game losing streak and will probably be missing their best player in Maurice Jones-Drew.   Texans win 38 – 3.

Saints @ Raiders.  The Saints pulled off the upset against the Falcons last weekend handing them their first loss of the 2012 season.  The Saints have somehow managed to recover from their 0-4 start to win 4 of their last 5 games and put themselves back on the fringes of playoff contention.  The Raiders have squandered what has been somewhat of a Carson Palmer revival season as he is averaging over 300 yards per game.  Palmer will have to throw it early and often in order for the Raiders to keep pace with Brees and the Saints, but with these defenses this could turn into quite the shootout.  Saints win 31 – 24.

Chargers @ Broncos.  The Chargers have now lost 4 of their last 5 games with their only win during that span being against the Chiefs.  The Broncos on the other hand survived a brutal early season schedule to emerge as clear AFC West front runners.  Peyton Manning and this offense just seems to get better every week and the defense is very solid.  The Chargers have the ability to make this a close shootout, but the Broncos ability to rush the passer should give them the edge.  Broncos win 34 – 24.

Colts @ Patriots.  One of the best rivalries of the past 10 years has been the Colts and the Patriots, two teams that seemingly played each other every year with major playoff implications.  Of course those were also the Manning vs. Brady days where arguably two of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game squared off, but this season their is still playoff implications in this game.  The Colts and Patriots are each 6-3 with an eye towards the playoffs.  Can young Andrew Luck take down Tom Brady in his own house?  I expect the Patriots to win this game, but if you get a chance to watch this game don’t pass it up.  Patriots win 31 – 20.

Ravens @ Steelers.  The Ravens and the Steelers have  seemingly been locked in a battle for the AFC North for the last decade.  While this game has lost some of its star power with injuries to Ray Lewis and Big Ben, it shouldn’t lose any of the intensity that goes along with this rivalry.  The loss of Big Ben is a much bigger loss in this game as the Ravens and Steelers have both started to rely more and more on their offenses to win games.  Ravens win 24 – 13.

Bears @ 49ers.  The Bears and 49ers each have question marks at quarterback entering their showdown on Monday Night Football.  Early reports indicate that Alex Smith is likely to start this game which should provide the 49ers with the edge should Jason Campbell be filling in for Cutler.  This should be a very physical game dominated by defense and special teams, and it wouldn’t be surprising if there were no offensive touchdowns in this game.  This game will have playoff seeding implications as each of these teams hopes to secure a first round bye.  49ers win 17 – 13.

Week 11 Matchups

Pick

Dolphins @ Bills

Dolphins

Cardinals @ Falcons

Falcons

Browns @ Cowboys

Cowboys

Jets @ Rams

Rams

Packers @ Lions

Packers

Bengals @ Chiefs

Bengals

Eagles @ Redskins

Redskins

Bucs @ Panthers

Bucs

Jaguars @ Texans

Texans

Saints @ Raiders

Saints

Chargers @ Broncos

Broncos

Colts @ Patriots

Patriots

Ravens @ Steelers

Ravens

Bears @ 49ers

49ers

Last Week

8-5-1

Overall Record

89-56-1