Ramblin’ Fan’s NFL Picks and Predictions: Week 11

With week 10 in the books its time to review our NFL picks and look forward to week 11′s picks and predictions.  Week 10 was a mediocre week for our picks here at Ramblin’ Fan, but an impressive game from the Rams makes that seem less important.  We went an unimpressive 8-6 with our NFL picks in week 10, so hopefully we can get back to our week 8 pace and hit double digits again in week 11.  This week three of the NFC West teams will be in action with the Rams on their bye and no matchups within the division.  The Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans will play on Thursday Night Football to kick off the week.  Thanks for reading our weekly NFL picks article and as always Go Rams!!!

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans  (TNF).  The Colts are going to be looking to bounce back from their blowout loss to the St. Louis Rams, while the Titans are hoping to recover from being the first team to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Titans will be without Jake Locker who was put on IR with a lisfranc injury, leaving even more of the offensive burden on Chris Johnson’s shoulders.  This game could be significant for the AFC South race, if the Titans win they have a chance to contend for the title.  If the Colts win it will give them a comfortable cushion down the stretch.  Colts win 24 – 16.

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills.  The Jets defense has been playing very well this season, and with the possibility of Santonio Holmes returning to the lineup the offense could be more potent this week too.  The Bills haven’t gotten the high level of production out of CJ Spiller that everyone expected this season, if they are going to defeat the Jets they need some big plays from him.    Jets win 24 – 21.

Baltimore Ravens @ Chicago Bears.  The Ravens haven’t really looked like a defending Super Bowl champion this season, but they are still somehow in the race for the AFC North title.  The Bears have been hit by a slew of injuries to top notch players like Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs.  Jay Cutler is also likely to be absent from this game as he recovers from an ankle sprain.  Is this the week that Ray Rice finally gets on track?  Chicago’s 30^th ranked run defense just may be the cure for what ails him.   Ravens win 20 – 13.

Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals.   Surprisingly this game has huge implications for the AFC North title chase.  The Browns are somehow in the hunt for the division title and a win on the road would certainly make things interesting down the stretch.  Andy Dalton needs to get back to playing like the average quarterback we all know he can be, instead of the putrid performances he has put forth over the past couple of weeks.   Bengals win 30 – 20.

Washington Redskins @ Philadelphia Eagles.  The Redskins blew a double digit lead against the Minnesota Vikings last Thursday night, and surprisingly it wasn’t a result of huge plays by Adrian Peterson.  The Redskins defense has been pretty porous this season, and the high flying Eagles attack could turn this into a blowout.  Can Nick Foles keep the magic going and put the Eagles in a position to win the NFC East?    Eagles win 35 – 21.

Detroit Lions @ Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Steelers have had some problems along the offensive line this season, and with the talented front of the Detroit Lions that could spell trouble for Big Ben.  The Steelers defense has also looked old and slow at times this season, which is not good with Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush coming to town.  Lions win 27 – 10.

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  The Bucs finally got a W against the hapless Miami Dolphins last week.  The Atlanta Falcons were manhandled by the Seattle Seahawks in their own stadium.  Momentum would indicate that the Bucs should be in good shape for this one, but without a viable starting running back (sorry Brian Leonard) even the Falcons should be able to slow down Glennon.  Falcons win 27 – 13.

Arizona Cardinals @ Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Cardinals are actually in the playoff hunt this season and have looked pretty decent at times.  The defense can make plays while the offense still struggles with consistency.  The Jaguars just picked up their first win of the season against the Titans, but I can’t imagine they put together any winning streaks this season.   Cardinals win 24-17.

Oakland Raiders @ Houston Texans.  With Terrell Pryor suffering from a knee injury the Raiders offense has slowed to a crawl.  He clearly isn’t the same player when defenses don’t have to respect his game breaking athletic ability.  The Texans on the other hand are stuck in a disastrous season where it seems nothing has gone right for them.  The Texans have been competitive against some good teams lately and I expect them to get back on track at home.  Texans win 28 – 14.

San Diego Chargers @ Miami Dolphins.  Philip Rivers and the Chargers have been better than their record might indicate this season.  Meanwhile the 3-0 record from Miami to begin the season seems like ancient history.  The Dolphins have struggled to do much of anything well lately, and they just lost another offensive lineman to injury this week.  The Chargers could use a nice win on the road to spring themselves into the thick of the wildcard chase.    Chargers win 24 -16.

San Francisco 49ers @ New Orleans Saints.  The 49ers struggled to do much of anything against the Panthers last weekend, as their offense continues to suffer from the lack of playmakers on the outside.  There is an outside chance that Michael Crabtree will return to the lineup this week, but even if he does you can’t expect big production from him right away.  The Saints on the other hand are firing on all cylinders right now after thoroughly demolishing the Cowboys on Sunday Night.  If this game were in San Francisco it might be different, but the Superdome is a tough place to play.  Saints win 31 – 17.

Green Bay Packers @ New York Giants.  The Packers are so desperate for QB help they have picked up Matt Flynn.  The Giants on the other hand just haven’t been a very good football team this season.  The Giants will have to slow down Eddie Lacy and limit their turnovers to win this one at home.    Packers win 20 – 17.

Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks. The Vikings have Adrian Peterson toting the rock, which should give them at least a punchers chance every week.  However they will be traveling to Seattle to take on the Seahawks where Russell Wilson has never lost a football game.  The Seahawks may also be bringing their starting offensive tackles as well as high priced free agent WR Percy Harvin back from injuries.  Seattle isn’t unbeatable at home, but the Vikings likely aren’t the team to prove me right.  Seahawks win 35 – 20.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos (SNF).  Peyton Manning and the Broncos will host the NFL’s last remaining undefeated team on Sunday Night Football.  Neither of these teams has a signature win on their portfolio as they each have yet to defeat a team with a winning record.  The big question is can Peyton Manning and his injured ankles survive against the league’s “best” pass rushing team?  On the other hand can Alex Smith and the Chiefs offense keep pace with the Broncos?  As long as Manning doesn’t leave the game for any extended period of time I expect the Broncos to score plenty of points.  Unless the Chiefs defense and Special teams provide the answer I don’t think the Chiefs can keep up.  Broncos win 28 – 10.

New England Patriots @ Carolina Panthers (MNF).  The Patriots will head to Carolina to take on the Panthers and Cam Newton.  The Panthers boast a formidable front 7, but their backend is highly suspect and can be taken advantage of.  Tom Brady is as smart and quick with the football as any QB in the NFL, expect him to make the Panthers secondary pay for every mistake.  The Patriots defense on the other hand has been better than expected this season, if they can contain Cam Newton they should have a pretty good shot at shutting down the Panthers attack.  Patriots win 28 – 13.

NFL Week 11 Matchups

Pick

Colts @ Titans (TNF)

Colts

Jets @ Bills

Jets

Ravens @ Bears

Ravens

Browns @ Bengals

Bengals

Redskins @ Eagles

Eagles

Lions @ Steelers

Lions

Falcons @ Bucs

Falcons

Cardinals @ Jaguars

Cardinals

Raiders @ Texans

Texans

Chargers @ Dolphins

Chargers

49ers @ Saints

Saints

Packers @ Giants

Packers

Vikings @ Seahawks

Seahawks

Chiefs @ Broncos (SNF)

Broncos

Patriots @ Panthers (MNF)

Patriots

Last Week

8-6

Overall Record

89-58