Week 11 Pickems

Pittsburgh Steelers 30, Cleveland 13

So much for the Browns being the spoilers of the NFL; right now they can’t spoil their way out of a paper bag and it’s only going to get worse from here when the Steelers come knocking. Fantasy owners of any Steelers offensive weapon should be good for a twenty plus point performance…Especially if you are fortunate enough to own Le’Veon Bell, as the Browns allow 143 rushing yards per game.

Dallas Cowboys 23, Baltimore Ravens 20

Talk about an immovable object going against an unstoppable force as the Baltimore Ravens Timmy Jernigan Brandon Mebane will try to slow down the freight train that is Ezekiel Elliot of the Dallas Cowboys. So far no Stallworth’s have proven worthy of stopping Zeke’s path of destruction pathed by the best offensive line in football and it won’t stop here.

Detroit Lions 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 20

I know I know, Allen Robinson had a good game and the Jaguars offense didn’t look as atrocious as usual last week…But I’m not buying it, there’s a reason Allen Robinson has 48 catches and only 549 receiving yards this season and more than one reason Blake Bortles can’t throw a football. This team is amongst the NFL’s worst but fortunately they play a Lions defense that is toward the bottom half in terms of quality, so they should score some points.

Indianapolis Colts 28, Tennessee Titans 30

The Colts have beaten the Titans in 10 straight contests but this is where we see a changing of the guard and an onwards march for a Titans playoff campaign. Consider me on the bandwagon as Marcus Mariota has in the past 4 week become the NFL’s best statistical passer. Andrew Luck may be the NFL’s best pound for pound player, however, with an offensive line that has allowed 33 sacks and a Titans pass rush that currently ranks fouth in the league, expect a wild Tennessee win.

Buffalo Bills 23, Cincinnati Bengals 10

The Bengals are in full desperation mode at the moment who are trying to keep pace in the AFC North with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. We all saw what a solid front seven in the New York Giants did to Andy Dalton last week. The Bills possess a tougher front and will be looking to maintain a chance at a wild card berth by punishing Dalton.

Kansas City Chiefs 21, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10

The only way Tampa Bay wins is if the Chiefs gambling secondary gaff a time or two against Mike Evans deep. Both quarterbacks possess contrasting styles as Jameis Winston throws deep more than any other Quarterback in the league while Alex Smith only passes a conservative 4.7 yards when the ball is in the air, lowest in the league. Winston’s deep drops will prove to be a real issue with NFL sack leader Dee Ford and possibly the return of Justin Houston coming off the edges will cause havoc.

New York Giants 24, Chicago Bears 13

Usually each edition of pickems will contain a game that will be between two less than stellar franchises with a plethora of sloppy plays to match. You thought Jay Cutler was bad last week against Tampa Bay? You haven’t seen anything yet,

Arizona Cardinals 13, Minnesota Vikings 23

Call this the upset of the week as Carson Palmer’s struggles are a true hindrance on this Arizona team. The Vikings prevent a five game slide and stay relevant in the NFC North placyoff race with a win here doing what they do best which is play solid defense.

Miami Dolphins 23, LA Rams 10

The Dolphins win their fifth in a row here as their front seven shuts down Todd Gurley and any sort of miracle debut for Jared Goff. Last I checked offensive lines were pretty important to win games in the NFL and the Rams have turnstiles a every position.

New England Patriots 35, San Francisco 49ers 17

I gave the 49ers a chance to score some garbage time points at the end of the game. Due in part to New England pulling out their starters…mid way through the 3rd quarter.

Seattle Seahawks 23, Philadelphia Eagles 21

This game has game of the week potential if the Eagles can follow the same game plan they did to beat the Falcons. Which is to control the ball with Ryan Matthews and find pressure against a weakened Seattle offensive line. However, Wilson is healthier and pulls out another second half season miracle.

Green Bay Packers 35, Washington Redskins 31.

This game will not be for defensive enthusiasts as both teams rely heavily on the pass and think the run game is beneath them. Washington has found a stable runner in “Fat Rob” Kelly but have the highest passing ratio nearing 60% pass to run while the Packers seem to have a new starter at running back every week.

Oakland Raiders 27, Houston Texans 23

This game is a tough one because the Texans are winning ugly games while the Raiders are also fighting for every victory tooth and nail. The storyline here is Derek Carr and how he will perform against a tough Houston defense and organization that passed on him twice in the 2014 NFL draft….not to mention selecting Jadeveon Clowney over Khalil Mack, Ouch sorry Texans fans. Oakland’s defense has improved steadily each week so we’ll see if DeAndre Hopkins will finally be able to get his hands on some of the wild throws coming his way from five year rookie (sigh) Brock Osweiler