NFL picks, predictions for Week 11: Press leads beat WFT; Steelers submersible charger; Seahawks annoy the Cardinals
The climactic showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs will draw the most attention in Week 11.
Of course. That’s Patrick Mahomes and Dak Prescott and two of the NFL’s best offenses. There are three other matches between teams with a record of .500 or higher that will affect the AFC playoff picture.
Indianapolis to Buffalo, and the Colts will be looking to keep winning after a slow start. The Bengals are the easy laning contender against the Raiders in a battle of two teams that need to get off of a two-game losing streak. A Sunday Night Football game between the Steelers and the Chargers will also be fun. Those are the matches worth keeping an eye on.
They will be more important as the season goes on.
Every week, Sporting News picks up NFL games live. Take a look at our achievements to date:
- Week 10: 6-7-1
- Total: 94-55-1
With that in mind, here are our picks and predictions for Week 11:
NFL POWER RANKINGS:
Titans take over; Cowboys, Patriots shot up; Buccaneers, Raven drops in Week 11
NFL picks, predictions for Week 11
- New England Patriots (-6) at Atlanta Falcons
Thursday, 8:20 p.m., FOX / NFL Network
The Patriots have won and taken the odds in four straight games. The Falcons have been inconsistent from week to week and are yet to get a home win. New England has 11 bags and is averaging two picks per game in that streak.
Pick: Patriots 28, Falcons 20
- Indianapolis Colts at Buffalo Bills (-7.5)
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
The Colts are another team with a healthy Carson Wentz and a ground control attack led by Jonathan Taylor. However, they lost by one point to Baltimore and Tennessee, and the Bills had the best statistical defense in the league.
Pick: Bill 20, Colts 17
- Baltimore Ravens (-6.5) at Chicago Bears
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
The Bears have had a bye week, and Raven is having an embarrassing loss in Miami. The Ravens are down 6-3 after losing the previous three seasons to Lamar Jackson, who will recover to full strength against Soldier Field.
Pick: Crow 27, Bear 21
- Detroit Lions at the Cleveland Browns (-10)
Sunday, 1pm, FOX
Baker Mayfield’s critics are back in full force, and the Browns’ margin of error in reaching the AFC knockout stages is shrinking. However, Nick Chubb should be back on the COVID-19 list, and the Lions are 30th in the run. This is a good reminder of what Cleveland used to be.
Pick: Browns 30, Lions 19
- Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans (-10.5)
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
The Titans have only managed 67.5 yards of javelin over the past two weeks, but Houston allows 136.9 yards per game on the ground. D’Onta Foreman and Adrian Peterson will liven up the ongoing battle, and the Titans just keep looking for ways to win.
Pick: Titans 27, Texans 17
- Green Bay Packers (-2.5) at Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, 1pm, FOX
This is a kitchen game for the Vikings who can’t afford to fall behind in the NFC North race. The Packers have won their last two games in Minnesota, and Rodgers is 7-6 in his career. Minnesota, which has played eight one-point games this season, could drag on this underwhelming performance. We are counting on the Packers’ protection (yes) in the last game.
Pick: Packer 26, Viking 25
- Miami Dolphins (-3) at New York Jets
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
The Jets have dropped 43.8 points per game in their last four games, and Mike White is having a four-intercept performance against Buffalo. The Dolphins’ defense came out against Baltimore, but the assault had similar struggles.
Pick: Jet 23, Dolphins 20
- New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5)
Sunday, 1pm, FOX
The Eagles are trailing 0-4 at home, a trend that shows inconsistency between their weeks. Trevor Siemian continues to fill in midfield for the Saints, and he is yet to make a single intercept. If the Saints play clean, then they can drag a nasty path.
Pick: Saints 24, Eagles 21
- Washington football team at Carolina Panthers (-3)
Sunday, 1pm, FOX
Bank of America Stadium will be touted for the return of Cam Newton, who will see the majority of first-team reps this week. It was also the return of former Carolina coach Ron Rivera, who sent Washington through a huge loss to Tampa Bay. The Panthers start to move closer to the playoff conversation with another win.
Pick: Panthers 26, Washington 22
- San Francisco 49ers (-6) at Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, 1pm, FOX
The Niners are making a short-term one-week cross-country flight to face the Jacksonville team that have played in single-point games in three of the past four weeks. The Jaguars can totally steal this game, but we’re confident the 49ers will make a decent play on the road.
Pick: 49ers 20, Jaguars 17
- Cincinnati Bengals (-1) at Las Vegas Raiders
Sunday, 4:05 p.m., CBS
The Bengals are the most popular bot laners against the Raiders, whose season is slipping after consecutive losses to the Giants and the Captains. Cincinnati had a bye week preparing for this game after consecutive defeats to the Jets and Browns. If Joe Burrow can avoid big turnover, the Bengals will walk away with a top lane win that will come in the playoff chase afterward.
Pick: Bengals 23, Raiders 20
- The Arizona Cardinals (-2) at the Seattle Seahawks
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., FOX
Is Kyler Murray playing? If not, then this game becomes a lot harder to choose. The Seahawks were knocked out in Russell Wilson’s first comeback, and they have to play with a sense of desperation here. The Cardinals have won four of their last six games in Seattle, an odd trend the Seahawks seek to reverse.
Pick: Seahawks 23, Cardinals 20
- Dallas Cowboys at Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., FOX
This will be one of the more exciting games of the season. The Chiefs rediscovered their dojo after their victory over the Raiders and Packers. Kansas City has a turnover ratio of +3 on those games. Dallas, meanwhile, is trying to keep up with the top seed in NFC. Mahomes and Prescott will perform, but we are sticking with the home team.
Pick: Chiefs 31, Cowboys 28
- Pittsburgh Steelers at the Los Angeles Charger (-4)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Ben Roethlisberger could return from the COVID-19 roster, and they will need him after last week’s bad game The Lions didn’t win. The Chargers are on a 2-3 home run and that includes losses to playoff contenders in the Cowboys, Patriots and Vikings. They need to win one here.
Pick: Charger 26, Steelers 22
- New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-11)
Sunday, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
The Buccaneers have lost two games in a row and have not won three in the past four weeks. Tampa Bay also beat New York 25-23 in a lousy win at prime time last year. That said, Tom Brady set the tone for the week with a two-minute press conference after the Washington loss. The Buccaneers have the right game.
Pick: Buccaneers 34, Giants 18
