Last week wasn't a good one. On so many levels. First, there were the uniforms in the Bills-Jets game. Then there was upset after upset (or expected upset no panning out) to the tune of a 3-11 record. Then there was another solid effort by Team Joe Brackets, highlighted Peyton Manning scoring NEGATIVE points, in a lost season that could result in some management changes at the end of the year.
So we move on to Week 11, which isn't off to the best of starts. Although, you can write that one off, seeing as the Jaguars and Titans are equally bad and neither team deserves to be on national television, let alone playing each other on national television.
Thursday Night: Tennessee (Loss)
Colts (4-5) at Falcons (6-3): Atlanta-"First-place" Indianapolis finally got its first win over a team outside the AFC South by beating the Broncos. Now they need another one to avoid actually being tied with Jacksonville. The Falcons need a win, too. They've lost three out of four since starting 5-0 and, with the way the Panthers are going, are playing for a wild card. But they're coming off a needed break, which I think will be a big difference. I'll take Atlanta.
Broncos (7-2) at Bears (4-5): Chicago-Denver has lost two in a row, and we found out why on Monday. Now Peyton is out with his bad foot and Brock Osweiler will make his first NFL start in the Broncos' reunion with former coach John Fox, who has the Bears playing some pretty good football. They've won two straight, and I think they make it three heading into that Thanksgiving night showdown at Lambeau. I just can't in good faith take Denver on the road with Osweiler at quarterback.
Raiders (4-5) at Lions (2-7): Detroit-This is a tough one. Ever since Mrs. Ford said she was going to fire everybody, the Lions turned into a brand new team, as evidence by their first win in Green Bay since 1991 last week. The Raiders are no longer a laughingstock, but I still don't think they're good enough to go into a 1:00 road game and be expected to win...even if it is against the Lions.
Cowboys (2-7) at Dolphins (4-5): Dallas-Tony Romo returns this week. That's the best thing Cowboys fans have heard in two months. They went 0-7 without him, so, yeah, it's significant that he's back. It's probably not enough to save their season, but the difference will be seen immediately. Starting with a win over a Dolphins team that's been much improved since they left Joe Philbin in London.
Buccaneers (4-5) at Eagles (4-5): Philadelphia-Speaking of teams that are much improved, how about Lovie Smith and the Bucs? The crazy thing is they play better on the road. They've already got wins in New Orleans and Atlanta. Now they head to Philly where the Eagles have a chance to move into a tie for first place. Losing to the Dolphins was a punch in the gut, but now that they know they'll have Mark Sanchez under center, that should wear off the shock value. I think the Eagles win it before heading to Detroit for a Thanksgiving matchup with the Lions.
Redskins (4-5) at Panthers (9-0): Carolina-And then there were two. The Bengals choked on Monday night yet again, leaving just the Panthers and Patriots as the NFL's lone undefeated teams. Carolina's already got a two-game lead for home field, and they should be able to continue the best start in franchise history at home against Washington. Then they head to Dallas for another franchise first--their first Thanksgiving game.
Rams (4-5) at Ravens (2-7): Baltimore-Things started off so well for St. Louis. Then reality hit a little bit, and things have gotten so bad that they've benched Nick Foles. At least things are going better than they are in Baltimore, where the Ravens have just two wins and are coming off a home loss to Jacksonville. This wasn't exactly the way they envisioned their month at home going. They should at least be able to end it with a win.
Jets (5-4) at Texans (4-5): Jets-Was Monday night a turning point for the Texans? I think it might've been. Houston's a better team than they've let on during the early part of the season, and Monday night proved that. The Jets are also a better team than they showed last week. Maybe they were blinded by the uniforms. But they're still in the mix for a wild card, and Houston's tied for first place in the AFC South, so this is an important game for both. The Jets are coming off a long week, the Texans off a short one. That's why I give a slight edge to the Jets.
Chiefs (4-5) at Chargers (2-7): Kansas City-They got booted from Sunday night, so this becomes just your regular regional CBS late game. And it's two teams headed in opposite directions. After going 1-5 during that brutal start, the Chiefs have won three straight, including a dominating victory in Denver last week. They're right back in the mix for the playoffs. I don't know what's going on with the Chargers, but some changes might be in store in San Diego. Either way, the Chiefs are currently the better team, and they get their second division road win in a row.
Packers (6-3) at Vikings (7-2): Green Bay-Were the Packers caught looking ahead? Quite possibly. But what I do know is that it's imperative they turn it around now. From 6-0 a month ago, now they're looking at a wild card. And they'll be two games back if they don't beat the resurgent Vikings in Minnesota. I don't think it's possible for Green Bay to be any worse than they were last week. They can't afford to be.
49ers (3-6) at Seahawks (4-5): Seattle-It wasn't too long ago that this was one of the hottest rivalries in the NFL. Oh, how times have changed. Now they both need a victory if they want any chance of being relevant come December. The loss to the Cardinals was incredibly deflating for Seattle. Fortunately, the 49ers aren't Arizona. Believe it or not, the Seahawks haven't been above .500 all season. They'll at least get back to that mark in this one.
Bengals (8-1) at Cardinals (7-2): Arizona-Two teams had a chance to shine in prime time last week. One delivered. The other didn't. Now they meet each other in a game NBC flexed into Sunday night. Even though the Bengals are no longer undefeated, it's still a good matchup between first-place teams. And who would've ever figured that the Cardinals would get back-to-back Sunday night games?! Certainly not me. They won last week. After they win this week, they may petition the NFL to have all their games on Sunday nights.
Bills (5-4) at Patriots (9-0): New England-Oh man, we came so close, didn't we. The Giants did everything right (except on the final drive), and the Patriots still found a way to win. Now they go for 10 straight against the coach that has given them all kinds of fits in the past. They beat the Bills in Week 2, but it was 40-32 and Buffalo had a chance to tie it at the end. But alas, New England won, just like it always does. Why should we expect things to be any different this week? (Although, the Patriots' last Monday night game was that blowout loss in Kansas City last season.)
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 3-11
Season: 91-56
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