The NFL enters its second half of the season and the saying “any given Sunday” couldn’t be more appropriate. It’s been a strange November with plenty of unpredictable outcomes. Injuries are still abound, especially for Arizona Cardinals where several key players aren’t expected to make it onto the field.
Expert handicappers at Betting.com have been scratching their heads over NFL week 11’s picks and predictions, but they feel pretty confident about getting it right.
NFL Week 11 Quick Picks
We most certainly don’t want to leave out the rest of week 11. Here are our quick picks for the rest of the games in week 11 to help your NFL bets. Full game analysis available below.
Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings
Detroit Lions @ Cleveland Browns
Washington Football Team @ Carolina Panthers
Houston Texans @ Tennessee Titans
San Francisco 49ers @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets
Cincinnati Bengals @ Las Vegas Raiders
Dallas Cowboys @ Kansas City Chiefs
Arizona Cardinals @ Seattle Seahawks
New Orleans Saints @ Philadelphia Eagles
Stumbling Saints to grind out much-needed road win in Philadelphia
For the New Orleans Saints, their big Week 8 win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers feels like a distant memory after narrow losses in their past two games. At 5-4, the Saints are now on the fringes of the playoff race, though there is optimism that Alvin Kamara (knee) will play on Sunday.
Things look a little rosier for the Philadelphia Eagles (4-6), who have won two of their last three games, including an impressive 30-13 win in Denver at the weekend. But facing this New Orleans defense is a big step up and one that may be coming too soon for Jalen Hurts.
New Orleans ready to bounce back, with or without Kamara
Though the Saints’ postseason hopes are hanging in the balance heading into Week 10, there were some encouraging signs in Sunday’s 23-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Trevor Siemian threw for almost 300 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, and New Orleans gave up just ten points in the second half.
All the attention will be on Kamara this week – keep an eye on the injury reports and whether he is able to practice. If he is sidelined again, Mark Ingram is a capable backup and found the end zone on Sunday.
Philadelphia running game meets its match
Devonta Smith gave the Eagles’ passing game a boost in Denver with two touchdowns, but it all starts with running the ball effectively. Philadelphia ranks third in the league with 144 rushing yards per game and piled up 214 rushing yards against the Broncos at the weekend.
But the Saints’ run defense is a league-leading unit, holding opponents to 73 rushing yards per game. If Jordan Howard and Boston Scott are bottled up, the equation becomes tougher for Hurts in the pocket. Keep in mind too that the Eagles have lost all four of their home games this season.
Indianapolis Colts @ Buffalo Bills
Bills to bring their A-game and shut down Colts
On their best days, the Buffalo Bills (6-3) remain strong Super Bowl contenders, but they have served up a mixed bag of performances this season. Should we expect the team that blew out the New York Jets on Sunday or the one that stumbled to a low-scoring loss in Jacksonville the week before? A playoff-caliber opponent should have their full attention here.
The Indianapolis Colts (5-5) arrive in Buffalo after back-to-back victories against NFL basement-dwellers. They really need a statement win to add fuel to their playoff push, but taking down the well-rounded Bills may be asking too much.
Buffalo defense giving Allen all the help he needs
While the Bills are averaging 400 yards a game (fifth in the NFL), those numbers are skewed by some lopsided wins. Josh Allen has struggled at times to replicate last season’s form, but he and Stefon Diggs should have opportunities to connect against a middling Indianapolis pass defense.
This year, the Buffalo defense has grabbed the headlines and some good NFL odds. Only the Carolina Panthers are giving up fewer passing yards per game than Buffalo (190). The secondary combined for four interceptions and a fumble recovery against the Jets on Sunday, and they will make life tough for Carson Wentz on third-and-long.
Taylor to carry the load as Colts try to avenge playoff loss in Buffalo
Indianapolis did what it had to do the past two weeks, dispatching the Jets then narrowly edging the Jacksonville Jaguars to return to .500. Now the real work starts, at the scene of their playoff exit in January.
To keep the winning run going, the Colts need a monster day from Jonathan Taylor. Taylor has run for 288 yards and three touchdowns in his past two outings, but the Bills are a top-five run defense.
Defensively, Indianapolis has to win the matchup against Diggs – who had his best game of the season on Sunday with 162 yards and a touchdown – without giving up running lanes to a Buffalo team that had four rushing touchdowns at the weekend.
New York Giants @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Struggling Giants an ideal matchup for Buccaneers to steady the ship
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were cruising at 6-1 after the first seven weeks of the season, but back-to-back losses either side of a bye week have brought some questions for the defending champions.
Still, it’s tough to see the New York Giants arriving in Tampa and ending the Buccaneers’ 100% home record this year. The scoreline may be closer than the spread suggests, but it would be a surprise to see Tom Brady lose three in a row.
Beware Tampa Bay backlash as injury woes ease
While Antonio Brown (ankle) remains sidelined for Week 11, the Buccaneers are expected to have Rob Gronkowski and Jason Pierre-Paul available. That boosts their physicality at the line of scrimmage and gives Brady back one of his favorite red zone targets.
Brady has thrown two interceptions in each of Tampa Bay’s last two games – road losses in New Orleans and Washington. Facing a middling New York pass defense should amount to a more efficient outing. Look for Mike Evans to shine on Sunday after managing just two catches last weekend.
Rested New York looking to build on Week 9 upset win
With the Dallas Cowboys taking a stranglehold on the NFC East, this looks like another rebuilding year for the Giants at 3-6. But an impressive 23-16 win in Week 9 over the Las Vegas Raiders laid out the formula for New York.
Daniel Jones only threw for 110 yards against the Raiders but, crucially, had no interceptions. Meanwhile, the defense stepped up with two picks. The Giants’ secondary will have their hands full against the Evans-Chris Godwin duo as well as Leonard Fournette’s quick routes out of the backfield.
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert, Chargers to revive playoff push against gritty Steelers
Some of the air has gone out of the Los Angeles Chargers’ balloon after their 4-1 start, but they could benefit from a little scheduling luck on Sunday against the potentially depleted Pittsburgh Steelers.
The big Steelers story of the week is whether Ben Roethlisberger will return after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and sitting out last weekend. Either way, though, this is a pedestrian offense (averaging just under 20 points a game). Look for Justin Herbert to win the battle against the Pittsburgh defense.
Busy day ahead for Harris against dismal Chargers run defense
Whether Roethlisberger or Mason Rudolph get the start, there should be a heavy dose of handoffs to Najae Harris. The Chargers have been carved up by running backs all year, allowing 155 rushing yards a game (easily the worst in the league).
Rudolph was solid if unspectacular against the Detroit Lions in Sunday’s 16-16 tie. If he can limit the turnovers, as he did at the weekend, the Steelers should keep the score close.
Pittsburgh’s sturdy defense could be without two key playmakers – T.J. Watt (hip, knee) and Minkah Fitzpatrick (reserve/COVID-19 list). That presents problems given Herbert’s mobility.
Los Angeles seeking more productive running game to free up Herbert
Some of the Chargers’ offensive struggles over the past month stem from limited gains in the ground game. They managed just 82 rushing yards in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and Austin Ekeler finished with only 11 carries. That has to change this weekend to keep Herbert out of tricky third downs.
Mike Williams has largely been a non-factor over the past four games after a terrific start to the year. Look for him to have a big night and capitalize on all the attention that Keenan Allen generates.
Joey Bosa’s absence (reserve/COVID-19 list) is a blow for the Los Angeles pass rush, but the Chargers are a top-five defense against the pass. That may allow the hosts to commit more defenders to the line of scrimmage, especially if Rudolph plays.
The weekend looks exciting and we are looking forward to plenty of Football action. Hopefully, the NFL picks are with good accuracy and the NFL odds move in our direction.
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