I went 7-9 last week straight-up, and 8-8 against the spread. For the season, that puts me at 91-55 straight-up, and 73-68-5 against the spread. For a comparison, check out the “experts” over at ESPN.
Here are my picks for the NFL’s Week 11 games:
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17
Jets 5-4 at Broncos 4-5 8:20 PM [Line: Jets by 6.5]
Tim Tebow for MVP.
–RJ’s Pick: Denver by 1**
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20
Tampa Bay 4-5 at Green Bay 9-0 1:00 PM [Line: Packers by 14]
The Battle Of The Bays isn’t going to be much of a fight.
–RJ’s Pick: Green Bay by 20
Carolina 2-7 at Detroit 6-3 1:00 PM [Line: Lions by 7]
The Lions have lost three of their last four. Another loss this week would pretty much end their playoff hopes. But they should be able to handle the Panthers at Ford Field.
–RJ’s Pick: Lions by 11
Jacksonville 3-6 at Cleveland 3-6 1:00 PM [Line: Browns by 1]
There won’t be much scoring in this one.
–RJ’s Pick: Browns by 6
Oakland 5-4 at Minnesota 2-7 1:00 PM [Line: Vikings by 1.5]
The Raiders are in first place in the AFC West despite their minus-25 point differential and all-around porous defense.
–RJ’s Pick: Raiders by 3
Buffalo 5-4 at Miami 2-7 1:00 PM [Line: Dolphins by 2]
The Dolphins have won two straight after starting the season 0-7. The Bills, on the other hand, have dropped three of their last four, and Ryan Fitzpatrick has thrown eight interceptions over that span. But ignore everything I just wrote; the Bills are the better team and the Dolphins seem to have a home field disadvantage.
–RJ’s Pick: Bills by 5
Dallas 5-4 at Washington 3-6 1:00 PM [Line: Cowboys by 7]
It’s usually a close game when the Cowboys play the Redskins, regardless of records or standings.
–RJ’s Pick: Cowboys by 2
Cincinnati 6-3 at Baltimore 6-3 1:00 PM [Line: Ravens by 6.5]
The Ravens are undefeated at home and 2-0 against divisional opponents so far this season. The Bengals are 4-1 on the road and have the second best run defense in the league. The performance of Joe Flacco will determine the outcome.
–RJ’s Pick: Ravens by 3
Arizona 3-6 at San Francisco 8-1 4:05 PM [Line: 49ers by 10.5]
The Cardinals have won two straight, but the 49ers have won seven in a row.
–RJ’s Pick: 49ers by 6
Seattle 3-6 at St. Louis 2-7 4:05 PM [Line: Rams by 3]
The Rams have scored the fewest points in the NFL.
–RJ’s Pick: Seahawks by 4
Tennessee 5-4 at Atlanta 5-4 4:15 PM [Line: Falcons by 6]
Solid matchup between two teams with legitimate chances of earning a Wild Card spot.
–RJ’s Pick: Falcons by 1
San Diego 4-5 at Chicago 6-3 4:15 PM [Line: Bears by 3.5]
The Chargers have dropped four consecutive games after starting the season 4-1. The Bears have won four straight and are 4-1 at home. Both streaks will end this week.
–RJ’s Pick: Chargers by 2
Philadelphia 3-6 at New York Giants 6-3 8:20 PM [Line: Giants by 4.5]
Eli Manning this season: 17 TDs, 8 INTs, 97.0 passer rating. Michael Vick this season: 11 TDs, 11 INTs, 79.8 passer rating. So is it a good thing for the Eagles that Vince Young is starting this week? Probably not.
–RJ’s Pick: Giants by 10
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Kansas City 4-5 at New England 6-3 8:30 PM [Line: Patriots by 14.5]
The Chiefs have lost games by margins of 34, 45, and 28 this season. This should be another blowout. Tyler Palko will be making his first career start this week, replacing the injured Matt Cassel.
–RJ’s Pick: Patriots by 24
[Bye Week: Indianapolis 0-10, New Orleans 7-3, Pittsburgh 7-3, & Houston 7-3]
(If you’re interested, you can check out the full list of Danny Sheridan’s Odds here.)
**Note: Although this article was published after Thursday night’s game, I did offer my prediction for the Jet-Broncos matchup on Wednesday night in the comments section of my Week 10 column.