NFL Week 11 Preview

Turns out I was completely wrong about last night's Dolphins-Panthers game. Ricky Williams was able to successfully run the ball against the Carolina defense, carrying it 22 times for 119 yards and scoring twice. This put less pressure on Chad Henne as he threw the ball only 29 times, completing 17 for 172 yards and a touchdown. The Dolphins abandoned the "Wildcat" for the better part of the first half and did not use the formation until they scored their second touchdown, putting them ahead 14-3. However, Ricky Williams was still able to run the ball effectively and received help from Jake Delhomme who unsurprisingly led his team to within three points of the Dolphins last night but simply could not get the job done. So much for the Panthers rebounding this season. However, if Ricky Williams can hold it together for the remainder of the season, then the Dolphins have as good a chance as anyone to make the playoffs this year. They definitely won't win the division...but a wild card berth is not totally out of the question at this point.

As far as this Sunday goes, not too many stellar games on the tube. In fact, many of the games should be considered easy winnable games for the teams in contention for the playoffs this year. We may have to look to some of the meaningless games this weekend in order to find the most competitive. But even in those games we won't find much. Look at Cleveland vs. Detroit. This past monday has proven to me that the Browns may be the most dysfunctional team in the NFL. Yes, even more dysfunctional than the Al Davis funhouse out there in Oakland. I mean, look at that team. They have absolutely no offense. Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn are puppets of master "Mangenius", who is looking less and less like a genius every time the Browns take the field. He is trying to perform a great magic act every week by making all teams prepare for both quarterbacks. The problem with Mangini's deceptive tactics is that neither quarterback is very good. There is no spark to that team, no fire, no sense of urgency with every play. They embarrass themselves every week to the point where the press is asking Mangini if he should bring in LeBron James to save the franchise. I mean seriously where is the pride in Cleveland? Where are the ruthless mongrels of the dog pound? All we get every week are chihuahuas taking the field. This week, they get the Lions. And I think the Lions are gonna blow them out because the Browns are simply that awful. They need help and they need it right away and it's not going to come from King James or Jim Brown or anyone like that. It's gonna have to come from within. And the sooner the Browns realize that, the better off they'll be. As for Sunday, Lions in a landslide. You can mark that down.

I will now give you a quick breakthrough of how I think Sunday's games will end up...

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys

This is a game the Cowboys should win and quite probably will win. But it won't be as decisive a victory as one would think. And here's why: The Redskins are fierce division rivals and they just came off an impressive win over a Broncos team that has truly fallen from grace. They may not have Clinton Portis but the Redskins are going to be pumped up against the Cowboys; treating it like a playoff game as they will play hard for lame duck coach Jim Zorn. In order for the Cowboys to win this game, they need to get their focus back. They need Romo to hook up with Miles Austin again. And they also need him to keep connecting with Roy Williams. The Dallas defense actually played well last week and against a bad Redskins offense, they should come up big. The key to the game is whether or not Dallas will be focused and hungry for a win. If they are, they will win hands down. If they're not, I still think they'll win but it'll be very close. Cowboys win 24-13

San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers

To me, this is a toss-up game because both of these teams have been very erratic lately. The 49ers are coming off a season-saving win against the Bears but did not really play well on offense in that game. The Packers are also coming off a season-saving win against the Cowboys and left a lot of emotion out on the field in front of a packed Lambeau Field. If the offensive line can protect Aaron Rodgers (and they haven't all year) and give him time to throw to Donald Driver and Greg Jennings, then the Packers will win easily. But if Frank Gore torches the Packer defense for something like 23 carries for 120 yds and a couple scores, and Alex Smith starts connecting with Michael Crabtree, then the 49ers will get the upset. I don't know about this one, but since I like home-field advantage, Packers win 28-17.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs

Despite the loss of Troy Polamalu, the Steelers are going to march into Arrowhead Stadium looking to take care of business on Sunday. They are angry, they are hungry, and they are going to take out their frustration on a Chiefs team that has struggled all year and barely beat the Raiders last week. Look for James Harrison to eat up Matt Cassell on Sunday, leading the Steeler defense as they overwhelm the Chiefs offense. Look for Big Ben to have a big day through the air, connecting with Santonio Holmes and new sensation Mike Wallace for a couple touchdowns. Easy win for the Steelers as they cruise to 7-3. Steelers 27, Chiefs 10

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants

This is a game that both teams have to win. The Falcons have lost 3 of their last 4 and were embarrassed last weekend out in Carolina. Matt Ryan has not played well recently and the onus will be on him to connect with Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez because RB Michael Turner may be out with an ankle injury. But honestly, if the Falcons lose this game on Sunday, its not the end of the world for that team. Sure they will be 5-5 but they have many winnable games the rest of the way with their toughest games (Philadelphia and New Orleans) both played at home. I think they could still finish 10-6 and go into the playoffs with a full plate of confidence. But this is a game the Giants need to have. It's at home, they were given a big break last week from the Cowboys and Eagles. They need to get back to running the football and their defense needs to come out and show some pride. And with Aaron Ross coming back, the Giants might be able to do that and score the big victory. Giants 24, Falcons 17

New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Saints have struggled recently against teams they should beat easily. The Panthers gave them all they could handle in the Superdome. The Rams gave them all they could handle in St. Louis. And now its the Bucs turn. Ever since Josh Freeman took the starting job, the Bucs have started to look decent offensively. However, since their defense can't stop anybody, expect the Saints to just light up the scoreboard on Sunday. Drew Brees has not played that well lately and he will need an ego booster in this game especially going into next week's showdown with the Pats. I think he has a great day on Sunday, but the Bucs will keep it close because the Saint defense is banged up. They just signed Chris McAlister because two of their cornerbacks are injured and Darren Sharper sat out last week's contest. The Saints get the win, but it will be closer than the experts think. Saints 34, Buccaneers 24

Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Bills abandoned their season this week by firing coach Dick Jauron. They weren't going anywhere with Jauron but owner Ralph Wilson decided it was time to say "hey, better luck next year." Perry Fewell's first order of business: to start Ryan Fitzpatrick Sunday against the Jaguars. The only justice I see in this is that T.O is now in his own personal hell. The only way it could get worse for him is if he played for the Browns or the Raiders. Owens isn't catching his fair share of balls and the hyped-up passing game of the Bills has been an absolute failure this season. The Bills have not had an efficient rusher this year and their defense just got shredded by Chris Johnson and the Titans. The Jaguars, on the other hand, are coming off a big win against the Jets and are sitting pretty at 5-4. They have four winnable games over the next month before heading into their battle with Indy at home. If they can sweep those games and have Maurice Jones-Drew carry the team on his shoulders, the Jags will be the surprise team of the NFL season. And I think they start off with a nice victory over the Bills on Sunday. Jaguars 28, Bills 16

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens

A lot of people are thinking that this is the week the Colts will lose their first game. And at first, I thought the same thing. But after watching the Ravens struggle against the Browns on Monday night, I am convinced that this is not the game where perfection ends for Peyton and company. The Ravens defense looked impressive Monday night, but it was against the Browns. If you look collectively over the course of this season, the Ravens defense is not what it used to be. Sure they still have Ray Lewis and Ed Reed making plays and leading the team. But in big games this season, their defense has simply not showed up. They've lost tough games to Cincinnati, gave up 33 points in a heartbreaker to Minnesota and 27 in a heartbreaker against the Pats. Not to mention their offense cannot score enough points to outlast the Colts. Joe Flacco has not thrown a touchdown pass the last two weeks. And he really needs to do that if he's gonna lead the Ravens to victory on Sunday. I feel the only way the Colts lose this Sunday is if they come up flat after their huge win last week over the Pats. But I think Peyton won't let that happen. Colts 24, Ravens 20

Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings

This is an easy one. The Seahawks have definitely not played up to their potential this season. Crucial injuries on the defensive side of the ball, combined with a lackluster season from Matt Hasselbeck, has left the Seahawks on the outside looking in in the NFC West. They are 0-4 on the road this season and have not been close in any of those games. And they're going up against Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson on Sunday. Look for the Vikings defense to shut down Hasselbeck and company and look for Peterson to have a monster day against a defense that quite simply has missed their flights to every road game this season. Vikings 34, Seahawks 17

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams

The Rams played very hard and very tough last week against the Saints, leaving it all on the field and not holding anything back. Can they put up the same kind of effort against another tough offense this week? Perhaps...but the Cardinals have been perfect on the road this season. And Kurt Warner seems to be lighting it up lately, finding connections with his receivers in Fitzgerald, Boldin, and Steve Breaston. Beanie Wells is also starting to become a valuable addition in the backfield for the NFC Champions as well. In order for the Rams to win, they will need more stops on defense than what they had last week against the Saints. And they will need both Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger to have big days offensively. That is a tall order for a team that has only won 1 game this season. But head coach Steve Spagnuolo has his team playing hard. And if fans in St. Louis are very patient enough, then things will start to turn for the Rams eventually. But not on Sunday. Cardinals 31, Rams 20

New York Jets at New England Patriots

This is a game that the Jets need to have. This is also a game that the Patriots want to have. The Patriots are obviously very angry and very frustrated about last week's loss to Indianapolis, a game they controlled all night long and should have won easily. But somehow they lost. And now New England fans are bickering and mumbling about the genius of Belichick and the greatness of Brady. Same thing goes for the Jets as well. Jet fans are not happy about Rex Ryan crying in the locker room. Nor are they happy with their overrated defense and their playboy quarterback. So this division game is huge on so many levels and both teams will want it bad. For that reason, I think this game will not be a blowout. It will be closer than the spreads are letting on and the Pats may have to claw and scratch to get a victory. Both teams will be motivated to play. Both teams will be motivated to win. But in the end, the Patriots survive and all will be well in Foxboro for now. Patriots 27, Jets 17

Cincinnati Bengals at Oakland Raiders

This could potentially be a trap game for the Bengals but don't count on it. Coming off a huge emotional win at Pittsburgh last week, the Bengals are now flying high and have a very easy schedule the next three weeks before heading up to Minnesota. Their key this week will be not to lose focus against a very lackluster, very disappointing Oakland team. The game is on the road in Oakland, a place where the Raiders can play hard when they want to. Just look at what they did to the Eagles earlier this season. The problem with Oakland (among their many problems) is that they cannot score at all. And since they have just benched JaMarcus Russell for pretty much the remainder of the season barring any injury, don't look for them to be scoring a lot of points anytime soon. I think the Raider defense plays well on Sunday and keeps Cincinnati at bay for a while. But when it starts to go deeper in the 2nd half, look for the Bengals to pull away on the arm of Carson Palmer and the legs of Cedric Benson. Bengals 23, Raiders 3

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos

This is the game of the week in my opinion but I have a feeling it's not going to be close. It is deja vu all over again only this time it's a little bit earlier in the season, which means there's still time for the Broncos to turn their season around. The Broncos have lost three games in a row, including a tough loss last week to the Redskins. The Chargers have won four in a row, including a lucky win over the Giants two weeks ago. Last time this happened, the Chargers came out and destroyed the Broncos on both sides of the ball. I pretty much expect the same thing to happen again, especially since Kyle Orton may not be able to go and the Denver defense has lost its edge and its fire over the past three weeks. Look for Philip Rivers to find Vincent Jackson many times throughout the day. And look for LaDainian and Sproles to eat up the Broncos run defense. Chargers 34, Broncos 13

Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears

This is a very tough game to predict because both teams are in desperate need of a victory. For the Eagles, Brian Westbrook could be out for the rest of the season, which means that Andy Reid will get to do what he loves to do: Pass the Ball!!! Expect McNabb to throw the ball constantly against a Bears defense that has not played well recently but I don't expect the Eagles to tear it up offensively. In order for the Bears to win, they need to not only contain the Eagles passing game, but they also need their quarterback to step up and lead. Crybaby Cutler needs to stop turning the ball over and he needs to simply put the ball in the hands of Devin Hester and Johnny Knox and make big plays up and down the field. Matt Forte needs to establish himself on the ground and the Bears have to come out and play with a little pride. This is the perfect opportunity for them to do that. It's a nationally televised game. Their season is on the line. What's it gonna be? Bears 23, Eagles 20 on a field goal by Robbie Gould.

I won't predict the Monday night game between the Titans and Texans until Sunday night because I'm running late. Going to Boston this weekend to hang with some close friends. Enjoy the weekend of sports. Hopefully my colleagues put some stuff up as well.