November 19, 2019 by Mike Madden

NFL Week 11

Week 11 was a week for “breathing space”. The Vikings gave themselves some, as did the Ravens, Saints, Patriots, Chiefs and 49ers. The NFC South now looks to be wide open, but I suspect the injury to Marlon Mack will tilt things towards the Texans. The Falcons are on a roll, having virtually given up top pick. That now seems to be between the Bengals and Redskins.

So what happened last week?

Predictions were 11-3 – a good score despite a big shock in Carolina and almost another in Minnesota.

Steelers 7 Browns 21

Injuries mount for the Steelers who are now struggling to stay in the play off race. The Browns may have turned things around briefly – but it is already too late for them.

Falcons 29 Panthers 3

Well those who did not see last week’s defeat of the Saints by Atlanta will probably not have seen this one coming either. I certainly didn’t! Falcons playing for a lot of pride – and the Panthers now have little more than that to play for too.

Cowboys 35 Lions 27

Cowboys triumphed but the Lions kept it close for a long time. The Lions were banged up – and the Cowboys should have been dominant. Worrying signs in Dallas.

Jaguars 13 Colts 33

Colts cruised to victory in the end but injuries may come back to haunt them. The Jags suffered another heavy defeat – but in their inconsistent season they will probably win next week!

Bills 37 Dolphins 20

Dolphins realised that the Bengals are going to take some catching in the draft, while the Bills consolidated their wildcard position.

Texans 7 Ravens 41

This was close for a long time but then the steamroller kicked in. Watson made too many mistakes trying to make miracle plays – the increasingly impressive Jackson took what he was given and sprinkled in a little magic. But – I can’t see him carrying it all the way to the Superbowl!

Broncos 23 Vikings 27

Vikings came from a long way back – but was that Cousins’ brilliance, or his ineptitude at falling so far behind? A bit of both I suspect – as the Broncos look to the off season.

Jets 34 Redskins 17

The Jets are probably better than a few other basement teams, particularly as Bell starts to click. The Redskins are worse than I thought.

Saints 34 Buccaneers 17

Hard to believe that Winston is still at the helm in Tampa. No surprise to see Brees and Kamara start to put things together again as the season hots up.

Cardinals 26 49ers 36

Much closer than the 49ers would have wanted. They have big tests in the coming weeks including next Sunday when they host the Packers coming off a bye. Kyler Murray continues to impress and I expect the Cardinals to notch another couple of wins before the season ends.

Bengals 10 Raiders 17

Bengals did just enough to stay interested without jeopardising their No 1 pick. They could probably do with a QB, a receiver, an offensive line, etc! The Raiders almost blew it and their lucky streak can’t last forever.

Patriots 17 Eagles 10

A real defensive slugfest that will worry both teams. The Eagles now fall behind the Cowboys and the Patriots will be wondering how to overcome some tough defences in the coming weeks.

Bears 7 Rams 17

Rams win on D for a change as the Bears wonder where it all went wrong.

Chiefs 24 Chargers 17

A game riddled with mistakes that both will want to quickly forget. Particularly Rivers who was picked 4 times. Mahomes far from his best with big tests to come.

Week 12 Preview

The Cardinals, Chiefs, Chargers and Vikings have byes.

Colts at Texans
Texans by 10
Texans stifle the run and the Colts struggle through the air. Expect a quick recovery from Watson as the Texans take control of the AFC South.

Broncos at Bills
Bills by 7
Broncos have nothing to play for but the Bills do. The Broncos D steps up but the Bills come through at home.

Giants at Bears
Bears by 6
Not confident of the Bears beating anyone at the moment, but the Giants might be just what they need, as long as they can keep Barkley in check.

Steelers at Bengals
Bengals by 7
They couldn’t, could they? Pressure is off the Bengals as they have a two game lead in the race for position 32. The Steelers will be deflated after last week’s loss and their injuries will take their toll.

Dolphins at Browns
Browns by 17
Dolphins return to their early season worst as the Browns put together a solid game against a weak opponent.

Buccaneers at Falcons
Falcons by 21
High scoring game with lots of mistakes from the Bucs and a freedom from the Falcons that says “we have nothing to play for”.

Panthers at Saints
Saints by 17
Saints put the final nail in the Panthers’ coffin as they roll towards the play offs with a bye week in mind.

Seahawks at Eagles
Seahawks by 7
Eagles again struggle to score as their D clings on but ultimately falls to vintage Wilson.

Lions at Redskins
Lions by 10
Even a banged up Lions outfit should have enough to see off the Redskins.

Raiders at Jets
Jets by 6
Raiders brought down to earth by Le’Veon Bell and an improved Jets team. Play offs look out of reach for the silver and black after this one.

Jaguars at Titans
Jaguars by 7
I could get this badly wrong either way, but after some crushing defeats I expect a bounce back from the unpredictable Jaguars. The Titans are unpredictable too, but this will be an all too predictable let down.

Cowboys at Patriots
Patriots by 3
Patriots D stifles the Cowboys but the Cowboys D keeps Brady in check. Low scoring affair decided by the Pats superior kicker.

Packers at 49ers
Packers by 8
The 49ers have started to struggle and now face Aaron Rodgers who has had two weeks to prepare. Big statement from the Pack in the race for home field advantage.

Ravens at Rams
Rams by 4
How do you control Lamar Jackson? A heavy dose of Todd Gurley to keep him off the field. Expect a close one with the Rams prevailing.

Play Offs

AFC

North
Ravens
South
Texans
East
Patriots
West
Chiefs
Wildcards
Bills
Colts

NFC

North
Packers
South
Saints
East
Cowboys
West
Seahawks

Wildcards
49ers

Vikings

Wildcard Weekend

AFC

Ravens beat Bills

Texans beat Colts

NFC

Seahawks beat Vikings

49ers beat Cowboys

Divisional Play Offs

AFC

Patriots beat Texans

Chiefs beat Ravens

NFL

Packers beat 49ers

Saints beat Seahawks

Conference Championships

AFC

Chiefs beat Patriots

NFC

Packers beat Saints

Superbowl

Packers beat Chiefs