NFL Week 11: 5 teams that must win

It’s Week 11 of the National Football League season, and we need to take a look at who must win to keep hope alive going into next Sunday.

5. Green Bay Packers

Green Bay is in all sorts of trouble. The Packers began the season at 3-1 but now sitting at 4-5, are in third place of the mediocre NFC North. This weekend, Aaron Rodgers and his band of dysfucntion will travel to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Redskins.

Washington is 5-3-1 and in firm control of a wild card spot. However, a win against the Redskins would put the Packers at 5-5 and at least in the hunt. The time has come for Green Bay to figure out its problems and get rolling, or perhaps just roll over.

4. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are 4-5 and coming off their bye week to host the Tennessee Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis has to get to .500 and start to push in the AFC South, which is far from settled. The Houston Texans are 6-3 but have a very tough schedule, including this Monday night against the Oakland Raiders in Mexico.

This is one of those pivotal games. If the Colts lose, they are 4-6 and have another loss in the division. A win, and they sweep the Titans and move ahead of them, and perhaps within a game of Houston.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are another 4-5 team in the AFC, and have perhaps the biggest gift the NFL has to offer this week with a contest against the Cleveland Browns. Of course, Cleveland is 0-10 and despite this game being on the shores of Lake Erie, most expect Pittsburgh to win easily.

If the Steelers are going to make a play for the AFC North crown, the time has come. Pittsburgh can’t allow for the huge upset. Should that happen, there is going to be real talk about Mike Tomlin’s job security, and it would not be unwarranted.

2. Minnesota Vikings

Simply put, this is it for the Vikings. Minnesota started the year at 5-0 but has lost four straight. The offensive line is a total mess and Sam Bradford has not been able to overcome it. The Vikings are now in second place in the North, falling behind the Detroit Lions via tiebreaker.

This week, the Arizona Cardinals are coming to U.S. Bank Stadium. If the Cardinals are able to come into Minnesota and win, it might be time to turn off the lights.

1. Buffalo Bills

Buffalo has not made the playoffs since 1999, the longest current drought in the NFL. If the Bills don’t win this weekend on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals, you can tack another year on. Buffalo is yet another 4-5 AFC team and needs to perhaps run the table to have hope.

It’s not likely, but crazier things have happened (think the Chiefs going from 1-5 to 11-5 in 2015).