Week 11’s Top 5 NFL Games
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers face the Philadelphia Eagles in what promises to be an epic showdown and, hopefully, a shootout at Lambeau Field.
As we move ever closer to January, every game on the NFL schedule seems to grow in importance. Contenders continue to jostle for position while the dead-and-buried try to make do with playing the role of spoiler, or in the case of the Oakland Raiders, simply looking for that first victory.
Week 11 continues to serve up important and intriguing games.
The Miami Dolphins kicked off the week with an impressive victory over division rivals the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football last night. Now our attention switches to this Sunday’s action.
Here’s a look at the top five games on the Week 11 NFL schedule.
*****
Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO (Sun, 1:00 p.m. ET)
Postseason hopefuls meet in the City of Fountains Sunday as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Seattle Seahawks.
After a 0-2 start to the season, Kansas City (6-3, 3-1 home) has won six of its last seven, including four straight. The Chiefs haven’t lost at home since Week 1 and look every bit a postseason threat in the AFC.
Seattle (6-3, 2-2 road) has underachieved so far this season but three wins on the bounce have the team pushing for a playoff berth. The Chiefs represent a higher level of competition than the Seahawks’ previous three opponents, and this will be a true test.
Once an AFC West rivalry, the two sides have met just three times since Seattle joined the NFC in 2002. The Chiefs are 2-1 during that stretch, with two straight wins.
*****
Cincinnati Bengals at New Orleans Saints
Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA (Sun, 1:00 p.m. ET)
Right now there’s a real sense of desperation around both the Cincinnati Bengals and New Orleans Saints. Sunday’s showdown in the Big Easy isn’t necessarily a must-win situation, but it feels pretty close.
Cincinnati (5-3-1, 1-2 road) enters the game entangled in a battle royal for the AFC North title. The Bengals have won just twice in their last six games and were truly miserable against the Browns last Thursday night. They’ve been pretty poor on the road too, having not won outside of Cincinnati since Week 1. With five of their last seven (including the next three) on the road, that’s bad news.
New Orleans (4-5, 3-1 home) saw its epic home winning streak come to an end on Sunday, once again falling below .500 in the process. The Saints still have control of the NFC South but that’s an accolade hardly worth boasting about. They’ll look to begin another prolonged home winning streak on Sunday afternoon.
*****
Detroit Lions at Arizona Cardinals
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ (Sun, 4:25 p.m. ET)
The NFC’s top two teams battle on Sunday as the Detroit Lions visit the Arizona Cardinals for the third successive year.
Tough defense, both at home and on the road, has seen Detroit (7-2, 3-1 road) to the top of the NFC North rankings while Arizona (8-1, 5-0 home) has surprised everybody by besting both the 49ers and Seahawks to tally the NFC West’s and NFC’s best record.
The Cardinals are favored heading into this one but after losing quarterback Carson Palmer to injury last week, Bruce Arian’s team is a risky bet this week.
That being said, the Lions haven’t beaten the Cardinals on the road since the days of the Phoenix Cardinals. A 1993 victory over the Cards has been followed by a stretch of seven straight losses in the desert.
*****
Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI (Sun, 4:25 p.m. ET)
This weekend’s best game on paper sees the Philadelphia Eagles hit the road to face the Green Bay Packers in a battle of teams that have been lighting up scoreboards in recent weeks.
Philadelphia (7-2, 2-2 road) crushed the Panthers in all three aspects of the game Monday, getting excellent outings from the offense, defense and special teams. Mark Sanchez looked like a natural fit in Chip Kelly’s high-octane offense, something that was more than a little surprising.
Green Bay (6-3, 4-0 home) did its own crushing on Sunday night, pounding the Bears at Lambeau. Aaron Rodgers threw six touchdowns in the first half as the Packers earned a fifth win in six games. Breaking Philadelphia’s defense figures to be a tougher task than a week ago though.
The Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak against the Packers last season, although Rodgers was absent from that game.
*****
New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN (Sun, 8:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday Night Football emanates from the Circle City this week as the Indianapolis Colts play host to the New England Patriots in what promises to be a barnburner.
New England (7-2, 2-2 road) enters the game on the back of five straight victories, including a demolition job over the Broncos last time out, and is currently two games to the good in the loss column in the AFC East.
Indianapolis (6-3, 3-1 home) meanwhile has won six of its last seven en route to a comfortable lead in the AFC South. That one loss came in a Week 8 pasting at the hands of the Steelers.
Both teams were on a bye in Week 10 so should be refreshed for this one.
The Patriots have won four straight in the head-to-head series, including last season’s playoff battle.
The total opened at 55, the highest on this week’s betting schedule. Remember to take the over – the over has paid out in nine of the 10 games played on Sunday nights this season.
*****
For an up-to-date list of Week 11 NFL odds, click here.
For a full list of NFL Futures, click here.
For NFL team prop bets, click here.
For NFL player prop bets, click here.
