Oof. Week 11 of the NFL season was a complete disaster in terms of my picks.
I went a dreadful 7-7 straight up and a miserable 2-12 against the spread last week, correctly predicting that Washington and Pittsburgh would cover — and that’s it.
This week, I’m going to shake things up and not over-think each game. Fingers crossed, here goes.
Los Angeles Chargers at Buffalo Bills (-5.5) Buffalo is coming off a bye week while the 3-7 Chargers are travelling cross country. The Bills are the much better team and improve to 8-3. Buffalo 30-27
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets (+7) The 6-4 Dolphins are favoured by a touchdown over the 0-10 Jets. That’s a fairly big number considering Miami is coming off a loss in Denver in which they scored just 13 points and rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa was benched. Tua rebounds, but this will be a close one. Miami 23-20
Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (OFF) Moved from Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day triple-header to Sunday after numerous Ravens players tested positive for COVID-19. At 6-4, Baltimore needs to win this game way more than the 10-0 Steelers, but Pittsburgh takes advantage of their short-staffed rivals. Pittsburgh 27-24
Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars (+6.5) The 7-3 Browns are going to rely on their top-notch ground game to attack Jacksonville’s anemic defence. NFL journeyman Mike Glennon starts for the 1-9 Jaguars, who are just playing out the string at this point. Cleveland 24-13
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Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts (-3.5) The battle for top spot in the AFC South is one of the games of the week. The 7-3 Colts have a great defence, the 7-3 Titans do not. I like Indy to keep things rolling. Indianapolis 27-21
Arizona Cardinals at New England Patriots (+2) Kyler Murray leads the 6-4 Cardinals into New England, where Cam Newton and the 4-6 Patriots are waiting. Both teams are coming off a loss last week. Arizona’s offence is capable of big plays while the Pats still haven’t found their groove. Arizona 24-23
New York Giants at Cincinnati Bengals (+6) Bengals rookie quarterback Joe Burrow is gone for the season after suffering a knee injury last Sunday. The 3-7 Giants are coming off the bye and are still remarkably in the hunt for first place in the NFC East. New York 24-17
Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings (-4) Two four-win teams whose playoff hopes are fading fast. The Vikings are coming off a loss last week while the Panthers shutout the Lions on Sunday and will likely have QB Teddy Bridgewater back on the field. Vikes RB Dalvin Cook has a big game. Minnesota 30-23
Las Vegas Raiders at Atlanta Falcons (+3) Las Vegas fell to 6-4 after a last-minute loss against the Chiefs on Sunday night. Atlanta is 3-7 after getting blitzed by New Orleans. I think Matt Ryan and the Falcons are primed to pull off an upset. Atlanta 31-28
Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3.5) K.C. QB Patrick Mahomes is having another MVP-caliber season and is poised to have another big game. Can Tom Brady and the 7-4 Bucs offence keep up with the 9-1 defending champions? Kansas City 33-31
New Orleans Saints at Denver Broncos (+6) Denver stopped Miami’s five-game winning streak last week and now host the 8-2 Saints, who have won seven straight. Taysom Hill played well in his first career start last week and he will keep New Orleans on the winning track against the 4-6 Broncos. New Orleans 24-17
San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams (-7) Los Angeles jumped to 7-3 and into first place in the competitive NFC West after a hard-fought win in Tampa Bay. The 4-6 Niners are still dealing with a number of injuries to key players and will be in tough to keep pace with the Rams. L.A. Rams 27-23
Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers (-9) The oldest rivalry in the NFL is showcased on Sunday Night Football as the 7-3 Packers host the 5-5 Bears. Plain and simple, Chicago’s offence will not be able to outperform Aaron Rodgers and the Pack. Green Bay 31-14
Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles (+6) The 3-6-1 Eagles are in desperation mode after losing two straight games and seeing their grip of the NFC East lead loosen mightily. 7-3 Seattle is coming off a big win over Arizona in the Thursday night opener to Week 11 and are well-rested. Seattle 31-20
Overall straight up 103-60-1
Overall against the spread 63-95-3
Rick Zamperin is the assistant program, news and senior sports director at Global News Radio 900 CHML.
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