D.S. Williamson
There were some great match ups in NFL Week 11 recap. The Ravens played an excellent first half against the Cowboys. Did it lead to a Baltimore win? Did Pittsburgh and Green Bay end losing streaks? How did Philadelphia fair against Seattle on the road? See below for a recap of every Week 11 NFL game!
Editor’s Note: Check out our NFL Week 12 Picks by Matt Ross and the Week 12 Betting Preview DS Williamson
NFL Betting – Regular Season Week 11 Recap
New Orleans Saints 20, Carolina Panthers 23
Carolina kept their slim playoff hopes alive by beating the rival Saints in Week 11’s Thursday night game. The Panther almost gave it up as New Orleans’ QB Drew Brees got hot in the 4th quarter. The schedule does not favor the Panthers who have back-to-back road battles against Oakland and Seattle before welcoming San Diego in a tough home game.
Baltimore Ravens 17, Dallas Cowboys 27
If any team was going to stop the Cowboys from running roughshod through the NFL, it was going to be the Baltimore Ravens. Statistically, Baltimore had the best defense in the NFL going into Week 11. The Ravens played Dallas to a 10 to 10 tie in the first half. But in the second half, the Cowboys’ offensive line took over. QB Dak Prescott was brilliant again throwing for 301 yards and 3 TD passes. Baltimore is still in a good position to win the AFC North while
Dallas is, easily, the best team in the NFC.
Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Cleveland Browns 9
The Steelers broke a 4-game losing streak with their spirited if not dominant 24 to 9 win over Cleveland in Week 11. Pittsburgh’s offense amassed 146 rushing yards, all from LeVeon Bell. Bell also scored a TD. Big Ben Roethlisberger only passed for 167 yards. It’s hard to say where Pittsburgh goes from here. We’ll find out more on Thursday night when Pitt takes on Indianapolis on the road.
Tennessee Titans 17, Indianapolis Colts 24
Who would have imagined that the Titans wouldn’t be able to get 1 single yard against the Colts’ defense to continue a game tying touchdown drive late in the 4th quarter? Indianapolis stuffed RB DeMarco Murray on 4th and 1 late in the game. That’s why the Titans, who had dominated the second half of the game, lost 17 to 24 in Week 11. Indianapolis didn’t exit the AFC South battle unscathed. Rumor is that QB Andrew Luck won’t be ready for Thursday night’s game against the Steelers due to a concussion.
Jacksonville Jaguars 19, Detroit Lions 26
The Lions did enough on both offense and defense to beat the Jags by 7 points. Detroit not only won straight up. They also covered the spread. None of it may matter unless the Lions can beat Minnesota on Thanksgiving Day this Thursday. As surprising as it sounds, Detroit hosts Minnesota in a game for the NFC North Division lead. That’s crazy, right? Not really. Green Bay is so awful this season that Minnesota and Detroit have separated themselves from the Packers in the division.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19, Kansas City Chiefs 17
My belief is that Kansas City looked past Tampa Bay in Week 11 because they were already thinking about the Denver Broncos in Week 12. KC has a massive game against the Broncos coming up this Sunday night. How else to explain the Chiefs not only failing to cover against one of the worst teams in the NFC but also failing to win straight up? Kansas City was a -7 home favorite against the Bucs. The Buccaneers’ defense held the Chiefs to 82 yards rushing and 261 yards passing. What’s really crazy is that Tampa Bay QB Jameis Winston threw for 331 yards and a TD. The Bucs also rushed for 116 yards.
Buffalo Bills 16, Cincinnati Bengals 12
It might be time for a coaching change in Cincinnati. The Bengals aren’t that much different this season than from last season when they won the AFC North Division. The main difference from my point-of-view is their attitude. The Bengals haven’t played with a sense of urgency in any game so far in 2016. That’s why the only teams that they have beaten are the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns. If they played Miami today, the Dolphins might beat Cincinnati by 20 points. Buffalo had lost 3 in a row before beating the Bengals in Week 11.
Chicago Bears 16, New York Giants 22
Chicago QB Jay Cutler played hard in this game. He was sacked 4 times for 30 yards lost. He ended up throwing an interception. But up until the end of the game, Cutler played hard. Although it was nice to see Jay play with some fire, it didn’t matter at the end because the Giants beat Chicago in this match up. Surprisingly, New York stuck with the rushing attack. Rashad Jennings rushed for 85 yards and a TD. He caught 5 passes for 44 yards. If Jennings can stay healthy and the Giants end up with a viable rushing attack, New York might make it to the playoffs.
Arizona Cardinals 24, Minnesota Vikings 30
Minnesota ended their 4-game losing streak by beating up Arizona QB Carson Palmer. Palmer threw 2 interceptions in this game. The Vikings sacked Palmer 4 times for 43 lost yards. On offense, Minnesota looked great. The first thing to notice is that Minny handled Arizona’s blitz. The Vikings’ offensive line only gave up 2 sacks. Did Minnesota acquire a ton of yards? Heck, no! But QB Sam Bradford didn’t throw a pick while the Vikings only lost 1 fumble. Minnesota’s offense is most effective when it takes its time and doesn’t force things.
New England Patriots 30, San Francisco 49’ers 17
NFL bettors beat down the Pats from -14 to -10.5. New England covered the spread by 2.5 points in their win over San Francisco. For all of you sports bettors out there, let this game be a reminder why you should wait until the last minute to make your bets. It was a workmanlike win for New England who had to have been thinking about the Jets in Week 12 while they were pummeling San Francisco into the ground. San Francisco is just a terrible football team.
Miami Dolphins 14, Los Angeles Rams 10
The great news for Rams’ fans is that QB Jared Goff looked good under center. He didn’t torch the Dolphins’ defense by any means. Goff only threw for 134 yards. But he didn’t throw an interception. He also rushed 4 times for 11 yards. The good news for Miami fans is that the Dolphins won a game by playing smart on offense. That, and the fact that DeVante Parker had 8 catches for 79 yards and a TD, led to Miami’s fifth straight win.
Philadelphia Eagles 15, Seattle Seahawks 26
Philadelphia did its best to stick with the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. But it’s tough to beat a team like Seattle on the road with a rookie QB. That ended up being the difference. While Russell Wilson ended up taking apart the Eagles’ secondary, Caron Wentz ended up throwing 2 interceptions. Seattle may have turned the corner with the win. The NFC looks like a battle between Dallas and Seattle for the trip to the Super Bowl this season.
Green Bay Packers 24, Washington Redskins 42
Washington played well enough to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Redskins won’t catch Dallas in the NFC East, but they have played well enough for a wildcard berth. Washington looked great against Green Bay. That shouldn’t be a surprise. The Packers’ defense is horrible. I’m not holding out hope, like I’m sure the Cheeseheads are, that Green Bay turns it around some way. Forget it. The Packers may not win another game this season.
Houston Texans 20 , Oakland Raiders 27
Houston is a confusing team. Things went their way in Mexico City this past Monday night. The Texans still found a way to lose the game. Houston’s defense failed to live up to its reputation. The Texans held Oakland to only 30 yards rushing. But the secondary gave up a ridiculous 295 passing yards and 3 TD passes. On offense, Houston rushed for 124 yards. The Texans even had the ball longer than Oakland did. The Raiders are a good football team. They’re currently at 8 and 2 and a game ahead of both KC and Denver in the AFC West.
