I don’t mean to say I told you so, but I really told you so. My recap of last week’s action was bang on, and we put it to good work with our NFL picks for Week 11. But we can’t dwell on the past, though we still have some lessons learned Week 11 on the NFL. We have a week to quickly sum up and then we start preparing for the next week of football betting. Here we go.
Lessons Learned Week 11
1. The Chiefs really crapped the bed on Sunday. Wow. I can’t believe that they lost a golden opportunity to move a full game clear of a team like Denver, especially when the two teams play each other this weekend. It really affirms what I’ve said for a while now about Kansas City. They are solid, but they are not a spectacular team, nor are they a contender.
2. The Packers defense is atrocious. It doesn’t matter how many different schemes and player personnel groupings that the offense puts together; if you can’t stop the other team from scoring you won’t win! I recently mentioned that this was an 8-8 team, but I am seriously thinking that this could be a 6-10 team!
3. Well, a win’s a win, right? The Panthers barely held on to beat the Saints last week and it means that they cling to faint hopes of making a run at the playoffs. It all hinges on the defense. We know that Cam Newton will get his, the question is how many games will Luke Kuechly miss with a concussion? If he is gone then so too are the team’s chances.
4. The Patriots are on cruise control right now. Everything looks crisp and easy. But don’t let the win over the 49ers fool you – they still have some demons to overcome. With a rematch against Miami in the final week and a game in Denver, we don’t expect a cakewalk to the playoffs.
5. Well, I really thought that the Cardinals would come flying out of the bye week and take out the Vikings. Boy, was I wrong (I know, it happens sometimes). At this point, the Cards have to start thinking about moving on from Carson Palmer. The aging QB isn’t repeating his surprise success from last year. Now here’s a .500 team if I ever saw one!
6. Speaking of the Vikes, that was a big win for them over Arizona and it really could reinvigorate them. Now, how is Adrian Peterson doing? If he returns and they are still in a playoff spot then this team is dangerous.
7. Okay, the Seahawks are for real. Getting Thomas Rawls back really puts that running game over the top, to go along with a hot Russell Wilson and a defense with swagger. Seattle looks hungry right now and I wouldn’t bet against them.
8. Speaking of looking good, yes, the Cowboys are also a serious contender for the Super Bowl. The only thing I worry about is that defense. Are they good enough? Can they bring enough pressure? We know the offense will hold it down, but how many stops will they get versus teams like Seattle? That’s my only question about them.
9. Cincinnati is toast. Marvin Lewis should be toast at this point. There’s still a lot of talent on the Bengals’ roster, but that coaching staff just doesn’t know how to get the most out of it. Time for a change.
10. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – the Ravens can beat up on bad teams and they trip up versus good teams. Yes, they beat the Steelers recently, but Ben was really banged up back then. Don’t trust Baltimore just yet.
11. Speaking of the Steelers, we saw them destroy the hapless Browns, but that was a given. We’re cautiously optimistic on this team, as they try and string together a few wins.
12. The Colts aren’t done just yet. All signs pointed to a Titans win on the road in Indy. But coach Pagano and company had other plans. The injuries and the defense are still a concern, but the Colts aren’t exactly playing in a deep division. Watch how Andrew Luck plays next week. If he has another good game then it could be time to start believing in them again.
Matthew Ross is a sports commentator and a radio host on TSN 690 Radio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Follow him @MatthewWords.