Mattie T’s Week 11 NFL Predictions

Bill Belichick’s infamous “4th & 2” call and Maurice Jones-Drew’s goal-line rundown were the hot topics of Week 10.

Let’s see if Week 11 can provide more controversial moments…

Week 10: 9-6

Overall: 90-54 (.625)

Miami at Carolina.

Great matchup which will feature the league’s #3 (Carolina) & #4 (Miami) rushing attacks.

The Dolphins will be without Ronnie Brown (ankle) for Thursday, as Ricky Williams is prepared to make his first start since December of 2005 (rushed for 172 yards during Miami’s 24-10 win over Tennessee).

Miami’s secondary can definitely be thrown on (allowing 239.4 yards per game through the air), so look for Jake Delhomme to air it out often which will make the difference in a close game.

Look for Carolina to squeeze out a home win & get back to the .500 mark.

Pittsburgh at Kansas City.

If only the Chiefs could play the Raiders every week, they would still be unbeaten!

Reality is they won’t, and they’re sure to be facing an angry Steeler team that just wasn’t clicking offensively during their 18-12 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday, which knocked them out of 1st place.

Ben Roethlisberger should have no problems shredding up Kansas City’s 24th ranked pass defense, while Rashard Mendenhall is set for a big day going up against the Chiefs’ 27th ranked run defense.

Chris Chambers will get a chance to become Matt Cassel’s primary target on offense, as Dwayne Bowe will miss the next 4 weeks following a league suspension for violating the anti-drug policy.

With no pun intended, look for Pittsburgh to “smoke” Kansas City all over the field in this one.

Indianapolis at Baltimore.

The Ravens know what they’ll have to do in order to pull off a HUGE upset. Run, run, and run the football with Ray Rice, Willis McGahee & Leron Mc’Clain.

That could have big success, but i’m still worried about Baltimore’s secondary. They have given up a lot of big plays this season & now they’ll have to face Peyton Manning, who leads the NFL in passing yards (2,872), yards per game (319.1), completion percentage (69.7%) and passing touchdowns (20).

This might mirror the Monday nighter against Miami where Indianapolis amazingly put up 27 points despite having the football for just over 15 minutes.

Somehow & someway, the Colts will get it done to remain unbeaten.

San Francisco at Green Bay.

Huge game here for the Wild Card, as the loser is most likely a long shot to make the playoffs.

The Packers’ defense provided one of their best efforts of the season last week against a 1st place Cowboys team, as they held a shutout until the 3 minute mark of the 4th quarter.

Both of these teams have great run defenses, but the 49ers’ secondary is in shambles & without All-Pro cornerback Nate Clements.

This is the game that Greg Jennings could finally explode, as he’ll perform at least one Lambeau Leap during Green Bay’s big home win.

Buffalo at Jacksonville.

Big challenge here for the Jaguars as they try for their first 3-game winning streak of the season.

Buffalo will go into Sunday’s game with a new quarterback (Ryan Fitzpatrick) & head coach (Perry Fewell), but neither man will have any answers for Maurice Jones-Drew, who should absolutely rip apart the Bills’ league worst run defense.

Jones-Drew won’t need any goal-line kneeldowns this week, as Jacksonville will run away with an easy win to improve to 4-1 at home.

Atlanta at N.Y. Giants.

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for the Giants, as it allowed Eli Manning to rest his injured heel. Manning should have his way Sunday against a Falcon defense that ranks 28th through the air (allowing 240.7 yards per game).

I think this is the game that the Giants also get their running backs in gear, so look for both Brandon Jacobs & Ahmad Bradshaw to have productive outings.

The Falcons will surely miss Michael Turner’s presence, as he’ll miss this game with an ankle injury.

It opens the door for 3rd year back Jason Snelling to make his 1st career NFL start, as he’s surpassed the 60-yard mark in each of his last 2 appearences.

Look for the Giants to bounce back with a much needed win at home.

New Orleans at Tampa Bay.

I could see the Buccaneers playing extra-motivated in this one, as they have been better recently with the quarterback switch to Josh Freeman.

Unfornautely for Freeman, his team sports a terrible run defense that’s ranked 31st in the NFL. Look for Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush & Mike Bell to all run wild as New Orleans wins easily to stay perfect. I do view this as a possible trap game though for the Saints, with the BIG Monday nighter coming up next week against the Patriots.

Cleveland at Detroit.

Yuck. Ok, i will try not to waste much time talking about two crappy teams.

During Cleveland’s current 4-game losing streak, they have scored a whopping total of 23 points! No wonder why Eric Mangini pondered the thought of LeBron James in a Browns uniform earlier today during media press conferences. That’s how sad it’s getting for at least ONE Ohio team.

Detroit can put up points, but their defense has struggled in each of the past two weeks (both losses).

I usually slide with the home team in a game like this, as i cannot ever trust anything the Browns do on offense no matter who’s behind quarterback. If Dan Fouts is doing this game on CBS, maybe Mangini can talk him into getting out the broadcast booth & suiting up for at least a few series on Sunday.

Ok, on a more serious more..i’m picking the Lions to win.

Washington at Dallas.

I would go with the Redskins in a mini-upset here, but they haven’t had much luck outside of Fed Ex Field this season. I do like the way Ladell Betts ran though last week against Denver, but Dallas is a pretty solid run-stopping team.

Provided that Jason Campbell (has been sacked 28 times this season, 3rd highest total among quarterbacks) has enough time to throw, he could have some success against the Cowboys’ average secondary, as their defense has only recorded 6 interceptions.

This will be a close game, but Dallas should have just enough offensively to squeak out a win.

Seattle at Minnesota.

Should this game be called the Steve Hutchinson bowl?

Maybe not, but Hutchinson is a big reason why Minnesota has the league’s 10th best rushing attack with the combo of Adrian Peterson & Chester Taylor.

Provided that Matt Hasselbeck gets protection from his shaky offensive line, he could have some success against an average Vikings secondary.

This might be a close one, but i see Brett Favre having another big day with his arm as Minnesota will once again win to stay unbeaten at home.

Arizona at St. Louis.

The road-warrior Cardinals come into St. Louis on Sunday, where Kurt Warner will look to torch the Rams’ 25th ranked pass defense.

One guy who could take the load off his shoulders is rookie back Beanie Wells, who rushed for 85 yards & scored 2 touchdowns during Arizona’s comeback win over Seattle last weekend.

Anquan Boldin was finally healthy, and it definitely showed as he caught 8 receptions for a season-high 105 yards against the Seahawks.

Look for the Cardinals’ offense to explode, as they will steamroll the Rams en route to a blowout road win on Sunday.

N.Y. Jets at New England.

Boy, have times really changed for the Jets since their Week 2 win over New England.

Rex Ryan’s defense has been victimized by poor defensive & special teams plays during their back-to-back losses to Miami & Jacksonville, which are two mediocre road teams at best.

Bill Belichick needs his team to bounce back in a major way on Sunday after his failed 4th & 2 call that will be heavily discussed into the offseason if New England doesn’t win another Super Bowl.

I know the Jets’ pass defense is ranked 3rd, but they’re not playing like a unit that’s really strong in any areas right now. With Tom Brady coming off one of his best outings (minus the RIDICULOUS 5-touchdown quarter he had vs. Tennessee), look for him to keep it rolling as the Patriots win at home.

San Diego at Denver.

Here we go again, Denver.

Last season, the Broncos infamously coughed up as big of a 5-game lead in the AFC West, as the Chargers rallied to win the division in the final week of the regular season.

This time, San Diego is making their run much earlier & might face Denver without starting quarterback Kyle Orton, who sprained his ankle during their loss to Washington & might not be ready for Sunday’s game.

The Broncos’ defense has been very suspect over their current 3-game skid, as they are allowing 75 points over that timeframe.

Philip Rivers is the type of quarterback who can expliot this, so look for San Diego to pick up a huge road win & capture 1st place in the AFC West.

Cincinnati at Oakland.

If you did not think the Bengals are for real this season, you better take notice after Sunday’s huge road win against Pittsburgh.

The Larry Johnson signing does serve some interest since Cedric Benson will miss this game with a hip injury, but rookie Bernard Scott will get the 1st opportunity to gash Oakland’s 29th ranked run defense.

The Raiders will start Bruce Gradowski over an ineffective JaMarcus Russell at quarterback, but i’m not sure if this will even improve the Raiders’ bad offense.

Look for Cincinnati to keep it rollin’, while Oakland will suffer another home embarassment before traveling to Dallas for a Thanksgiving Day game with the Cowboys.

Philadelphia at Chicago.

Absolutely critical home game for the Bears, as they dropped two games in 5 days to both the 49ers & Cardinals.

Look for a strong bounceback performance from Jay Cutler, as he’s only thrown two of his league-leading 17 interceptions at Soldier Field while posting a 93.9 rating at home.

The Eagles continue to have problems converting in short-yardage situations, so Andy Reid will have to come up with different ways of trying to move the ball.

Brian Westbrook will be a big loss for Philadelphia at running back, as he also missed last year’s game (Bears won 24-20) with an injury.

With their season on the line and a few extra days of preparation, i am expecting Chicago to come out & win a crucial prime-time matchup to get back to the .500 mark.

Tennessee at Houston.

Surprisingly enough, Tennessee can move just one game behind Houston in the loss column with a win on Monday night.

They have been clicking with the quarterback switch to Vince Young, as he returns to the site of one of his finest NFL moments.

In Young’s rookie season during 2006, he broke open for a game-winning 39-yard touchdown run in overtime to stun the Texans.

He won’t have to do it by himself, as Chris Johnson has been an absolute monster over the past month with four straight 100-yard rushing games.

I could see this becoming a shootout especially with the Texans coming off their bye week, but Johnson will be a huge difference as the Titans will win on Monday Night for their 4th victory in a row.