Fraser's Favorites Week 11

N.Y. Jets at Denver

Would a team rather have a quarterback that can throw the ball but is turnover prone or a quarterback that “can’t hit the broadside of a barn”, but can lead a team to victory with his running ability and intangibles? The solution is simple; find a new quarterback! Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow are not, and will not be, good enough to win the biggest games in the NFL. Decision-making and accuracy are necessary to succeed and can often times be impossible to develop. Sanchez and Tebow both lack these essential skills. Fortunately for Sanchez and Tebow, both the Jets and Broncos have solid enough running games and defenses to keep their teams competitive. The outcome of this game will be determined by the speed of the Jets defense and their ability to shut down the Tebow led option running attack.

New York Jets- 19
Denver- 13

Buffalo at Miami

Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Bills surprising start to the season is now a distant memory. The Bills have lost three of their last four games and have been outscored 71 to 18 in their last two losses. In those two losses, Fitzpatrick is a combined 35/62 for 307 yards two touchdowns and five interceptions. The Harvard man hasn’t quite learned enough to carry his team to the playoffs yet. They are a young team though, and will begin to compete every year. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins have seemed to shake off their extremely poor start and have now beaten the Chiefs and Redskins to go on a two game win streak. Because the Miami offense has only been able to score 17.6 points a game, it is crucial that the Dolphins defense continues to minimize opponent scoring opportunities. It will be the Bills defense that creates the scoring opportunities though as Matt Moore commits several turnovers.

Buffalo- 24
Miami- 17

Dallas at Washington

The Cowboys seem to be at their best when they fly under the radar. The first several weeks of the season the media was all over Tony Romo for his Jekyll and Hyde-like performances. Recently, there has been little talk about the Cowboys and Romo specifically and the Cowboys have cruised to win two straight games. The media remains quiet this week about the Cowboys as they travel to Washington in an NFC East matchup. The Redskins are last in the NFC in turnover ratio with 21 turnovers and only 13 takeaways. While the Redskins do have one of the better pass defenses in the NFC, they are allowing close to 120 rushing yards per game. Demarco Murray has revived the Cowboys running game and will once again reach that 120 yard rushing mark and lead the Cowboys to victory.

Dallas- 27
Washington- 18

Oakland at Minnesota

Other than Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, Leslie Frazier should be the coach with the hottest seat in the NFL. Granted, the Vikings are in a difficult division and have a tough schedule, but they should be playing better football than this. They are playing well below their potential. In speaking of potential, Carson Palmer and the Raiders showed a glimpse of their potential against the Chargers last Thursday night. Palmer connected on several deep passes to Denarius Moore and demonstrated that he can still throw an accurate deep ball. Jared Allen will constantly get pressure on Carson Palmer though, forcing Palmer to make errant deep ball passes. As the Vikings defense forces turnovers, the offense will rely heavily on Adrian Peterson and he will carry them to their third win.

Oakland- 23
Minnesota- 26

Tampa Bay at Green Bay

The first two offensive and defensive possessions for the Packers this Monday were a microcosm of their entire season. Aaron Rodgers was unstoppable completing “indefensible” back-shoulder passes as Jon Gruden stated, while Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson were making big plays on defense. The big question for the Packers for the rest of the season will be if they can run the table and go undefeated. With the struggling Buccaneers traveling to Lambeau Field, the talks of an undefeated season can continue as the Packers will crush the Bucs.

Tampa Bay- 17
Green Bay- 42

Carolina at Detroit

Oh that feeling is back in Detroit. The Lions have been victims in three of their last four games and are taking on the identity of their coach; crybabies. As the Lions loss got worse on Sunday, so did the temper tantrums that the Lions players threw. In speaking of throwing, instead of worrying about postgame handshakes, Jim Schwartz should tell his quarterback Matthew Stafford that he should throw to players wearing Lions jerseys and not of the opposing team. As Stafford and the Lions have seemed to cool down since their hot start so has Cam Newton who suddenly receives far less publicity as the Panthers woes continue. The quarterback who gets the most support from his running game will win this game. The Panthers running game is far more talented than the Lions running game.

Carolina-24
Detroit- 23

Seattle at St. Louis

The highly anticipated matchup between the Seahawks and the Rams. Despite their records and the worthless nature in which this game will be played, this will definitely be one of the better games of the week. Both teams have revitalized bruising running backs that refuse to go down in Steven Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. Both teams are also division rivals that are looking toward the future. The immediate future is brighter for the Seahawks as they go on the road to beat the Rams and improve to 4 and 6.

Seattle- 21
St. Louis- 14

Jacksonville at Cleveland

This is another one of those games where the outcome does not matter because of the team’s records but where the game will be competitive. Neither team scores more than 15 points per game and both Blaine Gabbert and Colt McCoy are struggling this season. However, the Jacksonville defense has surprisingly been one of the better defenses in the league and will completely shut down the Browns offense. A tough defense and Maurice Jones-Drew will be enough to beat the feeble Browns. The Jaguars just have to hope Blaine Gabbert doesn’t hand this game away with turnovers.

Jacksonville- 16
Cleveland- 12

Cincinnati at Baltimore

Edgar Allen Poe might have been talking about the Baltimore Ravens in a poem he wrote in 1845 titled “The Raven”. “Weak and weary” and “nearly napping” seem to describe this Ravens team perfectly in their games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks. Weak and weary from their long journey to Seattle and because of the beating their defense took from running back Marshawn Lynch. Nearly napping because their offense slumbered for two games and inexplicably lost to two teams with inferior talent. Now they play a key AFC North game against the Bengals at home. With an injured A.J. Green and a rookie quarterback playing the Ravens defense, Baltimore will right the ship and defeat the upstart Bengals. Doubt the Ravens, Nevermore.

Cincinnati- 20
Baltimore- 26

Arizona at San Francisco

There is now little doubt that the 49ers are one of the better teams in the NFL. They have a solid game manager in Alex Smith, an elite running back in Frank Gore, and a fiery head coach in Jim Harbaugh. The team has taken on Harbaugh’s identity as a competitive, driven, and confident team which refuses to lose. In a division where there is little competition, the 49ers could lock up a playoff spot by December. However, they should not take this Arizona Cardinals team lightly. The Cardinals have won two games in a row under the leadership of John Skelton. Skelton has definitely been shaky at times but has put his team in position to win games. The most surprising part of this two game win streak though has been the play of the Cardinals defense which has held their last two opponents to 13 and 17 points respectively. The Cardinals defense will contain Frank Gore and force Smith to beat them through the air. Smith will do so, but this contest will be much closer than expected.

Arizona- 24
San Francisco- 27

San Diego at Chicago

Da Bears are playing the best all-around football in the NFC right now. Offensively the Bears are finally starting to protect Jay Cutler, defensively they are back to making big plays, and on special teams, well, they have Devin Hester. And now the Chargers get to travel to the windy city in what could be a must win game for San Diego. They have been dreadful in their last three games, particularly on offense where Philip Rivers and Ryan Mathews have been inept. Fortunately for San Diego, they find themselves in the thick of the AFC West race as the division continues deeper into chaos. The Chargers have to get back on track in this game or their season could be in doubt. Philip Rivers will finally take care of the football and will demonstrate why some see him as an elite quarterback in this league.

San Diego- 28
Chicago- 27

Tennessee at Atlanta

Mike Smith’s decision to go for it on fourth down in overtime will always be a highly criticized decision because of the failed attempt. However, the decision itself speaks volumes about the confidence Mike Smith has in his football team. All of the talk this week has centralized around that decision rather than what is even more important; how the Falcons played on Sunday. Again, the Falcons biggest problems were inconsistencies on offense and letting up big plays on defense. They welcome Chris Johnson and the Titans to the Georgia Dome this week in a game with major playoff implications for both teams. The Falcons defense is constantly criticized for its porous pass defense. However, it is important to point out that the Falcons have the third best rush defense in the league allowing only 90 rushing yards a game. Sean Weatherspoon and Curtis Lofton were able to contain the Saints Darren Sproles and will equally contain the Titans Chris Johnson. This will be the first of five straight wins for the Falcons as they put pressure on the Saints in the NFC South.

Tennessee- 20
Atlanta-30

Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants

What should have been a crucial week 11 matchup for both the Eagles and Giants is now only important to one team. The Giants find themselves at the top of the NFC East despite losing to the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday. The Giants losses earlier in the season to the Seahawks and the Redskins could really end up hurting them in the division race as their gauntlet of a schedule continues. On the other side of the field, what was supposed to be the Eagles dream season is now truly a nightmare. Andy Reid finds himself under the coaching guillotine and Mike Vick continues to get thrashed each week. There were always serious concerns about the hits Mike Vick would take as a running quarterback, but no one could have predicted the amount of injuries he has had this season. Mike Vick (or Mike Kafka) can not be looking forward to their matchup with Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, and Mathias Kiwanuka. The Nightmare continues….

Philadelphia-21
New York Giants- 28

Kansas City at New England

The Kansas City Chiefs have now lost starting safety Eric Berry, starting running back Jamaal Charles, and now starting quarterback Matt Cassel. They have replaced these stars with runningback Jackie Battle, safety Reshard Langford, and quarterback Tyler Palko. Who???!!! It is impossible to compete in the NFL without satisfactory depth especially at the skill positions. The Chiefs were competitive and in the division race until they recently lost to the Dolphins and Broncos in back to back weeks. While the Chiefs losing streak is beginning, the Patriots ended theirs Sunday night with a key victory over the Jets. The Patriots will dominate all aspects of this game as the Patriots welcome Tyler Palko into the NFL.

Kansas City-9
New England-33