After spending last Sunday at Mall of America Field watching the Vikings carve up the sad-sack Detroit Lions, it’s back to the front of the 52-inch HD to watch all 16 games this week.
It’s been quite a week: Larry Johnson is now a member of the Bengals, Dick Jauron was fired as head coach in Buffalo, Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn was fined for throwing a block, Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 for giving the Bills’ sideline the finger(s) and Bruce Gradkowski was named the starting quarterback in Oakland.
My goodness, the No Fun League is fun again.
This week, it’s Week 11 in the National Football League and it all starts Thursday night with Miami at Carolina. On Sunday, look out for Seattle at Minnesota, San Francisco at Green Bay, Indianapolis at Baltimore and San Diego at Denver.
Meanwhile, if LeBron James really believes he can help the Cleveland Browns win football games, then coach Eric Mangini has a uniform for him. The NBA superstar, who was an All-State wide receiver in high school, said Tuesday night that if he put the time and commitment into it, he could be a good football player and Mangini agreed, saying “I have an orange helmet waiting for LeBron James.”
Can’t imagine what the Cavaliers thought of that. then again, who cares? I’d love to see LeBron in the NFL.
Let’s take a closer look at Week 11:
Miami Dolphins 4-5 at Carolina Panthers 4-5 (-2.5)
This is a really tough spot for the Dolphins. Not only are they traveling on a short week; they have only a few days to prepare for a hot Carolina squad without their Wildcat centerpiece, Ronnie Brown.
Dr. Sports: Panthers to win and cover.
The Coach: Panthers to win and cover
Indianapolis Colts 9-0 at Baltimore Ravens 5-4 (PK)
Indianapolis is coming off that improbable victory over the Pats last week. Peyton Manning showed why he’s probably the best quarterback in the NFL, even though his little bro gets paid more. Despite a wonky offence, the Ravens still have one of the best defences in the NFL.
Dr. Sports: Colts to win.
The Coach: Ravens to win.
Washington Redskins 3-6 at Dallas Cowboys 6-3 (-10.5)
The Cowboys will win this game as long as they can keep Washington from running the ball effectively. Dr. Sports does like the points, however.
Dr. Sports: Cowboys to win, but not cover.
The Coach: Cowboys to win and cover.
Cleveland Browns 1-8 at Detroit 1-8 (-3.5)
According to Dr. Sports, the Lions really should not be favoured because they’re a laughable 1-6 against the spread the last seven times they’ve been laying points.
Dr. Sports: Browns to win.
The Coach: The Lions to win and cover.
San Francisco 49ers 4-5 at Green Bay Packers 5-4 (-6.5)
The Packers are coming off a season saving win against the Cowboys. Too bad the Pack’s offensive is so porous. Meanwhile, the 49ers just can’t score any points.
Dr. Sports: Packers to win and cover
The Coach: Packers to win and cover.
Buffalo Bills 3-6 at Jacksonville Jaguars 5-4 (-8.5)
Buffalo stinks, and the Jaguars have been rolling of late. Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the most explosive backs in the NFL and despite some road woes, the Jaguars have only loss one home game all season.
Dr. Sports: Jaguars to win and cover.
The Coach: Jaguars to win and cover.
Pittsburgh Steelers 6-3 at Kansas City Chiefs 2-7 (+9.5)
The Chiefs have yet to win in Arrowhead Stadium this year. Don’t look for that to change this week with the Steelers coming to town.
Dr. Sports: Steelers to win and cover.
The Coach: Steelers to win and cover
Seattle Seahawks 3-6 at Minnesota Vikings 8-1 (-10.5)
The Vikings are undefeated in the Dome. The Seahawks have yet to win a road game. Brett Favre and Sidney Rice have formed a nice relationship. Last week Rice had 201 receiving yards. Adrian Peterson looks fresh and ready to go for the stretch run, which means trouble for opposing defensive fronts.
Dr. Sports: Vikings to win and cover.
The Coach: Vikings to win and cover.
Atlanta Falcons 5-4 at New York Giants 5-4 (-6.5)
Three touchdowns and six interceptions. Those are Matt Ryan’s stats from the Falcons last three games. Over the last few weeks, Ryan has looked hesitant to make the throws that earned him the 2008 NFL Rookie of the Year Award. The Giants needed a bye in the worst way, having dropped their last four. Look for the Giants to get their running game back on track and Eli Manning to bounce back from a string of subpar performances.
Dr. Sports: Giants to win and cover.
The Coach: Giants to win and cover.
New Orleans Saints 9-0 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-8 (+11.5)
The Buccaneers will bring it against the hated Saints. New Orleans, meanwhile, could be caught looking ahead to its Monday night battle against the Patriots.
Dr. Sports: Saints to win but not cover.
The Coach: Saints to win but not cover.
Arizona Cardinals 6-3 at St. Louis Blues 1-8 (+8.5)
Arizona loves to clobber the Rams. We don’t know if that’s because Ken Whisenhunt enjoys laying the hammer on divisional opponents or if Kurt Warner wants some retribution for how he was displaced by the Rams, but in two games, the Cardinals didn’t really need last year, they beat St. Louis twice by the combined score of 68-23.
Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win and cover.
The Coach: Cardinals to win and cover.
San Diego Chargers 6-3 at Denver Broncos 6-3 (+2.5)
Winner of this one takes sole possession of the AFC West. Denver has now lost three in a row. To top it off, Kyle Orton may be out, meaning Chris Simms may have to start at quarterback. The Chargers are playing very good football right now. Philip Rivers looks like one of the elite quarterbacks and Ladanian Tomlinson is coming off his best game of the season, rushing for 96 yards and two touchdowns.
Dr. Sports: Chargers to win and cover.
The Coach: Chargers to win and cover.
New York Jets 4-5 at New England Patriots 6-3 (-10.5)
You seldom bet against Brady and Belichick coming off a loss. The Patriots threw the kitchen sink at the Colts. They showed Peyton Manning things he didn’t recognize. They led 31-14 and had that game in the bag. Unfortunately, they blew it. Dr. Sports thinks this is a big flat spot for New England. He can’t see them summoning the same level of energy against a Jets team that will be desperate for a victory.
Dr. Sports: Patriots to win, but not cover.
The Coach: Patriots to win and cover.
Cincinnati Bengals 7-2 at Oakland Raiders 2-7 (+9.5)
Cincinnati may be the most balanced team in all of football. Cedric Benson may be out for this game, but the Bengals probably won’t need him to polish off the Raiders. Larry Johnson, if he isn’t Twittering, may help fill the void left by Benson’s injury. The Raiders are bad in all facets of the game.
Dr. Sports: Bengals to win and cover.
The Coach: Bengals to win and cover.
SUNDAY NIGHT
Philadelphia Eagles 5-4 at Chicago Bears 4-5 (+2.5)
The Eagles should be able to pull out a tough game at Soldier Field. Huge problems in Chicago.
Dr. Sports: Eagles to win and cover.
The Coach: Bears to win.
MONDAY NIGHT
Tennessee Titans 3-6 at Houston 5-4 (-4.5)
Houston Oilers vs. Houston Texans…wonder if the league lets the former Oilers wear their baby blues? Seriously now, the Titans are hot and have nothing to lose. Lots of pressure on the Texans to perform as Monday night favourites. The Texans need to win this game if they want to stay in the playoff hunt.
Dr. Sports: Oilers, I mean Titans to win.
The Coach: Texans to win and cover.
The Doc is 94-52 and 78-66 against the spread this season. The Coach is 88-58 straight up and 74-70 against the spread.
Related posts: