NFL Week 11 Wrap-up

The AFC North went 0-4? Seriously? Seriously:

Well, That Makes Sense:
Baltimore Ravens
Playing Indy, some people had the Ravens as a slight favorite, some people had the Colts as a slight favorite. At this point, I think people are overvaluing the Ravens defense. Yes, like I've said before, Ed Reed and Ray Lewis are two of the best defensive players in the league, maybe ever. But the losses of Rex Ryan, Bart Scott, and Jim Leonhard have hurt more than people think. And without Terrell Suggs this week, things only got worse. The Colts have been struggling, but to think Peyton Manning wouldn't be able to beat that defense is silly, in my mind. Sure, the Ravens almost won, but almost doesn't get you to the playoffs.

Cleveland Browns
The Browns played the Lions and, I'll say it again, it was probably the best game of the season. The Browns, though, are a team on the way to rock-bottom. They keep changing QBs, their head coach makes boneheaded moves, and they've traded away some of their best assests to the Jets for some special teamers. Thats not how you improve, thats how you tank the season and get the 1st overall pick. Eric Mangini's late timeout that let Matthew Stafford back in the game was a terrible move, and ultimately cost them a game they probably shouldn't have been in to begin with.

Wait, These Guys Lost, Too?:
Cincinnati Bengals
It was a let-down game. I didn't think it would be, but the Raiders took advantage of the Bengals coming off their win against the Steelers last week, and pulled out a win. Still, the Bengals were winning by 7 in the final minute. They just didn't have enough in the tank to hold on. A late TD, followed by a fumble on the kickoff doomed Cincy to a loss by field goal. The Raiders got their third win of the season, and the Bengals remain just a game ahead of the Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers
You can blame injuries or whatever you like, but that doesn't the outcome: the Steelers lost in OT to the Kansas City Chiefs. Their defense isn't the same without Troy Polamalu, and their offense wasn't the same after Ben Roethlisberger went down at the start of OT. This was an early afternoon game, so they didn't know at the time that a win would put them back in a tie for the division. That doesn't change the fact that this was simply a game they should have won and didn't.

Injuries:
Al Harris, CB, Packers: out for the season with a knee injury
Aaron Kampman, LB, Packers: out for the season with a knee injury
Ladell Betts, RB, Redskins: out for the season with a knee injury
Chad Rinehart, OG, Redskins: out for the season with a broken leg
Eric Wood, OG, Bills: out for the season with a broken leg
Marc Bulger, QB, Rams: out 3-6 weeks with a broken leg
Matthew Stafford, QB, Lions: expected to miss at least this week with a separated shoulder
Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals: expected to play this week with concussion-like symptoms
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers: expected to play this week with concussion-like symptoms


Fantasy Studs:

1. Matthew Stafford/Brady Quinn. Playing against each other, the two combined for 726 total passing yards and 9 TDs. The 12 of you who have them on your fantasy teams must be very happy.
2. Ricky Williams. With Ronnie Brown out, Williams had to take over as full-time RB. And fill in he did, with 138 total yards and 3 TDs. This was also his first career game with a rushing and receiving TD.
3. Terrell Owens. He had 197 yards and a TD in the Bills loss. Took him long enough.
   

Fantasy Duds:

1. Devery Henderson. With one catch for -2 yards, I'm glad I cut him from my teams a few weeks ago.
2. Marshawn Lynch. In a game where TO exploded, Lynch had 8 carries for 18 yards, fumbled twice, lost one, and left the game in the first half with a shoulder injury.
3. Ben Watson. While the Pats were blowing up on the Jets, Watson was a non-factor. Not even a catch this week.
   

Week 11 Picks:
Straight up: 11-5, 101-58 overall
ATS: 8-8, 88-70-1 overall
o/u: 6-9-1, 74-82-3 overall

Questions for Week 12:
Will the AFC North bounce back?
Things look bleak in the cold, cold North. The top 2 teams lost to teams that were both 2-7 coming into this weekend. The Ravens lost a game they could have won to the Colts. The Browns lost to the Lions. All of them led at one point in their games, and couldn't hold on. If any of them want to be taken seriously, they can't keep having weekends like this.

What happens to the Redskins running game?
I like the Redskins. The team is better than it looks. But with Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts lost for the season, it doesn't look good for them. Jason Campbell needs a running game to set up the play-action. Rock Cartwright is next on the depth chart, and it'll be on him to get things going the rest of the year. Against the Cowboys, he had 13 carries for 67 yards, a 5.2 yards per carry average, so its a good start.

Will the Colts and Saints clinch?
Yesterday I mentioned the Saints can clinch next week with a win and a Falcons loss. What I didn't know then is that, due to tie-breakers, they can also clinch with a tie and a Falcons loss, and the Colts can clinch the AFC South with a win and a Jaguars loss. It'll be tough for the Saints, as they have New England on Monday night, and the Falcons play Tampa Bay. The Colts are more likely, as they should beat the Texans. The Jaguars are the wild card, playing the 49ers. Both teams have been inconsistent, and the game could go either way. Right now, the '9ers are favored, but this early in the week, I think I'm leaning towards Jacksonville.