Each Friday of the 2018 NFL season, we’ll be picking every game (except for Thursday Night Football, of course) against the spread.
Here are the picks for Week 11.
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts (-1.5)
The Pick: Colts
The Titans are playing well right now, no doubt, but the Colts are scoring at will over the last six weeks, Andrew Luck is playing great football, he hasn’t been sacked in four weeks and is 9-0 in his career against Tennessee.
Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons (-3)
The Pick: Falcons
Both of these teams are coming off very different road games — Dallas won in Philadelphia while Atlanta was dominated in Cleveland. But the Falcons are considerably different at home, scoring at least 31 points in four of their five games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Pittsburgh Steelers (-5.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Pick: Steelers
The Steelers are riding a five-game winning streak. The Jaguars have lost five in a row. I don’t see either of those runs coming to an end this weekend.
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (-4)
The Pick: Bengals
The Bengals have played badly over the last two months, there’s no two ways about it. But the Ravens might have to start Robert Griffin III at quarterback Sunday, and I can’t pick RG3 to cover no matter how bad Cincinnati’s defence is.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Giants (-1.5)
The Pick: Buccaneers
The Bucs were their own worst enemy in last week’s home loss, racking up 500 yards but scoring just three points. I expect a similar yards output in New York, but a much different scoreline.
Houston Texans (-3) at Washington
The Pick: Texans
Washington’s defence has given up nearly 1,000 yards over the last two weeks, and the Alex Smith-led offence inspires little confidence. Look for big days from Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins.
Carolina Panthers (-4.5) at Detroit Lions
The Pick: Panthers
Carolina haven’t been great on the road so far this season — they’re just 1-3 — but the Lions have fallen apart over the last three games, and the Panthers will be chomping at the bit to atone for last Thursday night’s embarrassing loss.
Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers (-7)
The Pick: Chargers
This is a tough spread because these AFC West games can play pretty close, but it’s hard to go against the red-hot Chargers, who may get an extra boost with the return of pass rusher Joey Bosa.
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Oakland Raiders at Arizona Cardinals (-5)
The Pick: Raiders
Your guess is as good as mine on this one: two bad teams playing in what is likely to be a bad game. Going with Oakland with the thinking this game could be decided by three points.
Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints (-8)
The Pick: Saints
It’s hard to see how the Eagles keep up with New Orleans, given the way Philly’s offence performed last Sunday night and the injuries they’re dealing with in the secondary.
Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (-2.5)
The Pick: Bears
One of the best games of the week is essentially a coin flip. I’m giving the edge to the Bears though because of home-field advantage and an opportunistic defence that can wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks.
Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Rams (-3.5)
The Pick: Chiefs
All I really want is for this game to live up to the hype (and exceed the record-breaking 63.5 over/under). I’m taking the Chiefs here because, as good as L.A. is, the Kansas City offence is playing at a whole other level. Plus, the Chiefs are 8-2 against the spread while the Rams are just 4-6.
