WEEK 11 NFL PREDICTIONS...IT'S RAVENS-STEELERS WEEK!!!

    

     The Steelers played poorly at home against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night.  Mike Wallace hauled in a spectacular one-armed grab for the Steelers only touchdown, but other than that, the boys in black and yellow simply could do little against a team that had never led during regulation before this particular game...and this was all before Ben Roethlisberger came out due to a shoulder injury.  Word just surfaced that Big Ben won't play, and the Steelers are set to start Byron Leftwich.  The Ravens are 4-0 against Big Ben's back-ups, and I have little doubt that first digit will change to a 5 on Sunday night. 
     Yes, the Steelers' defense has improved, and yes they're leading the NFL in defense--but only if you measure defense by yardage allowed.  If one measures defense based on points allowed then the Steelers rank 7th, and they haven't faced many impressive teams thus far.  The best team they faced was the Broncos, but that was during a period where Peyton Manning had not yet gotten in synch with his receivers and taken control of his offense (the Broncos still scored 31 points on the Steelers).  The Broncos and the Giants are, in fact, the only two teams with winning records that the Steelers have faced.  The Ravens have only faced two teams that currently have winning records (the Patriots and Texans), but no one is bringing the Ravens up in a conversation about the league's best defense.  Well, CLOSE to no one is bringing up the Ravens in a conversation about the league's best defense.
     Mike Tomlin stated yesterday that the Ravens have the best redzone defense in the NFL, and that is accurate.  It's an important statistic as it is the reason the Ravens have only allowed 2.11 points per game more than Pittsburgh's supposedly league-leading D.  Dannell Ellerbe is truly stepping up in place of Ray Lewis, Cary Williams is finally starting to make plays on the ball, Terrell Suggs' presense has elevated the pass rush and run defense, Bernard Pollard is once again punishing anyone who dares to possess the ball, and Courtney Upshaw gets better by leaps and bounds every week.  There's still a void left by Lardarius Webb, and Ed Reed is rendered far less effective by his torn labrum, but #20 should have a big week with at least 1-2 picks against Byron Leftwich's painfully slow release.
     Troy Polamalu has long been compared to Ed Reed and the debate over which safety is better has raged for years.  Ed is unquestionably better, but that's a moot point as Troy is not even playing this season, and that is one big factor about which Joe Flacco will no longer have to worry.  The Head and Shoulders spokesman picked off Flacco to end #5's rookie campaign to get to the Superbowl and strip-sacked the same QB in Baltimore a few years later to take a home playoff game away from the Ravens.  Suddenly that crazy-haired Samoan will be watching from the sidelines instead of lurking near the line of scrimmage. 
     In addition to Troy P. and Big Ben, the Steelers will be dealing with the absence of Antonio Brown.  The speedy young receiver hasn't had the numbers that many expected from him this season, but he helps to spread the field and must always be accounted for when he is in the game.  He'll once again be replaced by the slower Jericho Cotchery.  Cotchery is liable to catch a ball or two per game, but he's not a game-breaker the way Brown could be.  People thought the Ravens were crippled by injuries to Ray Lewis, Lardarius Webb, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, and Haloti Ngata, but the injuries to Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, and Antonio Brown will almost certainly prove more costly.  The games between these teams are seldom blowouts, especially in Pittsburgh, but this particular contest should tilt in favor of the Ravens, and I don't think there are many who would argue with that.  SUNDAY NIGHT CAN'T COME FAST ENOUGH!!!  Ok, now let's get to the weekly predictions.

WEEK 11 NFL PREDICTIONS

     Last week I went 10-4 in my predictions to put the total on the year to 47-22.  I again apologize for neglecting to post my week 9 predictions, but week 10 went pretty well.  Only one game had me truly frustrated as the 49ers tied the Rams 24-24 to rob me of another correct prediction.  Let's hope nothing that dumb happens this week.

DOLPHINS AT BILLS- It's tough to tell who's going to show up on any given week in the AFC East, but I have a feeling the Bills are going to get this one done at home.  MY PREDICTION: BILLS 21-13.

CARDINALS AT FALCONS- *YAAAAAAWWWN* MY PREDICTION: FALCONS 38-17.

BROWNS AT COWBOYS- The Cowboys are starting to look better and they've had a VERY tough schedule.  This game will mark the first time this season that the Cowboys will have had consecutive wins this season.  Who knows?  They might just overtake the Giants if they can minimize their mistakes going forward.  MY PREDICTION: COWBOYS 28-16.

PACKERS AT LIONS- Aaron Rodgers will take care of business here, and if he doesn't, well then I dunno what to think about the Packers.  MY PREDICTION: PACKERS 28-20.

BENGALS AT CHIEFS- The Bengals shouldn't look at this game as an easy one.  The Chiefs have lost to incredibly close games to the top two AFC North teams.  In the end, the thigh injury that I saw to Dwayne Bowe will probably play a big factor here.  The Bengals should find a way to win this one, but I wouldn't be even a little surprised if the Chiefs pull an upset here.  MY PREDICTION: BENGALS 17-13.

EAGLES AT REDSKINS- This is gonna be a week where RG3 wins big against an Eagles team that's starting a rookie QB who threw two pick 6's inside a minute against the Cowboys last week.  MY PREDICTION: REDSKINS 33-10.

BUCCANEERS AT PANTEHRS- The Bucs are really warming up and I have a feeling they could even win a playoff game at the rate they're going.  MY PREDICTION: BUCCANEERS 42-23.

JAGUARS AT TEXANS- So I guess I'll get a second nap after the Cardinals Falcons game...I'll need my rest for later that night!  MY PREDICTION: TEXANS 35-9.

JETS AT RAMS- The Jets are falling apart and the Rams can still win a game or two.  MY PREDICTION: RAMS 24-16.

SAINTS AT RAIDERS- The Saints are really hot right now and the Raiders lack a running game.  MY PREDICTION: SAINTS 35-23.

CHARGERS AT BRONCOS- Peyton Manning finally found his rhythm the last time these two teams met.  Phillip Rivers also completed a lot of passes...to the Broncos secondary.  I see no reason why the Chargers should win this game.  MY PREDICTION: BRONCOS 31-19.

COLTS AT PATRIOTS- This should be quite a game, and the Patriots aren't dominant the way they were last year, but I simply don't like to bet against the Patriots at home.  I really hope Andrew Luck proves me wrong here.  MY PREDICTION: PATRIOTS 33-27.

RAVENS AT STEELERS- The Steelers have never beat the Ravens with Big Ben's back-ups and they're not going to start now.  This will continue the Ravens second straight sweep of their division.  MY PREDICTION: RAVENS 24-17.

BEARS AT 49ERS- Both of these teams have fantastic defenses and concussed quarterbacks.  The 49ers, however, have a better running game and homefield advantage.  MY PREDICTION: 49ERS 17-13.

     I'd like to say that I'm looking forward to watching a lot of football this week, but every game that ISN'T the Sunday night game is just going to feel meaningless. AS ALWAYS GO RAVENS!!!