The Gridiron Gentlemen’s Super Fun Prediction League: Week 11

 

It’s getting weird that no matter how different our picks are, we all end up at roughly the same place. This week we had 5 top performers with 7 correct picks and 1 with 6. Which means there is very little change in the table.

Let’s check out the scores:

Dan: 89-57

James: 88-58

Dylan: 90-56

Simon: 92-54

Duncan: 90-56

We’ve got some games that are hard to call this week and some a handful of standout match-ups. This should be a fun week.

Let’s take a look at week 11.

 

Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars

What a game. No actually, seriously the biggest talking point that came from this was the uniforms. It’s slightly terrifying to think that both these teams stand a chance of making the playoffs.

 

 

 

 

St Louis Rams @ Baltimore Ravens

Both teams struggled last week and thanks to limited talent on offence. The Rams have an iota of a chance to make the post season, but it’ll require Case Keenum, who has come in for Nick Foles, the QB they traded Bradford for, to actually make something of this offence. The Ravens are playing for pride and little else. I long fall from a team that had sneaky Superbowl potential. There could be some big changes in Baltimore next year.

 

 

 

 

Washington @ Carolina Panthers

This game has sneaky trap game potential, as weird as it sounds. Carolina have looked more convincing every week and beaten some top teams in the process of maintaining their unbeaten record. Washington have put together a decent unit that can hold their own against some of the top teams in the league. Last week’s destroying of the Saints, was just part of the process, but in general this has been a pretty decent unit.

 

 

 

 

Denver Broncos @ Chicago Bears

The Broncos unbeaten run ended with a fizzle and with it we saw the potential end of one of the truly great QBs. Whilst there has been constant criticism of the Peyton Manning, it’s the defence that has suffered a surprise drop off, which is seemingly great timing, as the Bears offence led by ex- Broncos Adam Gase and Jay Cutler, seem to have hit their sweet spot and have started putting up some serious numbers. The Bears seem to be going into this one as at least equals to a Broncos team led by Osweiller, but as the resident Gents Bears fan, I have my doubts.

 

 

 

 

Dallas Cowboys @ Miami Dolphins

The Cowboys have strung together a long run of losses, since Tony Romo went down injured. Now he’s back and he’s up against a Dolphins team that has had more ups and downs than JJ Watt’s dumbbells. Last week they were gifted a result by the Eagles, but despite the long running losing streak the Cowboys have put together, this should be a closer contest, with the Cowboys giving up very little.

 

 

 

 

Oakland Raiders @ Detroit Lions

The Lions picked up a surprise result against Green Bay last week. But it wasn’t without their best attempts to throw away the game. Oakland’s weaknesses seem to be presenting themselves and they are almost wholey on defence. We could either have a shoot out, or if the Lions offence is as inept as I think it possibly is, it could be a one-sided affair.

 

 

 

 

 

New York Jets @ Houston Texans

The Texans pulled off the other surprise result last week, making the ‘undefeated’ Bengals look pretty ordinary, thanks to some decent QB play from backup T.J Yates. The Jets have been hit hard by the injury bug, particularly to the secondary, which is an area they rely on heavily. A couple of weeks ago this would have been thought to be a one-sided affair, but with Johnathan Joseph and rookie Kevin Johnson, putting in decent performances it means the Jets will probably struggle to get the ball to Marshall and Decker. This could be a close defensive struggle.

 

 

 

 

Indianapolis Colts @ Atlanta Falcons

With these 2 teams coming off a bye, it’s hopefully given us time to figure out just what both these teams are. The Falcons had a hot start but have since cooled off, thanks to a pass rush that seems to have just disappeared. The Colts seemed to have start to figure out where they’d gone wrong, but now with Andrew Luck set to miss a number of games, they’re relying on veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck to get them wins. This game could tell us an awful lot about what these teams actually are.

 

 

 

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles season hasn’t gone quite in the direction they thought it would when Chip assumed full control of the team. Last week emphasized how mistakes and poor clock management are killing this team. This week they go up against a Bucs team that is heating up. The defence has found their groove, with a potential rookie of the year in Kwon Alexander being a great addition to the team. The offence also appears to have found it’s feet too, with Winston finally looking like he might live up to the expections of a number 1 pick. The Bucs here could be surprise shout for a late playoff run.

 

 

 

 

Kansas City Chiefs @ San Diego Chargers

Since their trip to London the Chiefs have looked pretty good. Charcandrick West seems to have found his feet on offence and Kelce seems to have got over his case of the ‘drops’. All the while the defence keeps racking up sacks through the interior and the secondary led by Marcus Peters (another potential defensive rookie of the year). The Chargers are just having a year they’d like to forget. The fans aren’t behind them any more (this won’t be a home game for them) and the team is suffering from a non-stop run of injuries. 2015 will no doubt be stricken from the Chargers records, bar the retiring of Tomlinson’s number today.

 

 

 

 

Green Bay Packers @ Minnesota Vikings

The NFC North is surprisingly up for grabs and this game will decide who has the driving seat. The Packers have lost the last 3 games which has everyone scratching their head. What happened to this team? The offence has been stagnant and the defence has struggled to get pressure against even some of the poorest offensive lines. The Vikings have progressively found form throughout the season, with Peterson being back up with the top running backs in terms of stats. So now we’re here. A floundering Packers team against an up and coming Vikings team. A fun battle here.

Dan	Dylan	Duncan	Simon	James	Alex
Packers 22-21	Vikings 20-17	Packers 17-14	Vikings  24-13	Vikings  21-19	Packers  17-14

 

 

 

 

 

San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks

Seattle are by no means perfect. The offensive line is one of the worst in the league and the secondary is playing surprisingly poorly with a slight change in the scheme. If there’s one team they tend to get good against however, it’s the Niners. Which probably doesn’t change here. The Niners put Kaepernick on IR this week meaning Gabbert has the keys to the offence now, which despite a decent display against the Falcons, is a truly terrifying prospect. The Niners always struggle against the Seahawks and this game looks like no exception, it will be interesting to see how Gabbert fairs against the Seahawks pass rush however.

 

 

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals @ Arizona Cardinals

 

 

 

 

 

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots

Despite the Patriots looking like a convincing option to go 16 – 0, a number of key injuries have made them actually look vulnerable. Enter a Bills team that have overcome the worst of their injuries and are actually looking a potential wild card contender. Tyrod Taylor could be in a decent position to take advantage of New England’s defensive issues. However until I actually see them lose a game, I can’t pick against them.

Dan	Dylan	Duncan	Simon	James	Alex
Patriots 28-17	Patriots 40-17	Patriots 42-32	Patriots 31-24	Patriots 31-21	Patriots 28-21

 

 

 

 

Enjoy week 11 folks, let us know who you’ve got on twitter, here