Week 11 Results

NYJ 34, New England 31 (predicted: NYJ 24, New England 21) - Crazy overtime game. Shouldn't have even gotten to that point as the Jets were up by 21 at one point before the Patriots started coming back. One thing that's been a recurring theme so far this season: when will teams learn to start putting a spy on Matt Cassel? Honestly- stop letting him break 30 yard runs. The Jets are now in sole position of first place in the AFC East, with the Patriots moving to the top of the Wild Card queue.

Denver 24, Atlanta 20 (predicted: Denver 21, Atlanta 34) - Big win for Denver against a tough opponent. The Broncos defense, while it didn't play spectacularly, held the Falcons to 20 points and their offense played well enough to get the win. Jay Cutler didn't throw an interception and Peyton Hillis (!) ran for 2 touchdowns.

Detroit 22, Carolina 31 (predicted: Detroit 10, Carolina 38) - Detroit started out strong but then fell apart midway through the second quarter. Calvin Johnson continues to be the only relevant player in Detroit, while the Panthers produced two 100 yard rushers (Jonathan Stewart- 15 carries/130 yards, 1 TD, DeAngelo Williams - 14 carries/120 yards, 2 TD). The Panthers maintain their 1-game lead on the Bucs for the title in the NFC South.

Minnesota 13, Tampa Bay 19 (predicted: Minnesota 27, Tampa Bay 28) - The Bucs did the smart thing and forced Gus Frerotte to beat them by holding Adrian Peterson to 85 yards and no touchdowns. That's not to say the Bucs did anything special on offense; BJ Askew scored the only touchdown for the Bucs on his only carry from the 1-yard line. The Bucs at 7-3 are now currently the 5th seed in the NFC.

Baltimore 10, NYG 30 (predicted: Baltimore 20, NYG 31) - Brandon Jacobs is going to be a top-5 fantasy pick next year, possibly top 3 (after AD and Westbrook). He's headed for 1400 yards and 18 touchdowns in hands down the best running offense in the league. Apparently the Ravens can be had through the air (Indianapolis) or on the ground, depending on your strength. The Giants brutalized the Ray Lewis and co. for 207 rushing yards on 33 carries.

Oakland 15, Miami 17 (predicted: Oakland 9, Miami 30) - Another craptacular performance from the Dolphins, who for some reason almost lost to the Raiders at home. This game included a priceless forced fumble/safety, which was actually a pretty good play by the offensive lineman to recover and prevent the Raiders from getting the touchdown. Why are the Dolphins having so much trouble beating bad or mediocre teams at home?

New Orleans 30, Kansas City 20 (predicted: New Orleans 23, Kansas City 27) - The Saints got their first road win with only an average performance from Drew Brees (266 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT). Tyler Thigpen continued his impressive streak of games with a respectable 235 yards, 2 TDs, and an interception, but the Chiefs couldn't stop the Saints when it counted. In Reggie Bush's absence, Pierre Thomas went for 88 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown as well as a goal-line rush from Deuce McAllister. The NFC South, AFC East, and NFC East are alike in that none of those divisions contain a team with a losing record.

Philadelphia 13, Cincinnati 13 (predicted: Philadelphia 29, Cincinnati 16) - Yes that's right, a 13-13 tie. Apparently Philadelphia is incapable of running (68 yards) on the #23 ranked rush defense in the league. A tie in the standings doesn't hurt the Bengals at all, but for all practical purposes Philadelphia tie-d themselves out of the playoff race. Maybe Donovan McNabb (and the rest of the Eagles) should learn more about NFL overtime rules and play with a little more urgency next time.

Chicago 3, Green Bay 37 (predicted: Chicago 20, Green Bay 33) - This game was pretty brutal for the Bears. After stacking 8 in the box against the Titans to stop the run and being torched through the air (by Kerry Collins no less), the Bears started to drop more into coverage. The result? Mr. Overrated Ryan grant goes nuts for 145 yards on 25 carries. Meanwhile the offense can't even get it going on the ground (Matt Forte- 16 carries, 64 yards) while Chicago QBs combined for 151 passing yards and no touchdowns. Who the hell knows what's going on in the NFC North (other than the Lions being pathetic), as the Bears, Packers, and Vikings are all tied at 5-5.

Houston 27, Indianapolis 33 (predicted: Houston 17, Indianapolis 31) - The score is a little deceiving, as nobody I was watching with ever felt like Houston had much of a chance (and none of us are Colts fans, either). Kind of a pyrric victory for the Colts, as they continue to give Steve Slaton career days (14 carries, 156 yards, 1 TD). The Colts are a great cure for the rookie wall, apparently. Bob Sanders hurt again? Surprise! Both Marvin Harrison and Joseph Addai returned from the dead, while the Colts gained important ground in the wild card picture.

St. Louis 16, San Francisco 35 (predicted: St. Louis 14, San Francisco 23) - 28 points in the second quarter will doom pretty much any opponent, which is exactly what the 49ers scored against the still-miserable Rams. Jim Haslett has to lose his job after this season, right?

Arizona 26, Seattle 20 (predicted: Arizona 36, Seattle 27) - Somehow Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald managed to gain 186 and 151 receiving yards but no touchdowns. Two were vultured by JJ Arrington (1 rushing, 1 receiving, both plays going for a total of 10 yards) while the Tim Hightower bandwagon continues to shrink on his 11 carry, 35 yard performance aginst the crappy Seahawks. The Seahawks should be getting better with the return and improvement of Matt Hasselbeck, who looked about as comfortable with the offense as anyone can be after missing a month with an injury. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie put his first-round talent on display with 2 picks. Arizona all but solidifies its division title, not that the NFC West champion really means anything.

Tennessee 24, Jacksonville 14 (predicted: Tennessee 23, Jacksonville 21) - Tennessee pulls off another impressive victory after being down 14-3 at the half. What impressed me the most was the way they won it; not on the ground, and not with short passes. Kerry Collins sealed the game with passes of 56 and 38 yards to Justin Gage, while the Titans defense dominated the Jaguars in the second half. On the 56 yard TD to Gage- what was Reggie Nelson doing? He made contact at the 15 yard line and just kind of ran along with Gage with his hand on his jersey. Maybe he thought he was playing tag or something.

San Diego 10, Pittsburgh 11 (predicted: San Diego 21, Pittsburgh 27) - Probably the most unnecessarily long end-of-game ever. After what was called an illegal forward pass and Troy Polamalu picking it up and taking it to the endzone, the play was called dead and the game ended even though the touchdown should have counted. Oh well, it's the first 11-10 finish ever. San Diego is probably out of the playoffs unless they somehow run the table from here on out. So much for this being "their year."

Dallas 14, Washington 10 (predicted: Dallas 27, Washington 20)* - Well, both Tony Romo and Clinton Portis did play, but both of their teams might have been better off with them on the bench. Romo- 198 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT. Portis- 15 carries, 68 yards. I guess Brad Johnson wouldn't have done better (not to mention Brooks Bollinger), but I have to think the Redskins might have been better off with their backups rather than risk the potential offensive MVP's knee. Meanwhile, by the grace of the mediocrity of the rest of the league both Dallas and Washington are still in the wild card picture (Washington currently holds the advantage over Dallas by virtue of conference record), but these teams are moving in opposite directions. Dallas is seeking to recover from the Brad Johnson administration, while Washington is reeling after consecutive losses to the Cowboys and Pittsburgh.

Cleveland 29, Buffalo 27 (predicted: Cleveland 27, Buffalo 28) - Losing at home on national TV is just unacceptable. Where is all the Trent Edwards love now? 3 interceptions in the Bills' first four drives? Wow. Apparently a Stanford education isn't that valuable. The Bills are now in sole possession of last place in the AFC East and are going to have to play more or less perfectly for the rest of the season to make the playoffs. With the second round of division games still to go (2 home, 1 away), they'll need some luck as well.

12/16 for this week, 100/159 on the season.