NFL 2023: Week 11 Picks
While Week 11 isn’t packed to the brim with exciting matchups, but the best matchups of the week are some of the can’t-miss games of the season. The action kicks […]
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While Week 11 isn’t packed to the brim with exciting matchups, but the best matchups of the week are some of the can’t-miss games of the season. The action kicks […]
While Week 11 isn’t packed to the brim with exciting matchups, but the best matchups of the week are some of the can’t-miss games of the season.
The action kicks off on Thursday Night with the 5-4 Cincinnati Bengals taking on the 7-3 Baltimore Ravens in a pivotal AFC North tilt. The Ravens can establish themselves as the division’s leader with a win at home, but a Bengals win could make the league’s strongest division so far just a bit messier.
The other half of the division, the 6-3 Pittsburgh Steelers and the 6-3 Cleveland Browns, square off on Sunday afternoon in Ohio in a matchup that is probably even more pivotal from the perspective of these two teams: a chance to catch up to or even soon tie the Ravens in the AFC North standings.
Besides that, not a single other game on Sunday features two teams currently holding winning records. There’s still some key matchup: the 5-5 Las Vegas Raiders could flip the AFC standings into chaos with a win over the 6-3 Miami Dolphins, the 3-6 Tennessee Titans basically face a do-or-die game against the 6-3 Jacksonville Jaguars, and the 4-5 New York Jets have the chance to extend the slide for their division rival 5-5 Buffalo Bills.
But of course, it all builds up to Monday Night Football: where the defending Super Bowl champion 7-2 Kansas City Chiefs host the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of Super Bowl 57 that, by all means, could also be a preview of Super Bowl 58. Skip ahead to the Monday Night Football tab for the full breakdown.
Read on for my 2023-24 NFL Week 11 Picks, and if you’d like to debate or discuss any predictions, join the conversation with @SakSports on Twitter.

Week 1: 9-7
Week 2: 12-4
Week 3: 8-8
Week 4: 12-4
Week 5: 7-7
Week 6: 11-4
Week 7: 5-8
Week 8: 11-5
Week 9: 11-3
Week 10: 7-7
Overall: 93-57 (62%)
Cincinnati Bengals (5-4) at Baltimore Ravens (7-3): Both AFC North powerhouses are reeling off Week 10 losses, with the Cincinnati Bengals losing late in a shocker to the Texans, and the Baltimore Ravens being narrowly outdueled by the Browns in a loss that stung twice as hard. On Thursday Night Football though, it’s Joe Burrow vs. Lamar Jackson with a lot on the line: anything goes. I want to take the Ravens at home, but the team that’s been making deeper playoff runs over the past few seasons, the Bengals, may be more equipped to step in the moment. Bengals win 26-23

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) at Cleveland Browns (6-3): The Cleveland Browns’ quarterback carousel spins back around to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, with Deshaun Watson out for the season. Thompson-Robinson is capable of leading the Browns to a win, especially with a great defense behind him, but this year’s Pittsburgh Steelers have been a wrecking ball as opposed to my expectations. Steelers win 20-17
Chicago Bears (3-7) at Detroit Lions (7-2): I don’t expect the Detroit Lions to fall victim to any kind of trap game scenario here: I think Dan Campbell will have his Lions locked in against their NFC North rival Chicago Bears, who despite winning a couple games recently, aren’t in the same league as Detroit. Lions win 33-13
Los Angeles Chargers (4-5) at Green Bay Packers (3-6): The Los Angeles Chargers have had a tumultuous season, living and dying by their defense most weeks. Last week, Justin Herbert and company put up 38 points and still lost to Detroit. Luckily, Jordan Love’s Green Bay Packers are nowhere near the offensive juggernaut the Lions are. Chargers win 30-18
Las Vegas Raiders (5-5) and Miami Dolphins (6-3): While I’m not going to go against the grain here, I think the Miami Dolphins being 13.5-point favorites here is a little disrespectful to the Las Vegas Raiders’ recent success. Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins definitely have the ability to pour it on, especially at home (4-0,) but I think the final score here will be a bit closer than two touchdowns. Dolphins win 28-20
New York Giants (2-8) at Washington Commanders (4-6): I like to look at Sam Howell and the Washington Commanders as more of a five or six-win team at this point in time: considering how close they played the top-ranked Philadelphia Eagles not once, but twice. Tommy Devito and the New York Giants looked like a shell of an NFL team against the Cowboys last week. Commanders win 36-17
Dallas Cowboys (6-3) at Carolina Panthers (1-8): While America’s Team hasn’t done as well this season when, well, being tasked with travelling America (2-3 road record, 4-0 home record,) Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for these Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys win 34-16
Tennessee Titans (3-6) at Jacksonville Jaguars (6-3): I thought Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans had something going for a minute, a few weeks ago, but it looks like Tennessee probably won’t be much of a playoff contender this season. The Titans could potentially change that narrative with a season-saving win here to avoid falling to 3-7, but despite the Jacksonville Jaguars struggles against the 49ers last week, it’s clear who the better team is here. Jaguars win 28-18
Arizona Cardinals (2-8) at Houston Texans (5-4): Kyler Murray returned to the field last week and showed he’s still a game-changing quarterback, making the 2-8 Arizona Cardinals slightly scarier than their record implies. Kyler Murray vs. C.J. Stroud could be an instant classic if these two teams go blow-for-blow, but, and I can’t believe how soon I’m saying this: the Houston Texans are a pretty good football team. Texans win 30-23
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5) at San Francisco 49ers (6-3): After snapping their three-game skid last week with a dominant 34-3 win over the Jaguars, the San Francisco 49ers look like they’re back on track. Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a 39-37 shootout loss to the Texans and a bye week, but may face a rude awakening against San Francisco’s defense. 49ers win 27-9
New York Jets (4-5) at Buffalo Bills (5-5): This game suddenly means a lot in the AFC and particularly the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills have underperformed expectations this season, hitting a new low with a home Monday Night Football loss to the Broncos in Week 10. The New York Jets are normally a team the Bills could easily overwhelm at home, but this season, anything could happen. As much as a Jets upset is possible, it’s still hard to see Zach Wilson putting up more than 20 points on this Buffalo defense. Bills win 23-17
Seattle Seahawks (6-3) at Los Angeles Rams (3-6): These two NFC West teams are trending in opposite directions, with the Seattle Seahawks winning six of eight games since a Week 1 loss, and the Los Angeles Rams losing three straight after a 3-3 start. To make matters worse, the Rams are just 1-3 at home. This is Seattle’s game for the taking. Seahawks win 27-17

Minnesota Vikings (6-4) at Denver Broncos (4-5): Just a couple of weeks ago, this Sunday Night Football matchup looked like a nothingburger and a potential candidate to be flexed out of primetime, particularly as the Minnesota Vikings lost Kirk Cousins for the season. But the Linsanity-esque run of Josh Dobbs has led to back-to-back wins for the Vikings, who have won five straight games and six of seven matchups since an 0-3 start. Two of the Vikings losses are to the Eagles and Chiefs, last year’s Super Bowl participants, each by a single score. But wait, there’s also Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos: who have recovered from the depths of a 1-5 start with three straight wins, including back-to-back improbable victories over the Chiefs and Bills. To be honest, I have no idea what will happen in this game: except that it will have a cracked-out score, as Broncos games have during the Russell Wilson era. Vikings win 25-22

Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (7-2): The most highly anticipated matchup of the season is here: a Super Bowl 57 rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs: who just so happen to currently hold the best records in their respective conferences. It doesn’t get much better than this. Throw in the added wrinkles of the Travis Kelce/Jason Kelce/Taylor Swift storylines, and the NFL has a ratings dream on Monday Night. As far as what to expect on the field, look no further than Super Bowl 57’s 38-35 score. Both teams have looked human this season despite their elite records, with the Eagles playing many close games and the Chiefs recently losing to the Broncos. I’m going to take the road underdog, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, playing with a chip on their shoulders after a bitter Super Bowl loss. The Chiefs are 2.5-point favorites at home which is fair, but this game feels like a toss-up. Eagles win 24-20
Header Photo Credit: Yong Kim/Philadelphia Inquirer
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