In a Sunday filled with dramatic finishes and karaoke-themed sendoffs, the NFL was quite happy with the product it rolled out in Week 10. With teams like the Bills and Eagles falling, the playoff race is heating up and it really is anyone’s game. There are a couple of pivotal matchups in Week 11. Here are our top 3 2022 NFL games week 11.
Dallas Cowboys vs Minnesota Vikings
The Cowboys and Vikings couldn’t have played two more different games on Sunday. Dallas blew a 14-point lead and lost in overtime in Mike McCarthy’s return to Lambeau Field, which included a full headset slam. The Vikings stormed back against Buffalo, scored on a ridiculous fumbled snap with less than a minute to play, went to overtime and knocked off the Bills. The Vikings are quietly tied for the best record in the NFL and Kirk Cousins is having a resurgent season. This game should feature a top-notch defense against a top-notch offense. The Cowboys offense is playing at new heights over the last three weeks and while I like this Vikings team, I don’t love their defense which gives me plenty of pause moving forward. Prediction: Cowboys 27 Vikings 21
New York Jets vs New England Patriots
At the beginning of the season, it would have been logical to assume the Buffalo Bills would run away with the AFC East. And while they’ve looked more dominant than any other team at times, they have already lost three games. The East is wide open with Miami in first and the Jets in second. The Pats sit at last in the division, despite a 5-4 record. This is a pivotal matchup and more so for the Patriots who just beat the Jets in Week 8 by a score of 22-17. Zach Wilson threw three interceptions and the Pats defense came up with a few big plays when they needed them most. Both teams enter this week coming off byes and the Jets surely know that this could be a huge win for them if they need it in a tiebreaker down the road. Bill Belichick typically puts together great gameplans against young QBs. Prediction: Jets 20 Patriots 23
Los Angeles Chargers vs Kansas City Chiefs
Anytime we get a Justin Herbert vs Patrick Mahomes matchup, we are usually set up for a great game. These two played earlier in the year, with the Chiefs winning 27-24 in the fourth quarter after mounting a mini comeback. Herbert has held his ground against Mahomes in his young career, with a 2-3 record against him thus far. It seems as if the Chargers have been more injured than any team in the league. They certainly have been at the wide receiver position. With his top two receivers out the last few weeks, Herbert and this offense have failed to score more than 23 points in the last four games. Herbert could get Mike Williams back this week which would be huge as Patrick Mahomes gets more comfortable with his new receiver core, including Kadarius Toney who scored in his second game with KC. The AFC West hasn’t been nearly as impressive as we would have thought at the beginning of the year, but maybe this is a game LA uses to mount the comeback. I’m just not betting on that to happen. Prediction: Chargers 23 Chiefs 30