Carolina VS Detroit

The Panthers turned in their worst performance of the season last week, a 46-23 bludgeoning at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Carolina has been far more competitive this year than they have any right to be considering the youth of the roster and inexperience of the coaching staff, so a result like this was really just a matter of time. The offensive line did not protect particularly well and as always the defense was unable to get off the field on 3rd down, surrendering conversions on 10 of 16 attempts. They were abysmal in run and pass defense, giving up nearly 550 total yards. The real takeaway from this game however, is that Carolina will be without their starting QB for week 11. Teddy Bridgewater suffered a knee injury late in the loss and though he looks to have escaped serious damage, he will be sidelined this week. Also injured are starting guard John Miller, Christian McCaffrey, Donte Jackson and Russell Okung— none are expected to play.

It’s unclear at this point who will take over for Bridgewater, it’ll be either former XFL starter and Matt Rhule pupil P.J. Walker or 2019 3rd round pick Will Grier. The main difference between the two is that we think P.J. Walker can’t play, but we know Grier can’t. So despite the fact that the Lions are not imposing in the slightest, especially after eking out a 3 point win over Washington, a win that was gifted to them by Chase Young’s late roughing the passer penalty, Carolina is in trouble. With injuries along the offensive line and in the backfield, they face the terrifying prospect of relying on the defense to lead them to victory. Don’t count on it.

What to Watch:

Whoever lines up under center for the Panthers will still have one of the best receiving corps in the league to lean on. Joe Brady is going to have to do everything he can to simplify the game for Grier/Walker. Short, quick passes that allow Samuel and Moore to run after the catch and attacking the middle of the Lions soft run defense with Mike Davis will be essential to keeping the QB upright and limiting mistakes on offense. This is not a game where the Panthers can afford turnovers or penalties, they need to stay on schedule and convert short 3rd downs to limit Stafford’s chances of exposing the secondary.

Baltimore VS Titans

Baltimore is really banged up on both sides of the ball. It looks like Campbell and B. Williams will be out again this week and their pride wasn’t the only thing they lost against the Patriots as #2 TE Nick Boyle is out for the season. The Ravens have been scouring practice squads and street corners to find some fill-ins and they came up with Luke Willson and Deontae Harris, not inspiring stuff. Defensively Baltimore should be able to hold their own, they have more than enough talent to withstand a couple losses up front if they play up to their abilities. Derrick Henry has played a starring role in Ravens fans’ nightmares since January but the reality is he’s just a running back and shouldn’t dictate the outcome of this game. A.J. Brown and Corey Davis are talented but not overwhelming and the Ravens certainly have the corners and edge rushers to slow down, if not outright stop, the Titans pass game.

The offense on the other hand… I’m not sure where they go from here. Ronnie Stanley is out for the year and they’re still without Tyre Phillips. Functionally they’re also without a starting center since Matt Skura has been spraying snaps all over the field the last few weeks and there’s been no indication he’ll be replaced. Add to that the fact that the “3 headed monster” at RB are all trailing Lamar in carries and yards for the season, Marquise Brown apparently thought complaining publicly would make corners back off him, Miles Boykin is MIA, Mark Andrews can only catch when nobody is looking, and Dez is throwing up the X on the practice squad and you have a unit without a whole lot of answers. My belief is that they will go ultra conservative, hand the ball off more and take 1-2 shots a game and just hope Lamar can make enough plays to pull out wins over the next couple weeks. Not a strategy that breeds confidence but may be their only choice at this juncture.

What to Watch:

Marquise Brown is the only receiver with anything approaching game breaking ability and he simply has to step up. The Ravens cannot rely on Boykin, Duvernay or even Snead despite decent play the few games. Brown believes he’s a #1 receiver, he believes he should be getting more opportunities to make plays, in short he believes he’s “that guy” and now is the time to prove it. A loss this Sunday will end Baltimore’s hopes of winning the division, it’s up to Lamar and Hollywood to do something about it.

Week 11 Picks (Updated Sunday)

Brodny- Cardinals Bengals Saints Steelers Patriots Browns Lions Titans Chargers Dolphins Vikings Packers Chiefs Rams

Jose- Seahawks Steelers Panthers Patriots Ravens Eagles Falcons Bengals Chargers Dolphins Vikings Packers Chiefs Rams

Eric- Seahawks

Jansen- Seahawks Browns Saints Bengals Lions Steelers Titans Patriots Dolphins Chargers Packers Vikings Chiefs Rams

Brandi- Seahawks Browns Saints Cincy Panthers Baltimore Steelers Pats Chargers Dolphins Packers Vikings Chiefs Bucs