NFL open thread, week 11

Last week was definitely unpleasant for this prognosticator.  I went 3-3 for the third week in a row, only with a big assist from Bill Belichick, but the Steelers couldn’t score a TD against the Cincinnati Bengals and got swept in the season series.  Now they’re 6-3 and one game behind in the won-lost record but really two games behind since the Bengals own the tiebreaker.  Both teams play relative pushovers today.  The Bengals go to Oakland, while Pittsburgh goes to Kansas City.  I’ll pick the Steelers over the Chiefs 31-10 in what should be a rebound game.

Oh, and during the week, I decided to take a long shot and apply for a press pass to a Steelers home game … and got politely denied, as I’d expected.  Bummer.  I think next year I’ll make it a mission to find a field pass for a Steelers game at Heinz Field.  We’ll see how that works out. Hopefully, it will work out better than my picks have the last three weeks.  I’m now 36-17, which should be the Bengals winning score over the Raiders, and here are a few more to anger and annoy:

• Indianapolis at Baltimore – The Ravens play tough at home, but they could barely handle the Browns on the road.  Indianapolis should have lost their first game to the Patriots, but Belichick’s gamble allowed them to mostly run the ball and score a TD to win the game.  I think the Colts are too tough mentally for the Ravens, who have slid into mediocrity this season.  Colts over Ravens, 28-17.
• Seattle at Minnesota – Brett Favre should have no problems with Seattle, and neither should Adrian Peterson.  Expect a lot of scoring from the Vikings and next to none from the Seahawks — probably 38-10.
• Atlanta at New York Giants – The Giants break their 4-game losing streak today, mainly because Atlanta is turning into a one-dimensional offense.  24-13, Giants at home.  (And this time Lucy will NOT move the ball, I predict.)
• Tennessee at Houston – Tennessee has turned around 180 degrees since starting Vince Young.  They play better, they look better, and they have a 3-game winning streak.  Houston only plays .500 at home but are coming off a bye after a tough loss to Indy.  I’ll say this may be the toughest game of the week, but Houston wins a squeaker at home, 27-24.
• Cleveland at Detroit – Not just the Futility Bowl of the Week, but the Futility Bowl of the Season.  Two 1-8 teams square off against each other in a game CBS must have carried after losing a bet with Fox.  Detroit is playing at home, and unlike Cleveland, Detroit has played tough at times against good competition.  Expect Detroit to win their second game of the season, 17-3.

Update: Cleveland at Detroit, not Dallas. Sorry about that!