NFL Betting: What We Learned from Week 11 (2020)
The football focus is quickly going to switch to Thanksgiving Week with three big games on Thursday. Before we turn the page to Week 12, let’s look back and see what we learned from Week 11.
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Ravens are Charmin Soft
It’s hard to believe how far the Ravens have fallen. They won 14 games last season, fielding an electric offense and a mean defense. This season, they’re now just 6-4 after dropping three of their last four. Their offense is averaging 22.2 points per game over their last four and is ranked 22nd in total offense on the season. That’s been bad but their defense has let them down quite a bit too.
The Ravens entered Sunday giving up 4.5 yards per carry and that number is going to go up after giving up 5.1 yards per carry to the Titans. Given that their offense just isn’t what it was last season, you have to be careful betting this team. At this point, a lot of people are betting on them based on the ‘brand name’ from last year but this is clearly a very different team.
Patricia’s Fault: Lions Offense Shouldn’t Be This Bad
We’ve hit rock bottom in the Matt Patricia era. Losing on the road to the Carolina Panthers, who were starting a backup quarterback, has to be the final nail in the coffin. What’s been utterly disappointing is that the Lions offense was shut out on Sunday, which simply can’t happen given the talent that they have.
Detroit’s offense should be better than this. Matt Stafford is a quality quarterback, they have a trio of decent running backs (one of them should be decent enough) and there is a good receiving core with Kenny Golladay, T.J. Hockensen, Marvin Jones and more. They’ve simply quit on their head coach and it’s for them to move on and find someone who can elevate this roster to – at least – the .500 range.
Washington is the Best Team in the NFC East
I told you a couple of weeks ago when Washington was forced to insert Alex Smith at quarterback (due to injuries) that they’d be respectable the rest of the way. I’m upping the ante now as I think this team probably wins the NFC East. Taking a look at the elements of each of the four teams, the Washington defense – or front seven – is probably the best aspect of any squad. They’re arguably the best-coached team and now with Smith under center, while they’re limited, they are mostly just efficient. They are going to blow the doors off of any team but they probably aren’t going to hurt themselves a lot too.
Considering Daniel Jones is a turnover machine, Carson Wentz leads the league in interceptions and the Dallas Cowboys are beset by injuries, Washington could and should win the division.
Cardinals Just Aren’t Quite There
The Arizona Cardinals have to be happy with where they’re at right now but it’s clear that they’re still a few bricks short of a load. Each week, I’m wondering whether they’re playoff-caliber or if they’re in that 6-10 to 10-6 range. If you take away the overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks and the Hail Mary over the Buffalo Bills, their other four wins have come against Washington, Dallas, the New York Jets, and the San Francisco 49ers. At the same time, you can’t really take away those wins as they’ve earned them.
So, what’s the point here: if you’re betting them week-to-week, this is a fairly inconsistent team and one I’d avoid betting on or against for the time being. They could lose at home to the Detroit Lions or beat the Seattle Seahawks on the road. That being the case, it’s hard to handicap this team.
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