Niner Noise
FanSided

NFL Week 11: Niner Noise predicts straight-up winners around the league

By Peter Panacy

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 01: Byron Marshall #39 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts after rushing for a first down against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter of a game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 1, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Cowboys 27-13. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 01: Byron Marshall #39 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts after rushing for a first down against the Dallas Cowboys during the fourth quarter of a game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 1, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Eagles defeated the Cowboys 27-13. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

With the San Francisco 49ers on their bye, Niner Noise looks around the NFL and offers up our team-by-team straight-up predictions for Week 11.

The San Francisco 49ers are out of action this week, but Week 11 offers up a number of enticing matchups around the NFL.

The first-place Los Angeles Rams and also-first-place Minnesota Vikings square off, while the New England Patriots will battle it out in Mexico City with the Oakland Raiders.

Meanwhile, Week 11 wraps up with a Monday Night Football matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks, whom the Niners will host the following Sunday.

San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers /

San Francisco 49ers

We’ve certainly had our fair share of surprises this season, but let’s take a look at Niner Noise’s straight-up predictions for this week’s slot of NFL games.

Starting off with a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Tennessee Titans.

Steelers 21, Titans 18

Neither the Titans nor Steelers offenses have clicked fully this season, which is pretty weird. But with Tennessee quarterback Marcus Mariota banged up with an ankle injury, Pittsburgh should have the edge in this one.

Dolphins 24, Buccaneers 17

Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston (shoulder) is out, meaning Ryan Fitzpatrick gets the start. Tampa Bay has scored three, 10 and 15 points the last three weeks, respectively, which bodes well for a struggling Dolphins offense.

Chiefs 35, Giants 10

The 1-8 Giants are better than the Browns but rank below our 49ers in Niner Noise’s latest NFL power rankings. That’s all you need to know here.

Oh, and the Chiefs are coming off their bye week.

Saints 28, Redskins 14

The Saints defense has been surprisingly good this year, and that spells trouble for Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins and Co.

New Orleans QB Drew Brees used to have to win games in shootout form, but that defense is for real now.

Rams 27, Vikings 21

The upstart Rams have the best offense in the NFL right now but face the defensively tough Vikings on the road. L.A. is listed as a 2.5-point underdog, but let’s go with the upset here.

Why? Well, Vikings quarterback Case Keenum won’t have another four-touchdown performance like he did last week.

GLENDALE, AZ – AUGUST 12: Quarterback Blaine Gabbert #7 of the Arizona Cardinals scrables with the football during the NFL game against the Oakland Raiders at the University of Phoenix Stadium on August 12, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Raiders 20-10. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – AUGUST 12: Quarterback Blaine Gabbert #7 of the Arizona Cardinals scrables with the football during the NFL game against the Oakland Raiders at the University of Phoenix Stadium on August 12, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Raiders 20-10. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Cardinals 17, Texans 10

It looks like Blaine Gabbert will get the start at quarterback for the Cardinals in Week 11 over Drew Stanton. Meanwhile, the Texans counter with Tom Savage.

This has the makings of an epic quarterback showdown (note the sarcasm).

Jaguars 31, Browns 13

The Browns are the Browns. Enough said.

Packers 21, Ravens 18

Maybe Packers quarterback Brett Hundley isn’t that bad after all. You know who is bad? Ravens QB Joe Flacco. His 72.7 passer ranking ranks 31st among all qualifying signal-callers this deep into the season.

Lions 23, Bears 17

The Bears defense has been feisty at home, which presents a challenge to the Lions in this NFC North bout. But the Lions are on a nice two-game win streak having put up a combined 68 points in the process.

Advantage: Detroit.

Chargers 32, Bills 12

It looks like Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (concussion) might be available for Sunday’s contest with the Bills, who are benching their own quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, in favor of rookie QB Nathan Peterman.

Good luck with that, Buffalo.

Broncos 20, Bengals 17

This is a tough one to call, as the Bengals have been inconsistent and the Broncos are in a tailspin.

An educated guess has the Denver defense showing up, though, which makes all the question marks in Cincinnati come back to the forefront.

Patriots 27, Raiders 24

Ah, yes. The NFL international series.

The Raiders offense returned to life in Week 9, and having a bye last week should help prepare for this Mexico City contest versus the Patriots.

But the Patriots are the Patriots, after all, and Oakland’s dim playoff chances take a serious hit here.

More from Niner Noise

Eagles 28, Cowboys 17

The Cowboys aren’t as good without running back Ezekiel Elliott (suspension), and that doesn’t bode well facing a hot Eagles team coming off its bye week.

Philadelphia goes into Dallas and shows why head coach Doug Pederson’s squad is 8-1.

Seahawks 27, Falcons 16

The Falcons offense has been up and down all season. And while the Seahawks will be without cornerback Richard Sherman (Achilles) for the rest of the year, their defense is more than capable of shutting down quarterback Matt Ryan and Co.

Next: 49ers' Week 11 stock report after win over Giants

Especially at home at CenturyLink Field. Atlanta’s season-long inconsistencies will continue in Week 11.