The NFL Roundup - Week 11

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It should be quite the interesting landscape when NFL teams take the field this weekend. There's been another wave of change since Week 10 came to an end with new quarterbacks taking the helm and even another coordinator change as teams do their best to put themselves into a position to win and earn their shot at the playoffs. Whether or not these changes work, time will tell but each one should make for an interesting story and here are the top ones we are keeping an eye on this week.

Will the Denver Broncos offense finally get moving under Brock Osweiler?
Let's be honest, it's been a rough year for the Broncos on the offensive side of the ball, something they are definitely not used to since they are often prolific and dominant on offense and with Manning now out with multiple injuries, we are all wondering if Brock can give the offense the life it so desperately needs and I think he can. He was able to produce two big drives late in the game against the Kansas City defense and he ran the traditional Kubiak system quite well in the preseason, giving the Broncos a host of options come Sunday as to how they want to look on the field and it should be a welcome sight to see them start putting up points again.

Does being named the starter finally give Johnny Manziel the confidence he needs?
Confidence is a huge deal in the NFL and Johnny Manziel really hasn't had a lot of it. He's shown some real flashes of brilliance in his limited time on the field, with some incredible throws being peppered in here and there as well, but he's never truly had command of the offense. He clearly found his groove against Pittsburgh throwing for 372 yards...but he only had one touchdown. It's clear that Manziel has a decent skill set at his disposal, so I'm hoping that being named the starter for the rest of the season is the missing ingredient and knowing that the job is now his to lose will finally let him show off his stuff. Of course, it could also have the opposite effect...and the pressure could get to him. Guess we will find out soon enough.

Is Austin Davis the answer at quarterback for St. Louis?
The whole QB situation in St. Louis is a strange one, they clearly didn't have a ton of confidence in either Sam Bradford or Austin Davis at the end of 2014, so they trade Sam away for Nick Foles...and then bench Foles for Austin Davis. Now I'm not saying Foles was the answer either, everyone knows his play this year was mediocre at best and even then I think I'm being generous. But I'm not sure making the move to Austin Davis helps the team that much either. His TD to INT ratio last year was pretty meh when you look at it (12 TD, 9 INT) and as a whole he basically did slightly better than Foles did this year. So...it's an odd move to say the least, time will tell if it pays off.

Will the New Orleans Saints defense look that much different without Rob Ryan at the helm?
I hate to say it, but it's Week 11 and at this time of year, any bad habit a player or a team have, are now a routine part of their play. Which brings us to the Saints defense. Last week, they let Washington utterly obliterate them and it cost Rob Ryan his job and well...despite the fact this D should continue to be awful because of how late in the season it is, I actually have faith that they will improve for a couple of reasons. Number one, there's no where to go but up. Number two, Dennis Allen. He's the new DC for the team and having seen his work first hand in the same role in Denver, the man knows how to get the most out of his players. But before someone points out his failed stint in Oakland as Head Coach, let me clarify by saying that I think he's a stronger coordinator than a Head Coach and I'll be keeping an eye on what this defense does come Sunday.

Will the Washington Redskins be the team to bring down Carolina?
If Monday night taught us anything, it's that at some point some team is going to have to your number. They'll figure out your offense and your defense and tear it to pieces and well, Washington may be the next team to pull off such a feat against the undefeated Carolina Panthers. After all, no one thought Houston stood a chance and few think Washington does as well. But they are coming off against one incredible win last week and Kirk Cousins' confidence is soaring sky high, which means this game could get extremely interesting and well...I think Washington has a chance to pull off the upset, this should be one interesting game for sure.

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OUR PICKS OF THE WEEK

John's Picks 
Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears - Denver
Washington Redskins at Carolina Panthers - Washington
Oakland Raiders at Detroit Lions - Oakland
Indianapolis Colts at Atlanta Falcons - Atlanta
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars - Tennessee

Scotty's Picks 
Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears - Chicago
Dallas Cowboys at Miami Dolphins - Dallas
St. Louis Rams at Baltimore Ravens - St. Louis
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings - Minnesota
Cincinnati Bengals at Arizona Cardinals - Cincinnati 

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