by Sean Murphy
Thursday, Nov 19, 2020We're coming off another winning Sunday in NFL action and back to take our weekly look around the NFL at three teams on the rise and three on their way down as we head into Week 11.
Stock Rising
New England Patriots
Perhaps their come-from-behind win over the hapless Jets in New Jersey two weeks ago will serve as the Pats unlikely turning points, as long as they can build off of last Sunday's impressive primetime win over the Ravens. QB Cam Newton looks healthy again and that's bad news for a rag-tag Texans defense that will try to slow him down on Sunday afternoon in Houston. New England is currently laying less than a field goal.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have won three of their last four contests and find themselves in a spotlight non-conference game against the Packers this Sunday They'll have the benefit of a long week of preparation having not played since last Thursday's key win over the division-rival Titans. The Packers are back on track following consecutive wins but neither victory was all that impressive (coming against the injury-ravaged 49ers and lowly Jaguars).
Kansas City Chiefs
Of course, we could install the Chiefs at the top of this article virtually every week, but here we'll make a point to include them as they've scored a whopping 111 points over their last three games. Kansas City's lone loss this season came in stunning fashion at home against the Raiders back in early October so you can be sure it will be up for this revenge matchup in Las Vegas on Sunday. While the Chiefs are undefeated on the road this season, two of their four wins have come by single-digit margins.
Stock Falling
Cincinnati Bengals
I'm not going to knock the Bengals for last week's tough road loss against the undefeated Steelers but the fact is, they've had a miserable time trying to find the win column since their schedule toughened up in October. Cincinnati checks in having won just once in its last five games and while it does draw a favorable matchup against the Washington Football Team this Sunday, it's a tough spot from a motivational standpoint coming off that big measuring-stick division showdown with Pittsburgh.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles had a fine opportunity to take control of the NFC East with a victory over the Giants last Sunday but ultimately fell short. They've been sputtering all season, playing a maddeningly inconsistent brand of football - par for the course in the NFC 'Least'. This Sunday's game in Cleveland is winnable but it's getting awfully tough to predict when the Philadelphia offense in particular will finally get it together, if at all this season.
Baltimore Ravens
There's sure to be somewhat of an overreaction in the betting marketplace to the Ravens losing that rain-soaked game in New England last Sunday night. With that being said, there's no question Baltimore is having a difficult time reaching the heights that it saw last season. Sitting at 6-3 it is in desperate need of a strong bounce-back performance at home against the Titans on Sunday as a very difficult road game against the Steelers looms next week. QB Lamar Jackson looks like a quarterback that might be putting a little too much pressure on himself.
Stock Rising
New England Patriots
Perhaps their come-from-behind win over the hapless Jets in New Jersey two weeks ago will serve as the Pats unlikely turning points, as long as they can build off of last Sunday's impressive primetime win over the Ravens. QB Cam Newton looks healthy again and that's bad news for a rag-tag Texans defense that will try to slow him down on Sunday afternoon in Houston. New England is currently laying less than a field goal.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have won three of their last four contests and find themselves in a spotlight non-conference game against the Packers this Sunday They'll have the benefit of a long week of preparation having not played since last Thursday's key win over the division-rival Titans. The Packers are back on track following consecutive wins but neither victory was all that impressive (coming against the injury-ravaged 49ers and lowly Jaguars).
Kansas City Chiefs
Of course, we could install the Chiefs at the top of this article virtually every week, but here we'll make a point to include them as they've scored a whopping 111 points over their last three games. Kansas City's lone loss this season came in stunning fashion at home against the Raiders back in early October so you can be sure it will be up for this revenge matchup in Las Vegas on Sunday. While the Chiefs are undefeated on the road this season, two of their four wins have come by single-digit margins.
Stock Falling
Cincinnati Bengals
I'm not going to knock the Bengals for last week's tough road loss against the undefeated Steelers but the fact is, they've had a miserable time trying to find the win column since their schedule toughened up in October. Cincinnati checks in having won just once in its last five games and while it does draw a favorable matchup against the Washington Football Team this Sunday, it's a tough spot from a motivational standpoint coming off that big measuring-stick division showdown with Pittsburgh.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles had a fine opportunity to take control of the NFC East with a victory over the Giants last Sunday but ultimately fell short. They've been sputtering all season, playing a maddeningly inconsistent brand of football - par for the course in the NFC 'Least'. This Sunday's game in Cleveland is winnable but it's getting awfully tough to predict when the Philadelphia offense in particular will finally get it together, if at all this season.
Baltimore Ravens
There's sure to be somewhat of an overreaction in the betting marketplace to the Ravens losing that rain-soaked game in New England last Sunday night. With that being said, there's no question Baltimore is having a difficult time reaching the heights that it saw last season. Sitting at 6-3 it is in desperate need of a strong bounce-back performance at home against the Titans on Sunday as a very difficult road game against the Steelers looms next week. QB Lamar Jackson looks like a quarterback that might be putting a little too much pressure on himself.
