NFL Week 11 Preview - Playoff Implication Games

The Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints are the two undefeated teams left in the NFL.

For New Orleans, their performance against one of the worst teams in the NFL, the St. Louis Rams, last Sunday was about as awful as any performance they have had all season. The 9 and 0 Saints haven’t covered an NFL betting spread in three straight games and face another double digit spread on the road as they are 11 point favorites in the NFL sportsbook to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday.

The Saints got some good news on Monday when it was announced that starting cornerback Tracey Porter had a sprained MCL and should be able to return to action this season. That’s a huge deal for the Saints who are battling injuries on their defense. Besides Porter, the Saints’ other starting cornerback, Jabari Greer, is suffering from a groin injury. Free safety Darren Sharper, the catalyst of New Orleans’ resurgence on defense, is suffering from a knee injury.

Still, the Saints have a good shot of beating the Buccaneers because they are so strong on offense, but New Orleans faces the New England Patriots in two weeks. A victory against Tampa Bay? Possible. Beating New England without a healthy Greer, Porter or Sharper? Nope. No way. The chances of the Saints going undefeated just aren’t that great right now.

The chances of the Indianapolis Colts going undefeated aren’t that great either.

Peyton Manning was awesome in the second half of the Colts stunning 35 to 34 victory over the New England Patriots this past Sunday.

But, the Colts are going to have to dig deep again in order to beat the Baltimore Ravens who have the type of defense that could challenge Manning and Co. and, more importantly, are playing at home. The Ravens have a very, very good offense with a terrific running game. They could control the clock against the Colts. Baltimore is favored by 1 point over the tough Colts in the early wagering. Expect the Ravens to be a 2 to 2 ½ point favorite by kick-off as many NFL gamblers know that the Colts have been escaping with victories.

Even if the Colts upset the Ravens this Sunday, games against Houston, Tennessee, Denver and Jacksonville are all potential losses for Indianapolis. Like the Saints, the chances of the Colts going undefeated just aren’t very good.

5-4 Falcons vs. 5-4 Giants with Playoff Implications

The Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants are playing this Sunday in a game that could mean the season for one of them. The Falcons failed to beat the Carolina Panthers last week and are now tied with the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Eagles for a wildcard spot. The problem for the Falcons is that they still play the Eagles and the New Orleans Saints this season.

So, if the Falcons lose this weekend to the Giants, then they could potentially go 9 and 7, or worse on the season. That would probably keep them out of the playoffs.

Even though the NFC East hasn’t preformed as well as BetUS NFL bettors have hoped during this season, the division is still plenty good enough to send three teams to the playoffs. That would be likely division winner Dallas along with both the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants have a shot at winning the division but they will need to end their four game losing streak, and that will have to start this week with the Atlanta Falcons.