Five Up Five Down The 5 Best and 5 Worst NFL teams week 11 is where we rank the five best and five worst teams in the NFL. Anybody can list the best teams. It takes real skill to sort through the mess that is the bottom of the league. Week 11 is hours away from kicking off in Pittsburgh on this crunchy groove Thursday. What did we learn from Week 10? The Saints offense is insane in the membrane. Chiefs and Rams continue to roll, which makes this weeks match-up must-watch TV. The Raiders are horrible, and the Jets should really be embarrassed! Does your team sadly qualify for worst teams for Week 11?
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5 UP: The 5 Best NFL Teams Week 11
1. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (8-1) Last Week: 2nd
This team got a terrific defensive performance that held the Bengals to 14 points on the road. The Saints still give up 23.6 a game and 376.2 yards a game, which still needs improvement and ranks 20th, but last Sunday is something to build on. Drew Brees and Michael Thomas did it yet again as the Saints electrifying offense put up 51 points against Cincinnati. New Orleans has the highest scoring offense in the game averaging 36.7 and 6th overall in the NFL. The Big Bayou will welcome the Philadelphia Eagles to town. Saints are heavy nine-point favorites. In the 30 previous meetings between the two franchises, Eagles have a 17-13 lead with the most recent match-up coming in 2015 (Eagles win 39-14).
2. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (9-1) Last Week: 3rd
They didn’t destroy the Cardinals, which I thought was going to happen, but the Chiefs still put up 26 points in an impressive win. Patrick Mahomes II kept it going but was mortal with only 249 yards which snapped his 300-yard streak. The Chiefs still rank 31st in total team defense which is a major concern especially this week against the Rams. Kansas City has the #1 point differential in the NFL with +113 points. The Chiefs travel to LA to battle the (9-1) Rams in a Monday night contest that was slated to play in Mexico City. The two teams combined are 18-2. Rams are 3.5 favorites, and in the 11 meetings between the two sides, Chiefs have a 7-4 record with the last meeting being in 2014.
3. LOS ANGELES RAMS (9-1) Last Week: 4th
The Rams scored 36 points but barely beat Seattle once again. LA has the #1 offense in the NFL averaging 448 yards a game and the 3rd most points at 33.5. Jared Goff and Todd Gurley both had huge days which is nothing new for them. The defense is still a concern ranked 23rd in the NFL. In a weather break, the Rams get a home game in LA (fires withstanding) due to field issues (rain destroyed the field in Mexico City) on Monday night. This could be a preview of SB 53 in Atlanta. Rams could clinch a playoff spot with a win.
4.LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (7-2) Last Week: 5th
The Chargers have won 6 straight games, and the defense keeps getting better and better. Here is the good news. Joey Bosa practiced this week for the first time since week 1. The trifecta on offense of Philip Rivers (2,459 yards 21 TD 4 Int 67% 115 QB rating), Melvin Gordon (672 Yards 5.38 AVG. 7 TD’s), and Keenan Allen(53 Catches 687 yards 2 TD’s) are producing big numbers. I have said this all along this team could be the most complete in the NFL ranking 11th in Offense and 12th on defense. The Chargers will welcome the Denver Broncos (3-6) to town. Broncos lead the all-time series 65-51-1 with both teams splitting last year. The Chargers will be 7 points favorites this Sunday.
5. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (7-3) Last Week: 1st
Well, prosperity did not last long for the Patriots who looked like a banged-up team in Tennessee and lost 38-24. Fortunately for the Pats, they get a bye week perfectly placed to allow Gronk, Julian Edelman, Sony Michel, and many more to heal-up. New England might have an issue with an offensive line that looked overmatched for the first time since early in the year. New England will return on the 25th, with the perfect get well card, a battle versus the (3-7) N.Y. Jets.
Closing in on the top 5 this week:
Houston Texans (6-3), Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2-1), Chicago Bears (6-3), Washington (6-3)
5 DOWN: The 5 Worst NFL Teams Week 11
28. BUFFALO BILLS (3-7) Last Week: 30th
What a great week the Bills had. They throttled the Jets on the road and cut Nathan Peterman. It was like Christmas came early for Bill fans! The Bills will enjoy a week off and have turkey and the carryover of the team’s 3rd win of the year. Somehow Matt Barkley looked like Jim Kelly but then again the QB play was so bad that anyone would have looked competent over Derek Anderson and Nathan Peterman. Buffalo ranks 31st in offense but an NFL respectable 7th overall on defense. The Bills will have a chance at another win as the sinking Jaguars come to Buffalo on the 25th of November.
29. NEW YORK GIANTS (2-7) Last Week: 31st
For what its worth, the Giants got a gutsy win on the road on a game-winning drive late. Eli had 3 TD passes with no turnovers, and OBJ had a big night. The defense is still 25th in the NFL, and it just doesn’t seem like Pat Shurmur is Head Coach material. The dysfunction on this team is still evident. Whether Giants fans want them to tank or not, New York has another winnable game this Sunday against the defensively inept Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6) at home. Giants will be 1.5 point favorites and have won 14 of the 21 contests between the two franchises (Tampa won last year 25-23).
30. ARIZONA CARDINALS (2-7) Last Week: 28th
If only they could play the 49ers for 16 games, a perfect season would be in store! The Cardinals were respectable in Kansas City. It’s quite apparent they will be offensively challenged all year long, ranking dead last in the NFL. David Johnson did have a good game by his standards (98 yards on the ground and 85 through the air), but Josh Rosen throwing 2 more interceptions looks every bit as an unpolished rookie can look. The Cardinals have a very winnable game at home against the worst team on our list, the 1-8 Oakland Raiders. The Cards are 4 point favorites, and in nine meetings between the two franchises, the Raiders have won 5 and the Cardinals 4. This is my nomination for the early Turkey Bowl (3-15) record between the two squads.
31. SAN FRANCISCO 49ers (2-8) Last Week: 29th
They played another solid game but came up short against the Giants. Nick Mullens had 2 big interceptions which offset a terrific performance from Matt Breida who had over 100 yards on the ground. Say what you will about the record, this team comes to play no matter who is healthy or who is not which is a credit to Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers will enjoy an off week and return on the 25th playing the Buccaneers in Tampa.
32. OAKLAND RAIDERS (1-8) Last Week: 32nd
When your QB throws the ball away on 4th down, you realize what a train wreck this season has been. The one positive is all the first round picks they have stockpiled. That’s it. Is Jon Gruden the man you want leading this franchise forward? The team ranks 23rd on offense and 24th on defense which actually is better than I thought. How happy is Khalil Mack in Chicago and Amari Cooper in Dallas? A commitment to chaos seems to be the Raiders way. Vegas are you ready for this trash?
Teams that are knocking on futilities door:
N.Y. Jets (3-7), Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6), Detroit Lions (3-6)
Come back next Thursday for Five Up Five Down: The five best NFL Teams and the five worst NFL Teams for Week 12.