WEEK ELEVEN CRYSTAL BALL - WEEKEND: A win in Spain can end LE GURU's pain
Published continually since 1994
My friends, THE GURU is up and ready to roll on this beautiful Sunday. I’ve got paella in the pot, sangria in my cup and I’m ready to do the flamenco.
All I need to complete the day: a win for My Beloved Commies (3-7, 1-4 away) against the Dolphins (3-7, 1-4 away). Kickoff is at 9:30 am ET on NFL Network from Madrid with Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Jamie Erdahl on the call.
Of course, victories have been hard to come by over the past month. Here’s how bad things have gotten for the Burgundy & Gold:
Four straight losses by 20+ points, only the third such stretch for an NFL team since H.W. Bush resided on Pennsylvania Ave.1
More points allowed (154) over the past four games than in any four-week stretch for the franchise since 19542
That ‘54 squad was apparently rough on the eyes3 but, mercifully, (a) football games were rarely televised4 back then (b) the regular season was only 12 games and (c) the world wasn’t overrun with “experts” like yours truly to pick every team and player apart.
Of course, THE GURU is a glass-is-half-full sort of guy so I’m going to focus on the positives, beginning with some huge wins against the Dolphins. Like the Super Bowl XVII victory, led by John Riggins and Joe Theismann, and a glorious 2019 afternoon in Miami with THE CHIEF and THE TRE MAN.
As for today, I think it’s going to be tough sledding. Marcus Mariota & Co. will move the chains, but the MBC defense really needs to step up with Dan Quinn now calling the plays. I’m sure the D will improve under DQ’s steady hand but let’s call it 27-24, Dolphins, and hope that I’m wrong.
Thankfully, the odds of LE GURU being incorrect are increasingly likely these days with the season mark sitting at 81-68 (.544). Sure, I got the win Thursday when the Pats expectedly toppled the Jets, but the hits have been few and far between in 2025. Ah, such is life.
On to the rest of the games with the Colts (8-2) and Saints (2-8) enjoying the week off…
SUNDAY
1 PM - CBS
The Bucs (6-3, 4-1 away) fall at Buffalo (6-3, 4-1 home) in a tight one. Note that Tampa faces the Rams next weekend before ending the regular season with a six-game stretch against teams it should beat (Arizona, Atlanta, New Orleans, Carolina, Miami, Carolina)…
…I love struggling Pittsburgh (5-4, 3-2 home) against visiting Cincinnati (3-6, 1-3 away). It’s been a rough go for THE HOUSE OF SUSSEX but I’m feeling a bounce back week for Aaron Rodgers…
…the Chargers (7-3, 3-1 away) get a big road win at Jacksonville (5-4, 3-2 home). Sooner or later, I’ve got to start believing in Harbaugh & Co. Right?
1 PM - FOX
Take the Panthers (5-5, 2-3 away) at the Falcons (3-6, 2-2 home) as Atlanta’s losing streak reaches five games…
…host Minnesota (4-5, 1-3 home) takes down the Bears (6-3, 3-2 away) to sweep the season series for the fourth time in five years. Chicago is much improved, but THE BIG D is going to have to wait another year to beat the Vikings…
…the Texans (4-5, 1-3 away) win big in Tennessee (1-8, 0-4 home) with Davis Mills at the controls and get to .500. Since 1990, only four teams have made the playoffs after starting the season at 0-3 but I’m betting on Houston to get it done…
….the Packers (5-3-1, 2-1-1 away) get a road win against the Giants (2-8, 2-2 home) but 11-year veteran Jameis Winston has a big day for the New Yorkers and interim head coach Mike Kafka. On the mike this afternoon as an analyst: Drew Brees, whom Winston backed up in New Orleans in 2020.
4:05 PM - FOX
Take the Rams (7-2, 3-1 home) against visiting Seattle (7-2, 4-0 away) as Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald shoots for his twelfth road victory in 13 tries. The man is a legit Coach of the Year candidate…
…San Fran (6-4, 4-2 away) gets the win in Arizona (3-6, 1-3 home) as Brock Purdy returns for just his third start of the season. Hats off to Mac Jones, who kept the Niners’ season afloat by going 5-3 at the helm.
4:25 PM - CBS
Visiting Baltimore (4-5, 2-2 away) loses at rival Cleveland (2-7, 2-2 home) as the teams split the season series for the fifth straight year. I was all set to roll with the Ravens, but Lamar’s gimpy knee gives me pause…
…go with the Chiefs (5-4, 1-3 away) at Denver (8-2, 5-0 home) as Andy Reid & Co. remind the Broncos who owns the AFC West.
That said, it looks likely that Kansas City’s nine-year reign as division champion will come to close this season. Fun fact: KC (2010, 2016-2024) and Denver (2011-2015) have combined to capture 15 consecutive AFC West titles.
8:20 PM - NBC
Come nightfall, I’m going with the Lions (6-3, 3-2 away) in Philly (7-2, 3-1 home), even with Dee-troit tight end extraordinaire Sam LaPorta on the shelf.
The rationale: Dan Campbell’s crew looks primed to get on a roll, and this Eagles squad looks like it is about to splinter with anonymous criticism of QB Jalen Hurts mounting. Unjustified, yes, but mounting nonetheless…
MONDAY
8:15 PM - ABC/ESPN
On Monday, I think the Cowboys (3-5-1, 1-4 away) win in Vegas (2-7, 1-3 home). First-year Raiders head coach Pete Carroll is surely rethinking his decision to leave a life of shuffleboard and 3 p.m. dinners.
That’s all for this week, folks. Enjoy the games and God bless you and yours!
That’s 35 years, kids. The others: Arizona in 2002 and Miami in 2019. Source: ESPN
H/T: ESPN
That sad sack Washington club finished 3-9 and in fifth place in the six-team Eastern Conference, posting the worst point differential in the NFL and giving up a league-high 36 points per game.
NFL broadcasting didn’t take off until the Colts beat the Giants, 23-17, in 1958, the so-called “Greatest Game Ever Played”