The games on the slate in Week 11 will have to be pretty darn exciting to live up to the thrills that the Vikings-Packers Monday night overtime thriller and the down-to-the wire presidential election on Tuesday night provided this week.
The pollsters like the Raiders to break their six-game losing streak to the Broncos on Monday night in Denver, the Vikings to halt their two-game skid and the Bucs to continue their playoff push against the Packers in Tampa.
In the Raiders' last visit to Denver on Nov. 22 of last year, the Broncos won, 27-21, in overtime on Olandis Gary's 24-yard touchdown run, and then all hell proceeded to break loose in the stands. Denver fans pelted the Oakland sideline with snowballs, Raiders offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy went into the stands at Mile High Stadium after a fan and Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson threw a snowball that hit a woman in the face.
If an election were held in Denver to vote for the most hated team, the Raiders would win in a landslide, so expect the fans at Mile High to give the 8-1 Oakland squad a rude greeting no matter the weather.
| Week 11 NFL Preview |
| Cardinals (3-6) at Vikings (7-2), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 8-7: Cardinals' record in 15 games against the Vikings, though Minnesota has won five of the past six. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Cardinals veteran cornerback Aeneas Williams (league-record 104-yard fumble return against Redskins) against Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss (36 touchdown catches in 41 games). |
| Player to Watch |
| Daunte Culpepper, QB, Minnesota: After throwing 14 touchdowns and only seven interceptions during the Vikings' seven-game winning streak, Culpepper has now thrown only three touchdowns and five interceptions in their two-game losing skid. |
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Ravens (6-4) at Titans (8-1), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 5-3: Titans quarterback Steve McNair's record against the Ravens.
Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Ravens All-Pro middle linebacker Ray Lewis (88 total tackles, 5 1/2 stuffs) against Titans running back Eddie George (on pace for career-high 1,488 yards). |
| Player to Watch |
| Samari Rolle, CB, Tennessee: Titans' top cover man has three interceptions in the past two games and is averaging 31 yards per return on his four pickoffs this season. |
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Bengals (2-8) at Cowboys (3-6), 1 p.m. |
Key Stat |
| 165.9: Rushing yards per game that the Cowboys are giving up this season, the worst in the NFL. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith (743 rushing yards, six touchdowns) against Bengals linebacker Takeo Spikes (80 total tackles, 4 1/2 stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Corey Dillon, RB, Cincinnati: Averaging 4.8 yards per carry and could give Dallas' porous run defense fits. |
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| Falcons (3-7) at Lions (5-4), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| .741: Lions' winning percentage (20-7) in 27 games against the Falcons. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Lions running back James Stewart (on pace for career-high 1,166 yards rushing) against young Falcons linebacking crew of Jeff Kelly, Chris Draft and Henri Crockett. |
| Player to Watch |
| Danny Kanell, QB, Atlanta: Chris Chandler's backup is likely to get the start with Chandler still ailing from a hard hit by Bucs defensive end Steve White. Kanell's career quarterback rating is only 66.5. |
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| Eagles (6-4) at Steelers (5-4), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| .603: Eagles' winning percentage (44-26-3) in 73 games against their cross-state rivals. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Steelers linebacker Joey Porter (31 total tackles, seven sacks, two fumble recoveries) against Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb (51 carries for 377 and three touchdowns). |
| Player to Watch |
| Darnell Autry, RB, Philadelphia: Averaging only 3.0 yards per carry, but broke out with 122 total yards and an average of 5.5 yards per carry in the Eagles' overtime victory against the Cowboys. |
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| Seahawks (3-7) at Jaguars (3-6), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 6-1: Seahawks' record in their last seven games in the month of November. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Jaguars running back Fred Taylor (478 yards rushing in six games) against Seahawks linebacker Chad Brown (65 total tackles, four sacks, four stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Ricky Watters, RB, Seattle: Has 354 yards from scrimmage in the past three games and 964 total yards in 10 games this season. |
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| Saints (6-3) at Panthers (4-5), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 93: Rushing yards needed by Saints running back Ricky Williams to break Dalton Hilliard's team-record of 1,262 set in 1989. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Panthers' pass rush against Saints quarterback Jeff Blake (1,794 yards passing, 223 yards rushing). |
| Player to Watch |
| Joe Horn, WR, New Orleans: Already has a career-high 677 yards this season and is on pace for 1,203 yards. |
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| Bears (2-7) at Bills (5-4), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 354.2: Total yards per game allowed by the Bears, the fifth-worst total in the league. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Bears quarterback Jim Miller (73.6 career quarterback rating compared to only 69.8 for Cade McNown) against Bills defensive linemen Marcellus Wiley (four sacks, 2 1/2 stuffs) and Ted Washington (one sack, 1 1/2 stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Brian Urlacher, LB, Chicago: Has 67 total tackles, six sacks and 2 1/2 stuffs Urlacher, a rookie of the year candidate, is one of the lone bright spots on an otherwise disappointing Bears team. |
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| Patriots (2-7) at Browns (2-8), 1 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 39.4: League-leading net punting average for Browns punter Chris Gardocki. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Patriots defensive end Willie McGinest (44 sacks in 92 career games) against Browns quarterback Doug Pederson (37.8 quarterback rating). |
| Player to Watch |
| Terry Glenn, WR, New England: On pace for 74 catches for 896 yards and a career-high seven touchdown grabs. |
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| Chiefs (5-4) at 49ers (2-8), 4:05 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 846: Passing yards for Chiefs quarterback Elvis Grbac in the past two games, giving him 2,497 this season and putting him on pace for a career-high 4,439. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Chiefs wide receiver Derrick Alexander (on pace for career-high 1,441 yards receiving) against 49ers secondary that is allowing a league-worst 284.5 yards per game. |
| Player to Watch |
| Tony Gonzalez, TE, Kansas City: Set a record as the first tight end with four consecutive 100-yard games and is on pace for career-high totals of 88 catches for 1,255 yards. |
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| Dolphins (7-2) at Chargers (0-9), 4:05 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 166-52: Margin by which the Dolphins have outscored their opponents in the first three quarters of games. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Dolphins defensive end Trace Armstrong (11 1/2 sacks) and Jason Taylor (nine sacks, 2 1/2 stuffs) against Chargers offensive tackles Ben Coleman and Vaughn Parker. |
| Players to Watch |
| Jay Fiedler, QB, Miami: Only averaging 159.9 yards passing per game but is 8-2 in his career as a starter. |
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| Packers (4-5) at Buccaneers (5-4), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 26-15-1: Packers' record against the Buccaneers (.619 winning percentage), including wins in six of the past eight. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Packers rookie offensive tackles Mark Tauscher and Chad Clifton against Buccaneers defensive ends Chidi Ahanotu (2 1/2 sacks) and Marcus Jones (10 sacks, two stuffs). |
| Player to Watch |
| Warrick Dunn, RB, Tampa Bay: Averaging 5.7 yards per carry in the past three games but has only scored one rushing touchdown this season. |
| Multimedia |
 Packers QB Brett Favre hopes his team can keep Tampa's quick threats in check. (103 K)
Packers safety LeRoy Butler looks for the Pack to maintain the intensity it showed against Minnesota. (99 K)
Bucs LB Derrick Brooks thinks stuffing the running game will be crucial. (158 K)
Bucs coach Tony Dungee expects a very competitive game. (137 K)
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| Rams (7-2) at Giants (7-2), 4:15 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 23-9: Rams' record (.719 winning percentage) in 32 games against the Giants, including wins in five of the past six. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Rams defensive end Kevin Carter (32 1/2 sacks in past 40 games) against Giants offensive tackle Luke Pettitgout. |
| Player to Watch |
| Justin Watson, RB, St. Louis: Averaging 4.9 yards per carry for the season, but ran for only 12 yards on 12 carries in the Rams' loss to the Panthers. |
| Multimedia |
Giants LB Michael Barrow convinces a reporter that the Rams have outstanding team speed. (88 K)
Giants DB Jason Sehorn is preparing for a challenge from the Rams' receiving corps. (88 K)
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| Jets (6-3) at Colts (6-3), 8:35 p.m. |
| Key Stat |
| 1/12/69: Date of Super Bowl III in Miami, Fla., the last time the Jets and Colts met when both teams had winning records. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Colts running back Edgerrin James (1,294 total yards) against Jets linebackers Mo Lewis (50 total tackles), Marvin Jones (78 total tackles), Bryan Cox (53 total tackles) and James Farrior (40 total tackles). |
| Player to Watch |
| Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis: Has thrown six interceptions in the Colts' three losses and only four in their six wins. |
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| Raiders (8-1) at Broncos (5-4), 9:00 p.m. Monday |
| Key Stat |
| .613: Raiders' winning percentage (49-29-2) against the Broncos, though Denver has now won six in a row. Stats matchup | Preview |
| Key Matchup |
| Broncos linebackers John Mobley (47 total tackles, three stuffs), Bill Romanowski (38 total tackles, two stuffs) and Al Wilson (33 total tackles, 2 1/2 stuffs) against Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon (1,849 yards passing, 269 yards rushing). |
| Player to Watch |
| Brian Griese, QB, Denver: Quarterback rating of 104.9 ranks him third behind Trent Green (113.8) and Kurt Warner (111.6) in the NFL. Griese is on pace for 4,824 yards passing and 36 touchdowns and only six interceptions. |
| Multimedia |
Broncos QB Brian Griese thinks the Raiders are a confident bunch. (184 K)
Denver RB Terrell Davis knows that Raiders will have some new tricks up their sleeves. (82 K)
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