For only the third time in 15 years, the Oakland Raiders start the week as double-digit favorites in gambling circles.  That’s just one of the big surprises for the NFL as we have an early look at Week 11, and comes, in no small part, to their upset victory over the LA Chargers on November 8.  Granted, the upcoming game is against the winless Cincinnati Bengals, but, still, there’s a lot to be said for a team that never sees this type of support but is now favored at -10.5.  Both of its other ten-point advantages were given in 2017.

Sports Intel’s Early Look NFL Week 11

The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Cleveland Browns this Thursday in the early fixture in week 11 and, even though they’re 3-6, the Browns look to find win number four.   It won’t be an easy victory, but the general view is that the Cleveland squad is going to be able to beat the odds this week in the NFL.  The Steelers are 1-5 in their last six prime-time games and are coming off a Sunday matchup, meaning they haven’t had a lot of time to recover.  Running backs Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb are prepared for the Steelers defense and are going to show some magic, which is why the Browns are favored by 3.

The Indianapolis Colts will host the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have just barely been able to keep themselves together.  The Colts have had a great season against AFC South teams and are going to dominate with either Jacoby Brissett or Brian Hoyer under center.  The Jags are fielding Nick Foles for the first time since Week 1 and he’s going to need some time to adjust.  A home game, strength in the AFC South and a strong defense equals -3 for the Colts.

There’s not much doubt that the Minnesota Vikings, with their 7-3 record, are more than ready to take on the Denver Broncos.  The Broncos have essentially given up on the season and are now just looking for ways to develop new material for next season.  The Vikings are -9.5 favorites on the opening line and there won’t be much movement for the rest of the week.

The Atlanta Falcons surprised the New Orleans Saints – and themselves – with a victory this past Sunday, but the Saints aren’t going to slip up again.  Surprisingly, the Falcons didn’t get any help from the refs, a common theme in Saints games since last year, and did it all on their own.  Regardless, the Saints are going to come out for blood against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and will find it.  The opening line stands at -4.5 to the Saints and, while there might be some changes before the game, New Orleans will remain the favorite.

The Carolina Panthers are going to go up against the Falcons in a home game and they are undoubtedly just as shocked as everyone else about how this past weekend played out – not only for the Falcons, but for themselves, as well.  If they can keep things together, the Panthers will win, but they haven’t shown a pattern of that happening, especially against the Falcons.  They’re 1-6 and can’t even claim victory against the team at home.  Nonetheless, they open as -6 favorites, but this will move as the week progresses.

Two teams will travel to Mexico City this weekend for Monday Night Football.  The Kansas City Chiefs and the LA Chargers are going to battle it out south of the border as the NFL tries to attract more fans in Mexico, but no one should expect much out of the Chargers.  They hardly ever perform well in prime-time games, as evidenced by their 4-11 record, and the Chiefs are 23-2 against AFC West opponents since 2015.  Kansas City walks away with the victory with an opening line of -4.5 that will remain intact all week.

That’s it for our early look at NFL Week 11, check back soon to get an update ahead of the action.