Heading into Week 11 of the NFL there are some things I will be looking for extra closely at this point in the season:

1. Can Atlanta bounce back towards their winning ways in Week 11?

Whether they want to believe it or not, Atlanta is playing under a microscope for the rest of the season. That’s the price a NFL team pays when they start out 8-0 on the season and then finally lose. The reason why that happens is because unlike a New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers or New York Giants, there will be questions about this Atlanta Falcons team (until they prove us wrong) about how good they really are. It doesn’t help when their schedule isn’t the strongest either; case in point, their Week 11 opponent is Arizona.

2. Can the Green Bay Packers all but eliminate the Detroit Lions playoff chances?

I’ll be honest; I did not think we’d be sitting here in Week 11 discussing whether or not the Detroit Lions playoffs chances could be dashed should they lose to the Packers this Sunday. Detroit is one of the most underachieving teams in the NFL this season and they will have to keep their hopes alive against a division rival who would love to jump at the chance of all but ending the Lions hopes. The good thing for Detroit is this Packers team is coming in limping with injuries to both their defense (Charles Woodson & Clay Matthews) and offense (Greg Jennings & Jordy Nelson is questionable).

Should the Packers defeat the Lions this Sunday it will be a pretty interesting Monday on The Bower Show that’s for sure.

3. How will Nick Foles play now that he is the Philadelphia Eagles starting QB (for now)?

Well Eagles fans, you got what you wanted. Nick Foles is now the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles as Michael Vick recovers from what we are being told is a “serious concussion.” It’s pretty interesting to see how the future of this franchise could be dictated in these final weeks of the season as if the Eagles are successful I would have to believe that Andy Reid may not be fired at the end of the season after all. This is starting to seem like a “double-edged sword” type of situation brewing for Eagles fans.

4. Will the New Orleans Saints become a .500 team after Week 11?

The New Orleans Saints are one of the hottest teams in Football at the current moment. They have won 4 of their last 5 games in route to having a chance to be a .500 team when Week 11 wraps up. When the Saints started 0-4, I, and many others, wanted to put a “fork” in this team because they were all but “done.” Now it looks like the Saints may make some NFL history should they continue these winnings ways into a potential NFC playoff spot.

5. Could this be the beginning of an Andrew Luck/Tom Brady “rivalry” in the NFL?

I am extremely intrigued & excited for this Sunday’s matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. It’s felt like “forever” since we could say such a thing but this Colts team has been something special this season and the New England Patriots continue to do what we expect them to do during the regular season by being a dominant AFC team. Now we have a potential playoff matchup on our hands in Week 11 and it could be the beginning of a rivalry between the “new school” Andrew Luck and the “old guard” in Tom Brady.

I think the best thing for Football this season could be just an intense & entertaining matchup between these two teams and more importantly these two Quarterbacks. I believe this is “must see TV” in Week 11 and could be a huge opportunity for the Colts to prove to the league that they should not be taken lightly this season.

6. Will Chicago get that first real “battle tested” win against the San Francisco 49ers?

While I have been critical of the Atlanta Falcons this season due to their strength of schedule, I have been just as critical in regards to the Chicago Bears. The Bears are considered to be one of the best teams in the league yet they have not gotten that “battle tested” or “statement” win that I feel like we need to see from this team as the playoffs near. We may get our wish in seeing such this Monday Night as the Bears travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers.

If the Bears can beat the 49ers this Monday Night then I promise I will give this team props and consider them a Super Bowl 47 contender and no longer a pretender. But if the Bears fail to win this one then we have to truly consider the chances Chicago has this season to be crowned the Super Bowl favorites many people deem them to be currently.

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