I suppose it’s apropos that the week after I take the overall lead from Elliott I’m writing up the lead-in for this week’s picks.

Yep, Elliott went 0-4 in our featured games last week and put up the first sub.-500 record of the season in this here space. Meanwhile, I went 10-5 to take the overall lead, 96 wins to 95, in the season series. That must be karma for Elliott’s constant digs on my picking ability. (Don’t think I didn’t notice that dig on my Houston pick last week, buddy.)

Now that the for-the-record portion of the post is done, let’s move on to Week 11. It’s Vegas Week II as Elliott now takes his turn in Sin City. As you might recall, last time turned out quite well for both of us as we each hit a big parlay.

As you might suspect, we’ve got some definite rooting interests this time as well. Not sure exactly what Elliott is going to do, but I know we’ll both be rooting for the Steelers (OK, I won’t be rooting, just expecting them to win by the proper margin). If Elliott’s boys and the Patriots, Vikings and Cardinals all take care of business, I might just take a vacation.

Speaking of vacations, that seems to be where NFL parity went this season (six teams at 2-7 or worse). Let’s hope it keeps up this week, because it looks like we’ve got a lot of mismatches once again.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Atlanta at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m. Sunday, FOX
The line: Giants by 6.5
Something’s got to give in this one.  The Giants have lost four in a row and the Falcons have lost three of the last four – all three losses on the road. Both teams are 5-4, so the loser of this game takes a step back in the wild-card race. And the Giants are only one game behind division-leading Dallas in the NFC East, so this game has added importance for them. The Falcons will probably be without star tailback Michael Turner, who suffered a high ankle sprain last weekend. And Matt Ryan has not played that well this season, with eight of his 12 interceptions coming in the past four games. The Giants had a week off to get healthy, and their top-ranked defense expects to get a boost from the season debut of cornerback Aaron Ross.
Chris’ pick: Giants 27, Falcons 17
Elliott: Giants

San Francisco at Green Bay, 10 a.m. Sunday, FOX
The line: Packers by 6.5
Like we said in the midseason report: You just can’t figure out who the Packers are. One week they lose to terrible Tampa, then they pull off the upset against a Dallas team that had been destroying people. The 17-7 win over Dallas was the first quality victory the Packers (5-4) have had this season, but it was enough to keep them right in the thick of the wild-card race. They finish with four of their last six on the road, so this is an important game for them to win. The 49ers ended a four-game losing streak by beating Chicago a week ago. Their tough-nosed defense is playing well (five picks against Jay Cutler), but the offense is serious cause for concern (only 10 points off those picks). The Niners are 1-3 on the road this season, but they have played close in all of them (the three losses are by a combined 10 points). They’re still on the edge of the playoff race (two back in the NFC West and one back in the wild card), so they should be plenty motivated for this one. But does their offense have enough?
Chris’ pick: Packers 24, 49ers 17
Elliott: Packers

Indianapolis at Baltimore, 10 a.m. Sunday, CBS
The line: Pick ’em
Well, the Colts did it again, stealing another win from the jaws of defeat due to Bill Belichick’s questionable fourth-down gamble. I wouldn’t call them the luckiest 9-0 team ever, but they’ve had a lot more close calls than you might think. On paper, it seems like Baltimore would be a tricky opponent for the Colts, but watching the Ravens struggle to move the ball against the pathetic Browns means their defense will have to play out of its mind to slow the Colts. Without Terrell Suggs in the lineup, I don’t see that happening, and the Ravens’ biggest weakness is their secondary.
Elliott’s pick: Colts 31, Ravens 17
Chris: Colts 

San Diego at Denver, 1 p.m. Sunday, CBS
The line: Chargers by 2.5
What was looking like a season of so much promise has turned sour quickly for the Broncos, whose undefeated start is a distant memory and whose lead in the AFC West has evaporated. The Chargers have done their typical slow burn but now seem to be moving toward another division title, especially if LT has found the fountain of youth. Denver’s offense, not exactly Saints-esque to begin with, will be slowed even further if Kyle Orton doesn’t go. And the Chargers have the varied weapons to fluster Denver’s defense, which has also taken a step back in recent weeks.
Elliott’s pick: Chargers 28, Broncos14
Chris: Chargers 

THE REST OF THE SLATE

Miami at Carolina
Elliott: Dolphins
Chris: Panthers

Cleveland at Detroit
Elliott: Lions
Chris: Lions

Buffalo at Jacksonville
Elliott: Jaguars
Chris: Jaguars

Pittsburgh at Kansas City
Elliott: Steelers
Chris: Steelers

Seattle at Minnesota
Elliott: Vikings
Chris: Vikings

Washington at Dallas
Elliott: Cowboys
Chris: Cowboys

New Orleans at Tampa Bay
Elliott: Saints
Chris: Saints

Arizona at St. Louis
Elliott: Cardinals
Chris: Cardinals

N.Y. Jets at New England
Elliott: Patriots
Chris: Patriots

Cincinnati at Oakland
Elliott: Bengals
Chris: Bengals

Philadelphia at Chicago
Elliott: Eagles
Chris: Eagles

Tennessee at Houston
Elliott: Titans
Chris: Titans

THE SCOREBOARD
Last week: Chris 10-5, Elliott 7-8
Overall: Chris 96-48, Elliott 95-49