Week 11 of the NFL season should end up being a serious test for a number of teams looking to prove themselves as top contenders for the Super Bowl.

Heading into the weekend, 11 teams are currently 6-3 or better. Eight of those squads face one another Sunday, creating four of the best battles you will see all year.

While it is great for fans, having so many close matchups makes it difficult to pick winners, especially against the spread. You have to be careful to examine every part of each battle to make the right guess.

Here is a look at the upcoming week of football along with lines and predictions for each game. 

Toughest Games to Call

Detroit Lions (+2) at Arizona Cardinals

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

The Arizona Cardinals suffered a big blow when starting quarterback Carson Palmer was declared out for the season, via Jay Glazer of Fox Sports:

Carson Palmer’s fears were confirmed as test this AM confirmed he has a torn ACL

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) November 10, 2014

But there is a lot of confidence in Drew Stanton among the coaching staff and the players, according to Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller:

Cardinals players told me there is little to no drop off from Carson Palmer to Drew Stanton. Feel confident in Drew leading them.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) November 10, 2014

Going forward, the Cardinals are in good shape to keep winning. However, they won’t win this week against an equally red-hot Detroit Lions team.

The Lions have been getting by on their defense, which currently ranks first in the NFL in both yards and points allowed per game. The quality defensive line should be able to slow down the run and put a lot of pressure on Stanton to make plays through the air.

Most importantly, the offense is set to get even better in the second half of the season with a healthy Calvin Johnson. The Lions have the talent to be one of the best teams in the NFL, and they will prove it with a road win against Arizona.

Green Bay Packers (-5) vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Tom Lynn/Getty Images

Both the Packers and the Eagles put together incredible efforts in prime time in Week 10. Green Bay blew out the Chicago Bears 55-14 on Sunday night, and Philadelphia beat the Carolina Panthers 45-21 on Monday.

While there can be a debate about which win was more impressive, the real question is how these teams match up with each other.

The Packers offense is led by outstanding quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has been especially impressive at home this year, as noted by Bleacher Report’s Zach Kruse:

Aaron Rodgers at home this season: 74/108 for 1,072 yards (9.9/att), 15 TDs, 0 INTs, 140.8 passer rating. PHI at GB Sunday.

— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) November 11, 2014

As long as the offensive line gives him time in the pocket, he should be able to tear apart an Eagles secondary that has been inconsistent this year.

Philadelphia might not have as much confidence in Mark Sanchez under center, but the system works perfectly for a quarterback who can make quick decisions.

However, the best way to beat the Packers is on the ground, something the Eagles have struggled with despite having LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles on the roster. Green Bay should be able to slow down this offense just enough to win a high-scoring game at Lambeau Field. 

Indianapolis Colts (-2.5) vs. New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have been playing outstanding football and are coming off a bye, which is usually a recipe for success. However, Bill Belichick has not used the extra week to his advantage lately, losing two of the last three games coming off a bye.

The Indianapolis Colts had a Week 10 bye as well, and they used it to improve. Head coach Chuck Pagano broke down the team’s strategy in the time off on his radio show, via Kevin Bowen of Colts.com:

Looking at things that we have done well, want to keep accentuating those things in all three phases. 

But really we took a look at the areas we need improvement in. It was a great opportunity, got the guys back in the building (Monday) morning, good meetings, had a really good practice and we went to work on some of those areas.

They might not have planned specifically for the Patriots, but they will come back rested and improved to compete for the stretch run.

However, the biggest deciding factor for this game will be the location. New England has been dominant at home this year, but the squad is just 2-2 on the road and has only played once away from home since Week 4.

The two games the Patriots have won on the road came against Matt Cassel and Kyle Orton, two players who do not stack up to the NFL’s leading passer in Andrew Luck. The young quarterback should be able to spread the ball around and win a tough game for the Colts.

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