#147 NFL Week 11 Preview (2018) w/ Hal Bent, of FullPressCoverage.com

Welcome back to Sports Krunch with DKrom ladies and gentlemen, I’m your host David Kromelow. The 2018 NFL season is down to its final seven weeks, and this week contains several games that can prove to be very decisive the rest of the way. Two of them are in prime time…including a matchup NFL fans have had circled on their calendar for weeks. And Hal, even though seven weeks is an eternity, you can pretty much say it’s already crunch time as we head into the top of the 2018 season’s stretch, can’t you?

Hal’s Twitter handle: @halbent01

1. Week 10 Takeaways
-Cowboys might have the best LB duo in the league going forward with Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch
-Barring a catastrophe, the road to Super Bowl LIII in the NFC is very likely going through New Orleans

2. Truth/Exaggeration
-The Eagles are more likely to get a top-10 draft pick than to make the playoffs
-Mike McCarthy will more likely than not get fired as head coach of the Packers after the 2018 season, whether they make the playoffs or not
-George Kittle has made the case that he’s one of the five best tight ends in the NFL right now
-If Justin Herbert declares for the 2019 NFL Draft, and should the Raiders have the first overall pick…the Raiders MUST take Herbert

3. Vikings/Bears
-What kind of game are we most likely to see: Shootout, low-scoring defensive battle, or something in between?
-What is the bigger mismatch: Vikings front four versus Bears OL or Bears front versus Vikings OL?
-While Mitchell Trubisky has shown very good improvement this season, inconsistency is still a concern. While he has gone gangbusters against some of the NFL’s worst defenses (Tampa, Miami, last week vs. Detroit), he has struggled against some of the league’s better defenses (Buffalo). Can the Bears win this game if Trubisky finds somewhat of a middle ground?
-What unit of the Vikings defense needs the most improvement in this game and for the rest of the season? How pivotal can Andrew Sendejo’s absence be?
-Prediction

4. Chiefs/Rams
-Since this game was moved to LA from Mexico City, how much of an additional advantage does this give the Rams?
-With Cooper Kupp now out for the season, which Rams receiving option not named Todd Gurley, Brandin Cooks or Robert Woods needs to step up the most?
-Aaron Donald is arguably the best defensive player in football right now, but the Chiefs have somebody that should be a household name after this game…and that is Chris Jones. Jones has seven sacks this year. And the last game the Rams were without Cooper Kupp (against Green Bay)…Kenny Clark absolutely FEASTED against the interior of the Rams OL. Do you expect Chris Jones to have as good a game (or even better) than Aaron Donald on Monday night?
-Who has the better defense: Chiefs or Rams?
-Game-deciding matchups
-Prediction

5. Now it’s time for our Top Choice Athletics Trivia Question of the Week. The winner of this weekly contest will be the recipient of some of the best sporting equipment from Top Choice Athletics!! Here it is: How many yards was Vikings DE Jim Marshall’s infamous wrong way run?

6. Rapid Fire Predictions
-Cowboys/Falcons
-Bengals/Ravens
-Panthers/Lions
-Titans/Colts
-Buccaneers/Giants
-Texans/Redskins
-Steelers/Jaguars
-Raiders/Cardinals
-Broncos/Chargers
-Eagles/Saints

7. Week 11 Bold Predictions
-Me: Eagles allow 200+ yards on the ground to the Saints
-Hal: Five games go to OT

8. Challenge Flags
-Me: Bears OL and Vikings OL…I dare ONE of you guys to dominate on Sunday night
-Hal: Bengals owner Mike Brown…it’s time to clean house!!!!

Thank you Hal…and that’s it for today here on Sports Krunch, but we’ll be back right before Thanksgiving with a look at Week 12…so stay tuned! Meanwhile, be sure to check out the episode archive as well as my blog at SportsKrunch.com!! And if you enjoy these podcast episodes please consider leaving us an iTunes review and donating to our Patreon at Patreon.com/SportsKrunch