OK, so this past week the "Best Final 2:00" wasn't the Bills-Cowboys game -- unless you're counting the final two minutes until kickoff because you spent that time watching the Cowboys cheerleaders finish their warmups. Or you got up from the TV at the two-minute warning of the 44-7 blowout and made yourself a great sandwich.
I'm telling you, watch out for Dallas. The Cowboys are going to throw a big monkey wrench into the NFC playoff picture. It should be a pretty easy time of it for the 'Boys this week, especially because Brian Orakpo not only says opposing teams know they can beat Washington , but also spends way too much time playing a Scrabble rip-off game with a caveman. The Skins will get Orakpoed by Dallas.
Now onto the must-see TV games of Week 11.
THE GAME WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT MONDAY:Eagles-Giants. Will DeSean Jackson wake up in time to contribute? And I mean that literally. Philadelphia is in a tailspin -- now it looks like Vince Young will get the start at QB -- and it's going to be all-in for this national TV tilt that can officially end the Eagles' season. I already am imagining potential headlines in the Philadelphia papers after Sunday. Giant Loss. Reid 'Em and Weep. Young: It's Not Always Sunny. They'll be fired up. New York, however, has done a better job these past couple of weeks against the run, and more importantly, Eli Manning is really becoming Top Five Eli. If John Skelton can gash the Eagles through the air with basically one weapon, what does that tell you about the Giants, who have four great options for T.F.E.? Even if Nnamdi Asomugha takes away Hakeem Nicks, it will be a field day for Victor Cruz and Jake Ballard in the middle of the field. There's a lot of points on the scoreboard, and the Giants get the majority of them. Flip, flip, Flipadelphia.
Fantasy hero: Eli Manning posts 20 fantasy points with TDs to three different targets.
THE GAME FEATURING THE REAL SECOND BEST TEAM IN THE NFC:Chargers-Bears. I've become a big believer in the Bears in a short period of time. Finally, Mike Martz has realized that if he max protects Jay Cutler he can get the ball downfield. Earl Bennett's return to the lineup has been huge, and I expect him to be Cutler's No. 1 target the rest of the season. It's funny, but I actually think the Bears are better this season than they were in 2010, and right now they are the only team that has a shot to dethrone the Packers in the NFC. Just don't pay Matt Forte yet. Things are fine, no need to rock the boat. I would have a picture of DeAngelo Williams and Chris Johnson up in Jerry Angelo's office as a daily reminder to not pony up the cash to Forte. San Diego is reeling, and I don't think you can expect things to get better. This Chargers team is not nearly as talented as we thought they were at the start of the season. I don't expect a bounce back.
Fantasy hero: Jay Cutler has more than 15 points against a bad Chargers defense. He's becoming fantasy relevant again.
THE GAME IN WHICH WE BELIEVE IN THE WINNER AND DISMISS THE LOSER:Ravens-Bengals. Both are good, both are flawed. Both facing a must-win. Sort of like Rocky v. Ivan Drago (the Bengals would be Rocky in this scenario). There never are moral victories in the NFL, but nearly beating Pittsburgh without A.J. Green was huge for Cincinnati. To a man they talked about how that was the game that proved to them they can compete with the best. The Ravens looked as bad as they could in falling to Seattle. Baltimore will have a tough time against the Bengals defense, which is second overall against the rush. It's gut-check time for the Ravens and proving ground for the Bengals. Win this, and we believe. It's got 13-10 written all over it, and call it a gut feeling, but I think Flacco comes up big down the stretch and the Ravens pull it out. He's inconsistent, but he's come through like this in the past, and I think this is one of those times.
Fantasy hero: Anquan Boldin catches a TD and goes for 100 yards, as Baltimore has to throw it more often than you think.
THE UPSET THAT WON'T BE AN UPSET:Bills-Dolphins. Here's how things have turned for Miami: My best friend is a lifelong Dolphins fan, who, even in the best of times, finds a way to be cynical. When they were up at halftime over the Chiefs two weeks ago, I called him on the phone and he was nervous. I told him they looked great and he said, "I guarantee you Todd Haley in the Chiefs locker room is frantically game-planning for the second half, and all that's going on in our locker room is Tony Sparano walking around telling guys 'Great job, just keep it up.'" Fast forward to Week 10 after a win over the Redskins, he thinks they'll overtake the Jets in the division (let's not get crazy). But he's right in that this is a different Dolphins team -- they resemble nothing like the team from earlier in the year. Their defense has really tightened up, Reggie Bush is running between the tackles and Brandon Marshall has become a stud again. The Bills are reeling. The league has figured out Ryan Fitzpatrick, and they can't throw downfield at all. The good times continue in Miami.
Fantasy hero: Fred Jackson with at least 15 fantasy points. Even while the Bills self-destruct, he still gets his points.
See Jason Smith on "NFL Fantasy Live," airing Sundays at 11:30 a.m. ET on the NFL RedZone channel, and Tuesday-Friday on NFL Network at 2 p.m. ET and 12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT. He writes Fantasy and other NFL pith on NFL.com daily. Talk to him on Twitter @howaboutafresca. He only asks you never bring up when the Jets play poorly.
