So, while Kevin decided to take the last three weeks off to get married – as if that’s important – the rest of us also took that same time off. They say the captain sets the tone on the field and, well, Kevin stepping out to battle a hurricane in Boston and ultimately landing on the soft, sandy beaches of Maui for 10 days really didn’t motivate any of us to pick him up while he was out. Sorry, Kev.

Now that he’s returned from paradise he’s cracking the whip and here we are.

The last few weeks in the NFL have been intriguing to say the very least. The recent rash of midseason injuries to some of the league’s elite coupled with the uprising of young talent has really put a spin on this season I think we were all waiting for. The word “parity” is overused these days, but we recently saw a graphic that showed how close these teams really can be on Sundays.

Going clockwise, each team has beaten the one to its right

We’re seeing more and more upsets in recent weeks, but we’re also seeing the cream starting to rise to the top. Shockingly this cream includes teams like the Colts, Seahawks, and the Broncos. The Broncos have really turned it on recently as Peyton Manning has gotten more and more comfortable calling the shots in a new offense with new personnel. It’s hard to say anyone doubted he would get there but last summer it was hard to tell. The rest of the cream is made of the usual suspects – Patriots, Texans, Ravens, Steelers, etc., etc. We get it. You’re good. While it’s nice to still have some consistency among the league’s best I think we’re all ready for parity to takeover some and deliver us some intriguing storylines in this second half of the season.

With that, here are The Couchlete’s Week 11 picks that contain very few chosen upsets but, I’d say, a lot of hope for some. We’re playing for pride here. Let’s be real. I’m not picking the Lions to upset Green Bay, but you can bet I’ll be pulling for them.