By Darin 
Welcome back to the Pig Pen! We’re barreling through the 2025 NFL season, and the playoff picture is starting to solidify—but not without a few shocking upsets along the way. Your host, Darin Hayes, is joined once again by his officially-classified “sidekick,” Ed Kleese, to recap the nail-biting results from Week 10 and lay down some big, bold predictions for Week 11.
Did Ed’s newfound title come with a sudden spike in predictive powers? Let’s dive into the stats!
📉 Week 10 Results: Ed Takes the Lead
The past week saw a lot of close games and unpredictable outcomes, including several surprising performances from teams that many had “cut” from the playoff race. Ed’s observation about even struggling teams playing hard proved prescient, particularly with the Dolphins’ stunning victory.
Here’s the tally for our two gridiron gurus after Week 10:
| Pundit | Week 10 Pick (Game & Prediction) | Result | Points Awarded | Running Total |
| Darin Hayes | Raiders beat Broncos (Close loss, good read) | Loss | 1 | 45 |
| Buccaneers beat Patriots (Mayfield > May) | Loss | 0 | ||
| Giants beat Bears | Loss | 0 | ||
| Eagles win (Barkley big game) | Win (No Barkley big game) | 1 | ||
| Seahawks win easily (vs. Cardinals) | Win (Seahawks dominate) | 2 | ||
| Ed Kleese | Vikings upset Ravens | Loss | 0 | 46 |
| Rams beat 49ers (Stafford big game) | Win | 2 | ||
| Dolphins keep it close vs. Bills | Win (Outright upset/good read) | 2 | ||
| Browns vs. Jets is entertaining | Draw (Split difference) | 1 | ||
| Seahawks win easily (vs. Cardinals) | Win (Seahawks dominate) | 2 |
| Week 10 Total | Overall Total | |||
| Darin Hayes | 4 Points | 45 Points | ||
| Ed Kleese | 7 Points | 46 Points |
Ed Kleese jumped into a one-point lead thanks to a strong 7-point performance, which included correctly predicting a very close—and, in the end, victorious—effort from the Miami Dolphins against the Bills. Darin, while getting a point for his “bold” read on the terrible Raiders-Broncos game, has some ground to make up.
👑 Ed Kleese’s Power Ranking Rant: The AFC’s Annoying King
Before the picks, Ed gave us a fascinating peek into his “real” power rankings—not based on standings, but on who his eyeballs tell him is the best team.
- Ed’s Top Four (All NFC): Seahawks (1), Rams (2), Eagles (3), Lions (4).
- Ed’s AFC Rank #1 (Overall #5): The Kansas City Chiefs (5-4 record).
Ed argues that the Chiefs, despite their modest record, still feel like the most dangerous team in the conference. He colorfully shared his annoyance with the polite, “self-deprecating” nature of Chiefs fans, suggesting their feigned humility is a Jedi mind trick designed to lure opponents into a false sense of security.
“I think I’ve decided that maybe they’re the worst of all… I am sitting here thinking, I think the Chiefs are going to win the Super Bowl. And they’re five and four, not even in the playoffs. So they have reverse engineered this. They’ve Jedi mind tricked everything.”
For Darin, the Chiefs’ consistent late-season performance under Andy Reid makes them a perennial fear, especially in January. This means that any team hoping to make a deep run in the AFC playoffs will eventually have to get past the lurking Chiefs.
🚨 Week 11 Predictions: Upset Alert
It’s time for the Week 11 predictions. Ed, who now has a taste for victory, is feeling bold, while Darin is aiming to retake the lead.
Here are the Week 11 predictions for Ed Kleese and Darin Hayes:
🏈 Ed Kleese’s Week 11 Predictions
| Game Matchup | Pick | Reasoning/Details |
| Jaguars vs. Chargers (In Jacksonville) | Jaguars (Outright Upset) | Calls this a “schedule upset.” The Chargers are rolling, looking toward their bye week, and facing a desperate Jaguars team coming off a bad loss. Ed has a gut feeling the Jags find a way to win and get back on track. |
| Packers vs. Giants (In New York) | Packers (Win) | Believes the Giants will be competitive and cover the spread due to the “spark plug” effect of Jameis Winston starting at quarterback and the recent coaching change. He expects the Packers to win a very close game by about 3-4 points at the very end. |
| Vikings vs. Bears (In Minnesota) | Vikings (Win) | Thinks the Bears’ recent luck runs out against a very good Vikings defense in a tough dome environment. He is still distrustful of the Bears’ offense and expects them to be held to 20 or fewer points. |
| Seahawks vs. Rams | Seahawks (Win) | Believes the Seahawks are the best team in the NFL right now and will beat the Rams, noting the lack of a great home-field advantage for Los Angeles. |
| Cowboys vs. Raiders (Monday Night) | Cowboys (Win) | Picks the Cowboys to win by seven or more points and have a big offensive night. Factors include: the Raiders are not good; the Cowboys are coming off a bye and a bad outing two weeks prior; and the team may be galvanized by a recent tragic event. The game is also expected to feel like a home game for the Cowboys in Vegas. |
🏈 Darin Hayes’s Week 11 Predictions
| Game Matchup | Pick | Reasoning/Details |
| Panthers vs. Falcons | Panthers (Win) | Believes the Falcons will be motivated by the Panthers’ previous 30-0 shutout, but that the Panthers still have enough to overcome them. Predicts a Panthers win by 10 points in a low-scoring affair, with Dowdle rushing for over 100 yards and scoring twice. |
| Bears vs. Vikings (In Minnesota) | Bears (Win) | Predicts a Chicago win, with Swift having a “brilliant game,” scoring twice and totaling over 100 yards of total offense. |
| Buccaneers vs. Bills (In Buffalo) | Bills (Win) | Notes this is an intriguing matchup with both teams coming off a loss. He predicts Josh Allen will combine for four total touchdowns (passing and rushing) as Buffalo pulls out the home win. |
| Seahawks vs. Rams | Rams (Win) | Believes the Rams’ sneaky-good, turnover-forcing defense will be the difference, forcing three Seattle turnovers. He also expects Stafford to have a good game, putting up 275+ passing yards against the Seahawks’ defense. (Also motivated by not wanting to pick against Aaron Donald, whose number is being retired at the Pitt game he’s attending). |
| Lions vs. Eagles (Sunday Night) | Lions (Win) | Believes Goff will have “pinpoint passing” and go for over 300 passing yards. He credits Dan Campbell for play-calling and thinks the Lions will win and start climbing the mountain to be the top of the NFC again. |
With Ed Kleese holding a slim one-point lead, the stakes for Week 11 couldn’t be higher. A Chargers victory gives Ed a shot at a commanding lead, but a Broncos upset could instantly vault Darin back on top.
Who do you think has the winning formula this week? Let us know in the comments!
Would you like me to find the current real-world NFL standings to add more context to their power rankings discussion?