Everyone will tune in Monday night to see which team has the better defense, the Chicago Bears or San Francisco 49ers. Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers always is must-see TV.New England Patriots-Indianapolis Colts brings a showdown between future Hall of Famer Tom Brady and young upstart Andrew Luck.
Here are a few of the underrated matchups of Week 11:
Lions DT Ndamukong Suh vs. Packers OL Evan Dietrich-Smith
Suh became the talk of Thanksgiving last year after he stomped on Dietrich-Smith after the whistle and was ejected on national television. Dietrich-Smith was in the lineup because of an injury to Josh Sitton, and here he is again, starting at left guard because of an injury to Bryan Bulaga.
Suh has been under the microscope lately after some heavy criticism from unnamed general managers. He'll want to play well this week against an NFC North rival and quiet the naysayers. Dietrich-Smith will want to keep Aaron Rodgers from being driven into the turf like Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was a few weeks ago.
The Lions' defense starts with the line and its most talented player. Dietrich-Smith has a big challenge in his first start of 2012.
Redskins' run defense vs. Eagles RB LeSean McCoy
The battle of the NFC East cellar-dwellers. Both teams had hoped for better at this time of year.
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles should make his first career start with Michael Vick out with a concussion. He threw for 219 yards and one touchdown with one interception off the bench last week in a 38-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The run game is a rookie quarterback's best friend, and the Eagles happen to have one of the league's best -- when they use him. McCoy ranks No. 10 in the league with 705 rushing yards and is one of the NFL's best pass-catchers out of the backfield. The Eagles, however, have a tendency to get away from him at times.
The Redskins have the No. 8 run defense in the NFL and get to see McCoy twice a year. The likelihood of a Washington victory substantially increases if he is shut down. And both teams know it.
The Falcons want to get back on track in a big way after the New Orleans Saints handed them their first loss of 2012. The Falcons hang their hats on their No. 4-ranked pass offense, powered by the combination of quarterback Matt Ryan and pass catchers Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez.
The Cardinals, however, have the No. 2-ranked pass defense in the league. Cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and William Gay and safety Adrian Wilson can hang with the best of them.
The Falcons will win due to the fact the Cardinals' offense is horrid, but this matchup should be competitive.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
