The other day I was looking at the Week 11 schedule and saw where the Browns play the Lions on Sunday afternoon. “What a disaster,” I thought. “Watching that game would be like slowing down to watch a wreck on the highway.”

If you’re like me, the words “wreck on the highway” weren’t in your head for more than half a second before the strains of the last song on Bruce Springsteen’s “The River” album started drifting through your head. Next thing I knew I was thinking about other games on this week’s slate and how Bruce titles connected to each one. Truth be told, it wasn’t much of a stretch to address all 16 games — including the one last night, where “Born to Run” was a fitting header for a Dolphins-Panthers game that featured two of the league’s top four rushing offenses.

This Sunday night, while the Bears host the Eagles at Soldier Field, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be in Buffalo, playing the final show of a worldwide tour that began at, of all places, the Super Bowl in February.

Here’s how Bruce and the greatest rock band of all time might headline the rest of the games in Week 11. (All times Eastern.)

SUNDAY

Pittsburgh (6-3) at Kansas City (2-7), 1 p.m. — “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day” — Arrowhead Stadium has been pretty gloomy the last few years. The Chiefs haven’t won there yet in 2009, and they won at home only once last year (granted, that was half of their season win total) and twice the year before. So much for Arrowhead providing a home-field advantage. The Chiefs will need whatever edge they can get this week, especially after losing their only offensive playmaker, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, to a four-game NFL suspension. Now, in come the Steelers, still smarting from their home loss to the Bengals last week. Kansas City’s Sunday forecast: mostly cloudy.

San Francisco (4-5) at Green Bay (5-4), 1 p.m. — “Glory Days” — There was a time when the NFC ruled the NFL, and teams like the 49ers and Packers ruled the NFC. These days, the 49ers are trying to decide whether Alex Smith can ever become the franchise quarterback they’ve lacked since Steve Young retired and the Packers are trying to find a way to keep their franchise QB, Aaron Rodgers, intact from week to week. Playoffs? Playoffs? Yeah, those were the days.

Indianapolis (9-0) at Baltimore (5-4), 1 p.m. — “Countin’ on a Miracle” — How long can the Colts stay undefeated? Well, if they keep getting gifts like the one from Bill Belichick last week — a short field for Peyton Manning with two minutes to play and down by six — this run could go on a while. The Ravens might need a miracle of their own to win this one, considering all four of their losses have come to teams leading their division (Patriots, Vikings and the Bengals twice), and the largest margin of defeat was 10 points. Without pass-rusher extraordinaire Terrell Suggs, the victim of a Brady Quinn chop block last week, the Ravens might need some “Magic” just to get to Manning. (Yeah, I double-dipped in the Springsteen song well.)

Atlanta (5-4) at New York Giants (5-4), 1 p.m. — “I’m Goin’ Down” — The Giants have lost four games in a row, and the Falcons have lost three of their last four. Both teams have playoff potential but must turn things around fast. The Giants seemingly have the advantage, coming off their bye week and playing at home. The Falcons have been terrible on the road (1-4), and they will likely be without bulldozing running back Michael Turner, who suffered a high ankle sprain last week. That puts more pressure on Matt Ryan, whose spotty play — 12 interceptions, one more than in 16 starts as a rookie last year — has been as responsible for Atlanta’s descent as anything.

Washington (3-6) at Dallas (6-3), 1 p.m. — “If I Should Fall Behind” — The Cowboys average 24.9 points per game, the Redskins 15.6 (28th in the league). And the Redskins have been horrible in the first half this season, getting outscored 120-50 through nine games. They tend to pick things up a bit after that — their second-half scoring differential is plus-39 points, quite a turnaround from that minus-70 in the first half — but Dallas’ is plus-14 in the first half, plus-35 in the second. The moral of this story? Look for the Redskins to fall behind quickly, and stay there.

Seattle (3-6) at Minnesota (8-1), 1 p.m. — “Reason to Believe” — With Brett Favre under center, the Vikings and their fans are free to believe anything they want. It’s all possible. And I have reason to believe that Matt Hasselbeck, who must go through absolute agony every game with those broken ribs, is one of the toughest quarterbacks in the league. Facing Jared Allen and a defense that has 34 sacks, tops in the league, won’t be fun.

New Orleans (9-0) at Tampa Bay (1-8), 1 p.m. — “Worlds Apart” — The Saints and Bucs play in the same division. Drew Brees is an elite quarterback and his team could be headed to the Super Bowl. Rookie Josh Freeman has dreams of being an elite quarterback, and this game will be played on the field where Bruce and the boys performed at last year’s Super Bowl. And thus endeth any attempts to connect teams at opposite ends of the NFC spectrum. The Saints had to battle the Rams for four quarters last week, but something tells me they won’t let another one-win team give them headaches again.

Buffalo (3-6) at Jacksonville (5-4), 1 p.m. — “Out in the Street” — That’s where Dick Jauron finds himself this week after getting canned by the Bills, and where Jack Del Rio might yet land if the Jaguars don’t finish strong. And Bills quarterback Trent Edwards, benched this week in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick, might be pounding the pavement before long, too.

Cleveland (1-8) at Detroit (1-8), 1 p.m. — “Badlands” — Yes, thoughts of “Wreck on the Highway” precipitated this story, but “Badlands” — an anthem of determination to bust out of a rut — captures a matchup of two dreadful 1-8 teams even better. (It also allows me to cite Bruce’s best sing-along song, even better than “Hungry Heart.”)

Arizona (6-3) at St. Louis (1-8), 4:05 p.m. — “My Hometown” — St. Louis isn’t Kurt Warner’s hometown — he’s from Iowa, you’ll recall — but it might as well be. Warner left town in 2004, yet remains as popular as any athlete in St. Louis other than Albert Pujols. And why not? He brought the Rams a Super Bowl championship, he’s a good guy, he remains active in the community and he keeps going to Pro Bowls and setting records, even if he is doing it for the Cardinals now. Expect a warm welcome for the visiting quarterback, and another loss for the home team.

New York Jets (4-5) at New England (6-3), 4:15 p.m. — “No Surrender” — This is a matchup of teams that don’t like each other and will do whatever it takes to inflict the pain of defeat on the other. Jets coach Rex Ryan said he didn’t go to New York to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings, and he backed up the bold talk with a win in Week 2. You know Belichick, who has been stung all week by criticism of his fourth-and-2 call Sunday against Indy, can’t wait for the rematch. On the field, Randy Moss has a score to settle, too. Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis held him to four catches for 24 yards in Week 2, and though Moss leads the league with 891 yards receiving, that game sticks in his craw. This week he intends to show that nobody — nobody — can keep him in check. That said, don’t look for Revis to hold up a white flag.

Cincinnati (7-2) at Oakland (2-7), 4:15 p.m. — “Kitty’s Back” — After beating the Steelers last week to complete season sweeps of both Pittsburgh and Baltimore, the Bengals are definitely back. And worry not that these formerly forlorn felines will likely be without running back Cedric Benson; Carson Palmer has enough weapons to make quick work of the Raiders, who couldn’t even beat the lowly Chiefs at home last week. That’s what you call a dog of a team.

San Diego (6-3) at Denver (6-3), 4:15 p.m. — “Long Time Comin’” — You could see this one coming five weeks ago. I could, anyway, when I wrote that the Chargers — despite being two and a half games back at the time — and Broncos could well be playing this game with first place in the AFC West on the line. Denver has lost its last three and San Diego has won its last four, which feels a lot like the way last season ended. If the Chargers win this one, it’s still too early to put a nail in the Broncos’ playoff coffin, but it won’t be hard to see that result coming down the line.

Philadelphia (5-4) at Chicago (4-5), 8:20 p.m. — “Growin’ Up” — If the Eagles are to make the playoffs, a lot of young players — rookies LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin chief among them — need to grow up in a hurry. Running back Brian Westbrook is gone, perhaps forever, and it will be on the kiddie corps and Donovan McNabb to halt the Eagles’ two-game slide and start getting serious about winning the NFC East. As for the Bears, league interception leader Jay Cutler has a lot of growin’ up to do, on more than one level.

MONDAY

Tennessee (3-6) at Houston (5-4), 8:30 p.m. — “Working on a Dream” — All the Titans must do to achieve the dream espoused by Chris Johnson, the league’s rushing leader, is win seven more games and make the playoffs. Johnson said the team decided three weeks ago, when they were 0-6, they could see that happening, and the Titans have done nothing since to indicate it won’t. Quarterback Vince Young doesn’t even know what it feels like to start and lose a game this season. The Texans are working on a dream of their own — making the playoffs for the first time since joining the league in 2002. Yes, the Texans have their sights set on “The Promised Land.”

Sorry. Couldn't help myself. Surprise, surprise.

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