Welcome to the Wednesday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!

Guys, I'll be honest, I don't even know how Wednesdays work around here. Cody Benjamin is usually in charge of the Wednesday newsletter, but he had to take the day off so he could start prepping for Thanksgiving. Apparently, it takes him an entire week to get everything ready. I bet Thanksgiving is awesome at Cody's house, but I wouldn't know, because he never invites me over. 

Anyway, Cody sits out one Wednesday and all hell has broken loose in his absence with Deshaun Watson being knocked out for the season. We'll be covering that today, plus we'll be going over Prisco's picks and we'll also be taking a look at who's on the hot seat heading into Week 11.  

As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here.:

The most exciting part of my week definitely happens every Wednesday when I get to debate Pete Prisco's Power Rankings with PETE PRISCO. Someone has to hold the man accountable. For today's show, Prisco and I were joined by Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson and we spent nearly 60 minutes dissecting Prisco's latest Power Rankings. 

Here are some key subjects we touched on during the show. 

• Bills won't make the playoffs. The Bills fell five spots in Prisco's rankings this week and there's a big reason for that: Prisco has lost all faith in them. Pete thinks the 5-5 Bills are going to finish 8-9 and out of the playoffs. "Their schedule is brutal. Look at the schedule." Four of Buffalo's next five games are against the Eagles, Chiefs, Cowboys and Chargers. 
• The Texans will win the AFC South. Not only does Pete think the Bills will miss the playoffs, but his other surprise is that he thinks the Texans are going to run down the Jaguars and win the AFC South. Pete has the Texans at 11th in his latest Power Rankings. "It will all come down to that game in Week 12," Prisco said. "If Jacksonville can go into that game and win, the division is theirs, but they have a bad history with the Texans. My lean would be with the Texans to win the division." 

Prisco also pointed out that the Texans have a much easier schedule. With eight weeks to play in the season, Houston has the easiest remaining strength of schedule of any team in the AFC. Besides the Jaguars game in Week 12, the Texans will only play one team over the final eight weeks that currently has a winning record and that team just lost its starting QB (Browns). On the other hand, the Jags still have to play four teams that are currently above .500 (Ravens, Bengals, Browns and Texans). 

To hear everything we talked about with Prisco, be sure to click here so you can listen to the entire episode of the podcast. You can also watch the episode on YouTube here.

The Browns revealed some stunning news on Wednesday morning when they announced that Deshaun Watson will miss the rest of the 2023 season due to an injury. Normally, this kind of news leaks out before it's announced, but the Browns kept a tight lid on this and no one knew until the team made the announcement at 8:49 a.m. ET. It was an absolute jaw-dropper. 

Here's what you need to know about the situation: 

• Watson injured his shoulder. Although Watson played the entire game during the Browns' win over the Ravens on Sunday, it turns out that he actually injured his shoulder in the first half. At some point after the game, he underwent an MRI and that's when it was discovered that he had suffered a displaced fracture to the glenoid (his right shoulder). Watson was advised to undergo surgery immediately to avoid further structural damage, so that's what he decided to do. The Browns QB also suffered a high ankle sprain in his left ankle, so even if the shoulder injury didn't happen, he almost certainly would have missed this week's game against the Steelers no matter what. 
• Who will replace Watson? The Browns already have a good handle on their backup QB situation and that's because Watson has already missed three games this year. In the first game he missed, the team decided to start rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson. In the other two games, they went with P.J. Walker. DTR had an ugly game in a 28-3 loss to the Ravens, but Walker has gone 1-1 as a starter this season, which includes helping the Browns pull off a huge upset over the 49ers in Week 6. Walker would seem to make more sense, but according to multiple reports , the Browns plan to roll with Thompson-Robinson. Of course, the irony for the Browns is that they had a good backup QB on their roster (Joshua Dobbs), but they traded him away back in August. They had a chance to get him back at the trade deadline, but they decided not to make any moves at QB even though Watson was already banged up at that point. Basically, the Browns decided they didn't need a safety net at QB, and now, that decision could end up costing them. 
• Playoff chances . Although the injury to Watson is going to hurt Cleveland's chances of winning the division, the Browns are still being projected to make the playoffs. Stephen Oh of SportsLine.com simulated the rest of the season and based on his simulations, the Browns are expected to finish 10-7, which will be good enough to get them the sixth seed in the AFC (Before Watson's injury, they were projected as the fifth seed). 

The Browns have been brutalized by injuries this year. Watson is now the third key offensive player to go down with a season-ending injury, joining running back Nick Chubb and left tackle Jack Conklin. 

Every Wednesday, Pete Prisco releases his weekly NFL picks and every Wednesday, we feature them right here in the newsletter. Pete said he would stop returning my texts if we didn't share three of this best picks, so let's check them out:

• Ravens 29-24 over Bengals: This game lost a little luster when both lost last week. The Bengals looked bad on defense, while the Ravens blew a fourth-quarter lead in losing to the Browns. I think Lamar Jackson will get back on track against a Bengals defense that was shredded last week. The Ravens take it.
• Browns 23-16 over Steelers:  With Deshaun Watson out, this makes this a much tougher game for the Browns. But this team is about defense and running the football. That will still play out against a Steelers team that has issues on offense and stopping the run, giving up 4.5 per rush. Browns still take it without Watson.     
• Rams 23-20 over Seahawks: The Rams are coming off a bye, but will have Matthew Stafford back in this one. The Seahawks lost the Rams at home in Week 1, but they are a better team than they were back then. Even so, I think the Rams will find a way to pull off this upset.

You can see all of Prisco's picks for Week 11 by clicking here. 

The C.J. Stroud hype train is definitely running at full speed this week. Not only has there been some MVP chatter around the Texans rookie, but he made a huge move up Cody Benjamin's latest QB rankings. Heading into Week 11, Cody has Stroud ranked as the TOP quarterback in the NFL. 

Here's a look at his top five quarterbacks through 10 weeks: 

• 1. C.J. Stroud. "Yes, he's a rookie, but is anyone playing smarter, more composed, more clutch football right now? Stroud can push the ball anywhere he pleases, and that's reason No. 1 the Texans are relevant."
• 2. Jalen Hurts. "He's got 22 TDs in nine games, second among all starters, and he's virtually undeniable as a situational runner. Philly goes as he goes, and he never blinks."
• 3. Patrick Mahomes.  "Besides his 17 TDs through the air, tied for third-most among QBs, he's been the most efficient scrambler of any passer with more than 200 rushing yards."
• 4. Lamar Jackson. "The Ravens have an issue finishing games, and Jackson isn't totally blameless there. But his massive leap in efficiency has often elevated those around him."
• 5. Josh Allen.  "Talk about an impossible assessment. Allen is simultaneously a dream and a nightmare for a Bills contender that can't get out of its own way. His heroic dual-threat approach often saves their imbalanced approach; you don't score 26 TDs in 10 games by accident. But that same go-for-broke mentality has him easily leading the NFL in turnovers, with 14."

If you want to check out Cody's full rankings, you can do that here. 

Bill Belichick currently has a very warm seat in New England, but if it makes him feel any better, he doesn't currently have the hottest seat in the NFL. 

As we head into Week 11, here's a look at our hot seat rankings, which were put together by Jordan Dajani. 

1. Brandon Staley (4-5 Chargers)
2. Ron Rivera (4-6 Commanders)
3. Matt Eberflus (3-7 Bears)
4. Bill Belichick (2-8 Patriots)
5. Frank Reich (1-8 Panthers)

Rivera's seat could get even hotter this week if his Commanders lose at home to the hapless Giants. Anyway, if you want to know why each of these coaches made the list, you can read Jordan's full story by clicking here.

It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• Bears expected to get Justin Fields back. After missing four games due to a thumb injury, Fields is finally expected to return this week when the Bears play the Lions. You can read more about the QB's return here. 
• Cowboys starter out for season.  Leighton Vander Esch is done for the season due to a neck injury. The linebacker hasn't played since suffering the injury in a Week 5 loss to the 49ers. The unfortunate part for Vander Esch is that the injury is serious enough that it could put his career in jeopardy. For more his situation, be sure to go here. 
  
• Jason Pierre-Paul planning to sign with the Saints. The two-time Super Bowl winner is planning to sign with the Saints after working out with the team on Monday, CBS Sports HQ Senior NFL Insider Josina Anderson has reported. The three-time Pro Bowler should be provide a small boost for a New Orleans defense that certainly needs all the pass-rushing help it can get. The Saints are only averaging 1.8 sacks per game this season, which is tied for the third-worst total in the NFL. 
• Vikings linebacker placed on injured reserve. The Vikings lost a key part of their defense this week when Jordan Hicks was placed on IR with a leg injury. The linebacker apparently developed compartment syndrome, which required him to undergo surgery on Sunday. Hicks will now miss at least the next four games and since the Vikings have a bye in that window, it means he can't return to the field until Christmas Eve at the earliest when Minnesota plays host to Detroit. 
• Texans starter suspended for three games. Denzel Perryman was hit with a three-game suspension this week for "repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players." Basically, the NFL thought he was playing dirty and he's now being punished for that. According to NFL.com , Perryman is appealing his suspension today and he'll be hoping to get the suspension trimmed down.