NFL Week 11 - The Main Points

The biggest takeaways from a week filled with surprises

by Brendan Smith, Sports O’Clock Writing Team Member

Week 11 concludes tonight with a primetime matchup between the 6-3 Los Angeles Rams and the 7-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While this game could prove to be among the best of the week, Sunday’s action gave us some of the most entertaining football of the season and increased the drama of the playoff races in each conference. Below are my “main points” from each game. The main points will highlight the biggest story emerging from each game and, in some cases, how the rest of the season could be impacted by what transpired on the field.

Arizona Cardinals 21, Seattle Seahawks 28 (Thursday)

The Main Point: A balanced team wins games

The Seahawks have been overly reliant on quarterback Russell Wilson this season. Wilson has had virtually no running game, offensive line, or defense for most of the season, and he tried to do too much on his own in losses to the Buffalo Bills and Rams over the last two weeks.

Wilson finally had some help on both sides of the ball on Thursday. Running back Carlos Hyde returned from injury to rush for 79 yards and a touchdown, while the Seahawks defense contained Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray for most of the evening. All of those factors led to a Seahawks win. Coincidence? I think not.

Cincinnati Bengals 9, Washington Football Team 20

The Main Point: The Bengals paid the price for their negligence

After finishing the 2019 season with the third-worst offensive line in the league according to Pro Football Focus, the Bengals needed to make changes to ensure they could protect their star rookie quarterback Joe Burrow. Other than regaining a few starters who were lost to injury last season, the Bengals did nothing to improve the line.

Finally, after 10 weeks of allowing Burrow to get absolutely battered by opposing defenses to the tune of 32 sacks, the Bengals paid the price. Burrow will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee. I feel bad for Burrow; he was having a great season and was proving that he will be a superstar in the future. But I do not feel bad for the Bengals. This proves that they are still a poorly run organization and cannot fathom the importance of protecting a young QB. I will be writing an article on this later, so be on the lookout for that.

Atlanta Falcons 9, New Orleans Saints 24

The Main Point: I could not have been more wrong about the Saints quarterback situation

Last week, I predicted that head coach Sean Payton and the Saints would choose Jameis Winston to start at quarterback in place of an injured Drew Brees. I was wrong. Payton chose Taysom Hill, the human Swiss army knife, to start against the Falcons in a move that surprised myself and just about everyone else.

Payton’s decision paid off. Hill did not have a perfect game, but he proved that he can be a good option at quarterback if Brees decides to retire at the end of this season. More importantly, Payton proved that his offense still clicks regardless of who is under center. Even without Brees, the Saints are still the class of the NFC.

Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 3

The Main Point: The Steelers defense is good, if you didn’t know that already

The Steelers had some shaky performances in recent weeks, but their record remained unblemished entering yet another trap game in Jacksonville. And it stayed that way. The Steelers suffocated Jaguars quarterback Jake Luton, who was sacked twice and threw four interceptions. While Luton and the Jaguars offense are not formidable by any means, the Steelers treated them as such and did not allow any points or meaningful gains after the Jaguars’ first series of the game.

The Steelers are still undefeated, and the combination of the defense and the offense led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger makes them a scary opponent. Next up: A Thanksgiving Day battle with the Baltimore Ravens. If the Steelers win, they all but secure the AFC North division title. Speaking of the Ravens…

Tennessee Titans 30, Baltimore Ravens 24 (OT)

The Main Point: This one isn’t all Lamar’s fault

I think it’s official: the Ravens are in trouble. Nothing on this year’s team proves to me that they are a Super Bowl contender. Quarterback Lamar Jackson still cannot throw the ball with accuracy, the play calling is horrendous and lacks any sort of balance, the receiving corps is one of the worst in the league (particularly Marquise “Hollywood” Brown) and the offensive line is suffering without left tackle Ronnie Stanley.

Yesterday, the worst part of this team was the defense. Nobody on the field could tackle, and Titans running back Derrick Henry was able to impose his will once again against the Ravens front seven. The Ravens were missing defensive lineman Calais Campbell and Brandon Williams, but that does not excuse the performances from the players on the field. The biggest indictment against this unit was allowing Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown break four tackles and shake off Ravens middle linebacker Patrick Queen on the way to the endzone.

The Ravens currently do not occupy a playoff spot, and they will have to fight to regain one.

New England Patriots 20, Houston Texans 27

The Main Point: The Patriots fall back to Earth

The Patriots’ victory over the Ravens in Week 10 came as a surprise to nearly everyone and placed Bill Belichick and Co. right back in the playoff picture. After losing to the Texans on Sunday, the Patriots may have left the playoff picture just as quickly as they arrived.

Deshaun Watson was electrifying and tore apart the Patriots defense with two touchdowns through the air and another on the ground. He also distributed his 344 passing yards among nine different receivers. For a team that has often relied on its defense to aid quarterback Cam Newton, the Patriots failed to impose themselves on a team that has struggled mightily this season. It may be time for a full rebuild in New England.

Philadelphia Eagles 17, Cleveland Browns 22

The Main Point: The Eagles need to move on from Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson

This game was sloppy. Torrential rain plagued both offenses for four quarters, but it does not excuse yet another horrific performance from Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz threw two interceptions, the first of which was returned for a touchdown, and was sacked in the endzone for a safety. That is not a performance that you would expect from a fifth-year starter.

Not all the blame can be placed on Wentz. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson continues to disregard Wentz’s mobility and designs plays that keep Wentz inside the pocket. The bigger concern is Pederson’s inability to recognize that his game plans do not work and his reluctance to change them. Big changes need to be made in Philly this offseason, and two of those changes may be at head coach and starting quarterback.

Detroit Lions 0, Carolina Panthers 20

The Main Point: Matt Patricia has hit rock bottom

The writing has been on the wall for multiple seasons, but Matt Patricia will most likely be fired at the conclusion of the season. The Lions were dreadful on both sides of the ball yesterday. They had no offensive rhythm whatsoever, and the defense could not stop Panthers quarterback P.J. Walker, who was making his first career start in the NFL.

Defense is Patricia’s specialty, but he has not been able to establish an effective defensive scheme with his group in Detroit. That will be the main stain on his resume that will likely cost him his job. If I were quarterback Matthew Stafford, I would ask for a trade out of Detroit. I will more thoughts on Stafford in an article later this week.

New York Jets 28, Los Angeles Chargers 34

The Main Point: This was the last chance for the Jets to get a win

This was a meaningless game. Neither team has any chance at making the playoffs (the Jets have officially been eliminated from postseason contention). At best, this was a game to watch Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert light up the Jets defense.

The Jets are now guaranteed to end the season with the third 0-16 record in NFL history. Their final six games are as follows: Dolphins, Raiders, Seahawks, Rams, Browns, and Patriots. Goodbye Adam Gase and hello Trevor Lawrence!

Miami Dolphins 13, Denver Broncos 20

The Main Point: Tua Time just got really weird

Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had the roughest outing of his rookie season against a good Broncos pass rush. Over three quarters, Tua threw for only 83 yards and one touchdown; the touchdown came after the Dolphins defense forced a turnover deep in Broncos territory. Dolphins head coach Brian Flores benched Tua for Ryan Fitzpatrick to give the Dolphins some life on offense, but Fitzpatrick threw an interception in the end zone to give the Broncos the win.

Flores stated that Tua will start next week against the Jets, but one has to assume that Tua will be on an extremely short leash for the rest of the season. The Dolphins are firmly in the playoff race, and they will need consistent quarterback play to have a chance at playing football in January.

Dallas Cowboys 31, Minnesota Vikings 28

The Main Point: The best recipe is feeding Zeke

The Cowboys finally fed Ezekial Elliott, and they won a game for the first time since they lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury. Elliott ran for 103 yards on 21 carries and added a receiving touchdown. While Elliott was running the ball effectively, quarterback Andy Dalton had a solid outing by throwing three touchdown passes.

The Cowboys are firmly in the race for the NFC East title with a 3-7 record. That speaks to the overall level of play in that division and confirms that whoever gets the number five seed in the NFC will get an easy victory in the first round of the playoffs.

Green Bay Packers 31, Indianapolis Colts 34 (OT)

The Main Point: The Packers are not a true contender

The Packers threw away their chance to win the game, got the chance back following a slew of Colts penalties, and then fumbled it away again in overtime. Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship nailed the game-winning field goal in OT, but a three-point loss does not sum up how poor the Packers were.

The Packers have one of the worst, if not the worst, defense in the NFL. In the second half, they allowed Philip Rivers and the Colts offense to march down the field at will and keep Aaron Rodgers on the sidelines. The Packers are clearly reliant on Rodgers and having him stand on the sidelines is going to result in losses. Without a defense, I don’t see how Rodgers can get the Packers to the Super Bowl.

Kansas City Chiefs 35, Las Vegas Raiders 31

The Main Point: The Raiders should have no shame in losing this game

Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league, and it was not surprising to see him march the Chiefs down the field to score the winning touchdown in less than two minutes. The biggest surprise was the fact he had to lead a game-winning drive. The Raiders hung around all night and were on the verge of getting a season sweep over their division rivals if not for the brilliance of Mahomes.

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has a special group of players. Quarterback Derek Carr was just as good, if not better, than Mahomes last night, while tight end Darren Waller proved once again that he is a nightmare in coverage. If Gruden can keep his team focused and healthy for the rest of the season, they could do some serious damage in the playoffs.

(Statistics taken from Pro-Football-Reference.com and https://www.pff.com)

(All photos are cited properly. No copyright infringement intended.)