Quick Thoughts On NFL Week 11 Sunday Action
It was a highly anticipated AFC North battle between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. And so was the showdown between Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills and Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. In the NFC North it was a closely contested game between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. And out west was another division game between the Seahawks and 49ers. So here are a few quick thoughts on NFL Week 11 Sunday action.
Packers @ Bears – It was a back-and-forth nail-biter as the Packers and Bears fought it out. The Packers quickly jumped out to a 7-0 lead with a 70-yard opening drive. But the Bears responded with a 53-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. Jordan Love threw a second quarter interception which allowed the Bears to score a touchdown. The lead kept changing in the second half but it finally came down to a chance for the Bears to win. However, Karl Brooks blocked the 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired. So the Packers got the 20-19 victory.
Jaguars @ Lions – This game was a beatdown of epic proportions. The Lions set a franchise record in yards for a single game to finish with 644 total yards of offense. However, there was bad news for the Lions as linebacker Alex Anzalone suffered a forearm injury and left the game. Per head coach Dan Campbell, he’ll be out 6-8 weeks with a broken forearm. It was a rough game to say the least for the Jags who were without starting QB Trevor Lawrence. The nightmare finally ended with a score of 6-52. Is this the end for head coach Doug Pederson?
Quick Thoughts On NFL Week 11 Sunday Action
Raiders @ Dolphins – Despite recent offensive coaching changes the Raiders five-game losing streak continued. They kept the game close until the fourth quarter when the Dolphins offense exploded with two touchdowns and a field goal. A holding penalty on the Raiders led to Jonnu Smith’s 57-yard fourth quarter TD. QB Gardner Minshew threw an interception with a little over three minutes left in the game ending any hopes of a comeback. The Dolphins tacked on a field goal closing the game out with a score of 19-34.
Rams @ Patriots – The Patriots jump out to a 7-0 lead on their second drive. While their defense forced the Rams to punt twice before they scored a touchdown. But things broke down for the Patriots when the pocket collapsed on Maye and he fumbled the ball. The Rams recovered it and scored a touchdown which established momentum for the Rams. Their offense scored four touchdowns during the game. Patriots receivers had too many dropped balls and the offensive line protection is still suspect. They fought to stay in the game but with one last chance to score a game-winning touchdown Maye was intercepted. Rams held on to win 28-22.
Browns @ Saints – Jameis Winston and his receivers put up great stats but the points were scarce. Choosing to go for a 4th & 1 and trying to convert a 2 pt. attempt were some of the miscues the Browns had. Although both teams had 14 points by the third quarter the Saints offense really opened up in the fourth quarter. Whereas the Browns’ defense completely fell apart. They allowed the Saints to go on two long drives of 77 yards or more. Browns’ left tackle Dawand Jones suffered a fractured leg injury in the second quarter. They lost Jones and the game 14-35.
Notes On Early Afternoon Games
Ravens @ Steelers – It was just what you would expect from this rivalry, a defensive slugfest. Lamar Jackson’s passes kept getting batted down. Russell Wilson was continually under pressure. Both quarterbacks kept going for the big play on third and short downs and missing. Justin Tucker uncharacteristically missed two field goals. It was a little bit of everything in this game. However, Jackson and his offense never got into a rhythm and couldn’t score points. But that likely was due to the two fumbles and interception forced by the Steelers defense. The Ravens had a chance to tie up the game after a Zay Flowers 16-yard touchdown. But Joey Porter Jr. broke up the 2pt conversion attempt. With the 16-18 victory the Steelers take control of the division.
Vikings @ Titans – Sam Darnold fumbled the ball on a mishandled exchange during the Vikings opening drive. Tennessee turned it into a field goal but the Vikings answered with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison. The Vikings outside linebackers got after QB Will Levis posting four sacks and seven quarterback hits. The Titans punted several times. They didn’t score again until the end of the third quarter. Levis found Westbrook-Ikhine who took the pass to the end zone for a 98-yard touchdown. But the Vikings answered with a 60-yard touchdown drive. Tacking on another field goal in the fourth quarter the Titans won 23-13.
More Thoughts on the Early Games
Colts @ Jets – QB Anthony Richardson was back and had a career-high of 272 passing yards and scored two rushing touchdowns. Richardson looked, poised, comfortable and in control. However, the Jets didn’t lay down and die despite trailing 13-7 at halftime. Running back Breece Hall scored a rushing and receiving touchdown. In the third quarter LB Jamien Sherwood strip-sacked Richardson and DT Javon Kinlaw recovered the fumble at the Indianapolis 25-yard line. That led to Breece’s rushing score. But Richardson led his team on two fourth quarter scoring drives. The last one was the game winner with 46 seconds left on the clock. Richardson himself ran in the four-yard touchdown. In a squeaker the Colts won 28-27.
Falcons @ Broncos – The Falcons struggled to get their running game going in the first half. They struggled with everything and for the first time this season lost back-to-back games. In the first half the Falcons scored two field goals while the Broncos scored three touchdowns. Their third down conversion rate was 6-11 which helped them score as much as they did. The Broncos were up 21-6 by halftime. Nothing changed for the Falcons in the second half as they couldn’t move the ball. The Broncos went on to win 6-38. Some things need to get figured out in Atlanta while they are on their bye next week.
Thoughts on the Late Afternoon Games
Seahawks @ 49ers – Geno Smith had never beaten the 49ers as a starter before. But like Anthony Richardson, he would lead his team on a game-winning drive. The Seahawks defense played much better this time around than the season-high 483 yards against Seattle in Week 6, the 49ers had just 280 in this game. Jaxon Smith-Njigba played a key role in the Seahawks offense catching 10 passes for 110 yards. His best contributions were the four passes for 38 yards on Seattle’s game-winning drive. Overall it was another tough divisional game but Smith led his team to the 20-17 victory. The loss leaves the 49ers with matching 5-5 records with the Los Angeles Rams and Seahawks but in fourth place. The Arizona Cardinals lead the division at 6-4.
Chiefs @ Bills – Patrick Mahomes started the Chiefs opening drive with an interception. The Bills capitalized on the the turnover with a touchdown. After a punt the Chiefs scored their first touchdown. In the second quarter the Bills had good field position after a nice return. However, the Bills had a 4th & 3 and chose to go for it instead of trying a field goal. Josh Allen threw a head-scratching interception and the Chiefs got the ball on the Bills 40-yard line and scored a touchdown. The half ended with the Bills 33-yard field goal, leading 14-16. There was nothing but punts in the third quarter. Josh Allen put on his cape in the fourth quarter leading his team on two touchdown drives. The second came when it was fourth down and Allen scrambled for the 26-yard touchdown. Mahomes tried to mount a comeback but his pass intended for Travis Kelce was intercepted. The Bills ran out the clock and handed the Chiefs their first loss with the 21-30 win.
Notes on Sunday Night Football Game
Bengals @ Chargers – Joe Burrow didn’t look like his usual confident self. He was holding the ball too long, underthrowing his receivers and taking too many sacks. Things weren’t any better on the defensive side of the ball as the Chargers were able to do whatever they wanted. If Justin Herbert didn’t have a few errant passes the first half would have been even worse for the Bengals. The Bengals got into the red zone a couple times and had to settle for field goals both times. Whereas the Chargers were scoring touchdowns in the red zone. It was clear to see the frustration of the Bengals players on the sideline. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson was yelling and had to be calmed down.
In the second half the tables turned and the Bengals put together three touchdown scoring drives. One of which came after a Herbert scrambled and lost the ball. The Chargers offense became lackluster only scoring a field goal in the third quarter. Defensively the Bengals played much better in the second half. After the Bengals third touchdown they tied the score at 27. However, they missed two successive field goal attempts. The Chargers had a chance to take the lead and went three and out. And the Bengals promptly did the same. With 45 seconds on the clock the Chargers took 4 plays to score the winning touchdown. It was another crushing loss for the Bengals, 27-34.
Coming Up Next Monday Night Football
Tomorrow night will be the battle of Texas as the Texans visit the Cowboys. The Texans are 6-4 and have been in a bit of a slump. But C.J. Stroud will have Nico Collins back so that should be a big help. The Cowboys are 3-6 and have struggled all season. They have yet to win a home game so they should be playing for pride tomorrow.
Teams on a bye – Cardinals, Panthers, Giants, Buccaneers
**Want Even More Sports, News, Hot Takes, Stats as well as Athlete Celebrity Sighting Updates; Insights as well as Trends? Well, be sure to join all of us Sports Feens over on Youtube to get an additional sports fix; and also don’t forget to check out all of our new Podcast topics and episodes. Plus, get fast highlights and trivia daily by following us on TikTok. Just Click HERE**
Thoughts on Quick Thoughts On NFL Week 11 Sunday Action? Well let’s connect then you Feen! We are always around on social media posting as well as chatting away. And we would love to hear some POV from you. Therefore, join the discussion and talk all things Sports Feen; athletics as well as breaking industry news related with us by dropping a comment or two. Get into our comment section on YT; or also hit us up on our TikTok page or tweet us @SportsFeen.
