Week 11 was one to look forward to with a great Thursday matchup to start off the week and then a Super Bowl rematch to close. Unfortunately that beginning and end wasn’t as perfect as expected. The Thursday night game lost plenty of interest when Joe Burrow exited the game in what would eventually be announced as a season ending injury. Although the Philadelphia and Kansas City rematch didn’t have as upsetting an incident, the two teams had to play through poor, rainy conditions.
There was plenty of more exciting and less upsetting events in Week 11. C.J. Stroud may have officially entered the MVP conversation or at least in the Texans fans’ eyes. Cleveland and Pittsburgh brought 1970s football back in a low scoring barn burner. Oh, and how could we forget? The Chargers blew another game.
Eagles Take MNF Victory in Super Bowl Rematch
It’s not the Super Bowl win Philadelphia hoped for last season, but in a showcase between the NFL’s two best teams on a rainy night in Kansas City, the Eagles got the best of the Chiefs with a 21-17 win.
To say this was a hard fought win for the defending NFC champions would be an understatement. Entering halftime, Philadelphia was down 17-7 and had less than 100 yards of total offense. If it wasn’t for an interception of Patrick Mahomes near the near the end of the first half, the Eagles may have been dead and buried.
What the Eagles did to Kansas City in the second half was nothing less than a defensive clinic. Philadelphia held a Patrick Mahomes led offense to zero points, thanks largely to forcing a Travis Kelce on the Eagles five yard line early in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia would rely on Jalen Hurts to score two rushing touchdowns, including the game winning score which came by the unstoppable “tush push”.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs had an opportunity to return a comeback of their own on their final drive of the game. With just under two minutes left, Patrick Mahomes threw a beautiful deep ball to Marquez Valdes-Scantling that likely would’ve been a touchdown had MVS not dropped the pass. After an intentional grounding call, Patrick Mahomes would throw one more incompletion, clinching an Eagles victory and holding their spot as the team with the best record in the NFL at 9-1.
Does this game prove much beyond these two teams still being very even? Not really. Nothing about this game, especially when you consider the inclement weather, should give any reason to think Philadelphia and Kansas City are not the best teams in their individual conferences. If anything, we are learning that these teams may be more dependent on their defenses than their offenses as one would think. If either the Chiefs or Eagles were to win the Super Bowl, it likely means their defensive until met the tall task of playing to the same level or even better than the offensive unit.
With so many injuries and teams that can’t be trusted to perform well consistently, Kansas City will have a great chance to win the AFC and return to the Super Bowl for fourth time in five years. Philadelphia may have the more difficult singular opponent in either San Francisco, Detroit, or Dallas. It’s unfortunate this game wasn’t played in more ideal weather, but this may not be the last time we see these two teams play eachother this year.
Cincinnati’s Season Comes Crashing Down in Loss to Ravens
Maybe the greatest destroyer of an NFL season is injuries, particularly those to some of the elite players in the league. Joe Burrow became the most recent casualty to the 2023 season ending injury list. Burrow exited the game near the end of Thursday’s first half with a wrist injury that was determined to be a torn ligament in the wrist of his throwing arm, an injury that will require surgery and end his season. Burrow’s season, which started with a calf injury that had him hobbled, now ends after the Cincinnati Bengals had worked themselves back into the playoff conversation after opening the season 1-3.
In an extremely competitive AFC, the Bengals fell to 5-5 after going on to lose to their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 34-20. Backup quarterback Jake Browning stepped in, but struggled, connecting on just eight passes for 68 yards and a garbage time touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase in the final minute of the game.
Baltimore, who sits as the AFC’s second seed, didn’t escape without major injury themselves as their star tight end, Mark Andrews, exited the game with an ankle injury and also looks lost for the season. That being said, no Burrow and Buffalo, a preseason favorite, struggling, the Ravens may be in a competition with Miami as the two biggest challenges to Kansas City in the AFC.
Considering Cincinnati now sits in 11th place in the conference and will rely on Browning to lead the team, it is very unlikely that the Bengals will be able to leap from the teams in front of them in the standings in the final seven weeks of the season. Ultimately, this is a massive loss for football fans in general as the Bengals have built a great playoff rivalry with Kansas City and were possibly the team best suited to challenge the Chiefs.
With the Bengals likely out of the playoff picture, will their own AFC North rivals, Baltimore, be up to replace them as the biggest challengers to the Super Bowl champs. We will see, but if they can’t, it’s hard to imagine who will.
Browns Grind Out Victory Over Steelers in Defensive Battle
The Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers could play 10 games and each one would likely be decided by less than a touchdown. It’s also likely it would take 80% of any combination of other two teams to score the equal combined points Cleveland and Pittsburgh would over those 10 games in half the amount of matchups. In a game in which scoring was excruciatingly difficult to come by, the Browns came out with a 13-10 win to take a one game advantage in front of Pittsburgh in the AFC North and wild card standings.
The 2023 versions of the Browns and Steelers were meant for each other. Two teams with elite level defenses but struggling offenses, there may not be two more similar teams in the NFL. Pittsburgh’s total yards in Sunday’s matchup was 249, while Cleveland reached 259. Passing success was at a minimum as Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett threw for just 106 yards and Browns rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson for 165 yards. Both quarterbacks had a completion average of just 3.8 yards. The two touchdowns in this game came from each team’s versatile running backs, Jaylen Warren of Pittsburgh and Jerome Ford of Cleveland.
In the end, the game came down to an eight play, 48 yard drive by the Browns that featured a couple of Thompson-Robinson passes to move the chains and some Kareem Hunt runs. Dustin Hopkins would win the game with a 34 yard game winning field goal kick.
The win moved Cleveland into the top wild card position. With the AFC North now losing Joe Burrow for the season and likely Cincinnati’s playoff hopes, the Browns own playoff hopes looking evermore promising. Cleveland’s defense has an argument for top in the league, led by Myles Garrett who has earned a right to a claim for Defensive Player of the Year. The Browns continue to win games with mostly below average quarterback play, something a team like the New York Jets has not been able to overcome. They are undoubtedly the most inexplainable good teams in the NFL this season.
For Pittsburgh, they now fall to the final wild card spot with a myriad of other AFC competition knocking on the door. Pittsburgh’s defense is also one of the league’s best and considering some of the young weapons the offense has, this team should be in an equally decent position as Cleveland. Unfortunately, Kenny Pickett has not developed into the franchise quarterback the Steelers have hoped and the offense has been very inconsistent. With a mostly favorable schedule, Pittsburgh’s post season life may once again be determined at the very end of the regular season.
Houston and Stroud MVP Conversation
It’s been talked about the last couple of weeks, but this C.J. Stroud rookie season is getting absurd. Stroud posted another 336 yards passing this week in a 21-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals to move the Houston Texans into the second wild card position. Stroud also threw two touchdowns in Houston’s third straight win.
On paper, a win over Arizona may not seem like much considering their record, but remember, this team is coming off a win after Kyler Murray’s return. With three interceptions, this wasn’t Stroud’s best performance of the season, but it’s clear he continues to lead this much improved Texans offense like an NFL veteran. With veteran running back Devin Singletary rushing over 100 yards for the second straight game and the continued chemistry with receivers, Tank Dell and Nico Collins, it’s clear that this Houston offense is for real.
At one point in the game, the Houston fans were offering up “MVP” chants for Stroud. This came after a 40 yard touchdown throw to Dell. Although unlikely Stroud will become a serious candidate in the MVP conversation, he has earned the right to be mentioned. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans and him have been the two biggest additions to the team’s turn around and Stroud might in fact be the best quarterback in the NFL for the past month. If Houston continues their climb up the AFC standings, and even wins the AFC South, there’s a strong argument Stroud is in the top 10, maybe even top five names for the award. In a season, where there hasn’t been on player consistently dominating, Stroud might be on the best hot streak of all players in the NFL this season.
Week 12 Game Watchability Rankings
16. Panthers vs Titans: Carolina and Tennessee are two of the worst teams in the NFL this season. If you like offense, I wouldn’t waste your time with this game unless you prefer offenses that look like they would’ve been productive in the 1970s.
15. Patriots vs Giants: The days of Super Bowls featuring Tom Brady and Eli Manning are long gone. Another game featuring a pair of teams that are more likely to hold top five picks in the upcoming NFL Draft than play relevant football games the rest of the year. Between Bill Belichick and Brian Daboll, this game also features two coaches who may hate their team more than any other coaches in the NFL.
14. Rams vs Cardinals: Maybe I’m not giving this game enough credit. Although both teams have poor records, Los Angeles and Arizona are much better teams than just a couple weeks ago thanks to the return of Matthew Stafford and Kyler Murray. The two quarterbacks add so much more to this game just on the fact that it will showcase two quarterbacks who don’t look like they were acquired on Craig’s List. The Rams are unlikely playoff hopefuls, but if they have any hope they have to win this division road game.
13. Steelers vs Bengals: Just another football game this season that has been ruined by injury. We’ve already seen it with just about every Jets game that was affected by the Aaron Rodgers game and now with Joe Burrow’s season ending injury, every once meaningful Bengals game will feel much less meaningful. Technically both of these teams are still in the running in the AFC North, but in a loaded AFC, it feels like Pittsburgh is the one that really has a chance to find the postseason. The Steelers can’t lose this game to a team missing one of the league’s best quarterbacks.
12. Packers vs Lions: Green Bay has won two of three and can feel a tad bit more confident in Jordan Love at quarterback after their comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Detroit also put together an impressive comeback against Chicago after getting themselves in a pretty big hole. Detroit defeated Green Bay earlier in the season at Lambeau with relative ease, 34-20.
11. Buccaneers vs Colts: Indianapolis may be the most under the radar .500 or above team in the NFL. Despite losing Anthony Richardson early in the season, the Colts have buzzed around the playoff picture and aren’t even that far off from Jacksonville and Houston in regards to the AFC South. They will play a Tampa Bay team that is a similar position in the NFC, albeit a less impressive record. The Bucs route to the playoffs is winning the NFC South and in order to do that, it means winning games like this one in Indianapolis.
10. Commanders vs Cowboys: Washington blew a big opportunity to be in the middle of the NFC Wild Card race. In a winnable game against the Giants that would’ve put the Commanders as the current “first team out” in the conference, they were defeated by a team quarterbacked by Tommy Devito and now find themselves back in the pack with all of the other teams in the NFC multiple games below .500. Dallas has safely asserted themselves into the first wild card spot right now and still have an opportunity to catch Philadelphia in the NFC East if keep winning.
9. Saints vs Falcons: The division of mediocrity is the NFC South. Mediocrity might even be too strong of a word for these teams. It’s still an open race between New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta. The Falcons have lost three straight and Arthur Smith’s seat seems to keep getting hotter. New Orleans has been more consistent, but hasn’t had a winning streak beyond two games. The first of two matchups between the Saints and Falcons, there’s still a long way to go before we know which team in the South will earn a home playoff game against a more superior team.
8. Browns vs Broncos: How does Cleveland keep getting away with these wins. The offense is putrid, just not as bad as the New York Jets. There’s a debate now worth having that the Browns defense is also better than New York’s. Myles Garrett and Company have been the main reason Cleveland sits at 7-3. Denver won’t be an easy matchup. The Broncos hold the NFL’s longest current win streak at four games and are in the running with the rest of the mid tier AFC teams for the wild card. This could be a very good game with points being hard to come by.
7. Bears vs Vikings: Chicago nearly delivered a road win to Detroit in Justin Fields’ return, but in typical 2023 Bears fashion, they let the game slip away. Minnesota let their own road game against Denver also get away from them, ending their five game winning streak. Chicago is well on their way to having two top five picks so winning this game would almost feel like a bad thing for the future of the franchise. The Vikings hopes of possible catching Detroit in the NFC North now seem like a big hill to climb, but they still have a comfortable current spot in the playoff picture. Minnesota can’t take this game lightly.
6. Chiefs vs Raiders: It’s official, Kansas City has one of the NFL’s best defenses. Who would’ve thought we would find the offense the more concerning unit for the Chiefs? That’s more to do with the lack of reliable receivers and their ability to catch balls from Patrick Mahomes. Not to worry Kansas City, they are still the favorites in the AFC. They will play a Raiders team that has been stronger under Antonio Pierce. The first of two matchups between these teams, the 5-6 Raiders will need to win at least one of them for any postseason dreams to live on.
5. Dolphins vs Jets: The tale of two different types of offenses in this AFC East matchup. Miami can put up points at a blistering pace while the Jets look allergic to putting up sustained drives and finding the end zone. Much like other weeks, the quality of this game will be dependent on what type of game the New York defense can make it. This will be the first of two games between Miami and New York. Will the Jets finally put a different quarterback on the field than Zach Wilson? Oh, who are we kidding?
4. Ravens vs Chargers: Baltimore will continue the season without the help of one of the league’s best tight ends in Mark Andrews. If Kansas City is the best team in the AFC, Baltimore seems like the logical number two right now. They will play a Los Angeles team that is frisky, but always finds ways to lose. Most recently, the Chargers put together a highlight real of dropped balls and failed redzone attempts to blow a game to Green Bay. The Chargers can and may ultimately need to win this game. It would’ve been easier to just get the one in Green Bay.
3. 49ers vs Seahawks: This NFC West battle should be one of the best of the week and a great nightcap to the three Thanksgiving Day games. San Francisco has returned back to their formidable self and look like a Super Bowl contender. Seattle tripped up this past weekend against the Rams for the second time this season, but a win at home over the Niners will still have them knotted up at the top of the division. Big NFC playoff ramifications on the line for this one.
2. Jaguars vs Texans: Who would’ve thought we’d reach a point this far into the season where the Houston Texans are one of the league’s best games. The consistent performances of C.J. Stroud has forced the hands of football fans to acknowledge Houston as a legitimate AFC playoff team. Stroud has helped Houston pull within one game of having an AFC South lead. Jacksonville has won six of seven themselves, but did have a 37-17 loss at home to Houston in Week Three. This game may ultimately decide who gets a home playoff game.
1. Bills vs Eagles: Fresh off a big win in Kansas City, Philadelphia will get another challenge from an AFC team. Buffalo has been a tad underwhelming this year, but still have moments when they look like the Super Bowl contender of the past couple years. If we get the good version of Buffalo, they will make this a game. That’s also dependent on Josh Allen’s ability to take care of the football. Philadelphia is in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the season. This Buffalo game begins a streak that includes San Francisco, Dallas, and Seattle. Philadelphia is getting some major playoff preparation.
The Brewball NFL Power Rankings
- Philadelphia Eagles (9-1)
- Kansas City Chiefs (7-3)
- Detroit Lions (8-2)
- San Francisco 49ers (7-3)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-3)
- Miami Dolphins (7-3)
- Dallas Cowboys (7-3)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3)
- Cleveland Browns (7-3)
- Houston Texans (6-4)
- Seattle Seahawks (6-4)
- Buffalo Bills (6-5)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)
- Denver Broncos (5-5)
- Minnesota Vikings (6-5)
- New Orleans Saints (5-5)
- Los Angeles Chargers (4-6)
- Cincinnati Bengals (5-5)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6)
- Las Vegas Raiders (5-6)
- Indianapolis Colts (5-5)
- Los Angeles Rams (4-6)
- New York Jets (4-6)
- Atlanta Falcons (4-6)
- Green Bay Packers (4-6)
- Washington Commanders (4-7)
- Chicago Bears (3-8)
- New York Giants (3-8)
- Tennessee Titans (3-7)
- Arizona Cardinals (2-9)
- New England Patriots (2-8)
- Carolina Panthers (1-9)