Written by Brendon Donohoe
A day late is better than never. Outside of a few key injuries, week 11 didn’t rock the boat all that much. If anything, I would call week 11 the least interesting week so far. Many of the early games were very close, but somehow were either uninteresting, or interesting for all of the wrong reasons. The late games stole the show, and hopefully this late article will to. Here is your NFL week 11 recap.
Oakland Raiders – 13, Detroit Lions – 18
Starting out on the lowest of notes, I could not have asked for a less interesting football game than this one between the Raiders and Lions. This was essentially the Jim Caldwell equivalent of a football game. There were no winners here. The Raiders saw their playoff hopes slip away, the Lions saw there odds at the 1st pick in the draft slip away, and everyone who sat through this game lost.
Indianapolis Colts – 24, Atlanta Falcons – 21
Two absolutely bizarre teams.
In the Colts, we have a team where 40 year old Matt Hasselbeck has outplayed 26 year old Andrew Luck throughout the season. I do not have an explanation for that.
In the Falcons, we have a team that has imploded since their 5-0 start. In years past it has been the defense that has held the team back, and the offense (specifically the passing game) that propelled the team. This year the roles of switched. The defense has played well, as has the running game. The passing game? Not so much. Matt Ryan is in the midst of his worst season since his second year in the league. Once again, a quarterback issue that I have no answer for.
New York Jets – 17, Houston Texans – 24
Revis Island faced a catastrophe Sunday, as the island was set ablaze. Witnesses say they saw a blur shortly before the fires started. Some witnesses are naming this blur, “DeAndre Hopkins.” Stay tuned for more on this developing story.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 45, Philadelphia Eagles – 17
Speaking of catastrophes, let’s move on to the Eagles, who continue to regret ever allowing Chip Kelly to act as general manager. Eagle’s management regrets it so much, there is a rumor that Chip Kelly and the Eagles will part ways at the end of the season. Probably for the best for both parties.
As the Eagles steadily decline, the Bucs gradually improve, in which was easily their best game of the season. Jameis Winston had a phenomenal game, but was upstaged by Doug Martin who had a historic game.
Denver Broncos – 17, Chicago Bears – 15
Quite the predicament for the Broncos. Brock Osweiler played well and should remain the starter for the foreseeable future, but can you bench a healthy Peyton Manning? Is that legal?
St. Louis Rams – 13, Baltimore Ravens – 16
Wouldn’t be a week in the NFL without a terrible injury, and unfortunately for the Ravens, they suffered two terrible injuries. Joe Flacco and Justin Forsett will both miss the remainder of the season. The Ravens have suffered from an extreme amount of bad luck this year.
While the Ravens suffer from bad luck, the Rams suffer from idiocy. Sure Nick Foles isn’t that good, but what would make anyone think Case Keenum is better? Without Foles, a sub-par passing attack bottomed out, and Todd Gurley had to deal with the consequences.
Dallas Cowboys – 24, Miami Dolphins – 14
What a difference a good quarterback can make. The returning Tony Romo snapped the Cowboys 7 game losing streak, and somehow put his team in playoff contention, despite the team have a 2-7 record going into Sunday’s game. That is how bad the NFC East is this year.
As for the Dolphins, I think we can say that this was the final nail in the coffin. Despite only being a game back, this team just hasn’t played well all year, and there are six other teams ahead of them in the race right now.
Washington Redskins – 16, Carolina Panthers – 44
The first quarter made this game appear like it was going to be a good one, and then the Redskins offense decided to dip their hands in butter for the rest of the game. Four fumbles and an interception. I don’t really need to say much more than that.
Look at the bright side Redskins fans. I think we’ve found your next star wide receiver.
Kansas City Chiefs – 33, San Diego Chargers – 3
The only team that may have more bad luck this season than the Ravens, is the Chargers. Injuries have decimated this team from top to bottom. Can you guess which position Dontrelle Inman and Javontee Herndon play? If you guessed offensive line, you are wrong. They are two of the top receivers on the Chargers at the moment. The Chargers probably should have been able to put up more of a fight, but I can’t blame them for losing. The “next man up” motto doesn’t work when there’s no one left.
Oh, and I guess Andy Reid is trying out all options at running back.
Green Bay Packers – 30, Minnesota Vikings – 13
One way or another, this was going to be a statement game for these two teams.
A win here for the Vikings would have established them as a legit threat this year. However, it was the Packers who made the statement. After a three game losing streak, the Packers needed to prove that they were still the top dogs in their division. Handedly beating the Vikings showed that.
San Francisco 49ers – 13, Seattle Seahawks – 29
It may be a down year for the Seahawks, but there was no chance they were going to lose to a Blaine Gabbert led team.
Cincinnati Bengals – 31, Arizona Cardinals – 34
We have arrived at our game of the week. This was a duel between two of the NFL’s finest. Both QBs torched each other’s defense, but it was the Cardinals defense who came up clutch in the end, forcing a fumble in the 4th. Chandler Catanzaro then sealed the deal for the Cardinals.
Buffalo Bills – 13, New England Patriots – 20
I may have been a little off on the score, but I at least picked the winner correctly.
The big story from this game was the horrendous officiating. While the calls did not probably affect the end result, they were still inexcusable. If you want to read more about the incident, click here.
Come back next week for the Week 12 recap.
