Our Week 11 Thoughts, Reactions and Recap

22 Nov, 2022

Our Week 11 Thoughts, Reactions and Recap

Philadelphia Survives in Indianapolis

It took all 4 quarters, but the Eagles found a way to get the win against the Colts. There were quite a few bizarre plays by Hurts on Sunday that showed he still has a lot of growing to do. For example, the Eagles decided to go for it on 4th and 10 down by 10 from the Indianapolis 39. That decision by Siriani is itself a head scratcher, but what Hurts did is even stranger. He was rushed out of the pocket and instead of throwing up a prayer and giving a receiver a chance to make a play, he ran out of bounds 8 yards behind the line of scrimmage. In the end, the Eagles won and that’s all they care about, but those plays have to be in the back of every Eagles’ fans head come playoff time.

Dallas Murdered Minnesota

Good god, talk about a dog walking. Minnesota shouldn’t have even taken the field on Sunday if they were going to play that poorly. The “starting slow and coming back” style of play finally bit them in the behind. Justin Jefferson was held to 33 yards and Kirk Cousins was sacked 7 times. Minnesota’s defense played even worse, allowing Dak to complete 88% of his passes for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was a true beatdown in every sense of the word. The good news for Minnesota is they still have a 4 game lead on the NFC North. They will use this humbling experience to get back on track against New England on Thanksgiving.

Patriots Win on a Walk-Off Punt Return TD

This game was boring all the way up until Marcus Jones took a punt return 84 yards for a touchdown with 5 seconds left. It was an exciting way to end, but the fact Mac Jones and the Patriots could only put up 3 points against the Jets is telling. Yes, the Jets have a good defense, but it isn’t that good. Mac Jones has been broken this entire season. I am still not sure what Bill was thinking bringing in Matt Patricia to call the plays, but it clearly isn’t working. The offense is 20th in points scored and 25th in yards gained. They just can’t move the ball. As for the Jets, it looks like everyone finally agrees Zach Wilson isn’t the quarterback. New York can’t allow themselves to do what the Giants are doing in keeping Daniel Jones. Cut or trade Wilson while you can. He isn’t going to take you anywhere in the playoffs because he can’t even get you to the playoffs. 

Mahomes Magic Returns in Los Angeles

Last season, Kansas City beat the Chargers in Los Angeles on an overtime touchdown catch by Travis Kelce. On Sunday night, they beat the Chargers in Los Angeles on a go-ahead Travis Kelce touchdown with 37 seconds left. The Chargers continue to be the little brother to the Chiefs. Anything you can do, I can do better is what Mahomes shows Herbert every time they match up. It is a great win for Kansas City who keeps the first round bye locked up. They head back home for a matchup next weekend against a struggling Rams team. 

New Orleans Topples the Rams

Speaking of the Rams, they actually showed a lot of life on Sunday until Stafford was injured. He had already thrown for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns through 2 and a half quarters before exiting the field. Bryce Perkins came on in relief and the Rams’ performance went downhill immediately. Stafford might have suffered his second concussion of the month. If he did, he’s probably shut down for at least another week. The bad news keeps piling up for the Rams. This might be one of the worst seasons a defending Super Bowl Champion has ever had. 

Baltimore Outlasts Carolina 

The Ravens snuck by the Panthers, only winning 13-3 and needing a late Panthers mistake to seal it. This was probably a game Baltimore thought they could simply show up and win and Carolina almost made them pay for it. I believe it is time for Baker Mayfield to be relegated to a backup role. What have we seen out of him that warrants him being a starting quarterback? He has a 1-1 TD to INT ratio this year and 2 of his touchdowns came against Cincinnati when the Panthers were down by a million and the Bengals had already checked out. This is now year 5 and he has a 30-35 record. If he wasn’t on every other commercial the last few years, he would already be a backup. If another team gives him a chance this offseason, it’s a safe bet they’re going nowhere fast. 

Other Notes:

  • The Bears lost another nail biter. Their offense is still electric, but their defense leaves a lot to be desired. That was expected after trading all their best defensive talent away. They have 4 picks in the first 3 rounds next year and I would be shocked if at least 3 of them weren’t used on defensive players. 
  • The Steelers gave it their best shot against the Bengals, but in the end Joe Burrow was too much. He threw for 355 yards and 4 touchdowns in Cincinnati’s 37-30 win over Pittsburgh. It was a big win for the Bengals as they needed to keep pace with Baltimore in their division. 
  • Las Vegas beat Denver in the “Below Average Bowl”. It was good for the Raiders to get a win, but it means nothing. Barring a couple meltdowns by better teams, neither of these two squads is making the playoffs. 
  • Daniel Jones threw a couple uncharacteristic interceptions and it cost the Giants dearly. New York isn’t made to come from behind. They have to have a lead and be able to run the ball. If they don’t have a lead or aren’t in a one possession game, it’s tough for them to comeback and win. Detroit is now on a 3 game win streak. Like Las Vegas, it means nothing other than them getting a worse draft pick, but it’s nice to see. 

Gambling Recap

I hope the readers we have haven’t been taking our picks these last 3 weeks. This week we went 2-3. Ekeler and Barkley hurt us, specifically Ekeler. I have made a decent amount of money betting his reception line this year and the first time I write about it he catches a season low 2 passes. We can’t seem to catch a break.