Overall, this was a big week in the NFL. There were major AFC North games taking place, Josh Dobbs on primetime, Bears doing Bears’ things and a Super Bowl rematch. The playoff race is heating up as week 11 finishes. Who will make it and who will not?
The games that we are covering this time include the following: The Ravens’ win over the Bengals in Baltimore, The Bears almost pulling off an upset against the Lions in Detroit, Josh Dobbs and the Vikings coming up short against the Broncos in Denver, and the Eagles getting revenge over the Chiefs in Kansas City in the Super Bowl rematch.
Ravens (8-3) get huge win over AFC North rival Bengals (5-5) 34 to 20
The recap for this game will mostly be discussing the two major injuries suffered.
Ravens, tight end, Mark Andrews, suffered a cracked fibula and an ankle ligament injury due to a hip-drop tackle by Bengals’ linebacker, Logan Wilson, in the first quarter. He is expected to be out for the season. The NFL has since banned that form of tackling, as studies strongly suggest the tackle increases the chances of injury by 25% for both the tackler and the one being tackled. The rule is expected to go into play at the beginning of the next season.
While Andrews’ absence is going to harm the Ravens’ offense, new starting tight end, Isaiah Likely, is expected to take over Andrews’ role and play well. Last year, when Likely had to step up in the role, he had six catches for 77 yards and one touchdown in a 27-22 win over the Buccaneers.
On the flip side, the Bengals may have suffered the biggest injury of the season out of any team. The Bengals’ head coach, Zac Taylor, says quarterback Joe Burrow is out for the season with a torn ligament in his right wrist. Burrow suffered the injury from a sack made by the Ravens’ edge rusher, Jadeveon Clowney, in the second quarter. Burrow then threw a touchdown on the next play but went down in pain and did not play the rest of the game.
To cap off the Bengals-Ravens game, Odell Beckham Junior had his first 100-yard game since 2021 with the Rams. He had four catches on seven targets for 116 yards. The huge question for him coming into the year was whether he could come back to prime form. While he may not be there, it is still nice to see a wide receiver many grew up watching finally go back into that “form” for even one game.
Ravens (8-3) next opponent: at Chargers (4-6) on Nov. 26 at 7:20 p.m.
Bengals (5-5) next opponent: vs. Steelers (5-5) on Nov. 26 at 12:00 p.m.
Bears almost pull off the upset, but Lions pull through 31-26
The Bears became the first team in NFL history to lose when having more than three turnovers forced and possessing the ball for more than 40 minutes since 1932. Teams are now 48-1 when given this position. I have no explanation for this other than poor coaching. They were up 26-14 in this game with three minutes to go and ended up losing 26-31. You cannot made this stuff up. On the bright side of things, the Bears still own two top-five draft picks in the 2024 draft.
Nonetheless, an amazing coaching job by the Lions and great play calling by the Lions’ offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson (who could possibly be a Bears head coach candidate this upcoming off-season).
Fields looked good in his first start since the hand injury suffered in week six vs the Vikings. The Lions have now started 8-2 for the first time since 1962. For reference, that’s the year JFK was president. Will the NFC Super Bowl path run through Detroit?
Bears (3-8) next opponent: at Vikings (6-5) on Nov. 27 at 7:15 p.m.
Lions (8-2) next opponent: vs. Packers (4-6) on Thanksgiving, Nov. 23 at 11:30 a.m.
Broncos barely inch out the Vikings in comeback win 21-20 on Sunday Night Football
The NFL spoiled us with primetime games this week, and they have not disappointed. Overall, this was a fun game to watch, whether it be the Broncos’ defense finally coming back into form or Josh Dobbs doing Josh Dobbs things.
Mr. Unlimited himself seems to be back leading the Broncos to a comeback win over the Vikings. While Russell Wilson did not do anything flashy, he played the game well and the team ended up winning overall. The Broncos’ wide receiver, Courtland Sutton, has sneakily been one of the most consistent pass catches the last few weeks, notching at least one of three in his last five games: four plus catches, 40 plus yards, or one touchdown. And then there’s the Broncos’ kicker, Will Lutz, who went five for five for field goals Sunday night with a total of 15 points put up through the crossbar. Thanks can be given to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who through the first six weeks looked lost and seemed like he was going to be fired. Yet all of a sudden he and this defense are back to their top-ten form.
The Vikings, on the other hand, started out strong with a 17 to 9 lead going into the fourth quarter. They then proceeded to fall apart and be outscored 3 to 12 en route to a loss. As for the offense, they had two major turnovers in which they were careless and either led to the Broncos scoring more points or losing the game. Additionally, near the end of the game, when the Vikings needed to get into field goal range to set up the win, their quarterback, Josh Dobbs, took a nasty hit to the helmet. Many believe Dobbs should have been taken out for the game and checked for a concussion of any sort, as on the next play Dobbs proceeded to throw an awful pick that he seemed to have little control over. The Vikings’ defense did not help either. While they were not breaking (in the sense of not allowing a touchdown), they continued to bend (in allowing field goals or good yardage).
On Nov. 20 around 5:30 p.m., the Broncos’ safety, Kareem Jackson, was suspended for the second time this season, but this time it was without pay and for four games instead of two. This suspension is due to Jackson’s dirty playing style and the amount of concussions he has caused to other teams’ players this season. Jackson leads with his helmet a decent bit of plays and usually leads to helmet-to-helmet contact, which, when done intentionally, is illegal in the NFL.
Vikings (6-5) next opponent: vs. Bears (3-8) on Nov. 27 at 7:15 p.m.
Broncos (5-5) next opponent: vs. Browns (7-3) on Nov. 26 at 3:05 p.m.
Eagles get revenge on the Chiefs 21-17 on Monday Night Football
The Eagles just keep winning, no matter how ugly the wins are. Coaching has been significantly worse this year for the Eagles. Perhaps, though, this team will not be able to ride on their talent forever. Even if the coaching was expected to be worse this year, it is still incredible how big the drop-off has been. The “brotherly shove” continued to be deadly with this team as they gained several first downs and one touchdown from it. The Chiefs game started a hard stretch for the Eagles as they will be taking on the Bills (6-5) at home, the 49ers (7-3) at home, the Cowboys (7-3) in Dallas on primetime and the Seahawks (6-4) in Seattle in their next four matchups. That four game stretch right there will finally answer if this team is the team they were last year.
There are worries that this Chiefs’ dynasty will be over before it even gets a chance to get going. The turnovers, drops and penalties have been killing the Chiefs this year, and it is clear that the team is upset with how the offense has been performing. As a whole, the Chiefs’ offense has been seeing a significant drop-off in production. Last season’s offense scored an average of 30 points a game through 10 games compared to this year’s 22.5 per game (with that number being heavily inflated by their 41-point game vs the Bears in week three). This team may fall apart a little this offseason as tight end, Travis Kelce, has been considering retirement along with his brother, pending free agent defensive tackle, Chris Jones, and the team has not shown any signs of getting a deal done and, as a whole, general manager Brett Veach has failed to draft good offensive outside of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith. While the Chiefs more than likely have the playoffs on lock, it would not be shocking if this offense fails to perform leading to a first or second-round exit.
Eagles (9-1) next opponent: vs. Bills (6-5) on Nov. 26 at 3:25 p.m.
Chiefs (7-3) next opponent: at Raiders (5-6) on Nov. 26 at 3:25 p.m.
Current Standings (#’s show ranking in conference and playoff chance % via http://www.playoffstatus.com for each team):
AFC North
#1 Ravens 8-3 / 92%
#5 Browns 7-3 / 89%
#6 Steelers 6-4 / 63%
#9 Bengals 5-5 / 16%
AFC West
#2 Chiefs 7-3 / 95%
#10 Broncos 5-5 / 23%
#12 Raiders 5-6 / 11%
#13 Chargers 4-6 / 11%
AFC South
#3 Jaguars 7-3 / 89%
#7 Texans 6-4 / 59%
#11 Colts 5-5 / 35%
#15 Titans 3-7 / 2%
AFC East
#4 Dolphins 7-3 / 89%
#8 Bills 6-5 / 17%
#14 Jets 4-6 / 8%
#16 Patriots 2-8 / <1%
NFC East
#1 Eagles 9-1 / >99%
#5 Cowboys 7-3 / 90%
#12 Commanders 4-7 / 4%
#13 Giants 3-8 / 1%
NFC North
#2 Lions 8-2 / 99%
#7 Vikings 6-5 / 74%
#10 Packers 4-6 / 22%
#14 Bears 3-8 / 1%
NFC West
#3 49ers 7-3 / 95%
#6 Seahawks 6-4 / 67%
#8 Rams 4-6 / 21%
#15 Cardinals 2-9 / <1%
NFC South
#4 Saints 5-5 / 56%
#9 Buccaneers 4-6 / 39%
#11 Falcons 4-6 / 31%
#16 Panthers 1-9 / <1%
