Denver def Las Vegas 10-7
In a game that was hard to watch, Denver won at home behind Bo Nix, who threw for 150 yards and one touchdown. His top receiver was his college teammate, Troy Franklin, who had five catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. Of major concern is the injury to JK Dobbins, who might be out for some time. The Broncos are on bye in Week 12, so it’s likely that Dobbins will certainly be out until Week 13. If he is out, look for R.J. Harvey to get more opportunities.
Las Vegas just can’t get anything going offensively. Even All-World tight end Brock Bowers only had one catch for 31 yards. Las Vegas brought in Geno Smith this offseason to be their answer at quarterback, but he looks like he’s lost all his ability, as he only threw 143 yards and an interception.
Indianapolis def Atlanta 31-25
Once again, Jonathan Taylor was magnificent, rushing for 244 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Colts to a victory. Taylor also added in three catches for 42 yards. Daniel Jones continued to play well, throwing for 255 yards and a touchdown and running for another 53 yards. Tyler Warren put on an amazing performance against an Atlanta team that has been very strong against opposing tight ends, catching eight passes for 99 yards.
The biggest problem for the Falcons seems to be a quarterback, where Michael Penix Jr just is not very accurate. Also, late in the game, when they should have been running the ball more with Bijan Robinson, they insisted on throwing it. Penix finished the game with only 12 completions and 177 passing yards. Drake London was once again fantastic with six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, but no other Falcon receiver had more than 38 yards.
Chicago def New York Giants 24-20
In the second half, the Giants had the game pretty much in hand as they were winning 20-10 and looking strong. But then Jaxson Dart left the game with a concussion, and the Giants defense crumbled as it has done in previous weeks. It seems unfathomable that defensive coordinator Shane Bowen still has a job at this point. Dart was fantastic when he was in the game, throwing for 242 yards as well as rushing for 66 yards and two touchdowns. Darius Slayton led the Giants receivers with four receptions for 89 yards.
All the credit needs to go to the Bears, who did not stop trying even when they were down by 10 points in the fourth quarter. Caleb Williams had a big rushing touchdown to seal the win as he ran for 63 yards and a touchdown to go along with 220 yards and a passing touchdown. D’Andre Swift out-touched Kyle Monangai 18 to 7, which is of note as fantasy leagues enter the playoff stretch.
New York Jets def Cleveland 27-20
The Jets were able to win this game on a kickoff return for a touchdown as well as a punt return for a touchdown, which is the first time this has happened in franchise history. Justin Fields only completed six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. His one touchdown went to Breece Hall for 42 yards. Hall also had 83 yards rushing. Garrett Wilson left the game with a knee injury, and it remains to be seen how much time he will miss.
Cleveland continues to be a complete mess on offense. Dillon Gabriel threw for 167 yards and two touchdowns, but rookie running back Quinshon Judkins was only able to get 3.4 yards per carry, which was much lower than expected, considering the Jets just traded away their best defensive end. It was good to see Jerry Jeudy finally have a good game as he had six catches for 78 yards in a touchdown.
Houston def Jacksonville 36-29
This was an amazing comeback by Houston as they were down by 19 points in the fourth quarter and pulled out the victory behind Davis Mills, who threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Nico Collins was exceptional with seven receptions for 136 yards, and Dalton Schultz had seven receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. Even more impressive was the Texans defense, which had five sacks and pressured Trevor Lawrence all game long.
The Jaguars just can’t seem to find their passing attack. Trevor Lawrence threw for 158 yards and a touchdown, but no receiver had more than 41 yards. Lawrence is making poor decisions and is overthrowing his receivers. On a positive note, Travis Etienne did have a better game as he had 58 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Miami def Buffalo 30-13
In the biggest shock of the day, Miami defeated Buffalo by 17 points behind De’Von Achane, who had 174 yards rushing and two touchdowns, as well as six catches for 51 yards. Buffalo’s Achilles heel has been their run defense all season, and once again, it let them down as Miami averaged 6.2 yards per rushing attempt. Jaylen Waddle played very well and had 84 yards and a touchdown.
It felt like the Bills were off from the beginning as they just couldn’t get any offense going. James Cook only had 13 carries for 53 yards, and when Dalton Kincaid left the game with a hamstring injury, the Bills looked rattled. Josh Allen was under pressure for almost the entire game, but he ended up throwing for 306 yards and two touchdowns.
New England def Tampa Bay 28-23
New England looked terrific behind Drake Maye, who led them with 270 yards and two touchdowns. But it was TreyVeon Henderson who finally had the game that fantasy managers have been waiting for all season, with 147 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Henderson is extremely explosive and had opportunities to break to the outside, and he took full advantage. Kyle Williams, a rookie out of Washington State, had a big 72-yard touchdown early in the game, and big things are expected of him moving forward.
Baker Mayfield did everything he could to keep Tampa close, throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns. The big problem was that Tampa had no running attack without Bucky Irving, as Rachaad White rushed for 38 yards. Emeka Egbuka had six catches for 115 yards and a touchdown and looks fully healthy after dealing with injuries prior to the bye week. Cade Otton also had nine catches for 82 yards and should continue to be a big receiving threat with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin out.
Baltimore def Minnesota 27-19
Baltimore played well enough on offense, but it was really their defense that was spectacular, intercepting JJ McCarthy twice and pressuring him all game long. Their offense was efficient as Lamar Jackson threw for 176 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for 36 yards as well.
Minnesota had a lot of opportunities to come back and stay in this game, but JJ McCarthy was not able to find his receivers, especially Justin Jefferson. If you look at the box score closely, there were 23 targets to Jefferson and Addison with only seven completions. If you can’t find your best offensive talents, you are never going to win in the NFL.
New Orleans def Carolina 17-7
Another huge surprise was the efficiency of the New Orleans offense as Tyler Shough threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Olave led the Saints with five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, and Juwan Johnson had four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Johnson looks to be the second-best receiver on the Saints offense now that they traded Shaheed.
Carolina could not do anything in their passing attack as Bryce Young only threw for 124 yards and an interception. The bigger problem was that they couldn’t do anything in their running game either. Rico Dowdle had 18 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown but the Panthers only averaged 3.2 yards per carry during the game. Even worse was that Carolina could not get any defensive stops when they needed it.
Seattle def Arizona 44-22
The score makes this game seem a lot closer than it really was. The Seahawks were winning 38-7 at halftime behind two defensive touchdowns by DeMarcus Lawrence. Seattle took its foot off the gas right around halftime. The Seattle running game had 198 yards and two touchdowns as a team and looked every bit of a major competitor in the NFC.
Arizona got off to a very slow start with two costly fumbles and was basically playing in garbage time ever after. Jacoby Brissett finished the game with 258 yards and two touchdowns, and once again, it was Trey McBride who was the star with nine receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown. It always feels like the Cardinals do something to shoot themselves in the foot just when you think they’re starting to play better.
Los Angeles Rams def San Francisco 42-26
Los Angeles is making a case for being the best team in the NFC as Matthew Stafford threw for four touchdown passes for the Rams 4th straight win. Stafford finished with 280 yards on the day and threw four touchdowns to four different receivers. Puka Nacua returned and looked healthy after missing time with five catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.
The Rams went out to a 21-7 halftime lead, and it felt like San Francisco was playing catch-up for the rest of the game. Mac Jones finished with 319 yards and three touchdowns, and George Kittle was outstanding with nine receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown. The big problem was that San Francisco could not run the football at all. Christian McCaffrey finished with 30 yards on 12 carries, and when San Francisco doesn’t run the ball, it takes away Kyle Shanahan’s ability to work his creative playcalling.
Detroit def Washington
This game was somewhat predictable as the Lions were expected to pile on the points on Washington in a revenge narrative after Washington knocked them out of the playoffs last year. Jared Goff finished with 320 yards and three touchdowns, and Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Detroit’s defense also played very well, sacking Mariota twice and pressuring him all game long.
At this point, Washington really has nothing to play for without their star, Jayden Daniels. Marcus Mariota acquitted himself relatively well, throwing for 213 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. The biggest problem is Washington’s defense, which did not have a sack, an interception, or a fumble recovery in the entire game. If your defense can’t make any plays, you’re not going to win many games in the NFL.
Los Angeles Chargers def Pittsburgh 25-10
Los Angeles played terrific defense as they sacked Aaron Rodgers three times and intercepted him twice to help lead them to a convincing victory on Sunday night. Kimani Vidal rebounded from a horrible Week 9, rushing for 95 yards and a TD. Justin Herbert was efficient, throwing for 220 yards and a TD to Ladd McConkey. Of note was that rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden left the game with a knee injury. Hopefully, he will return quickly as he has been a difference maker for the team.
Pittsburgh looks stuck in the mud on offense. Once DK Metcalf is taken out of the game by the opposing team, the Steelers have few options to pick up the slack. Roman Wilson led the team with 35 yards receiving and a TD, but it feels like an epic fail for a team with playoff aspirations not to add a receiver at the trade deadline.
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