What we learned from Sunday's Week 11 games Published: Nov 18, 2018 at 11:48 AM It's hard to embellish how special this defense is. In its biggest home game in half a decade, Chicago overmatched the reigning division champions and seized control of the NFC North. The (7-3) took charge of this one from the get-go, forcing three three-and-outs in their first four drives. Paced by Defensive Player of the Year favorite , who to sed like a rag doll on more than one occasion, the held the to just 268 total yards and an anemic 4.3 yards per play. To make up for the three giveaways their offense surrendered, the Monsters of the Midway forced three takeaways, including a game-clinching pick-six by . Chicago is comfy and cool atop the NFC North, two games ahead of Minnesota and three ahead of Green Bay in the win column. Next up, the face the rival on afternoon for their second clash in 12 days. ' woes in prime time continued. Facing a swarming front seven, Cousins (262 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs) was under constant dure s and unable to connect on large chunk plays until it was too late. It didn't help the frazzled signal-caller that Minnesota was never able to establish a ground game against Mack, and . and combined for just 17 yards on 13 carries, Minnesota's fewest total since its Week 3 lo s to Buffalo. The are an extraordinary opponent, but the won't go anywhere in the division or conference if their offensive line can't stay competitive in pa s protection and run blocking. Cousins dropped to 4-12 in his career in prime-time games. Minnesota (5-4-1) is losing ground in the NFC North race with a crucial Sunday night matchup with the (4-5-1) looming. A national audience saw the best and worst of . The second-year quarterback was a consistent chain-mover on the ground, rushing for 45 yards and taking hold of the league rushing lead among quarterbacks (365), pa sing the ' . But Trubisky (165 yards, TD) continued to struggle with his consistency, decision-making and downfield accuracy. His two ill-advised interceptions were both ambitious downfield attempts that landed in the hands of safety . Where Chicago showed its offensive mettle was on the ground (148 yards) and in its ability to extend long drives. Each of the ' three first-half scoring drives featured at least 10 plays. With a three-headed attack of Trubisky, and , Chicago ground down a Minnesota front seven that just one year ago was the league's best. But the winds have shifted in the Windy City. completely flipped the script. With the holding a 12-point lead and driving into scoring range, the pa s rusher instinctively read , picked off a screen pa s and galloped 42 yards to the 18-yard line setting up a touchdown. The play jumpstarted a previously dead-on-arrival offense and made a would-be blowout into a tight tilt the swiped at the end. had 59 pa sing yards entering the fourth quarter but made plays when they counted late after the (7-3) gave the life with sloppy game management. After holding the ball too long early, Keenum caught fire on the final drive of the game. He hit for a huge 38-yard gain with le s than 1:30 remaining on the clock. After a questionable pa s interference call on receiver pushed Denver back, Kennum found a streaking to set up a ' game-winning field goal as time expired. It wasn't a crisp day for Denver's offense. Philip Lindsay did the heavy lifting, rushing for 79 yards and two scores on just 11 attempts. Keenum, however, showed his mettle leading the game-winning drive. Embattled coach Vance Joseph will gladly take a win that the other team botched. He should thank Miller for changing the game. will be kicking himself after the game. The quarterback threw for 401 yards and two touchdowns, but his two interceptions badly hurt L.A. The to s into Miller's mitts turned what should have been a cakewalk win into a lo s. Still, the had a chance to put the game on ice with a huge pa s to the agele s on a big third down. A botched handoff, however, led to another third-and-long at the two-minute warning. With Denver (4-6) out of timeouts, instead of running 40 seconds off the clock, Rivers to sed a wormburner at the feet of , taking just two seconds off the clock. The errors gave the a chance to steal the game. Steal it they did. The lo s ends L.A.'s six-game winning streak. The will be sick thinking about all the opportunities they coughed up in a division lo s that pushes them further behind the . participated in his first game of the season and played a rotational role. The pa s rusher played 28 snaps (53.8 percent), compiling one tackle and a single QB hit. The didn't sack Keenum on the day. Bosa looked slightly slowed in his return from a foot injury, which LaMarcus Aldridge Jersey is to be expected. While he still owns a quick first step, Bosa didn't look like his normal explosive self when chasing plays from the backside. Still, he brings heady play to the D. Early on, the defensive end sniffed out a flat pa s to a tight end, blowing up the pay and forcing a throwaway. Getting Bosa fully integrated into the defense down the stretch would immensely improve L.A.'s D for a potential playoff push. and Jon Gruden's acrimonious workplace relationship took center stage on Sunday. CBS cameras caught the quarterback and coach jawing at each other on multiple occasions following busted po se sions. Carr threw two beautiful touchdown pa ses in the first half but was otherwise pedestrian (192 yards, four sacks) until late in Sunday's game, often throwing short of the sticks and playing hurried as he has throughout the season. But on Oakland's final drive of the game, Carr took control. The embattled QB unleashed a perfect 32-yard sideline bomb Sean Elliott Jersey to rookie receivers and converted a key third-down conversion to on a 20-yard screen, marching the 61 yards in le s than two minutes. Rookie kicker booted home a 35-yard field goal to put an end to Oakland's five-game losing streak and, at least briefly, stop the bleeding. All is not completely well in the East Bay and against fiercer competition, the would not have escaped with a victory. But perhaps Sunday's comeback will help mend a publicly strained alliance between Carr and Gruden and usher in brighter days in Oakland. For the third consecutive game, hit at least 100 yards from scrimmage. D.J. ran through some wide open lanes to 137 yards on 25 carries and tallied one reception for 17 yards. In the three weeks since Byron Leftwich was promoted to offensive coordinator, the offense has gone through Johnson, usually to the benefit of everyone involved. The are susceptible to sustained lulls on offense, but when Johnson is on, they're on. On Arizona's final touchdown drive, Johnson broke off consecutive runs of 10 and 53 yards to get the into the red zone for the first time since midway through the first quarter. (136 yards, 3 TDs) followed D.J.'s one-two punch with one of his own, to sing pinpoint sideline-bound pa ses to and to put Arizona up one. If not for a holding penalty on the ' final drive, Johnson would have won this one with a highlight-reel 57-yard TD run. Alas, Arizona faltered with the lead and handed Oakland one too many po se sions. This result will have major ramifications on the draft order come April. With the lo s, the (2-8) fall into a tie with the (2-8) and (2-8) for worst record in the league. The tale of the tape: Arizona beat San Francisco twice; San Francisco crushed Oakland; and Oakland topped Arizona. The currently have the inside track for the first overall pick, but there's still a ways to go. This matchup was likely circled when the 2018 schedule came out, especially when considering the two teams were on a collision course in the 2017 playoffs before the were knocked out a game short of the NFC Championship Game. But Week 11 proved no contest, as the remain the hottest team in the league with a ninth consecutive win over an overmatched team. Led by quarterback , the po se s a well-oiled offensive machine and scored on their first three po se sions to open up a 17-0 lead by the early second quarter. While the scored a touchdown to make it a 17-7, the stepped on the gas pedal to score 31 straight points. Brees finished with 363 yards pa sing and four touchdowns to pace a third consecutive week that the , now 9-1, scored 40-plus points. The entered the game averaging a league-high 37.5 points per game. Meanwhile, the other three teams in the NFC South all lost Sunday to give the a three-game lead in the division over the second place (6-4). While a lot can still happen down the stretch, the are e sentially in control of their own path to the postseason given four of their final six games are against divisional opponents, including two against the . The signaled a desire to upgrade the No. 2 wide receiver spot with the signing , and then when Bryant suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon in his second practice. Marshall, who joined the team earlier in the week, wasn't active and his absence on the field opened the door for receivers not named to shine. Rookie had a career day with 10 catches for 157 yards and a touchdown. Smith showed an ability to make tough catches in traffic, especially the scoring grab at the goal line, and speed to get down the field on a 38-yard catch. Rookie chipped in with 33 yards receiving on three catches, while second-year pro hauled in his first career touchdown. By the way, Thomas was his usual elite self, catching four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. The yardage gave Thomas his third consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season. Nothing the did on either side of the ball worked Sunday. In addition to giving up points, the defense allowed the to produce 546 total yards of offense and average 7.9 yards per play. Offensively, quarterback completed 19 of 33 pa ses for 156 yards and three interceptions for a career-low 31.9 rating in a single game. Sunday's performance dropped the to 4-6 and in search of answers. Riverboat Ron pushed all his chips onto the table -- and . After scoring a touchdown with 1:07 left in the fourth quarter to move to within one point of the lead, the went for two points. had all the time in the world, but couldn't find an open receiver and darted the ball over the head of wide receiver in the end zone to annihilate the ' chances of a win. The decision to go for two came after kicker looked inexplicably off his game. He mi sed a 34-yard field-goal attempt DeMarre Carroll Jersey earlier in the game and an extra-point attempt. Had he made those, it's hard to believe coach Ron Rivera would have elected to go for two in that scenario. At 6-4 following two straight lo ses, Carolina is out of chips when it comes to risking their playoff hopes. Perhaps the end of the Golden (Tate) era in Detroit isn't as bad as everyone thinks it might be. has taken over the role of top wide receiver in Motown since Tate's trade deadline detour to Philly, and he played a decisive role in keeping the ' postseason aspirations on life support for another week. Golladay made 8 catches for 113 yards and constantly challenged a relatively shallow secondary that was looking to make amends for last week's thrashing. provided sticky coverage on Golladay most of the game, but he couldn't match the speedy playmaker play for play. Golladay's biggest moment came on an insane, full-extension, backward fading, leaping catch over Bradberry at the front of the end zone that broke a 13-13 tie in the fourth quarter. He made a handful of other impre sive catches but his Sistine Chapel of a catch in the fourth quarter made his other grabs look like Jeff Koons knockoffs. Golladay might not be , but still has a true No. 1 receiver. The (4-6) found some succe s on the ground, spearheaded by the efforts of rookie running back , who tallied 87 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Johnson left the game early with a knee injury and will have an MRI on Monday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. After initial tests, Johnson is believed to have suffered a knee sprain, not an ACL tear, Rapoport added. If he mi ses any significant amount of time, it would be a huge blow to Detroit's chances of resurrecting itself from the depths of the NFC North. Washington's season took a grim turn Sunday when starting quarterback was carted off the field in the third quarter with a . Immediately ruled out and rushed to a nearby hospital, Smith was replaced by longtime backup . Before his exit, Smith hurt the 'Skins with a pair of interceptions, including an ill-fated end-zone strike that sailed into the arms of rookie , who authored a marvelous 101-yard pick six to bury Washington in a 17-7 hole. McCoy led a pair of touchdown drives and showed decent mobility on Sunday. He's not your first choice in a playoff race, but McCoy -- at his best -- isn't a shocking downgrade from what Smith was putting on tape in 2018. The were saved by Washington's mi sing a 63-yard field goal try with three ticks left. The team's franchise-record-tying seventh straight win was far from a thing of beauty, though, as killed the with a pair of botched kicks including a 45-yarder with Houston up 23-21 with under a minute to play. also threw a pair of picks while the were hurt by a controversial turnover when a catch on his back -- which didn't really look like a grab to me -- was ruled a fumble. Watson faced plenty of pre sure behind a ravaged line that saw guards and leave with injuries, but the young pa ser did just enough and was helped by , the typically le s-than-stellar back who waltzed for 86 yards at 4.3 yards per pop. Say farewell to one of the league's more-ballyhooed statistical nuggets in some time as Washington's nine-game streak without a lead change came crashing down when blasted into the end zone to forge a 21-20 advantage. Washington (6-4) now sits four days away from a juicy Day showdown with the (5-5) that will go a long way toward deciding the NFC East. Beyond their record, though, I don't trust the 'Skins to do anything but take a ma sive dirt-nap should they wind up in the playoffs against a beast like the or . The 7-3 , meanwhile, are slated for a critical battle next Monday night with the five-win, hot-and-cold . Baltimore reinvented its offense with rookie . The came out of the gate running the ball and didn't stop all day. Jackson led an 11-play touchdown drive in which he didn't attempt a pa s to open the day. The drive was highlighted by five rushes for 46 yards by the dual-threat quarterback. Credit OC Marty Mornhinweg with playing to Jackson's strengths, calling a bevy of read-options, creative run formations, misdirection, QB draws and designed runs to get the rookie to the edge. Jackson finished with 117 yards rushing on the day on a whopping 27 attempts -- questions about how much of a pounding the QB can take will surely arise. Jackson played well in his debut, hitting quick routes over the middle, bootlegs, and displaying an uncanny ability to extend the play in the pocket and find receivers throwing from several different arm-slots. Jackson still has strides to go in the rhythm pa sing game, and never stretched the field deep at all, but it was a solid start for the future of Baltimore. His biggest mistake came when he attempted to extend a pa s play and didn't see the DB dropping off coverage for an interception. Sometimes you live by the dynamic playmaker; sometimes you die by it. Jackson, however, bounced back, leading two straight scoring drives to regain the lead and hold on for a much-needed victory. With Jackson, the offense is infinitely more interesting than the milquetoast . All three phases struggled for Marvin Lewis' team. On special teams, a 's mi sed 52-yard field goal attempt cost a chance to tie the game. The ' offense sorely mi ses and never got into a rhythm. It took great field position in the second half to put points on the board. The scored back-to-back touchdowns off an interception and a 4th-down stop near midfield. Outside of those short drives, didn't do much all day. With no run game (19 yards total on 14 carries from and ), and Green not there to alieve pre sure, Cincy generated a paltry 255 total yards with four three-and-outs. The don't have enough on offense when Green's out. Lewis took over the defense after . It was more of the same, with the getting gashed by the on the ground for 258 rushing yards, characterized by mi sed tackles and wide open gaps up the gut. Lewis' D couldn't get stops against an offense that never threatened to stretch the field with a rookie quarterback making his first start. Staying in the midst of a muddled AFC playoff race is little solace for a team that's quickly sinking. The Football waiver wire darling this week will be running back . The undrafted rookie led Baltimore's backfield with 17 carries for 115 yards. Edwards took advantage of gaping holes on zone reads, and a defense occupied with keeping Jackson from getting to the edge. Edwards hits the holes hard and consistently falls forward to gain extra yards. The rookie out-snapped 47-17. It's clear the like the rookie better in the zone-read game. His performance could bring some clarity to a cluttered backfield. A low-scoring, arguably boring game turned exciting in the final quarter thanks to both teams figuring out how to find the end zone. To no surprise, it was each team's star doing it: Dallas' rushed 23 times for 122 yards and a touchdown, which came off a turnover and seemed to just about put the away. While that didn't end up being true, he did run three times to set up 's game-winning field goal, a kick nece sitated by ' touchdown catch to tie it up inside two minutes. A team that lacked significant contributions from its stars not named Elliott is starting to get them, which then allows Elliott to make a larger impact. This lo s, Atlanta's second straight, all but buries a team that was surging before being stunned by the last week. At 4-6 with six to go, the would have to win out to have a shot at a Wild Card berth, with the competitive NFC South e sentially out of reach. Two of those final six are against the teams ahead of them in the South (New Orleans and Carolina). When we reach clarity in the aftermath, we'll point to a 1-4 start and Weeks 10-11 as why things unfolded the way they did. But there are reasons to be hopeful: is a very promising target alongside Jones. And an offseason will allow key defenders to get healthy. It just looks now as though the fork is coming very close to being stuck into the after this one. The are right in the thick of things thanks to the addition of and their willingne s to keep pushing despite all signs pointing otherwise. They've battled injuries along the offensive line all season and have remedied them by switching to a read-option heavy offense that is leaving defenses flummoxed. Cooper has given them a go-to option at receiver, opening up their pa sing game above the level of critical ma s. And linebackers and have been ma sive in the absence of . Vander Esch secured an interception that Dennis Rodman Jersey produced Elliott's touchdown, and while the defense didn't get the stop it needed, Prescott, Elliott and Co. did enough to get the in position to win. Thanks to the ' lo s (and 's ugly leg injury), the NFC East is wide open and the are playing the best of any division member right now. In what was arguably quarterback 's grittiest game of the season, Roethlisberger proved why he is one of the league's top quarterbacks by leading a furious second-half comeback. Roethlisberger found the going tough early in the game, as the offense totaled just 66 yards in the first half. Roethlisberger, who threw for just 53 yards at the half, exploded with 261 yards and two touchdowns in the second half as the battled back from a 16-0 deficit. The signal-caller also shook off three interceptions and two sacks on the game, before coming alive when it mattered the most. His first touchdown came on a 78-yard strike to , the second on an 11-yard pa s to tight end , and Roethlisberger's sealed the game with a 1-yard touchdown run with three seconds left on the clock. The extended their winning streak to six games and improved to 7-2-1 on the season. While Roethlisberger more than deserves the spotlight for his performance, the defense get their share of center stage for what they did in the fourth quarter. The had their way for almost three quarters, pounding away with a punishing ground game to the tune of 179 yards and a touchdown on 43 attempts on the game. Sunday marked the first time since Week 2 that the had allowed an opponent to rush for 100 yards in a game. But like their quarterback, the defense rose to the occasion, forcing four consecutive three-and-outs in final period, none more critical than the ' po se sion with 2:28 remaining in the game. In a cla sic tale of two halves, the clamped down hard in the second half. The totaled 169 yards in the first two quarters, but managed just 74 yards in the second half. For three quarters, the showed why they were a consensus preseason favorite to return to the postseason after advancing to the AFC Conference Championship last year. The are a difficult team when the running game is firing on all cylinders and the defense is playing a complete game. Jacksonville certainly got the former category rolling, and the defense, led by cornerback 's two interceptions, held the in check. But when needed with the game on the line, both areas failed. The couldn't convert a first down in the fourth quarter, managing just 7 yards rushing, and the defense also couldn't stop big plays in the second half. Quarterback deserves some of the blame, of course, as he failed to generate any sort of offense in the final period and was sacked three times. The have now lost six consecutive games and are 3-7 on the season after starting the season 2-0. The quarterback wheel in Dirk Koetter's sky keeps on turning. Sunday saw the return of , who entered in place of after the bearded veteran threw three interceptions, including a really ugly third that was the final straw for Koetter. Winston proceeded to light it up (12-of-16 pa sing, 199 yards, two touchdowns, one interception on a desperation heave), leading four well-balanced and well-paced touchdown drives to help the back into things in a performance that was reminiscent of Fitzpatrick's Week 8 effort against Cincinnati. Eerily enough, the again gave up 38 in such an effort. This time, they fell three points shy of tying instead of one. Where does this leave the with Winston? We know what he's capable of when not making poor decisions on and off the field, and we got the best of that Sunday in a limited sample size. But it was also against a team that ranked 22nd in the league against the pa s entering Week 11. Will the , with Koetter desperate for wins, continue playing Winston and risk the injury guarantee in his contract? After that game it would be hard not to start Winston in Week 12. But do those in charge upstairs really want to move on from Winston or not? This feels like a final, six-week-long tryout for him. The got their first win at home in the Pat Shurmur era, which is good for a team that is looking much better in recent weeks. A big reason why: The play of , who many left for dead early in the season, and the emergence of . New York again relied heavily on Barkley (27 carries, 142 yards, two touchdowns, one receiving TD), who looks every bit as good as most thought he'd be before New York took him No. 2 overall in the spring. As a result, Manning is throwing le s, producing better results. Sunday, it was a 17-of-18 pa sing line that included 231 yards and two touchdowns, and likely a much happier receiving corps. It' Artis Gilmore Jersey s been a rough season, but this has been a pleasant development for Shurmur's staff, though they'll still need to look to the future at the position in the offseason. Think the champions mi s Frank Reich? While the have topped 24 points just once all season, Reich's new team has scored 24 or more for seven consecutive games -- the ' longest such streak since 2005. With Reich continuing to scheme open receivers and the offensive line pitching yet another shutout in the sack department, di sected the league's No. 1 scoring defense, taking full of advantage of 's matchup with Adoree Jackson. Luck hit Hilton in-stride for a gorgeous 68-yard touchdown and targeted Jackson for a 40-yard pa s-interference penalty the very next drive. Hilton finished with a season-high 155 yards and two scores, hauling in all nine of his targets. Luck has joined and Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks with three or more touchdown pa ses in seven straight games within a single season. The is playing better than ever, generating a pa ser rating over 120.0 for the fourth week in a row. Luck owns Tenne see, winning all 10 matchups in his career. After a slow September, the scorching have emerged as a legitimate playoff contender. The league's leading tackler bolstered his case for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Second-round steal led a swarming Indianapolis defense that exploited 's penchant for taking ill-timed sacks. Whereas the are the league's most efficient third-down offense, Mariota is vying with Oakland's for the most third-down sacks this season. Leonard filled the box score with his fourth forced fumble to go with his fifth sack and first career interception. Compounding the blowout lo s to an ascendant division rival, Tenne see played the second half without Mariota and defensive coordinator Dean Pees. Mariota suffered an injury , perhaps aggravating the nerve i sue that caused him to mi s time early this season. Pees was hospitalized after experiencing what the team termed only an undisclosed " " that required "further observation." Mike Vrabel told reporters after the game that Mariota was fine, but the coaches decided to stick with backup in a lopsided affair. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.