Bears Make Statement, Luck For MVP, And More!
A two-point conversion gone wrong, a Cowboys revival, NFC North slugfest, and Lamar Jackson highlighted a fun-filled Sunday of the NFL before we hit the annual Thanksgiving mark.
Injuries were also a big part of Week 11 as Alex Smith’s broken leg injury now compromises the Washington Redskins chances of winning the division.
Or does it?
Backup quarterback Colt McCoy resurrected the Redskins offense from the dead against the Houston Texans in the second half, guiding Washington to a 21-20 lead in the fourth quarter after Adrian Peterson scored his second touchdown of the game.
It wouldn’t be enough, however, as the Texans hung on to win their seventh straight game. Now, the Redskins must travel to Dallas on Thanksgiving for a pivotal matchup with the Cowboys, who took down the Atlanta Falcons 22-19 on Sunday.
That matchup will go a long way towards determining who wins the NFC East, as the Redskins already hold a victory over Dallas.
With that said, here are my takeaways from Week 11 of the NFL season.
Jackson, Defense Paces Bears To Win Over Minnesota
The Chicago Bears have been riding their defense for much of this season and on Sunday night under the bright lights, that was the case once again in a key divisional matchup.
The Chicago Bears held off the Minnesota Vikings 25-20 on Sunday night at Soldier Field to take control of the NFC North race.
In a game with both defenses making plays to get their offenses the football, it was Chicago’s that made the bigger plays. Eddie Jackson of the Chicago Bears returned a game-breaking interception in the fourth quarter for a touchdown and the Bears defense got after Kirk Cousins in the win.
Minnesota’s success from a season ago didn’t go unnoticed. The Chicago Bears looked at this game as a test for themselves against a team that finished 13-3 last season, won the NFC North in a landslide and finished with home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
On Sunday night Matt Nagy’s Bears hit the Vikings early and often, establishing a physical presence that did more than match Minnesota’s, who were coming off a bye week.
The new and improved attitude and swagger of the Windy city team was exhibited in coach Matt Nagy going for two 2-point conversions during the game, both of which Mitchell Trubisky and the Chicago Bears converted that went a long way towards giving the Bears the victory.
The Vikings were limited to 268 total yards of offense, getting shutout in the first half and held without a touchdown until the 4:51 mark of the fourth quarter.
Minnesota’s defense did well to keep the team in the game as they forced Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears into three turnovers, two of which were interceptions by cornerback Anthony Harris, but they were not enough to make up for Minnesota’s offense running into a brick wall most of the night in Khalil Mack and the Bears third ranked defense.
The Chicago Bears (7-3) proved in their win against Minnesota that they are indeed the team to beat in the NFC North and that they’ll have to be dealt with come playoff time.
Saints Finish Off Eagles With Emphatic Blowout
Stick a fork in em’. They’re done, courtesy of a Bayou slaughter.
The New Orleans Saints overmatched and battered the Philadelphia Eagles 48-7 on Sunday afternoon at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to win their ninth consecutive game.
The offensive brilliance continued for the Saints as Drew Brees threw for 363 passing yards and four touchdowns in the win.
Mark Ingram would finish with 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns while Alvin Kamara finished with 108 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown.
It was a hard game to watch if you were a Philadelphia Eagles fan, who now have to wonder if this 4-6 team has any life left in their season after suffering the worst loss by a Super Bowl champion since the merger.
The secondary was torn to shreds by the Saints offense, with rookie wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith going for a career-high 10 receptions and 157 receiving yards with a touchdown after recording only eight catches for 85 yards in the previous four games.
Nothing may have been more discouraging on the day then watching the Eagles captain on defense, safety Malcolm Jenkins, targeted on a 4th down play with the Saints already up 31 points in the fourth quarter and having that play go for a 37-yard touchdown by Alvin Kamara.
Carson Wentz tied a career-high with three interceptions as he played arguably the worst game of his young NFL career in his first game at the Superdome.
The Eagles are going backwards despite adding Golden Tate to the offense a few weeks ago and have now seen the Cowboys jumped them in the standings while holding a tiebreaker over them after last week’s 27-20 win in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia has lost it’s edge, and Doug Pederson knows that. The injuries on defense and the porous offensive line are both proving to be this team’s undoing in 2018.
A shellacking at the hands of the NFL’s best team proves how far away they are from being where they were 9 months ago.
Steelers Overcome Second Half Hole To Shock Jaguars
Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers played awful offensively for much of the game, with flashbacks to last season likely crashing down on the team.
In the end, though, the Steelers gritted their way to victory.
The Pittsburgh Steelers overcame a 16-point deficit in the second half to stun the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-16 at TIAA Bank Field to win their sixth consecutive game.
Ben Roethlisberger recovered from three interceptions over the first three quarters to help guide Pittsburgh to the come-from-behind win, throwing for two touchdowns and running for the game-winner from the one-yard line with five seconds to go in the game.
The Steelers struggled against the run in the first half and gave up a touchdown in the third quarter to fall behind 16-0 after limiting the Jaguars to three field goals in the first half.
Roethlisberger would hit Antonio Brown on a 78-yard touchdown following Jacksonville’s touchdown. He would would later in the fourth quarter throw another to Vance McDonald to trim Jacksonville’s lead to three points.
Trailing 16-13 with 1:43 to go following another Pittsburgh Steelers stop on defense, Roethlisberger marched the team down the field, hitting JuJu Smith-Schuster on a big 35-yard reception before finding Antonio Brown on a 25-yard strike on 3rd and 10 over star cornerback Jalen Ramsey to get Pittsburgh down to the Jaguars two-yard line before scoring on a touchdown run.
The reeling Jacksonville Jaguars, who lost their sixth consecutive game, shot themselves in the foot with countless penalties and a lack of continuity on offense through the air, with the defense doing more than bend in the second half after nursing a 16-point lead.
For Pittsburgh, it’s a win on a bad day offensively, their worst since a Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens where they scored only 14 points.
They are currently running away with the AFC North at 7-2-1 on the season now.
Luck Throws His Way Into MVP Discussion
Two months ago, it was hard to tell if Andrew Luck would ever return to the form we once saw prior to his right shoulder injury.
Fast forward to now, Andrew Luck has fully recovered, and he’s got the Colts thinking about a possible playoff run.
The Indianapolis Colts dominated the Tennessee Titans in a 38-10 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium to win their fourth straight game.
Andrew Luck threw for 297 passing yards and three touchdowns as he improved to 10-0 lifetime against the Tennessee Titans.
It was a key divisional victory for the Indianapolis Colts, who a week after sliding past the Jacksonville Jaguars at home won in more convincing fashion here.
The Tennessee Titans (5-5) were coming off one of their biggest regular-season victories in years in a dominant 34-10 victory over the New England Patriots.
Boy do things change fast.
Not only were they completely outclassed in Indianapolis on Sunday, they had their hopes at a division title damaged as they fell into third place in the division with a road game in Houston set for next Monday night.
Damaging their division hopes and playoff hopes even more is a injury to Marcus Mariota, who left the game after a hit late in the first half.
While Mariota’s injury has been deemed a stinger, chances are if the Titans have to turn to Blaine Gabbert the team’s chances to make the playoffs will evaporate. Gabbert finished 11-for-18 for 118 passing yards with one touchdown and a interception, but his track record shows he’s not a capable starting quarterback.
For Indianapolis, this offense is explosive and the defense is as good as it’s been in years. The Colts are running the football with Marlon Mack and Jordan Wilkins and Luck has at least three touchdowns over his last seven games.
The Colts are rolling, with a schedule the rest of the way that looks favorable as they face only one above .500 team over their final six games.
What are your biggest takeaways from Week 11? Leave your comments below!