Chiefs’ first loss may really assist them, and what else we realized in Week 11

FOX Sports activities’ NFL consultants present the most important takeaways from each Sunday recreation in Week 11 and what they imply for every staff going ahead.

Chiefs: The undefeated season is over, and I believe that is a very good factor. Have a look at the 2007 Patriots for instance. They infamously misplaced the Tremendous Bowl after having a goal on their again close to the top of the common season and getting completely no relaxation. The worst groups within the NFL have been taking part in brilliantly in opposition to the Patriots, as a result of nobody needed New England to go undefeated. It was a brutal run for the Patriots, and it appeared to fatigue the staff — simply battling tooth and nail for each win. That might have been the vicious street for Kansas Metropolis. I might go as far as to say that this really makes their Tremendous Bowl odds higher. The mental and bodily grind for perfection is over. Now they will concentrate on the prize that actually issues: the three-peat. 

Bills: What an unimaginable end from Josh Allen. What an unimaginable recreation from Buffalo. … However? However! Within the Allen and Patrick Mahomes period, the Payments are actually 4-1 in opposition to the Chiefs within the common season. However in that very same time span, the Chiefs are 3-1 in opposition to the Payments within the postseason. I might guess Allen would commerce all his regular-season wins for an additional postseason victory. Buffalo desires a Tremendous Bowl title. That is all it has ever needed. However I might be keen to guess that the street to the Tremendous Bowl goes by way of Kansas Metropolis once more this season. That signifies that this win is sweet for the Payments. It is wonderful. But it surely’s additionally most likely the setup for the postseason, which is the place Allen nonetheless must make up floor on this rivalry. 

Packers: Jordan Love has had his issues with turnovers in 2024, however Sunday was an instance of what he can do to place a staff on his again and pull out an in depth win. His 60-yard cross to Christian Watson late within the recreation was extra on the receiver, who made a diving catch and acquired again as much as run for giant yardage, however Love adopted with two scrambles for the go-ahead landing. He completed 13-for-17 for 261 yards with one rating passing and the game-winner dashing, and extra importantly, survived two red-zone turnovers. The Packers are nonetheless simply third of their division, however an in depth win retains them in fine condition for a wild card and to trigger bother in January, someplace on the street within the playoffs.

Bears: Such a powerful debut for brand new Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, stepping in for the fired Shane Waldron and arising with a recreation plan to place the Bears in place to tug off the house upset and provides Chicago its first win over Inexperienced Bay since 2018. A blocked subject objective as time expired spoiled that, however the offense took an enormous step ahead. The Bears undoubtedly let Caleb Williams use his legs extra — 60 yards dashing within the first half, plus secure passes that led to a excessive completion fee and no turnovers. Chicago had averaged 9 factors per recreation within the earlier three video games, so 19 factors is a relative explosion. The lack to shut out an enormous win displays a bigger downside that persists for Matt Eberflus’ staff, however the offense took a step in the appropriate course, even in a loss Sunday. — Greg Auman

Tom Brady breaks down Packers’ last-second win over Bears

Rams: L.A. is just a contender when Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are on the sector collectively. The Rams had loads of success in opposition to New England on the bottom, and that made life a complete lot simpler for Matthew Stafford, however the prime two receivers have been the finishers. They mixed for 229 yards and three touchdowns. It is such a particular tandem and so they’re preserving Stafford younger. Now, I do know what you are pondering: How are you going to assume {that a} win over the Patriots means something about playoff rivalry? Nicely, I believe the purpose stands. If the Rams want each guys acting at a excessive degree to eke by the Patriots, they will clearly want these two WRs to eke by the juggernauts of the NFC. 

Matthew Stafford hyperlinks up with Cooper Kupp for a 69-yard TD

Patriots: There was a lot (pointless) hoopla after coach Jerod Mayo referred to as this protection comfortable a few weeks in the past. However I believe he can safely say it once more. And if he will not, I am going to say it: The Patriots protection is comfortable. When Mayo mentioned it, it lifted the unit’s ferocity. However on Sunday, the protection regressed to what it’s: unimpressive. This is the shocking half. The D had security Kyle Dugger and defensive sort out Christian Barmore again within the lineup. The Patriots additionally added edge Yannick Ngakoue. They need to be on the upswing. And but they are not. All of us knew the offense would take time to rebuild, however the protection would possibly want as a lot consideration because the offense. And that is most likely irritating for Patriots followers to listen to. As a result of New England appeared to have already got sturdy defensive items in place. If this unit is not proficient sufficient, then you may tack on much more time for this rebuild. — Henry McKenna

Browns: This might have been a enjoyable revenge recreation for Jameis Winston, going up in opposition to the Saints with an opportunity to beat his outdated staff. To his credit score, Winston averted turnovers regardless of a ton of throws, however his protection let him down because the Saints pulled away from a 14-14 tie to a 28-14 win. Winston threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions — arguably his finest recreation since his days with the Bucs — but it surely wasn’t sufficient to maintain Cleveland within the recreation. The Browns drop to 2-8, struggling no matter who’s at quarterback. 

Saints: Credit score to New Orleans for determining inventive methods to make Taysom Hill a playmaker in an offense depleted of its finest weapons. Hill broke a 14-14 tie with a 33-yard landing run out of a direct snap, and his 75-yarder put the sport away late. His total numbers have been classic Taysom — seven carries for 138 yards and three scores and one other eight catches for 50 yards. An interception was pricey, however New Orleans has bounced again for 2 straight wins beneath interim coach Darren Rizzi, and utilizing Hill all around the subject was an enormous a part of the win. — Greg Auman

Raiders: Tight finish Brock Bowers stays one of many few vivid spots in a misplaced season for the Raiders. On Sunday, the rookie out of Georgia completed with 13 catches for 126 yards and a landing — his first 100-yard recreation as a professional and probably the most single-game catches by a rookie tight finish in league historical past. Bowers has greater than justified his first-round choice. Within the staff’s first recreation with new offensive coordinator Scott Turner, the Raiders seemed extra like what head coach Antonio Pierce envisioned at first of the 12 months — a ball-control offense that takes care of the soccer. Nevertheless, the protection — Pierce’s forte — was one other matter. The Raiders had a head-scratching protection bust that led to a game-sealing, 57-yard landing reception to wide-open tight finish Jonnu Smith. With Las Vegas the losers of six straight, Pierce’s seat is getting hotter.

Dolphins: Do not depend Miami out of the playoffs simply but. With quarterback Tua Tagovailoa again, the Dolphins are using a two-game successful streak after manhandling the Raiders in a recreation Miami by no means trailed. The Dolphins are taking part in significantly better soccer heading down the backstretch of the season. Tagovailoa has been the catalyst, throwing for six touchdowns and only one interception over the previous three video games after sitting out since Week 2 on account of a concussion. Together with the return of Tagovailoa, Miami’s protection has stepped up, holding opponents to 21 factors a contest over the previous three video games. If Tagovailoa and the protection hold taking part in at this constant degree, the 4-6 Dolphins have an opportunity to make some noise over the following two months. — Eric D. Williams 

Jaguars: The Jaguars have given up on Doug Pederson and so they’ve given up on this season. Nobody anticipated them to beat the Lions in Detroit, however to get humiliated to this extent — permitting 52 factors and 644 yards of offense — seems pretend on paper. For Jacksonville to answer rampant hypothesis of Pederson’s imminent firing by struggling its largest margin of defeat in franchise historical past (46 factors) tells you every part it is advisable to learn about morale on the staff. Proprietor Shad Khan shouldn’t have any different selection however to half methods as quickly as attainable with Pederson and normal supervisor Trent Baalke, whose 4 years as full-time normal supervisor has produced only one playoff look. Pederson and Baalke, collectively, have failed probably the most proficient groups in franchise historical past. A darkish shadow will hover over the group till Khan lastly cuts the twine. 

Lions: The Lions would possibly legitimately have the most effective offenses of all time. A shellacking of the depressing Jaguars have to be taken with a grain of salt, however two 50-point performances in the identical season is unimaginable to disregard. They’ve scored fewer than 20 factors simply as soon as this season, which additionally says loads in a 12 months through which scoring has been down throughout the board. Detroit has elite playcalling and star expertise and depth at each place on offense, so when Jared Goff is on — he responded to a five-interception efficiency final week with 400 yards passing, 4 touchdowns and an ideal 158.3 passer score on Sunday — the one staff that may cease the Lions offensively is itself. So whereas the Lions proceed to grapple with mounting accidents on protection — beginning linebacker Alex Anzalone broke his forearm in opposition to Jacksonville — the offense retains Detroit within the Tremendous Bowl dialog. — Ben Arthur 

Vikings: The Sam Darnold who performed in opposition to the Titans is extra indicative of who he’s at this level in his profession — not the turnover-prone quarterback of the previous two weeks. He accomplished 62.5% of his passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns within the victory over Tennessee. He was credited with a misplaced fumble on a pitch, but it surely gave the impression to be extra the fault of operating again Aaron Jones. Whereas many league observers speculated that Minnesota may lean extra closely on its run recreation, Kevin O’Connell continued to point out religion Darnold’s arm on Sunday in opposition to a very good protection. The Vikings had near a 50-50 break up on operating vs. throwing performs (33 runs, 32 passes), which signifies that they view their QB as greater than a recreation supervisor. That is the Darnold Minnesota will lean on down the stretch. What which means for the staff’s final destiny, that is still to be seen. 

Titans: The Titans should not be offered on ending the Will Levis experiment this offseason simply but. The expansion that Brian Callahan has been banking on is beginning to present itself. Levis’ 98-yard landing cross highlighted a efficiency through which he threw for a season-high 295 yards. He has only one turnover previously two weeks. He is making higher selections with the soccer total. His reference to Calvin Ridley, Tennessee’s main receiver, is rising too. Levis nonetheless has an extended strategy to go to fully dispel the Titans’ potential pursuit of a brand new quarterback in 2025 — his tendency to carry the ball too lengthy does not assist an already below-average cross defending offensive line — however he is proven sufficient to the place the staff can begin to really feel inspired, which is all you may ask for with seven weeks left within the season. — Ben Arthur 

Ravens: They’ve the very best dashing offense within the NFL and probably the most harmful 1-2 punch in Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson, but for some motive they hold forgetting that in the midst of some video games. In a recreation the Ravens by no means trailed by greater than a landing, they someway referred to as 35 cross performs and 19 runs. That is loopy, even earlier than you get to the half the place Henry (65 yards on simply 13 carries) was averaging 5 yards per rush and Jackson (46 yards on 4 carries) was averaging 11.5. The run was working. It is their energy. But they took to the air anyway. That might not be what price them this recreation, however it’s one thing to recollect as a result of getting away from the run is what price them the AFC Championship Recreation final 12 months. 

Steelers: Regardless of their nice first half of the season, the Steelers aren’t typically on the checklist of the very best groups within the AFC, however possibly it is time for that to vary. After what they did to the Ravens on Sunday, it is clear they’ve a protection adequate to assist them beat any staff within the league. They held the Ravens to only 323 yards — their lowest whole of the season. In addition they compelled three turnovers. Yeah, issues might need been completely different if Justin Tucker hadn’t missed subject targets of 47 and 50 yards. However the Steelers someway saved each Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson in verify, which not quite a lot of groups have the flexibility to do. If they will do this to these two, nobody will look unstoppable to them. — Ralph Vacchiano

Colts: Sitting out and watching Joe Flacco the previous two weeks certain seemed prefer it did Anthony Richardson quite a lot of good. He had his best recreation of the season on Sunday in opposition to a normally robust protection. Most significantly, he calmly led two sensible, 70-yard landing drives within the fourth quarter. The final one, which led to his landing run with 46 seconds remaining, was a factor of magnificence that included a 39-yard strike to Alec Pierce. Ricjardson performed with poise and largely stayed out of bother (one interception) and confirmed off his huge arm when it was wanted. He is all the time had the expertise to be probably the most harmful two-way quarterbacks within the league. On Sunday, he confirmed that the remainder of the bundle is coming alongside, too. 

Jets: Aaron Rodgers is a big downside for the Jets, however a much bigger one for them is that this: What the heck has occurred to their protection? The Colts, with an erratic second-year quarterback, marched down the sector for touchdowns on the Jets twice within the fourth quarter just like the protection wasn’t even there. It is a unit that ranked within the prime 5 every of the previous two seasons and was someway nonetheless ranked seventh heading into this recreation. Final week the Jets have been torched for 31 factors and 406 yards by the Cardinals, and so they observe that by having no solutions for Anthony Richardson? Robert Saleh was a heck of a defensive coach and he was fired. Jeff Ulbrich was his defensive coordinator and now he is the interim coach. Possibly it should not be shocking that the protection seems directionless in the mean time. — Ralph Vacchiano

Falcons: The Falcons could also be on the quick observe to successful the NFC South, however they’re shaping as much as be a pretender come playoff time. They’ve scored fewer factors than the earlier week in three straight video games. They’ve scored fewer than 20 factors in three of their previous 5 video games. Kirk Cousins has zero passing touchdowns in back-to-back contests. Atlanta has an excessive amount of expertise on that aspect of the ball to be wanting so out of sync in November. It is also regarding how the Falcons have been dropping as of late. They’re 2-3 of their previous 5 video games — with two of these losses coming by no less than 20 factors, and the third coming to a nasty division rival within the Saints. This sort of regression makes the Falcons seem like a staff that shall be going dwelling early in January. 

Broncos: Bo Nix is the NFL’s finest rookie quarterback not named Jayden Daniels. Nix had the very best recreation of his profession thus far in opposition to Atlanta, finishing a season-high 84.8% of his passes for a season-high 4 touchdowns with no interceptions. He is had a passer score above 115 in three of his previous 4 video games, exhibiting how environment friendly he is taking part in. Over the previous month, there are only a few quarterbacks within the league taking part in more practical soccer than the previous Oregon star. He is defending the ball (only one turnover within the final 4 video games), making fast selections, finishing high-percentage throws, and avoiding sacks — all of which might be arduous for younger quarterbacks to do persistently. Nix’s latest play, plus a rising protection, ought to hold Denver within the driver’s seat for a wild-card berth. — Ben Arthur 

Bo Nix finds Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a 41-yard TD to increase Broncos’ lead

Seahawks: Geno Smith lastly conquered the 49ers, exorcizing some demons within the course of. The Seahawks had misplaced six straight video games to San Francisco (together with postseason). Nevertheless, Seattle earned a hard-fought victory over its NFC West division rivals, the staff’s first win over San Francisco in three years. Smith was the catalyst, main the Seahawks on an 11-play, 80-yard drive that he capped with a 12-yard scramble for a landing with 12 seconds left. Seattle ended a two-game dropping streak with the win, bettering to 5-5 on the 12 months and staying within the playoff dialog within the NFC. And Smith, who entered the sport 0-5 in opposition to San Francisco, earned his first win as a starter over the 49ers. “I really like when the ball’s in my hand on the finish of the sport. What extra are you able to ask for,” Smith mentioned. 

49ers: Accidents may derail San Francisco’s quest to get again to the Tremendous Bowl with a roster that’s proficient however growing old. In a late-game loss to Seattle, the 49ers performed with out two of the staff’s finest gamers on account of harm and failed to shut out a recreation once more due to it. Tight finish George Kittle was inactive on account of a hamstring harm, and defensive finish Nick Bosa left the sport within the second half after aggravating a hip harm. All each may do is watch helplessly from the sideline as San Francisco blew a fourth-quarter lead for a 3rd time this season. The loss snapped a two-game successful streak and dropped San Francisco to 5-5 on the 12 months. The 49ers appeared invincible a 12 months in the past as the highest staff within the NFC. However this season, San Francisco has misplaced to each opponent within the NFC West. Accidents to frontline gamers and poor staff chemistry may have the 49ers on the skin wanting in when the playoffs arrive. — Eric D. Williams

The next writers contributed to this story: Ben Arthur (@benyarthur); Greg Auman (@gregauman); Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis); Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams); Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano).

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