It’s the week before Thanksgiving and as we get ready for turkey day, we were lucky enough to see turkeys all over the nation this past weekend. Some of these turkeys gobbled up all the points, while others slipped in butter and dropped every pass thrown their way. Don’t believe me? Just ask Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes they’ll tell you. With just two days before the next slate of game let’s go back and recap the head scratching and face palming week that was week 11.
Thursday Night:
- Bengals vs Ravens: And just like that the season’s over for the Cincinnati as it looks like Joe Burrow is ending the season with a sprained right wrist, aka his throwing arm. Midway through the second quarter, fans saw that he was clenching his right hand and minutes later saw Burrow unable to even physically throw the ball. In comes the backup and with that the Bengals got blown out almost immediately after. The Baltimore Ravens didn’t get out of the unscathed either, losing arguably their best offensive weapon not named Lamar Jackson, tight end Mark Andrews for the season with an ankle injury. Lamar seemed beat up by the end of the game, and Odell Beckham Jr. also left the game early due to an injury. The Ravens always seem to be the most injured team in football, yet here they are 8-3 and the 2 seed in the AFC.
Sunday Morning:
- Raiders vs Dolphins: Moral victory Monday for the Raiders as they held their own for the most part against one of the more dominant offenses in the NFL to just 20 points. Davante Adams got in the end zone, Maxx Crosby is still a beast on the defense, and Aiden O’Connell is 3 games in as an NFL starter. The Raiders might be 5-6 and have to play the Chiefs next, but the Raiders feel like they have life and optimism for the future, which is weird to say when talking about the Raiders. The Dolphins are… complicated. Are they legit, or did they just beat the Raiders? Tyreek Hill is still unguardable, and with Jalen Ramsey back playing corner, the defense feels like it’s really shutting down opposing teams. Now having three interceptions in the last three games, Ramsey has been a great addition to the team.
- Steelers vs Browns: This game was a bonnified stinker. A battle of two of the toughest defense in the NFL, it was up to one of the young QBs to make a play and unfortunately for the Steelers, that was never in the cards as Kenny Pickett continues to regress. The Steelers have to be a frustrating team to root for because they always have great receivers, a top 5-7 defense, TJ Watt is a monster, a solid run game, and a Hall of Fame coach in Mike Tomlin, and have literally never had a record under .500 while he’s coached them. Yet they always feel one major piece away from being a real Super Bowl contender. On the other hand, this was a huge win for the Cleveland Browns.
- Cardinals vs Texans: Cardinals fans I know this hasn’t been the easiest of seasons for you, but honestly with Kyler Murray back you look like a team that can play with the best of them. Could potentially upset a team needing a win to stay in the playoff hunt. Knowing your team is good enough to ruin someone else’s season while not effecting your own is a freeing feeling for a fan base. For Houston, this was the first time this season rookie QB CJ Stroud looked bad with three interceptions. Though as bad as he looked, CJ still had over 300 yards passing and two beautiful touchdown passes. Houston keeps the pressure on the division leading Jacksonville Jaguars, the team they play this upcoming week.
- Titans vs Jaguars: Tennessee is bad, like really bad. Bad on defense, lost on offense, which is a shame after the incredible debut by rookie Will Levis a few weeks ago. The Jaguars needed a game like this, more specifically Trevor Lawerence did. After getting the breaks beat off of him, Trevor channeled his inner Jaguar and thrashed the Titans. Four total touchdowns by Trevor and honestly just scoring four time felt like a mercy. The Jaguars take on Houston for a huge division game between Houston which could have crazy implications going further into the season.
- Cowboys vs Panthers: Both the Cowboys and the Panthers were both weirdly in a lose-lose situation this past weekend. For the Panthers, losing hurts your young QB’s confidence and losing only further solidifies Chicago getting the number 1 overall pick because the Panthers don’t own their first draft pick this year. A win for them is great for fans and the younger players on the team, yet still doesn’t help your upcoming draft. For the Cowboys, a win against the worst team in football barely has any weight to it, and if you lose this game you will never, not that you are now, be considered a true Super Bowl contender. With that said, they still dominated and the defense put Bryce Young through the ringer.
- Bears vs Lions: The Bears and the Cardinals are somewhat in the same boat as with Justin Fields back, they could very much ruin someone’s season on any given Sunday while keeping their future bright with great draft picks. Their season might be over, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t afraid to ruin yours. Detroit may have played sloppy football this weekend, but if there’s one thing this team won’t do is quit. Jared Goff played his worst game of the season with three interceptions and still pulled through in the fourth quarter. The Lion’s defense made huge plays in the fourth quarter which lead to the Lions putting the game away. Lion fans I know you’re new to winning so I’ll say this: NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR WINNING.
- Giants vs Commanders: What an awesome day for New York Giants QB Tommy Devtio. After getting destroyed by the Cowboys last week and seen as one of the biggest underdogs in week 11, Tommy was dealing. throwing for three touchdowns, Tommy had the Giants offense firing while the defense punished Sam Howell, nabbing three interceptions and one being the game sealing pick six. Both QBs were under duress as Tommy was sacked 9 times this game. Sam Howell remains being the most sacked QB in the league and had arguably his worst game of the season yet. This game crushed Commanders hopes at a playoff spot as they inch closer to elimination. Though it is sad for Sam and the Commanders, today is all about Tommy Devito and all of the Gabbagoo.
Tommy Devito slinging it pic.twitter.com/k5cia1jj0p
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) November 19, 2023
- Packers vs Chargers: There is no reason the Packers should have won this game, but much like the Lions, DO NOT APOLOGIZE FOR WINNING. Jordan Love has look better in the past two weeks as he is slowly maturing. Love made some great throws including two great touchdown throws, the second being the one to put the Packers up late in the fourth. Jordan Love also had his first 300 yard passing game of his career, proving that when he’s given a chance, he has what it takes. Thought the Packers did lose Aaron Jones which has now been confirmed as an MCL sprain, the Packers will be without one of their most dynamic playmakers on offense. With all that said, a win is a win and it’s onto the next. The Chargers are just sad. Like really sad. Someone get Justin Herbert an ice cream cone because this team has to be aging him. The Chargers could have, and probably should have, won this game by a landslide, yet to no Chargers fan’s surprise found a way to literally drop the ball on this game. No I mean huge drops from the receivers cost the Chargers not just a touchdown, but also a potentially game tying field goal attempt to save the game. Justin Herbert clearly isn’t the issue with the Chargers, the issue is just the franchise itself.
Sunday Afternoon:
- Buccaneers vs 49ers: Is Brock Purdy… in the MVP talk? Is Mr. Irrelevant an MVP candidate?
- Seahawks vs Rams: It feels like the clock is striking midnight for the Seattle Seahawks and more importantly Geno Smith.
- Jets vs Bills: A return to form game for the Bills as they dominated from the opening whistle till the final whistle. Josh Allen played his cleanest game in months and did something we haven’t seen him do in months: Make the smart play. Bills fans have to feel optimistic as they saw what feels like the best iteration of the Bills so far this year. As for the New York Jets, I think there’s only one thing that signifies the Jet’s season as of now: Head Coach Robert Saleh tackling now benched QB Zach Wilson. It doesn’t get much lower than this… oh wait yes it does.
May I present exhibit B:
The 2023 Jets season pic.twitter.com/NaI6rdUguD
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 19, 2023
Sunday Night:
- Vikings vs Broncos: Broncos Country, Let’s Ride? Are we riding right now? Now on a four game winning streak, including the Packers, Chiefs, Bills, and the now playoff chasing Vikings, Broncos country vibes are at an all time Mile High. Russell Wilson is playing the best ball he’s played since leaving Seattle, not only some of his best, but also some of his cleanest. With only four interceptions on the season so far, Sean Payton has turned this team around and seemingly fixed Russell Wilson. The Broncos have some tough sledding down the stretch, but if the Broncos can play this style of football constantly, they could find a way to steal the final playoff spot. As for the Vikings, this game was kinda weird. It felt like they dominated the majority of the game and moved the ball down the field all the time, but credit to Denver’s defense making big stops for field goals. Josh Dobbs struggled to close the game out in the 4th quarter, but the Vikings were on a five game win streak, so a let down game was inevitable. The Vikings get a chance to bounce back with a team looking to tank in the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, I’d feel confident if I was a Vikings fan moving forward.
Monday Night:
- Eagles vs Chiefs: So after writing what felt like an entire essay about this game, this section wasn’t saved and erased so I’m gonna keep this recap brief. Chiefs: Still the best team in the AFC and probably should’ve won this game by 10 points. Why they didn’t? Easy, two horrible turnovers by their two best players in Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, both in the redzone. They even had a chance to win at the end of the game but a dropped deep ball (thrown perfect I might add) by Marquez Valdes-Scantling (as a Packer fan I’ve seen all too often) cost this team the game. Dropped passes have been frankly the only glaring issue for the Chiefs. Eagles: A slow start for the offense which should have been costly. Jalen Hurts had another bad interception in the first half. But what makes Philly so good is they always stay in games, even when they aren’t playing their best football. Eagles defense made huge stops and held the Chiefs offense to 17 points, shutting them out completely in the second half. The Eagles running game and offensive line dominated toward the end of the game and the Tush Push is the most unstoppable play in the NFL. Both teams have a lot to work on if they want to see each other again in February.
Now it is on to the annual tradition that is Thursday Thanksgiving football. Football, turkey, and fall weather is the pinnacle of the NFL season so make sure to eat good, kick up the legs of that recliner, and enjoy yourself some holiday football.
Gobble gobble Blog Count: 27/52
