NFL Week 11 Recap: Loser Should Be Fired

So the game that seemed to get most of the attention featured two teams who are nowhere near the playoff line: the Las Vegas Raiders and the Denver Broncos. This was the second meeting between the clubs; the Raiders won the first meeting in Vegas, which was the Raiders' first win of the season. The reason why this matchup got a lot of attention is simple: these team have the biggest bumblers at head coach.

Don't get me wrong, I still say Mike McCarthy is the dumbest coach in the NFL. After all, he had the GOAT at quarterback and somehow messed it up. However, Josh McDaniels (Raiders) and Nathaniel Hackett (Broncos) have turned a lot of heads, and all for the wrong reasons. They have really messed up on such an exponential level at head coach; turning two teams who each had cases to win the AFC West, into lottery teams. If this was WWE, especially under Vince McMahon, this would be a "Loser Gets Fired" game here. One has to think that whoever loses this game would be free of their incompetent coach. So who lost this game? The Broncos.

The Raiders won, 22-16, in overtime, and the reason why the game went to OT was because Hackett actually called timeout with 34 seconds left in regulation, and Denver up 16-13 at the time. The Raiders were set up to spike the ball, because they had no timeouts, but Hackett's timeout gave Las Vegas an extra play to run. Daniel Carlson kicked the field goal to force OT, and in the extra period, the Raiders won the toss, and a Davante Adams touchdown ended it. Now, I said "Loser Gets Fired" as a joke, but honestly, Hackett should have been canned once they left their home field. As for the Raiders, well, they're stuck with McDaniels, and it could be after this season, too, as Mark Davis voiced his support for McDaniels. Yikes.

Last week, I said that the 2022 Minnesota Vikings keep finding ways to win, and that statement was true. This team was snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, and was climbing to the top of the NFC as a result. However, they couldn't find their way through Dallas' masterful defense, as the Cowboys crushed the Vikings, 40-3. I drank in every bit of this, and I say that even though the Green Bay Packers' division chances are dead. The Packers kicked off Week 11 with a home loss on Thursday Night Football to the Tennessee Titans, but this Vikings home loss made up for it. Big time!

Two years ago, nobody in the NFC East had a .500 record. Now, after 11 weeks of the 2022 season, everybody in the NFC East has a winning record. We have the Washington Commanders to thank for that, as they waltzed into Houston and beat down the lowly Texans. The Commanders improved to 6-5, but because of how beastly the NFC East is this year, they are still in last place. Washington has the defense to thank for this, as they truly took over the entire game. How good was the Commanders' defense in Houston? Let's go to the numbers.

Here's the thing. Standard fantasy leagues have team defenses, though some custom leagues actually allow owners to draft individual defensive players, usually two players in the defensive line, two linebackers, and two secondary players. Regarding fantasy scoring for team defenses/special teams, it goes as follows: sacks are one point each, interceptions are two points each, fumble recoveries are two points each, safeties (of course) are two points each, and touchdowns are six points each. Regarding scoring defense, it's 10 points for a shutout, seven points for giving up 1-6 points, four points for giving up 7-13 points, one point for giving up 14-20 points, no points for giving up 21-27 points, a one point deduction for giving up 28-34 points, and a four point deduction for surrendering at least 35 points. The Commanders defense had five sacks (five points), two interceptions (four points), a touchdown (six points), and gave up 10 points (four points), totalling 19 fantasy points, the highest scoring defense in Week 11.

The Philadelphia Eagles were coming off their first loss of the season, and needed a strong response. It actually took some doing, as they were in danger of actually losing to the Jeff Saturday-led Indianapolis Colts! Saturday was coming off his first win as a NFL head coach, but that was against the sputtering Raiders. A win over the Eagles would have made Saturday look quite legendary, and they were up big late in the game, but Jalen Hurts had other plans, mainly running through a huge hole for the game winning score. The Eagles won, 17-16, and picked up a game on the New York Giants, who lost 31-18 to the Detroit Lions, and later gained a game on the Vikings, thanks to the rival Cowboys.

What happened to the New York Jets in Foxboro had to be a case of bad luck, especially that ending. It was a nutty game that saw only six combined points throughout the entire game. Just when I thought that the game would head to overtime tied at three, the New England Patriots decided to end it with a punt return touchdown. My goodness! The Patriots won 10-3, and with the Buffalo Bills' victory over the hapless Cleveland Browns, the Jets got knocked down to last place via tiebreaker, though the AFC East is still quite strong. It seems like the Jets' loss has broken their trust in Zach Wilson, and it really shoudn't. They're considering benching Wilson, but for who? Joe Flacco?! Flacco's old and feeble at quarterback, and before that, he was just feeble. The Jets better not abandon Zach Wilson after one bad game. That's how freefalls start.

You know, it's amazing that the Kansas City Chiefs managed to get so blessed at the tight end position. After years of having Tony Gonzalez, the GOAT at that position, they now have Travis Kelce, who is the best TE going right now. Sunday Night Football saw Kelce torment his favorite victims, the Los Angeles Chargers, as he had six receptions, 115 yards, and a hat trick of touchdowns, as KC won 30-27 in an AFC West shootout. I do feel for the Chargers. That team is good enough to beat the Chiefs, but every time they get close, something always happens. The Chiefs complete the season series sweep over the Chargers, and for us NFL fans, we entered the 2022 season thinking the AFC West was up for grabs. Now, as always, it's KC's to lose.

Monday Night Football took place in Mexico City, the last international game of the season, and featured the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC West battle. This game ended up being a blowout; the Cards played their second straight game without Kyler Murray at the helm, and unfortunately, they were not playing the Rams. They were playing against a complete and focused Niners team who feasted on the Cardinals, to the tune of a 38-10 beatdown. The game was over at halftime. George Kittle scored twice, Brandon Aiyuk's only two receptions were touchdowns, yet Christian McCaffrey (the Niners' big trade acquisition) didn't score. He didn't have to. The Niners improved to 6-4, and took over the NFC West lead via tiebreaker.

Week 12 begans on Thanksgiving; I absolutely love Thanksgiving. Family, food, and good football. The Buffalo Bills will remain in Detroit (they had to play at Ford Field due to the snowstorm in Buffalo) to face the Lions, the Dallas Cowboys will host the New York Giants in an NFC East clash, and the Minnesota Vikings will host the New England Patriots. On Sunday Night Football, the Philadelphia Eagles will host the Green Bay Packers, and Monday Night Football will see the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts face off, and will also put the season at the two-thirds mark.

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