NFL Week 11 Recap: The Last Straw

Nine months ago, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs faced each other in Super Bowl LVII, and it was quite the clash. One of the highest scoring big games in history, the Chiefs won 38-35 to capture their third championship, and their second with Patrick Mahomes. As for the Eagles, they licked their wounds and spent the months that passed preparing for payback. Finally, on the evening of November 20, 2023, the Eagles had their chance.

Unfortunately, it was a disaster for the Eagles in the first half. KC led 17-7 in a half that saw the Eagles go completely backwards. Jalen Hurts was off to a terrible start. He only had 1.6 fantasy points at halftime. Even Harrison Butker (KC's kicker) had more than that (6 fantasy points). However, the second half ended up being all Eagles. The ball was moving, and yes, so was Hurts. The third quarter saw Hurts run one in for 10 yards, and in the fourth, Hurts' long bomb to Devonta Smith originally appeared to be a touchdown, but he was ruled down at the one. We all know what that means.

Say it with me: Tush Push!

The Eagles' familiar move also known as the "Brotherly Shove" gave the Eagles the lead, and the score held up the rest of the way. The Eagles won, 21-17, to improve to 9-1, as well as get some payback against the Chiefs. For Andy Reid, this is the first time he's lost an Eagles/Chiefs matchup regardless of what side he's been on. Regarding the Kelce brothers, this is the first time that big brother Jason defeated little brother Travis. Also, for the Chiefs, this marks three straight games where they have scored no second half points; they are 1-2 in that stretch.

By the way, on a personal note, I won a fantasy matchup with that Tush Push!

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered their matchup against the Cleveland Browns with a chance to complete the sweep and move into sole possession of second place in the AFC North behind the Baltimore Ravens, who won their division matchup over the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Both Ohio teams were hit with the news that their starting QBs would be out for the season, and regarding the Browns, they were supposed to be ripe for the picking...until they weren't. The Steelers offense was nonexistent all game, it was absolutely terrible. It was the only reason why the Browns were even in the game, which was tied at 10 until a last second field goal gave Cleveland the win.

And that loss finally ended up being the straw that broke the camel's back. Prepare to be overjoyed, Steelers fans, because I have good news.

The man shown looking like a cross between Judge Doom and a January 6 conspirator is Matt Canada. He was the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yes, Steelers fans. I said "was." They did it. They finally did it. They gave Canada the boot. It needed to happen. That offense absolutely suffered under him for far too long. As bad as Randy Fichtner was for the team, Canada made him look like Charlie Weis. Pittsburgh's offense went nowhere all season. They were outgained in every game. This year's Steelers became the 20th team to have been outgained in every one of their first 10 games of the season, yet they're the only one of the group to have a winning record. Thank God Mike Tomlin's their head coach. How bad was it with Canada? "Fire Canada" chants were loudly heard during a Penguins game! That's how bad it was.

Speaking of the last straw, the New York Jets have reached their limit with their QB, Zach Wilson. The Jets were blasted by the Buffalo Bills, 32-6, in a game the Bills really needed after their embarrassing Monday Night loss to the Broncos. Plus, the Bills could not afford to be swept by the Jets. It was during this blowout loss that Wilson was benched in favor of Tim Boyle, which is just embarrassing. Wilson only threw for 81 yards (3.24 fantasy points), a touchdown (4 points), and a pick (1 point deduction), while running for 15 yards (1.5 points). That's a grand total of 7.74 fantasy points. You want your QBs to have 20 points for a good performance. This wasn't it.

To be fair, Wilson's a bit of a victim of circumstances. He wasn't expected to even sniff the football field, let alone start, but Aaron Rodgers got injured after his first four passes, so the team ended up being Wilson's again. Now, he did have his moments, but it still hasn't been enough. Speaking of Rodgers, he's targeting mid-December for a return, but the Jets may be out of the loop by then.

It's time for the Jordan Love detractors to get their apologies ready. Love led the Green Bay Packers to a 23-20 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, and it was a game that saw Love throw for 300+ for the first time in his career, and even have a clutch fourth quarter touchdown to win it. Mind you, this was against a game Chargers team with a good QB in Justin Herbert, and with Keenan Allen exploding on offense yet again. The Packers are 4-6, but thanks to a lot of outside help, the team is actually right behind the playoff line, sitting at eighth overall in the NFC. The outside help actually came from the San Francisco 49ers, as they blasted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, causing a 4-6 logjam that the Packers are actually leading.

The early window saw the Detroit Lions struggle against the Chicago Beaurs, though they did survive with a win in spite of Jared Goff's shaky game. The Miami Dolphins won, 20-13, over the Las Vegas Raiders, who lost for the first time under Antonio Pierce. The Houston Texans won the "JJ Watt Bowl" over the Arizona Cardinals, though the centerpiece had to be the New York Giants blasting the Washington Commanders. That had to be embarrassing for Washington, who lost at home to the most offense-challenged team in the NFL this season. In a week where "the last straw" appears to be a theme, one has to wonder how long it'll be until Ron Rivera is removed as the Commanders coach. Seriously, Rivera's on borrowed time.

After the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Seattle Seahawks, the Minnesota Vikings had a chance to move past Seattle in the NFC standings. Their matchup on Sunday Night Football against the Denver Broncos, however, did not go as planned. They struggled against Denver, and ended up falling by just one point: 21-20. As a result, the Packers stand just a game and a half behind the playoff line with just over one-third of the season to go. The Vikings had been playing without star receiver Justin Jefferson for weeks, and they may have to wait just a bit longer. Minnesota's bye occurs at Week 13, meaning that there's a chance that Jefferson's will be out for Week 12 regardless of whatever progress he's making.

Week 12 begins on Thanksgiving with three divisional matchups, all in the NFC. First off, the Detroit Lions host the Green Bay Packers in the North, the Dallas Cowboys host the Washington Commanders in the East, and the Seattle Seahawks will host the San Francisco 49ers in the West. That will be followed by the NFL's first-ever Black Friday game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets on Amazon Prime. On Sunday Night Football, the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers clash, and on Monday Night Football, the remaning two NFC North teams--the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings--go at it.

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