NFL Week 11 Recap: Oh, Good God
New teams took division leads in Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season
I'm about to utter words I never thought I'd say in five years of writing on Vocal. I still can't believe this. Here goes. The Chicago Bears... are in first place... in the NFC North.
Excuse me, I have to go throw up.
So how the hell did this happen? Week 11's NFC North schedule went like this: Bears and Vikings met in Minnesota, Packers were at MetLife against the Giants, and the Lions were in Philly on SNF. Let's start with the good guys here. The Packers needed something. We had not only lost two straight, we lost them at home. Thank God for cookie cutter opponents, but the Packers, well, we don't make things easy. Even worse, Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs got banged up. At least Love returned, after Malik Willis led a TD drive. Jacobs was out for the rest of the game, but we still held it together. A 27-20 win to end our brief skid.
At the same time, the Bears won, 19-17, against the Vikings, because of course they did. The Vikings are an absolute joke of a franchise. So that left Sunday Night Football, and the Lions did stop the Tush Push twice. That was the only thing they did right. They went 0-for-5 on fourth down plays, and while Philly had yet another suspect performance on offense, it was enough. A 16-9 victory for the Eagles. As a result, the Lions dropped from 1st place to 3rd, and yes, the Bears are in the lead, having won seven of eight since starting 0-2. Detroit has already doubled their loss total from last year, and it's not Thanksgiving yet. As for the Packers, we moved up to 2nd place, just a hair behind the Bears. Behind the Bears, blech. Thankfully, that won't last.
In much less nauseating news, we have a new leader in the NFC West as well. For the second straight week, the division collided with each other. In one game, the San Francisco 49ers tore up the Arizona Cardinals, ruining a record day for Jacoby Brissett. Brissett had 47 completed passes, the new NFL record, but only the Cardinals would have that many completions and still lose by almost 20. The other game saw the Los Angeles Rams face the Seattle Seahawks, and it's always interesting when those two get together. In this case, the Rams intercepted Sam Darnold four times, but Seattle still had a chance to win it, but Jason Myers' field went wide. Therefore, as a result, the Rams took the division lead for the first time this season. Will it last? If I know the NFC West, the Rams need to keep winning, or else.
Josh Allen had himself a day. That is a huge understatement. Let's go to the fantasy numbers. Scoring for QBs goes like this: 1 point per 25 passing yards, and passing touchdowns are 4 points each, while each interception is a one point deduction. Also, rushing rules apply--1 point per every 10 yards, and touchdowns are six points each. Allen's numbers: 317 passing yards (12.68 points), three touchdowns (12 points), and two interceptions (2 points deducted), while running for 40 yards (4 points) and three touchdowns (18 points). The grand total: 44.68 fantasy points! Holy shitballs! The Bills won, 44-32, behind that epic performance.
The Bills needed that win, as Week 11 began with the Patriots winning at home against the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. As for the rest of the early window, the season's final international game saw the Miami Dolphins win in overtime against the Washington Commanders, keeping whatever playoff chances they may have going. Another OT thriller took place, this time in Atlanta, and that saw the Carolina Panthers win over the Falcons. A huge win saw the Jacksonville Jaguars absolutely obliterate the Los Angeles Chargers, 35-6, increasing their hold on a playoff position as the home stretch closes in. The Jags are looking to prove themselves after a 2023 season saw them blow a golden opportunity, and last year was just an outright disaster.
The Steelers and Texans picked up wins to round out the early window, and the remaining games in the late window saw the Baltimore Ravens win over the Cleveland Browns, and the Denver Broncos edged the Kansas City Chiefs via a last second field goal. Yep, this time it wasn't blocked. Some say the Broncos needed this to prove they're legit. I think they kinda have, but they still need to keep it up. As for Monday Night Football, the Dallas Cowboys dominated Sin City, winning 33-16 over the Raiders in Dallas' first game after the bye and their first game since the tragic passing of their teammate, Marshawn Kneeland.
We are closing in on the home stretch, folks. This is the heart of the season, but that part is almost over. The next week is Week 12, and after that, Thanksgiving officially kicks off the final one-third of the season. At the moment, the Broncos and Eagles are the respective #1 seeds, and in the AFC, the Patriots, Colts, and Steelers round out the division leaders, while the Bills, Chargers, and Jaguars have the Wild Card positions. In the NFC, the Rams, Bears, and Bucs round out the division leaders, while the Seahawks, Packers, and Niners are in the Wild Card positions. Two key teams are missing from this picture. One, the Chiefs. Yep, it's over a week away from Turkey Day, and the Chiefs are behind the playoff line. Secondly, the Lions. The Lions won 15 games last year, but this year, they would be out of it if the season ended right now. Oh, and while no one can clinch anything yet, we do have an elimination scenario already. The Giants can be eliminated before we carve that turkey. A loss coupled with a Cowboys win, a Vikings win, or a Seahawks win/tie ends their season very early.
Week 12 kicks off with the Houston Texans hosting the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football. On Sunday Night Football, the Los Angeles Rams host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and on Monday Night Football, the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers face each other. And once Week 12 ends, I'll have a timely recap, and then, it's a week by week look at the playoff picture.
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About the Creator
Clyde E. Dawkins
I'm a big sports fan, especially hockey, and I've been a fan of villainesses since I was eight! My favorite shows are The Simpsons and Family Guy, etc.
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