Best:
EJ Manuel, Quarterback Buffalo Bills
What a difference a week makes. Buffalo’s rookie quarterback, who looked overwhelmed a week ago in his first game back from injury, made a big statement against a tough Jets defense on Sunday. Manuel completed 20 of his 28 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-14 Bills win, outplaying fellow rookie Geno Smith and looking like the franchise quarterback Buffalo was hoping they’d drafted. Manuel had himself a very solid day, and was able to avoid pressure form a good front attack from that Jets Defense. He played a great game, showing he could come back from injury and still play well.
Worst:
Geno Smith, Quarterback New York Jets
I really could possibly give this to the entire team, as Nick Folk missed a field goal, the defense looked average and un Jets like, if you want to call it that. But Geno Smith looked horrible. Smith went 8 for 23 for 103 yards and was picked off 3 times, one of which was run back for a touchdown. This is the 4th time that Smith has had a pick returned for a TD this year, and he has already been picked off 16 times on the season. Some nights, Smith looks really good and looks like he could be a good quarterback at this level. Then theres nights like last weekend where he looks like he shouldn't be in the NFL. If this kinda stuff keeps up the Jets are going to have to do some major overhauls during the offseason.
Best:
Bobby Rainey, Running Back Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Here's a guy who sort of came out of nowhere. Rainey, who started the year as Tampa Bay’s third-string running back, tore apart a bewildered Falcons defense in a 41-28 Buccaneers romp. He had 30 carries for 163 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a 43-yard run in the second quarter. It was the best day, yardage wise, by any running back in the league in week eleven, and it was done against a defense in Atlanta that seems to really be struggling a lot as of late.
Worst:
Maurice Jones-Drew, Running Back Jacksonville Jaguars
For Jacksonville to be able to go on a winning streak this year,, they need to be able to run the football. They weren’t able to do that against the Cardinals on Sunday, as Maurice Jones-Drew carried the ball 14 times for 23 yards. The Cardinals do have a good defense, but Jones-Drew only averaging 1.6 yards a carry is inexcusable for a back of his quality. If he wants to generate interest from other teams and get out of his situation in Jacksonville, he needs to do more. The way things are going at this point for Jones-Drew, he may be finding himself on another football team before the start of next season. He's the Jaguars best player and right now he doesn't exactly look like it.
Best:
Nick Foles, Quarterback Philadelphia Eagles
If there was any doubt about who was in charge of the offense in Philly on the field, that is now a memory. Foles has the job outright over Michael Vick. Foles had another strong outing for Philadelphia on Sunday, throwing for 298 yards and finishing with a 104.3 passer rating. He scored a touchdown on a four-yard run as well. Foles is proving that mistake-free football and an ability to find open receivers is all you need to be a successful “Chip Kelly quarterback.” Philadelphia won the game, 24-16, and with a 6-5 record find themselves atop the NFC East. So yeah as good as Vick is, or was I should say, that has been surpassed by the play of Foles. this is his offense there is no longer any doubt.
Worst:
Robert Griffin III, Quarterback Washington Redskins
After a slow start against the Eagles, RG3 rallied his team, throwing for two scores and converting two two-point conversions, one through the air and one using his feet. It wasn’t enough for Washington, though, and most fans will only remember Griffin’s two turnovers from the game– a costly red zone fumble, and his last throw, a back-foot heave to the back of the end zone that was intercepted easily by the Eagles’ Brandon Boykin. Griffin still has flashes of his old self, but the turnover in the red zone late in the game is what did him in. RG3 is usually better at being able to hang on to the football. He needs to settle down and do a better job of ball and clock management if the Redskins want to grab this wide open NFC east.
Best:
Vontaze Burfict Linebacker, Cincinnati Bengals
This guy was all over the field on Sunday, reaking as much havok as was humanly possible on a football field. The second-year defensive star logged 15 tackles, including 10 solo tackles, and returned a fumble for a touchdown in a 41-20 Bengals win. Burfict, who went undrafted a year ago after a poor combine, is leading the Bengals in tackles for a second straight season, and has more than twice as many tackles as the next one of his teammates.
Worst:
Solider Field
I'm not blaiming the field itself for the Bears and Ravens performances on Sunday, but it did play a factor in the ballgame. After a period of severe weather in Chicago that delayed the game between the Ravens and the Bears, the two teams returned to a muddy, sloppy turf at Soldier Field. The weather approached so rapidly that the field crew was unable to get a tarp down, so the field was drenched in a torrential downpour. The teams did their best to play a football game after the delay as players from both sides slipped, stumbled, and slogged their way around the chewed-up field. The Bears won the game 23-20 in overtime.
Best:
Calvin Johnson, Wide Receiver Detroit Lions
Megatron played like well Megatron. He had six catches for 179 yards with two touchdowns on Sunday, including catching five passes for 163 yards in the second quarter alone. Strangely, the Lions didn’t find Johnson once in the third quarter, and the Steelers rallied to beat the Lions 37-27. I just feel bad for him that the rest of the Lions couldn't get their act together and help him out in the game, but the Lions still sit atop the NFC North, so he's pretty happy about that at the moment.
Worst:
Case Keenum, Quarterback Houston Texans
The Texans quarterback was benched in the third quarter of their game against the Raiders after the Houston offense sputtered in the second half. Keenum was replaced by Matt Schaub, who also struggled and got into a shouting match with wide receiver Andre Johnson during the fourth quarter. Perhaps most troubling for Texans fans was that both Keenum and Schaub were outplayed by Oakland rookie quarterback Matt McGloin, an undrafted free agent out of Penn State making his first NFL start.
So there you have it, the best and worst from week eleven in the NFL!
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