Another week down in this crazy 2020 NFL Season. The NFC East could be the most wide open division in the entire league, while the Steelers seem to have a strangle hold on the AFC North. Taysom Hill got the time to shine for the Saints, and took full advantage of it. Chargers shined, while Lions struggled. Injuries started to hit a young star in the league as well. We got lots to get to, so lets dive right into it. Here's the best and worst of week eleven in the NFL.
Best: Sean Payton, Head Coach New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees is out for an extended period of time with rib injuries, and there was some concern in New Orleans. There was no Teddy Bridgwater in the lineup to be able to save the day for the Saints like last year. It was either going to be Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill getting the start for the Saints. Payton ended up going with Hill as the starter, the super utility man was getting a starting nod. Some weren't sure what to make of this move. It paid off, for this week, with a Saints24-9 win over the Falcons. Payton is the type of coach who is willing to take calculated risks and get the best out of his players. That's why the Saints have been as good as they have the last number of years. Hill went 18 of 23 for 233 yards, and with the exception of one fumble late, he was on top of his game. Payton going with him over Jameis looks like a smart move now.
Worst: Joe Burrow, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals
Its bad enough that the Bengals fell 20-9 to the Washington Football Team. To make matters worse, the teams rookie star QB, Joe Burrow, is going to be out for quite some time. He blew out his MCL and ACL in his knee and will be out for the rest of the season. Cincinnati not having an effective line to protect him is going to be a problem going forward. But from what we saw out of Burrow this season, it looks like things are very very bright for the Bengals under center. He gives them a level of swagger and, once his weapons and protection improve over time, they are going to be a good team. With the rookie year he was having, it sucks to see it end the way that it did.
Best: Keenan Allen, Wide Receiver Los Angeles Chargers
Yes, we know its beating up on a hapless and winless Jets team, which the Chargers did to the tune of a 34-28 win. The take away from this game, is the connection that's starting to develop between Justin Herbert and his new favorite target, Keenan Allen. He finished with 16 catches (most in the league this week) and 145 yards (tied for most this week) to go along with a touchdown. He's not only showing why he's one of the best wide outs in the game today, but that he can find chemistry with his rookie QB. The magic is there for the Chargers, and if it keeps developing at the pace that it is, Los Angeles really has something special brewing with these two as a connection.
Worst: Carson Wentz, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
It seems like same story different week with the Eagles and Wentz. The Browns beat up on Philly, to the tune of a 22-17 Cleveland win, in a wet field in Cleveland. Carson was making poor decisions all day long. I mean this has been bad for Wentz, who's coming off an MVP season a few years ago. But its gotten so bad for Wentz, it looks like the team may consider switching to Jalen Hurts under center if things don't get better. But by some shocking miracle, this is a 3-6-1 Eagles team that sits on top of the NFC East.
Best: Derek Henry, Running Back Tennessee Titans
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise to anybody anymore, but Derek Henry is a good running back. Not only did he eliminate the Ravens from last years playoffs, he stuck it to them again on Sunday in Tennessee's 30-24 overtime win. During the first half of the contest, Baltimore kept him in check, to the tune of 13 carries for just 37 yards. By the time the day was over, Henry finished with 28 carries for 133 yards, including the game winning 219 yard score in Overtime. There have been seven OT games this season, two of which have been won on touchdowns. Both of those OT TD scores courtesy of Derek Henry.
Worst: Miami Dolphins
Any loss for an NFL team is tough, but this one might have to sting just a little bit more for the Fins. Buffalo was on the bye week, so this gave the Dolphins had a chance to gain ground and tie for the lead in the AFC East. But it didn't happen, as Miami fell short, losing 20-13 to the Broncos. The rushing attack wasn't there this week and, at times, Tua looked in over his head. There were times he looked like he wasn't ready to be able to play at this league. Seeing what went down against Denver showed that there were still holes in this upstart team. They had a five game winning streak snapped with the loss and now seemed to be back down to earth. Some questions are starting to arise now in Miami.
Best: Top Of AFC South
It looks like its starting to turn into a runaway two horse race in the AFC South. We talked about it a little bit with the Titans earlier. Thanks to Henry's heroics, Tennessee is staying in the race at the top of the South. Besides the running game, Kicking and Red Zone Defense are starting to become more strong suits for the Titans, As for the Colts, who are also 7-3 following a surprising 34-31 win over the Packers, they starting to show that Rivers still has more life to his legs. What was most impressive by the Colts on Sunday was forcing three turnovers by the Packers and outscoring Green Bay 20-3 in the second half. With the way both teams played on Sunday, it going to be a fun race between the two teams for the South title this season
Worst: Detroit Lions
Detroit now sits at 4-6, tied for 3rd place in the NFC North. This is coming following a 20-0 loss to Carolina. Not only was the loss bad, but to make it worse, they were shut out by a Panthers team who was without Christian McCaffery and their starting QB (PJ Walker), was last seen playing in the XFL. The lions still think they have a shot at this, otherwise they wouldn't have gone out and gone Everson Griffith at the trade deadline. Had they won, they still might have an outside shot at making it in as a long shot at a wild card team. Now, after losing the way they did to the team they did, that's almmost impossible.
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