The eleventh week of NFL action was full of excitement, with numerous early contests decided in the final moments.
The Sunday schedule commenced with a seesaw battle between the Dolphins and Commanders in London, culminating in an overtime victory for Miami. As the afternoon games unfolded, close contests became a recurring theme. The Bears and Texans secured victories with game-winning field goals, while the Packers narrowly avoided defeat against the Jameis Winston-led Giants.
The Sunday games offered a wealth of material, sparking numerous compelling narratives. Let’s examine some key storylines, differentiating between those that warrant serious consideration and those that should be viewed with skepticism.
NFL Week 11 evaluations: Josh Allen guides the Bills to an ‘A-,’ Broncos secure ‘B+’ for surprise triumph over Chiefs
John Breech
Dolphins are again relevant in the AFC playoff hunt
Exaggeration or reality: Exaggeration
Miami heads into their Week 12 break on a positive note. The team has emerged victorious in three of their past four outings, improving their record to 4-7 for the year. Even though it has somewhat corrected the course and alleviated pressure on head coach Mike McDaniel, this recent improvement is unlikely to propel them back into the postseason picture. This encouraging stretch could extend beyond the break with matches against the Saints and Jets (away) in Weeks 13 and 14, however, the schedule becomes significantly more demanding thereafter. Assuming they succeed in those two contests and advance to 6-7, the final month presents considerable challenges to reaching or surpassing .500. They face the Steelers in Pittsburgh on “Monday Night Football” in Week 15 before successive home games against the Bengals (presumably with Joe Burrow back in the lineup) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They then conclude the season in New England against the Patriots. Miami is unlikely to be favored in any of those final four matchups, suggesting that this recent resurgence could prove futile with a decisive blow over the concluding four weeks.
Chargers risk missing the playoffs
Exaggeration or reality: Reality
The Chargers delivered a dismal performance, suffering a 35-6 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Justin Herbert continues to absorb a significant number of hits, and the quarterback also faltered. He completed 10 of his 18 passes for a mere 81 yards and threw an interception. This setback drops the Chargers to 7-4 for the season, impeding their playoff aspirations. They’ve surrendered a crucial head-to-head tiebreaker to Jacksonville (6-4) in the wild card race and still confront a challenging schedule following the Week 12 break.
Los Angeles’s next three opponents each feature a formidable pass rush, which could further exploit the Chargers’ vulnerability in protecting Herbert. Considering the offense’s struggles with him under pressure against Jacksonville, their position in the AFC playoff standings appears precarious.
Exaggeration or reality: Exaggeration
McCarthy’s overall performance against Chicago was subpar, despite the Vikings’ near comeback in the fourth quarter against their divisional foe. McCarthy completed only 16 of his 32 passes for 150 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. He has now thrown eight interceptions in five career starts and is the first quarterback to record an interception in five consecutive games to begin his career since Zach Wilson in 2021. This is not exactly the group of players that people want to associate themselves with in the NFL record books. But does this mean Minnesota should consider benching McCarthy? That feels a little extreme, at least for now. The Vikings invested a first-round pick in McCarthy in 2024 and moved on from Sam Darnold this offseason to give McCarthy a chance. Five total starts are not sufficient to abandon him and give up hope that he’s their long-term quarterback. It hasn’t been great, but the organization needs to remain patient and let McCarthy play out the rest of the season before making any long-term decisions.
Packers are not genuine Super Bowl contenders
Exaggeration or reality: Reality
Green Bay once more performed below expectations against a weaker opponent. Although it didn’t result in a loss, the Packers required a late touchdown drive and a successful two-point conversion to overcome the New York Giants. It’s worth remembering that the Giants had recently dismissed their coach, and their promising young quarterback, Jaxson Dart, was sidelined with a concussion. Despite this significant talent disparity, Green Bay allowed the Jameis Winston-led Giants to accumulate 336 yards of total offense. New York surpassed the Packers in total yards and time of possession in Week 11. Once again, this is a Giants team that will likely contend for the No. 1 overall pick. When you combine this performance (even in victory) with earlier losses this season to the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers, it’s difficult to consider the Packers as a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the NFC at present.
Dave Canales is safe from being fired
Exaggeration or reality: Exaggeration
The Carolina Panthers (6-5) have a winning record with a dramatic overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The team completed the season sweep of their division rival and sits second in the NFC South, trailing the Buccaneers by just one game in the loss column (6-4). Carolina has been among the pleasant surprises of the 2025 season, and Dave Canales has maximized his roster’s potential, especially with quarterback Bryce Young. All of this has cooled what was previously one of the most precarious coaching positions in the NFL. But has Canales completely eliminated the possibility of being fired? Not quite. The Panthers face a challenging road ahead, taking on the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in the next two weeks before their Week 14 break. The final month includes two divisional games against the Buccaneers and a contest against the Seattle Seahawks. This difficult schedule in the second half could conclude the 2025 season on a sour note, raising questions about Canales’ future despite the current positive momentum.
Exaggeration or reality: Reality
I think we saw a glimpse of why Kevin Stefanski hasn’t been enthusiastic about putting Shedeur Sanders under center. While entering the game under pressure after Dillon Gabriel’s concussion wasn’t an ideal debut, Sanders also didn’t impress. The game appeared too fast for him, as he completed only four of his 16 pass attempts for 47 yards, an interception, and was sacked twice. He may start next week if Gabriel doesn’t pass concussion protocols, but Sanders didn’t inspire confidence in those who believe he’s a starting-caliber NFL quarterback.
Sam Darnold is declining
Exaggeration or reality: Exaggeration
Four interceptions. Ugh. Sam Darnold had a terrible game, recording his third game with four-plus interceptions of his career and the first since his infamous “Seeing Ghosts” game with the Jets in 2019. Even with his recent resurgence over the past two years, Darnold’s 30 turnovers since 2024 lead the NFL, making his poor performance on Sunday concerning. Does this mean he’s regressing, though? I don’t believe we should go that far. Darnold has been among the better quarterbacks in the league this season, but he faced one of the top defenses in the league in the Los Angeles Rams. Sean McVay also seems to have figured him out, shutting him down during Wild Card Weekend last season. It’s best to attribute this to a poor performance against a team that’s a difficult matchup, rather than a sign of Seattle’s playoff hopes fading.
49ers are contenders for the NFC’s top seed
Exaggeration or reality: Reality
Welcome back, Brock Purdy! With their quarterback back in the lineup after missing most of the season with a toe injury, San Francisco scored a season-high 41 points in a dominant win over the Cardinals. The Niners are now 7-4 and in a strong position to contend for a playoff berth. In fact, the team could secure enough wins down the stretch to vie for the top seed.
Their next two games include a home game against the Carolina Panthers (currently a touchdown favorite) and a road game against the Cleveland Browns, which could realistically give them a 9-4 record heading into the Week 14 break. After that, three of their final four games are at home, with their last road game coming in Week 16 at Indianapolis. Besides that matchup, they host Tennessee (Week 15), Chicago (Week 17), and Seattle (Week 18). Even if they go .500 over that final month, they could finish with an 11-6 record, which could be enough, especially with their current divisional tiebreaker (4-1 record after Week 11) over the NFC West-leading Rams (2-1) and a strong 7-2 conference record (another key tiebreaker).
Chiefs hopes of winning AFC West are over
Exaggeration or reality: Reality
Kansas City’s quest for 10 consecutive AFC West titles is in danger. Following Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, the Chiefs dropped to .500 at 5-5, while Denver extended their lead in the division. At 9-2, they are two games ahead of the Chargers and three games ahead of K.C. in the loss column. They also have a head-to-head tiebreaker advantage from Week 11. The Chiefs’ road doesn’t get easier, as they now host a Colts team coming off their bye week before visiting the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. It would take an extraordinary effort from Patrick Mahomes and Co. and a complete collapse by the Broncos for their final matchup in Week 17 to have any significance in the division race.
Detroit’s offense is struggling
Exaggeration or reality: Exaggeration
The Lions offense struggled on Sunday night in Philadelphia. The team scored only nine points, failed to convert any of their five fourth-down attempts, and Jared Goff appeared uneasy from the start. The Detroit QB completed just 14 of his 37 passes for a career-low 38% completion rate. He completed only two of his final 18 attempts. While Goff and the offense deserve some blame for the loss, Philadelphia’s defense, one of the best in the NFL, should also be acknowledged. The Eagles defense recently contained Green Bay in Week 10, suggesting that this may reflect Philly’s unit more than any systemic problem with Detroit’s offense.
