A week that so rookie of the year frontrunner go down with a season ending injury, the storylines from week 11 were plentiful. But what are the biggest outside of Joe Burrow?
Goff Airs It Out
Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams took down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-24 despite rushing the ball for just 38 yards. With the lack of a run game, Jared Goff was able to have an amazing game throwing for 376 yards and three touchdowns.
Goff’s two main targets, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, both had double digit receptions and over 130 yards against a top five defence in Tampa. The pair were unstoppable in the quick game gaining over half of their yards after the catch, including a screen pass to Woods before the half which helped set up a huge field goal.
Tom Brady and the Bucs struggled to maintain drives thanks to the Rams preventing the run game from gaining traction and by minimizing the deep shots with consistent pressure. As the game progressed the pressure from Aaron Donald and the Ram’s defence rattled the veteran quarterback who was unable to step into throws or get comfortable in the pocket.
The Rams have quietly kept pace in the NFC West thanks to their stellar defence and creative offence, but will have a tough road ahead in order to make it back to the playoffs two years after their Super Bowl appearance.
Gruden’s Genius
As the Kansas City Chiefs won 35-31 against the Las Vegas Raiders thanks to Jonathan Abrams leaving his responsibility, Jon Gruden’s brilliance as a play caller was on full display in the desert.
With the defending Super Bowl Champions in town, Gruden’s offence was able to get 364 yards despite running less than 60 plays and prove why they should be one of the seven playoff teams at the end of the season. They are a team that is able to beat anyone in their path and could cause an upset or two later in the year.
The unfortunate thing for Gruden’s Raiders is that they left a minute and a half on the clock for the best offence in the NFL which ended in a Travis Kelce being wide open for the touchdown. Hopefully these teams meet for a third time when a potential trip to Tampa is on the line.
Penalties Kill the Cards
The Seattle Seahawks were able to avoid the season sweep from their divisional rival Arizona Cardinals as they won 28-21 on Thursday Night Football in a penalty filled affair.
Arizona racked up 115 yards in penalties and were unable to tie the game on their final drive as a hobbled Kyler Murray was sacked on fourth down. While the Cardinals were sent home with a loss, the young team has been phenomenal this year and seem to be on the rise.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson found his rhythm again as he had zero turnovers allowing his team to control the clock and keep the Cardinals offence on the bench. Seattle now is in the driver seat for one of the top seeds in the NFC and can force teams to play in the rainy northwest.
Saints Remain Perfect Without Brees
The New Orleans Saints won their sixth game without quarterback Drew Brees when he has been injured over the last two years. This year they are winning with Taysom Hill, who has previously been a gadget player for coach Sean Payton.
With Hill at the helm, he accounted for 284 yards and two touchdowns in the team’s 24-9 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. While Hill may not be as accurate as Brees, his mobility and ability to extend plays outside the pocket adds an extra dimension that this offence has not had in decades.
As for Drew Brees, the argument that some make for him being the greatest quarterback of all time is now moot. When a team goes to multiple backup quarterbacks and can stay perfect, it shows how complete this team truly is.
The King’s Reign
In Baltimore, Derrick Henry had the last laugh as he strolled in for the game winning touchdown as the Tennessee Titans won 30-24 in overtime over the Ravens.
Henry finished with 133 yards and a touchdown as he wore down the Baltimore defence with each carry until he finally broke through for a 29 yard score. The Titans stormed back with fourteen unanswered points in the second half before needing one drive in overtime to close out the game.
While Baltimore was unable to hold their lead, they had a chance to win it in the dying seconds of regulation. Lamar Jackson was able to drive 75 yards in two minutes to set up the game tying field goal, but was unable to break through in the red zone.
Want to see what Wade thought were the top headlines from week 10? check them out here.
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