The Packers Look Super & Other Things We Learned In NFL Week 11
Green Bay won big again, and New England and Arizona stepped closer to playoff spots. Here's what we learned in the NFL in Week 11:
The Patriots Used Jonas Gray To Embarrass The Colts
Unknown Patriots running back Jonas Gray ran for 199 yards and four touchdowns, and New England hammered the Colts, 42-20, on Sunday night. Normally dangerous Pats' QB Tom Brady threw two first-half interceptions, but it didn't matter as Gray kept hammering away at Indianapolis (6-4).
New England (8-2) won its sixth straight game and fifth straight over the Colts. Andrew Luck threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns, but the losses his team has suffered to the Patriots and Broncos might mean they'll be on the road in the postseason.
The Falcons Are Bad…And In First Place
With none of its teams possessing a winning record, the NFC South is the weakest division in the NFL. The Falcons, who hold a tiebreaker edge over the Saints, are currently the best of the bad bunch after their 19-17 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
Atlanta (4-6) got four field goals from Matt Bryant, but they needed another kicker — Carolina's Graham Gano — to miss a 46-yard field goal attempt with 1:27 left and have a 63-yard kick blocked at the end of the game to get the win. The Panthers (3-6-1) have now lost five straight, but are still just a half-game out of first in the woeful division.
The Broncos Can't Win In St. Louis
The Rams pulled off the shocker of the 2014 NFL season thus far when they knocked off the Broncos, 22-7, in St. Louis on Sunday. Denver (7-3) has never won in St. Louis. Ever.
Worse, the Broncos' lineup suffered injuries to tight end Julius Thomas, running back Montee Ball and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders that could weaken the team in the final six weeks leading into the playoffs.
St. Louis (4-6) has almost no shot at a playoff spot, but the Rams did get to see running back Tre Mason run for 113 yards against the Broncos top-ranked run defense. Mason and St. Louis' young defense might signal that the team will finally get back to a winning record in 2015, something they haven't done since 2003.
The Cardinals Have The NFL's Best Record, But...
Drew Stanton threw two early touchdown passes to Michael Floyd, and the Cardinals beat the Lions, 14-6, in a match-up of the NFC teams with the two best records. The win gave Arizona (9-1) the NFL's best record and the beleaguered franchise its first six-game win streak since 1977.
Detroit (7-3) failed to score a touchdown for the first time this season. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for just 183 yards and was sacked four times.
…The Packers Are The NFL's Best Team
While the Cardinals and the Patriots have better records, no team has played better football lately than the Packers. Green Bay (7-3) surpassed the 50-point mark for the second-straight week and positioned themselves as an early Super Bowl favorite by mauling the Eagles, 53-20, on Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns, and his team was up by 24 points at the half as Philadelphia (7-3) could not move the ball on offense. Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez threw for 346 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, but most of his positive stats came in garbage time after Green Bay had a huge lead.
Other Games
Thursday, Nov. 13
Miami 22, Buffalo 9
Sunday, Nov. 16
Chicago 21, Minnesota 13
Houston 23, Cleveland 7
Kansas City 24, Seattle 20
Cincinnati 27, New Orleans 10
Tampa Bay 27, Washington 7
San Francisco 16, N.Y. Giants 10
San Diego 13, Oakland 6
Bye Week: Dallas, N.Y. Jets, Jacksonville, Baltimore