Welcome to the Week 11 grades!
It's showdown Sunday in the NFL. The first big game started at 1 p.m. ET with the Ravens traveling to Pittsburgh for a huge matchup with the Steelers and the game actually lived up to the hype. The Steelers escaped with an 18-16 victory on a day where Justin Tucker missed two field goals. The win wasn't sealed until the Ravens came up short on a two-point conversion with just 1:06 left to play.
The Steelers got all of their points from Chris Boswell, who kicked six field goals. That means NFL teams are now 4-18 on the season when scoring zero touchdowns in a game:
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- The Steelers are 2-0
- The 31 other teams are 2-18
So what kind of grade do you get for scoring zero touchdowns? Let's get to the Week 11 grades, starting with the Steelers' big win.
Pittsburgh 18-16 over Baltimore
| B- | |
| The Ravens always seem to struggle against the Steelers and those struggles continued on Sunday. Derrick Henry started off the game with a fumble on the second play from scrimmage and things didn't get much better from there for the Ravens offense. The Ravens biggest problem right now be Justin Tucker. The most accurate kicker in NFL history seems to have lost his mojo: He missed field goals against the Steelers and that was the difference in the game. For the past 12 years, the Ravens have had a kicker they can trust in clutch situations, but going forward, fans will likely be holding their breath when Tucker attempts any big kicks. | |
| B | |
| The Steelers defense has been one of the best in the NFL through the first 10 weeks and showed why again on Sunday. The defense forced two turnovers, including a wild interception by Payton Wilson in the fourth quarter. Those two turnovers led to two field goals from Chris Boswell, who scored ALL of Pittsburgh's points with six total field goals. Offensively, the Steelers weren't flashy, but they got the job done. The Russell Wilson-to-George Pickens connection continues to come up big with Pickens catching eight passes for 89 yards. This win perfectly encompassed why the Steelers should be viewed as a Super bowl contender: They have a great defense, a great kicker and an offense that has the ability to make big plays when the team needs it. | |
Buffalo 30-21 over Kansas City
| B- | |
| The undefeated season had to end at some point, and it finally happened here in a game where the Chiefs were simply outplayed. Patrick Mahomes threw an interception on his first pass of the game and that was a sign of things to come on a day where he threw for just 196 yards. The Chiefs' normally stout defense struggled to slow down Josh Allen, who totaled 317 yards and two touchdowns. No one one wants to lose, but this could end up being for the best since the Chiefs now won't have to deal with the pressure that comes from trying to stay undefeated. They're still in the driver's seat to get the No. 1 seed in the AFC and that's the ultimate goal when it comes to the regular season. | |
| A- | |
| The Bills were dealing with a lot of injuries heading into Week 11, but that didn't matter because they still had Josh Allen, who willed them to a win. Allen made plenty of big plays, but none of them was bigger than his 26-yard TD run on fourth down that iced the game in the fourth quarter. Allen did a good job of spreading the ball around with Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Dawson Knox and James Cook all catching at least four passes. Defensively, the Bills made sure there was no Patrick Mahomes magic in the second half, holding the Chiefs QB to just 98 yards and one TD over the final two quarters. It was a huge win for a Bills team that's now firmly in the hunt to land the top seed in the AFC. | |
Green Bay 20-19 over Chicago
| B- | |
| For the second time in the past three weeks, the Packers defense gave up at least 390 yards and that could be an issue going forward if they don't fix things, especially since those performances came against two bad offenses (Chicago and Jacksonville). The Packers offense looked sharp for most of the game, especially on its final possession, when Jordan Love drove them 70 yards for the go-ahead TD. Karl Brooks made the play of the day when he blocked Chicago's game-winning field goal attempt on the final play. The defense almost gave this game away, but the special teams saved the day, and sometimes, that's how you have to win in the NFL. | |
| B- | |
| The Bears' decision to fire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron looked like a brilliant one. In their first game without Waldron, the Bears exploded for 391 yards. Caleb Williams played smart football: Not only did he throw for 231 yards, but he also tacked on a career-high 70 yards on the ground. Williams also did a good job of spreading the ball around with four receivers catching at least three passes. The rookie QB even came up clutch on the final drive by throwing for 49 yards to set up Cairo Santos' game-winning field goal attempt, but it went for nothing, because the kick was blocked. Matt Eberflus could have tried to go for a closer kick, but he decided to try the field goal on second down. The problem for the Bears is that although they played well, they still lost, and this one's going to sting, especially since it came against a Packers team that has now beaten them 11 straight times. | |
Detroit 52-6 over Jacksonville
| F | |
| If Jaguars owner Shad Khan was wondering whether Doug Pederson has lost the team, this game pretty much answers that question. | |
| A+ | |
| After a close call in Week 10, the Lions made sure this one didn't go down to the wire: This one was over by halftime. The Lions played nearly perfect football on both offense and defense. Jared Goff had his way with the Jaguars secondary, throwing for 412 yards and four touchdowns. Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown both went over 100 receiving yards and David Montgomery led the way on the ground with two touchdowns. The defense beat up on a Jaguars offense that didn't score a touchdown. This win shows why the Lions are a great team: This could have easily been a trap game for Detroit, but instead, the Lions beat up on a bad team. | |
Minnesota 23-13 Tennessee
| B | |
| Sam Darnold lost a fumble on the Vikings' third offensive play of the game, but that was about the only mistake he made on the day. After a rough outing in Week 10 that saw him throw three interceptions, Darnold bounced back with 246 yards and two touchdowns along with a rushing TD against a solid Titans defense. As good as Darnold was, the defense was better. Andrew Van Ginkel and Pat Jones both recorded two sacks in a game where the Vikings basically set up camp in Tennessee's offensive backfield. It's easy to overlook a bad team, but the Vikings definitely didn't do that here as they improved to 2-0 on their current three-game road trip. | |
| C- | |
| Some offenses in the NFL get better every week, but the Titans seem to do the opposite. Will Levis did come up with one big play when he threw a 98-yard TD pass in the third quarter, but that was about all Tennessee's offense was able to do. The Titans had no rushing attack, the offensive line gave up five sacks and Levis barely completed 50% of his passes (50.5%). With the Titans offense playing like that, Tennessee isn't going to win too many more games this season. | |
Miami 34-19 over Las Vegas
| C- | |
| The Raiders might have been able to stay in this game or even win it if they had been better in the red zone. During the first half alone, the Raiders got inside of Miami's 10-yard line on two different drives, but they weren't able to punch it in for a touchdown either time. As for the defense, it simply couldn't come up with any big stops: The Dolphins went 8-for-12 on third down and 2-for-2 on fourth down. There are plenty of reasons why the Raiders lost, but red zone offense and third-down defense were the big ones. At 2-8, the Raiders' season is all but over. | |
| B+ | |
| Tua Tagovailoa had his best game since returning from his concussion. The Dolphins QB was nearly perfect, throwing for 288 yards and three touchdowns. The biggest surprise in this game was the performance of Jonnu Smith, who had a season-high 101 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. The Dolphins defense did struggle at times, especially on third down, but the unit also came up with some big plays including three sacks and a fourth-quarter interception by Jalen Ramsey that iced the game. With the Dolphins offense suddenly getting hot, there's no reason this team can't compete for a wild-card spot in the AFC. | |
L.A. Rams 28-22 over New England
| B | |
| When Matthew Stafford is on fire, the Rams are tough to beat and Stafford was on fire against New England. The veteran QB threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns with most of that production going to his two favorite targets: Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Nacua dominated the first half with 117 of his 123 yards coming in the first two quarters. Kupp then took over in the second half with 96 of his 106 yards coming in the final two quarters, including a 69-yard TD that helped break the game open in the third quarter. The Rams defense disappeared for most of the second half, but Kamren Kinchens did end up saving the day by picking off Drake Maye on New England's final possession. This was a game the Rams couldn't afford to lose and Stafford made sure that didn't happen. | |
| B- | |
| At this point, it's a lost season for New England, but if you're a fan of the Patriots, there's a lot to be excited about, thanks to Drake Maye. No, the Patriots didn't win, but Maye continues to get better every week and that includes this game. Maye showed an impressive command of the offense as he totaled 309 yards (282 passing, 27 rushing) and two touchdowns. He did have an ugly interception at the end of the game, but overall, this was an encouraging game for the rookie quarterback. | |
New Orleans 35-14 over Cleveland
| D | |
| This was a day where everything that could go wrong, did go wrong for the Browns. It started with two missed chip-shot field goals by Dustin Hopkins in the second quarter, but despite that, this game was actually tied early in the second half, but then Cleveland's defense seemed to run out of gas during a fourth quarter where the Saints put up 148 yards and 21 points. The offense also disappeared in the fourth quarter, and at this point, it almost feels like the Browns pulled a disappearing act on their entire 2024 season. | |
| A | |
| With the Saints' season on life support, Taysom Hill did his best to revive it. The human Swiss Army knife took over in this game with 138 yards and three touchdowns on the ground while also adding five catches for 50 yards. Oh, and he also completed a pass for 18 yards. The Browns might be a bad team, but no one had scored 35 on them before Sunday. Darren Rizzi is now 2-0 as the interim coach in New Orleans and with the offense finally showing signs of life, the Saints might be able to claw their way back into the NFC South race, although it would definitely be a long shot. | |
Indianapolis 28-27 over N.Y. Jets
| B | |
| The Colts' decision to give the starting QB job back to Anthony Richardson definitely paid off. In his first game back, Richardson had arguably the best game of his career: Not only did he throw for 272 yards, but he led a game-winning TD drive that ended with him scoring the go-ahead TD on a 4-yard run with just 46 seconds left. That was one of two rushing touchdowns in the game for Richardson. It was an impressive performance and if Richardson continues to play like this, the Colts might be able to sneak their way into an AFC wild-card spot. | |
| C | |
| Aaron Rodgers said he wants to return in 2025, but that might not be what's best for the Jets. Rodgers had another sluggish performance, throwing for just 184 yards in a game where New York didn't record a single first down until there was under two minutes left to play in the first half. The offense did show some signs of life in the second half, but that was canceled out by the the fact that the defense had a meltdown in the fourth quarter. After holding Anthony Richardson to just 143 yards through the first three quarters, the Colts QB lit up the Jets defense for 129 passing yards in the fourth quarter. The Jets are inching closer to going down as the most overhyped team in NFL history. | |
Denver 38-6 over Atlanta
| F | |
| This beating was so bad that the Falcons started benching players with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Falcons rushing attack got shut down, Kirk Cousins was under pressure all game and the defense couldn't stop anything Denver did, and that's how you get blown out. The Falcons now have two straight losses and if they don't fix things soon, they could be on the verge of a second-half collapse. The only good news for this team is that they have a bye coming up in Week 12 to get things figured out. | |
| A+ | |
| Bo Nix has never really been mentioned in the Rookie of the Year conversation, but he's looking like a serious candidate now after a career day against the Falcons. Nix carried the Broncos offense by going 28 of 33 for 307 yards and four touchdowns, making Nix just the second rookie since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to complete at least 75% of his passes while throwing for at least 300 yards and four touchdowns. It was a brilliant performance by a QB who has been making huge strides every week. Nix was so good that he overshadowed a dominant performance by a Denver defense that's been dominant for most of the season. With the Broncos passing attack now coming alive, this is a team that could be scary down the stretch. | |
Seattle 20-17 over San Francisco
| B- | |
| The 49ers offense was supposed to get a big boost with the return of Christian McCaffrey, but in just his second game, they're still trying to find their footing. The 49ers were only able to muster 17 points, which tied a season low for them. Despite the offensive struggles, the 49ers could have still won this game, but then the defense fell apart after Nick Bosa left with an injury in the second half. The defense gave up two touchdowns and both came after Bosa left the game. This was a brutal loss for a 49ers team that suddenly doesn't look like the best team in the NFC West. | |
| B+ | |
| Going into Week 11, the Seahawks had given up nearly 30 points per game in their past six games, but their defense finally showed and it dropped hammer on the 49ers. Ernest Jones, who had a team-high 13 tackles, led a tenacious defense that held the 49ers to just 17 points. That spirited showing set the stage for offense to steal the game and that's exactly what Geno Smith did. The Seahawks QB threw for 54 yards and rushed for 29 on Seattle's game-winning drive that ended on when he ran it in for a 13-yard TD. Smith showed that he can come up in the clutch when Seattle needs him while the defense proved that it can shut down a high-powered offense when it has to. This team is right back in the NFC West race and they're definitely good enough to win it. | |
Philadelphia 26-18 over Washington (Thursday)
| C | |
| At some point, Jayden Daniels was bound to have a bad game and it finally happened. Daniels couldn't get anything going with through the air (191 yards) and he had no room to run (18 yards), which is a big reason why Washington's offense sputtered for most of the final three quarters. The problem for Washington is that the defense wasn't much better, especially during a second half where the Commanders got steamrolled for 141 yards on the ground (The Eagles totaled 228 rushing yards in the game). Stopping the run has been a weakness all season for the Commanders and it doesn't look like they've fixed anything. Dan Quinn also made a bizarre decision in the fourth quarter when he passed up a shot at kicking a field goal that would have given his team a 13-12 lead. This loss hurts definitely hurts the Commanders' chances of winning the division title, but they're definitely not out of it. | |
| B | |
| The Eagles defense did what no other NFL team has really been able to do this season: Shut down Jayden Daniels. The unit did that by applying constant pressure, which led to three sacks and a fourth-quarter interception by Reed Blankenship. On the offensive side of the ball, the Eagles struggled early, but then Saquon Barkley took over in the second half. Barkley rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone on a night where he totaled 198 yards (146 on the ground and 58 through the air). The Eagles did have to deal with multiple missed kicks by Jake Elliott, but he's been so consistent throughout his career that they probably won't need to worry about him as long as he's able to fix things by Week 12. The Eagles didn't play a perfect game, but they won comfortably, which will probably give them plenty of confidence going forward | |