NFL Week 11 winners and losers, Giants bench Daniel Jones, plus Texans-Cowboys picks and 'MNF' best bets

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! 

If Joe Burrow announces his retirement today, I won't be shocked. I don't actually think that's going to happen, but no one would blame him after what he's gone through this season. During Cincinnati's 34-27 loss to the Chargers on Sunday night, Burrow threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions against the Chargers and STILL lost. That means Burrow is now the only QB over the past 54 years to lose three games in a single season where he had at least 300 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. 

The Bengals are on a bye in Week 12, so Burrow won't have to worry about the team choking away another one of his big games. Speaking of going on a bye, Daniel Jones will be going on a bye for the rest of the season after getting benched on Monday. 

In today's newsletter, we'll be covering the Giants' big QB decision plus handing out grades for every game. Oh, and we'll also be making picks for tonight's game between the Texans and Cowboys, but you can probably already guess who we'll be picking, so there won't be much drama there. 

As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let's get to the rundown. 

1. NFL Week 11 grades: Bills earn 'A-' for big win over Chiefs

Every Monday, we hand out grades, so that's exactly what we're going to do right now. Here's a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday:

Chargers 34-27 over Bengals (Click here for full recap)

• Bengals takeaway: Every loss this season seems to be the same for the Bengals -- they're in it until the end and then they find a new way to lose. The offense got off to a slow start, but Joe Burrow eventually recovered throwing for 356 yards and three touchdowns with 245 of that and all three scores coming in the second half. The return of Tee Higgins (nine catches for 148 yards and one TD) helped spark the Bengals offense. The defense got run off the field in the first two quarters, but played well enough in the second half to allow Burrow to get the team back in the game. The biggest problem for the Bengals was Evan McPherson, who missed two go-ahead field goals in the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter. The Bengals now lead the NFL with six one-score losses and it's looking like 2024 will go down as a giant "What if" season for this franchise. Grade: B-
• Chargers takeaway: If it wasn't clear before, it should be now: Jim Harbaugh has completely changed the culture for this team. The Chargers were once known for Chargering and after watching a 27-6 lead melt away in the second half, it looked like it might happen again, but this team showed its resilience. Justin Herbert bounced back from a rough second half to lead a game-winning TD drive in the final minute that was capped by J.K. Dobbins. Although he got bottled up for most of the night, Dobbins was able to escape for a game-winning 29-yard TD. Defensively, the Chargers kept constant pressure on Joe Burrow that led to three sacks and several erratic throws from the Bengals QB. This was the type of win that proves Harbaugh is ushering in a new era of Chargers football. Grade: B

Bills 30-21 over Chiefs (Click here for full recap)

• Chiefs takeaway: With the way the Chiefs had been playing going into Week 11, it felt like the undefeated season was going to end some point soon, and it finally happened in Buffalo in a game where the Chiefs were thoroughly 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. Grade: B-
• Bills takeaway: 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. Grade: A-

As for the other 24 grades that I handed out in Week 11, you can check those out by clicking here. 

2. NFL Week 11 winners and losers: Colts make brilliant decision

You can't have a week of NFL action without having winners and losers, so we have some winners and losers. 

Cody Benjamin came up with this week's list and we're going to check out his winners below. 

WINNERS

• Anthony Richardson (Colts beat Jets, 28-27). "Restored to a starting role just two weeks after what seemed like a long-term demotion, the 2023 first-round draft pick looked the part as the Colts quarterback, outdueling Aaron Rodgers (a low bar to clear) while controlling the ball (a higher bar) and showcasing his trademark athleticism to beat the Jets. Credit also to coach Shane Steichen for making the quick switch back"
• The Lions' NFC North title bid (Lions beat Jaguars, 52-6). "Detroit beat up on yet another team Sunday, with Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Co. maintaining their awe-inspiring offense. But the Lions also had to be smiling at the rest of the NFC North, with the mercurial Packers barely sneaking past the Bears in an ugly divisional matchup, and the Vikings failing to rout any of their three straight AFC South opponents."
• The Steelers defense (Steelers beat Ravens, 18-16). "Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry came to town, and T.J. Watt and Co. made them look human. It's a growing trend, Pittsburgh neutering Jackson's otherwise MVP-level magic, but Sunday's win was especially important for Steel City, with Mike Tomlin's squad now two games ahead of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. The Steelers really do register as a complete team."

If you want to see Cody's list of losers, be sure to click here. 

3. 14 crazy facts from Week 11: Bo Nix pulls off rare rookie feat

Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild facts about the games that were just played. 

With that in mind, here are 14 crazy facts about Week 11: 

1. Bo Nix pulls off rare rookie feat. The Broncos rookie completed 28 of 33 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns, which was impressive, because it made him the first rookie in NFL history to do so. Nix also became the first rookie ever to complete at least 80% of his passes while throwing for at least 300 yards with four touchdowns. 
2. Climbing the hill of history. Taysom Hill was the star of the show for the Saints during their 35-14 win over the Browns. He finished with 138 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 50 receiving yards and 18 passing yards, making him the first player in NFL history with at least 100 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 50 receiving yards and 10 pass yards in a single game. Hill also became the first non-running back in NFL history to rush for at least 125 yards with three touchdowns. 
3. Jared Goff pitches a perfect game. With 412 yards and four touchdowns against the Jaguars, Goff finished the game with a perfect passer rating of 158.3. That makes him the first player in NFL history with multiple career games with at least 400 passing yards, four touchdown passes and a 158.3 rating. There have only been seven such performances ever and Goff now has two of them. 
4. Lions share of touchdowns. Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery and Amon-Ra St. Brown all scored at least one touchdown on Sunday, marking the eighth time that all three of them have scored in the same game. That's an NFL record for a trio of teammates, breaking the old mark of seven, which was held by several different trios.
5. We got a Scorigami! The Lions beat the Jaguars 52-6, which is mostly notable because it gave us the first 52-6 final score in NFL history. Not only was it a scorigami, but it was also the largest loss in franchise history for Jacksonville. 
6. Rare 9-1 start for the Lions. With a 9-1 start, the Lions are tied for the best record in the NFL heading into Week 12. That's the first time they've had a share of the NFL's best record this late in the season since 1993. They're also off to their best start through 10 games since 1934 when they went 10-0 in their first 10.  
7. High-flying Lions. With 52 points against Jacksonville, the Lions have now scored 50 points or more in consecutive home games, becoming just the fifth team in NFL history to score at least 50 points in back-to-back home games. The Lions join the 1950 Rams, 1966 Cowboys, 1969 Vikings and 2014 Packers.
8. Steelers keep winning without touchdowns. The NFL's 32 teams are a combined 4-18 this season in games where they don't score a touchdown. The Steelers are 2-0 while the rest of the league is 2-18. Thanks to six Chris Boswell field goals, the Steelers became the fifth team since 2000 to win multiple games in a season without scoring a touchdown, joining the 2000 Ravens, 2000 Titans, 2002 Buccaneers and 2016 Rams. With the win, Boswell became the first kicker in NFL history to make six field goals in three different games in his career.
9. 49ers struggling as favorites. The 49ers have been favored to win every game they've played this season, but they're still just 5-5. They're now just the sixth team since 1970 to be favored in each of their first 10 games and have a record of .500 or worse. 
10. Packers own the Bears. The Packers beat the Bears 20-19 after blocking a field goal on the final play. The block means that the Packers have now won 11 straight games against the Bears, which is the longest winning streak by any team vs. the Bears all time. 
11. Rough day for Raiders. The Raiders forced zero punts and zero turnovers in a game for just the second time in franchise history. The last time it happened came all the way back in Week 17 of the 1991 season (via the AP).  
12. Bower Power. With 13 catches for 126 yards against the Dolphins, Brock Bowers now has 70 receptions on the season, which is the second most by a rookie through 10 career games in NFL history (Odell Beckham Jr. set the record with 71 in 2014).
13. In a league of his own. With six receptions for 81 yards in the Vikings' 23-13 win over the Titans, Justin Jefferson now has 6,811 career receiving yards, surpassing Torry Holt (6,784 receiving yards) for the most receiving yards by a player in his first five career seasons in NFL history. And Jefferson still has seven games to add to that record. 
14. Bengals are bungling, Part II. The Bengals now have five losses this season when they scored 25 points or more. That's tied for the most in NFL history for a team through 11 games. 

If you see any other fun facts, feel free to tweet them at me. 

4. NFL Week 11 overreactions: Lamar falls back in MVP race 

Everyone on the internet loves to overreact to things, and that's especially true when we're talking about the the NFL. With that in mind, Jeff Kerr decided to take a look at several things that happened around the NFL in Week 11 to decide if we're all overreacting. 

Statement: Chiefs will still get the No. 1 seed in the AFC. 
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction. "The Chiefs will have some work to do in order to lock up home-field advantage in the AFC after Sunday's loss to the Bills and they still have tough games against the Chargers (home), Texans (home), Steelers (road), and Broncos (road) to close out the season. That Steelers game could be the deciding contest as to whether Kansas City gets home-field advantage or not in the AFC. Kansas City is still the team to beat in the AFC, but the road to earning home-field advantage would have been significantly easier with a win on Sunday."

Statement: Lamar Jackson has lost his stranglehold on the MVP race. 
Overreaction or reality: Reality. "Jackson has had an incredible season to this point, yet his performance Sunday against the Steelers pulled him closer to the field. He completed just 16 of 33 passes for 207 yards with a touchdown and interception (66.1 rating) while only rushing for 46 yards (on four carries). ... The award may not be a runaway for Jackson anymore, but he still should be the front runner for MVP. Jackson will need a big performance against the Chargers and Eagles defenses over the next two weeks to stake his claim to the league's top individual honor."

Statement: Matt Eberflus will be fired before the end of the season. 
Overreaction or reality: Reality. "What else is there for the Bears to accomplish with Eberflus in 2024? May be wise for Chicago to cut bait with Eberflus before the end of the season instead of trying to see if Thomas Brown as the play-caller will work. Eberflus is 14-30 in his three seasons in Chicago, clearly showing he's not cut out to be a head coach in the league. ... Eberflus won't make it until Week 18, not how this team has been losing games."

There are plenty more overreactions from Week 11, and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here. 

5. Monday night preview: Picks and best bets for Texans at Cowboys

The final game of Week 11 will be taking place in the Lone Star State where the Cowboys will be hosting the Texans in a game where the loser has to leave Texas. OK, that last part isn't a real thing, but it should be. 

Although the Cowboys' season is slowly spiraling down the drain, this is a huge game for the Texans (6-4). If they lose, their lead in the AFC South will drop down to just one game over the Colts. However, the oddsmakers aren't expecting an upset here: The Texans are favored by seven points. 

Here's one reason why each team should be feeling confident going into tonight:

• Why the Texans can win: The Texans will be getting back Nico Collins in this game, but they might not need him, and that's because Houston will be going up against a Cowboys defense that's giving up 152.1 rushing yards per game, which ranks second to last in the NFL. The Texans should be able to get Joe Mixon going, and if that happens it will take a lot of pressure of C.J. Stroud. If Houston gets its offense going, it's hard to imagine the Cowboys keeping up in a shootout.  
• Why the Cowboys can win: On paper, this game is a mismatch that the Texans should win, but this is the NFL where crazy upsets happen ever week, so the Cowboys certainly have a fighting chance. If the Cowboys are going to have any chance, they're going to need a huge game from their defense. If Micah Parsons and the Dallas pass rush can get over C.J. Stroud and pick up a few sacks and make this a low-scoring game, that could put Dallas in a spot to steal the win. The Texans are 1-4 this season when Stroud gets sacked four or more times, but they're 5-0 when he's sacked three times or less. 

You can get a full preview of the game from Jared Dubin by clicking here. 

If you're thinking about betting on the game, here are a couple of props. 

• ONE PLAYER PROP I LIKE: Nico Collins OVER 72.5 receiving yards (-130 at BetMGM): This is a risky one because Collins is playing in his first game since he injured his hamstring back in Week 5, so the Texans could dial him back, but I'm expecting big numbers. Collins leads the NFL in receiving yards per game (113.4) and he's gone over 72.5 yards in all five games he's played in this season. 
  
• ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE TONIGHT: Brandon Aubrey OVER 6.5 points (+100 at BetMGM): Although I expect the Cowboys offense to struggle tonight, the good news is that they don't have to do much to get in field goal range for Aubrey. He can hit from almost anywhere on the field -- he already has a 65-yard field goal this year -- and as bad as the Cowboys have been, he's gone over 6.5 points in six of eight games this year.  

And in case you're wondering, my props are 27-20 on the season (13-9 on kicker props and 14-11 on all other props).   

We also have a full betting preview from SportsLine that you can check out here. 

And finally, here are our picks for the game.

COWBOYS-TEXANS PICKS
My pick: Texans 31-17 over Cowboys
Dubin's pick: Texans 27-6 over Cowboys
Prisco's pick: Texans 27-23 over Cowboys

Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, seven of our eight NFL experts are all taking the Texans to win, but only five of us are taking them to cover the spread.

6. Giants bench Daniel Jones

There was speculation all week that the Giants might bench Daniel Jones, and it finally happened on Monday. The former sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has likely played his last snap with the Giants.

Here's what you need to know:  

• Daniel Jones era done in New York. With the Giants sitting at 2-8, the team has decided to pull the plug on the Jones era. The Giants offense has struggled with Jones under center. In his past 17 games as the Giants' starter, Jones has just 10 passing touchdowns compared to 14 interceptions. During that same span, the Giants have averaged just 13.6 points per game while going 3-14. Jones only had eight TD passes through 10 games, which is the second fewest by any NFL QB in the first 10 games of a season over the past five years.  
• One likely reason why Jones was benched. The Giants can easily get out of Jones' contract this offseason UNLESS he suffers a serious injury at some point over the final seven weeks. Jones has a $23 million injury guarantee for 2025 and the Giants clearly didn't want to take a risk that he might get hurt. If Jones played and got injured between now and the end of the season, the Giants would be stuck with him for 2025, so that was almost certainly one of the big reasons for the benching. 
• Giants make surprising decision on Jones' replacement. The Giants signed Drew Lock in the offseason and he's been the backup all year, but he WON'T be taking over the starting job. Instead, the Giants will be turning the offense over to Tommy DeVito. According to NFL.com, this decision was made because DeVito is more familiar with coach Brian Daboll's offense.  

If you want all the details on Jones' benching you can check out our full story here.