Play.
Jonathan Taylor found pay dirt five times in the Colts' win over the Bills.
In the Colts' big win over the Bills in Week 11, Jonathan Taylor found the end zone five times. The song is titled "1:34."
4:30 PM
The best individual performance of the season was featured in Week 11. The Colts running back ran for 185 yards and four touchdown, and he added 19 more yards and a fifth score on three catches. The Bills were upset by the Colts, who won 41-15. The Packers were upset by the Vikings on a final-play field goal, and receiver Justin Jefferson helped them get there with 169 receiving yards and two touchdown.
The biggest upset of the week was the Texans' 22-13 victory over the Titans. Tannehill threw four picks. The Dolphins won their third game in a row, while Ron Rivera won against his former team in Carolina. The Ravens, playing without quarterback Lamar Jackson, hung on to beat the Bears, while the Browns narrowly avoided a loss to the winless Lions.
The 49ers took care of business in Jacksonville, and the Eagles' run game continued to look good, with three rushing scores from Jalen Hurts and 94 rushing yards from Miles Sanders. The Falcons were blanked by the Pats on Thursday.
The reporters of the NFL Nation react to the questions from this week's action. They look at the bigger picture with their current team confidence rating, which is a 0-10 grade of how they feel about each team's outlook coming out of the week. Let's get to it.
Jump to a match.
No-PHI.
BAL-CHI, WSH-CAR, HOU-TEN
MIA-NYJ.
It's NE-ATL.
Houston 22, Tennessee 13.
Texans.
Tyrod Taylor gives the Texans the best chance to win. Culley said it over and over, but on Sunday, Taylor showed why he was so confident in him, completing 14 of 24 passes for 107 yards and two touchdown. Taylor became the third quarterback in Texans history to score multiple rushing touchdown in a game, joining David Carr and Deshaun Watson. In Week 9 of his return from a left hamstring injury, Taylor struggled, but he did not turn the ball over. It's easy to wonder how competitive the Texans would have been if Taylor hadn't injured his left leg in Week 2.
Did the Texans lose out on the top pick? Houston entered the game with the worst record in the league, but a win in Nashville puts Detroit in control. The second half of the Texans' schedule is much easier than the first half, and if Taylor can stay healthy, Houston looks like a team that could win a few more games. The Texans have two more important games, Week 12 against the New York Jets and Week 15 in Jacksonville.
Barshop's confidence rating went up. The Texans played their best game of the season against a team that was tied for the best record in the NFL.
The next game is against the Jets. The time is later.
They are the TITANS.
What to know is that the TITANS play up to their competition and that is something that they have a tendency to do. The Texans came into the game with just one win and were favored by 10 points against a team that was 7-1 against playoff teams. The sloppy play cost them. The game was controlled by Houston after they jumped out to a big lead.
Is it time to worry about the offense? The offense showed little life today. They are hurt by the lack of players who can take over the game. Tennessee's chance to win the game was hampered by Ryan Tannehill's pick-six. Tannehill threw an pick six after a defensive stop in the fourth quarter that ended a chance for a comeback win. The question remains, can Tannehill carry the offensive load for the team? His performance against the Texans made it seem unlikely.
Davenport's confidence rating was down from 9. Losing to the Texans is not good for the team. TheTitans came out flat and never recovered. The defense can't do a lot to keep them in the game. Tennessee's offense didn't carry its share of the load. A.J. Brown was knocked out of the game with a chest injury. There are not many players left on the offense.
The next game is at the New England. The time is later.
Minnesota defeated Green Bay.
The Vikings are a team.
The Vikings' offense answered the bell when it was time to make a statement in a wild back-and-forth game that puts the team at.500 for the second time this season. Minnesota built off its win over the Chargers by continuing to establish an identity as an offense that gets the ball to its playmakers, and Justin Jefferson keeps taking his game up a notch every week. The second-year receiver caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdown and was already at 100 yards receiving at the end of the first quarter. The Vikings were able to get Jefferson open by lining him up in the backfield and then sending him out on a shallow route over the middle for his first touchdown. The interference Jefferson drew in the first half set up Adam Thielen's touchdown. The top two receivers were utilized well, with Thielen contributing eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.
The Vikings have a double-digit lead. Minnesota is 2-2 on the season when leading by at least 13 points. The Vikings have built double-digit leads just as easily as they've lost them, and they threw punch after punch on offense, but their defense still allowed the Packers to come back in the game. After Green Bay took a 24-23 lead in the fourth quarter, Minnesota roared back behind Jefferson's second touchdown catch and Dalvin Cook's 2-point conversion, only to have Rodgers hit the first play of the Packers' next drive to wrestle back the lead. According to Next Gen Stats, Rodgers was able to scramble for six-plus seconds on two of his touchdown throws. If the Vikings want to get one of the final two seeds in the playoffs, they have to protect their leads.
The confidence rating for Cronin was 7, up from 4.5. The Vikings were aggressive on offense and hung on late to beat the best team. If they can beat San Francisco in Week 12 they will have a good chance of making it back to the playoffs.
The next game is at 49ers. The time is later.
Play.
Greg Joseph kicked a field goal as time expired to give the Vikings a win over the Packers.
The Packers.
Maybe the Packers don't have a championship-level defense yet. The unit made plays, but when it needed one more stop, it couldn't come through. There was no miracle pick-six in the end zone from Douglas. The defense gave up 10 points on the Vikings' final two possessions, including the game-winning field goal at the final gun. They had no answer for Jefferson, the Vikings star receiver who caught eight passes for 169 yards and two touchdown. The second was a beautiful fade that gave the Vikings a 31-24 lead. The problem was that the Packers scored too soon, when Rodgers hit Valdes-Scantling for a 75-yard touchdown. The Packers' defense, which was ranked third in fewest yards allowed and third in fewest passing yards allowed, allowed Kirk Cousins to throw for 341 yards and three touchdown.
How bad will Elgton's injury be? If David Bakhtiari is finally ready to play, they can probably handle losing him, assuming it's as bad as it looked when he hobbled off, unable to put much pressure on his left knee. It's still a big if, especially after Packers coach Matt LaFleur wouldn't say much last week about why the left tackle appears to have taken a step back in his return from an injured knee. When he came off the PUP list a couple of weeks ago, he seemed to be on track to play, but then he didn't practice at all last week. The Packers could have moved him back to left guard, where he was a Pro Bowler last year. They could be down their left tackle for a while.
Demovsky's confidence rating was down from 7.5. The Packers will not get their bye week for another two weeks because they need to get to their bye week. They have to deal with the Rams, who should be rested after their bye.
The next game is against the Rams. The time is later.
Cleveland 13, Detroit 10.
They are called the Browns.
The game may have been won by the Browns. They didn't look like a playoff-caliber team while slogging their way to victory over the Lions. The offense remains a mess even with the return of Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb. The quarterback is sick. The passing game is also included. Cleveland has scored 17 points in a game once in the last eight weeks. To have any chance of making the playoffs, the Cleveland Browns will have to produce a drastic change in their offense.
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How can the team get the player going again? Unfortunately for Cleveland, they will be without their best player for the rest of the season. He was injured in the second half and had a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. When rolling with its full complement of players, reestablishing a running game that is among the best in the NFL should help put Mayfield in more favorable situations. Even though he was hurt on Sunday, he is going to have to be better. Taking better care of the ball would be a start.
Trotter's confidence rating increased from 5.9 to 6. Cleveland's season is dependent on what it does in its next two games against the Ravens.
The next game is at the Ravens. The time is later.
The Lions.
The Lions' best offensive threat, running back D'Andre Swift, had his second straight game of 100 or more rushing yards, with 136 yards. Swift ran for a career-long 57-yard touchdown in the third quarter, which was the longest rushing touchdown by a Lions player since Best had an 88-yarder against the Chicago Bears in 2011. The play was a bright spot on the offense.
Should the Lions keep starting Tim Boyle? No. Although he didn't play well, he doesn't look like the long-term answer for this team. He didn't do much to take over the job on a permanent basis after he threw 77 yards for the game. His approach was similar to that of Goff, opting for check-down passes and not having much success on throws of 10 or more yards.
Woodyard's confidence rating was 2.3, down from 2.5. The performance in Cleveland was just another example of how the team tries to make up for their lack of talent by being competitive. They don't have enough strength on the roster.
The next game is against the Bears. The time is later.
Philadelphia 40, New Orleans 29.
The Eagles.
The Eagles have entered the playoffs. They now have a 40% chance of making the playoffs, thanks to their win over New Orleans. It would have dropped to 9% if the game had been lost. The sides of the ball are moving. The offense rushed for 175-plus yards for the fourth straight game and the defense caused three turnovers and played winning football for the third time in four games. The Eagles entered Week 11 with the second-easiest closing schedule in the league, and with a chance to make a serious charge at a wild-card spot, they are in good position.
Is he going to get the job long-term? He's making a strong case. Hurts ran for 71 yards and three scores against the top rush defense in the NFL, capping his day with a cutback that put the home crowd in a frenzy. He has three games this season with at least one rushing touchdown. In the past 20 years, only one other quarterback has pulled that off. With three first-round picks in the April draft, there is talk of using that capital to bring in a top-end quarterback. Hurts is trying to prove that they have an in-house one.
McManus' confidence rating went up. The Eagles had a rough start to the season, but with their schedule behind them, the momentum should continue.
The next game is at the Giants on Sunday. The time is later.
Play.
Slay scored his third touchdown in four games with a 49-yard pick up.
The Saints.
The Saints' season is in danger after they lost three straight games for the first time since 2016 and fell to 5-5. The Bills and Cowboys will be in New Orleans over the next two nights. The hope is that the magnitude of Sunday's flop was not as bad as it was because they were without running back Alvin Kamara and offensive tackles Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk. The Saints' passing offense has struggled even at full strength this year, and this was also a step back for the defense.
Are we close to seeing Taysom Hill at quarterback? The Saints have to think about what they can do to change the offense. For the third week in a row, quarterback Trevor Siemian finished strong in the fourth quarter. He completed 22 of 40 passes for 214 yards and three touchdown, with one run and his first two picks of the season. Hill's health is also a factor. He was held out of his usual role as a runner/receiver on Sunday while serving as New Orleans' only backup because of a foot injury. The Saints only have three days between games.
Triplett's confidence rating has fallen. The Saints showed how high their ceiling can be earlier in the season. They had built up a head start against the rest of the playoff hopefuls.
The next game is against the Bills. The time is later.
Baltimore 16, Chicago 13.
The Ravens.
The Ravens can win without Lamar Jackson. It wasn't exciting or pretty for most of the game. Tyler Huntley led Baltimore on a winning drive in the final minute. His 30-yard pass to Sammy Watkins set up the go-ahead 3-yard touchdown by Devonta Freeman. The Ravens were without a top wide receiver in Jackson and 13 other players on injured reserve, so this was a hard-fought win.
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Will the Ravens' defense ever solve its big-play issues? Every game has the same script. A costly mistake ruins Baltimore's shutdown defense. The big plays almost cost the Ravens the game. Chris Westry allowed a 49-yard touchdown on fourth-and-11 with under two minutes left in the game. The Bears had two touchdown's, the first one was on a wide receiver screen to Darrell Mooney. Baltimore has given up more than 10 passes of 40 yards or more.
His confidence rating went up from 7.5 to 10. Heading into the toughest part of their schedule, where they don't face another team with a losing record in the last seven weeks, the Ravens know they need to play better.
The next game is against the Browns. The time is later.
The Bears.
What to know is that ugly, ugly, ugly. The Bears lost to the Ravens without quarterback Lamar Jackson. Baltimore backup Tyler Huntley was able to set up three field goals and then lead a last-second scoring drive to squeeze out the victory, thanks to Chicago's defense. It ruined Andy's day. The speedster, who entered the game in the third quarter, hit the wide receiver on a screen early in the third quarter and let him do the rest. Mooney broke a pair of tackles and then sprinted to the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown. The quarterback threw a fourth down touchdown pass to Marquise Goodwin that looked to be the winning pass, but Chicago's defense collapsed at the end. The game was a chance for Dalton to redeem himself after he lost his starting job to Fields. The Bears needed to win this game. The Bears' season is all but over at 3-7.
Is there a quarterback controversy in Chicago? Probably not. Fields has the job when he's healthy. There is a chance that the Bears play on Thanksgiving Day next week. Depending on the severity of his injury, it's difficult for Fields to play. The organization is focused on developing Fields for the future, despite the nice insurance. Fields will return to the bench when he gets the medical clearance to play.
Dickerson's confidence rating was down from 2.5. Without Lamar Jackson, the Bears can't beat the Ravens. Good luck the rest of the way.
The next game is at the Lions. The time is later.
Washington 27, Carolina 21.
Washington.
Washington continues to lose bodies yet they win games. It was missing its top two tight ends and both starting defensive ends and needed to turn to its third center during the game. It kept finding a way to stay. Taylor Heinicke played a smart and gutsy game. Heinicke threw three touchdown passes and ran for 31 yards, but the day was supposed to be about the Carolinas' CamNewton. He completed a fourth-down pass in which he had to scramble and was nearly sacked on the game-winning drive. After a fumbled the running back was benched for a couple of series, yet he responded with 95 yards. They have a lot of confidence and have made the final stretch more interesting. John Keim said their mindset is terrific.
Can Washington sustain this level of play? Why not? Washington's defense has held three opponents under 300 yards in a row. It will get Montez Sweat back in a few weeks. The play of the secondary has been a big key. Curl's ability to cover Christian McCaffrey helped on a couple of throws. The identity of the offense has been found. Washington's commitment to the run game has allowed it to play more physically and limit Taylor Heinicke's dropbacks. His efficiency over the past two weeks has been excellent.
Keim's confidence rating went up from 5 to 10. When you play with confidence, you can overcome mistakes and bad plays. Washington is playing with a lot of confidence, yet it has had many chances to fall, yet it keeps overcoming.
The next game is against the Seahawks. The time is later.
Play.
The score was tied at the end of the first half after Taylor Heinicke found Terry McLaurin in the end zone.
The panthers.
What to know is that the man did his part. He brought energy and playmaking, throwing two touchdown passes and rushing for another. The league's top defense didn't do its job. Taylor Heinicke, a former Carolina quarterback, threw three touchdown passes and engineered the game-winning field goal in the game against the Panthers. DavidNewton's biggest mistake was throwing a late fourth-down pass.
Can the team be a real playoff contender and have a losing record at home? The goal this week was to get back to Bank of America Stadium, where the team excelled under the quarterback. He gave away 50 tickets. Carolina lost its fourth straight at home to fall to 2-4 this season. The Carolinas have lost to the Eagles, Vikings, and Washington. Not a good resume for a playoff contender.
The confidence rating forNewton was down from 5.4 to 0. After next week's game at Miami, the schedule gets more difficult, with road games against Buffalo and New Orleans and two games against the Bucs.
The next game is at the Dolphins on Sunday. The time is later.
Miami 24, New York Jets 17.
The Dolphins.
In basketball, sometimes a shooter needs to see the ball go through the hoop to end a cold streak. The Dolphins have won three straight after a seven-game losing streak, and it appears that the fix to their cold streak was simply getting another win under their belt. For the first time this season, Miami's offensive line didn't look like a sieve, and for the third time, its run game topped 100 rushing yards. Eric Rowe said that winning games gave the team a boost and built up its confidence, but after a month and a half they didn't see any positive results. There's hope for this team because the Dolphins are making big plays on both sides of the ball.
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Is Miami's offense too reliant on big plays? The Dolphins have hit on plays of 52, 64 and 65 yards over the past two games. They have averaged 4.5 yards per play outside of those three plays. The Bears are last in that category with just over 500 yards. Miami has been able to take advantage of their opponents' mistakes over the past two weeks. It will have to figure out how to move the ball between those big plays.
Louis-Jacques' confidence rating increased from 6 to 10. It wasn't pretty, but the Dolphins did enough to win a game that they should have lost, and they're rolling as they prepare for a 32-day stretch of not having to leave South Florida.
The next game is against the Panthers. The time is later.
The Jets.
The right call was made by Robert Saleh when he replaced Mike White with Joe Flacco. He couldn't replace kicker Matt Ammendola, who missed two FGs. What was expected was done by the surprise starter. The savvy pro handled the Dolphins' heavy pressure. He made a couple of mistakes, but he didn't stall the offense and gave the ball to the emerging freshman, who caught 141 yards and one touchdown. He had A 65-yard touchdown was scored by the Jets because of dumb penalties and a coverage breakdown. They need to get Wilson back in the lineup. He should start if he's healthy. Period. Rich Cimini said there was no controversy.
Will the Jets lose the rest of their games? It's a legit question, don't snicker. The Dolphins were supposed to be one of the softer teams on the schedule, but the Jets were able to handle them at home. Where will they get a win if they fall to the Houston Texans next Sunday? You can't win if you can't stop anyone. The Jets' defense is a shell of its former self, and it wasn't good.
Cimini's confidence rating increased from 2.5 to 3.5. They didn't get blown out. This season has deteriorated to that.
The next game is at the Texans on Sunday. The time is later.
Indianapolis 41, Buffalo 15
The Colts.
Finally, what to know. The Colts had a losing streak against playoff teams last season. The Colts did it in a way that showed they're in the thick of the race for the playoffs and moving above.500 for the first time all season. The Colts led from start to finish and had some Buffalo fans heading to the door with about four minutes left in the third quarter after they forced three turnovers. The challenge for the Colts is not going to get any easier. They will play four of their remaining six games against teams with winning records, starting with Tom Brady and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12.
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Is Jonathan Taylor the best running back in the league? Tennessee's Derrick Henry could be out for the rest of the season with a foot injury. Taylor had 185 rushing yards and five touchdown. It was the 18th time in NFL history that a player scored five touchdown in a single game. He leads the league in rushing yards with 1,122 and will likely remain at the top of the list the rest of the season because the Colts will continue to lean on him down the stretch.
The confidence rating of Wells was 5. The Colts' victory over the Bills was their most impressive win since October.
The next game is against the Buccaneers. The time is later.
The Bills.
The Bills' defense looked bad against a Colts offense that came into the game ranked 12th in the league. Even without Star Lotulelei and Tremaine Edmunds, Buffalo's run defense has had a hard time stopping the game's best running backs. The Colts would try to run the ball with the success they had against this defense in Week 6 in the game. Jonathan Taylor scored five touchdown and ran for 185 yards. The Bills have allowed five touchdown to running backs this season, tied for fourth fewest. Taylor reached that in three quarters. The Colts have the most rushing yards by a Bills opponent in the last five seasons.
Do the Bills have a problem with special teams? The rain-soaked turf wasn't the cause of all the special teams troubles. The worst play of the day was when returner Isaiah McKenzie fumbled the football on a return in the second quarter. The Colts recovered the football at the Bills' 2-yard line and took it in for a touchdown. Bass missed two field goals on a wet field. Bass had made 16 straight field goal attempts, and it was the first time he had missed a field goal since Week 7 of last year. Bass will likely get things corrected, but this wasn't the first time that he lost the football. There have been too many clumsy plays this year for a team that places such importance on special teams.
Getzenberg's confidence rating was down from 7.8. The Bills have a lot to prove before this confidence rating can go up again, as they have been through a lot over the past few weeks, including this loss to the Colts.
The next game is at the Saints. The time is later.
San Francisco defeated Jacksonville.
The 49ers.
The 49ers have won two in a row in dominating fashion and look like a legitimate playoff contender. A convincing win against the Jags isn't a huge feat in itself, but it's the type of performance a team with real postseason ambitions would have. The Niners were coming off a short week and traveling across the country for an early body clock start. The 49ers handled business as they should have, even though they are 5-5 with seven games to play, and they will face Minnesota next week.
Is the 49ers on their way to an offensive drive that will eat up a quarter? It looks like it. The longest drive by a team this season and the longest of any team in the past 20 years was by the Niners on Sunday. San Francisco's offense has posted two longest drives of the season in a row. Is it a coincidence? The Niners are fine with using the opening drive to assert physical dominance and rolling from there. It ended with a field goal instead of a touchdown. Those kinds of drives are hard to overcome.
Wagoner's confidence rating went up. The Niners' loss to Arizona two weeks ago seems like a distant memory, and they appear to be rounding into form with some key games coming up.
The next game is against the Vikings. The time is later.
Play.
Jimmy Garoppolo is in the pocket and throws a dart to Brandon Aiyuk.
The Jaguars.
James Robinson is going to have to battle his knee andheel injuries the rest of the year, and the Jags offense is dead in the water without him. He doesn't have the same burst that he had before the injuries. The offense is going to be on the shoulders of the man. It's an unfair ask for a first-year player, especially with the Jaguars' unreliable group of receivers, and it's a burden for which he's not ready.
What do theJaguars do at the corner? Tyson Campbell suffered a shoulder injury and Shaquill Griffin left the game with a concussion. The top two corners were left by that. The Falcons and Rams are on the schedule for the next two weeks. Five key players were hurt on Sunday, when the Jags had been relatively healthy all year.
DiRocco's confidence rating was 1.5, down from 3. A team that played on Monday night flew across country and kicked off at 10 a.m. There is a time and place.
The next game is against the Falcons. The time is later.
New England defeated Atlanta.
They are the Pats.
The defense of the New England's is legit. In the past three games, the unit has not allowed more than seven points and 250 yards. Only the 49ers and the Seahawks have made the Super Bowl in the past 15 seasons, and the other two teams have made the playoffs. The defensive front and defensive backs are ballhawks, which makes it hard to run against them. The last time the Pats recorded an pick on four straight drives was in 2001, and it was the second time under Bill Belichick.
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Is the New England team the best in the league? Five weeks ago, no one would have asked that question. The team that has won five in a row is now one of the hottest teams in the league, playing a balanced football game with a hard-hitting D, an efficient offense, and solid special teams. The Bills and theTitans are two teams that can make a case to be the best team in the league, and as a result, they will play the Pats in three of their next four games. That will be telling.
The confidence rating for Reiss was up from 6. A team that has found its identity after five wins in a row is highlighted by playing such a physical game.
The next game is against theTitans. The time is later.
The Falcons.
The Falcons are in a bad place. They haven't scored a touchdown in 130 minutes of football and there are problems. The offensive line is struggling. The running game is not very interesting. Matt Ryan had a subpar game. The losses against good teams tell you where the Falcons are as a team.
How does Atlanta deal with its offensive issues? Falcons coach Arthur Smith said they have to evaluate everything during the mini-bye over the weekend, and while there aren't any easy answers, there need to be some answers. Something has to shift if Atlanta is going to win many more games this season.
The confidence rating of Rothstein was 3.4, down from 4. Two games without a touchdown leads to a new franchise.
The next game is against the Jags. The time is later.
