4th & Monday: Separation Sunday puts spotlight on Super contenders
After stomping the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles are dangerously close to locking up the NFC East crown. The Eagles hold a four-game lead in the division with six games left to play. It's safe to say Lincoln Financial Field will be hosting a playoff game in January.
Here's a quick look at the entire NFL playoff picture after Sunday's action.
Elsewhere in the division, the Redskins had a stunning late-game collapse against the Saints, while the Giants pulled off a shocking upset of the Chiefs. The Chiefs (6-4) have now lost four of their last five after a 5-0 start.
It wasn't long ago (three weeks, in fact) that it appeared the Patriots would have challengers in the AFC East. However, the Bills, who saw a puzzling switch at quarterback absolutely backfire, have lost three straight. The Dolphins are riding a four-game skid. The Jets had a bye week, so they couldn't lose during a week many fans celebrated the fifth anniversary of the "Butt Fumble."
The Patriots and Steelers— who steamrolled the Titans on Thursday night — each have three-game division leads. At the moment, the Patriots and Steelers appear on a collision course for the AFC championship. Unless, of course, a team nobody expected to even be in this conversation when the season began — the Jaguars — can upset the traditional AFC hierarchy.
Again, check out which teams are in line for the postseason with our upadated look at the NFL playoff picture.
MORE: 40 things we learned in Week 11
THE MUST-SEE MOMENTS YOU MISSED
- For Pete's sake! Bills rookie QB throws five — yes, five — interceptions in historically bad first NFL start.
- Jinx! LeSean McCoy accidentally predicted Nathan Peterman's awful NFL debut. Even injured Seahawk Richard Sherman took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the Bills' move.
- Playing in Mexico City, Marshawn Lynch sat for U.S. national anthem, then stood for Mexico's. And, yes, that caught the attention of President Donald Trump.
- The NFL's most-promising color analyst is a current player for the Panthers.
- Kirk Cousins took a couple dangerous hits to the head on Sunday, but remained in the game. Meanwhile, Jay Cutler got knocked out of the Dolphins game against the Buccaneers and is now in the league's concussion protocol.
- The Raiders finally forced a Patriots fourth down, then Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 62-yard field goal – and it would have been good from longer.
- John Elway offered a blunt truth to what would explain his team's lengthy losing streak.
- Brock Osweiler had some colorful language for a pre-snap audible.
- The Packers accused the Ravens of "dirty play" after defensive tackle Kenny Clark was injured.
- Composed contenders: The Vikings are as cool as the other side of the pillow, and the NFL needs to take notice.
- A miraculous sliding catch set up the Giants' upset win over the Chiefs.
- Chris Johnson is burning some bridges in Arizona.
- Mas futbol americano: NFL extends deal to play a game in Mexico each year from 2019-2021.
- Jets wide receiver Jeremy Kerley is pulling his 8-year-old son out of football due to CTE concerns.
TOP GALLERIES: Best of Week 11 | NFL Cheerleaders
THE RUNDOWN
Steelers 40, Titans 17 (Thursday): The Steelers picked off Marcus Mariota four times in another Thursday Night Football blowout.
Saints 34, Redskins 31: New Orleans stormed back at home to force overtime and ultimately earn their eighth consecutivee win.
Buccaneers 30, Dolphins 20: Tampa Bay snapped a six-game road losing streak behind two Ryan Fitzpatrick touchdown passes and three Patrick Murray field goals.
Giants 12, Chiefs 9: If you're a fan of offense, this overtime snooze-fest wasn't for you. But it did get pretty wild at the end.
Lions 27, Bears 24: A late Matt Prater field goal kept the Lions in contention for the NFC North title ahead of a big Thanksgiving Day matchup.
Jaguars 19, Browns 7: Cleveland had a chance to earn its first win of the season, then proceeded to do Cleveland Browns things in embarrassing fashion.
Ravens 23, Packers 0: Brett Hundley and the Packers were booed several times during the shutout loss, Green Bay's first since 2006.
Vikings 24, Rams 7: The Vikings grounded the Rams' high-flying offense, improving to 8-2 on the year.
Texans 31, Cardinals 21: Texans rookie D'Onta Foreman carried Houston to victory with two fourth-quarter touchdowns before being carted off the field.
Chargers 54, Bills 24: Nathan Peterman threw five interceptions in his first NFL start and the Chargers took advantage in the blowout.
Bengals 20, Broncos 17: Andy Dalton's three touchdowns sent the Broncos to their sixth consecutive loss.
Patriots 33, Raiders 8: Fans in Mexico City saw a blowout as Tom Brady picked apart the Raiders' secondary for 339 yards and three touchdowns.
Eagles 37, Cowboys 9: When you see that final score, it's easy to forget that the Cowboys held a 9-7 edge at halftime.
EYES ON THE (FANTASY) PRIZE
Browns wide receiver Corey Coleman made his return to action after missing seven games with a broken hand. He caught six of his 11 targets for 80 yards. Yes, it didn’t take him long to reclaim his status as the team’s No. 1 wideout.
Likewise, the Ravens welcomed back running back Danny Woodhead from a hamstring injury he suffered in Week 1. He caught five passes for 21 yards and one rush for two yards. Look for him to be a factor down the stretch.
Texans wide receiver Bruce Ellington (six receptions, 63 yards vs. Arizona) has taken on a larger role in the wake of Will Fuller’s injury.
Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor was benched this week – and likely cut in many fantasy leagues. But he could return to the starting lineup after rushing for a touchdown and throwing for 158 yards and a score in relief. He’s a decent add if your team needs depth at quarterback.
The out-of-nowhere performance of Week 11 came from Cardinals tight end Ricky Seals-Jones. The rookie out of Texas A&M caught his first three passes of the season, with two of them going for touchdowns.
MORE: Fantasy takeaways from Week 11
INJURY UPDATE
- Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler suffered a concussion against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- Washington Redskins running back Chris Thompson suffered a broken fibula, which will require surgery and sideline him for the remainder of the season.
- Chicago Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd was carted off with a leg injury.
- Buffalo Bills wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin suffered a knee injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
COMING THIS WEEK
Monday: Week 11 concludes Monday night when the Seattle Seahawks play host to Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons (8:30 ET, ESPN).
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports' NFL experts offer their power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 11. Don't agree with our rankings? Speak up! Submit your own rankings to tell us where our experts got it wrong with our NFL Fan Power Rankings.
Thursday: Week 12 kicks off Thursday with a full slate of Thanksgiving games. The day begins with an NFC North showdown as the Minnesota Vikings visit the Detroit Lions (12:30 ET, Fox). Then, the Los Angeles Chargers visit the Dallas Cowboys (4:30 ET, CBS) and the Washington Redskins host the New York Giants (8:30 ET, NBC) to end the day.