NFL Week 11 breakdown: Unique playoff field brewing
Week 11 of the 2023 NFL season is (almost) in the books, and there's a unique playoff field coalescing.
Here are some of the most important developments from Sunday:
- If the season ended today, the four teams that have never appeared in a Super Bowl would make the playoffs.
- Brock Purdy became the first San Francisco 49ers quarterback to post a perfect 158.3 passer rating since Hall of Famer Joe Montana did so in 1989.
- On the opposite end of the quarterbacking spectrum, Zach Wilson was benched during the New York Jets' ugly loss to the Buffalo Bills. Will the Jets be making a starting quarterback change ahead of the NFL's first-ever Black Friday game?
- The Dallas Cowboys' DaRon Bland registered his fourth pick-six of the season, tying him for the most in a season with Eric Allen (1993), Ken Houston (1971) and Jim Kearney (1972).
- It might be hard to believe, but the Green Bay Packers had the second-highest active streak of games without a 300-yard passer. Jordan Love had a career-high 322 yards in his team's win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
NFL Week 11 key storylines
- Winners and losers: The Broncos were written off by many after a 1-5 start, but after defeating the Vikings on Sunday night, Denver now owns the NFL's longest active win streak.
- 32 things we learned: What a singular playoff field we might have coalescing here in 2023.
- Zach Wilson benched: More inept quarterbacking play by the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft led to head coach Robert Saleh making a switch during the Jets' loss to the Bills.
- Najee Harris is 'tired' of Steelers' poor performances: The Steelers' luck ran out against the Browns, and Harris vented after the defeat.
- Frustrations boil over for Chargers coach: Brandon Staley's seat seems to be getting hotter by the week.
- No hot water for showers at FedExField: Add "no hot water" to the list of problems that have popped up at the home of Commanders.
- Cowboys legend to receive long-awaited honor after owner relents: At long last, Jerry Jones finally set a date for Jimmy Johnson's long-awaited induction into the team's Ring of Honor.
- NFL playoff picture: Both the Browns and Cowboys improved their playoff positioning with wins on Sunday.
- 2024 NFL draft first-round order: The Carolina Panthers continue to lose games, much to the delight of Chicago Bears fans, whose own team is dismal and trending toward a top-five pick.
➤ PHOTOS: Fans, mascots, cheerleaders and celebrities at NFL games
NFL Week 11 results
- Denver Broncos 21, Minnesota Vikings 20: A four-game win streak, the longest current one in the NFL, has resuscitated the Broncos' season.
- Los Angeles Rams 17, Seattle Seahawks 16: Matthew Stafford led two fourth-quarter scoring drives as the Rams rallied to end a three-game losing streak.
- Buffalo Bills 32, New York Jets 6: Josh Allen and the Bills offense reawakened for a demolition of the Jets, who benched quarterback Zach Wilson.
- San Francisco 49ers 27, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14: Brock Purdy had a big game as the 49ers won a second straight and the Buccaneers lost for the fifth time in six games.
- New York Giants 31, Washington Commanders 19: Tommy DeVito, the rookie undrafted quarterback who you may and/or may not have heard still lives with his parents, led an unexpected Giants victory.
- Dallas Cowboys 33, Carolina Panthers 10: DaRon Bland lassoed in his fourth pick-six and is galloping his way toward NFL history.
- Houston Texans 21, Arizona Cardinals 16: C.J. Stroud overcame throwing three picks to lead Houston to a third straight win.
- Green Bay Packers 23, Los Angeles Chargers 20: Jordan Love had his best performance in his young NFL career, registering the Packers' first 300-yard passing game since Aaron Rodgers did so on Dec. 12, 2021.
- Jacksonville Jaguars 34, Tennessee Titans 14: The Jaguars looked the part of a division-leader in this rout of the struggling Titans.
- Detroit Lions 31, Chicago Bears 26: The Lions are off to the franchise's first 8-2 start since 1962. 1962!
- Miami Dolphins 20, Las Vegas Raiders 13: It wasn't pretty, but the Dolphins will go into the Thanksgiving weekend in control of the AFC East.
- Cleveland Browns 13, Pittsburgh Steelers 10: Rookie QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the Browns offense managed to pull it together for a late-game drive for the winning field goal, which kept the Browns in the AFC North title chase.
- Baltimore Ravens 34, Cincinnati Bengals 20 (Thursday): A matchup that had been billed as the most exciting "Thursday Night Football" game of the season didn’t live up to expectations for many reasons.
Coming soon in the NFL 🦃 🏈 ‼
Monday: Week 11 wraps up with a rematch of Super Bowl 57 when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Philadelphia Eagles on "Monday Night Football" (ABC/ESPN and ESPN2). In the biggest game of the season so far, the Eagles will be out for vengeance after the Chiefs rallied to win the Super Bowl nearly nine months ago.
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 11.
Thursday: Week 12 kicks off with a heaping helping of Thanksgiving Day football with the annual tripleheader that kicks off in Detroit when the NFC North-leading Lions host the Green Bay Packers (12:30 p.m. ET, FOX), continues when the Dallas Cowboys host the NFC East rival Washington Commanders (4:30 p.m. ET, CBS) and concludes when the Seattle Seahawks host the San Francisco 49ers in a big NFC West showdown (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). Before the games, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 12 game.
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