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By Albert Breer Having already written about the Broncos' big win over the Chiefs and Bears CB Nahshon Wright's tribute to his former coach, let's now put a wrap on our Week 11 coverage with the takeaways. Let's dive in … The Rams might be the NFL's most complete team. Don't believe me? Ask second-year star Jared Verse. He'll tell you. "I don't think we have any ceiling," the outside linebacker told me late Sunday after beating the Seahawks. "I know a lot of people say that. I don't know where ours is. We had a good game today. We held them to a lot of field goals, but we could've gotten off the field. We could've avoided all that. The touchdown they had, we could've avoided that. There are things we could've done to stop them. I don't think there's no ceiling. We could have shut them out completely, beat them 21-zip." The actual final on Sunday from SoFi was Rams 21, Seahawks 19, but that didn't make Verse's point any less relevant. L.A. found a way, even on an imperfect afternoon, to show Seattle and everyone else how many different ways it could win a ballgame. Any story on the Rams' season coming into Sunday centered on Matthew Stafford, who, at 37, might have the best shot he's ever had at winning league MVP. And he was fine against an excellent Seattle defense. But the fact that he threw for only 130 yards and an 89.9 rating was a vivid illustration that the Rams have a lot more than No. 9 in their bag. The run game piled up 119 yards at 5.4 yards per carry, with lead back Kyren Williams slicing through the Seahawks' defense for 91 and a touchdown. The defense, meanwhile, picked off Sam Darnold four times, and did it by forcing him to get the ball out faster than he usually does. That happened through a team approach that, as Verse explains, meaning stars subjugating their egos. |
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By Gilberto Manzano Here's an idea: Maybe let's see how these games play out before we jump to conclusions. Narratives were drastically changed in Week 11, because as it turns out, the Chiefs aren't all the way back and the Broncos aren't total frauds after all. Denver (9–2) recorded a 22–19 upset over its divisional rival, putting itself in an ideal situation to win the AFC West and end Kansas City's long reign in the division. It's starting to get to the point where the Chiefs might miss the playoffs altogether, as they stare at a 5–5 record, two games behind a wild-card spot because the seventh-seeded Jaguars (6–4) hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over them. Everyone was ready to fork the Jaguars after the collapse against the Texans, but they had a dominant 35–6 win over the Chargers on Sunday. And Bryce Young's stock was dipping before he guided the Panthers to a 30–27 overtime victory over the Falcons to revive the team's playoff hopes. We also learned plenty about the Seahawks in their 21–19 loss against the Rams. Seattle looked like a bona fide Super Bowl contender, but its quarterback might be holding the team back from truly keeping pace in the loaded NFC. However, there's a lot of sudden mystery in Cleveland after rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders filled in for fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel in the second half of the 23–16 loss against the Ravens. Let's break down why Browns coach Kevin Stefanski's future in Cleveland may depend on a player he clearly doesn't trust. |
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Erick W. Rasco/ Sports Illustrated |
By Gilberto Manzano Once a team reaches the rare territory of being discussed as a dynasty, the football public inevitably grows tired of all the winning and begins to root for that team's downfall. In this century, it happened with Tom Brady's Patriots and Patrick Mahomes's Chiefs. But there's already Eagles fatigue, and they're, maybe, a Lombardi Trophy away from entering the dynasty conversation. It's not precisely the constant winning Jalen Hurts & Co. have done since 2022 that has turned off fans who don't typically support the "Birds." It's their ugly brand of football. I can appreciate the physicality and the willingness to do whatever it takes to win, but I can also see why many view it as boring football. Luckily, we're probably not getting Eagles vs. Chiefs III in this season's Super Bowl matchup—Kansas City has a daunting hole to climb out of after dropping to 5–5. But we should prepare for a third Super Bowl appearance in four years from Philadelphia. The Eagles started the week by beating the Packers by three points on Monday night and ended it by defeating the Lions, 16–9, in a game that wasn't that close Sunday night. |
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By Albert Breer The last time the Broncos played the AFC West's bogeyman, Patrick Mahomes, was a year and six days before Sunday's showdown in Denver. And that one, for the Broncos, went like a lot of them have since Peyton Manning hung up his cleats, with this one, for Sean Payton's crew, being particularly painful—because the Broncos had them. In Week 10 last season, Denver had the ball with 5:57 left on its own 40, trailing 16–14, and methodically moved its way down the field, draining the clock, forcing Kansas City to use its timeouts and lining Will Lutz up for a 35-yard game-winning field goal with a second left. The kick was blocked. The loss dropped Denver to 5–5, and 13–14 through Payton's first 27 games. The Broncos were improved, but the mighty Chiefs could seemingly absorb any punch they tried to throw. And while the final margin was just two points, Denver seemed way further off than that from truly challenging the AFC's preeminent superpower. But the head coach had other ideas. In the locker room postgame, Payton told the players he believed in them, and their work. He told them they were close. The next day, he showed the players tape of his most devastating losses, including the 2018 NFC title game (the Saints' loss to the Rams marred by a missed pass interference call). Since that loss to the Chiefs, the Broncos are 14–4 in the regular season. |
By Matt Verderame The Week 11 slate has been awesome so far (well, not including the Commanders-Dolphins matchup in Spain). In the late games, the Broncos bested the Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High on the final play of regulation, winning 22–19 on a Wil Lutz field goal, putting them up 3.5 games on Kansas City. Meanwhile, the Seahawks and Rams went to the wire at SoFi Stadium, with Los Angeles taking over first place in the NFC West thanks to four Sam Darnold interceptions. In the early window, the Jaguars toppled the Chargers while the NFC North had a key game between the Bears and Vikings, ending in a walk-off, 19–17 victory for Chicago. Finally, Sunday night features an elite game between the Eagles and Lions at Lincoln Financial Field, rife with playoff implications. But we start with the Broncos, who all but finished off any hopes of Kansas City winning the AFC West for a 10th consecutive season. |
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Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] |
By Matt Verderame The AFC West was a tale of two stories on Sunday. In Denver, the Broncos showed the world that they can beat more than a few bad teams, handling the Chiefs 22–19 on a last-second Wil Lutz field goal. Bo Nix threw for 295 yards while the defense forced Patrick Mahomes into a red-zone interception, holding Kansas City's explosive attack to 19 points. Meanwhile, the Chargers went across the country to play the Jaguars and never showed up. Los Angeles lost 35–6 in humiliating fashion, with Justin Herbert failing to throw for 100 yards before mercifully being benched in the fourth quarter for Trey Lance. With the loss, the Chargers fell to 7–4 and sit two games back of the surging Broncos, who have won eight consecutive games. In the NFC, the Rams earned a key win over the Seahawks, benefitting from four Sam Darnold interceptions. Los Angeles is now 8–2 and shares the NFC's best record along with Philadelphia. |
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