JIM LANG’S 10 NFL THINGS: WEEK 11

Hi there, what a week it was in the NFL! Between Covid protocols, Cam Newton’s return, injuries to key players (Chase Young for instance), a big week for the 49ers, and some big blowouts, this week had a bit of everything. With that being said, time to take a look what happened this past week.  

1 – Thursday night – Week 10 in the NFL kicked off in Miami in what looked like a mismatch as the Dolphins hosted the Baltimore Ravens. In a continuation of last week’s upsets, the Dolphins beat the Ravens for their second win a row. This was, by far, the best game of the year for the Dolphins defence. The story of the game was Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. After starting the game on the bench, Tua came in for the injured Jacoby Brissett and led the Dolphins to a well-earned victory. If I am Brian Flores, I want Tua to play the rest of the season. Flores and the Dolphins need to know what they have in Tua, and they can’t do that if he doesn’t play.  

2 – Cam Newton – That was an impressive return to the Carolina Panthers for Cam Newton. Despite the fact that Phillip Walker took most of the snaps in the Panthers win over the Cardinals, Newton was by far the star of the game. Newton threw a touchdown and ran in for one more as the Panthers improved to 5-5. Monday, coach Matt Rhule told reporters that Newton would get the bulk of the first-time reps in practice, meaning he should get the start against Washington. Newton had a great line after the game, ‘at this time last week, I was eating a bowl of cereal.’ The return of Newtown sure makes next week’s game against Washington much more interesting.  

3 – Beware of the Patriots – That is four straight wins for the Patriots and counting. Mac Jones is a perfect fit for the Patriots offence, and he is gaining more confidence every week. But it was the Patriots defence that deserved all the praise in the way they crushed Baker Mayfield and the Browns. Bill Belichick has built a solid team and along with his coaching staff, he is doing an excellent job turning Jones into a pro quarterback. All of a sudden, the Buffalo Bills have some serious competition in the AFC East.  

4 – The best Heel in the NFL – As a wrestling fan, I love a good heel. You know, the wrestler everyone loves to hate, but he is so good that you respect his abilities. That is a perfect description for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. He is the Stone Cold Steve Austin of the NFL, flipping the bird to the league and the media and everyone else who dares question him. In his first game back from Covid, Rodgers led the Packers to a shut-out win over the Seahawks. Like a good wrestling heel, Rodgers doesn’t care what anyone thinks, all he does is go out there and win. The star of the game though was Packers defensive co-ordinator Joe Barry. If the Packers defence can play more games like that, the Packers will be a scary team down the stretch.  

5 – Mahomes-mania – That was vintage Patrick Mahomes in the Chiefs demolition of the Raiders in the Sunday night game. Mahomes threw five touchdowns, had ZERO interceptions and he had a quarterback rating of 127.6. Thanks to Mahomes, the Chiefs have taken over first place in the AFC West. If Mahomes can put up similar numbers next week against the Cowboys, we will know for sure that he is back to his Pro Bowl form. And if that happens, then Mahomes and the Chiefs will grab the hammer in the AFC West and all this nonsense about what his wife is posting on social media and come to a merciful end.  

6 – Ties – Yes, there are ties in the NFL. Although, a lot of players in the league are not aware of it. In fact, Steelers running back Najee Harris admitted to reporters after the game that he wasn’t aware that the game was over when it was. Mason Rudolph is not a stud quarterback, but he was let down by his receivers. Twice he completed passes in over-time that would have given the chance to kick a game winning field goal, and twice his receivers fumbled after making the catch. Based on the way the Steelers and Lions played in over-time, neither team deserved to win.  

7 – Blowouts – If week 9 in the NFL was all about the upsets, then week 10 was all about the lopsided scores. One week after beating the Bengals, the Browns got blown-out by the Patriots. One week after beating the Saints, the Falcons were demolished by the Cowboys. The Jets beat the Bengals in week 8, then gave up 90 points in their past weeks of ugly losses. Seattle beats the Jags, goes on a bye week, get Russell Wilson back and then they get shut out by the Packers! No wonder Las Vegas always comes out on top when it comes to gambling on sports. Speaking of potential blow-outs, the 49ers take on the Jaguars next week.  

8 – AFC playoff race – Thanks to all of the topsy-turvy scores over the past three weeks, the playoff race in the AFC is wide open. Either one of the Titans, Ravens, Bills, and the Chiefs could go all the way in the AFC. Then you have the Patriots and the Steelers. It will all depend on who can get hot and who get healthy in January. Up until then, the playoff seeding in the AFC is too wide open to predict. And with an extra game on the schedule, team’s that would have been considered out of it in previous seasons, are still alive.  

9 – Officiating – Okay, I know, here he goes again, talking about the refs. I wasn’t going to, until I saw a roughing passer call against the Saints in their loss to the Titans. Kaden Ellis was flagged for roughing Ryan Tannehill. A call that wiped out a Tannehill end zone interception. One big problem; it wasn’t roughing the passer! I guarantee you that you have accidently bumped into someone in the elevator with more force than Ellis bumped into Tannehill. I watched the replay of that hit numerous times, and I have zero idea how the ref thought that was roughing the passer. Gene Steratore of CBS Sports, a former ref, even disagreed with the call! Sean Payton was spitting mad after the game, and he had every reason to be.  

10 – Monday Night Mayhem – Week 10 in the NFL wrapped up in San Francisco as the 49ers hosted the LA Rams. This is the 49ers team that we are used to seeing as they beat up the Rams. Kyle Shanahan and his coaching staff put together a great game plan, and his players executed it. Jimmie Ward picked off two Matt Stafford passes in the first quarter and returned one for an interception. Even better, the 49ers pounded the ball down the Rams throat, running the ball 44 times! This game was a reminder that the 49ers are a solid team (George Kittle!). And if they keep playing like that and stay healthy, they have more than a shot at the Wild Card in the NFC. This game was also a reminder to the Rams, nobody cares how many players you sign, you still have to go out there and play the game.  

Week 11 will kick off Thursday in Atlanta as the Falcons host the surging New England Patriots.  

I am really interested in the Cowboys game against the Chiefs. 

And just a reminder, week 12 will feature a triple-header on Thursday the 25th as part of the NFL’s annual US Thanksgiving celebration.  

I will talk to you next week.  

(Jim Lang is Canada’s foremost expert on the NFL. Follow him on Twitter at @JimLangSports)