A busy and action-packed Week 11 concluded with an in-state beatdown by the Texans over the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Week 11 featured intense rivalries, lopsided matchups, and even the end of one team’s perfect season hopes. There’s a lot to discuss before moving on to Week 12, so let’s review Week 11 and then some of the top headlines for this coming week with our expert’s best bets.
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Week 11 Takeaways
It’s hard to pick just a few takeaways from Week 11, considering so much happened. But if we had to pick, here are the top stories from last week.
Bills Hand Chiefs Their First Loss
The 1972 Miami Dolphins team can take a breath and pop the champagne because their perfect season record will stand for another year. The Kansas City Chiefs were a perfect 9-0 heading into their Week 11 matchup with the Bills, which was their toughest test yet.
It was a back-and-forth game until Josh Allen ran 26 yards for a touchdown with 2 minutes left to seal the win for the Bills and Kansas City’s first loss of the season. That win also propelled Allen past Lamar Jackson as the MVP frontrunner on most sportsbooks. Is this finally Buffalo’s season?
Russell Wilson And The Steelers Knock Off The Ravens
Russell Wilson is 4-0 since taking over as QB1 for the Steelers. There were mixed emotions when he replaced Justin Fields, considering Fields had led the Steelers to an admirable 4-2 record in the first few weeks, but fans aren’t doubting the decision anymore. Pittsburgh has beaten the Jets, Giants, Commanders and Ravens in the last four weeks with Wilson.
Last week’s win was the most impressive, considering the Ravens have dominated the AFC this season and had won seven of their previous eight games before Week 11. The Steelers’ Week 11 win has them at the top of the AFC North standings with only a handful of games left in the season.
Joe Mixon Had A Career Night In Primetime
Week 11 wrapped up with the Texans traveling to Dallas to take on the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. The Texans were favored by over a touchdown against their in-state rival and covered that spread easily by winning 34-10. Running back Joe Mixon had a career night in primetime as he rushed for 109 yards on 20 carries for 3 touchdowns.
It was the sixth time in eight games Mixon finished with at least 100 rushing yards, as he was the primary source of offense against a Dallas defense that has lost its identity this season. Houston’s big win begs the question: are the Texans legitimate contenders?
Week 12 Headlines
There are plenty of headlines for Week 12 since a lot has happened since the end of Week 11 - especially in New York. Here are just a few things to keep an eye on this upcoming week.
Offensive Rookie Of The Year Race Is Heating Up
The recent draft class has brought some emerging superstars to the NFL. In the first half of the season, the former Heisman winner Jayden Daniels was the talk of the class. He had led the Commanders to an incredible start, and talks of playoffs even started in Washington. However, the Commanders have lost back-to-back games, and Daniels hasn’t looked like himself from the first few weeks.
Instead, Broncos rookie Bo Nix has taken the spotlight. Nix has thrown for 1,029 yards with a 9:1 touchdown to interception ratio in the last four weeks. Daniels is still the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year heading into Week 12, but could another big week from Nix make the race even tighter?
Tommy Devito Gets His First Start Of The Season For The Giants
It finally happened in New York. Quarterback Daniel Jones has been benched and put behind Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock in the depth chart. Following their Week 10 loss to the Panthers, the Giants are now 2-8 and something needed changing. That change will come at QB, as DeVito has been named the starter indefinitely.
DeVito started six games for the Giants last season and threw for 1,033 yards, 8 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He will get another chance at the starting job for the remainder of the season as the Giants continue to evaluate their quarterback situation for the future. But for now, it’s DeVito time in New York!
Eagles And Rams Meet On Sunday Night Football
Two of the top offenses in football will meet in Southern California for this week’s edition of Sunday Night Football. The Philadelphia Eagles have won 6 straight games, and a big reason for that has been Offensive Player of the Year hopeful Saquon Barkley. Philly’s new running back has accumulated over 1,100 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns through Week 11 and has a generous matchup in Week 12 against a below-average Rams run defense.
However, the Rams have offensive weapons of their own: Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua, and Cooper Kupp. Oddsmakers have listed the Eagles as 2.5-point favorites with a total nearing 50 on Sunday night.
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Early Week 12 Best Bets
It’s never too early to lock in some bets for Week 12. Here are our expert’s early picks for this week, with a selection for Sunday Night and Monday Night Football.
Eagles -2.5 (-110)
The Eagles might be the hottest team in football. Philly has won six straight games, scoring at least 26 points in five of those contests. Their offense is soaring now that all of their weapons are healthy, and it seems like Saquon Barkley might be getting better as the season goes on. Just last week, Barkley ran wild for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns.
These two teams are similar in the fact they both have fabulous offenses with elite weapons, but there is a clear difference in defense. The Eagles allow the 2nd fewest passing yards and the 7th fewest rushing yards per game. Their stifling defense should limit Matthew Stafford and carry the Eagles to cover this small spread.
Chargers +3 (-110)
Week 12 wraps up with a matchup between the Ravens and Chargers on Monday night, and oddsmakers have listed Baltimore as a 3-point favorite. The Ravens had a slow start to the season but quickly made up for it with a dominant showing in the last month or so. However, their Week 11 loss to the Steelers knocked them back in the AFC North standings. QB Lamar Jackson and the offense struggled to find weaknesses in the Pittsburgh defense, and they finished with just 16 points. That performance is extra worrisome, considering their Week 12 matchup comes against the best defense in football.
The Chargers give up the fewest points per game in the NFL, while the Ravens allow the 10th most. Plus, Justin Herbert and the offense have scored 26, 27, 27 and 34 points in the last four weeks. Take the points with the home team and back the Chargers.
