2017-18 NFL (Week 11)

Games I watched (some of):
Redskins 31-34 (OT) Saints
The Redskins....man....they had this game won, the game was over, all they had to do was run it out. They gave the Saints just enough room to come back and that's all it took. Still not sure about eh Saints: obviously at times they look explosive and good enough to beat anyone, but they still seem over their head somehow. I'm sure they're a playoff team, well on their way to winning the division and the Eagles, Rams and Vikings are not experienced squads, I guess they could make a run. But I'm not convinced just yet.

Ravens 23-0 Packers
Ugh! The problem with Brett Hundley is he isn't that bad. He's got good feet, moves well in the pocket, rolls out of the pocket like he's been watching Aaron Rodgers his entire career. But once he moves he...I dunno...he doesn't trust his arm or his vision or his receivers so that when he does make a move its two seconds too late and at best goes nowhere. The Ravens, meanwhile, didn't even play particularly well and looked like a playoff team. Man, this was no fun to watch.

Eagles 37-9 Cowboys
Cowboys held them close in the first half but the Eagles straight pounded them in the 2nd half. Dak doesn't look healthy, looks tentative and he just doesn't have the time or the playmkers to get much done out there. The Eagles look well-drilled on both sides, still the tops in the NFC, while the Cowboys look like they're headed toward a searching for a new coach.


Other results (surprising):
Bucs 30-20 Dolphins
Where did the Bucs get 30 points from? Is Jameis holding them back? The Dolphins just keep getting worse, one of these teams that isn't bad enough to lose this bad but not good enough to win as good as they do. Weird. Bucs are done, Dolphins still have time in the lackluster AFC.

Chiefs 9-12 (OT) Giants
Okay, time for the Chiefs to start worrying. They've still got time to get it back together (Bills coming to town next week is either the death blow or the perfect opportunity to right the ship), it could be that cratering in Novemeber is the best thing that ever happened to them. But this game was awful: couldn't move the ball, made dumb mistakes, created no luck, didn't make plays. Poor performances all the way around. The Giants--hey, they looked good, right? No. Not particularly. They still stunk and won and that makes no sense at all.


Other results (not so surprising):
Titans 17-40 Steelers
The Steelers are capable of this kind of performance and yet do it so rarely, why is that? The Titans are a nice team but they're still many pieces away from being a worthwhile squad, even in the AFC.

Lions 27-24 Bears
The Bears had their shot to stay alive but blew it. We can say that was disappointing but they're not a very good team. Have they underachieved or overachieved? Not sure. The Lions are up and down, this was a lucky one for them and they needed it.

Jags 19-7 Browns
The Jags don't score much, do they? That D is tip top but that offense needs to run, run, run to get anywhere at all. Kudos to the Browns, they're playing hard again and that's good to see, they'll get a win pretty soon I reckon.

Cards 21-31 Texans
I thought the Cards had a shot in this game but these are two bad teams that expected to be good teams. Kinda sad.

Rams 7-24 Vikings
Wish I'd gotten to see this game. Close in the 1st half but the Viking D shut down the Rams in the 2nd half, good win for the Vikings. I think the Vikings have the best shot of knocking off the Eagles.

Bills 24-54 Chargers
Bills went with a QB change...why? What could've happened that would've made the difference? If the rookie goes into LA and ekes out a W, does that mean the season is saved? Does that mean all the problems have been solved? No. So why take out Tyrod? Look, I get it: Tyrod is a very capable 2nd string QB but not a starter. But he's the guy they got now, all their wins came with him under center and he is certainly not the problem. Dumb move that made a hard game harder. The Chargers are still very much in the race, they've got a really good D-line and a veteran QB and that puts them in the mix in the AFC.

Bengals 20-17 Broncos
Two bad teams looking bad at the same time. The Bengals have moments of competent play but not enough to think they're gonna make the playoffs. The Broncos are going backwards very quickly.

Patriots 33-8 Raiders (in Mexico City)
The Pats continue to round into shape. The Raiders have been disappointing all year long and I don't see why that would turn around in the next month (although the AFC is unusually awful).

Falcons 34-31 Seahawks
Okay, are the Falcons gonna get hot enough to steal a playoff spot? The Seahawks are losing defensive stalwarts and that O-line still sucks, but they should still get a spot in the post-season.