Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are playing as well as any team in the NFL. (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports)
Pro football Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells likes to say teams are what their record says they are by the time the season hits this stage. That’s great news for the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots.
Arizona scored no style points but slammed the door on the Detroit Lions in a 14-6 win, improving to 9-1 for the first time since 1948. The Cardinals are three wins better than 6-4 Seattle and San Francisco in the NFC West and the leader in the hunt for that critical home-field advantage in the NFC.
The Patriots unleashed undrafted free agent running back Jonas Gray, who went from splitting time at Notre Dame to stomping the Colts for 199 yards and four touchdowns on Sunday night. The Patriots stand atop the AFC, a game ahead of the Denver Broncos and two games up in the AFC East.
Here’s our take on the top 32 in the NFL:
–1. New England Patriots (8-2): Never seems to fail; Bill Belichick takes away the opponents’ best weapon. Sunday night, T.Y. Hilton was on lockdown, and the Patriots highlighted Indy’s fatal flaws: no running game, no run defense.
–2. Green Bay Packers (7-3): When history peeks back at 2014, it’s going to smile on the Packers, who put up 50 points in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. The Aaron Rodgers MVP campaign grows by the week.
–3. Denver Broncos (7-3): MRI Monday in Englewood, featuring key players Julius Thomas (ankle) and Montee Ball (groin) could be critical to Peyton Manning’s playoff push. Offensive coordinator Adam Gase must find a counter-move to negate inside gap pressure. Manning has two interceptions in three straight games and no running game.
–4. Arizona Cardinals (9-1): Dogged defensive effort bailed out a stale showing from Drew Stanton. Four of final six are on the road, including at Seattle, San Francisco and St. Louis.
–5. Kansas City Chiefs (7-3): Knock, knock, Denver. Chiefs get 0-10 Oakland on Thursday, then 10 days to prep for Peyton and Company.
–6. Detroit Lions (7-3): Total of 27 points in three road losses qualifies as a playoff warning for a team still trying to show its worth outside of Ford Field.
–7. Cincinnati Bengals (6-3-1): Andy Dalton crucified for a 2.0 rating vs. Cleveland, then posts career-best 143.9 rating at New Orleans a week later — depending on the jury, Bengals could be anywhere from 4-14 on this list.
–8. San Francisco 49ers (6-4): Coach Jim Harbaugh has a .700 winning percentage on the road the past three seasons. That’s a huge credit to the coach, who is still standing with almost everything in front of them: two games with Seattle and regular-season finale at Levi’s Stadium against the Cardinals.
–9. Indianapolis Colts (6-4): It takes a leap of faith to trust Andrew Luck’s offensive line, and with only a one-game edge on the Texans in the AFC South, this one isn’t over.
–10. Seattle Seahawks (6-4): Marshawn Lynch was too tired to leave the bench at halftime? OK, maybe it’s time to doubt the repeat.
–11. Dallas Cowboys (7-3): Schedule sets up for a Thanksgiving feast — vs. the Eagles — or famine in Dallas. Loss to Eagles could be lethal with three of four in December on the road (including Week 17 at Washington).
–12. Philadelphia Eagles (7-3): Chalking up 33-point loss at Green Bay to potency of Packers. But was fill-in quarterback Mark Sanchez exposed? We’ll find out soon enough.
–13. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4): Season likely to come down to two December dates with the Cincinnati Bengals.
–14. Cleveland Browns (6-4): No team adds a more talented player in November than the Browns, who will have last year’s league-leading receiver, Josh Gordon, the rest of the way.
–15. Baltimore Ravens (6-4): Five of six remaining games are against first- or second-place teams.
–16. Miami Dolphins (6-4): Defense getting credit it deserves. The big worry for coach Joe Philbin is whether his patchwork offensive line holds up.
–17. San Diego Chargers (6-4): That 13-6 snoozer against the Raiders was critical. Final five: at Baltimore, vs. New England, vs. Denver, at San Francisco and at Kansas City.
–18. New Orleans Saints (4-6): This is what first place looks like in the NFC South. Drew Brees might be optimistic. We have every reason to doubt the Saints.
–19. Carolina Panthers (3-7-1): Riverboat Ron’s crew is only a game out of first place with one win since Sept. 14.
–20. Buffalo Bills (5-5): Too far to climb in the AFC. Doug Marrone inches closer to the cliff with each loss under new ownership.
–21. Houston Texans (5-5): Soft schedule, talent to compete. Bill O’Brien’s team not out of it by any means.
–22. St. Louis Rams (4-6): Never pretty, but wins over Seattle, Denver, San Francisco exhibit elite defense can win games. Now the Rams need the answers on the other side of the ball to do it consistently.
–23. Atlanta Falcons (4-6): Tied with the Saints for first place in the division by virtue of a 4-0 record in the NFC South.
–24. Minnesota Vikings (4-6): Might be 7-4 with Adrian Peterson.
–25. Chicago Bears (4-6): March to Black Monday commenced for Marc Trestman. Expect statement from shamed Bears fans in the form of empty Soldier Field seats with five home dates to go.
–26. N.Y. Giants (3-7): Competitive but not able to find the end zone when they needed it most, Eli’s five interceptions vs. San Francisco sealed likely losing (final?) season for Tom Coughlin.
–27. Washington Redskins (3-7): Robert Griffin III has six games to show he’s worth that fifth-year option at $18 million-plus.
–28. N.Y. Jets (2-8): Defense makes this a team nobody cares to see in December.
–29. Tennessee Titans (2-8): When was the last time the Titans were not in QB evaluation mode when they hit December?
–30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-8): Lovie Smith believed Josh McCown and Mike Evans could do this regularly. Evans has 100-pluse receiving yards in three consecutive games.
–31. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-9): Little sunshine for eternally optimistic coach Gus Bradley.
–32. Oakland Raiders (0-10): The mere presence of Raiders backup quarterback Matt Schaub is creates some kind of streak. His teams have lost 24 consecutive games.
What we learned Week 11
Patriots 42, Colts 20
New England went indoors to break out its winterized offense, as undrafted rookie Jonas Gray went for 199 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. The Patriots, long known for changing their winning formula when the seasons change, are looking like the complete package with Detroit and Green Bay up next.
The Colts can perspire now — Ahmad Bradshaw is gone with a broken ankle and he was a large part of the personality of the offense. The Colts managed just 19 yards on 17 carries, putting the entire burden on quarterback Andrew Luck’s arm. “When you get behind and they make you one-dimensional, it’s extremely difficult,” Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano said. “We just couldn’t come up with any answers.”
Cardinals 14, Lions 6
The game was there for the taking for Detroit. The Lions have become a far more disciplined team under coach Jim Caldwell, but there are still too many times when penalties get the best of them. It happened again on Sunday, when Detroit was flagged nine times for 80 yards. “It’s always a problem,” Caldwell said. “I don’t think there’s any question about that. We have to improve in that area.”
Detroit stumbled through the previous three games without being able to run the ball effectively with 59 yards against the Saints, 60 against the Falcons and 63 against the Dolphins. On Sunday, they generated 98 rushing yards without the ailing Reggie Bush. Joique Bell led the way with 85 rushing yards, but he said the Lions still need to be better. “I know we need to pick it up,” he said.
Packers 53, Eagles 20
The Packers took a big step back defensively after losing by three touchdowns on Oct. 26. Green Bay, however, bounced back in a big way by holding the powerful Bears and Eagles in check the past two weeks.
“It just shows that we have a very talented defense, and it’s all about deciding which defense wants to show up,” linebacker Clay Matthews said. “We’ve had games in which we’ve done fantastic on defense and games we’ve given up too much, whether that be passing, running, big plays, whatever it may be. It seems like we’re putting it all together at the right time, in November, December when teams need to start separating themselves from the pack.”
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers extended his streak of consecutive passes without an interception at home to an NFL-record 322 attempts. Tom Brady held the old record (288); Rodgers broke the mark on the first series.
Chargers 13, Raiders 6
The return of running back Ryan Mathews paid immediate dividends. The Chargers owned one of the NFL’s worst running games after Mathews exited the Week 2 game with a sprained knee. Mathews played Sunday and gave the team a back not afraid to run behind his pads. Mathews, who is in his contract year, finished with a game-high 70 yards on 16 carries, with a long of 20 yards.
San Diego’s offense remains absent. Considering the weapons the Chargers have on that side of the ball and that quarterback Philip Rivers was playing at such a high level, it was surprising the team produced one touchdown in its past eight quarters. Rivers had an off day, which in the past often translated into a San Diego loss, but there could be a reason: Tight end Antonio Gates said Rivers is playing with a “serious” rib injury.
Chiefs 24, Seahawks 20
Kansas City’s defense continues to mature and grow in many different ways, and it is becoming the foundation of the team and the major reason the Chiefs are riding a five-game winning streak and are tied for first place in the AFC West. They added another game to their streak of not allowing a rushing touchdown. They also allowed only two more scores, making it 16 in 10 games. They did not give up any points in the fourth quarter, maintaining their No. 1 status in the league with just 28 points allowed in the final period.
Seahawks center Max Unger went down with a high ankle sprain and a knee sprain in the fourth quarter. That’s a combination that may take some time to heal enough for him to get back in the lineup. That leaves the Seattle offense with a real problem in the middle of that blocking unit. In 14 plays after Unger left the field, the Seahawks managed just 32 yards.
Texans 23, Browns 7
The Texans will welcome Arian Foster when he returns from a groin injury, but in the meantime they are fine with rookie Alfred Blue at running back. When Foster is healthy, the Texans will have a lethal one-two punch.
Blue rushed for 156 yards on 36 carries. He showed an ability to accelerate through a whole quickly and then cut back through a spot vacated by the Brown.
The Browns are a hurting unit on defense. Linebacker Karlos Dansby will have an MRI done on his knee on Monday. Linebacker Jabaal Sheard left the game with an ankle injury and defensive end Phil Taylor was placed on injured reserve Friday. All three players are starters. Coach Mike Pettine will not use injuries as an excuse, but the drop-off in talent clearly affected Houston running 54 times for 213 yards.
Buccaneers 27, Redskins 7
Washington’s pass defense got no pressure and had no answer for Mike Evans. The rookie receiver caught seven passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. The Redskins also couldn’t stop Tampa Bay from pounding quarterback Robert Griffin III, who was sacked six times — 11 in two games since returning from a dislocated ankle — amping the drama up a notch in Ashburn, Va., this week. Washington is going on the road Sunday to play at San Francisco, which battered Eli Manning and intercepted him five times in Week 11.
Bengals 27, Saints 10
Cincinnati’s maligned run defense — ranked 31st and allowing 143.0 yards per game entering Week 11 — held the much-improved Saints’ running game to 75 yards on 26 carries (2.9-yard average). Two factors were the return of linebacker Rey Maualuga after missing four games with a knee injury and the penetration of defensive tackle Domata Peko, who seemed to be in the Saints’ backfield for much of the game. “Obviously we had to get better in our run defense, and Rey was a big part of that,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. Added Maualuga: “I’m just excited to be back playing with my brothers.”
Wide receiver A.J. Green has been hobbled with a nagging toe injury, forcing him to miss three games. But playing against a banged-up Saints’ defense, Green had little resistance in catching six passes for 127 yards. His biggest catch was a 38-yarder down the right sidelines on third-and-19 in the fourth quarter. The Saints had just cut the Cincinnati lead to 20-10, but the Bengals went on to ice the game, 27-10, on Green’s 24-yard touchdown catch.
49ers 16, Giants 10
It’s a lost season for the Giants, who dropped five consecutive games.
However, receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is more than just a rising star. The Giants’ first-round pick this year is fast becoming a respected leader among his teammates. Beckham was chosen to deliver the pregame pep talk in the huddle following the Giants’ pregame warmups. The rookie then backed up whatever message he delivered with another strong outing, catching seven out of 15 pass targets for 93 yards, the highlight of which was a spectacular 37-yard reception along the Giants’ sideline that gave his team first-and-goal at the 49ers’ 4-yard line.
Bears 21, Vikings 13
Winning doesn’t fix everything, but Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall were smiling after hooking up for two touchdown passes. Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson gave up all three of Cutler’s TD tosses, and a focused game plan from coach Marc Trestman was apparent for the first time in a month.
Trestman’s aggressive play-calling also figured into the victory for the Bears, who converted a pair of fourth down plays on their third touchdown drive.
Falcons 19, Panthers 17
Atlanta’s defense is starting to show some heart more often and that might be one of the biggest indicators of a potential turnaround. The Falcons have played with more of an edge in recent games, and quite a bit of emotion was on display in the game against Carolina. The Falcons held the Panthers to 106 rushing yards, allowing Atlanta to be aggressive in some other areas. At 4-0 in the division, Atlanta is now tied for first place in the NFC South.
The Panthers have plenty of energy, but they don’t always display that until they end up in desperate situations. That’s something that needs to be addressed, according to players throughout the locker room. The sense of urgency might be what the team needs. “I was asking myself, ‘Come on, I know I’m better than I’m playing,'” quarterback Cam Newton said. “Like Coach (Ron Rivera) says, when you play good enough, you play good enough to get beat, too.”
Rams 22, Broncos 7
Short-term, quarterback Shaun Hill gives the Rams the best chance to win. Hill was efficient, going 20 of 29 for 220 yards. Most importantly, Hill didn’t commit a turnover, the biggest problem second-year pro Austin Davis had. Davis threw four pick-sixes and had two fumbles returned against him for scores in the first nine games. Hill’s ability to avoid mistakes was critical to this win.
If Peyton Manning believes the mission each week is balance, the Broncos were an outright failure in St. Louis. C.J. Anderson had nine carries for 29 yards, and the only other “running play” was a kneel-down by Manning to end the first half. As good as Manning is, it’s hard to win NFL games with a 54-to-10 pass-run ratio, which is what Denver had in this one. It has to balance that out a little more down the homestretch.
Injuries are hampering the offense as well. Already sporting a makeshift offensive line on the right side, the Broncos lost starting wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, tight end Julius Thomas and running back Montee Ball before the fourth quarter. Manning can elevate the performance of any player, but that’s too much of a test of depth for this group, or most any other group anywhere.
–Some information contributed by Sports Xchange writers covering each game.
