NFL Week 11 Five Takeaways

The Wildcard race has never been closer than the 2015 campaign, week 11 jumbles it even more.

1. You almost had to know the Packers weren’t going to drop four in a row, especially when this one might have pushed them out of the division race. Teddy Bridgewater never looked like he could get settled behind the offensive line and was forced to bring the ball down himself and try to pick up a few yards on the ground. Some of the hits he took were just brutal, in fact he had to leave the game for a few plays after a particular rough looking sack. Adrian Peterson never got going, mostly because the Vikings fell behind early and were playing catch up. It really was the Packers defense who won this game. They executed a perfect game plan to slow down an explosive offense to get the much needed win. The Vikings are a good team, I have no doubt they will bounce back. The Packers on the other hand can’t afford another slide, hopefully they can prepare for the rest of the season like they did the Vikings,
2. The Bengals/Cardinals game was everything you want from a prime time match up. A high scoring affair that came down to one last drive for both teams. The Bengals had no defense the last minute of the game allowing Carson Palmer to complete three straight passes for 19,18, and 20 yards to get into field goal range and put up the last three points of the game. In fact the Bengals defense was picked apart in the second half allowing the Cardinals to put up 27 points, 21 of them coming in the third quarter. With the rest of the league seemingly following apart, the Cardinals winning all but secures a first round bye in the playoffs.
3. After Cam Newton threw for five touchdowns against Washington, he all the of sudden seems to be in the MVP conversation. Lets slow down here. Cam is having a career year, no argument here. But he is not playing better than Tom Brady, Andy Dalton or even Carson Palmer. He falls behind them in yards thrown, touchdowns and has thrown more interceptions. He is the best dual threat quarterback in the league this year no doubt, but he is not the reason his team is in the position they are. If you remove Palmer or Brady, I can’t say the Patriots and Cardinals are leading their conferences. I don’t mean to take anything away from Cam, he very well could finish strong and change my tune, but for now let’s not let recent bias cloud our judgment.
4. Let’s talk about the playoffs. Yes I said playoffs. They are a mess of a race right now and that leads nothing to exciting times. In the AFC, five teams are 5-5, three teams are 4-6. Only the Steelers have a winning record without leading the division. This was once a race between the Jets and Raiders but after the Raiders lost three in a row, I think we can just about write them off. The Jets have not fallen completely off but momentum is swinging the other way. The Chiefs have somehow completely turned their season around and are now sitting at 5-5 after winning four straight. The Texans defense has also put Houston in the best possible position after starting off on a losing streak. They are also 5-5 sitting tied for the division and a wildcard spot. Other than the Patriots having the top spot in the AFC, nothing can be predicted about the standings.
5. The NFC is no clearer. As of right now the NFC North is more than likely sending two teams to the playoffs, Nothing else makes sense. The NFC East is still wide open, although I personally predict the Cowboys make an epic comeback. The Falcons have lost three straight, the Buccaneers have won two straight and now sit a game behind for a wildcard spot tied with the Seahawks. Just like the AFC, the top teams (Cardinals and Panthers) have separated themselves to make it clear they are more than likely going to get the byes in the NFC, leaving everyone else just a strong finish away from finding their way into a game in January.