Russell Wilson has a hard time because of his relentlessly positive attitude. It’s hard to say if he really felt good about the Denver Broncos after the loss to the New York Jets, which fell to 1-4, or if he was trying to trick someone else into believing it.
In the home loss on October 8th, the Broncos lost 23-8 at home in the second half. There was no reason for outsiders to be optimistic. The Broncos had already lost at home to the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders. One of those teams has already fired its head coach and another may be on the verge of doing so. They allowed the Miami Dolphins 700 yards and 70 points, the first time in NFL history that a defense allowed both in one game. The Jets haven’t scored more than 20 points in regulation in any other game this season, but they did score 31 against the Broncos.
Denver was bad. It seemed like perhaps the worst team in football. But Wilson believed, or at least said he believed.
“We really should and could be 4-1,” Wilson said after the Jets’ loss. “But ‘could, should, would’ isn’t good enough.” The good thing about it and the perspective of it all is that it’s a journey as we go along throughout the season. There are still many good things ahead. We really believe that.”
We’ve seen turnarounds where a team loses a lot of close games early, suffers setbacks and then really gets going. The Broncos’ turnaround is different because they were terrible no matter what Wilson said.
Denver pulled out a dramatic victory against the Minnesota Vikings in the final minutes on Sunday night. It was their fourth win in a row and they are back at 5-5. They were arguably one of the worst teams in football by mid-October and were in the playoffs just before Thanksgiving.
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson celebrates after the Broncos defeated the Vikings 21-20. back
The funny thing is that there is no clear answer to the question of why. The Broncos are running the ball better and that has taken the pressure off Wilson, significantly reducing turnovers and also helping the defense, but they won by just 46 rushing yards on Sunday night. The defense is playing much better, starting with a competitive loss to the Chiefs that dropped them to 1-5, but is still down. They have given up 367 rushing yards in the last two games. Wilson played well, but he was actually OK when the Broncos lost (99 passer rating in six games when Denver was 1-5). backnotlikethe backjustgot back The Broncos’ last three wins have come against the Chiefs, Bills and Vikings, and it’s likely all three will end up in the playoffs. The Broncos have performed better across the board, but if you had to pinpoint a reason for the winning streak, it wouldn’t be possible.
It’s a strange, practically inexplicable turn of events that actually fits right into this strange NFL season.
It could also continue. The Broncos don’t have an overly rigorous remaining schedule. Next up is a home game against a Browns team that has rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson at quarterback. Then they face a Houston Texans team that plays well but is far from unbeatable. An away game against the Detroit Lions looks tough. But the other four remaining games are against losing teams. It’s hard to trust the Broncos because we all remember the 1-5 start, but four or five more wins isn’t unreasonable given the schedule. A 5-2 result would put the Broncos at 10-7 and a likely berth in the playoffs.
The rest of the AFC could also return to the Broncos a bit. The AFC North has major quarterback issues outside of Lamar Jackson, which could open up some wild card spots if these teams are eliminated. The bottom halves of the AFC’s East, South and West divisions are mostly in a steady decline. DVOA’s odds give the Broncos an 11.8% chance of making the playoffs, and that seems low, likely because DVOA itself hasn’t been able to keep up with Denver’s rapid improvement. Still, a few weeks ago, no one would have believed that Denver would have even a 10 percent chance of making the postseason.
Going from 1 to 5 to make the playoffs would be remarkable, and while it’s still unlikely, the door is open for it to happen. Wilson may not be a prophet, but it turns out his eye-rolling optimism wasn’t entirely empty.
Here are the power rankings after Week 11 of the NFL season:
The Panthers had 187 yards. Bryce Young was sacked seven times. This was Frank Reich’s first game back and Carolina looked even worse. The Panthers might not win another game this season. How many wins would Reich need for another year? Three? Four? Is it already too late to save your job for 2024?
The Patriots haven’t said who will start at quarterback this week, but that might not matter. Mac Jones has been tough all season, Bailey Zappe is certainly not the answer, and a random option like Malik Cunningham seems unlikely. It’s not like there’s any realistic option to make amends for the crime.
Tommy DeVito made it clear to many doubters who said he shouldn’t start again (raises hand). He threw three touchdowns and looked good in a win against the Commanders. No matter what happens later in his career, DeVito will always have this day.
Always remember that players don’t tank for draft picks. The Cardinals narrowly lost in Houston on Sunday, and the team’s Darren Urban set the scene of a packed locker room, including Kyler Murray, who sat in his uniform in his locker room long after the game was over.
“We’re all not feeling well,” security chief Budda Baker said of Urban. “At the end of the day, I feel like him.”
It’s a very different story in Arizona with Murray coming back from injury to provide some energy, and they won’t have it easy the rest of the season.
The Titans have lost 14 of 17 games since the end of last season. But if the Titans are even thinking about firing Mike Vrabel, they’ve lost their minds.
“I try not to worry about it,” Vrabel said of his job security, via the Tennessean.
It’s no fun to lose. But just to do that, it makes no sense to change the coach. Vrabel is still a good coach. The Titans won’t be any better without him.
Firing a head coach before a game on Thursday is a huge challenge. So Ron Rivera gets another week. But if the Commanders lose to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, and they’re expected to, I expect a change will be made. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for Washington to take a look at Eric Bieniemy for five games just to see if he’s a viable 2024 candidate.
Justin Fields ran 18 times for 104 yards, something the Bears probably don’t want to do every week, but Fields made some good plays in his return. As Carolina sprints toward the No. 1 draft pick and the Bears own the Panthers’ selection, the question becomes, “What should the Bears do with Fields?” The conversation will only get louder for the rest of the season.
It was hard to see Cooper Kupp suffer another injury. It was an ankle injury that knocked him out of Sunday’s game, but at least it was a mild ankle sprain and he might not miss much more time. A good goal for the rest of the season would be for Kupp to stay healthy.
Desmond Ridder is officially back in the starting lineup, but it’s hard to believe that Ridder will be a different player this time around. There will be many more frustrating days watching this offense in the future, Falcons fans.
Jordan Love played the best game of his career, rushing for 322 yards and two touchdowns in a win over the Chargers. His two biggest games this season in terms of passing performance came in Green Bay’s last two games. It’s progress. We’re about to have a big referendum game on Love when he takes on the Lions in front of a huge Thanksgiving crowd.
The Buccaneers defense is struggling. Since the bye, the Bucs have given up 300 yards passing in four of six games, holding only Desmond Ridder and Will Levis under 300. In two of the last three games, they have given up 470 yards and five touchdowns to CJ Stroud and have a perfect passer rating to Brock Purdy. This doesn’t look good for head coach Todd Bowles.
It’s probably a bad sign that Brandon Staley is upset about questions about defensive play calls. It’s his defense that ranks at the bottom of the league. There are other issues, but it’s fair to ask Staley about the issue that directly affects him. The pressure of losing with this talented squad is getting to him, and it should be.
The Raiders had a chance to win. They had seven possessions in the second half that resulted in three punts, three interceptions and a turnover on downs. This is what happens to a rookie quarterback who wasn’t supposed to play (but because Josh McDaniels had to sign former Patriot Jimmy Garoppolo in the offseason). Overall, though, it wasn’t a bad day for the Raiders. They competed. They’re just not as good as the Dolphins, but we knew that.
The Jets ended up changing quarterbacks. Tim Boyle will replace Zach Wilson in Friday’s game against Miami. This probably won’t change anything, but the Jets had to try something different. Something else.
Unfortunately, we have to evaluate the Bengals without Joe Burrow for the remainder of the season. There is good infrastructure and maybe Jake Browning won’t completely ruin their season. But it’s still a step backwards and the Bengals have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL. It’s hard to imagine a .500 Bengals team making the playoffs now.
Kenny Moore II and the Colts will look to take advantage of opponents’ subpar quarterbacking. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) (Eakin Howard via Getty Images)
Here are the quarterbacks the Colts will face over the next six weeks, barring any further injuries or changes: Baker Mayfield, Will Levis, Jake Browning, Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder and Aidan O’Connell. Not that the Colts can expect wins against any team, but they have a chance to stay in the playoff race.
The Buccaneers will also play a role, but the Saints’ game at the Falcons on Sunday will have a big impact on who wins the NFC South. The two meet again in Week 18, but someone will land a big blow this weekend.
The offense looks broken. It was frustrating to watch Pittsburgh get so many chances to win on Sunday and not capitalize on any of them. Cleveland had a good defense, but the Steelers’ performance was still abysmal. It’s probably high time to change the offensive coordinator, but that wouldn’t change everything.
The Vikings gave up the late drive against the Broncos and lost, but the play of their defense was still impressive. The Vikings kept the Broncos out of the end zone until the final two minutes. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who does a great job of applying pressure, was a really good hire.
Courtland Sutton embodies the Broncos’ awakening. There were times last season and early this season when he was anything but an above-average receiver. Now he has scored a touchdown in five straight games and threw a phenomenal game-winning touchdown on Sunday. He suddenly came alive, just like the Broncos.
Geno Smith (elbow) and Kenneth Walker III (oblique) were injured after Sunday’s game. They lost to the Rams, largely because Smith missed most of the fourth quarter. Thursday night’s game against the 49ers was already going to be a big challenge, and it will be much worse if Seattle isn’t at full strength.
The Texans got a 149-yard game from rookie receiver Tank Dell. His touchdown was something wonderful and played a decisive role in the victory. CJ Stroud is clearly the jewel of Houston’s draft class, but Dell also looks like a home run in the third round.
Cornerback Rasul Douglas became the first Bills player with two interceptions and a fumble recovery in a game since 1998. Douglas was a smart prospect for the Bills at the trade deadline. He always seems to be on the ball.
The Browns defense is good. Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s offense has been fine, although Cleveland won’t go far, averaging 3.8 yards per pass attempt. It’s hard to imagine the Browns being able to keep up with the Ravens unless the offense gets significantly better. And no, Joe Flacco isn’t going to fix anything.
There’s still plenty of time left for Calvin Ridley to make a big impact this season. On Sunday, Ridley had two touchdowns, doubling his season total and his first 100-yard game since Week 5. Not coincidentally, Trevor Lawrence had his highest passer rating of the season. That’s a great sign.
Thursday was one of the more boring 23-point wins you can find. The Cowboys did what they had to do to beat a bad Panthers team, and that’s okay. They face the also undermanned Commanders again on Thursday and if they win they will be in good shape until December.
Miami’s De’Von Achane saw limited action Sunday against Las Vegas: one catch for 4 yards and one rushing attempt for 1 yard. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) (Megan Briggs via Getty Images)
De’Von Achane played just three snaps before exiting with more knee issues, which is a concern. The Dolphins have a lot of talent, but when Achane is healthy and playing like he did earlier in the season, a good offense is even better. We’ll see if Achane can get healthy for the rest of the season.
The Browns aren’t going away quietly and maybe neither are the Bengals. And Baltimore wasn’t hoping for injuries. But seeing the Browns and Bengals lose their starting quarterbacks for the remainder of the season last week was huge news for the Ravens. It would be a huge disappointment if Baltimore didn’t win the division even without Mark Andrews.
Given the situation, there are few better passes than the one Patrick Mahomes placed deep down into the hands of Marquez Valdes-Scantling late in Monday night’s game. The same goes for Mahomes’ fourth-and-25 pass to Justin Watson. Both dimes were dropped and the Chiefs lost after being shut out in the second half, a reminder that this season was much more challenging for Kansas City than last season.
The Lions were incredibly sloppy on Sunday, and that’s concerning. Jared Goff threw three interceptions, his most this season (he had thrown just five in Detroit’s first nine games). It happens. The takeaway is that Detroit still won. You want to play great every week, but that’s not realistic and there’s something to be said for winning with your C or D+ game.
The 49ers may not be at the top of the power rankings, but the 49ers appear to be the best team in football when they’re anywhere near their best. If Brock Purdy continues to play anywhere near his level from the last two weeks – he had a perfect passing percentage on Sunday – the 49ers will be nearly unbeatable. This is an impressive team.
It wasn’t pretty and there will be a lot of discussion about what the Eagles did wrong. But look at it this way: The Eagles fell behind by 10 points, got pushed around on both lines, were outplayed most of the game, and still won. Against the reigning Super Bowl champions, who had a record of 7-2. At Arrowhead Stadium. Don’t pick the Eagles if you want, but they continue to win games.