Top 10 Most Surprising NFL Teams of Week 11 (2019)
As we move into the middle of November, the playoff picture is beginning to take shape. Some teams are still desperately trying to make their case, while others are fighting to hang on.Nonetheless, the games are becoming more and more important. What did the football gods have in store this week?
Vikings, I'm surprised you managed to come back. It turns out Kirk Cousins can make some big plays, but how did you almost lose that game? Way to play down to your competition. Thankfully, you woke up in the second half, but seriously, that first half... yikes.
The Ravens just proved they are legit. They harassed Deshaun Watson all game long, holding the Texans to just a touchdown. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson continues building his MVP case in dominant fashion.
Houston, what the hell was that? I know the Ravens are good, but couldn't you have at least made it competitive? What should have been the game of the week turned into a Texans massacre. Deshaun Watson looked awful for most of the game as Lamar Jackson dominated.
Denver, you were so close to pulling off a monumental upset. You were even up 20-0 at halftime. The problem was that you couldn't secure the win as Minnesota completely exposed you. Unfortunately, games aren't 30 minutes long in this league, boys. Phillip Lindsay and Courtland Sutton had good games, but they can only carry you so far. Here's a participation award as a consolation prize.
Congratulations on your second straight win. See what happens when you play up to your potential? Too bad it's too late to make a difference now. Your defense overwhelmed the Panthers' offense. Guys, I hate to rain on your parade, but that's not how you tank. You're doing it backwards. You might have just sacrificed a top-10 pick. You're so pathetic that you can't even tank properly.
Um, Panthers, what was that? I'm assuming you're still trying to make the playoffs, right? Then what was that performance? Kyle Allen looked awful with four interceptions and was sacked five times. You've now lost three of your last four games and have a tough schedule ahead. Good luck, guys. May the odds be ever in your favor. At least you have Christian McCaffrey, but that's it. Maybe hold off on giving up Cam Newton.
The Niners have hit a bit of a brick wall lately. They lost to Seattle and had to rely on Jimmy Garoppolo to bail them out of a potential upset. I want to say San Fran is legit, but that game was underwhelming. The Cardinals are not good, and you almost lost to them. That's not a good sign, guys.
I'm surprised how well Kyler Murray is doing so far. The dude led the Cardinals into what could have been a big upset, but they fell apart late in a game they needed to win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. This wasn't Kyler's fault. In fact, he was the one keeping them in the game to begin with.
The Steelers had a rough day in Cleveland with both the infamous brawl at the end of the game and their on-field performance. Rudolph did his own Jameis Winston imitation with four interceptions, and they also lost JuJu Smith-Schuster as well as James Conner. As soon as Pittsburgh got back in the playoff picture, they quickly took themselves out of it.
The Browns earned a spot, not for the game itself, but for what happened at the end. Cleveland wasn't great, but they handled the Steelers. However, Myles Garrett didn't think being up by 14 with less than 30 seconds remaining was enough. He decided to go lower than Vontaze Burfict by hitting Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph in the head with his helmet after ripping it off. We witnessed a brawl that will last in football history for years to come. You can argue Rudolph started it, but Garrett still went too far. As a result, he was suspended indefinitely. The Browns won, but at what cost?