Damn! The L was coming, and it finally arrived in Week 10, as the Gameplan went a wack 6-8. First losing record of the season, and I’m following it up without being able to preview TNF since I’m flying over America on a Thursday night.
How did I miss a season-high 8 games?! Let’s take a look:
– Kansas City CB Marcus Peters made one of the plays of the season, forcing and recovering a fumble by Carolina WR Kelvin Benjamin to set up a game-winning FG by Kansas City K Cairo Santos, completing a 17-point comeback.
– Los Angeles LB Alec Ogletree’s INT of New York Jets rookie QB Bryce Petty under 2:00 sealed a 9-6 road win for the Rams.
– The Eagles squeezed the Falcons in time of possession, holding Atlanta to only 48 rushing yards and 21:50 with the ball in a 24-15 win.
– Tennessee RB DeMarco scored a 75-yard rush TD on the first Titans play from scrimmage, and then Murray threw a TD pass to TE Delanie Walker to set the tone for a 47-25 win over the Packers.
– Minnesota’s losing streak since their Week 6 bye reached four games as they lost 26-20 in Washington. The Vikings gave up a season-high points for the second week in a row while giving up 97 rushing yards to Washington rookie RB Rob Kelley.
– The Cowboys offensive line dominated in Pittsburgh, allowing rookie QB Dak Prescott to put up a 121.7 passer rating and rookie RB Ezekiel Elliott gained 209 yards and scored 3 TDs from scrimmage in a 35-30 win.
– The game at Heinz Field had 7 lead changes, and so did the game at Gillette Stadium, another contest where the NFC team beat the AFC team. Seattle WR Doug Baldwin scored 3 receiving TD in a 31-24 Seahawks win, exacting some revenge for Super Bowl XLIX.
– And to complete what was a dark week, the Bengals did their usual thing and lost on the road on Monday night, allowing the Giants to get 3 sacks and another INT for SS Landon Collins in a 21-20 New York win.
For the last time this season, there are four teams on bye in Week 11:
- The last time the Jets were 3-7 was in 2003 under Herm Edwards. Those Jets would finish 6-10, with HOF RB Curtis Martin setting a record for most touches (365) in a season while scoring no more than 2 TD. The 2016 Jets have already exceeded their loss total from 2015, mainly due to the worst QB play in the NFL this season. 1
- The Broncos were last 7-3 in 2014, John Fox’s last season as head coach. The 2014 Broncos had QB Peyton Manning for his last good season (39 TD passes), while the 2016 defending champs are relying on the best pass defense in the league. [Broncos are allowing a passer rating of 71.0, best in NFL]
- For the 4th time in 6 years, the Chargers are 4-6. The last time San Diego was 4-6 was Mike McCoy’s first season as head coach in 2013. That team won 5 of their last 6 games to make the playoffs, and QB Philip Rivers was named Comeback Player of the Year. San Diego has a top-10 run defense overall, but they have allowed 14 rushing TD, ranking 30th in the NFL in stopping rushing scores.
- The Falcons are 6-4 for the 2nd year in a row. The 2015 Falcons finished 8-8, with QB Matt Ryan throwing only 21 TD passes. Ryan has a league-leading 24 in 2016 for the top scoring offense in the NFL.
The Miami Dolphins are staying in Southern California after their Week 10 win at San Diego to take on the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Dolphins are 3-1 all-time at the Coliseum, with a 1971 win over the Rams in the teams’ only meeting there. The Dolphins also completed their 17-0 1972 season at the Coliseum. But the only team out of 7 to win back-to-back road games in Southern California was the 1987 Broncos. Miami will have their work cut out for them, even with the Rams starting rookie QB Jared Goff for the first time this season:
2016 #NFL Week 11 picks (6-8 in Week 10, +35 for 2016): CAR, CIN, PIT, DAL, DET, IND, KC, ARI, NYG, LA, NE, SEA, GB, OAK#TheNU
— Law Murray ?? (@LawMurrayTheNU) November 16, 2016
Baltimore Ravens at Dallas Cowboys: The Ravens have never lost to the Cowboys (4-0), and now they get to go down to Texas to beat the best team in the NFL. Not only that, but the Ravens have the NFL’s top run defense. They certainly have the personnel to make things interesting for Dallas rookie RB Ezekiel Elliott. But Baltimore needs the offense to show up in Dallas, and they have had issues all season on the offensive line and in the run game. These are 2 of the top 3 teams in time of possession, but expect the Cowboys to be more in control at home.
Philadelphia Eagles at Seattle Seahawks: If this game was in Philadelphia, it may be closer. That said, the Eagles have kept every loss within 1 score, even though they have dropped 4 road games in a row. The Seahawks haven’t blown opponents out either, though QB Russell Wilson is starting to cook.
Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins: This is a rematch of last year’s NFC Wild Card, a game that saw Green Bay RBs Eddie Lacy and James Starks make major impacts with a TD run each and a combined 116 yards. Lacy is on IR, and Starks has been bad (2.4 yards per rush). Green Bay is probably going to put too much on QB Aaron Rodgers’ shoulders, but what they need to do is get the defensive improvement that should come from OLB Clay Matthews’ return to the field. The Packers need to get to Washington QB Kirk Cousins to have a chance to get back to .500.
Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders: This is the Game of the Week, and one that the Raiders need more than the Texans in Mexico City. The last time Houston QB Brock Osweiler saw the Raiders, Oakland DE Khalil Mack sacked him 5 times in the 2nd half. Osweiler has been brutal this season as Houston head coach Bill O’Brien’s 7th starting QB since the Texans passed on Mack and Oakland QB Derek Carr to draft DE Jadeveon Clowney and LG Xavier Su’a-Filo in 2014. Carr won’t have the easiest passing game, but expect the Raiders defense to look better than they have had for most of the season coming off the bye.
David Carr was the first draft pick in Texans franchise history in 2002. His brother, Raiders QB Derek Carr, can make the Texans pay for passing on him in 2014. (Photo: Rainer Hosch/ESPN)