It's Week 11 of the NFL season, which means the stretch run is here. With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, we have a generally solid understanding of which teams can contend, and which teams are biding their time until the 2024 NFL Draft.
The early afternoon slate was a pleasant mixture of upsets, close games, and dominant showcases. The Dallas Cowboys completely tore apart the Carolina Panthers. The Jacksonville Jaguars, fresh off a 31-point loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week, turned in a 20-point smackdown of the Tennessee Titans to retain first place in the AFC South.
On the upset front, the New York Giants won rather handily over the Washington Commanders behind an impressive showing from Tommy DeVito. The Green Bay Packers survived a last-second defensive breakdown to shock the Los Angeles Chargers, and the gutsy Cleveland Browns edged out the Pittsburgh Steelers in an important division matchup, despite Deshaun Watson's absence.
Here are the week's winners and losers.
NFL Week 11 winner: Micah Parsons
Micah Parsons has put together a compelling Defensive Player of the Year case for the Dallas Cowboys this season. On Sunday, he made his best pitch yet, completely wrecking the Carolina Panthers' shoddy offensive line and putting constant pressure on Bryce Young.
Parsons finished the game with 2.5 sacks, his highest mark of the season. At one point the broadcast credited him with 3.0 sacks, which would have been the first three-sack performance of his career. He ultimately finished with 2.5 in the official records, but it was a singular, career-best performance all the same.
Dallas won't get a ton of credit for beating up on the NFL's worst team, but contenders have to start with taking care of business in the "easy" matchups. Dallas tends to do so.
NFL Week 11 loser: Bryce Young
On the flip side of that coin... Bryce Young, man.
The No. 1 pick completed 16-of-29 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. He committed a boneheaded interception in the second half, then followed it up with a sloppy fumble. For the most part, however, Young was not the main source of blame. He's the victim of a terrible offensive line.
Young was sacked seven times for a total of 46 lost yards. Obviously the QB shares blame on the sack front, but Young seldom had time to make even his initial reads with the relentless stream of pressure coming up the middle. Dallas made life hell, and Young couldn't find any sort of rhythm.
If the Panthers want their prized rookie QB to deliver, at some point that will require a competent supporting cast.
NFL Week 11 winner: Justin Fields
The Detroit Lions barely edged out the Chicago Bears in a last-second comeback, but Justin Fields deserves a lot of credit for a triumphant return to action. In his first game since Oct. 15, the recently-injured QB completed 16-of-23 passes for 169 yards and scrambled 18 times for another 104 yards — his most dynamic running game of the season.
Most importantly, he didn't commit a single turnover. He put the Bears in a position to win against a top-shelf opponent, and he certainly put to bed any lingering notion of Tyson Bagent being the preferable option in the Chicago QB room. We will see what the future holds for Fields, but the Bears are no doubt glad to have him back for now.
NFL Week 11 loser: Kenny Pickett
A new low point for Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers' ghastly offense. Sure, the Cleveland Browns have the best defense in the NFL, but 15-of-28 passes for 106 yards, with three sacks for -29 yards — an average of 3.8 yards per attempt — won't cut it. The Steelers lost 13-10 and now slide to third place in a competitive AFC North.
This was a prime opportunity for the Steelers to prove their legitimacy in a winnable, essential game. Browns rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson didn't even outperform Pickett — his 54.9 QBR landed below Pickett's 62.5 — but the Steelers' offense couldn't generate anything through the air. At least DTR threw the ball more, with 23 completions compared to Pickett's 15.
The Steelers have to learn how to move the ball through the air. Jaylen Warren was a beast once again, running for 129 yards on nine carries, but it doesn't matter if the passing game can't back him up.
NFL Week 11 winner: Tommy DeVito
Keeping it with the QBs for a second... Tommy DeVito completed 18-of-26 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns, all without throwing a single interception. His QBR of 137.7 is sure to rank near the top of the NFL at week's end. The Giants won 31-19 over the Commanders. It's too late to salvage the season from a wins and losses perspective, but New York would sure love for their undrafted rookie to start playing like the future of the franchise.
One fun factoid that came up:
Of course, it's important to temper expectations. DeVito threw as many interceptions (three) as touchdowns in his few appearances prior to Sunday's game, so there's as much bad as good on his résumé. But, young QBs deserve patience, and this was only DeVito's second proper start. He delivered.
NFL Week 11 loser: Quentin Johnston
With the Chargers trailing by three in the game's final moments, Justin Herbert lofted a second-and-six pass down field to rookie Quentin Johnston. It hit the rookie right in the hands, and probably would have been a touchdown if caught cleanly. At the very least, it would have moved Los Angeles into field goal range with a chance to send the game to overtime.
But, Johnston dropped it. He finished the game with two catches on six targets for 21 yards. It was a difficult game all around, but no play will haunt him more than that final drop.
A tough break for the rookie, and for the Chargers, who now fall to 4-6 on the season. Justin Herbert remains an undeniable talent at QB, but LA has failed to put the requisite pieces around him. The Chargers are on track to finish outside the postseason picture. Johnston's mishap only accelerates that unfortunate timeline.
NFL Week 11 winner: Calvin Ridley
Elsewhere on the wide receiver front, Calvin Ridley finally found his stride in the Jaguars' offense, hauling in seven of nine targets for 103 yards and two touchdowns. It's his third 100-yard game of the season and his first multi-score outing. It was a strong performance all around from Jacksonville, weathering an efficient but nonexplosive outing from Titans rookie Will Levis.
At 7-3, Jacksonville hangs on to first place in the AFC South, but the Houston Texans are only one game behind with — let's call a spade a spade — the best QB, and the most crackling offense in the division.
Still, Doug Pederson knows how to win games, and the Jaguars are convincingly in poll position despite last week's distressing loss to the Niners.