NFL Nation recaps every game and answers the biggest questions from around the league in Week 11.
Welcome to Week 11 of the 2022 NFL season, a week that saw an electrifying finish to a New England Patriots-New York Jets game that was less than electric for more than 59 minutes.
The Patriots beat the Jets for a 14th consecutive time with a last-minute punt return while New York’s other team, the Giants, were toppled by the suddenly hot Detroit Lions. The Philadelphia Eagles barely avoided the upset bug against the Indianapolis Colts while the Buffalo Bills ousted the Cleveland Browns in a home game … in Detroit.
The Tennessee Titans kicked off Week 11 by defeating the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Thursday night.
The Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars are on a bye this week and will return to action in Week 12.
Our NFL Nation reporters react with the biggest takeaways and lingering questions off this week’s matchups and look ahead to what’s next. Games are Sunday unless noted. Let’s get to it.
Jump to a matchup:
TEN-GB | CHI-ATL | CLE-BUF
PHI-IND | NYJ-NE | LAR-NO
DET-NYG | CAR-BAL | WSH-HOU
What to know: The Saints decided to stick with Andy Dalton at quarterback this week after considering going back to Jameis Winston. Dalton responded with a three-touchdown game, so he’ll keep the starting job — for now. He was helped by rookie Chris Olave, who had more than 100 receiving yards, including a 53-yard bomb from Dalton. Dalton wasn’t perfect and took too many sacks behind a patchwork offensive line but had a career-high passer rating of 149.6. It was certainly a rebound performance from where the Saints have been the last few weeks. The Saints will likely continue to evaluate quarterback on a week-by-week basis.
Do the Saints continue their usage of Taysom Hill? The Saints brought in Hill as a quarterback more than they have all season, rotating Dalton and Hill back and forth by the play at times in a form of a two-quarterback system. The Saints have been erratic with their usage of Hill this season, sometimes relying on him heavily and barely using him at others (he had four rushing attempts for 7 yards the last two games). Hill attempted three passes and ran the ball nine times for 52 yards against the Rams. Hill has had at least 50 rushing yards in a game four times this season — and the Saints have won all four of those games. — Katherine Terrell
Next game: at 49ers (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)
What to know: The Rams’ season is all but over. In the week leading up to this game against the Saints, defensive coordinator Raheem Morris made it clear that the Rams were running out of time to turn this season around. The loss to the Saints that dropped Los Angeles to 3-7. It may not have eliminated the Rams from playoff contention mathematically, but it would take an incredible comeback for this team to make the postseason. And that’s not even taking into account quarterback Matthew Stafford’s availability. Stafford, who just cleared the concussion protocol Friday, was taken to the locker room in the second half and evaluated again for a concussion.
Can the Rams’ running game sustain their Week 11 success? The Rams have struggled to move the ball consistently on the ground, but the running game became even more important Sunday without wide receiver Cooper Kupp, especially after Stafford left the game. The Rams, who entered the game averaging 68.1 rushing yards per game, compiled 148 rushing yards on 30 carries. The Rams were led by Cam Akers, with 14 carries for 61 yards, and if he can continue to move the ball well on the ground, that will give the passing game some much-needed help. — Sarah Barshop
Next game: at Chiefs (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)
What to know: The loss of tight end Dallas Goedert might be even bigger than we thought. With the exception of a late game-saving surge, Jalen Hurts and the offense struggled to get much going on offense in the absence of Goedert, who injured his shoulder against the Commanders and will miss at least the next three games. The two tight ends who played the majority of the snaps in his place — Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra — each had a drive-stalling penalty and combined for one catch on 7 yards. The run blocking took a hit in his absence, too. Hurts found a way to get it done, rushing for the go-ahead TD late, but there’s no doubt his job got tougher without Goedert.
Has the rush defense found some answers? It didn’t look good early, with Jonathan Taylor rumbling for 49 yards and a touchdown on the opening possession, but the defense settled in from there, holding Taylor to just 35 yards the rest of the way. Newly-signed defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph played significant snaps. Joseph, in particular, appeared to make an impact on the ground and even combined with Suh for a sack. It was a decent bounce-back effort after being gashed by the run each of the last two weeks. — Tim McManus
Next game: vs. Packers (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)
What to know: The Colts’ defense continues to be underrated. The Colts limited the Eagles to 315 yards, well below their season average of 376.9 yards. The Eagles also struggled to convert 40% of their third downs, an area where they rank fourth in the league. The Colts have been in the top 10 in defensive expected points added for much of the season, entering Week 11 ranked 10th leaguewide (13.21). The problem on Sunday, as it has been all season, is an offense that cannot produce enough points for the defense’s efforts to matter.
Is the offense making tangible progress? Some. We’re seeing better production in the running game and the Colts have certainly cut back on the turnovers. But the Colts are still struggling where it matters most: Indianapolis entered the game averaging 15.7 points per game and finished this one right on average despite having so many prime opportunities to score. The Colts settled for field goals throughout this game because of many of the same mistakes they’ve made all season. Negative plays and ill-timed penalties were killers, and the Colts aren’t good enough offensively to overcome them. — Stephen Holder
Next game: vs. Steelers (Monday, Nov. 28, 8:15 p.m. ET)
What to know: The Ravens defense suddenly looks more championship-caliber than Lamar Jackson and the offense. After a shaky start to the season, the Baltimore defense is starting to hit its stride. The Ravens shut down Baker Mayfield and didn’t allow an offensive touchdown for the first time since the 2020 regular-season finale. In fact, Baltimore has only given up one offensive touchdown in the past two games. The Ravens defense put the game away in the fourth quarter, forcing the first of three turnovers when cornerback Marcus Peters caused a fumble deep in Carolina territory to set up the Ravens’ only touchdown. It marked the 12th straight game in which Baltimore has produced a takeaway, the longest active streak in the league.
How much time will left tackle Ronnie Stanley miss with an ankle injury? Stanley is one of the few Ravens players not named Lamar Jackson that they can afford to lose for a significant period. The former first-team All-Pro limped off the field with four minutes left in the third quarter after a sacked Jackson rolled into the back of Stanley’s left ankle. This is the same ankle that Stanley broke in 2020 and needed two years to recover from. Patrick Mekari, who started two games at left tackle earlier this year, will replace Stanley, but he isn’t the same caliber of blocker. Jackson and the Baltimore offense is at its best when the offensive line is dominating up front. This could be a tough blow if Stanley’s injury is serious. — Jamison Hensley
Next game: at Jaguars (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
What to know: Forget the final score. Interim coach Steve Wilks should be the front-runner for the full-time job unless owner David Tepper is set on hiring an offensive specialist. The job his defense did on quarterback Lamar Jackson and a Ravens team favored by 12.
