5 Takeaways From Week 11 in the NFL

Jordan Phillips (97) of the Buffalo Bills attempts to sack Patrick Mahomes (15) of the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Nov. 17, 2024. Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images

The Houston Texans closed the book on Week 11 by blowing out the Dallas Cowboys 34–10 on Monday.

Besides Houston (7–4) winning the Texas showdown, five other teams produced big wins that could shape the league going into December. The landscape of the league shifted on Sunday from the Kansas City Chiefs’ first loss to the Denver Broncos (6–5) and Los Angeles Chargers (7–3) emerging as legitimate playoff contenders.

The Chiefs Are Vulnerable

While the margin for error in Kansas City (9–1) has been closing for weeks amid a plethora of tight games, the Buffalo Bills (9–2) barged in on Sunday with a 30–21 victory. Buffalo answered the Chiefs’ last touchdown in the fourth quarter with a 12-play, 70-yard drive followed by an interception of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Bills defense also held the Chiefs to only one score in the second half, and Bill quarterback Josh Allen and company answered the Chiefs each time throughout the game. While Kansas City will likely rebound and make a big run in December, the Bills gave the rest of the league confidence in attempting to unseat the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.

Meanwhile, Allen made his case in the MVP race, and the Bills look poised to have a big playoff push and beyond.

Detroit Lions Flirt With Franchise’s Team of the Century

Amid a 9–1 record, the Detroit Lions haven’t started this strong in 90 years when the 1934 team finished 10–3. None of Detroit’s four NFL championship teams before the Super Bowl era started that strong.

Fresh off a wild comeback against the Texans in Week 10, the Lions demolished the 2–9 Jacksonville Jaguars 52–6. Detroit’s only blemish this season remains a late comeback win by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4–6) in Week 2.

Otherwise, the Lions have blown out opponents or won decisively with the exception of three one-score victories.

Pittsburgh Steelers Hinder Lamar Jackson’s MVP Chances

The Pittsburgh Steelers (8–2) established themselves as kings of the AFC North at least for now in the team’s first division game of the season.

Pittsburgh contained leading MVP candidate Lamar Jackson in an 18–16 win over the Baltimore Ravens (7–4) on Sunday. The Ravens superstar quarterback went 16–33 for 207 yards and a touchdown versus an interception. Jackson couldn’t dominate running the ball amid just 46 yards on four carries.

The win over the Ravens marked the first win for the Steelers against a division leader this season, which further established Pittsburgh’s pedigree.

Denver Broncos Are for Real

A week after pushing the Chiefs to the limit, the Broncos blew out the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons (6–5) on Sunday.

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix had his best game as a  pro amid 307 yards and four touchdowns on 28–33 passing. The Broncos defense meanwhile shutdown all of the Falcons’ top offense stars amid 226 yards and two field goals allowed.

The Los Angeles Chargers Can Explode on Offense

While Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh’s crew has been the toughest defense all season, the offense can do a lot of damage, too.

Los Angeles eclipsed 30 points for the first time this season in a 34–27 win over the Cincinnati Bengals (4–7) on Sunday. The Chargers quietly hit 27 or 26 points the three previous weeks against non-playoff teams, but the Bengals have been desperately in the hunt all season amid close losses.

On Sunday, Los Angeles did with big plays from running back J.K. Dobbins’ 29-yard game-winning touchdown to quarterback Justin Herbert’s two touchdown passes of 26-plus yards. The Chargers matched on an explosive Bengals offense that piled on 452 yards to win.