NFL Week 11 overreactions and reality checks: Chargers collapsing? Time to bench J.J. McCarthy?

Week 11 of the NFL was not short on drama as several early games were played to the end. The Sunday slate began with a game that was a back and forth between the Dolphins of Miami and the Commanders from Madrid. It took overtime for Miami to win. As we moved to the afternoon schedule, it was a common theme that all games would be decided by a single possession. Thanks to field goals at the last second, the Bears, Texans and Packers all added another win to their record books. The Packers also narrowly escaped New York after a close victory over the Jameis Winston Giants. The Sunday slate was jam-packed with action, resulting in a multitude of stories. We’ll sift though some of the major storylines, and see which of them we should be taking seriously and which of them are best taken with a grain of salt. 

NFL Week 11 Grades: Josh Allen’s Bills earn an “A-” and the Broncos a “B+” after their win over the Chiefs

John Breech

Dolphins are back in the AFC playoff conversationOverreaction or reality: OverreactionMiami enters its Week 12 bye on a high note. The club is now 4-7 for the season after winning three of its four last games. The club has won three of its last four games to move up to 4-7 on the season. This run of success could continue with the Saints and Jets on the road in Weeks 13-14, but after that the schedule is much more challenging. The final month of the season will make it hard for them to achieve or exceed.500, even if they win both games. The Steelers will be in Pittsburgh for “Monday Night Football”. FootballThe Bengals will play two home games in Week 15, one against the Buccaneers and another against the Bengals, likely with Joe Burrow at quarterback. They will then finish the season in New England, playing the Patriots. Miami will not be favored to win any of the four final games. So, this recent upwards swing could come to nothing with a knockout over the last four weeks.

Chargers risk missing playoffsOverreaction, or reality? RealityIt was a poor performance by the Chargers who were beaten by the Jacksonville Jaguars 35-6 on Sunday. Justin Herbert is still taking a lot of hits but the quarterback has also thrown an egg. He completed 10 out of 18 passes with just 81 yard and an interception. This loss drops the Chargers’ record to 7-4, and does not help them in the playoff race. Los Angeles’ wild-card race is now a tiebreaker, and the Chargers (6-4) have lost that. They also face an arduous schedule following their Week 12 bye. It’s hard to feel confident about the AFC playoff race after watching the offense collapse again with Herbert under pressure against Jacksonville.  Overreaction, or reality? OverreactionOverall McCarthy was not good against Chicago even though the Vikings almost pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback. McCarthy completed 16 of 32 passes, for 150 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. McCarthy, who has made five starts in his career so far, is the only quarterback since Zach Wilson 2021 to have recorded an interception five times in a row. It is not the company that you want in the NFL record book. Does this mean that Minnesota should bench McCarthy as a result? This feels like a bit too much, at least for now. This offseason, the Vikings decided to move away from Sam Darnold in order to complete their selection of McCarthy. They used a pick they had taken first round on McCarthy for 2024. It’s too early to give up on McCarthy and abandon the hope that he will be their franchise quarterback in the future. McCarthy hasn’t been great but the organization must persevere and give him the rest of the year before making any major pronouncements. Packers are not serious Super Bowl threats. Reality or reaction? RealityGreen Bay has once again played down their competition. It didn’t end in a defeat this time, but the Packers still needed to win with a touchdown drive that led to the two-point conversion and a victory over the New York Giants. This was a Giants squad that just fired their coach and had Jaxson Dart out due to a concussion. Green Bay still allowed the Jameis Winston led Giants to score 336 total yards in Week 11. New York edged the Packers out in both total yards and time in possession in Week 11 This is another Giants team that will be in the running for the No. This is a Giants team that will be in contention for the No. It’s difficult to see the Packers as a Super Bowl contender in the NFC right now, especially when you compare this performance with their earlier losses to the Carolina Panthers and the Cleveland Browns. Dave Canales has been relieved of his duties. Overreaction or reality? The Panthers have swept their division rivals and are second in the NFC South. They are only a game behind Tampa Bay in the loss column. Carolina was one of the surprises of the 2025 football season. Dave Canales is getting the best out of his team, especially quarterback Bryce Young. This has all cooled down what was once one of the hottest seats in the NFL. Canales, however, is he no longer the hottest seat in the NFL? Not yet. The Panthers have a very tough road ahead of them as they will be facing the San Francisco 49ers, and Los Angeles Rams in the next two weeks. This is before their bye week Week 14. The Panthers have two divisional games against the Buccaneers, and one against the Seattle Seahawks in the final month. Canales’ career could be impacted by the tough schedule for the second half of the 2025 campaign, despite the positive results so far. Overreaction or Reality: I believe we saw briefly why Kevin Stefanski wasn’t eager to have Shedeur Sanders at center. Sanders’ debut was not the most impressive, either. Coming in under pressure after Dillon Gabriel’s injury isn’t the best way to make a debut. Sanders’ game was fast as he only completed four of 16 pass attempts, resulting in 47 yards and an interception. He was also sacked two times. Sanders could be the starter next week if Gabriel doesn’t pass protocol. But he didn’t impress those who thought he was a NFL starting quarterback. Sam Darnold is a pumpkin. Overreaction or reality? Yuck. Sam Darnold’s performance was abysmal. This is the third time in his career that he has recorded four or more interceptions and it is the first time since he played the Jets “Seeing Ghosts game” with him back in 2019. Darnold, despite a remarkable comeback over the last two seasons, has had 30 turnovers in the NFL since 2024. So seeing his game deteriorate as we saw on Sunday was concerning. Is that to say he has completely turned into a jack-o’-lantern? I don’t think that we should take it to the extreme. Darnold was one of the best quarterbacks in this league, but he had to face one of the best defenses of the league – the Los Angeles Rams. Sean McVay seems to also have his number as they were able shut him down last Wild Card Weekend. Seattle’s playoff chances aren’t fading, but May should chalk it up to a poor performance against an opponent who is not a good matchup for him. The 49ers are still in the race for No. Overreaction or Reality: RealityWelcome Back, Brock Purdy. San Francisco scored 41 points, a new season-high, against the Cardinals with their franchise quarterback back in the middle after missing most of the year due to an injury to his toe. The Niners have now improved to 7-4 and are in a great position to compete for a playoff slot. There’s even a way for this team, if they can keep winning enough to get to the top seed in the playoffs. 1 seed. Next two weeks will include a matchup at home with the Carolina Panthers, who are currently a touchdown favourite. A road game with the Cleveland Browns could see them realistically with a record of 9-4 entering Week 14. Three of their last four games are played at home. In Week 16, they play at Indianapolis. They also host Chicago (Week 17, Week 18) and Seattle (Week 15, respectively). If they win.500 in the final month of the season, they’ll have an 11-6 record. This is especially true since they hold the tiebreaker for the NFC West over the Rams (2-1) and they also have a 7-2 conference record. Chiefs’ hopes of winning the AFC West have been dashed.

Kansas CityThe hopes of achieving 10 consecutive AFC West championships are on life support. The Chiefs’ bid for 10 consecutive AFC West titles is on life support. With their loss to the Broncos Sunday, they not only fell back to.500 in the season, at 5-5, but Denver extended its division lead by a significant amount. With a 9-2 record, the Broncos are now two games ahead of the Chargers. They’re also three games ahead of Kansas City. In the loss column. This doesn’t even account for the head-to-head advantage they currently hold in Week 11. This road is not any easier either for the Chiefs. They will have to play a Colts side that has just returned from its bye-week before visiting the Cowboys at Thanksgiving. Patrick Mahomes and Co. will need to make a huge effort and the Broncos will have to completely collapse for this matchup, which is Week 17. 

2025-11-17 01:18:09