NFL Week 11 - What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It was a wild and incredible week in the NFL last week. We saw the return of old school football with the Steelers, some ugly upsets and more of the same from the teams that simply cannot win.  In fact there were some amazing stories that emerged this week on the field and sadly, we don't have time to cover them all so here are the biggest stories from Week 11.  

1. The Denver Broncos coaching staff is the root of the team's problems. How does the defending AFC Champion, with one of the league's top quarterbacks, a talented wide receiver corps and two of the best pass rushers in the league lose to the St. Louis Rams? Bad coaching. The Broncos looked unprepared for the Rams, on every side of the ball.  Once more the defense played soft, and the offense was anemic. Denver is quickly garnering a reputation for being a team that will fold if you punch them in the mouth and that's all on the coaches. Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio has to start calling plays that don't involve Von Miller playing in coverage or make the blitz so obvious teams can respond and Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase cannot continue to abandon the run and expect Peyton Manning to throw all day.  But the buck stops with John Fox, as Head Coach he needs to expect better of his team and his coaches, and if we are seeing play like this, that means he is accepting it.  The most troubling image from this game is Peyton Manning snapping at Fox for not calling a time out in the first half to get Peyton the ball. The team needs to believe in their coach and if this kind of garbage coaching continues, Denver may be enjoying the Super Bowl from the comfort of home.  

2. It's time to end the Robert Griffin III experiment. Let's be honest, the kid just isn't the franchise quarterback Washington was hoping for. The injuries aren't even the issue, it's the fact he is just plain a bad quarterback. Leadership skills? You won't find them here. Last week's press conference where he felt the need to call out the team most certainly didn't win him any points in the locker room.  He has trouble reading defenses, he has yet to do anything special since his first year in the league, it's just a disaster.  Heck even the fans have turned on him, since they were heard chanting "We want Colt!" last week at the stadium. Yes, it will cost owner Daniel Snyder some money to cut him loose, but since when has that mattered since he has poured millions upon millions in dead cap space on free agent busts. Either way, Head Coach Jay Gruden deserves a QB designed for his system and its time for Snyder to suck it up, let go of the ego, admit RG3 was the wrong choice and move on.  

3. The Cardinals are truly the team to beat in the NFC.  As we near the playoffs, it's looking more and more that the NFC road to Super Bowl XLIX, has to go through Arizona, which is ironic seeing as how the big game will be played in their home stadium, but this team is seriously damn good.  Even without Carson Palmer at the helm, Drew Stanton is playing some awesome football. They are stifling on defense and that's why they have the best record in the NFL right now.  

4. The Patriots are the team to beat in the AFC. It's been a complete turnaround for Tom Brady and company since they were embarrassed on national television.  Since then they have been playing lights out football, pouring on the points, shutting down other teams on defense and all around dominating anyone that comes their way.  There is a solid chance they are headed deep into the playoffs.  

5. Will Green Bay put up another 50 point plus game on a team?  It's been a wild and crazy two weeks for the Packers, with Aaron Rodgers carving up opposing defenses like a thanksgiving turkey.  They just keep scoring at will. Sure one of those teams just happened to be the struggling Bears, but a repeat performance against Philly speaks to the fact that they are on a roll right now and it should be fun to watch them play this week.   

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