The NFL Roundup 2017 - Week 11

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

​There’s a strange calm that comes with Week 11 in the NFL, only because it seems that fans and franchises alike, are beginning to settle in as they better understand their fate. Some teams are now looking toward 2018 with their playoff hopes dashed this year, while other squads are comfortable with their talent and success and know that they will be able to handle whatever adversity comes their way in the next few weeks, and as for those teams on the bubble? Well, they’re ready to fight and give it their all for a chance to reach the playoffs. All of these elements make for some fascinating stories to say the least and without further ado, here are the top stories we will be keeping an eye upon this weekend.
 
Can the Dallas Cowboys with without Zeke?
Regardless of your opinion and thoughts on Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension, I think that there is one thing we can all agree upon, that his absence last week had a profound impact on the outcome of the game. The Cowboys were simply unable to run the ball against Atlanta and the end result of that little problem was a meager 7 points on the board and a loss and well, one has to wonder if they can win without Zeke and honestly, I’m not sure they can. The Dallas offense is designed to be a one two punch when it comes to the run and pass game and without the run element, it becomes quite difficult for the Cowboys to put up points, and considering the fact that they’re going up against the league’s best team on Sunday, if they cannot generate any yards on the ground without their star back…then expect the game to end with another loss for Dallas.
 
Los Angeles at Minnesota is full of playoff implications.
I think at this point, it’s a forgone conclusion that we will see both the Rams and the Vikings in the playoffs and with the two of them facing off on Sunday, this game has a lot more riding on it than just a win. Because at this point, both of these teams, and the Saints, are a game behind the Eagles in the NFC, which means the winner of this one, could help their playoff position when the tournament arrives. Which means the outcome of this game will simply come down to who wants it more. So, expect this game to be one heck of an epic battle as both of these teams do their best to try and secure the number two seed in the NFC.  
 
Will Nathan Peterman provide the Bills with the spark they need?
It wasn’t that long ago that Buffalo was the talk of the town thanks to their hard-nosed style of play and surprising run of upsets. But the NFL season is a long one indeed and after losing two games in a row and seeing their once prolific offense sputter, the Bills made a change at QB and have handed the reins to Rookie signal caller, Nathan Peterman, and I think everyone is wondering, can he lead the Bills back to glory? Sadly, the only way to answer that question is with an enthusiastic shrug because no one ever quite knows what you get in a rookie when they take the field. He could come out and light up the scoreboard and be anointed as the second coming of Jim Kelly. Or, he could look like a rookie. Either way, it should be fascinating to see what this kid can do, and kudos to the Bills for making a change regardless to send a message to their team that subpar play will not be tolerated.
 
Will the Oakland Raiders play the spoiler this weekend?
Speaking of teams that started out hot before sputtering out, the Oakland Raiders are another team looking to change their season’s fortunes with a big win against the Patriots, and you know they would love nothing more than to be the team to topple the defending champions, but the question is…can they? Well, I’m honestly skeptical when it comes to their ability to make that happen. They’ve been a disorganized squad on the field and the Patriots love to feast upon teams that make mistakes. So, if the Raiders play some lights out football like they did earlier on this season, there’s a fair chance they can pull off the win. But if they show any signs of confusion or weakness, expect the Pats to go 8-2.
 
Do the Atlanta Falcons have their mojo back?
I’ve made it no secret that I firmly believe that the Atlanta Falcons are not a mentally tough team and that they let their mistakes and past issues haunt them at just about every turn. But they deserve some serious credit for getting their heads back into the game when it comes to their victory over Dallas last week and now I’m left wondering as to whether or not this team has found the proverbial mojo that made them so successful last year and that question, will be answered come Sunday. Because if Atlanta is able to maintain a high level of play against the always scrappy Seahawks, then we’ll know they’ve finally worked through their issues at last. But if Seattle gets them to regress, because you know they’re not going to back down in the slightest to this team, then we’ll know that last week was merely a fluke and this team will need to spend their off season doing a little soul searching. 

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