The NFL Roundup 2019: Week 11 – What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

​I think the only word that comes to mind in regard to Week 11 in the NFL is, wow. Because this past weekend’s slate of games were stunning to say the least, since we saw more incredible wins and a shocking moment that still has the entire football world talking. So, it’s really best that I waste no time today on this little opening vignette about the week in question. Because we have so much to discuss, so let’s dive right in and chat about everything we learned from this wild week in the NFL.
 
The NFL went soft on the Browns.
On several occasions now, I’ve made mention of the fact that the Browns have been pushing the envelope when it comes to their aggressive style of play and that finally blew up in their faces on Thursday night. But I don’t want to re-hash what everyone has had to say about that ugly incident on the field because that’s been done ad nauseum. Instead, my concern days after this matter is that I personally feel the league was super soft on the Browns as a whole. I mean an indefinite suspension for Garrett is a good start. But the two players who used their helmets as weapons weren’t suspended and neither was Head Coach Freddie Kitchens and they quite frankly should have been. Because the league needs to make an example out of this mess to reinforce their commitment to player safety and letting Kitchens watch from home would also have made it clear that coaches are just as critical in keeping the game safe. If anything, the league only got this one, half right, and that’s disappointing.  
 
The Minnesota Vikings are a tough and resilient team.
Make no mistake about it, I fully expected this segment of this column to be about how the Broncos upset the Vikings in stunning fashion and how that made this team not as good as advertised. But a funny thing happened in the second half of this game, since the Vikings made major adjustments and exploited every opportunity that came their way and well, that’s the kind of sterner stuff that makes great teams successful and Minnesota is great. Because they are tough and resilient and patient when they take on an opponent and the entire football world needs to take them seriously from here on out. Because they are playing for keeps and they will strike without warning and I cannot wait to see what other miracles they pull off down the stretch.
 
Lamar Jackson is quickly becoming an elite quarterback.
I have to admit that I had little faith in Lamar Jackson late last year. I thought his mechanics were garbage and that all he knew how to do was run. But he’s proven me and so many others wrong time and time again this year and Sunday’s game only helped to reinforce the fact that he is quickly becoming an elite quarterback. I mean come on, the guy completed 71% of his passes against the Texans on Sunday and threw for four touchdown passes, alongside running for 86 yards that is just madness. Because he can beat you with his legs or his arms and his stunning play turned what should have been a shootout into a blowout, and really he could not have picked a better time to get hot because he is going to make the playoff race interesting and fun to watch and I expect big things out of this kid when the postseason gets underway.
The Bengals could potentially go 0-16.
As the old saying goes, and I paraphrase, on any given Sunday, you either win or lose. Unless you’re the Cincinnati Bengals, then you lose ten times in a row and at this point in time, we need to discuss and prepare for the possibility that the Bengals might be headed toward a winless season. Because even when they put up a fight, their mental mistakes and poor coaching puts them in a situation to hand over a game and honestly, I don’t have a lot of faith in this team to win anything this year. Because they haven’t addressed a single problem plaguing them this season and I don’t think they plan to. So, don’t be shocked if this team becomes the third in modern history to go 0-16. Nor should you should be surprised if they decide to clean house coaching wise for the second year in a row, when the season comes to a close.
 
The Atlanta Falcons have suddenly come alive.
Speaking of bad teams, we need to take a minute and talk about the Falcons and how they are the anthesis to what the Bengals are doing. Because this team has seen some serious misfortunes in 2019, the kind that saw them dealing with a 1-7 record before their bye week. But clearly Head Coach Dan Quinn wasn’t comfortable with just letting the season slip away and after making some coaching and game plan adjustments during said bye, the Falcons have suddenly come to life, beating two division rivals in epic fashion. And this last win against the Panthers was the quite the explanation point since they made Kyle Allen look like a rookie. But while it is nice to see a bad team adjust on the fly and show their desire to win, they’re still a bad football team and at this point all this wins are going to do is save some jobs and instill hope for 2020, and by no means is that a bad thing. 

---