Bills pass over the Jets
Miami’s offensive machine can now defend too
By Florian Papenfuhs
November 20, 2023, 9:40 am
Week 11 in the NFL allows for some conclusions: New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn’t need to worry about his return, Cowboy DaRon Bland is the league’s comeback king, and Miami’s Jalen Ramsey is still in the preseason.
Week 11 in the NFL brings some insights: Jets star Aaron Rodgers doesn’t need to worry about his return, no one steals like the Dallas Cowboys’ DaRon Bland, and Miami’s Jalen Ramsey is still in the preseason.
Rodgers’ replacement Wilson experiences debacles
Much depended on the duel against the Buffalo Bills for the New York Jets. There has been increasing noise lately about a possible return of still-injured star quarterback Aaron Rodgers. However, it was also clear that he would only risk his health for the playoffs. So a win against the recently weakened Bills was a must.
But the Jets experienced a debacle. With 32:6, Buffalo impressively returned to the path of success. Jets receiver Xavier Gipson dropped the ball on the first kickoff return of the game. After three straight field goals for Buffalo, Rodgers’ replacement, Zach Wilson, made a bad pass and the Bills scored their first touchdown on the ensuing drive. Wilson experienced one of the bitterest nights of his NFL career anyway, and Jets coach Robert Saleh finally took him off the field in the second half.
Aaron Rodgers can now take his time in his return to the football field. After the game, the New York Times ran a thousand simulations of the rest of the season to calculate the Jets’ remaining playoff chances. The result: “about two percent.” The Bills, on the other hand, remain the first pursuer of the Miami Dolphins (7-3) in the AFC East with six wins and five losses. On an otherwise perfect night, the only hiccup was an injury to defenseman Taylor Rapp. Next Sunday is the big game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Amon-Ra St. Brown defeats Brother Equanimeous
Amon-Ra St. Brown has once again won the duel against his older brother Equanimeous. With his Detroit Lions, the 24-year-old celebrated a 31:26 victory over the Chicago Bears after a comeback. In the fifth confrontation between the two German-Americans, Amon-Ra won for the fourth time.
The Lions consolidated their first position in the NFC North with their eighth victory in their 10th game, while Chicago (three wins, eight losses) remains at the bottom of the division. The fact that they were so close despite Detroit being the clear favorite was also due to Jared Goff. The Lions quarterback had three interceptions; previously there had only been five passes to the opponent all season.
Late in the first half, the 29-year-old found his receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown with a throw in the end zone, Detroit taking a 13-7 lead. It was St. Brown’s fifth touchdown this season. Initially, Chicago was able to take advantage of the Lions’ mistakes and turn the game around. But two touchdowns in the final phase decided the game in Detroit’s favor.
The NFL comeback king
Sure, defense wins championships. But media headlines and fan applause too often go to spectacular offensive players. The NFL is no exception. DaRon Bland is slowly but surely becoming one of the stars of the Dallas Cowboys team. Keyword: Choose six. This is the name of probably the most impressive play a defensive player can make. With a pick six, a defender intercepts the opponent’s quarterback’s pass, tucks the ball under his arm, and quickly runs toward the opponent’s end zone—the opponent’s end zone, of course. He gives up six points, like a touchdown.
DaRon Bland accomplished this feat for the fourth time this season in the game against the Carolina Panthers. NFL record set on the eleventh day of the game. It was the icing on the cake of a never threatened 33:10 victory for Dallas. The Cowboys remain second in the NFC East with seven wins and three losses, behind the Philadelphia Eagles. The Carolina Panthers, on the other hand, are still waiting for their second win of the season in fourth and final place in the NFC South.
The Rams win and lose the Superbowl MVP
In the NFC West there was a divisional duel between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. The signs are clear. While the Seahawks lead the division, the Rams only have three wins on the season. The team no longer has much to do with the 2022 Super Bowl winner.
The Seahawks confidently marched to a 13-0 lead. The Rams were able to score their own touchdown seconds before the end of the first half, but lost one of their best players in the process. Cooper Kupp, chosen best player of the 2022 Superbowl, had to leave due to an ankle injury. It is unclear how long he will be absent from the team. After the shock, it’s time for the Rams defense. The Seahawks scored three points in the entire second half.
Shortly before the end of the third quarter, Seattle quarterback Geno Smith was injured and also had to be substituted. On the final drive of the game he returned and put the Seahawks within field goal range, but kicker Jason Myers missed from 55 yards out. The Rams narrowly won 17:16. So Seattle has to give up the division lead to the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams now have a slim chance of making the playoffs with four wins and six losses; catcher Kupp’s injury is even more bitter.
The jumps of a good dolphin
The saying goes that a good horse only jumps as high as it needs to. This also seems to apply to dolphins. The Miami Dolphins beat the Las Vegas Raiders with a somewhat shaky time of 20:13. The Dolphins gave the Raiders the ball three times, but Las Vegas couldn’t take advantage. The game ended as it should have ended. Star cornerback Jalen Ramsey intercepted a Raiders pass for the second time with 22 seconds left, ending the game.
Tyreek Hill, normally the standout machine in the Dolphins’ offense, raved after the game: “He’s the best cornerback in the league, man. The time it takes him to catch that last pass shows how much he cares about this team.” Ramsey came to Miami from the Los Angeles Rams in a highly publicized trade over the summer, but he missed the first seven games of the season with an injury. “Technically, I’m just in the preparation period, in training camp,” he says, reflecting on his short season so far. He sounds like a threat to the competition.
Miami scored fewer points than ever this season, but still won and remains in first place in the AFC East. Las Vegas is still in second place in the AFC West.
An overview of all NFL results can be found here.