🐺 Wolf Sports Weekly

🍾 The 1972 Miami Dolphins can celebrate again, with no more unbeaten NFL teams remaining.

🏈 Bills’ win over Chiefs headlines Week 11

In one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the 2024 NFL season, the Bills knocked off the Chiefs to hand KC their first loss since Christmas Day of last year. The Buffalo defense started the game with an interception of Patrick Mahomes and also sealed the win on a pick with Mahomes trying to make something happen down nine. Up two points and in field goal range with over two minutes remaining, Bills HC Sean McDermott put the ball in Josh Allen’s hands, and Allen came through with a 24-yard touchdown run. Buffalo (9-2) now enters their bye right behind Kansas City for the AFC’s top seed, and Allen acknowledged after the game that they might see the Chiefs again when it matters most in January.

To kick off the week, the Eagles put up 20 fourth quarter points in an explosive separation from the Commanders, who led 10-6 through three quarters. RB Saquon Barkley rushed 26 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns while Philadelphia outgained Washington, 434-264, asserting themselves atop the NFC East at 8-2. Perhaps limited due to his rib injury (though HC Dan Quinn says that’s not the case), rookie QB Jayden Daniels has slowed down the past three games following the scorching start to the year for the Commanders offense.

In an extremely intense AFC North battle with plenty of post-play activity, the Steelers defeated the Ravens behind stingy defense and six field goals by K Chris Boswell. Lamar Jackson drops to 1-4 in his career against Pittsburgh, with just five touchdowns (none rushing) and 11 turnovers in the five matchups. Steelers LB Patrick Queen, who began his career with the Ravens and didn’t receive an offer during free agency, forced and recovered a fumble at the end of the first half to help his team get three extra points. Pittsburgh is 4-0 with Russell Wilson at quarterback and are at 8-2 overall.

The Lions totally dominated versus the Jaguars. Jared Goff thew for 412 yards and four touchdowns as Detroit scored a touchdown on all seven possessions with the starters, putting up a franchise-record 645 yards of offense. The Lions outgained the Jags by 475 yards, which is the largest margin in any game in 45 years. They basically did whatever they wanted both through the air and on the ground, and they had an insane 38 first downs in the win. Also, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Amon-Ra St. Brown all scored in a game for the eighth time, which is already the most for a trio in NFL history.

On Sunday night, the Bengals lost again after storming back from a 27-6 deficit to tie the game at 27 but eventually lose to the Chargers, 34-27. Chargers QB Justin Herbert was throwing absolute lasers, but the Cincy defense played with a ton of energy in the second half to help give the offense an opportunity to get back in the game. Ultimately, RB J.K. Dobbins ran for a 29-yard touchdown with 18 seconds remaining, and S Derwin James stopped an excellent Hail Mary chance to Bengals WR Tee Higgins on the final play.

Other Week 11 results:

• Colts 28, Jets 27: In his first game back in the starting lineup, QB Anthony Richardson threw for one touchdown and ran for two—including the game-winner with under a minute remaining—helping Indy get back on track at 5-6 while the Jets hit 3-8.

• Bears 20, Packers 19: For the second time this season, No. 1 pick Caleb Williams led what looked like a game-winning drive before heartbreak struck—this time, Green Bay blocked a field goal on the final play to notch their record 11th consecutive win in the rivalry. Chicago turned the blocked FG into the league after feeling a penalty should have been called for contact to the long snapper.

• Dolphins 34, Raiders 19: Miami has won two straight off the bye, improving to 4-6 ahead of a home matchup with the Patriots. As a bright spot for the Raiders, star rookie Brock Bowers broke the record for most receptions in a game by a rookie tight end (13).

• Saints 35, Browns 14: The ultra-versatile Taysom Hill had an outstanding game leading New Orleans, with 138 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 50 receiving yards, 18 passing yards, and 42 kick return yards. He’s the first player in league history with 100 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 50 receiving yards, and ten passing yards in a game.

• Vikings 23, Titans 13: Sam Darnold totaled three touchdowns, and the Vikings defense controlled the road matchup, sacking Will Levis five times. Minnesota has won three straight, allowing just 11.0 points per game over the past three games.

• Rams 28, Patriots 22: Matthew Stafford threw four touchdowns including two to Cooper Kupp, getting the Rams a much-needed victory ahead of hosting the Eagles this Sunday night.

• Seahawks 20, 49ers 17: Geno Smith led an 80-yard game-winning touchdown drive to leave the 49ers stunned again. The NFC West is wild, with three teams at 5-5 and the Cardinals at 6-4.

• Broncos 38, Falcons 6: Atlanta did not play well, but it might be time to hop on the Bo Nix bandwagon if you’ve still been doubting the rookie’s skill level. Nix became the first rookie ever to complete 80% of his passes and throw for 300+ yards and four touchdowns in a game, and star CB Patrick Surtain II says his quarterback is playing at an MVP level, not just a Rookie of the Year level.

• Texans 34, Cowboys 10: Joe Mixon scored three touchdowns and Danielle Hunter notched two sacks as the major struggles at home continued for Dallas.

🔥 Top fantasy performers in Week 11

• Saints TE Taysom Hill: 37.52 points

• Lions QB Jared Goff: 34.58 points

• Texans RB Joe Mixon: 34.3 points

• Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown: 33.2 points

• Eagles RB Saquon Barkley: 32.8 points

(point totals are for half PPR scoring)

✍️ Personnel changes

The Giants have officially benched QB Daniel Jones in the team’s return from the bye week.

• There are a bunch of problems with the Giants and the play around the quarterback, but Jones himself was not playing consistently well in 2024.

• Tommy DeVito is getting the nod over free-agent signing Drew Lock, with Jones sliding down to the No. 3 quarterback slot and likely playing his final down for New York.

• While the Giants have said the starting quarterback will be a “football decision,” Jones had a $23 million injury guarantee for 2025 that could have been triggered with a serious injury.

Remember: Jones has gone through multiple major injuries but showed major flashes early in his career, including 24 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions on a subpar team as a rookie. It might sound crazy right now, but don’t be shocked if the 27-year-old gets another starting job elsewhere at some point.

In the coaching ranks, the Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron ahead of Week 11. New play-caller Thomas Brown was reportedly bringing a simplified approach to the offense—and perhaps more accountability after veteran WR Keenan Allen said Waldron might have been “too nice of a guy.” In the first game since the switch, Caleb Williams looked more decisive, but Chicago’s in a tough spot at 4-6 after losing on the blocked field goal.

🩼 Injury updates

Star Patriots DT Christian Barmore played for the first time since the blood clots found during the offseason kept him out indefinitely.

Bears S Jaquan Brisker, who has been in the concussion protocol for over a month, was placed on injured reserve.

49ers injuries: QB Brock Purdy (shoulder) is day-to-day, DE Nick Bosa is dealing with a hip/oblique issue that kept him out of the end of their loss to the Seahawks, and TE George Kittle (hamstring) missed Week 11.

Chiefs K Harrison Butker (knee) was placed on IR ahead of Week 11 and will miss at least three more games.

The Packers placed first-round rookie T/G Jordan Morgan on injured reserve. Also, rookie RB MarShawn Lloyd, who was activated from IR yesterday, is now out several weeks due to appendicitis.

Injured in Week 11:

• Jaguars WR Gabe Davis tore his meniscus and is out for the season.

• Browns OT Dawand Jones is out for the season with a fractured ankle but is expected to be ready for 2025.

• Bengals CB DJ Turner II is expected to be out for the season after injuring his clavicle on a fantastic pass deflection against the Chargers.

• Lions LB Alex Anzalone broke his forearm and will miss six-to-eight weeks.

• Ravens LB Roquan Smith is dealing with a hamstring injury.

• Saints C Erik McCoy reaggravated his groin injury in his return from IR, but it’s not thought to be too serious.

Positive injury news:

• Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco (leg) and DE Charles Omeninhu (knee) are both nearing returns and have a shot to play in Week 12.

• Panthers second-round rookie RB Jonathon Brooks (knee) is set to make his NFL debut this Sunday versus the Chiefs, and veteran WR Adam Thielen (hamstring) is expected to return.

• Buccaneers WR Mike Evans and CB Jamel Dean are set to return from hamstring injuries after the bye week.

📝 NFL news and notes

The 49ers signed CB Deommodore Lenoir to a five-year, $92 million extension.

Player news:

• Seahawks starting C Connor Williams retired ahead of Week 11.

• The Bears released OL Nate Davis, who signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the team in 2023.

• The Patriots waived former second-round WR Tyquan Thornton, who signed with the Chiefs practice squad.

Vikings rookie QB J.J. McCarthy underwent a second surgery on his knee following the summer’s meniscus tear.

The NFL Scouting Combine is officially staying in Indianapolis through 2026.

Veteran Broncos assistant special teams coach Mike Westhoff retired ahead of Week 11, putting his health first.

“Fort Lauderdale Vikings. I hated ‘em… I still hate ‘em right now.” Ravens QB Lamar Jackson doesn’t hate anything except a youth football team he played against as a child.

Following his game-winning touchdown over the Commanders, Steelers WR Mike Williams used the hashtag “#RedLine” in a post, poking fun at his former QB Aaron Rodgers blaming him for an interception earlier this season with the Jets.

Both Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce had their homes burglarized last month.

Other Sports Updates

🏈 College football highlights: No. 1 Oregon survived on the road against Wisconsin; No. 12 Georgia got back on track by beating No. 7 Tennessee, 31-17; and No. 17 Colorado stayed hot by racking up 49 points on Utah.

🔒 Indiana extended head coach Curt Cignetti to an eight-year deal through 2032. The Hoosier go to Columbus for a top-five matchup with Ohio State this Saturday at noon ET.

🥊 Jake Paul defeated legendary boxer Mike Tyson in a controversial bout plagued by streaming issues on Netflix and concern over Tyson’s age (58).

🏆 At UFC 309, heavyweight champion Jon Jones extended his unbeaten streak to a UFC-record 20 consecutive fights with a knockout victory and celebrated with President Trump.

⚾️ Major League Baseball unveiled the 2024 All-MLB Team. Pirates P Paul Skenes and Yankees P Luis Gil won Rookie of the Year in the NL and AL.

🏟️ The hurricane damage to Tropicana Field won’t be fixed until at least 2026, and the Tampa Bay Rays will play home games next season at the Yankees’ spring training field, Steinbrenner Field.

🐺 Found on wolfsports.com

• Week 11 fantasy awards

• Fantasy ROS rankings (🔒)

• Week 12 waiver wire rankings (🔒)

• Latest college football power rankings