NFL Week 11: Biggest Takeaways from Sunday's Games

As Thanksgiving approaches, some NFL teams have hit a positive stride in a midseason run for a shot at a playoff berth, while other squads could start to look toward the offseason. Surprisingly, we should already think about a new Super Bowl champion because a Los Angeles Rams repeat seems highly unlikely.

Aside from a poor record (3-7), the Rams would need to overcome significant injuries just to get back to the postseason and defend their title. On Sunday, they took another blow that will likely keep them anchored to the bottom of the NFC West.

At this point in the season, playoff pretenders will begin to lose steam because of glaring flaws. Both New York football teams had a strong start to the 2022 campaign, but one of the clubs has a major issue that will hurt its postseason chances.

Lastly, one of the league's most dynamic quarterbacks may have to dial back on a part of his skill set to keep himself healthy for the remainder of the season.

Let's delve into the biggest takeaways from Week 11 games.

After a 1-4 start, the Washington Commanders have won five of their last six games, four of those games with quarterback Taylor Heinicke as the starter in place of Carson Wentz (finger surgery).

With Heinicke on the field, Washington has relied heavily on its ground attack, rushing for at least 137 yards in four of the last five weeks. Running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson have split most of the workload.

Though Heinicke has thrown at least one interception in four of his five starts, he manages the game and makes enough plays with the reemergence of wide receiver Terry McLaurin (425 receiving yards and a touchdown since Week 7) to move the offense downfield.

Lastly, the Commanders' opportunistic defense pounces on the football, forcing 12 turnovers over its last six outings. With Pro Bowl edge-rusher Chase Young (torn ACL and MCL) close to a return, Washington's defense should continue to put together high-level performances.

The Los Angeles Rams won't make it back to the playoffs. No, they haven't been mathematically eliminated, but the team has placed All-Pro wideout Cooper Kupp (high ankle sprain) on injured reserve. On Sunday, quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered his second concussion in two weeks.

Without its top offensive playmaker and possibly Stafford because of the short period between his concussions, the 3-7 Rams have a tough schedule as the Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks (twice) and Los Angeles Chargers remain on their 2022 slate.

Whether it's Bryce Perkins, who replaced Stafford in Sunday's 27-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints, or John Wolford, who started against the Arizona Cardinals last week, the Rams don't have a high-level backup quarterback to keep them afloat.

The Rams entered Week 11 with the fewest rushing yards per game, so they don't have a viable ground attack to lean on while Stafford recovers from another head injury. On top of that, Los Angeles' defense has allowed 27-plus points in three of the last four weeks.

Before Sunday's game, the Rams tied with four other teams for the worst record (3-6) for a reigning Super Bowl champion, and just like those clubs, the Rams won't make it back to the postseason.

Early in the season, the Detroit Lions scored in bunches, averaging 35 points per game through the first four weeks, but they went 1-3 in that stretch.

After five consecutive losses between Weeks 3 and 8, Detroit has won three straight games. While the Lions can still move the ball and score, they've made more plays on defense.

After a 31-27 loss to Miami Dolphins, Detroit fired defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant, and the defense had a players-only meeting. Thus far, it seems as though the Lions' meeting of the minds on defense has sparked something within the unit.

Throughout their win streak, the Lions have recorded seven takeaways, three of which came in a 31-18 win over the New York Giants Sunday.

Detroit's defense isn't a shutdown group, but it makes enough plays to complement a top-10 scoring offense, which features NFL touchdown leader Jamaal Williams, who scored three times on the ground against the Giants.

Sure, the Indianapolis Colts went on the road to beat the lowly Las Vegas Raiders 25-20 last week, and they lost 17-16 to the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, but head coach Jeff Saturday doesn't seem overwhelmed by his new position.

After all, the Colts look like a far more competitive team than the squad that lost 26-3 to the New England Patriots in Week 9. They nearly knocked off the one-loss Eagles (9-1), who trailed them until the quarterback Jalen Hurts scored on a rushing touchdown with 1:20 left in regulation.

Saturday made the executive decision to reinsert quarterback Matt Ryan into the lineup, which has given the Colts a better chance to win games, especially when Jonathan Taylor performs at a level close to his 2021 season as the league's rushing leader.

At 4-6-1, Indianapolis still has some fight left with Saturday as the lead man in the locker room. The former ESPN analyst and Colts consultant has a real shot to drop the interim label and keep his head-coaching job. He could impress with six games left in his audition.

In a 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Justin Fields had another productive performance as a dual-threat signal-caller, racking up 153 passing yards and 85 rushing yards with a score through the air and another on the ground.

During Sunday's game, Fields battled issues with his hamstrings, and he landed on his shoulder late in the fourth quarter. After the contest, reporters spotted the Bears quarterback on a cart as he held his left shoulder following X-rays.

Over the past month, Fields has taken a lot of hits because of his increased usage as a ball-carrier. In five of the Bears' last six outings, he's logged at least 12 rush attempts with a career-high 18 carries against the Falcons.

While Fields' rushing has helped his offense score 24-plus points in each of the last five games after it failed to reach that threshold in the first six weeks, he may want to dial back on his carries.

Chicago acquired wide receiver Chase Claypool from the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 1, and he has just five catches for 32 yards since that trade deadline deal. Meanwhile, tight end Cole Kmet has started to make strides as a pass-catcher, hauling in 14 passes for 161 yards and five touchdowns since Week 8. Lastly, wideout Darnell Mooney has been the Bears' most consistent receiver.

Going forward, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy must find more ways to get Mooney, Claypool and Kmet in position to make plays in the passing game to take some pressure off of Fields' tired legs and banged-up body.

On Sunday, the New York Jets dropped their 14th consecutive game to the New England Patriots after rookie cornerback Marcus Jones returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown with five seconds left in regulation.

Gang Green lost 10-3 and dropped to last place in the AFC East with a 6-4 record.

Though quarterback Zach Wilson isn't to blame for all the Jets' shortcomings, he doesn't provide enough cushion for the team to make mistakes in the other two phases of the game.

If the Jets defense isn't up to par or the special teams unit gives up a touchdown, as it did Sunday, Wilson should be able to lead the offense on a touchdown drive to get a victory, but he's yet to take a big step in his development.

In fairness to Wilson, the Jets have lost their lead rusher in Breece Hall (torn ACL) for the season, and they've had to shuffle their offensive line.

However, Wilson only completed nine out of 22 passes for 77 yards in Sunday's loss. This season, he's thrown for multiple touchdowns once (a Week 8 loss to New England with three interceptions) in seven games. On the flip side, the Jets signal-caller has failed to throw a touchdown pass in four contests.

Gang Green has a top-tier roster with a bottom-five starting quarterback, which will probably result in a finish outside of the playoff picture.

This season, the Minnesota Vikings have mastered the art of the comeback win in tight games. The NFC North club has won four of its eight contests by four points or fewer.

On Sunday, the Vikings dug a hole too deep for a late-game rally, and they lost in embarrassing fashion at home to the Dallas Cowboys 40-3.

While some people may brush off the Vikings' Week 11 defeat as just a bad game, Dallas exposed some holes in Minnesota's shaky defense, which ranked 29th against aerial attacks and 16th versus the run before Sunday's contest.

Keep in mind that the Vikings have key injuries on the defensive side of the ball. Cornerback Cameron Dantzler Sr. (ankle) will miss at least two more games while on injured reserve. Fellow cornerback Akayleb Evans (concussion) and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (calf) both missed Sunday's outing with the Cowboys after sitting out an entire week of practices.

Until a few of their starters on defense return, the Vikings may have to win in shootouts to stay atop the NFC standings, and that method has its obstacles.

Wideout Justin Jefferson battled turf toe going into Week 11 and caught three passes for 33 yards against the Cowboys.

Looking ahead, Minnesota will play three teams with top-11 scoring defenses in the next four weeks. The Detroit Lions are the only team in that stretch without a high-level defensive unit, but they've forced seven turnovers in the last three games.

If the Vikings allow Sunday's loss to linger, they could fall into a second-half funk.

On Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders ended a three-game skid, beating the Denver Broncos 22-16 in overtime. Derek Carr connected with Davante Adams for a walk-off touchdown.

Last week, Carr, who was distraught after a 25-20 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, hinted that some of his teammates may not be completely dialed in or giving their all to perform at their best on game day. On the following day, head coach Josh McDaniels spoke to reporters about in-house discipline for a few players who missed Week 10 as healthy inactives.

Even with tight end Darren Waller (hamstring) and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (oblique) on injured reserve—along with the absence of Kolton Miller, who's dealing with shoulder and abdomen injuries—the Raiders offense scored a decent number of points against the league's No. 1-ranked scoring defense. In the clutch, Carr showed he still has some comeback magic left in a tough season.

Perhaps the Raiders defense benefitted from the Broncos' offensive dysfunction, but the coaching staff saw some flashes from defenders other than Maxx Crosby, particularly defensive tackle Bilal Nichols (six tackles, one for loss and two quarterback hits) and cornerback Tyler Hall (three tackles and a sack), whom the team called up from the practice squad on Saturday.

The Raiders have a long way to go to soothe the disappointment of 3-7 start, but McDaniels needed a win for some momentum after owner Mark Davis strongly endorsed him, saying that the lead skipper is doing a “fantastic job.”

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.