Week 11 brought us plenty to talk about. New York football teams had been on fire up until recently, but in Week 11 there were clear signs of slowing down. Zach Wilson’s leadership and ability is once again in question, as well as his future. Meanwhile the Giants can’t seem to get healthy, having to play with that “next man up” mentality at all times. Not everybody can make this list, but with that being said these are my winners and losers from Week 11.
Winner – Tee Higgins
The Pittsburgh Steelers gave division rival Cincinnati Bengals a run for their money on Sunday. But the difference maker in this one was none other than Tee Higgins. In the absence of Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins has stepped up big time, using his large frame to come down with practically everything. On Sunday night he finished with nine receptions and 148 yards and was clearly Joe Burrow’s favorite target.
Higgins had to leave the game early due to a big hit but was soon after seen on the sidelines. The hit didn’t seem to slow him down too much as he was having his way with the Steelers secondary. On the season the Bengals receiver has 50 receptions and 712 yards while finding the end zone three times. He needs just 41.4 yards a game from here on out to reach 1k receiving yards for the second time in his three-year career. The price tag for Higgins continues to rise as he continues to cement himself to be a top tier receiver.
Loser – Minnesota Vikings
That hype train got quiet real fast for Minnesota. Entering the day they looked to improve to 9-1 on the season, but Dallas had other plans. It all started in the trenches with beating Minnesota, sacking Kirk Cousins seven times. This devastated their game plan as many routes were unable to really develop, thus putting a stop to this high-power passing offense. Trevon Diggs had an excellent day as well holding Justin Jefferson to just three receptions for 33 yards. The Cowboys cornerback was locking down possibly the best receiver in the league.
On the other side of the ball, the Vikings just could not find an answer for Tony Pollard. He is featured in this week’s winners, so I won’t dive too much into his performance just yet. The Cowboys dismantled the Vikings defense, abusing Andrew Booth Jr. who made his first career start on Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings defense allowed 458 yards of offense and allowed the Cowboys to go 12-17 on third down conversions. Entering the week, they were known for not giving up many splash plays but failed to continue that trend this weekend. The Vikings will look to bounce back against the Patriots on Thanksgiving.
Winner – Tony Pollard
Tony Pollard was an absolute matchup nightmare against Minnesota on Sunday. The Cowboys running back finished the day with 189 total yards on 21 touches. Finding the end zone twice while he was at it in the Cowboys blowout win against the Vikings. The defense just failed to pick him up out of the back field on several occasions which was very apparent. This allowed for him to get lost in the mix and create several splash plays for Dallas.
Possibly the highlight of the day came from his 65-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. This was the moment in which fans realized that this was a routing of the Minnesota Vikings. Tony Pollard had put the nail in the coffin and the Dallas Cowboys were going to walk away from this one was winners. Many questioned as to why the Cowboys entered Sunday’s game as favorites, but Vegas got this one right.
Loser – Zach Wilson
Possibly this weekend’s biggest loser was none other than Jets quarterback Zach Wilson. The clock is ticking for the former second overall pick as recent comments may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. When questioned about whether he and the offense had let down their defense, Wilson replied with a simple, “no.” That was certainly the wrong answer as the former BYU quarterback has been far from good this season.
His second half against the Patriots was definitely one for the books, but not in a good way. Wilson had -21 passing yards in the second half on Sunday… meaning I was a more efficient quarterback this weekend! Wilson’s game seemingly hasn’t improved one bit it feels like as the second-year quarterback is missing wide open check downs. Not only that but he is missing wide open receivers over the middle and is throwing the ball directly to defenders. Wilson was lucky to not end the day with three interceptions. Is it safe to call Zach Wilson a bust already?
Winner – Derek Carr and Davante Adams
Derek Carr and Davante Adams have been about the only thing going for this Raiders team at times. It hasn’t always been pretty, but on Sunday their connection led them to an overtime win against the Broncos. Entering Sunday, the Broncos defense was rated #1 in the NFL but that didn’t stop Derek Carr. The Raiders quarterback carved up their secondary for 307 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to Davante Adams. Carr improves to 8-2 all time in overtime wins. You can say what you want about him, but you cannot say he isn’t clutch.
I really do not know how he does it, but Davante Adams is just always open! Patrick Surtain just seemed lost when facing off against the veteran receiver. Age and experience prevailed in this anticipated matchup as Adams finished the day with seven catches and 141 yards, adding on two touchdowns in addition to the game winner in overtime. He now has been targeted 92 times on the season with just two drops, impressive to say the least.
Loser – The New York Giants
What a year it has been for the New York Giants, outdoing many of our projections for their team this year. But this miracle run is starting to fade and that is apparent after their loss to the Lions on Sunday. The roster just cannot seem to be healthy as starters are dropping like flies in the Big Apple. And on Sunday they lost rookie Wan’Dale Robinson who was finally coming into fruition, big loss for an already shorthanded receiving corps. They will also be without cornerback Adoree’ Jackson for four to six weeks as he has an MCL sprain.
Daniel Jones had a very polarizing game. He threw two costly interceptions, one of which in the fourth quarter which sealed the game for Detroit. Jones isn’t solely to blame for the Giants’ loss, but there is some blame to take as the leader of this offense. To add on to this team’s performance, Saquon did not have a very good game. Rushing the ball 15 times for 22 yards is not the kind of performance you would expect from the Giants running back, especially against the second worst run defense in the entire league. Keep your heads up though Giants fans, you are proving many of us wrong and have had an excellent season thus far!