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The 2019 NFL season is just zipping along, as Week 11(!) kicks off tonight when the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Cleveland to take on a Browns team that has been one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
But what a year it has been thus far for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers, who are now holding on to the sixth playoff spot in the AFC after reeling off four straight wins thanks to a defense that has been carrying a young offense lead by backup QB Mason Rudolph.
So before Week 11 gets underway, let’s look at the five biggest surprises of the season so far.
1. The Pittsburgh Steelers deserve our respect.
As I stated above, the Steelers could have packed things up earlier this year and nobody would have blinked an eye. They lost Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown during the offseason and then lost Ben Roethlisberger to a season-ending injury in Week 2. They were 0-2 at that point and things looked bleak. Now if they beat the Browns on TNF they’ll move to 6-4, which will only help their playoff chances. Tomlin has done an unbelievable job with this team and deserves a ton of credit for what they’ve been able to do so far. The biggest change, of course, happened when they traded two picks, including a first rounder, to the Dolphins for Minkah Fitzpatrick. The safety has been a an absolute stud on a defense that has been one of the best in the league since he joined the team. The Steelers deserve our respect for such an incredible turnaround.
2. Lamar Jackson is so darn good.
The 32nd pick in the 2018 NFL Draft is now one of the best QB’s in the league and is a legit MVP candidate in just his first year as the full-time starter. His ridiculous TD run against the Bengals last week was just another incredible highlight in what has been a dominant season for the former Heisman winner. He is on pace to break Michael Vick’s rushing record for a QB and he has the Ravens looking like a team that can contend for a Super Bowl title. Hard to imagine that Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold were drafted so far ahead of him two years ago because he’s so much better than both of those average QBs.
3. The Oakland Raiders aren’t a laughingstock.
Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock took a ton of heat in the preseason when they tried to deal with Antonio Brown, who we later learned was impossible to deal with. Now the Raiders are 5-4 and just a half game behind the Chiefs in the AFC West. Making things even better for them is that they host the winless Bengals on Sunday, which should be an easy win. I guess Gruden can still coach after all.
4. The Kansas City Chiefs… haven’t been great.
Many thought Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, who were the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs last year, would be unstoppable this year. Well, they haven’t been. While Mahomes looked great in his first game back from a knee injury last week, the defense has been a different story. A loss to the Titans last week has the Chiefs sitting at 6-4 and it looks like the top seed in the AFC will go to someone else this year, which is a surprise. They travel to Los Angeles to face the Chargers this week on Monday night and could very easily lose another game, which would be crazy.
5. The LA Rams are very mediocre at best.
Life has come at the defending NFC champs very quickly this year as they’ve been a shell of the team that looked so good last year before their loss to the Patriots in the Super Bow. QB Jared Goff, who got a big payday before the start of the season, has been terrible so far. He’s been so bad that our Steven Ruiz broke down this week why the Rams might be better off trading the former No. 1 pick. Making things even more confusing is that Todd Gurley has been a non-factor in key moments of games lately. Sean McVay was labeled a genius by many last year for his offensive ways, but now the banged up offense is predictable and average, which is a deadly combination. They host the Bears on Sunday in what looks like a must-win game for both teams that had high hopes coming into the season.
Wednesday’s biggest winner: Austin Rivers.
The Houston Rockets guard begged the refs to call his dad, Clippers coach Doc Rivers, for a technical foul in the final minutes of Wednesday night’s Rockets-Clippers game… and then loved it when they did and kicked his dad out of the game. Austin Rivers said after that the ejection of his pops, who traded him in the offseason, “made my night.” Now that’s a special father/son moment.
Quick hits: Nate Diaz pays back fan… More proof that Astros cheated… Trae Young’s best shots… and more!
– UFC star Nate Diaz did something pretty great for a fan who bet on him at UFC 244.
– This new video of the Astros cheating is something else.
– Take some time and watch the seven best shots of Trae Young’s NBA career so far. They are pretty great.
– James Holzhauer and Emma Boettcher will square off again tonight on Jeopardy!, which should be pretty awesome.
– You’re going to want to check out Charles Curtis’ fantasy football studs, duds, and sleepers heading into a pivotal week of NFL action.
(Follow me on Twitter at @anezbitt. It might change your life. Just don’t tell me about your fantasy team.)
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