Tag: Week 11

Steelers safety fined for late hit in Week 11 matchup against Ravens

Minkah Fitzpatrick received a surprising fine for a Week 11 late hit, despite not being penalized during the game.

The NFL is apparently content with adding salt to the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ proverbial wound that was opened in the Week 12 loss on Thursday Night Football to the Cleveland Browns.

Steelers free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has been the subject of recent discussion over his lack of splash plays in 2024, was fined $11,255 for his late hit on the Ravens in Week 11.

The fine is surprising, as it apparently stems from Fitzpatrick and Ravens’ Patrick Mekari’s scuffle following a Baltimore fumble.

Mekari was the only player flagged on the play, but Fitzpatrick is seemingly the only one being fined for the altercation


Fitzpatrick likely has bigger concerns than the fine, such as preparing his secondary for Week 13’s contest against the Cincinnati Bengals‘ prolific passing attack led by QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja’Marr Chase. Fitzpatrick will also continue striving for his first interception of the 2024 season, and Week 13 in Cincinnati would be the perfect place to start.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Bills-Chiefs draws huge numbers during Week 11 clash

Bills-Chiefs draws huge numbers during Week 11 clash

The Week 11 AFC showdown between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs drew the biggest television audience for an NFL regular season game in 17 years, not including holiday games.

According to USA Today, the 4:25 PM EST kickoff on CBS garnered 31.2 million viewers.

It’s the most viewers for a regular season game since 2007 when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots went toe-to-toe with Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. Both of those teams were 8-0. 

17 years later, the world got the new version of the Brady-Manning rivalry with Josh Allen’s Bills facing Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs. The Chiefs entered the game 9-0 while the Bills were 8-2.

With the Bills win, Allen and Mahomes are now 4-4 against each other, with many close games, monumental moments, and highlight-reel plays. The NFL would be happy with the TV ratings if these teams met again in the playoffs this season.

CBS also recorded its biggest regional window audience since 1992 in Week 11, attracting 19.8 million viewers for the Ravens-Steelers matchup.

Safe to say it was a great day for the NFL and its fans.

WATCH: Bills’ Von Miller mic’d up in win vs. Chiefs

WATCH: Bills’ Von Miller mic’d up in win vs. Chiefs

The Buffalo Bills put their hat in the ring for the best team in the AFC with their Week 11 win over the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.

A big reason for the 30-21 win was the constant pressure put on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes by the Bills’ pass rush. Von Miller recorded a sack on a third down, his fourth sack in just six games played this year.

Luckily for fans, Miller was “mic’d” up in the win.

Hear from the veteran pass rusher in the YouTube player below:

One year ago today, the Steelers offense changed forever

One year ago, the Steelers fired OC Matt Canada, starting a journey to rebuild their offense and achieve success under OC Arthur Smith.

One year ago today, fans of the Black and Gold danced in the streets of Pittsburgh, and excitement could be seen on the face of every member of the Steelers organization. On November 21, 2023, the Pittsburgh Steelers fired OC Matt Canada.

Under Canada’s 2023 offensive scheme, through his eleven games that season, the Steelers’ offense posted five games with 17 points or less. His last game as offensive coordinator came in Week 11, following a mere 10 points scored against the Cleveland Browns.

While it took some time, the Steelers would score 34 points against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16 and 30 points against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17.

While fans were forced to play the blame game between then-starting QB Kenny Pickett, backup QB Mitchell Trubisky, and former OC Matt Canada, the offense improved to 19.7 points per game without Canada calling the plays.

Ultimately, one year ago today marked the beginning of the journey to solving the Steelers’ offensive issues and resulted in an impressive offense led by OC Arthur Smith and QB Russell Wilson.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Chiefs newcomer showed outstanding hustle on standout play vs. Bills

#Chiefs punter Matt Araiza showed outstanding hustle on this standout play against the #Bills in Week 11.

The Kansas City Chiefs saw their perfect season end on Sunday in a disappointing loss to the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.

Though the Chiefs are expected to bounce back against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12, the Kansas City Star’s Jesse Newell was still fixated on the team’s performance in Buffalo this week.

In his re-watch of the Chiefs’ Week 11 loss, Newell noticed an outstanding play by punter Matt Araiza, which was a bright spot in an otherwise forgettable defeat.

Check out this video of Araiza’s incredible effort after booting a long punt, which was posted to Twitter by Newell this week:

Araiza is in his first season with Kansas City and was signed to replace two-time Super Bowl champion Tommy Townsend on Dave Toub’s special teams unit.

Though fans generally hope they don’t have to see Araiza on the field, they can look forward to more hustle plays like this when the Chiefs travel to Carolina this weekend.

All 32 NFL quarterbacks (including Bo Nix) ranked by Total QBR

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has a Total QBR rating of 55.3 through 11 weeks. He ranks 20th in the NFL.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix posted a Total QBR rating of 75.5 in the team’s 38-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons last week, bringing his season-long Total QBR average to 55.3.

That’s a slight improvement from last week’s rating (54.4), but Nix’s rank among starting QBs is unchanged from last week (No. 20).

Nix’s traditional passer rating this season is 89.3, which ranks 21st.

Unlike a traditional passer rating, the Total QBR “incorporates all of a quarterback’s contributions to winning, including how he impacts the game on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties,” according to ESPN.

The metric takes into account scenarios that a traditional passer rating overlooks and considers “a team’s level of success or failure on every play to provide the proper context and then allocates credit to the quarterback and his teammate to produce a clearer measure of quarterback efficiency.”

With that context in mind, here’s a look at how Nix stacks up against the NFL’s other starting quarterbacks this fall.

NFL QBs ranked by Total QBR after Week 11

  1. Joe Burrow: 76.1
  2. Lamar Jackson: 75.0
  3. Kyler Murray: 74.9
  4. Josh Allen: 72.7
  5. Jayden Daniels: 67.6
  6. Brock Purdy: 67.4
  7. Patrick Mahomes: 67.0
  8. Derek Carr: 62.1
  9. Jalen Hurts: 62.0
  10. Matthew Stafford: 60.6
  11. Tua Tagovailoa: 60.4
  12. Drake Maye: 59.6
  13. Jared Goff: 59.4
  14. Jordan Love: 59.3
  15. Kirk Cousins: 56.3
  16. Justin Herbert: 56.3
  17. Baker Mayfield: 56.2
  18. Sam Darnold: 55.7
  19. Geno Smith: 55.4
  20. Bo Nix: 55.3
  21. C.J. Stroud: 54.4
  22. Aaron Rodgers: 51.0
  23. Jameis Winston: 61.0
  24. Russell Wilson: 59.5
  25. Anthony Richardson: 45.9
  26. Caleb Williams: 44.5
  27. Gardner Minshew: 39.1
  28. Will Levis: 32.6
  29. Bryce Young: 32.5
  30. Cooper Rush: 28.4
  31. Mac Jones: 17.7
  32. Drew Lock: 8.7

Nix and Co. will go on the road to face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Why Justin Fields is the Steelers’ X-factor heading into Week 12’s TNF

The Justin Fields package helped secure a Week 11 win for the Steelers and could play a major role against Cleveland’s defense in Week 12.

While it can be argued that too much blame is being placed on Russell Wilson’s shoulders for the Steelers’ Week 11 offensive struggles, one key takeaway from Pittsburgh’s offense remains: the ‘Justin Fields package‘ was immaculate.

The Fields rushing package has been teased since the Steelers traded for the former Bears QB, and it finally came to fruition in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Steelers brought Fields in for a QB power play and two QB-RB options that helped seal the Week 11 victory for Pittsburgh. In Week 12, facing a relentless Cleveland pass rush led by 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, the Steelers may be forced to rely on the Fields package as the focal point of the rushing attack.

Fields isn’t just a running QB; he can also sling it deep if the game script calls for it, and this versatility could prove to be Cleveland’s downfall in the upcoming Thursday Night Football game.

Will Steelers OC Arthur Smith utilize both Wilson’s and Fields’ greatest strengths in unison? Between Wilson’s ‘moon ball’ and Fields’ speed, not many defenses in the league can prepare for this offensive tandem.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Mike Tomlin ecstatic Baltimore let Patrick Queen hit free agency

Mike Tomlin shares his thoughts on Patrick Queen following the Steelers’ Week 11 win, highlighting his value to the team.

In the post-game press conference following the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 11 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked his opinion on former Raven and current Steelers LB Patrick Queen. Tomlin kept it short and sweet, explaining: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Man, I am glad he is on our team.”

Queen, who left Baltimore after the team allowed him to hit free agency in the 2024 offseason, had a fantastic outing against the Ravens, providing much-needed run support against the one of the best rushing offenses in the NFL.

Heading into Week 11, much discussion surrounded Queen’s potential in the revenge game against his former team, and the Steelers LB did not disappoint.

While Queen had his ups and downs to start the season, no one can deny the consecutive elite performances he delivered in Weeks 10 and 11.

Queen will look to keep his red-hot momentum rolling as his team faces a short week due to the Cleveland Browns in Week 12’s Thursday Night Football game.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Mike Tomlin spares no feelings regarding Russell Wilson’s Week 11 INT

Mike Tomlin addresses Russell Wilson’s costly interception in Week 11 as the Steelers prepare for Thursday Night Football against Cleveland.

While Russell Wilson has led the Steelers to four consecutive victories in each of his past four starts, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was unimpressed with one specific play from Week 11 against Baltimore.

The offense was struggling to score touchdowns against a stingy Ravens defense, and Wilson almost made a spectacular touchdown pass to TE Darnell Washington.

Wilson escaped pressure, scrambled to his right, and threw up a jump ball to the 6’7″ dynamic tight end in the end zone, but Washington watched it fly past his head and into the arms of Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey.

While the blame game was to be expected, Tomlin wasted no time letting everyone know who he believes was at fault: “I just wish Russ hadn’t thrown it.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers brought Wilson in to make plays for their offense, and Tomlin shouldn’t be surprised nor discourage Wilson’s willingness to take these risks.

Tomlin and the Wilson-led Steelers offense will look to get back on track against the Cleveland Browns on, Thursday Night Football, on November 21st at 8:15 PM EST.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Broncos could get reinforcements from injured reserve this week

The Broncos have several players eligible to return from injured reserve and the physically unable to perform list this week.

Reinforcements could be on the way for the Denver Broncos this week.

Broncos wide receiver Josh Reynolds (finger) and running back Tyler Badie (back) are both eligible to return from IR, and safety Delarrin Turner-Yell (ACL) and linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) are eligible to return from the physically unable to perform list.

This afternoon is the deadline for Turner-Yell to be activated to the 53-man roster. If he is not activated, DTY will spend the rest of the season on reserve. Sanders has one more week remaining on his 21-day window to return.

Here’s a look at the team’s IR/PUP players going into Week 12.

Broncos eligible to return from IR/PUP

  1. LB Drew Sanders: Eligible to return since Week 5
  2. DB Delarrin Turner-Yell: Eligible to return since Week 5
  3. RB Tyler Badie: Eligible to return since Week 9
  4. WR Josh Reynolds: Eligible to return since Week 10

The Broncos also have two players — linebacker Alex Singleton (ACL) and offensive lineman Quinn Bailey (ankle) — who are on season-ending IR.

Broncos on season-ending injured reserve

  1. LB Alex Singleton: Out for season
  2. OL Quinn Bailey: Out for season

Denver linebacker Kwon Alexander and fullback Michael Burton are also out of practice squad elevations, and they seem likely to end up back on the 53-man roster at some point this season. The Broncos will have to make some tough decisions to make room for returning players in the coming weeks.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]