Tag: Week 11

Best photos from Chiefs’ Week 11 loss to Bills at Highmark Stadium

See all the best photographs from the Kansas City #Chiefs’ Week 11 loss to the Buffalo #Bills at Highmark Stadium.

On Sunday, November 17 the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills met for a highly anticipated Week 11 matchup that may end up having huge implications on the AFC playoff picture later this year.

While the Chiefs made a signature late-game comeback attempt in Sunday’s tilt against Buffalo, it wasn’t enough to keep Josh Allen and the Bills from snapping Kansas City’s nine-game winning streak.

Buffalo dominated on both sides of the ball, exposing all of the Chiefs’ weaknesses and toppling Kansas City’s perfect season.

Despite this loss to their rivals, the standings in the AFC remain the same with the Chiefs retaining their lead over the second-place Bills.

Kansas City will have to fight to regain the momentum they built earlier in the regular season and will have a chance to earn their tenth win against the Carolina Panthers on November 24.

The Chiefs’ Week 11 performance was not without exciting moments that fans can appreciate, even after a bitter loss.

Take a look through this collection of the best photos taken at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York:

PFF: Creed Humphrey was Chiefs’ highest-graded player vs. Bills

According to Pro Football Focus, Creed Humphrey was the #Chiefs’ highest-graded player in Kansas City’s Week 11 loss to the Buffalo #Bills.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ undefeated season has officially ended after their disappointing loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

In a game where the Chiefs needed to be perfect to secure a victory, the team struggled on both sides of the ball and couldn’t seem to get out of their own way, committing unnecessary penalties and turning the ball over too many times.

Despite their imperfect performance, Kansas City’s offensive line, led by fourth-year center Creed Humphrey, did their best to counter Buffalo’s vicious pass rush.

On Monday, Pro Football Focus gave Humphrey the highest grade among Chiefs players in Sunday’s loss to the Bills with a grade of 85.9:

The former Oklahoma Sooner has been a standout on this year’s team and is ranked among the best centers in the NFL.

As Kansas City heads to Charlotte this weekend, expect Humphrey to continue his dominance against a struggling Carolina Panthers team.

Broncos PFF grades: Best, worst players from win over Falcons

Nik Bonitto (90.0) was the Broncos’ best player vs. the Falcons, followed by Quinn Meinerz (92.1) and Bo Nix (83.3). View more PFF grades.

Following the Denver Broncos‘ 38-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, Pro Football Focus has released grades for each player’s Week 11 performance.

PFF grades players on a 0 (worst) to 100 (best) scale. Check out the best and worst of Week 11 below.

Best Offensive Players 

  • G Quinn Meinerz: 92.1
  • QB Bo Nix: 83.3
  • OT Mike McGlinchey: 77.4
  • WR Devaughn Vele: 75.5
  • RB Javonte Williams: 73.8

Bo Nix had the best game of his career in a record-breaking performance. Denver has also found creative ways to get WR Marvin Mims (73.2) involved, and he ended the day with the sixth-best grade on offense.

Best Defensive Players 

  • OLB Nik Bonitto: 90.0
  • DL John Franklin-Myers: 77.4
  • DB Devon Key: 75.3
  • CB Pat Surtain: 70.1
  • DL Zach Allen: 65.6

Nik Bonitto has now topped his 2023 sack total and he’s just one sack away from the first double-digit sack season of his career. Bonitto’s nine sacks are tied for second-most in the NFL this season.

Worst Offensive Players 

  • G Ben Powers: 51.1
  • RB Jaleel McLaughlin: 54.6
  • C Luke Wattenberg: 59.0
  • TE Adam Trautman: 59.0
  • TE Lucas Krull: 59.3

Tight end needs to be a priority position for the Broncos in the offseason. Tyler Warren would be a dream draft target.

Worst Defensive Players 

  • DL Jordan Jackson: 29.5
  • LB Levelle Bailey: 41.9
  • DL Malcolm Roach: 45.7
  • OLB Jonathon Cooper: 46.3
  • CB Riley Moss: 48.2

The Cooper and Moss grades seem a bit harsh.

Special Teams 

  • ST Devon Key: 86.2
  • LS Mitchell Fraboni: 77.8
  • R Marvin Mims: 61.3
  • K Wil Lutz: 68.0 (FG) 55.2 (KO)
  • P Riley Dixon: 55.9

You can view grades for every player on the paid version of PFF’s website.

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Broncos players lined up to hug Justin Simmons after beating Falcons

Broncos players lined up to hug Justin Simmons after beating the Falcons on Sunday. Simmons also thanked fans after the game.

After the Denver Broncos defeated the Atlanta Falcons in a blowout 38-6 win over Sunday, safety Justin Simmons exchanged post-game hugs with many of his former teammates.

Romi Bean of KCNC-TV shared a 30-second video on Twitter/X showing Broncos players lining up to embrace Simmons. The video shows kicker Wil Lutz, running back Javonte Williams, cornerback Riley Moss (who Simmons called “White Lightning”), safety Devon Key and wide receiver Marvin Mims exchanging hugs after the game.

Simmons, 30, played for the Broncos from 2016-2023 before being cut earlier this year. Ahead of Sunday’s game, Simmons dropped a f-bomb on his former team during a pre-game speech. The safety probably didn’t expect cameras to pick up the audio of that pre-game huddle.

After the game, Simmons sang a different tune.

“It was emotional,” Simmons said of returning to Denver. “Obviously, I played the last eight years here. A lot of good memories and it was bittersweet. First, I’m thankful for the warm embrace with the fans and (I) got to see some of my old teammates. It stinks being on the opposite side and coming away with the loss, a bad loss at that.

“We didn’t execute nearly well enough on defense to give us a chance to win this game. That’s a credit to their offense and how they were operating. It makes the whole thing bittersweet, but I did want to say thank you to the fans and the people that I got to see. The staff that I’ve known and gotten to know the previous eight years. I am super grateful and I’m also standing up here with a heavy heart of a really tough loss.”

Simmons ended the day with five tackles, including one tackle behind the line of scrimmage. He was on the opposite end of Javonte Williams’ touchdown run in the second quarter. “I was trying to tell them this boy run hard,” Simmons told Williams after the game.

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Packers PFF grades: Best, worst players from win over Bears in Week 11

Based on grades from PFF, here are the best and worst players from the Packers’ Week 11 win over the Bears.

The Green Bay Packers overcame a red-zone turnover and the defense’s second-worst performance by overall grade this season in a dramatic but frustrating 20-19 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.

It took a miraculous special teams play from Karl Brooks to save the day.

By overall grade at Pro Football Focus, Sunday’s performance was the Packers’ best performance on offense this season. But the defense struggled across the board against a rookie quarterback and a reeling Bears offense.

Based on grades from Pro Football Focus, here are the best and worst players from the Packers’ Week 11 win over the Bears:

Top 5 offense

1. WR Christian Watson: 93.0
2. RT Zach Tom: 73.8
3. QB Jordan Love: 73.7
4. WR Jayden Reed: 73.6
5. RB Josh Jacobs: 71.5

Watson caught all four of his targets, including two contested catches, and produced a career-high 150 receiving yards. He averaged 10.0 yards per route run, an incredible number. Tom allowed only two hurries and had the team’s highest run-blocking grade along the offensive line. Love had an adjusted completion percentage of 87.5 and hit all six throws over 10 yards in the air and all eight throws under pressure. Reed caught two passes for 23 yards and a score while running only 12 routes. Jacobs forced three missed tackles, created four plays of 10 or more yards and produced a season-high 58 receiving yards.

Top 5 defense

1. DE Rashan Gary: 79.0
2. LB Eric Wilson: 69.5
3. CB Jaire Alexander: 65.9
4. LB Quay Walker: 62.6
5. LB Isaiah McDuffie: 61.0

Gary produced a team-high five pressures, including a sack and quarterback hit, plus a team-high four run stops. Wilson made a run stop and earned a solid run defense grade overall. Alexander didn’t allow a completion into his coverage over 10 snaps before exiting with an injury. Walker had two stops and a pass breakup but also missed two tackles and wasn’t effective as a blitzer or against the run. McDuffie tackled well over 21 snaps.

Bottom 5 offense

1. LG Elgton Jenkins: 48.4
2. TE Ben Sims: 50.3
3. WR Dontayvion Wicks: 53.1
4. TE Tucker Kraft: 54.4
5. WR Romeo Doubs: 56.5

Jenkins allowed two pressures, had a poor run-blocking grade and was penalized for being illegally downfield. Sims was only average as a run-blocker and didn’t have a catch over 17 snaps. Wicks ran only six routes and didn’t have a catch. Kraft ran a team-high 18 routes but didn’t have a catch. Doubs had a drop on third down.

Bottom 5 defense

1. DE Lukas Van Ness: 33.1
2. CB Keisean Nixon: 45.8
3. DE Kingsley Enagbare: 49.4
4. DL Devonte Wyatt: 49.6
5. DL Kenny Clark: 50.3

Van Ness played 25 snaps, including 10 as a pass-rusher, but didn’t have a tackle and managed just one hurry while also committing a penalty. Nixon allowed three catches for 39 yards and missed a tackle. Enagbare had three pressures, but he also missed a sack and struggled against the run. Wyatt missed a tackle and didn’t have a pressure over 35 mostly impactless snaps. Clark didn’t have a pressure for the third straight game.

Special teams

Karl Brooks blocked the field goal to win the game and earned an elite 93.5 special teams grade. Edgerrin Cooper and Corey Ballentine both had tackles covering kicks. The Packers didn’t have a special teams penalty. Brandon McManus made two extra points. Daniel Whelan’s lone punt was a 47-yarder inside the 10-yard line.

Quarterback play

Jordan Love: 73.7

Love sailed a throw to Tucker Kraft for a turnover, but he also hit both of his attempt over 20 yards and all six of his passes over 10 yards, completed 8-of-8 passes under pressure, scrambled three times, averaged 15.4 yards per attempt and had an adjusted completion percentage of 87.5. He threw one pass away and had one pass dropped. The turnover was bad. The rest was really good. Love’s general accuracy and mobility were great signs moving forward.

Stat to know

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams completed 20 of 26 passes when kept clean, and 22 of his 31 attempts came on passes under 10 yards. The Bears threw quick and short effectively, and the Packers struggled to find answers. When kept clean, Williams averaged only 2.35 seconds to throw the football.

Good, bad and ugly from Packers’ 20-19 win over Bears in Week 11

The good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ 20-19 win over the Bears in Week 11.

The Green Bay Packers scored a touchdown on their opening possession and final possession of Sunday’s back-and-forth showdown with the Chicago Bears, but it still took a blocked field goal from Karl Brooks to secure a 20-19 win over their NFC North rivals at Soldier Field.

The dramatic finish — Brooks got a few fingers on Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field goal attempt as time expired — sent the Packers to an 11th straight win over the Bears, a record streak in the rivalry.

Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly coming out of the Packers’ loss to the Lions:

The Good

Christian Watson and Josh Jacobs: The pair combined for 284 yards and five explosive plays. Watson produced a career-high 150 receiving yards, including catches of 27 yards and 60 yards setting up touchdowns. He also had a conversion on third-and-long and a contested catch downfield for 48 yards. Jacobs was once again productive, turning 21 touches into 134 total yards and a score. The veteran running back had a season-high 58 receiving yards, including two catches over 20 yards. Jacobs has six straight games with 90 or more total yards and three straight with 100 or more.

Karl Brooks: What a play to save the day. The 2023 sixth-round pick fired off the ball, beat his block and got just enough of the ball to kill the field goal attempt as time expired. It could be a season-changing play. The difference between 7-3 and 6-4 with a 0-3 mark in the NFC North is huge.

The Bad

Another Jordan Love interception: Make it eight games in a row with an interception for Love, who sailed a throw to Tucker Kraft on third down in the red zone. It was his worst throw of the day by a substantial margin, but it was a huge turning point in the game. Instead of the Packers taking a 10-3 or even 14-3 lead, Love threw a pick inside the 20-yard line, and the Bears proceeded to march down the field and take the lead before the half.

Red zone: While the Packers scored three touchdowns inside the 20, they also had two empty red-zone trips and a failed a two-point conversion. Love threw a pick inside the 20 in the first half, and the Packers also had a turnover on downs from the 6-yard line in the second half. The two-point attempt had no chance but got stuffed. The Packers are still leaving way too many points on the field each week.

The Ugly

Third and fourth down defense: The Packers could not get off the field. The Bears converted nine third downs and three fourth downs on their way to a commanding advantage in plays run (68-43) and time of possession (36:21-23:39). Caleb Williams twice scrambled for first downs on third-and-long, out-running Edgerrin Cooper to the corner each time. Quay Walker had a chance to end two different drives and failed on tackles in big spots. On every Bears scoring drive, the Packers allowed multiple third or fourth down conversions. And on the final drive, the Packers had the Bears backed up at 3rd-and-20 but allowed a conversion — opening the door for the late dramatics on the field goal. It should have never come down to a blocked field goal.

5 takeaways from Broncos’ 38-6 win over Falcons on Sunday

The Denver Broncos took care of business against the Atlanta Falcons with a 38-6 win on Sunday. Here are the key takeaways from the win.

The Denver Broncos (6-5) took care of business against the Atlanta Falcons (6-5) on Sunday afternoon with a convincing 38-6 victory at home. Here are five quick takeaways from the win.

1. Alex Forsyth bounced back: After not holding up in protection on the team’s crucial blocked field goal last week, Broncos lineman Alex Forsyth was moved from the “tight end” position to the “wing” spot for Denver’s kicks against the Falcons. The switch — and Forsyth’s resilience — paid off as kicker Wil Lutz went 6-of-6 on his kicks against Atlanta.

2. Perhaps Audric Estime isn’t the new RB1: After the rookie dominated the backfield touches last week, we assumed Audric Estime might be the Broncos’ new starting running back going forward. Instead, Javonte Williams was back to leading the team in carries (nine) and rushing yards (59) on Sunday. Jaleel McLaughlin (4/19) and Estime (6/16) mixed in. Denver’s staff seems poised to take a “hot hand” approach for the RB rotation.

3. Bo Nix has arrived: What a performance! Nix went 28-of-33 passing (84.8%) despite multiple drops from his receivers. Nix also posted career highs in passing yards (307) and passing touchdowns (four) before being replaced by Jarrett Stidham in the fourth quarter when the game was decided. Nix has shown incredible improvement from earlier this season and the Broncos appear to have found their new franchise quarterback.

4. Sean Payton swept NFC South: Following the 38-6 win over the Falcons, Denver is now 4-0 against coach Sean Payton’s old division. Earlier this year, the Broncos beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (26-7), New Orleans Saints (33-10) and Carolina Panthers (28-14).

5. Broncos hit the over: Eleven games into the 2024 season, Denver has hit the over on their over/under line of 5.5 wins established by oddsmakers before the season. The Broncos now have six victories under their belt with six games remaining this fall. Up next is a home game against the Las Vegas Raiders (2-8) in Week 12.

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Chiefs TE Noah Gray isn’t celebrating career game after Week 11 loss: ‘Doesn’t really matter’

Kansas City #Chiefs tight end Noah Gray isn’t celebrating career game after Week 11 loss: ‘Doesn’t really matter’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray was a prime target for Patrick Mahomes in Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. In his postgame press conference, Gray explained to reporters that his accolades were second to the team’s success.

“I mean, it doesn’t really matter because the only thing I think that does matter is the win, but that was a great Buffalo team out there. Played us extremely hard.” said Gray. “All the guys on our side played extremely hard and grind it out from the O-Line receivers to Pat (Patrick Mahomes). Yeah, and, unfortunately, we lost, but you know, that was a really good Buffalo team, and unfortunate that we lost, but we’re looking forward to next week.”

In the first half, on a third-and-two, Patrick Mahomes found Gray for a two-yard touchdown reception to give the Chiefs the lead, 14-13. Gray caught a one-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to pull the Chiefs within two of the Bills, 23-21.

The scores marked Gray’s first touchdowns this season, registering his first-career multi-touchdown performance. His two touchdown receptions on the season match his single-season career high from the 2023 season. He ended the night by tying a single-game career-high with four receptions for 23 yards and two touchdowns.

7 players did not play in Broncos’ game against Falcons

The Broncos held out seven players from Sunday’s game against the Falcons.

Seven members of the 53-man roster did not play in the Denver Broncos‘ big 38-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon.

Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson*, safety Brandon Jones (abdomen), cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, offensive tackle Frank Crum, offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton, tight end Greg Dulcich and defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike were inactive in Week 11.

*Wilson was inactive but still dressed as an emergency third quarterback.

Outside of the inactive players, everyone else on the active roster saw the field on Sunday. Jarrett Stidham, Denver’s primary backup quarterback, entered the game in the fourth quarter, marking just the second time he has appeared in a game this season.

Broncos who did not play in Week 11

  1. QB Zach Wilson (*emergency third QB)
  2. DB Brandon Jones (abdomen)
  3. CB Kris Abrams-Draine
  4. OT Frank Crum
  5. OL Calvin Throckmorton
  6. TE Greg Dulcich
  7. DL Eyioma Uwazurike

Up next for Denver is a home against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12.

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Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes reacts to first loss of the season: ‘You can use it as fuel’

Kansas City #Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes reacts to first loss of the season: ‘You can use it as fuel’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs are no longer undefeated, but that wasn’t the goal, says quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who addresses reporters during Sunday’s postgame press conference.

“You can use it as fuel. I mean, like I said, it’s a good football team, so nothing to hang your head out head on losing to them, but we feel like we can play better,” said Mahomes. “So we’ll get back to work and try to use this as a spark so that we can be a better football team in the end. The undefeated thing was cool, but that’s not our ultimate goal. So we’ll keep building towards that.”

Mahomes began the game with an interception but settled down to throw three consecutive touchdown passes. He threw his second on fourth down of the Chief’s last drive as he faced constant defensive coverage downfield. The loss was crushing but not nearly as bad as their last defeat on Christmas the previous season, according to the reigning Super Bowl MVP.

“No, not in a sense,” said Mahomes. “I mean, you hope you have the same result to end it, I’ll say that, but at the end of the day, that’s a really good football team. It’s gonna take your best football to beat great football teams. And we didn’t play our best football today, and they went out there and beat us. That’s how it rolls in the NFL, so I give them all the respect. That’s gonna be a good football team that we’ll probably see again.”

The Bills are only a half-game behind the Chiefs for the top seed in the AFC, adding more fuel to their reasons to finish the year strong and hold on to the coveted first-round bye in the postseason.