Week 11 started with the Cincinnati Bengals experiencing the worst possible nightmare scenario on Thursday night.
Joe Burrow didn’t finish the game, and it was later learned he was done for the season with a wrist injury.
Burrow joins a list of other top quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Deshaun Watson) who have been shelved for the rest of the year.
On the flip side, Week 11 ended with the Philadelphia Eagles gaining a measure of revenge for their Super Bowl loss by coming from behind to beat the defending champion Chiefs in Kansas City.
In between those bookends, the Denver Broncos have emerged as the hottest team in the league right now having won four straight after a 1-5 start. They knocked off a Minnesota Vikings team that had won five straight.
With the win, the Eagles have now won four straight while the Lions, Texans and Browns are riding three-game winning streaks.
The Patriots had a bye week, and continue to try and sort out who they want as their starting quarterback going forward, whether it’s Mac Jones or someone else.
It took the Jets long enough, but they finally figured out Zach Wilson isn’t the answer.
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Here’s the Power Rankings heading into Week 12
1. Philadelphia Eagles (9-1): They flipped the script, erasing a 10-point deficit to take down the Chiefs in their Super Bowl rematch.
2. San Francisco 49ers (7-3): The Niners have righted the ship with two straight wins. Brock Purdy became the first 49er with a perfect QB rating in a full game since Joe Montana and Steve Young each did it back in 1989. Enough said.
3. Detroit Lions (8-2): They fell asleep at the wheel, and woke up just in time to avoid a crash and burn against the Bears.
4. Baltimore Ravens (8-3): They’ve played their best games against the better opponents. Some of the other top teams can’t boast that quality.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (7-3): They have a league-high 26 dropped passes. None worse than the last two passes Patrick Mahomes threw in the Monday Night showdown against the Eagles, with Marquez Valdes-Scandling dropping the possible game-winning score, and Justin Watson unable to hold onto a first down conversion on fourth down to end the game.
6. Miami Dolphins (7-3): They didn’t score their customary ton of points, turned the ball over three times and still managed to win.
7. Dallas Cowboys (7-3): Of late, they haven’t had too much trouble beating up on the bad teams. That’s certainly better than the alternative.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars (7-3): No surprise they’d have a bounce-back game after getting throttled by the Niners last week.
9. Cleveland Browns (7-3): No Deshaun Watson. No Nick Chubb, and they still found a way to win a key NFC North showdown against the Steelers.
10. Houston Texans (6-4): C.J. Stroud came crashing back to earth in a big way, throwing three picks, including two in the red zone. But the Texans still won and kept the ball rolling.
11. Buffalo Bills (6-5): They scored more than 30 points for the first time since their Oct. 1 beat down of Miami. For one game anyway, firing OC Ken Dorsey in favor of Joe Brady got the desired result.
12. Denver Broncos (5-5): Four straight wins, the last three against quality opponents. And, remember their woeful defense that surrendered 70 points to the Dolphins? They’re now a turnover-producing force.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4): It seemed like they were on borrowed time winning games with an offense that couldn’t score. The law of averages finally caught up to them.
14. Minnesota Vikings (6-5): Their five-game win streak disappeared in the altitude in Denver. Joshua Dobbs bubble burst a bit, but he’ll get more help when Justin Jefferson returns.
15. Cincinnati Bengals (5-5): They lose a key showdown against the Ravens. They remain AFC North cellar-dwellers. And for the icing on the cake, they lose Joe Burrow for the season.
16. Seattle Seahawks (6-4): They committed 12 penalties, with 130 yards assessed. That was the most yardage in the NFL this season. Say it ain’t so, Pete.
17. Indianapolis Colts (5-5): Shane Steichen’s team enjoyed a bye week on a high after putting together a modest two-game win streak.
18. LA Chargers (4-6): Brandon Staley can’t possibly survive, can he? How many more wasted years is Justin Herbert supposed to have?
19. Las Vegas Raiders (5-6): First loss on Antonio Pierce’s watch, but not for lack of effort. They’ll be interesting to watch the rest of the way.
20. New Orleans Saints (5-5): They remain the favorite to capture the NFC South, which isn’t saying much.
21. Tampa Bay Bucs (4-6): Their leading rusher gained 30 yards. Translation? Putting all the eggs in Baker Mayfield’s basket isn’t a recipe for success.
22. Green Bay Packers (4-6): Jordan Love enjoyed his first 300-yard passing game, and the first 300-yard effort for a Packers quarterback in the last 27 games.
23. LA Rams (4-6): Matthew Stafford was back, and thanks to his 35th career fourth-quarter comeback, the Rams stopped a three-game losing skid.
24. Atlanta Falcons (4-6): The one-score losses keep piling up, and so does fan unrest with head coach Arthur Smith.
25. New York Jets (4-6): Zach Wilson finally got yanked. Time for Tim Doyle to see if he can keep the Jets afloard, but they’re almost at the point where having Aaron Rodgers return won’t matter.
26. Chicago Bears (3-8): Justin Fields was back playing his first game after dislocating his right thumb Oct. 15, and played like a star. Too bad the defense didn’t hold up in the end.
27. Washington Commanders (4-7): Ron Rivera is hanging on by a threat, and even that might be generous.
28. Tennessee Titans (3-7): They’re 0-6 on the road this year, one of three teams that are winless – Arizona and Carolina the others – playing away from home
29. New York Giants (3-8): They somehow managed to pull off a win with third string quarterback Tommy DeVito being sacked nine times. Crazy.
30. Arizona Cardinals (2-9): Kyler Murray gives them a chance in every game. At this stage, that’s all you can ask for.
31. New England Patriots (2-8): Bill Belichick and Mac Jones were the primary bye week topics of conversation. Has Belichick already secured another job elsewhere? Is Jones done as the starter? The soap opera continues.
32. Carolina Panthers (1-9): Bryce Young got back on the pick-six train. Not what you’re looking for.
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