Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season delivered. There were several big games on the schedule this week, and pretty much every one of them was close. We had some upsets, we had close finishes, and most importantly, we had a ton of shakeups in the NFL playoff picture.

There was a lot to decipher this week, so here were my 10 biggest takeaways from Week 11 of the NFL season.

Another clutch Bo Nix moment shakes up the AFC West

I’ve made my feelings clear on Bo Nix. I think he’s a good quarterback, but he has been too inconsistent this season. However, he’s shown up in the fourth quarter when it’s mattered most, and that’s exactly what he did on Sunday.

The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs were tied at 19 with 2:05 minutes left on the clock. The Broncos faced a 3rd-and-15 situation, and it looked like they were about to hand the ball back to Kansas City with a chance to win the game. Instead, Nix found Courtland Sutton for a first down, keeping their potential game-winning drive alive.

Just a few plays later, with 0:52 left on the clock, Nix and the Broncos could’ve run the ball to force Kansas to use their final timeout. Instead, Nix dropped back and threw 30 yards downfield to Troy Franklin, who came down with a massive catch, putting Denver in field goal range and forcing KC to use their final timeout. This play eventually led to the game-winning field goal, which shook up the AFC West.

With the win, Denver improves to 9-2 and now has complete control of the AFC West. With the Chargers’ loss, they fall to 7-4, and with Kansas City’s loss, they fall to 5-5. It would be very, very difficult for anyone else to win the West after this week, unless Denver suffers some catastrophic injuries or just falls off a cliff.

The Chiefs are now the No. 9 seed in the AFC. The Texans jumped them with their win, and they’re a game behind Jacksonville, which is 6-4, for the 7-seed. Things just got much trickier for the Chiefs. Since Jacksonville has the tiebreaker over them, they now have to make up two games on Jacksonville and/or LA to make the playoffs.

The AFC West is pretty much decided as long as the Broncos don’t have a meltdown.

Sam Darnold folds in another big moment

Sam Darnold has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league over the past two seasons, but man, he really folds in big moments. After leading the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024 and throwing for 4,319 yards, Darnold choked in the playoffs. He threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, but turned it over once and could only manage to put nine points up on the board.

In his biggest game since that playoff loss, Darnold folded once again. The Los Angeles Rams made him see ghosts for the first time since his time in New York. Darnold threw for 279 yards but tied his career-worst four interceptions. Somehow, he had a chance to lead a game-winning drive, and he actually didn’t look horrible there, but it still wasn’t enough.

If I were a Seattle Seahawks fan, I’d be a bit worried. They are very obviously going to make the playoffs, but with the Rams likely winning the NFC West, they’ll likely be the No. 5 seed and have to travel to somewhere like Tampa Bay or Detroit for their first playoff game. If Darnold can’t get over his big game woes, they could be this year’s Vikings.

The Eagles’ defense is finding its stride

The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense was pretty disappointing to start the year. They gave up 20+ points in seven of their first eight games this year, but have turned on the juice when their offense has needed it most.

Over their last two games, the Eagles have given up 16 combined points to Detroit and Green Bay. Those are two offenses that are capable of putting A LOT of points on the board, and Philly has made them look utterly useless.

On Sunday night, Jared Goff was 14-for-37 for 255 yards, a touchdown, and a pick. As a team, the Lions ran the ball 21 times for 74 yards (3.5 average) and no touchdowns. The Eagles also completely shut Amon-Ra St. Brown down, allowing him to catch two passes for 42 yards.

If you told an Eagles fan they’d score 26 combined points against the Lions and Packers a few weeks ago, they’d tell you they went 0-2 over that span. This defense has completely turned it around these past two weeks, and it’s the difference in them being 8-2 and 6-4.

Also, the Lions got absolutely robbed on that pass interference call. That was AWFUL, and it cost them a chance to tie or win this game.

The Bills are totally fine

After last week’s loss to Miami, many (including myself) were worried about the Buffalo Bills. They played horribly and had no life, but the weather was weird, and after their performance this week, I’m not worried about them whatsoever.

Despite not having a true WR1, this offense is electric. Josh Allen might be the best quarterback in football. He put the team on his back today, totaling 357 yards and six total touchdowns. He did throw two interceptions, but when the team really needed him, he came through with big drive after big drive.

I know Tampa’s not fully healthy, but this is still an impressive win. Scoring 44 points on a pretty good defense and beating them by 12 points isn’t something a whole lot of teams can do. Their defense still needs to improve, but they have an offense that can outscore anyone on any given Sunday. Their consistency, or lack thereof, does scare me a bit, though.

Ummm…Chargers?

Ummm…Los Angeles. What was that?

This team was rolling. The Chargers had won four of their last five games, with their only loss coming to the Indianapolis Colts. On the other side, the Jacksonville Jaguars had lost three of their last four and were desperate for a big win. And they got it.

Los Angeles just looked lost today. I know Justin Herbert got banged up, but they couldn’t do anything offensively. They had 93 passing yards as a team, 42 rushing yards with a 2.6 average, and scored a grand total of six points.

Then, their defense, which has looked like a top-five unit in recent weeks, surrendered 35 points to one of the most inconsistent offenses in the league. They made Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten look like LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles back there.

It was just a pathetic performance for the Chargers, whom I grossly overestimated. I thought they were coming around and were ready to cement themselves as true AFC contenders, and while they’re still a very good team, today proved they’re not among the premier teams in the AFC.

I’m right about Chicago, I just can’t prove it…

I’ve been the Chicago Bears’ biggest hater this week. I thought Minnesota would expose them, but I forgot that J.J. McCarthy (AKA “Nine”) is a horrible quarterback, so I was wrong on that front. Still, I know I’m right in saying that the Bears are nowhere near as good as their 7-3 record.

The Bears have beaten the Raiders, Commanders, Bengals, Giants, and Vikings by a combined 13 points. Those teams have a combined record of 14-37. And the worst part is, they’ve had to get lucky to win most of them.

They only beat Cincinnati because the Bengals gave up a 58-yard touchdown to a tight end with under a minute to go. They only beat the Giants because Jaxson Dart got hurt. And they only beat Minnesota because their special teams folded after taking a one-point lead with under a minute to go and gave up a 56-yard return.

The Bears are three plays away from being 4-6. They are not legit contenders in the NFC. I know winning is all that matters, but once you get into the playoffs, teams aren’t just going to hand you victories like this.

Miami has the most inconsistent offense in football

I just don’t understand Miami. They are the most inconsistent offense in football. After running through Buffalo last week and scoring 30 points on their division rivals, there was absolutely no reason their offense should’ve struggled against a bad Washington defense, but they did.

Through 11 games, the Miami offense has scored 24+ six times. They have also scored 13 or fewer four times. There has been just one occasion where the Miami offense has scored between 13 and 23 points. They are either explosive and playing really well or straight-up horrible. There’s almost no in between.

What it really boils down to is how Tua Tagovailoa plays. He’s only turned the ball over twice in their four wins. In their seven losses, though, he’s turned it over 11 times. He is the most inconsistent quarterback in the NFL, and that’s why Miami should move off of him this offseason.

There’s no reason this game should’ve been close with the way their defense played. They should’ve won by two scores, but instead, it went to overtime.

Bryce Young has some guts

I’ve always been a Bryce Young fan, but his performance recently had me questioning whether he really had it in him, but games like today show that he does when he’s on. In case you missed it, Young threw for 448 yards (franchise record) and three touchdowns in the Carolina Panthers’ massive win over the Atlanta Falcons. With Tampa’s loss, they are now tied with Tampa in wins (6), but are still a game behind because they have an extra loss.

Young looked like a completely different quarterback than the past few weeks. He made some incredible throws, especially in the red zone, and just looked really comfortable. Young is potentially fighting for his job, and performances like this will only help his case.

He still needs to be much more consistent before the Panthers are confident giving him an extension, but he’s got the Panthers above .500 more than halfway through the season, which hasn’t been done in a long time. I hope he can keep this form up.

Myles Garrett is the best defensive player in the NFL

Myles Garrett has proven to be one of the best defenders in football throughout his career, but I think he’s established himself as THE best defensive player (and arguably overall player) in football.

Garrett now has 15 sacks through 10 games. He is on pace to finish the year with 25.5 sacks, which would shatter the NFL record of 22.5, set by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. Garrett now has 10 sacks in his last three games alone. To further make my point, Garrett is doing all of this while facing double teams more often than not.

When you look at Cleveland’s defensive line, outside of rookie defensive tackle Mason Graham, does anybody really scare you? The entire offensive game plan is based around stopping Garrett, and yet nobody can do it. He is the best defensive player in football, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Jacoby Brissett’s record-setting performance

While everyone was watching the Seahawks try to claw their way back into their game against the Rams, Jacoby Brissett was out here setting NFL records.

Arizona ultimately lost the game by 19, but not before Brissett set the NFL record for most completions in a single game with 47. The previous record was 45, held by Jared Goff and Drew Bledsoe. Brissett ended the game with 452 yards, two touchdowns and two picks while completing 82.5 percent of his throws.

While everyone’s eyes were on the Rams and Seahawks, Brissett was casually breaking records. He has been all the Cardinals could’ve hoped for and more in place of Kyler Murray.