If you thought the middle of November would be a quiet stretch for the league, you clearly weren't watching the week 11 nfl football games. Honestly, this was the week where the "pretenders" finally got shown the door. It wasn't just about the wins and losses; it was about the way the power structure of the AFC West shifted and how the NFC North remains the most chaotic division in professional sports.
Remember how everyone was crowning the Chiefs? That's over. For now, anyway.
Between a historic debut in Madrid and a Sunday night defensive clinic in Philly, Week 11 gave us more clarity—and more questions—than any other weekend this season. If you missed the action between November 13th and 17th, you missed the moment the 2025 season actually started to make sense.
The Madrid Experiment and Morning Football
The week started with a bit of a weird one. We didn't just have a standard 1:00 PM ET slate; we had a 9:30 AM ET kickoff because the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders were busy making history at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain.
It was the first-ever regular-season game in Spain. And honestly? It lived up to the hype.
Miami walked away with a tight 16-13 win, largely thanks to De'Von Achane finding gaps in a Washington defense that is clearly missing some of its early-season spark. The Commanders have been fading lately, and playing without a fully healthy Jayden Daniels (who has been dealing with lingering rib issues) showed. Madrid fans got a defensive slugfest, which might not have been what the NFL marketing team wanted for their Spanish debut, but it was pure, grit-filled football.
That Massive AFC West Power Shift
If you’ve been following the AFC West for the last decade, you know it's basically been the Patrick Mahomes Invitational. Not this year. The Denver Broncos hosted the Kansas City Chiefs in what was essentially a "changing of the guard" game.
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Denver came in at 8-2, and Kansas City was sitting at a vulnerable 5-4.
The game was a defensive masterclass by Sean Payton’s squad. They sacked Mahomes three times and held Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy to a combined 63 yards. While Travis Kelce still got his (9 catches for 91 yards and a score), the Broncos relied on a last-second field goal from Will Lutz to secure a 22-19 victory.
What most people get wrong about the 2025 Broncos is thinking they’re just "getting lucky." They aren't. Bo Nix led his seventh game-winning drive of the season in this one. That’s a real stat. Denver now has a commanding lead in the division, and for the first time in the Mahomes-Reid era, it looks like the road to the Super Bowl won’t go through Arrowhead.
Sunday Night slugfest: Lions vs. Eagles
The marquee matchup of the week 11 nfl football games was undoubtedly the Sunday Night Football clash at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) vs. the Detroit Lions (6-3).
This was a "reputation game" for Detroit. Could they go outdoors, into a hostile environment, and beat a heavyweight?
Well, the answer was... almost.
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The Eagles won 16-9. If that score sounds familiar, it's because Philly has been winning these ugly, low-scoring games all year. They’re basically the 2024 Chiefs—the offense isn't firing on all cylinders, but the defense is terrifying. Saquon Barkley was held to 83 yards, which is "quiet" by his standards, while Jared Goff struggled against an Eagles pass rush that finally looked like the elite unit fans expected.
Quick Hits from the 1:00 PM Slate
- Buffalo Bills 44, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 32: Josh Allen had a six-touchdown day. Just absolute insanity. There were 10 lead changes in this game before Buffalo finally pulled away.
- Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Cincinnati Bengals 12: The "Unc Bowl" between Aaron Rodgers (filling in for the injured Joe Burrow) and Joe Flacco was a blowout. Pittsburgh's defense is just too much for this version of the Bengals.
- Chicago Bears 19, Minnesota Vikings 17: Caleb Williams didn't have huge numbers (193 yards), but he didn't turn the ball over. The Bears are now 5-1 in one-score games. That’s not a fluke; that’s a culture shift under Matt Eberflus.
The NFC West is a Total Mess (In a Good Way)
You can’t talk about Week 11 without mentioning the absolute chaos in the NFC West.
The San Francisco 49ers went into Arizona and absolutely demolished the Cardinals 41-22. Christian McCaffrey looked like his old self, racking up 81 yards on the ground and proving that when the Niners are healthy, they are still the "big bad" of the NFC.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams survived a scare against the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle’s Sam Darnold had a nightmare afternoon, throwing four interceptions. The Rams won 21-19, but it was closer than it should have been.
This leaves the Rams at 8-2 and the Niners at 7-4. Every single divisional game in the West for the rest of the season is going to feel like a playoff game.
What This Means for Your Roster and Your Bets
Look, we’re deep enough into the season that "small sample sizes" don't exist anymore.
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If you’re looking at the week 11 nfl football games as a predictor for the postseason, you have to look at the trenches. The teams that dominated this week—the Broncos, Eagles, and Bills—did it because their offensive and defensive lines controlled the pace.
The Titans are in trouble. Calvin Ridley suffered a broken fibula in their loss to the Texans, and he's out for the season. If you’re a fantasy manager, it’s time to look at Nick Westbrook-Ikhine or perhaps some deep-league waiver wire adds in Houston, as Tank Dell and Nico Collins are basically the only show in town there now.
Actionable Insights for Week 12 and Beyond:
- Stop betting against the Broncos at home: The altitude is one thing, but that defense is playing with a level of aggression we haven't seen in Denver since the No Fly Zone days.
- Sell high on the Vikings: Their offense is starting to look predictable, and Sam Darnold’s turnover issues from his early career are starting to creep back in.
- The "Under" is your friend in Philly: Until Jalen Hurts and the receivers find their rhythm, the Eagles are going to keep winning 16-10 or 17-13.
- Watch the injury reports in Detroit: Dan Campbell taking over play-calling duties helped the Lions' rhythm, but they need to find a way to score in the red zone against elite defenses if they want to represent the NFC in February.
Week 11 was the week the pretenders fell off. The Colts and Saints were on bye, and honestly, they probably enjoyed the week off more than the teams that had to grind out wins in the mud. As we head into the Thanksgiving stretch, the path to the Super Bowl is finally starting to clear up.
For your next move, track the injury status of the Niners' secondary. They looked great against Arizona, but with a tough stretch coming up, any weakness there will be exploited by the high-flying offenses in the NFC. Keep an eye on the waiver wire for backup RBs in Buffalo too; James Cook is the man, but with that many touches, depth will be key for their January run.