NFL THIS WEEK

WEEK 11

Week 11 began with an outburst when Cleveland beat rival Pittsburgh 21-7 on Thursday night. The game unraveled in the final seconds with a fight triggered by a takedown of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph by Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. Garrett ripped off Rudolph’s helmet and smacked him in the head with it. On Friday the NFL suspended him for at least the rest of the season, the longest ban in league history for a single on-field infraction. The Browns (4-6) will try to salvage their season without Garrett, perhaps their best defensive player. The Steelers (5-5) had a four-game winning streak stopped, with Rudolph throwing four interceptions.

Green Bay (8-2), Seattle (8-2), Tennessee (5-5) and the New York Giants (2-8) have bye weeks.

ATLANTA (2-7) AT CAROLINA (5-4)

Christian McCaffrey has carried Carolina all season, not only on the ground but through the air. With four catches against Atlanta on Sunday, he would pass LaDainian Tomlinson for the most by a running back in his first three years in the NFL. The Panthers must face their nemesis Matt Ryan, who is 6-1 in his last seven starts against the NFC South rival.

Ryan and the Falcons showed some fight with one of the most surprising outcomes in the league this season, a 26-9 victory over New Orleans that snapped a six-game losing streak for the Falcons.

BUFFALO (6-3) AT MIAMI (2-7)

So much for that assumption the Dolphins were tanking this season to get the top draft pick. They’ve suddenly won two straight games.

“We’ve got two more wins than the rest of the world thought we were going to have this year, so that’s pretty cool,” defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said.

Miami totaled 381 yards against Buffalo in the previous meeting, the most allowed by the Bills this year. Despite losses in two of their last three games, with a win they would post their best 10-game mark since 1999. The combined record of the opponents in Buffalo’s six victories is 12-44.

DENVER (3-6) AT MINNESOTA (7-3)

The Vikings, coming off a critical victory at Dallas fueled again by running back Dalvin Cook, have a prime opportunity to match their win total from last year against the struggling Broncos before taking their bye week. They’re 4-0 at home this year and 22-7 at U.S. Bank Stadium in the regular season and the playoffs. Their pass rush and the crowd noise have proved a daunting combination for opponents, particularly with inexperienced quarterbacks like Denver fill-in Brandon Allen.

Allen performed admirably in his first start for Joe Flacco, when the Broncos last played before their bye and beat Cleveland, passing for two touchdowns without a turnover. Though Denver has dropped from 10th in the league last season in sacks per pass attempt to 22nd this year — Bradley Chubb is on injured reserve, like Flacco — the Broncos still have a capable defense that could create challenges for quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Vikings. Denver has allowed an average of 18.9 points a game, seventh fewest in the NFL.

JACKSONVILLE (4-5) AT INDIANAPOLIS (5-4)

After breaking his collarbone in the season opener, Nick Foles will finally take over again at quarterback for a Jaguars team that could use a spark after a 23-point loss in London to Houston before the bye week. Not only does Foles conveniently return in a division game that’s a must to win if Jacksonville is to have a chance to remain in contention, but he will do so with his former offensive coordinator on the other side.

Colts coach Frank Reich was one of his mentors in Philadelphia, when Foles took over two seasons ago and helped lead the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title. Reich’s current team has lost two straight games since quarterback Jacoby Brissett hurt his knee. He’s expected to reclaim his starting spot Sunday.

NEW YORK JETS (2-7) AT WASHINGTON (1-8)

Here’s a sign of progress for the Jets: Quarterback Sam Darnold, in last week’s win over the Giants, was not picked off for the first time since the season opener. Darnold threw nine interceptions over his other four starts this year.

Washington has lost three straight games, after the only win came against another struggling team in Miami. The Redskins haven’t scored a touchdown during the losing streak, either. They have just 45 points over their last six games.

ARIZONA (3-6-1)

AT SAN FRANCISCO (8-1)

There are no undefeated teams left. The 49ers squandered several opportunities last week against Seattle and lost in overtime amid a growing list of injuries on their offense. Fortunately for them, they’ll host a Cardinals team on a three-game losing streak.

Arizona is second-to-last in the league in scoring and total defense, with at least 21 points allowed in all 10 games.

CINCINNATI (0-9) AT OAKLAND (5-4)

There is one winless team remaining, with a reeling Bengals squad under rookie coach Zac Taylor having turned to rookie Ryan Finley at quarterback. One more loss would match the franchise record for the worst start to a season, established in 1993.

The Raiders have rather quietly worked their way into contention in the AFC, seeking to move two games above the .500 mark since they started 2-0 in 2017. The Raiders have a league-leading 13 touchdowns by rookies this year, led by running back Josh Jacobs.

NEW ENGLAND (8-1) AT PHILADELPHIA (5-4)

Two of the last five times these teams faced each other came in the Super Bowl, with the memory of Feb. 4, 2018, in Minneapolis still fresh for both sides. That’s when the Eagles scored the go-ahead touchdown with 2:21 left, recovered a fumble by Tom Brady with a sack on the next possession for the Patriots, and posted a 41-33 victory that ended with a disconsolate Brady sitting down on the U.S. Bank Stadium turf following a desperation incompletion on the final play.

Brady said he’s still carrying “a lot of mental scar tissue” from that game, even though the Patriots rebounded to become the most recent NFL champions a year ago. They had their bye week to recuperate from their only loss this season, to the Ravens, and they’ll send a smothering defense with several all-time records in range out to try to make the afternoon rough for Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. The Patriots have allowed only 10.9 points and 249.3 yards per game. Wentz, who was injured prior to the 2017 playoffs and watched Foles lead the Eagles to the franchise’s first Super Bowl win, has helped the Eagles tie the Cowboys for first place in the NFC East with two consecutive victories.

CHICAGO (4-5)

AT LOS ANGELES RAMS (5-4)

The Bears broke a four-game losing streak last week by beating Detroit behind three touchdown passes thrown by Mitch Trubisky that gave an ailing offense some life. There are still many issues to be ironed out for a team facing as daunting of a second-half schedule as any in the league, but the defense that fueled a 15-6 victory over the Rams near the end of last season by holding them without a touchdown for the first time in 30 games under coach Sean McVay remains a strength.

The Rams, fortunately, can stop other teams, too, because their once-potent attack has been stymied often this year. Since the beginning of the 2018 season, the Bears and Rams have seven defensive touchdowns apiece, tied for second in the NFL behind Baltimore. The Rams have limited their last four opponents to a total of 57 points, as the defense produced nine points all by itself last week in a loss to Pittsburgh.

KANSAS CITY (6-4) AT LA CHARGERS (4-6)

This AFC West matchup moves to Mexico City for an international Monday night affair at Azteca Stadium, where heavy rain and heavy use last year left the grass unfit for NFL competition and forced a Chiefs-Rams game to be relocated to Los Angeles. The Chargers still have hope of climbing back into the chase for the division title, sitting two games behind the first-place Chiefs with the Raiders in between.

The Chiefs had quarterback Patrick Mahomes back from a knee injury last week, though they didn’t welcome him back with a win despite holding a nine-point lead midway through the fourth quarter at Tennessee. Mahomes has 8,007 career passing yards, the most through 25 starts in NFL history.