Cowboys are clicking; Patterson makes history; Jets' QB woes: 3 up, 3 down
Eleven weeks are almost in the books, with Thanksgiving football just a few days away. It's the golden time of the NFL football season.
Here's whose stock is up and down after an awesome weekend of football.
Up
The real Cowboys showed up on Sunday in Minnesota, and oh boy, they are good. The Cowboys offense looked the best it had all season with Dak Prescott under center. They scored 40 points, Prescott was 22 of 25 for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Tony Pollard continues to crush it despite splitting reps with Ezekiel Elliot — recording eight receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns while adding a team-best 80 rushing yards. Dallas' offensive line pushed and punished the Vikings defensive front to the tune of 151 yards rushing in the 40-3 drubbing.
The Cowboys defense appeared back as well. After two straight lackluster performances where the D allowed over 200 rushing yards, they held the Vikings to only 73 yards on the ground. Micah Parsons, with only four pressures the past two games, was able to regain his Defensive Player of the Year award mantle after a monster game. When he's pressuring the quarterback, the Cowboys defense is one of the best in the NFL. It's fair to wonder if we will see this Cowboys team every weekend, but if we do, they have a chance to win the NFC East and the possible top seed for the playoffs. This is the team they can be.
Special Teams, Be Special
Today was a special day for the third phase of the game, the special teams! We often focus our attention on the offense and defense, as it's easy to see on the screen and discuss what is happening. Special teams can be difficult to explain in detail, and it's often "boring" reps. A fair caught punt. A touchback. A field goal made or missed. But today, today we can discuss the special results.
A special teams' touchdown is electric and often the difference in a win. We saw that twice Sunday. The Bears were controlling the tempo and pace of their game in Atlanta. They scored to go up 17-7, and if the Falcons didn't answer, the Bears were getting the ball to open the second half. The Bears kicked the ball high into the sky and boom, the game changed.
Cordarrelle Patterson, the Falcons' electric returner and offensive weapon, returned the kickoff 103 yards for his NFL record ninth kickoff return touchdown. Patterson has exceptional speed to pair with his vision, and when he finds a seam in the kickoff coverage, he's gone. Patterson is a future Hall of Famer for his ability to turn these often routine plays into touchdown runs.
The game in New England with the visiting Jets battling the Patriots was ugly with a capital U. Things appeared headed to a 3-3 tie and overtime after 60 minutes of football. There were 25 seconds left in regulation and the Jets were punting from their own 32-yard line, with the expectation of OT upcoming. Well, Patriots punt returner Marcus Jones had other ideas. He caught the ball at his own 16-yard line, and 84 yards later he crossed the end zone for a near walk-off return touchdown. It was cool. Plain and simple. Jones won the Patriots the game.
I just wanted to remind everyone Patrick Mahomes is the best player in the NFL, and we should not let what appears to be routine throws of his not be celebrated for what they are. The Chiefs were down two key receivers entering Sunday night's game against the Chargers and then lost Kadarius Toney almost immediately after the first snap.
So the Chiefs had to use tight ends in place of those receivers. No problem. Mahomes, avoiding pressure from defenders often, diced up the Chargers defense. He threw for 329 yards, completing passes to seven options, including those three tight ends. This throw to third-stringer Jody Fortson was the best of the night. Fortson was running just a step ahead of his defender when he turned around to catch a ball that was placed directly into his hands from 30 yards away. It's a remarkable throw from a quarterback on his way to winning his second MVP.
Down
It's time for the Jets to start considering an upgrade at quarterback in 2023. They drafted Zach Wilson second overall in the 2021 draft. He started 13 games last season and played like a predictable rookie with flashes of success that could grow with continued improvement.
Through his first seven starts of 2022, those flashes have disappeared. Although his raw numbers are slightly improved from last season, he's missing on way too many opportunities that quarterbacks in their second season should convert. Also, the more attempts in a game, the more he throws the ball to the other team.
There's also nothing about his game that you'd want to build around. For reference, the Bears have built a functional offense with a far worse offensive line and receivers, around the skill set of Justin Fields, who was drafted shortly after Wilson. Trevor Lawrence, drafted directly in front of Wilson, has shown flashes of brilliance with his big arm and intelligence. These are quarterback you build around.
I know the pushback to looking for quarterback options in 2023 is Wilson was drafted second overall and should be given an opportunity to improve into Year 3. A below-average quarterback popping into anything more than average quarterback in their third season almost never happens. Yes, Josh Allen is the outlier. So it's foolish to believe Wilson is turning into Allen next season.
The Jets have an incredible defense. It's young, agile, physical and disruptive. When healthy, the Jets have a good offensive line. They have skill position players to build an offense around. What they don't have is the quarterback to help this talented team get to the postseason, and it's best to admit it now and find the solution.
The Giants have found themselves on the stock up portion of this article often this season, but it might be time to acknowledge their fast start might be over and the realization they are staring at fourth place in the NFC East soon. The Giants, despite not doing all that much well, were 7-2 heading into this weekend. They'd won all seven games by eight points or less and needed to beat the lowly Lions to keep this pace going.
Instead, the Lions routed the Giants, and now the G Men are looking at a brutal schedule to finish the season. They play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, the Eagles twice, the 8-2 Vikings and two against the now feisty Commanders. If the Giants are able to win more than one of those six games, I'd be impressed. I think it's possible the Giants are going to miss the playoffs despite starting 7-2.
Stafford's 2022 season should be over after the Rams lost in New Orleans, dropping their record to 3-7. He left the game with a head injury, and even if he's available to play the rest of the season, there's no point in his return for this campaign. The Rams offense has been awful this season, rotating with the Colts as the 32nd most efficient unit. It's a stunning drop for the Super Bowl champs. They've had injuries at offensive line, starting their 10th different unit in 10 games. Injuries to running back and wide receiver (including Cooper Kupp) have given Stafford few trustworthy target options. But even with some health on this offense, I do not think Stafford is the player he's been throughout his career.
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Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma praise the New Orleans Saints' Andy Dalton for his performance against the Los Angeles Rams.
Stafford entered this season with an angry throwing elbow, one the team claimed could be managed throughout the campaign. Well now is the time to shut him down to rest it up for 2023. Stafford is hitting career lows in yards per attempt and passing yards per game. He's been sacked at a higher rate and throwing poorly under pressure. He's just not been good and if he's beat up, now is the time to sit him down. The Rams season is finished.
Read more from Week 11:
- Cowboys flash immense potential in this season's most complete win
- Jalen Hurts’ mobility, clutch factor a reminder why Eagles are so dangerous
- Cordarrelle Patterson's record-breaking TD sparks Falcons' comeback win
- Justin Fields takes heavy toll in Bears' loss, needs to develop as a passer
- Bill Belichick turning Patriots into unlikely contender yet again
- Vikings' glaring weakness exposed in blowout loss to Cowboys
Geoff Schwartz played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. He is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffSchwartz.