The meeting between the Seattle Seahawks and hometown Rams in Los Angeles promised a shootout for the NFC West crown, as well as the MVP crown, but it was the defenses that showed out.

It was a similar story elsewhere, where the Denver Broncos tightened their grip on the AFC West, and the Philadelphia Eagles D continued its dominance by throttling Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions. By contrast, Josh Allen reminded us why he’s the best quarterback in the NFL in an all-out offensive head-to-head with Tampa Bay.

Here’s what happened in Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season.

WEEK 11 SCORES
(to Sunday 17^th November)

Thursday

(2-8) New York Jets 14 @ 27 New England Patriots (9-2)

Sunday:

(3-8) Washington Commanders 13 @ 16 Miami Dolphins (4-7) (Madrid)

(2-9) New York Giants 20 @ 27 Green Bay Packers (6-3-1)

(1-9) Tennessee Titans 13 @ 16 Houston Texans (5-5)

(3-7) Atlanta Falcons 27 @ 30 Carolina Panthers (6-5) OT

(7-3) Chicago Bears 19 @ 17 Minnesota Vikings (4-6)

(7-4) Los Angeles Chargers 6 @ 35 Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4)

(6-4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers 32 @ 44 Buffalo Bills (7-3)

(3-7) Cincinnati Bengals 12 @ 34 Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)

(7-4) San Francisco 49ers 41 @ 22 Arizona Cardinals (3-7)

(7-3) Seattle Seahawks 19 @ 21 Los Angeles Rams (8-2)

(5-5) Kansas City Chiefs 19 @ 21 Denver Broncos (9-2)

(5-5) Baltimore Ravens 23 @ 16 Cleveland Browns (2-8)

(6-4) Detroit Lions 9 @ 16 Philadelphia Eagles (8-2)

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GAME OF THE WEEK

Kansas City Chiefs 19 @ 22 Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos delivered a definitive statement in their pursuit of the AFC West crown, beating the nine-time defending champ Kansas City Chiefs 22-19 in Denver. Once again, Sean Payton’s men came from behind in the fourth quarter, however it was far from the scale of previous escape acts as Denver proved they belonged on the field with Andy Reid’s winning machine in a tightly-contested spectacle.

The Broncos defense kept Patrick Mahomes in check throughout, but hardened in the fourth quarter. After Kansas City took a 19-16 lead with 10 minutes remaining, their ensuing drives both resulted in three-and-outs as they could only muster a combined -3 yards on those possessions. Reid’s offense could only find one touchdown on four red zone trips too, while the Broncos sacked Mahomes three times and intercepted him once. Cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian was the star on the day, snagging the pick and delivering two sacks.

It’s no secret that Bo Nix has saved his best for last in the 2025 season. His success rate jumps from 33.1 percent in the opening three quarters to 39 percent in the final period. The Broncos have scored on 48 percent of their drives in the closing 15 minutes, compared to 34.2 percent in the proceeding action. Against the Chiefs, Nix was poised throughout.

The standout play still came in crunch time, however. On a third-and-15 with the scores tied, the second-year signal caller adjusted his protection to pick up a Steve Spagnuolo blitz, before uncorking a 20-yard dime to Courtland Sutton. That kick-started a drive that culminated in another Wil Lutz game winner. Now holding a four game lead over KC, the Broncos look well-placed to break Reid and Mahomes’ stranglehold on the division.

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MVP OF THE WEEK

Josh Allen (QB, Buffalo Bills)

Have you seen the episode of The Simpsons where Homer takes over Springfield’s peewee football team from Ned Flanders? Of course you have but, in case you need a refresher, the setup goes something like this.

Nelson Muntz is the star of the team; an all-action quarterback that can uncork Brett Favre-like bombs while punishing tacklers with Earl Campbell-esque hit sticks. At one point, he picks Bart up and uses him as a personal blocking pad; seconds later he catches his own teardrop toss with a 70-yard sprint down the field.

Far from me to compare the NFL’s reigning MVP to a schoolyard bully (I’m sure he’s a lovely man — and Nelson would almost certainly flush a nerd’s head down the toilet for playing board games while Allen is an avowed Catan nerd), but the real-life QB’s all-action display in the Bills 44-32 win over the Buccaneers was reminiscent of Muntz’ star turn for the Springfield Wildcats. Allen passed for three scores and ran in another hat trick on the ground. No other NFL quarterback has authored such a performance, and this is the second time the 29-year-old has achieved the feat in the past two seasons.

It looked like another disaster class was on the cards in the early going, however. Allen’s comical double-handed basketball pass into the hands of a waiting Bucs defender was the type of play he regularly pulled out in his shaky rookie season. This time, though, he steadied the ship, almost single-handedly dragging his team to victory.

The Bills offense still needs work. They are less efficient in almost every metric compared to last season; they are still without a clear number one receiver, an issue that was compounded by Keon Coleman’s benching for this tie as punishment for missing a team meeting earlier in the week. However, if it means we get to see more of these cartoon-like efforts from Allen, then I’m here for it.

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Winners: Vic Fangio

The Eagles have cemented their credentials as the NFC’s ‘Final Boss’ over the past week, despite scoring just 26 points in two games.

Vic Fangio’s defensive unit followed their effective shutout of the Green Bay Packers by putting their NFC North brethren in a blender on Sunday Night Football. The vaunted Lions offense was coming off the back of a 44-point showing last week; Dan Campbell’s decision to take back offensive play-calling duties having appeared to re-establish their potential.

The Eagles shut that notion down. Here’s how the Lions first five offensive series finished at the Linc:

• A Jordan Davis tip looped into the hands of Cooper DeJean, setting Jalen Hurts up with a short field that turned into three points for Philly.
• The recently acquired Jaelan Phillips continued his brilliant start to life with the franchise when he forced a Lions three-and-out with a sack.
• A promising drive is quashed near midfield when Jalen Carter gets a crucial stop on a third-and-short, forcing another Detroit punt.
• Moro Ojomo meets Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield on 4th-and-1.
• Jalyx Hunt produces an almost identical play on another fourth down.

Look at the variety of names checked there. Note that I haven’t mentioned Quinyon Mitchell, Nolan Smith, Zach Baun, Jihaad Campbell or Nakobe Dean. This defense is stacked beyond belief — and Fangio has the perfect scheme to maximise its myriad talents.

The Eagles blitz on just 20 percent of their snaps, preferring to drop seven players into tight zones that stifle the opposing signal caller’s options. With a rotating cast of demons on the defensive line, the surly coordinator simply doesn’t want — or need — to get spicy. On the 12 snaps where he was pressured, Jared Goff took two sacks and completed just one of his ten attempts. The Lions went 0-for-5 on fourth down. If the Eagles can rectify their offensive struggles, this team will take some stopping in the postseason.

 

Loser: Sam Darnold

The NFC West matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks promised an all-star offensive shootout between Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams against Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. However, the outcome we saw was just as likely. Both defenses showed up in a bar brawl, with the Rams defense providing the crucial turnovers to swing the matchup in their favour.

Darnold had his worst game since making the move from Minnesota, throwing four interceptions against Chris Shula’s unit. It follows a disastrous trend for the quarterback against the second-year defensive coordinator. Since the start of last season, Darnold has been sacked 12 times and thrown five picks in three losses against the Rams, a torrid run that included a chastening Wildcard Round defeat that precipitated his exit from Minneapolis this past offseason. Shula has completely iced Darnold’s ability to throw deep in those games, forcing him to target tight window completions in the intermediate areas of the field or to hold the ball as the Rams defensive front gets home. The Seahawks completed one pass of more than 20 air yards on Sunday; Darnold’s other attempts of that distance resulted in a pick and five incompletions.

Stafford was similarly restricted by Mike Macdonald’s defense. The Rams went 2-for-11 on third downs; the veteran signal caller was pressured on 42 percent of his dropbacks, resulting in just 2.4 yards per play. Crucially, however, Stafford held onto the ball and, on a Davante Adams one-yard touchdown, demonstrated his smarts, checking to a slant to the veteran wide receiver as the Seahawks sold out to stop an outside run to the opposite side of the formation.

Even with Darnold’s struggles, the Seahawks had a chance to win in the final moments. Both of these sides have the tools on offense to play a completely different game when they meet in December. If, and only if, Darnold can shake off his poor run of form against Shula.

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THE ROUND UP

We have finally seen Shedeur Sanders on an NFL field. The results? Not so pretty. The rookie was brought into the Cleveland Browns’ 23-16 loss against the Baltimore Ravens after Dillon Gabriel failed a concussion test. Holding a 16-10 lead as he entered the game, the Browns did not score another point with Sanders on the field. The Colorado alum went 4-of-16 for 47 passing yards and an interception, while also taking two sacks for a loss of 27 yards. Generating just 20 yards of offense and ‘boasting’ a success rate of just 19 percent, there was scant evidence to suggest Prime Time’s son has what it takes to survive in the league, even as a clipboard holder.

Brock Purdy delivered a competent return to the San Francisco 49ers starting lineup in their 41-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The former Mr. Irrelevant made his name in the 2023 season as a no thrills conductor of a high-powered offense; last term, with his star team-mates falling to injury around him, he flexed his muscles, garnering him a lucrative extension. When in the flow of the offense in yesterday’s game, he looked composed. His ad-libbing almost resulted in an interception, while he took a 14-yard loss on an ill-advised scramble. With Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle healthy, the Niners simply need their quarterback to play within himself to secure a playoff place down the stretch.

There were ugly scenes in Pittsburgh, as Ja’Marr Chase allegedly spat in the face of Jalen Ramsey during the Steelers 34-12 win over the Bengals. The cornerback was ejected for his response to the provocation, but it will be the star wideout that will almost certainly see punitive action from the league office. Aaron Rodgers exited the game in the third quarter with an apparent wrist injury, but Mason Rudolph performed admirably in relief, completing 75 percent of his passes in a victory that keeps Mike Tomlin’s side on top of the AFC North.

Will the real Jacksonville Jaguars please stand up? Liam Coen’s side blasted a banged-up Los Angeles Chargers off the field in Duval County, holding Justin Herbert to just 81 passing yards in a 35-6 win. The Bolts looked a shadow of the team that started the 2025 season so promisingly, generating just three yards per play and converting a measly 25 percent of their third downs. Most of the Chargers offensive starters, including Herbert, were pulled with 11 minutes remaining in the game.

The 7-3 Chicago Bears are leading the NFC North. Who would have thought we’d be here a little under a year ago? Memories of Matt Eberflus’ awful game management on Thanksgiving in Detroit are fading. This roster is still learning the ropes, but they have picked up an uncanny ability to win tight games. A last-second Cairo Santos field goal gave Ben Johnson’s squad a crucial division victory in Minnesota. Meanwhile on the other sideline, Justin Jefferson appears to be losing faith in his young quarterback as J.J. McCarthy’s struggles continued. The superstar wide receiver’s mid-game meltdown tells a story of an offense that has lost its way in the 2025 season.

Jameis Winston did a little endzone dance after scoring a rushing touchdown in the Giants 27-20 defeat to the Green Bay Packers. If Jameis is happy, then I’m happy.

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STAT OF THE WEEK

• Jacoby Brissett’s 47 completions in the Arizona Cardinals’ 41-22 loss to the Niners is a new NFL record. He bests both Jared Goff and Drew Bledsoe’s previous bests of 45. Goff equalled the former New England Patriots quarterback’s mark in a 2019 game between the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Bledsoe set the record in a 1994 matchup between the Pats and the Minnesota Vikings.

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