NFL scores and more, Week 11: What happened Sunday in the NFL

The Packers stink now. The Cowboys don’t. Plus, this week’s luckiest teams and everything else you need to know from Week 11.

by Ryan Van Bibber

Nov 21, 2016, 11:30 AM UTC

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Get ready for another week of speculation about what’s wrong with Aaron Rodgers. And since it’s a short week, the pundit class is really going to have to cram it in before everyone starts thinking about turkey.

The Packers got thumped for the second week in a row. Washington beat them 42-24 a week after the Titans beat them 47-25.

Rodgers didn’t really have that bad of a game, throwing for 351 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Packers even saw a few players turn short passes into big gains, like James Starks’ 31-yard touchdown and a 47-yard gain by Randall Cobb. Those kinds of plays have been hard for the Packers to come by this season, helping prompt THE GREAT RODGERS FREAKOUT OF 2016.

And while Rodgers may be looking a little more average than we’re used to these days, he’s getting no help from Green Bay’s defense. The secondary might as well have stayed in Wisconsin on Sunday. That’s how much help they were.

It’s over for the Packers. They’re 4-6 now, an outside shot at a Wildcard berth is the best they can hope for. Green Bay needs to start thinking about the offseason. They need roster changes and probably some coaching changes as well. Does that go all the way up to Mike McCarthy? It should.

This is basically the Packers’ offseason, summed up in GIF form:

Playoff picture

Three teams from the NFC East are in, or would be in if the playoffs started today. Here’s a complete look at where the playoff picture stands as of Week 11.

The NFL wanted extra points to be less automatic. They are.

The NFL changed the extra point rule in 2015, moving the ball back to the 15-yard line from the 2. After last season, owners declared the rule a success and made it a permanent fixture instead of a one-year trial.

They wanted the kicks to be less automatic. Tweaking the PAT rule did that and added a little more competition to games. Even when kickers were only hitting 94 percent of their extra points last year, I can’t imagine they ever envisioned a day where kickers would miss a record-breaking 12 extra points.

Giants kicker Robbie Gould and Bengals kicker Mike Nugent each missed two. Three of the misses were blocked. It also means less job security.

Fans and media folks reacted to the outbreak of missed extra points in two ways. A lot of people wondered why the rule needed to be changed in the first place. What was wrong with the extra point where it was?

I fall into a different camp. Sure, it sucks if it’s YOUR team’s kicker who misses and leaves an easy point on the board, but that’s kind of the point. Extra points aren’t automatic anymore. You can’t take any points for granted in the NFL. I don’t care if your offense fought hard and drove the ball 80 yards for a score.

It’s a wrinkle that makes the game more interesting. Embrace it.

Besides, teams should be going for two anyway.

A.J. Green is done for the year. So are the Bengals.

Nugent’s misses were the least of the Bengals’ problems on Sunday. Green was carted off the field in the first quarter of Cincinnati’s 16-12 loss to the Bills. After the game, it was reported that he’s believed to have torn a hamstring.

Green had 964 yards and four touchdowns on the season. He was responsible for the bulk of the Bengals’ offensive production. Prior to this week’s game, Green accounted for 38 percent of all their passing yards and 28 percent of all offensive yards the team produced.

A win this week would have moved the Bengals to 4-5-1 for the season. It would’ve kept their hopes for a shot at the AFC North title alive with the Steelers and Ravens both struggling too. The loss drops them to 3-6-1 and all but mathematically eliminated from making their sixth straight trip to the playoffs.

Later on Sunday night it was reported that Gio Bernard tore his ACL.

The Cowboys are good, really good.

You can’t argue with 9-1. Sure, the Cowboys may have their flaws, but you are what your record says you are, and in that case, Dallas is the best team in the NFL.

The Ravens defense had the Cowboys figured out through the early part of the game. They kept Ezekiel Elliott from running all over them and even got the better of the vaunted Dallas offensive line by dialing up the blitzes. The Cowboys punted on four straight drives.

And then they woke up. Maybe they felt like they had something to prove when Terrance West tried to appropriate certain players’ celebrations.

Dallas got points on their next five possessions. Dak Prescott threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns. After a rough start, he connected on 19 of his last 20 throws. He became the only rookie quarterback with at least 300 yards, multiple touchdowns and no interceptions in consecutive games.

We’ve gone from debating whether or not he should be allowed to keep the job when Tony Romo came back (and he was back this week, dressed and backing up Prescott) to talking about him as a potential MVP ... and he’s got a good case.

The Cowboys have now won nine games in a row, their longest streak ever, guaranteeing themselves a winning season. They’re a very good team. But they also did this:

We tried to make sense of it.

It’s November, so Seattle is balling

If the Cowboys are the best team in the NFC, the Seahawks are kind of a 1b. They had no trouble holding off the Eagles for a 26-15 win this week.

The Seahawks own the second half of the season. Since Russell Wilson became the starter in 2012, Seattle has a 31-6 record from the first of November through the end of the season.

This year they’re doing it with splash plays. They had 300 yards and 16 points in the first half. C.J. Prosise’s 72-yard touchdown in the first quarter highlighted six plays of 20 yards or more.

All those early season concerns about their trash offensive line seem like wasted energy now. Russell Wilson doesn’t need a pocket to work in, and hell, he might be better outside of it anyway. Just look at this throw! How is that physically possible? Oh, and they even had Doug Baldwin throw a touchdown pass to Wilson, just for good measure.

It wasn’t all good news for the Seahawks. Prosise left with a shoulder injury, and could miss as many as eight weeks. They did get Thomas Rawls back this week, and he was running like a man possessed. He finished with 57 rushing yards and 88 yards from scrimmage.

Losing sucks

The Browns are getting tired of it. There’s no silver lining at 0-11. Fans threw garbage on the field when two penalties at the end of the first half gave the Steelers two untimed downs that they turned into seven points. Terrelle Pryor was pissed off about it after the game too.

The Jaguars lost again too. And they blew a fourth-quarter lead against the Lions on their way to 2-8. Jalen Ramsey could be seen on the sidelines weeping, telling his teammates “I’m tired of losing.” AND HE SHOULD BE! The Jags have too much talent to be this bad.

Losing sucks, unless you’re making history while you do it

The Rams had a 10-0 lead on the Dolphins heading into the fourth quarter. Miami had finished 11 consecutive drives with 10 punts and one interception. Naturally, Jeff Fisher’s team still managed to find a way to lose 14-10.

That was loss 162 for Fisher, tying him for the second-most of any coach in NFL history. He sucks, but his commitment to “seven and nine bullshit” is unwavering.

The lucky few

Steelers — Pittsburgh is going to back its way into another AFC North title. The Bengals are too beat up, the Ravens aren’t very good, and the Browns are the Browns. They won on the road, something that’s only happened twice in six games this season.

Dolphins — That’s five in a row now, but the margins are thin. Miami hasn’t won a game by more than seven points since Week 6.

Lions — Speaking of close games, the Lions are now the first team in NFL history to have each of its first 10 games decided by seven points or less. All six of their wins have been fourth-quarter comebacks, too.

Washington — It’s not fair that all the talk is going to be about how bad the Packers were on Sunday night. Kirk Cousins played one helluva game, and so did Fat Rob Kelley. Washington has six games left, two of them are against teams that currently have winning records.

Highlights

Blake Bortles managed to throw yet another wonky interception.

Sometimes you just have to use a TE like a running back. Just ask the Lions.

Give Giants punter Brad Wing the Oscar after this flop.

Fans threw trash on the field after the Browns kept giving the Steelers free chances to score a touchdown.

The Browns can’t get a win in the NFL, so their fans now want Bama.

Steve Smith caught his 1,000th pass -- not too shabby for an old guy.

Flea-flicker with a pass interference? The Vikings are not complaining.

Who knew Frank Gore could run the wildcat so well?

Jameis Winston plays hot potato with a football before fumbling it away.

Tajae Sharpe tweaked his napping TD celebration so he wouldn’t get fined this week. Take that, NFL.

Everyone -- except the center! -- false started for the Titans.

The Vikings delivered their biggest hit of the day against this poor Fox sound guy.

Terrelle Pryor is mad that the 0-11 Browns can’t protect their quarterbacks.

Similarly, Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey was tearful saying postgame, “I’m tired of losing.”

We’re still not sure how this Russell Wilson throw became a touchdown pass.

NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson took a shot at Colin Kaepernick for not voting.

The Ravens didn’t beat the Cowboys, but Terrance West still had time to steal the TD celebrations of Ezekiel Elliott and Dez Bryant.

Speaking of Dallas, you won’t look at breakfast the same way after watching this Cowboys video.

Joe Flacco insisted that his Ravens should have beaten the Cowboys.

Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin hooked for a sweet touchdown pass for the Seahawks, but in the opposite of what was expected!

The Rams tried to draw the Dolphins offsides when it didn’t really make much sense.

The Dolphins punted 10 times and threw an interception in their first 11 possessions on Sunday. Then they scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to stun the Rams.

With the loss, Rams coach Jeff Fisher is tied for second-most losses in NFL history, four shy of the dubious record.

Washington running back Rob Kelley introduced himself as “Fat Rob” on ’Sunday Night Football.’

After the Bengals’ loss to the Bills, Vontaze Burfict flipped the double bird to his home crowd.

Injuries

Leonard Floyd was taken off the field with a scary neck injury in the Bears game. He went to the hospital, but had movement in his extremities and was released in time to return to Chicago with the rest of the team.

Cody Kessler did not return after leaving the Browns’ game to get evaluated for a concussion.

Linebacker Dee Ford did not return for the Chiefs after suffering a hamstring injury.

Zach Miller broke his foot and is likely out for the Bears for the rest of the season.

LeSean McCoy needs surgery to repair his dislocated thumb, but is expected to play next week.

Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne tore part of his pelvic bone.