NFL scores, Week 11: Live coverage, scores, highlights & more

Several teams were pushing for playoff spots in Week 11, but mother nature was the real wild card. High winds and unpredictable rains influenced four games around the league and played a big part in determining how teams operated.

The ability to pass the ball effectively in those conditions made the difference that game. Rains decimated Solider Field, and Chicago was worse than the Ravens at generating pressure.

Time of Death: What had been a blowout turned interesting when Washington scored 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and got the ball back with three minutes to play, but RGIII picked the worst time to come down with a case of the armpunts.

Cause of Death: Ill-advised as that pass may have been, it was quarters one through three where Griffin really struggled, going 7/14 for 52 yards, four sacks, and one fumble lost. Nearly a third of Philadelphia’s sacks this year (a category in which they rank an unimpressive 21st) have come at Griffin’s expense.

And then Round 2 promptly came with Smith and Talib getting into it again on the same drive. That scuffle ended with some pushing, shoving and facemask grabbing.

Smith wasn’t done:

Tom Brady wasn’t happy about it. And neither was Ryan Mallet, who made a cameo in that impromptu meeting with the ref racing to get off the field.

After the game, things got really strange at Bill Belichick’s press conference. Silence brought on by audio problems, timid reporters and a dazed coach at the podium. Watch:

For all the hot takes Cam Newton inspires, at least he can, you know, play football at a really high level. Newton’s done some impressive things with this arm, but his third quarter scramble to convert a third-and-7 has been the highlight of his night so far.

It’s not really fair to call that a scramble. And the best part isn’t even converting the third down; it was faking out the two Patriot defenders who nearly crash into each other.

No major injuries struck the NFC North over the weekend, but holdover issues have the availability of some of the division’s top players up in the air heading into Week 12.

Sunday’s NFL contests were light on injuries as a whole, but even so, several several starters failed to finish their games due to injury. Here’s a rundown of yesterday’s notable injuries, and their impact.

On a day when the Steelers’ passing attack shredded the Detroit secondary, the only negative was the loss of Sanders to a right foot injury in the second quarter of Pittsburgh’s 37-27 victory. The team has not released any information regarding the specific diagnosis, which will await further testing today. In Sanders’ absence, WR Jerricho Cotchery continued his excellent play yesterday, including a 20-yard touchdown reception, his fifth in the past three games.

As the NFL season continues to wear on, the injuries on piling up everywhere.

This past weekend, it appears few of the major names were bitten by the injury bug, but still there was attrition out there on the gridiron. Let’s go around the league:

• NFL Week 11 updates, highlights and GIFs | Live scores

• Perfect no more: Chiefs fall to the Broncos on Sunday night

Offensively, Kansas City was stagnant for most of the game. Nothing was happening for the Chiefs offense, especially in the second half. The Chiefs’ defense has been an asset for the team all season long, but it was tough for the pass rush to make an impact with Manning getting rid of the ball so quickly.

The win pushed both teams to 9-1, giving the Broncos the tiebreaker for the division lead.

Stephen White [12:12 AM]:

Thanks for coming out, gnite!

The Saints realized following the 49ers’ second touchdown that they needed to flip the game from a defensive slugfest into a shootout. After some initial failures, the deep completions started to flow, and the Saints got in an offensive rhythm. They moved the ball successfully in the fourth quarter, and while the offense couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone, the Saints were able to slowly whittle down the 49ers’ lead with a series of field goals.

The stage was set for Kaepernick to prove he wasn’t a flawed third-year quarterback struggling to read defenses. Two minutes were on the clock, the ball was in his hands and a drive would set up the game-winning field goal -- but he was stopped, the ball was punted away and the Saints finalized another drive to leave with the victory.

The Seahawks improved to 10-1 on the season and will have a bye week next week.

Marshawn Lynch was a monster on Sunday, rushing for just over 50 yards and two touchdowns to go with a receiving touchdown. Russell Wilson was not exactly a fantasy stud, but his performance wasn’t too shabby, either. He passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns.

I’m doing ...

“FFFFFFFFFFFFFINE!”

Sunday’s game became a battle of which team could better manage the weather conditions. The first quarter was affected by the incoming storm, but even after the delay, winds inside Soldier Field died down and picked up in cycles, unpredictably altering how the teams could run their offense.

Matt Forte had a big game as the Bears running back finished with 125 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.

Houston’s offense came off the field with just over a minute to play after failing to convert from the Raiders’ two-yard line. Schaub couldn’t connect with Johnson on fourth down, with the big receiver covered tightly by Oakland in the end zone.

Johnson, who is regarded as one of the nicer and more level-headed players in the NFL, did the smart thing by walking away instead of adding fuel to the fire. He headed to the locker room with a couple of seconds still left on the game clock, though all Oakland had to do at that point was just take a knee at that point. The loss marks Houston’s eighth straight loss, and the fifth time they’ve lost by five points or fewer.

The team is not taking it very well.

Williams told Dianna Russini of Washington DC’s NBC 4 that the officials were calling the Redskins players names and that reading their lips in the game film would prove it.

Here is a complete update on the AFC and NFC playoff pictures with the early games on Sunday.

*Denotes a team which hasn’t completed its Week 11 game yet.

The Jets were 2.5 point favorites, according to Oddsshark. They lost and failed to cover.

The Jets drop to 5-5 and their wild card hopes take a big hit after losing a divisional matchup.

No notable injuries were reported in this game.

The Cardinals were favored by nine points, according to Oddsshark. They managed to cover.

Three points there would have given the Lions a seven-point lead. A wider margin that it looks given Pittsburgh’s offensive struggles in this game. Did we mention it was raining? It was.

On the other hand, turning the ball over at the three-yard line still leaves 97 yards for the Steelers to drive. No sure thing. But given the back-and-forth in this one, Detroit’s best bet was to take the points here.

Bell looked to injure his foot or ankle just before the end of the third quarter. He limped off the field accompanied by the training staff, who could be seen examining his bare foot on training table.

Bush is the more dynamic of the two backs, but has been outgained by Bell on Sunday. Bell had nine carries for 49 yards and a touchdown before exiting and added three receptions for 48 yards. Bush had 10 carries for just 26 yards.

Kubiak’s move is curious because the game is still winnable and Keenum wasn’t exactly struggling. He threw an interception, but it was his first pick of the season and Schaub’s turnover problem was one of the biggest reasons why the Texans benched him in the first place. Schaub set an NFL record earlier this season by throwing a pick-six in four straight games. Before getting benched, Keenum completed 13-of-24 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown and the pick.

The Texans lost seven games in a row and are close to losing their eighth. Regardless of how Schaub does in the final quarter, this move will not help Kubiak’s chances at keeping his job.

Fans were asked to leave the stands and take shelter under the Soldier Field concourse as a precaution in the event the stadium was hit with a tornado. The threat of weather-related injury was real, and some fans used alcohol as a coping mechanism -- including one man who elected to run onto the vacated field and be tackled by the stadium staff.

Staying focused is often the biggest challenge for players following and long delay and it will be interesting to see if the game gets sloppy moving forward.

The play was initially reviewed, as it seemed as though Dye might have been touched down, but was eventually upheld.

The play marks the first time the Bengals have returned a blocked punt for a score since 2007. It is the first time the Browns have allowed a punt block touchdown since 1990.