Week 11 in the NFL season brings us nearly two-thirds of the way through the regular season. We still do not know who the best teams are due to the upsets from last week. Maybe this week will give us answers.
Let’s look back at Week 11 in the 2025 NFL season.
The Bills are Back
Last week, the Buffalo Bills suffered a somewhat humiliating defeat at the hands of the Miami Dolphins. Their offense did not show up to the game, and the team paid for it. To add to their woes, their AFC East rivals, the New England Patriots, defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. The Bills and Buccs met this weekend, with a win keeping their respective division title hunts alive.
The Buccaneers had the first possession of the game, but punted the ball to the Bills after the drive stalled. But they were not without the ball for long. In last week’s defeat, Bills QB Josh Allen threw multiple interceptions. We would see this incarnation of the reigning MVP take the game over, as his second pass of the game was intercepted by the Tampa Bay defense deep in their own red zone. The shortened field gave the Buccs a good opportunity to score a touchdown, but the best they could do was a 23-yard field goal from kicker Chase McLaughlin.
Buffalo responded strongly and had a good drive. Allen led his offense down to the Bills’ two-yard line. Here, the quarterback found the end zone for a rushing touchdown to give them the lead. This lead was short-lived, as on the following drive, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield would match Allen, scoring a four-yard rushing touchdown.
The Bills were not without the lead for long. On the next drive, Allen found Tyrell Shavers for a 43-yard touchdown pass. Tampa Bay would again match what Buffalo did before, with Sean Tucker finding the endzone for a 43-yard rushing touchdown to retake the lead again.
Embed from Getty ImagesThen, the touchdown streak would end with another interception thrown by Allen. However, the following drive from Tampa Bay would result in no points against. Luckily for Buffalo, their following drive was far more successful, with Allen finding Ty Johnson for a 52-yard touchdown pass. In response to this, McLaughlin found the uprights from 24 yards out on the stroke of halftime to keep the Buccs on the tail of the Bills.
This meant the Bills led the Buccaneers 21-20 at halftime.
The Buccaneers regained the lead early in the second half. Mayfield and company found themselves down at the Bills’ six-yard line, where Tucker would find the endzone for the rushing touchdown. However, their two-point conversion attempt failed, limiting their lead to only five points.
Five points became two after the Bills’ kicker Matt Prater made a 39-yard field goal on the team’s next drive. Then, it would be Mayfield’s turn to make a mistake. His pass from their 32-yard line was intercepted by the Bills’ defense. On the very next play, Allen found James Cook for a 25-yard touchdown pass to hand Buffalo the lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Bucaneers were able to restore their slim lead at the beginning of the quarter when Mayfield found Tucker for a 28-yard touchdown pass. As with their previous touchdown, they attempted a two-point conversion, which again failed.
In response to this, the Bills would again find the endzone, with Allen scoring a five-yard rushing touchdown. Buffalo then attempted a two-point conversion, which also failed. This kept it a one-possession game.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut it would not be this close for long. On the Bills’ next drive, Allen would again score a rushing touchdown, this time for nine yards out. This is his third rushing TD of the game and his sixth touchdown overall. With time running out, the Buccaneers needed to score quickly to stay in the game. Unfortunately, Mayfield was sacked and then fumbled the ball on their next drive, losing possession and any chance to win the game.
This meant that the Buffalo Bills had defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 44-32.
After last week’s poor showing, this is exactly what the Bills needed to stamp their authority on the league again. Allen scored six touchdowns in this game, proving that the slump seen against the Dolphins was temporary. This is a much-needed win for the Bills, who improve to 7-3 on the season. As for the Buccaneers, this is another defeat against tough opposition. They fall to 6-4 on the season and now have to deal with a rising Carolina Panthers team in the NFC South.
Next week, the Bills face the Houston Texans, while it does not get any easier for the Buccaneers as they face the Los Angeles Rams.
The Battle for the NFC West
Moving over to the NFC West, the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks are in a three-team battle alongside the San Francisco 49ers for both the division title and playoff berths. This is one of the strongest divisions in the league at the moment, and they could likely all make the postseason. But who would be the division champion? This week, the Seahawks and Rams met in what was a pivotal game in the division race.
The Rams had the first possession of the game, and Matthew Stafford led the offense down to the Seahawks’ eight-yard line. Here, a failed fourth-down attempt gave Seattle the ball. But the Rams were not without the ball for long, as Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw an interception on the edge of his team’s red zone. This mistake would prove costly, as a few plays later, Kyren Williams found the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown to give the Rams the early lead.
The Seahawks had some success on their next drive. Darnold led the team down to the Rams’ 39-yard line, where the drive stalled. Luckily, kicker Jason Myers was successful with his 57-yard field goal attempt. In response to this, the Rams decided to further their lead, with Stafford finding Davante Adams for a one-yard touchdown pass.
Embed from Getty ImagesThroughout the first half, the Seahawks’ offense was able to get itself into a good position to score a touchdown, but was never able to convert it. Their next two drives ended in field goals from Myers, including one on the stroke of halftime.
This meant that, as the teams entered the locker room, the Rams had a 14-9 lead over the Seahawks.
Seattle had the first possession of the second half, but, as in the first half, they did not hold onto it for long. Darnold threw his second interception of the game, handing the ball to the Rams in a good position for them to widen their lead. However, wide receiver Puca Nacua would fumble the ball and lose possession on the Seahawks’ 26-yard line, handing the ball back to Seattle.
This time, Seattle was able to get something from the drive. Kenneth Walker would find the endzone for a 15-yard rushing touchdown, but this was nullified due to a penalty against the Seahawks on the play. The team would settle for another field goal from Myers, this time from 29 yards out, to put them two points behind the Rams.
With the game still up for grabs, Darnold would throw his third interception of the game. This mistake would be costly for the Seahawks, as Stafford found Colby Parkinson for a six-yard touchdown pass to further the Rams’ lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn response to this, Darnold would throw his fourth interception of the game, and it was thought that the Seahawks’ chances to win this game were over. Then, with just over two minutes left to play, Seattle finally found the endzone. Walker scored a one-yard rushing touchdown to put them two points behind the Rams. With Los Angeles punting on their next drive, all the Seahawks needed to do was score a field goal to win the game.
The drive started on the Seahawks’ one-yard line. Darnold and company made their way down to the Rams’ 43-yard line, setting up Myers with a 61-yard field goal attempt to win the game. This attempt was short, meaning that the Los Angeles Rams had defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-19.
This win could go a long way toward the Rams’ quest to win the NFC West. They improved to 8-2 for the season and have a one-game lead in the division. As for the Seahawks, it is not over yet; they fall to 7-3.
Next week, the Rams face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Seahawks play the Tennessee Titans.
All over for the Chiefs
We had an important game in the AFC West this week as the Denver Broncos met the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are no longer the team they have been over the last few seasons, and there is a good chance they could miss the playoffs this season. As for the Broncos, they have been winning games. They haven’t been convincingly winning them, nor have they been a high-scoring offense, but they have done enough to get the win. Will they do the same this week?
The Broncos had the first possession of the game and were able to take the lead. Led by quarterback Bo Nix, the Broncos’ offense slowly made its way down to the Chiefs’ 11-yard line, where they would stall. Kicker Will Lutz would then make a 29-yard field goal to hand them the early lead. Lutz would double the lead on the next drive, finding the uprights from 24 yards out after another stalled drive from Denver.
Embed from Getty ImagesPatrick Mahomes and company would finally wake up and attempt to drive down to the end zone. This stalled at the Broncos’ 12-yard line, but Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made a 31-yard field goal to put them on the board. Butker would level the scores on the following drive, again scoring from 31 yards out.
Not much happened in the rest of the first half, so at halftime the Broncos and Chiefs were tied 6-6.
The Chiefs had the first possession of the second half, and we did see a massive improvement from the offense to begin the half. This was before Mahomes’ pass was intercepted by the Broncos and returned to the endzone for a pick-six touchdown. Luckily for Kansas City, there was a penalty against the Broncos on the play, handing the ball back to Mahomes and removing the score. Mahomes and company continued to make their way down into the Broncos’ red zone. Here, Mahomes again threw an interception. This time, Denver kept the ball.
On the following drive, Nix would be able to move his offense down to the Chiefs’ four-yard line. Here, Jaleel McLaughlin found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to give the Broncos the lead. This lead would not last long, as on the next drive, Kareem Hunt scored a two-yard rushing touchdown to again level the scores going into the final quarter.
Denver was able to retake their lead early in the fourth quarter thanks to a 38-yard field goal from Lutz. In response to this, Mahomes led the Chiefs’ offense down to the edge of the Broncos’ red zone. Here, he found Travis Kelce for a 21-yard touchdown pass to give the Chiefs their first lead of the game.
Kansas City held on to the lead for most of the fourth quarter. But a 54-yard field goal from Lutz with four minutes left to play leveled the score again. On the next drive, the Chiefs’ offense collapsed and went nowhere, quickly punting the ball back to the Broncos. All Denver had to do was score a field goal to win the game, something that they have been able to do many times this season.
The drive started from the Broncos’ 26-yard line. Here, Nix and company led the offense down to the Chiefs’ 16-yard line. They reached this as time was about to run out, giving Lutz a 35-yard field goal attempt to win the game. He made it, meaning that the Denver Broncos had defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 22-19.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother close win for the Broncos, and their sixth one-possession win in their last seven games. This win puts them in the driving seat in the AFC West, and they now have a 9-2 record for the season. As for the Chiefs, this is another defeat, and they fall to 5-5. The playoffs seem like an arduous task now.
Next week, the Broncos are on bye, while the Chiefs play the Indianapolis Colts in what could be a very good game.
What Happened to the Other Teams?
The New England Patriots continued their strong season with an easy win over the struggling New York Jets. Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson scored two touchdowns in their 27-14 victory.
The NFL arrived in Spain this week as the Miami Dolphins faced the Washington Commanders at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. This was a typical international game- not a good one. A fourth-quarter touchdown from the Dolphins sent the game to overtime, in which the Dolphins were able to score a field goal to record a 16-13 win over the Commanders.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Carolina Panthers faced the Atlanta Falcons in a thrilling game. Bryce Young played the game of his career so far, throwing for three touchdowns and 448 yards in a game that went to overtime thanks to a late field goal from the Falcons. However, a 28-yard field goal from Ryan Fitzgerald gave the Panthers a 30-27 win to put them one game back from Tampa Bay.
The Houston Texans faced the struggling Tennessee Titans this week. With Davis Mills at the helm, the Texans were able to stay in the game throughout to set up kicker Matthew Wright with a 35-yard field goal to give Houston a 16-13 win over the still one-win Titans.
The Chicago Bears are very much a contender in the NFC North. The Minnesota Vikings are not. This was another game to be decided on a game-winning field goal, with Cairo Santos finding the uprights from 48 yards out to give the Bears a 19-17 win over the Vikings.
The Pittsburgh Steelers remained in contention for the AFC North title with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite losing Aaron Rodgers to a non-serious wrist injury, Mason Rudolph did enough to help the Steelers record a 34-12 victory over the Bengals.
I spoke last week about the two faces of the Jacksonville Jaguars. This week, we saw the dominant side when they faced the Los Angeles Chargers. Justin Herbert struggled in this game, as the Jags recorded a simple 35-6 win.
The San Francisco 49ers kept themselves in the NFC West division race with a win against the Arizona Cardinals. A returning Brock Purdy threw for three touchdowns as they recorded a 41-22 win over the Cardinals. This was a game in which Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett threw for 452 yards but still lost.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Baltimore Ravens’ revival continued this week as they faced the Cleveland Browns. This game saw the debut of Shedeur Sanders. To put it simply, he did nothing good in this game and hopes that, when he starts next week, his performance will improve. The Ravens recorded a 23-16 win.
On paper, the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions could have had a good game. Then, we realise that it is the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025, so this is going to be a boring show. I was right. A “tush push” was the difference as the Eagles recorded a 16-9 win over the Lions.
It was an emotional affair in Las Vegas on Monday night, as the Dallas Cowboys played their first game since the death of Marshawn Kneeland. The Cowboys easily won this game 33-16.
The New York Giants played their first game under Mike Kafka as coach, facing the Green Bay Packers. While the Giants lost this game 27-20, they felt different to watch. Not just because Jameis Winston was the quarterback, but the whole team seemed to play differently, in a way that they haven’t for a while. The removal of Brian Daboll may prove to be a good move in the future, but we have to wait.
That was a look back at week 11 in the 2025 NFL season. Next week, Tampa Bay faces the Rams, the Colts play the Chiefs, and Aaron Rodgers potentially makes his return to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears, the team he was able to dominate during his time as a Packer.
