NFL Week 11 superlatives

Best Game - Dallas Cowboys vs. Atlanta Falcons

On a day where the NFL saw eight games decided by four points or fewer, there was no shortage of candidates for this superlative. But with the Cowboys-Falcons essentially being a de facto elimination matchup in the NFC, this game received the nod.

After a field-goal show in the first three quarters, which included each kicker hitting from beyond 50 yards, both teams began finding the end zone in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys scored two touchdowns in the first two minutes of the final stanza to go ahead by 10.

But the Falcons answered. Following a field goal, and with under two minutes to go, Matt Ryan found Julio Jones for a 34-yard score to tie the game at 19.

They left too much time on the clock, though, as the Cowboys drove down into field-goal position in the final seconds. Rookie Brett Maher hit a 42-yard field goal at the buzzer to win, 22-19.

As readers will see as we get to some of these other superlatives, the Cowboys are looking pretty good in the NFC East at 5-5.

Best Play - Justin Reid, Houston Texans 

Talk about a game-changing play. It looked as though the Redskins were about to at least tie the game at 10, but then rookie safety Justin Reid intercepted Alex Smith in the end zone.

Not only that, Reid returned the pick 101 yards for a touchdown.

As we will get to later, this game will probably be remembered for other reasons, but this was the key play of the game. Behind the pick-six, Houston beat Washington, 23-21, to win its seventh straight.

Best Offensive Play - Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals

This play came in a game between two teams going nowhere at the moment, but it was still a spectacular individual effort. Kirk is a budding star and will be extremely important to the development of Josh Rosen.

On this play, he should have been tackled for a loss. Instead, he scored.

It wasn’t enough, though, as several bad penalties in the fourth quarter ultimately doomed the Cardinals on Sunday. The Raiders won their second game of the season, beating the Cardinals, 23-21.

Best Celebration - Chicago Bears 

The Bears were playing their first meaningful November primetime game in years, so they had to make sure their celebration game was on point. Oh, and it was.

After their first touchdown, the Bears offense did their best rowboat impression. Then in the fourth quarter, the defense joined the fun, simulating an entire holiday chorus.

Both scored a perfect 10 on the celebration rating scale.

Best Defensive Performance - Chicago Bears

Of course, it’s easy to celebrate when the defense plays so well. Chicago was absolutely superb again, holding the Vikings to 268 yards.

Once again, even with a healthy Dalvin Cook, Minnesota could establish nothing on the ground. The Vikings rushed for only 22 yards, which put too much pressure on Kirk Cousins to move the ball through the air.

The Bears also forced three turnovers and returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Bears beat the Vikings, 25-20.

Best Offensive Performance - New Orleans Saints

Two teams will have something to say about this Monday night, but the Saints are the best team in the NFL right now. They have won nine straight and beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 45-7, in Week 11.

New Orleans outgained Philadelphia by 350 yards, which is the widest margin in the league this season. The 41-point loss was also the biggest for any defending Super Bowl champion in history.

Quarterback Drew Brees continued his MVP-type season with 363 passing yards and four touchdowns. Rookie Tre’Quan Smith led the way among the many Saints weapons with 10 receptions, 157 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Running back Mark Ingram had his best game of the year as well, rushing for 103 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.

Worst Sportsmanship - Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints 

With Payton running up the score again Sunday, I can’t help but think of the Pete Carroll “What’s your deal” quote to Jim Harbaugh.

Up 31 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Payton elected to go for it on fourth-and-seven. And like the video game the Saints are at the moment, Brees tossed a 37-yard touchdown to Alvin Kamara.

After that score, the Saints continued to pass even up by 38.

Old school fans will argue never run up the score. Sometimes, it’s unavoidable, and this is professional football after all. But for Payton and the Saints on Sunday, it was definitely avoidable.

There’s a difference between running up the score and going for it on fourth-and-seven. The latter crosses the line. Brees shouldn’t have even been in the game let alone still dropping back to pass.

Regardless of where you stand on sportsmanship, it’s hard to argue Payton and the Saints aren’t taking their anger out on opponents every single week, as they’ve scored at least 45 points in three straight games.

A Pro Football Talk story published Sunday suggests Payton is still bitter about getting suspended a year over 'Bountygate.' That might have something to do with the Saints recent games resembling a “revenge tour.”

Best History - Adrian Peterson, Washington Redskins 

Maybe it’s fitting Peterson signed with the Washington Redskins in August. On Sunday, he rushed for two touchdowns, which moved him passed Washington running back legend John Riggins for sixth all-time on the rushing touchdowns list.

Peterson finished with just 51 rushing yards but now has 105 rushing scores in his career. He will likely earn this superlative again this season, as he’s just one touchdown behind Jim Brown and five short of Walter Payton.

Other than this history, though, Washington had a rough day, losing to Houston, 23-21. But that wasn’t the worst of it.

Worst Injury - Alex Smith, Washington Redskins

This was the worst news of the day for Washington. Smith suffered a horrific injury, breaking both his tibia and fibula in his right leg. It looked just like Joe Theismann’s broken leg on Monday Night Football 33 years ago to the day (but see below for even more crazy coincidences between the two injuries).

According to Ian Rapoport, he will have surgery immediately and will not return this season. This isn’t for the faint-hearted, but here’s a replay of the injury if readers so desire to see it:

Washington is already dealing with multiple injuries, especially on its offensive line. Backup quarterback Colt McCoy played well in relief and is a veteran that should give the Redskins a chance most weeks. But it will be a tall task for him to win even an average NFC East.

His first start may be the most important of the season. Washington will travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys on Thanksgiving in Week 12.

Best Comeback - Pittsburgh Steelers 

Through the first 43 minutes of Sunday’s Pittsburgh-Jacksonville matchup, the Steelers had under 100 yards of offense. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had 60 passing yards and threw three interceptions.

What a difference 10 days can make. In Week 10, Big Ben had more than 60 passing yards on the first play from scrimmage against the Carolina Panthers.

But in the final 17 minutes, Roethlisberger put his Superman cape back on, throwing for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He capped off the comeback with a 1-yard scramble for the game-winning touchdown with just seconds remaining.

So instead of one of the worst games of his career, Big Ben recorded one of his best comebacks. The Steelers beat the Jaguars, 20-16.

For the Jaguars, this one is simply heartbreaking. Their playoff hopes were on life support anyway, but this defeat ends any hope of going on a run during the second half.

Best Defender - Jalen Ramsey, Jacksonville Jaguars  

With the Steelers winning, many will probably forget Ramsey’s performance, but that’s what our superlatives are for each week!

Against a red-hot Steelers offense and one of the best wide receivers of this generation, Ramsey turned in perhaps the best performance from a defensive back this season.

He picked off Roethlisberger twice, including once in the end zone. That was highly improbable as opponents had scored on every red zone possession against the Jaguars until Sunday, and the Steelers came into the day as one of the best red-zone offenses.

Ramsey also held Antonio Brown without a catch under the final minute of the first half. The Steelers finally warmed to the task in the fourth quarter, but Ramsey (and Leonard Fournette) almost single-handedly handed the Steelers another crippling loss.

Worst Play Calling - Jacksonville Jaguars

It’s been a rough year for the Jaguars, but Doug Marrone is still underrated as a head coach. His game plan was nearly perfect against the Steelers and mirrored what the Jaguars did against the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

The Jaguars rushed for 179 yards and controlled the ball for an astonishing 37 minutes and 40 seconds.

The only problem? Marrone and the Jaguars again were too conservative in the fourth quarter. Jacksonville went 3-and-out four straight times in the fourth quarter after scoring its lone touchdown, and most of its plays were Leonard Fournette runs right up the middle against a stacked box. A first down on any of those drives could have left the Steelers too little time to come back.

The Jaguars were also very conservative on third downs in the first half, electing to keep the ball on the ground to simply make field-goal attempts easier.

If the Jacksonville coaching staff doesn’t trust quarterback Blake Bortles enough to even run a simple run-pass option or play-action pass, then he shouldn’t still be the starter.

However, he is hardly the only problem. On 26 dropbacks, the Steelers sacked Bortles six times.

Honorable Mention Best History - Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens 

It was far from perfect, but Jackson showed flashes of the playmaking ability that made him a first-round pick. He finished 13 of 19 for 150 yards with an interception. On the surface, that’s not very good, but actually, he averaged a healthy 7.9 yards per attempt.

He also made history, leading the Ravens with 117 rushing yards on 27 carries. He became the first quarterback ever to rush for more than 100 yards in his NFL debut.

Early reports are Joe Flacco will miss Week 12 as well. Even if he is healthy, the Ravens might want to consider sticking with Jackson. He’s still raw as a passer, but he gives the Baltimore offense a higher ceiling than Flacco right now.

The Ravens snapped their three-game losing streak, beating the Bengals, 24-21.

Best Rookie Performance - Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

This is the type of offensive games Giants fans were hoping for when they drafted the Penn State running back.

New York featured Barkley early and often Sunday, which really helped Eli Manning and the pass blocking. Barkley rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 27 attempts. He added a third touchdown on one of his two receptions.

Manning starred as well, going 17-for-18 with 231 yards and two touchdowns in the 38-35 victory.

Best Performance from an Undrafted Rookie - Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos

Similar to the Houston-Washington contest, this game turned on an interception. Philip Rivers didn’t see Von Miller and threw a pass right to him with a 12-point lead.

That changed the game, but Lindsay was the spark the Broncos needed on offense. He scored two of Denver’s three touchdowns, including the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

The Chargers retook the lead and possessed the ball with two minutes remaining. But after the two-minute warning, Rivers threw a pass into the dirt on a broken play, taking just two seconds off the clock.

Los Angeles had to punt, and in the final 1:51, Case Keenum drove the Broncos into field goal range to win, 23-22.

Most Shocking Result - Tennessee Titans vs. Indianapolis Colts

For much of Sunday, the Steelers-Jaguars and Titans-Colts matchups were neck and neck for this superlative, but the late Pittsburgh comeback left the most shocking result to Tennessee-Indianapolis. Just a week after thoroughly dominating the New England Patriots, the Titans laid a massive egg, losing to the Colts, 38-10.

Granted, the Colts came into the day having won four straight and were favored in Las Vegas, but losing by four touchdowns is still rather surprising.

Andrew Luck absolutely tore up the NFL’s No. 1 scoring defense, throwing for 297 yards and three touchdowns on 29 attempts. His favorite target was T.Y. Hilton, who caught nine passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns. The Colts added two rushing touchdowns in the, 38-10, blowout win.

Top Fantasy Waiver Wire Addition - D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers

The top targets for Cam Newton in the passing game are still Christian McCaffrey and Greg Olsen, but Moore is quickly becoming the best option on the outside for Carolina. Coming into Sunday, Moore was third among Carolina wide receivers and tight ends in targets, receptions and receiving yards.

Against the Lions in Week 11, Moore was at least tied for the team lead with all three categories. On eight targets, he made seven catches for 157 yards and a touchdown.

Moore is owned in just 31.8 percent of ESPN leagues.

Worst Quarterback Miss of the Day - Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

Norv Turner has received so much praise for how he’s helped Newton’s accuracy in his first season as offensive coordinator. But Newton still tends to overthrow receivers at times.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, he had a very bad overthrow Sunday on the most important play of the game. After throwing a touchdown pass to Moore to pull the Panthers within one, Newton missed Jarius Wright wide open in the endzone on the 2-point conversion attempt.

Behind the miss, the Lions held on to win, 20-19.

Best Rumor - Cleveland Browns & Condoleezza Rice

Even during the bye week, the Browns made our superlatives. On Sunday, ESPN reported the Browns would like to interview former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for their head coach vacancy.

The Browns and Rice both denied the report. Rice released a long statement on Facebook, saying she’s “not ready to coach.” Browns general manager John Dorsey says Rice “has not been discussed” as a candidate.

While I’m an advocate for women getting more opportunities for position coach jobs, and then eventually coordinator and head coaching positions, there doesn’t seem to be any truth to this report. Still, it was the best rumor of Sunday.