Week 11 of the NFL season wraps up Monday night with an AFC West showdown in Mexico City. But first, let’s take a look at everything that happened stateside this weekend.
The Fallout
We’ll start with the fallout from Thursday’s brawl between the Steelers and Browns. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett received an indefinite suspension that will keep him out for the rest of the season. The Browns’ Larry Ogunjobi also received a one-game suspension, while Pittsburgh’s Maurkice Pouncey will be suspended for three games. Appeals from those three players will be heard later in the week.
Meanwhile, the NFL is not yet done dishing out punishments, as up to 10 players could be fined this week for their role in the brawl. Finally, Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph has decided not to pursue criminal charges against Garrett for the incident.
Twenty Points, No Problem
The Minnesota Vikings had perhaps the most impressive win in Week 11. After trailing 20-0 at halftime, the Vikings came storming back against the Broncos in the second half. Minnesota ultimately took a 27-23 lead, then made a goal-line stand at the end of the game to secure the win.
It was the first time a team won a game after trailing by 20 points at halftime since 2014. With the win, the Vikings are 8-3, just half a game behind the Packers in the NFC North. Green Bay had a bye this week while the Vikings are off next week.
Bad Break
The Colts scored a big 33-13 win over the Jaguars on Sunday, but it came with a big loss. Running back Marlon Mack has reportedly suffered a fractured hand. It’s yet to be determined if he will need surgery or not and how much time he might miss. However, he’s been ruled out for Thursday’s critical showdown against the Texans.
Jonathan Williams and Nyheim Hines will fill in for Mack, who’s been having a great season and has carried the Indy offense at times.
Bad News Bears
Sunday’s action ended with the Chicago Bears suffering a 17-7 loss to the Rams. The game was plagued with two more missed field goals by kicker Eddy Pineiro.
The Bears also saw quarterback Mitchell Trubisky benched late, apparently because of a hip injury. Trubisky said he landed on his right hip in the second quarter and struggled with the injury from that point forward. He finished the game 24 of 43 for just 190 yards.
Chase Daniel ultimately finished the game at quarterback. Chicago has now lost five of its last six games and has slim playoff hopes at the moment.
Who’s Impressed
Of course, one of the biggest stories in the NFL this week took place on Saturday when Colin Kaepernick held a workout for NFL teams. Despite some controversy about a last-minute location switch, Kaepernick worked out for 40 minutes with representatives from eight NFL teams on hand.
By all accounts, he looked like someone still capable of playing in the NFL, completing 53 of the 60 passes he threw to his wide receivers over the 40-minute workout. Now we sit and wait to see if any team takes the bait.
