Steelers, Bears, Dolphins and the other big disappointments of NFL Week 11

Teams tried their best to make a statement going into the Thanksgiving holiday. A few were able to put their stamp on successful performances, while others left a lot to be desired. We’ll take a look at the players and units who weren’t quite up to snuff, and will hope for better things when Week 12 rolls around.

It’s a game that Pittsburgh has won time and time again. The Steelers often find themselves in low scoring, grind it out affairs, and were in such a contest against the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. Pittsburgh had to feel confident going up against Browns rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but lost the game on a walk off field goal.

Chicago isn’t going to make a postseason charge in 2023, and are probably better off dropping most of their games to get a better draft pick. However, it would be nice to see a young team finish a game the right way. The Bears had a large lead with just over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions, and ended up losing.

Tennessee used to be tabbed as a team that would hang in games by playing fundamentally sound football and deploying savvy schemes. The Titans did neither against the Jaguars, who walloped their division rivals. It seemed clear that Tennessee was entering a rebuilding mode of sorts, but this game all but cemented their future-centric approach down the stretch.

Miami had a week to rest up after their Week 9 game in Germany, but almost let an inferior Las Vegas Raiders team steal a game away from them at home. The Dolphins had some trademark explosive plays, but also turned the ball over three teams. Miami was fortunate that Las Vegas couldn’t capitalize, but they can’t afford to do that and win games against better competition.

In a 2023 campaign that has already featured Aaron Rodgers tearing his Achilles, New York’s demolition at the hands of the Buffalo Bills felt like the low point of the season. At long last, head coach Robert Saleh benched quarterback Zach Wilson, and the Jets vaunted defense let the Bills run up and down the field.

It might soon be time to start wondering about Justin Herbert’s status as an elite quarterback or future star. While it’s widely believed that Los Angeles head coach Brandon Staley does more harm than good, Herbert’s inability to overcome some adversity is becoming a pattern. Herbert was unable to drive the Chargers down the field against the Green Bay Packers to get a tying field goal.

Houston rookie signal caller deserves all of the praise he has been getting for elevating an ahead of schedule Texans team, but Stroud’s turnovers on Sunday were disappointing. It probably makes sense that he would have a rookie moment at some point, but three interceptions against a struggling Arizona Cardinals squad was a rough look for him.

The Chiefs and Eagles squared off in what could have been the game of the year on Monday Night Football. Philadelphia took the Super Bowl rematch, but Kansas City had plenty of chances to win. The Chiefs had several big drops on perfectly thrown passes, most notably by Travis Kelce, Marques Valdez-Scantling and Justin Watson.