X-Factors For Each Week 11 NFL Game

It’s hard to believe that we’re already covering games the weekend before Thanksgiving. The holiday serves as an unofficial marker of the stretch run in the NFL, and teams will do everything they can to gear up for the most important tilts of the year. We’ll highlight one player in each Week 11 contest that could be the key figure in the outcome.

It’s not often that kickers featured as X-factors heading into a game, but Thursday Night Football could very well come down to a game-winning boot. Cincinnati’s Evan McPherson and Baltimore’s Justin Tucker are two of the very best in the NFL in that situation. Both have range that extends past 55 yards, and Tucker’s is about 65 yards.

What has been a rough season in Carolina might get worse on Sunday, as a ferocious Cowboys defense comes to town. That’s bad news for an offense that hasn’t found its footing all year. The Panthers can’t expect to gain chunks of yards against Dallas, but they’ll need the veteran Theilen to run crisp routes to keep moving the chains.

In their earlier matchup, Pittsburgh wide receiver George Pickens broke the game open with an explosive play. Since then, he’s largely been an afterthought in the offense, and reports indicate he isn’t happy about that. The Browns can’t afford to forget what Pickens brings to the table, which is why Ward will need to monitor the young wide out.

After a several week layoff, it finally appears like Fields will return to the lineup against the division-rival Lions. It’s a stiff test for a player who has missed a lot of time, but the former Ohio State star has had success against Detroit in the past, mainly with his legs. It’ll be interesting to see if Chicago turns Fields loose on the ground in his first game back from injury.

Los Angeles has become a very predictable team on offense. Defenses know that the ball is headed either to Austin Ekeler or Keenan Allen, with a smattering of involvement for everyone else. Green Bay can use that to their advantage, which makes Alexander’s play and health critically important on Sunday. He’ll be first in line to slow Allen down.

All of a sudden, this contest doesn’t look as mediocre as it did coming into the season. Houston is coming off an impressive road win at Cincinnati, while Arizona starting to get healthy on offense. This could be one of the more entertaining games of the weekend, but the Cardinals will need Conner to be rolling against an improved Texans defense.

Derrick Henry’s most impressive career highlights tend to involve Jaguars defenders helplessly trying to stop him. If the Jaguars want to rebound from an embarrassing Week 10 loss, Hamilton and others on the defensive line will need to contain Henry. If they can do that, the game will be put on the shoulders of rookie quarterback Will Levis, which Jacksonville which prefer.

Miami has two solid veteran cornerbacks who will be looking to jump routes against Aidan O’Connell on Sunday. Las Vegas will probably want to err on the side of caution, and involving Mayer in the intermediate part of the field is a way to do that. Mayer made an athletic touchdown catch against the Jets last week.

New York doesn’t have a lot going for it right now. As much as their offensive struggles have been chronicled, their defense has also given up some big plays. CeeDee Lamb took advantage of them last week, and McLaurin will have opportunities to gash the Giants secondary in Week 11.

San Francisco’s defensive front is downright frightening with the addition of Chase Young, and teams are going to be in a bind to try and contain them. This makes Wirfs’ production all the more important on Sunday, as Tampa Bay can’t afford to send double teams to both sides of the line. He’ll need to be able to hold his own against either Young or Nick Bosa.

There’s been a lot of discussion about how happy Diggs is in Buffalo, and usually the squeaky wheel gets greased the following week. However, that may be easier said than done against Jets star cornerback Sauce Gardner, who might relish an opportunity to see more passes thrown his way. Something has to give, and Buffalo hopes it ends in a big day for their star wide receiver.

The Rams are a completely different team with Stafford under center, and they’re crossing their fingers that he’ll be ready to go on Sunday. The veteran quarterback sliced and diced Seattle back in September, throwing for 334 yards. That game was Puka Nacua’s coming out party, and the two will look to replicate their success if Stafford is healthy.

Very quietly, Sutton has become the player that many thought he could be in previous years. He’s had a few sensational grabs this season, including a great touchdown catch last week against the Buffalo Bills. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores loves to bring pressure, which means Sutton should have more than a few one on one chances to make plays on Sunday night.

The storyline involving Travis and Jason Kelce playing against one another will be highlighted to no end between now and Monday, so what’s a few more lines about it? Jason is going to have a huge role in this matchup, as he’ll be doing battle with Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones. This battle in the trenches will be worth watching.