Sunday Rundown: Key takeaways from Week 11's biggest games

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Sunday night spotlight

Eagles defense is back

Nobody feels good about what the Eagles have been doing on offense this season. That's not going to change after another uninspiring effort Sunday night against the Lions. The way the defense is trending, it might not matter. Jaelan Phillips is exactly the kind of player the Eagles needed to fill a glaring need on the edge. He got to Jared Goff for his first sack since the trade and has now recorded 12 pressures across his first two games in Philly, according to PFF. Jalyx Hunt was outstanding on the other side in this contest, logging six pressures and five QB hits. Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis put up a wall in the middle, knocking down a combined five passes at the line of scrimmage, and a now-healthy Nakobe Dean got involved with a pair of pressures and a sack from the second level. The constant chaos resulted in Goff posting the lowest completion percentage of his pro career (37.8%) and his worst game by EPA/dropback since October 2022, long before the Lions' ascent. This is suddenly looking a lot like the defense that laid a beatdown on the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

Late-afternoon games

Rams take Round 1

Sam Darnold throwing four picks in the biggest game of the year was a bit of a letdown, but it somehow didn't make this matchup even remotely uncompetitive. That's because the Seattle defense gave the Rams everything they could handle, holding an elite L.A. offense to season lows in EPA/play (-0.18) and success rate (40.0%), according to TruMedia. The outstanding defensive effort kept the Seahawks alive throughout and gave them a chance to win it with a long field-goal try at the buzzer. Darnold struggling in one game isn't enough to make me question the level of play we'd seen from him up to this point. I am monitoring the injury status of Grey Zabel, though. Pressuring Darnold into bad decisions becomes a lot easier without the standout rookie lifting up that offensive line. On the other side, this result should be considered confirmation of all the advanced metrics that see the Rams defense as one of the best in football. That's a truly ridiculous unit to pair with such a proficient scoring attack. I already can't wait for the next matchup of these NFC West powerhouses. Hopefully there's a third in January, too.

Broncos bounce back

Record aside, last Thursday's pathetic offensive effort made it incredibly difficult to imagine the Broncos making any sort of noise in the playoffs. The vibes are quite a bit different after Sunday's statement win over the Chiefs. I'd still like to see the offense keep it rolling against top opponents before I truly buy in - a Dec. 14 matchup against the Packers will be a big one in that regard - but this was easily Bo Nix's most impressive performance of the season. After some well-documented struggles pushing the ball downfield, the second-year quarterback finished the day 6-for-11 for a season-best 171 yards on passes of 10-plus air yards, according to Next Gen Stats. That'll do the trick with a championship-caliber defense doing the heavy lifting on the other side of the ball. Nix managing the offense, limiting mistakes, and taking the plays that Sean Payton schemes up is more than enough to make this team a contender.

Chiefs fall to .500

So, what do we make of the Chiefs dropping to 5-5? My initial instinct: not much. Not yet, at least. While it's a little different to see the win total lag so far behind in the regular season, we all know that gets thrown out the window when games really start to matter. Nobody wants to see Patrick Mahomes in January. And no matter how low you may be on this team at the moment, there are enough gettable games left on the schedule that we really shouldn't be talking about the possibility that K.C. doesn't chase down a playoff spot. But for the first time in the Reid-Mahomes era, it's going to be a grind right through the end of the regular season. Does that only help the Chiefs' chances of being at their best come January? Or will the new path - likely a road-heavy playoff schedule if they get there - open the door for another team to finally shake things up?

49ers primed for shootouts

Brock Purdy made his return to the lineup Sunday against the Cardinals, and the results were pretty much in line with everything we thought possible for this offense heading into the season. And that was with Ricky Pearsall, in action for the first time since Week 4, still working his way back toward a lead role. Purdy didn't show any signs of rust in the passing game, throwing for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scores went to George Kittle, who now appears fully ramped up to his usual form after missing time with a hamstring injury. Christian McCaffrey added to his impressive season with three total touchdowns of his own. The 41-point effort represents San Francisco's highest-scoring output since 2023. Does this mean we're adding the 49ers to an already deep list of NFC contenders? Maybe. This group can score on anyone when healthy, but I am worried about a beat up defense that won't be getting its two best players (Nick Bosa and Fred Warner) back this year. Jacoby Brissett completing a single-game record 47 of his 57 pass attempts while not taking a single sack is a major cause for concern. The 49ers going on a deep playoff run may have to involve weekly shootouts.

Shedeur's unexpected debut

Shedeur Sanders got his first taste of regular-season action this week, taking over for an injured Dillon Gabriel in a tight game against the Ravens. On one hand, the results weren't great. He went just 4 of 16 for 47 yards and an interception while taking two sacks. The pick was an absolute gift for Nate Wiggins on a brutal throw to the right sideline, and one of the sacks was a clear example of the issues he has when it comes to bailing out the back door of the pocket and recklessly trying to keep plays alive. On the other hand, the situation couldn't have been less favorable for a young quarterback to make his debut. Being thrown to the fire against a Ravens pressure scheme is bound to have any rookie's head spinning. Sanders getting a chance to start a game fresh, after a full week of practice, would give us a much better picture of where he's at in his development. I'd caution against expecting wildly different results right out of the gate, but I'm interested to see it. Will the Browns make a point of getting him a few games down the stretch, even if Gabriel is healthy?

Early kickoffs

Josh Allen does it all

The Bills have given us plenty of reasons to be skeptical about their chances of finally going on a Super Bowl run this season. The two most pressing of which - a putrid run defense and a lack of established receivers - briefly threatened to rear their ugly heads again this week. Third-string Bucs running back Sean Tucker went off for 140 total yards and three touchdowns, and Tyrell Shavers found himself leading all Bills receivers with 90 yards on the day. Running backs James Cook and Ty Johnson were next on that list. The cool thing about having a cyborg quarterback is that glaring weaknesses are often rendered irrelevant. Josh Allen put the Bills on his back when they needed it most, accounting for six total touchdowns (three passing, three rushing) in the 44-32 win. I still have major questions about whether Buffalo, given the potential for fellow AFC contenders to expose the problem spots, can string together enough of these performances in January. For that reason, I'll probably be picking against them. But I'll do so knowing full well that Allen could make me look foolish. Anything is on the table when you have a quarterback like this.

Steelers D trending up

You didn't really think the Steelers, of all teams, were suddenly going to start playing bad defense, did you? OK, fine, I did. After a disastrous first half of the season on that side of the ball, tying the Dolphins for 26th in EPA/play, I bought into the idea that a stale system and a ton of money invested in an old roster was a recipe for disaster. Perhaps that proves correct in the long run, but the Pittsburgh defense is quietly turning things around. The Steelers completely flipped the script on the Bengals after getting boat raced by Joe Flacco and Ja'Marr Chase in October, giving up just 12 points while scoring two defensive touchdowns in Sunday's win. The throwback performance sees the Pittsburgh defense move into a tie for third in EPA/play over the last three weeks. With Aaron Rodgers' wrist injury adding to the list of concerns for an already underwhelming offense, this trend will have to continue if the Steelers want to hang onto a playoff spot over the next seven weeks.

Darnell Washington rules

I've spent a lot of time dumping on that Pittsburgh offense. All of which was very much deserved. But after what we saw in Sunday's win over the Bengals, it feels important to note that this unit does have at least one thing going for it: Darnell Washington might be the coolest player in the game today. His absurd stiff-arm on Barrett Carter was only the beginning of my favorite highlight of the season so far. Having seen his teammate thrown to the ground, Geno Stone clearly wanted nothing to do with the 6-foot-7, 264-pound tight end. Washington really picked up steam after shaking that half-hearted tackle attempt, and he finished the run by plowing through a third defender for good measure. That terrifying combination of size and physicality after the catch was also on display on a huge third-and-17 conversion midway through the third quarter. The former third-round pick, who also just so happens to block like an offensive tackle, really is one of the most unique talents in all of football. I will hereby forgive the Steelers for all trade deadline malpractice if the lack of receiver depth leads to more touches for Washington. You just know defenses want nothing to do with that.

J.J. McCarthy struggling

Nobody should be making any definitive statements about J.J. McCarthy's future this early in his career. There are just too many recent examples of late breakout quarterbacks to justify any sort of overreactions at this still-early stage. Remember: Sunday's game against the Bears was only the fifth start of his young career. All that being said, we still have to be honest about what we've seen so far. McCarthy has not been good. A late go-ahead touchdown drive probably would have altered the narrative if the Vikings managed to hang on for the win, but Minnesota also wouldn't have been in that position if his accuracy issues weren't consistently stalling drives. A 16-for-32 outing against a Bears defense that entered this week as a bottom-five unit in pass success rate is simply not going to cut it. Not with this supporting cast. Justin Jefferson, who is still looking for his first 100-yard game with the new quarterback, has brought in just 51.2% of targets from McCarthy this year. This frustrating season will be worth it if the experience helps the former first-rounder make good on his draft pedigree. As things stand, though, the Vikings are probably having some regrets about letting Sam Darnold walk out the door.

Packers avoid disaster

A win is a win, right? The Packers desperately needed to snap their two-game losing streak, so they'll take the result. But Sunday's game against the Giants did little to ease any concerns about the direction in which they've been heading over the last few weeks. Even a juicy matchup with the NFL's 29th-ranked defense by EPA/play wasn't enough for the Packers' offense to starting piecing things together. Jordan Love's 174-yard output on 13 of 24 passes is the worst of any quarterback against the hapless Giants so far this season. And the run game could be in trouble now, too, as Josh Jacobs' status is unclear after he was forced to leave the game with a knee injury. The defense theoretically gives the Green Bay offense a little bit of runway to sort things out down the stretch, but it's fair to wonder whether those answers are going to present themselves at all this year. Christian Watson is going to have to parlay his two-score day into a monster second half if this receiving corps is going to have a chance of withstanding the loss of Tucker Kraft.

The best of Bryce

This is the kind of performance that makes you want to exercise a little bit of patience with Bryce Young. The former No. 1 overall pick had seemingly regressed after a strong finish to last season, with a tough first half forcing many to wonder whether his time in Carolina was up. Maybe not. Young responded with arguably the best performance of his entire career in Sunday's win over the Falcons, completing 31 of 45 passes for 448 yards and three touchdowns. And before you shrug this off as a cupcake matchup, consider that Atlanta entered this week tied with the Seahawks and Bucs for ninth in defensive EPA/dropback. This group gets brutalized in the run game, no doubt, but it's been a completely different story against the pass. Can Young build on this inspiring performance and silence questions about his future with another strong finish?

A gift from Atlanta?

Speaking of the Falcons, this is a great time to revisit their inexplicable draft-day trade. James Pearce Jr. may well end up being a valuable player. In fact, we've already seen flashes of the juice he and fellow first-rounder Jalon Walker can provide in solidifying a long-suffering pass-rush. That's not really in dispute. The issue is the process. This 3-7 start is precisely why a team like Atlanta can't justify trading a second-rounder and a future Day 1 pick to get back into the end of the first-round. That pick is currently tracking to be the No. 8 overall selection. The Falcons' roster sure could use the kind of player that will be available in that slot. From the Rams' perspective, this deal is getting better by the day. Les Snead and Sean McVay could use that selection to further bolster their Super Bowl-caliber roster, much like the Eagles were able to do with Jalen Carter. But the even more interesting scenario would come with a swing on a quarterback who could be developed behind Matthew Stafford. There's a real chance that an ultimately meaningless trade out of the first round sets the stage for the Rams to make a seamless transition to the next era at quarterback, whenever that time comes. Doing so successfully would make this one of the most savvy draft-day trades we've ever seen.

Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.