Well, it was an amazing NFL Sunday yesterday with the two biggest games on the docket, Steelers-Ravens and Bills-Chiefs, more that living up to all of the pregame hype.
The Steelers 18-16 win over the Ravens was not the offensive tour de force for which we had hoped. All of the Steelers points came off of the foot of Chris Boswell who chalked up his second six field goal game of the season.
It surely was disappointing that the Steelers couldn't have notched a couple of TD's on their several trips into the red zone yesterday, but what was certainly not a disappointment was the performance of the Steelers defense, which held presumptive league MVP Lamar Jackson in check and forced two critical turnovers, including a youth-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it interception by rookie linebacker Peyton Wilson.
Of course, in typical Ravens-Steelers fashion, it all came down to the end of the game when Joey Porter Jr chased down Jackson and foiled a two point conversion attempt that would have tied the game and sent it into overtime. The Steelers were then able to run out the clock and secure the win.
The Steelers have now won eight of the last nine games against the Ravens, and Jackson has now dropped to 1-4 against the Black and Gold. That may seem lopsided, but none of these games have been easy, and Steelers-Ravens remains the best rivalry in the NFL, and we get to see them go at it again December 21.
The other big game yesterday was the 8-2 Bills against the 9-0 Chiefs, and QB's Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. Trailing 23-21 late in the game, it appeared that Mahomes and the Chiefs would get the ball back late and have the opportunity to pull another win out of their hats and remain undefeated. That was until Allen made an electrifying 25 yard run from scrimmage on third-and-two, that secured the win for the Bills, 30-21.
I had mentioned above that Jackson is currently the "presumptive League MVP", and last week I mentioned in another forum, why is this just being ceded to him ten, and now eleven, weeks into the season? I had mentioned the Lions' Jarod Goff, who had another huge game yesterday, as a legit candidate, but there are sure other guys who seem at least as worthy. Guys like Allen and Mahomes to name two, and what about the Eagles' Saquon Bakley? The MVP doesn't have to be a quarterback, does he? The Steelers muzzling of Jackson yesterday might bring him back to the field a bit in this race, but it will be fun to watch and see how it goes from here.
After what was a great week of football (I'm not counting a potential MNF snoozer between Dallas and Houston tonight), let's update the Grandstander Power Rankings through Week 11.
- Lions 9-1 (Last Week - 1)
- Bills 9-2 (3)
- Chiefs 9-1 (2)
- Steelers 8-2 (5)
- Eagles 8-2 (6)
- Ravens 7-4 (4)
- Vikings 8-2 (7)
- Chargers 7-3 (Unranked)
- Falcons 6-5 (9)
- Commanders 7-4 (7)
Also receiving consideration: Broncos 6-5, Cardinals 6-4.
If I was honest I night have the Eagles ahead of the Steelers, but, what the hell, it's my poll, so I'm giving my favorite team the edge here. They play each other on December 15, so that question will be answered on the field.
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