Accounts roll in about Jets
Miami’s offensive machine can now also defend
By Florian Papenfuhs
November 20, 2023, 9:40 am
The eleventh week in the NFL allows for some conclusions: New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn’t need to stress about his return, cowboy DaRon Bland is the league’s comeback king and Miami’s Jalen Ramsey is still in the pre-season. season.
Week 11 of the NFL brings some insights: Jets star Aaron Rodgers doesn’t need to stress about his return, no one steals like the Dallas Cowboys’ DaRon Bland and Miami’s Jalen Ramsey is still in the preseason.
Rodgers’ replacement, Wilson, experiences disasters
Much depended on the duel against the Buffalo Bills for the New York Jets. Recently, it has become increasingly loud about the possible return of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is still injured. However, it was also clear that he would only risk his health in the playoffs. Therefore, a victory against the recently weakened Bills was mandatory.
But the Jets had a disaster. With 32:6, Buffalo impressively returned to the path of success. Jets receiver Xavier Gipson dropped the ball on the first kickoff return of the game. After three consecutive field goals for Buffalo, Rodgers’ replacement, Zach Wilson, threw a bad pass, and the Bills scored their first touchdown on the next drive. In any case, Wilson experienced one of the most bitter nights of his NFL career, and Jets coach Robert Saleh finally took him off the field in the second half.
Aaron Rodgers can now enjoy his return to the football field. After the game, the New York Times ran a thousand simulations of the rest of the season to calculate the Jets’ remaining chances in the playoffs. The result: “about two percent”. The Bills, on the other hand, remain the leading pursuers of the Miami Dolphins (7:3) in the AFC East, with six wins and five losses. On a perfect night, the only downside was the injury to defenseman Taylor Rapp. Next Sunday is the big game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Amon-Ra St. Brown beats Brother Equanimeous
Amon-Ra St. Brown once again won the duel against his older brother, Equanimeous. With his Detroit Lions, the 24-year-old celebrated the 31:26 victory over the Chicago Bears after a comeback. In the fifth confrontation between the two German-Americans, Amon-Ra emerged victorious for the fourth time.
The Lions consolidated their first position in the NFC North with their eighth victory in the tenth game, while Chicago (three wins, eight losses) remains in last place in the division. The fact that it was so close, despite Detroit being the clear favorite, was also due to Jared Goff. The Lions quarterback had three interceptions; previously there were only five passes to the opponent all season.
Late in the first half, the 29-year-old found his pass receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown with a throw in the end zone, Detroit took a 13-7 lead. It was St. Brown’s fifth touchdown this season. Chicago initially managed to take advantage of the Lions’ mistakes and turned the game around. But two touchdowns in the final phase decided the game in Detroit’s favor.
The NFL’s comeback king
Of course, defense wins championships. But media headlines and fan applause are often directed at spectacular offensive players. The NFL is no exception. DaRon Bland is slowly but surely becoming one of the stars of the Dallas Cowboys lineup. Keyword: Choose Six. This is probably the name of the most impressive play a defensive player can make. With a pick six, a defender intercepts the opposing quarterback’s pass, tucks the ball under his arm, and immediately runs into the opponent’s end zone – the opponent’s end zone, of course. He gives six points, like a touchdown.
DaRon Bland achieved this feat for the fourth time this season in the game against the Carolina Panthers. NFL record set on eleventh day of play. It was the icing on the cake of a never-threatened 33:10 victory for Dallas. The Cowboys remain in second place in the NFC East with seven wins and three losses, behind the Philadelphia Eagles. The Carolina Panthers, on the other hand, are still waiting for their second victory of the season in fourth and final place in the NFC South.
Rams win and lose Superbowl MVP
In the NFC West there was a division duel between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. The signs are clear. While the Seahawks lead the division, the Rams have just three wins on the season. The team no longer has much to do with the winner of the 2022 Super Bowl.
The Seahawks confidently marched to a 13-0 lead. The Rams managed to score their own touchdown seconds before the end of the first half, but lost one of their best players in the process. Cooper Kupp, voted the best player at the 2022 Superbowl, had to leave due to an ankle injury. It is unclear how long he will be absent from the team. After the shock, it’s time for the Rams’ defense. The Seahawks scored three points in the entire second half.
Just before the end of the third quarter, Seattle quarterback Geno Smith was injured and also had to be substituted. On the game’s final drive, he came back and put the Seahawks within field goal range, but kicker Jason Myers missed from 55 yards. The Rams narrowly won, 17:16. Thus, Seattle will have to give up the division lead to the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams now have a small chance of reaching the playoffs with four wins and six losses – catcher Kupp’s injury is even more bitter.
The jumps of a good dolphin
The saying goes that a good horse only jumps as high as necessary. This also appears to apply to dolphins. The Miami Dolphins beat the Las Vegas Raiders with a somewhat shaky 20:13. The Dolphins gave the Raiders the ball three times, but Las Vegas was unable to capitalize on it. The game ended as it should end. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey intercepted a Raiders pass for the second time with 22 seconds remaining, ending the game.
Tyreek Hill, usually the Dolphins’ go-to machine on offense, raved after the game: “He’s the best cornerback in the league, man. How long it takes him to catch that last pass shows how much he cares about this team.” Ramsey came to Miami from the LA Rams in a highly publicized trade over the summer, but missed the first seven games of the season due to injury. “Technically, I’m just in the preparation period, in training camp,” he says, reflecting on the short season so far. It seems like a threat to the competition.
Miami scored fewer points than ever this season, but still won and remains in first place in the AFC East. Las Vegas is still in second place in the AFC West.
You can find an overview of all NFL results here.