NFL Week 11 winners and losers: Josh Allen plays Superman for Bills as Bengals, Falcons flop yet again

Another Sunday, another full slate of NFL action nearly in the books. And Week 11 has already produced lots of drama.

The Miami Dolphins kicked off the day overseas with an overtime win over the Washington Commanders in Spain, where former New England Patriots prospect Jack Jones came up with a critical takeaway. The Jacksonville Jaguars suddenly roared to life with a surprise blowout of the Los Angeles Chargers, who couldn't carry over momentum from a prime-time win. And the Pittsburgh Steelers routed the rival Cincinnati Bengals, but the win came at a cost, with Aaron Rodgers exiting due to a hand injury.

That's not even accounting for the wildness of the Buffalo Bills' win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which Josh Allen scored six total touchdowns to outduel Baker Mayfield, or the Chicago Bears miraculously claiming their seventh win in eight weeks thanks to a walk-off field goal by Cairo Santos against the Minnesota Vikings.

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Tyler Sullivan

Which players, coaches and teams were the biggest winners and losers of Sunday's games? Here goes:

Winner: Broncos

OK, maybe it's time we take Denver seriously. The Broncos are dragging opposing teams into the mud rather than routing them with high-octane fireworks, but Sunday's tight-knit win over the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs was a statement victory. That makes eight straight for Sean Payton's squad, which might boast some of the most clutch performers in the league on both sides. Bo Nix remains a late-game fiend. And the defense, featuring the rangy Ja'Quan McMillian, is a terror.

Loser: Sam Darnold

The Seattle Seahawks gunslinger has had a rock-solid 2025 campaign, but he coughed up at least a bit of goodwill against the rival Los Angeles Rams, throwing four interceptions in a battle of first-place hopefuls in the NFC West. Granted, the Rams boast a persistent and physical defense, but Darnold too often looked frenetic in the pocket in Seattle's first loss since October. The Seahawks remain a force, but if that Darnold shows up late in the year, just like at the close of 2024 in Minnesota, look out.

Winner: Jaguars

Jacksonville had lost three of its last four prior to Sunday's matchup with the Chargers. Then the Jaguars' entire defense got a confidence booster against Los Angeles' depleted offensive front, with Josh Hines-Allen and Co. swallowing up Justin Herbert to the tune of three sacks, five tackles for loss and a big-time pick. Jim Harbaugh's Bolts were rendered totally uncompetitive in the most impressive showing of Liam Coen's first season atop the Jaguars, suddenly reviving Jacksonville's playoff hopes.

Loser: Raheem Morris

The Atlanta Falcons coach might already be on the hot seat. If he wasn't before Sunday, however, he almost surely is now. Yes, Michael Penix Jr. was forced to leave the club's rematch with the Carolina Panthers, who previously blanked Atlanta in a 30-0 September meeting. But not even Kirk Cousins, the demoted man under center, could save the Falcons from their own defense. Morris' unit somehow managed to let Bryce Young, one of the NFL's most sluggish passers, air it out for 448 yards.

Winner: Ben Johnson

Are the Bears playing clean, dominant football? Not necessarily. Are they playing winning football? There's no denying it. Chicago logged its seventh win in eight weeks on Sunday, and the conditions of the matchup weren't ideal for a Chi-Town win, with Brian Flores' Vikings defense playing host at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Still, Johnson produced another scrappy ground game (140 total yards) while his handpicked defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, forced third-down stops basically all afternoon.

Loser: Bengals

The stage was set for Cincinnati to embarrass the rival Steelers on the road on Sunday, with Aaron Rodgers leaving the contest due to a hand injury and Jalen Ramsey drawing an ejection for some extracurricular scuffling with Ja'Marr Chase. Instead, Zac Taylor's underachieving AFC North squad got basically no push from the Joe Flacco-led offense, with the aging fill-in quarterback finishing 23 of 40 with a pick, and video appeared to depict Chase spitting on Ramsey during their interactions. This is a sad, slumping team.

Winner: Josh Allen's MVP odds

Allen had been enjoying a solid, if relatively unspectacular, season prior to Sunday. His Bills, after all, were more scrappy than special considering the high expectations they carried into 2025. But boy did the Superman version of Allen show up against the Buccaneers. Yes, there were hiccups, like off-kilter interceptions. But No. 17 put on his cape as a true dual threat to outlast Baker Mayfield's own heroics, accounting for six scores and almost 350 total yards while spreading the ball to 10 different receivers.