Five Wide: 2024 Week Eleven

By Thomas Willoughby

I don’t mean to use these intro’s to vent every week, but here we go again. My Sunday was ruined before it even started when I found out the Falcons weren’t on until 9pm. That meant I missed the Bills/Chiefs game live. And when the game finally started it was basically over by the end of the 1st quarter. Thanks, Falcons!

I did make myself a lovely chicken and chorizo pie, however. Which I know isn’t exactly football food, but if it’s going to get colder I’m going to start eating warmer. 

Right enough rambling, here’s what you actually came for.

Take away his Xbox

So a few weeks back, I questioned Kyler Murray’s ability to maintain his good start to the season. I was wrong to. Since week four, Kyler has managed 6 touchdowns, only 2 interceptions, and have lost only once. The Cardinals sit atop the NFC West, and are well placed coming out of their bye week to make a playoff push. Which is why I find this tweet interesting.

Since he came into the league, it’s become a bit of a meme that Murray’s form craters when the new Call of Duty hits the shelves. Up until last season, Murray’s only Head Coach was Kilff Kingsbury. Kliff Kingsbury’s offenses start to dip every October. Call of Duty Black Ops 6 released on October 25th. Since then, the Commanders are 2-2. Their total EPA has dipped below 0. We’re through the looking glass, people.

If the Commanders offense utterly implodes over Christmas, you know it’s because he’s been stat-padding against children who’ve just got the game.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

A bit on the nose

Not sure anything sums up a teams season like what transpired prior to the Cowboys/Texans fixture on Monday night. With clear skies on a beautiful day, the Cowboys decided to play the game with the roof open. For the first time in like 2 years. A nice idea! Then it all started to fall apart. Call me old fashioned, but I don’t believe roofs should do that.

The Cowboys started their season with optimism, but it became very apparent very quickly that things were not going well. When it rains, it pours. In some cases, it rains steel. All the Cowboys can do now is reclose the roof and clear the metaphorical area of dangerous coaches. I mean debris. Ahem.

Wide of the mark

Kicking woes continued this week, with two games decided by kickers missing field goals, and another heavily influenced by some missed chances.

One of the greatest to ever to it, Justin Tucker, saw two of his field goal attempts slide past the posts in the Ravens 18-16 defeat by the hand of the Pittsburgh Steelers. If even one of those kicks snuck in, the Ravens would top the AFC North on a tie breaker. As it is, they’re 2 games AND a time breaker behind Pittsburgh.

The Chicago Bears did everything they needed to do to beat the Packers on Sunday. On the game’s final drive, they marched down inside reasonable field goal range to give Cairo Santos the chance to win the game from 46 yards. His kick was blocked. The Bears lost 20-19. If they’d just managed to get a little further, victory was assured. Santos has never missed a kick within 40 yards.

Evan McPherson’s two missed field goal attempts on Sunday night might not have swung the result, but you have to imagine the Bengals approach that final stretch differently had they been up 33-27, rather than tied 27-27. Let’s say he negatively influenced the result, rather than lost them the game.

Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

They'll probably win it all

It was never going to last, really. Every year someone manages to go on a bit of an unbeaten run that makes people believe that an “unbeaten season” might be in the offing. Every year that run inevitably comes to an end. I did think this year’s side had as good of a chance as anyone to do it, though. After all, they were the Kansas City Chiefs.

Their 30-21 defeat in Buffalo isn’t likely to send shockwaves through the league, per se. After all, the Josh Allen-led Bills have a 4-1 regular season record against the Chiefs.September to January, those boys own Kansas City. Once we get into the new year, though, everything changes. That same team is 0-3 against the Chiefs in the playoffs. 

For the Bills, it’s nice for them to know they definitely can do it over the Chiefs. For Kansas City, just watch them crank it up a notch and start blowing teams away.

Uncertainty in San Fran

I think I’ve written the same paragraph about the San Francisco 49ers annually since this column started. They usually hit a bit of a lull, people start to panic, and I go “it’s fine guys they do this every year.” I’m not sure I can do that this year. These boys might be cooked.

49ers/Seahawks games always have a bit of a bite to them, and this weekend was no different. The game went down to the wire, and only some Geno heroics (Genoics?) at the end of the game separated the two sides. The defeat was the 49ers 5th of the season, equalling their 2023 season total. Looking at their remaining schedule (Packers, Bills, Bears, Rams, Dolphins, Lions, Cardinals), it’s hard to see exactly where they’ll pick up the momentum they need to make a run on the post-season.

Their division helps. They, the Rams, and the Seahawks are all 5-5. The Cardinals are 6-4. It’s close enough that any sort of form might make it interesting heading into the final weeks of the season. I’m just not sure they put it together this time.

Features Image Credit: KDFW FOX 4

Thomas Willoughby

NFL ANALYST

THOMAS IS A WRITER, AND REGULAR GUEST ON THE TOUCHDOWN REVIEW SHOW PODCAST, FOR THE TOUCHDOWN. YOU CAN FIND HIM @WILLO290592 ON TWITTER

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