It's Monday morning, kids; time to wake up and learn. But instead of learning useless stuff like writing or arithmetic that will never help you in the real world, we're going to learn about football. Everything revolves around football in the real world!
Okay, maybe I'm not painting the most accurate picture of the real world. But you get the idea. Here are three things we learned in Week 11 of the NFL season.
1. Denver Broncos Offensive Line Issues
If the Denver Broncos are supposed to be Super Bowl contenders, then can someone please tell me how they lost 22-7 to the St. Louis Rams yesterday? Never mind, that was rhetorical.
The Rams sacked Manning twice and forced two tackles for a loss and four quarterback hits. The San Francisco 49ers also sacked Manning twice while missing three of their Pro Bowl defenders in Week 7. The New England Patriots got to Manning three times, and the Oakland Raiders deflected four passes and netted two interceptions. Are you starting to see a trend here?
The Broncos have made four changes to their offensive line over the last five games, and none of the tweaks seem to be working. Manning may get the ball out of his hands quicker than any other quarterback in the league, but that doesn't mean you can allow opposing rushers free shots on him. Manning must be more scared than a kid in "American Horror Story" back there.
Denver still has time to figure out their line issues. But this is a serious issue that could undo their Super Bowl aspirations.
2. Indianapolis Colts Playoff Seeding
I doubt that a 42-20 loss is how Colts coach Chuck Pagano drew it up in practice. But that's what happened when Indy went on the road against the New England Patriots last night. The Pats continue to be the Scarlett Johansson of the NFL; in other words, the hottest team in the league. Tom Brady didn't just set up camp in the pocket, he established an entire colony.
This loss was not good news for the Colts. They have now dropped games against the Broncos and Pats, which has likely cost them a top-two seed in the AFC and a first-round bye. Indianapolis would be a fourth seed and play the 7-3 Kansas City Chiefs if the NFL playoffs started tomorrow. Sure, the Colts won in a scintillating comeback against Kansas City last year, but something tells me they'd like to avoid the 28-point deficit they were staring at in the third quarter of that game this time around.
The Colts will play the Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Redskins in what should be easy opportunities to regain some lost ground over the next two weeks.
3. Ryan Mallett Looked Good
Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett appeared comfortable in his first-ever NFL start. Mallet completed 20 of 30 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns against one interception. The Texans won 23-7 on the road against the Cleveland Browns. Of course, 213 rushing yards helped Mallett ease into the game. But his steady performance was a welcome sight after Ryan Fitzpatrick completed just 58 percent of his passes over his last four games.
The Texans have climbed back to .500 at 5-5, and while they're likely out of the playoff picture in the AFC, Mallett has six more games to prove he's a long-term option at quarterback.
