As the resident homer here at CBSSports.com, I was so depre sed last night that I thought about pa sing off the newsletter to someone else for the rest of the season because I HAVE NO REASON TO WATCH FOOTBALL AGAIN this year after what happened on Sunday.If you somehow mi sed it, knee is what happened. I'm not going to write anything more than that, because if I do, I'll cry and no one wants to see me cry. The only thing that kept me from having a total breakdown yesterday is the fact that signing up for a lifetime membership in the Fan Club is starting to look like the best decision I've ever made. How 'bout them ! (I think that's what they say in Dallas).Alright, let's get to the newsletter, and just so you guys know, I promise not to spend the entire thing talking about injured Bengals quarterbacks or former Bengals quarterbacks who no longer play for them. I realize there are other teams in the league. As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. All you . A subscription makes a great Thanksgiving present (I'm don't think people actually give out Thanksgiving presents, but let's pretend they do).1. Today's Show: Week 11 winners and losers plus full recapIt's Monday, which can only mean one thing: I stayed up until 3 a.m. last night recording a podcast with Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson that touched on everything you need to know about Week 11 and let me just say, there is a lot you need to know, because Week 11 got a little crazy.One thing we do every week is hand out our weekly winners and losers from Sunday's action. For our losers this week, Ryan got lazy and picked the same team as last week, Brinson picked a team for losing to someone from the NFC East and I picked the Bengals because how could I not. Ryan WilsonWinner: .Raise your hand if you thought we'd see Drew Lock outplay in Week 11? Drew Lock's parents should be the only people raising their hands right now. It's still not clear if Lock is the long-term answer in Denver, but he keeps playing just well enough that the might have to think about keeping him around Nick Pivetta Jersey for the long-term. Loser: .It's pretty clear that Ryan hates the Ravens or at least that's the conclusion I've drawn after listening to him name Baltimore his loser for the SECOND STRAIGHT week. In Wilson's defense though, it's definitely fair to call the Ravens a loser this week: is struggling, the defense is injured, they don't have many receiving weapons and they'd be out of the playoffs if the postseason started today. Not ideal.Will BrinsonWinner: Frank Reich and .There have been plenty of questions this year about whether Reich made the right decision to bring in Philip Rivers and after Sunday's win, they both look like geniuses.Loser: .To get back in the NFC playoff race, all the Vikings had to do was NOT lose to the Cowboys and they couldn't even pull that off. In what was arguably the most embarra sing lo s of Week 11, the Vikings went down in flames against a Cowboys team that had not won a game since Week 5. John BreechWinner: NFC East.For most teams in the NFL, having just three wins through 11 weeks is usually viewed as a total failure, but NOT FOR THE FOUR TEAMS IN THE NFC EAST. Sure, every team in this division is horrible, but all of them still have a chance at the playoffs and that's all that matters in the NFL.Loser: Bengals.I'm starting to think this franchise is cursed. I'm also starting to think I might need a new team.Not only did we list our winners and losers, but we also recapped every game from Sunday. If you want to listen -- and you definitely should --.2. Joe Burrow done for the seasonThe Bengals have existed since 1968 and since then, they've basically suffered through 52 years of bad luck. During their game against Washington on Sunday, the Bengals saw their worst po sible nightmare become a reality: Joe Burrow suffered a serious injury to his left knee.By the time you read this newsletter, there's a chance the diagnosis will be official, but here's what we know so far:Burrow is done for the year. This news comes from Burrow himself, who after the Bengals game concluded.Bengals fear the worst. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora has reported that the Bengals fear it's an ACL and MCL injury, but they won't know for sure until the results of the MRI come in. The Bengals obviously knew it was serious because Burrow was ruled out of the game just minutes after he was carted off the field.Recovery timeline. If Burrow did tear his ACL, he'll be looking at a recovery proce s that will take seven to nine months. The good news for the Bengals is that seven months would be the end of June, which means even if Burrow takes eight months, he should still be ready for the start of training camp.For .3. Monday preview: Prepping you for Rams-BuccaneersThe older I get, the more I hate staying up late and although that might be weird thing to talk about right now, I'm only bringing it up because I'm pretty sure agrees with me. The man is 43 years old, he normally goes to bed at like 8 p.m. ET and because of that, I have to think he hates playing in primetime games.Is this the only explanation I can come up with for why the have been so bad in primetime game this year? Yes. Is it true? I have no idea. Anyway, I think the reason I'm telling you all of this is because the Buccaneers are favored by four points tonight and that feels like too many points for a team that's been outscored 81-47 in primetime games this year. With that in mind, let's take a look at a few nuggets from our Rams-Buccaneers preview.On the end, Sean McVay is going to have to do everything in his power to make sure doesn't see much pre sure in this game, because Goff is terrible when he's under pre sure. In nine games this season, Goff has a QB rating of just 36.9 when facing pre sure and the ugly part for him is that he's going up against a Tampa Bay defense that ranked second in the NFL in sacks going into Week 11. Don't be surprised if McVay calls a lot of short pa ses, wide receiver screens and jet sweeps so that Goff can get the ball out before Tampa Bay's pre sure gets to him.As for the Buccaneers, their offensive line is a work in progre s right now, which isn't great news for Tom Brady, who will be trying his best not to get destroyed by . The Buccaneers have struggled against good defenses this year, totaling just 45 points in lo ses to the , and Saints. The Rams have a good defense, which means it could be a frustrating night for Brady.Breech's prediction: Rams 26-23 over Buccaneers.For a more in-depth preview on this game from Jared Dubin, .4. Week 11 grades: get an 'F' for embarra sing lo sEvery week, I team up with six of my colleagues here at CBSSports.com to hand out grades, and this week, the Detroit Lions failed out of our imaginary football school. Actually, it's probably more accurate to say that they were expelled because we don't want to see them around anymore after their performance on Sunday. Speaking of getting expelled, the Lions front office might want to think about expelling Matt Patricia from the team.Here's a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday: 20, Lions 0 ()Panthers takeaway:With and both out, the Panthers knew they'd need a huge performance from their defense to win and that's exactly what they got. The defense sacked five times, held the Lions under 200 yards and pitched Carolina's first shutout since 2015.Grade: B+Lions takeaway:It's not easy to get shut out in today's NFL, but the Lions managed to do it. The offense couldn't move the ball, the defense couldn't stop a former XFL quarterback (P.J. Walker) and all of that led to the Lions getting shut out for the first time since 2009. Matt Patricia's seat is so hot I can feel it from where I'm sitting and I live 535 miles away from Detroit.Grade: FSaints 24, 9 ()Saints takeaway:For the past few years, it feels like all we've heard Sean Payton talk about is how is destined to become the next Steve Young. Now, I'm not sure if that's going to happen, but Hill did look pretty good in this game. Not only did he throw for 233 yards, but he did something you never see from : He rushed 10 times for 51 yards and two touchdowns. For a deeper dive into Taysom Hill's first start, .Grade:A-Falcons takeaway:I'm not sure what happened at halftime in the Falcons' locker room, but whatever it was, it couldn't have been good, because Atlanta basically fell asleep at the wheel in the second half. After moving the ball pretty easily in the first half, the Falcons only made it into Saints territory one time in the second half. A lot of that probably had to do with the fact that had zero time to throw in a game where he got sacked eight times.Grade:DAs for the other 20 grades we handed out on Sunday, . 5. NFL playoff picture heading into Monday nightI don't know how it happened, but there are only six weeks left in the season and since I'll be in a food coma for the next seven days, it's going to feel more like there's only five weeks left. With that in mind, it's time to take a look at the playoff picture heading into the end of Week 11.Two key things to remember before checking out the standings below is that SEVEN teams will be getting in and that only the top seed will be getting a bye. Also, the "First team out" is being listed because that team could be the last one in if the playoffs are expanded to 16 teams. That proposal has been approved, but the expansion to 16 will only happen if multiple regular season games are canceled and can't be made up. AFC1. (10-0)2. (9-1)3. (7-3)4. (7-3)5. (7-3)6. (7-3)7. (6-4)First team out:Ravens (6-4)The most notable part of the AFC playoff picture is that the Baltimore Ravens wouldn't be in the playoffs if the season ended today. Before the season started, the Ravens were favored to win the AFC North, but now, they look like a shell of the team that went 14-2 last season, which probably isn't even fair to say, because it's an insult to shells.NFC1.Saints (8-2)2. (7-3)3. (7-3)4. (3-6-1)5.Buccaneers (7-3)6.Rams (6-3)7. (6-4)First team out:Bears (5-5)The Monday night game between the Rams and Buccaneers could shake things up in the NFC, but only if Los Angeles wins. If Tampa Bay wins, then the Rams will flip flop with the Cardinals and everything else will stay the same. On the other hand, if the Rams pull off the upset, they'll move to the three-seed, the Seahawks will drop to the five-seed and the Buccaneers will fall one spot to sixth. Basically, you probably shouldn't print out this NFC playoff picture, because it's definitely going to be changing after tonight's game. 6. NFC East is total chaosSomehow, the worst division in football is giving us the most competitive race. I've seen enough episodes of "The Bachelorette" to know that America loves trash television as long as it gives us drama and that's exactly what's happening with the NFC East.All four teams now have three wins on the season, which means this race is likely going to get pretty crazy down the stretch. I have no idea how the division is going to play out, but I'm going to try and predict it anyway. Let's take a look at the remaining opponents for each team plus my prediction for each team's final record.Eagles (3-6-1) Remaining schedule: Seahawks (7-3), at Green Bay (7-3), New Orleans (8-2), at Arizona (6-4), at Dallas, Washington.Schedule observation: All I have to say about this remaining slate is YIKES. Final record prediction: 4-11-1. (3-7) Remaining schedule: at Bengals (2-7-1), at Seahawks (7-3), Cardinals (6-4), Browns (7-3), at Ravens (6-4), Cowboys.Schedule observation: If the Giants can beat the Cowboys and Bengals and then sneak one win out of the other four games, that actually might be enough to win the division. I don't think that's going to happen though.Final record prediction: 5-11.Cowboys (3-7)Remaining schedule:Washington, at Ravens (6-4), at Bengals (2-7-1), (4-6), Eagles, at GiantsSchedule observation: In a division where everyone is terrible, having the most remaining divisional games is an advantage. If the Cowboys win two out of three divisional games AND beat the Bengals (Andy Dalton revenge game), that will get them to six wins and six wins is likely going to win this division.Final record prediction: 6-10.Washington (3-7)Remaining schedule:at Cowboys, at Steelers (10-0), at 49ers 4-6), Seahawks (7-3), Panthers (4-7), at Eagles.Schedule observation: Washington has to play three straight road games starting on Thanksgiving and let me just say that nothing kills your division title hopes quite like playing three straight road games starting on Thanksgiving.Final record prediction: 5-11.There you have it, I'm predicting the COWBOYS to win the division. Was there some sort of unconscious bias at play here because I'm Andy Dalton's biggest fan and because Dallas was my preseason prediction to win the division? Probably, but I'm still taking them.7. The Kicker!Guys, I have a very important kicker update: There are only two kickers left who have made all their field goals this season. Going into Week 11, there were three kickers who were still perfect on the year, but now that number is down to TWO after Steelers kicker mi sed a 45-yard field goal against the . That leaves us with (Seahawks) and (Packers) as the only two kickers who are still perfect on the season.Speaking of Crosby, he got into a kicking duel with on Sunday and as we all know, the first rule of kicking is to never get in a kicking duel with someone who wears rec specs. Blankenship pulled off the most impre sive kicking performance of Week 11 with four field goals, including three that came over the final nine minutes of Indy's 34-31 win over Green Bay. The final kick was a 39-yard field goal in overtime that gave the Colts the win.I'm very partial to overtime kicks because my dad (Jim Breech) holds . Speaking of my dad, I should probably call him this week and when I do, I'll be sure to tell him you guys said hi. See you Tuesday! Rhys Hoskins Jersey
You could imagine her surprise when Mary McCusker opened a mysterious package containing a No. 1 jersey bearing "McCusker" on the back. McCusker, owner of The Pub on Main Street in Jamestown, N.Y., was the recipient of a recent act of kindne s by NFL Commi sioner (and Jamestown native) Roger Goodell, per .Mary's husband Jim McCusker pa sed away about a month before the jersey arrived. Jim spent seven years in the NFL as an offensive lineman, including four seasons with the .Kindberg chronicled the career of the hometown hero in a column for The Post-Journal following Jim's death. In it, he called for The Pub to display a No. 1 Jamestown High School jersey to honor the late McCusker.Initially, Mary believed the jersey was the Blank Jersey doing of an employee, who attempted to replace an jersey that was lost in a fire at The Pub. The gift's origin, however, was a complete surprise for her. As Mary pulled the jersey out of the box, two cards (one for Mary, the other for Kindberg) and a return addre s label from the league office fell out. Mary's card read, "I'm sorry for the lo s of your husband Jim. The article in The Post-Journal was a fitting tribute to an extraordinary man. I hope this jersey can hang in The Pub as a reminder of the special man he was," according to Kindberg.Kindberg's card displayed, "I recently read your wonderful article on Jim McCusker. Thanks for sharing with all of us what a wonderful man he was as well as an NFL legend. I hope they can find a spot to hang this at The Pub."Both cards were signed, "Roger.""Someone either sent him the article or he subscribes to The Post-Journal online,'' Mary said. "He had to read the whole thing. You know it involved the article, because of the No. 1 on the jersey." Blake Treinen Jersey
The New England Patriots hit the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium on Friday for their third practice se sion of this year's training camp.At this point in the proce s, the Harmon Killebrew Jersey team still isn't wearing pads, so it's tough to really evaluate every position under such different circumstances. However, they were in shells for the first time.Still, everyone watching practice is seeing the players put in the work to get better each time they step on the field. Here's everything that could be seen on Friday:Participation/Attendance while defensive backs Marte Mapu and Kaleb Ford-Dement were absent for the first time. after mi sing Thursday's se sion. a red non-contact jersey. on the field again.News/Notes in a punt return drill, catching one while already holding two footballs. for the crowd. a lot with the team's starters. over the middle that had some good touch on it. a pa s from Jacoby Bri sett to Tyquan Thornton in 11-on-11s. in 11-on-11s while Chukwuma Okorafor started on the right. a ball at the line., which is expected at this point in camp. were on short pa ses, and Bri sett didn't complete a pa s. a Bri sett pa s to JuJu Smith-Schuster. on a deep pa s with Gonzalez in tight coverage. at left tackle in 11-on-11s with Vederian Lowe on the right side. with Azizi Hearn in coverage in 11-on-11sin 11-on-11s. Maye responded with , while Joey Slye went 3-for-4 (mi s was from 37 yards)QB stats ()7-on-7s:Bri sett: 9/12Maye: 9/13Milton 4/6Zappe: 5/611-on-11s:Bri sett: 5/8Maye: 8/11, INTMilton: 8/10Zappe: 6/7ClipsExtended look at Patriots quarterbacks Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) Drake Maye practicing throws downfield off play action from the gun Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) Drake Maye airing one out Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) Drake Maye and Joe Milton deep balls Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) Pop Douglas going through individual drills. Hes been limited to start camp. Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) Out-breakers have given Maye some trouble earlyTends to throw either high or behind Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) One throw from each Patriots quarterback Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) Willians Astudillo Jersey
Mi sed curfews did nothing to slow down the in London as they walked over the in Sunday's victory at Wembley Stadium. Our takeaways:After he was shut out in the opening quarter, needed just 15 minutes to pile up 158 yards off six grabs. His second-quarter explosion marked the most yards by a wideout over a single period in franchise history. Bryant left the game for much of the second half, but he lashed the for long scores of 68 and 35 yards before departing. The latter touchdown saw him streak down the sideline before cutting back acro s the field to slice Niko Goodrum Jersey through a swarm of into the end zone. When he's on fire, nobody in the NFL is better. looked stiff out of the gate, unable to flee the pocket or make plays on the move. I couldn't help but wonder if lingering back pain played into his early overthrow of tight end on what would have been an easy touchdown. The quarterback shook it off, though, to throw and complete 20 of 27 pa ses for 246 yards at 9.1 yards per to s before took over midway through the final quarter.After to sing six interceptions over his past three games, was turnover-free until in the fourth quarter. Still, the can't seem to sustain anything positive from week to week on offense or defense. The occasional flashes of promise from their young roster aren't enough to overpower opponents for 60 minutes. bounced back with 100 yards off 19 carries. The ' front five also played well after struggling last week against the . The line blew open lanes on third down and helped Dallas mount a substantial lead before handled most of the work down the stretch. is no fluke. The running back and former college quarterback scorched the Dallas defense with a 32-yard rushing touchdown in the opening quarter en route to 60 yards on the day. Averaging 97.3 rushing yards per tilt since , Robinson has made so-called workhorse an afterthought.Despite a laundry list of injuries to their front seven, the Dallas defense allowed just 5.1 yards per play and held Jacksonville to four of 14 on third down. The pa s rush mi ses , but that didn't stop the from piling up four sacks and five quarterback hits on the day.The latest Around The NFL Podcast from an action-packed Sunday. Find more Around The NFL content on . Daniel Norris Jersey
On this week, road teams played more like wild-eyed consumers on Black Friday, ripping half-off blenders out of the arms of children -- aggre sive, but ultimately embarra sing. However, a few away teams were mighty thankful for some extraordinary performances. One from a future r, Anderson Espinoza Jersey one from an unsung wideout and one from a Honey Badger. Greatne s on the Road winnerAdrian Peterson Just because he does it every week doesn't mean he shouldn't be commended for doing so. The running back is already on pace for another year, leading the league in rushing yards (1,164), attempts (237) and yards per game (105.8) despite mi sing all of 2014. He's single-handedly taken Minnesota to the top of the NFC North standings, and is running away with Comeback Player of the Year. But most importantly, he's playing his best in the most vital of games. Following a disappointing performance against the , Peterson ripped up the Georgia Dome turf in a matchup between two playoff-hungry teams. AD terrorized the ' front seven all day en route to a 158-yard performance on a dominant 29 rushes. Peterson salted away with a fourth-quarter 35-yard gallop to the end zone for his second touchdown on which he accelerated, a la 2012 Peterson, through the ' secondary with no regard for human life. Over the ' past seven games, they have won six, and has thrown over 250 yards in just two games, one of them a division lo s. Long story short: when Minnesota takes the ball out of Teddy's hands and thrusts it into Peterson's, good things happen. Just ask the . Runners-upTyrann MathieuWe'll continue to tout as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate after the safety picked off a pa s and drove the crazy all day with a team-leading 13 tackles, two pa ses defensed and a tackle for lo s. One of the most versatile defenders league-wide, the Honey Badger continues to play the best football of his life for the surging . is no , or even , but Mathieu's stalking of the quarterback demonstrated his potential to drive fear in the heart of signal-callers around the league.Markus WheatonAll this talk about wide receivers and being the top deep threat combo in the league, and goes ahead and posts one of the most of the year. Considering his opponent -- the once-vaunted Legion of Boom -- Wheaton's 201-yard highlight reel outing is as impre sive as Brown's 284-yard monster game at home against the . The third-year wideout's career day was even more surprising because he had totaled 45 yards receiving combined in his last five games, hadn't gone over 72 yards all year and had never eclipsed 100 yards in his career. If it weren't for 's heroic performance in over Pittsburgh, Wheaton would clearly be the top road player of Week 12. Alas, a wide receiver can only do so much. Wil Myers Jersey
tight end has been considered a man-child for quite some time now, but after a mammoth three-touchdown performance in the season opener on Thursday, teammate was able to put that thought into a different perspective." Blaine Boyer Jersey I've said it over and over, he's just a beast," Edelman told NFL Media's Kimberly Jones. "It's like watching sometimes an eighth grader play with second graders."Edelman's quote particularly rang true of Thursday night. Maybe it's simply because we haven't seen Gronkowski play in a few months. Maybe it was because Pittsburgh was that ill-equipped to cover him.His five-catch reel highlighted the best of the gigantic tight end, from the balletic to the downright powerful. Bill Belichick may be the only coach in football who can wreak absolute havoc out of a simple goal line set where he splits two tight ends out wide.Of course, he owes this luxury to the man-child.Game planning would be a lot more complex if he didn't have an eighth grader against all those second graders. Willie Wilson Jersey
's disappointing 2015 season ended with , but it might not be the end of his career in San Francisco. NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday on NFL Network's GameDay Morning that Kaepernick remains in the ' plans for next season. "My understanding is sat down with general manager Trent Baalke and discu sed among other things potential free agent targets for next year and the plan for 2016, a sign that maybe -- just maybe -- the are not done with Kaepernick yet," Rapoport said. "I'm told he is in their plans for Carl Yastrzemski Jersey 2016."Kaepernick was benched in favor of in Week 9. The ' offense has functioned much more fluidly with Gabbert under center than when Kaepernick helmed the offense. After Kap was benched and subsequently placed on IR, was that the quarterback took his last snap for the Niners. Kaepernick signed a team-friendly deal in 2014 that allows the to walk away from the 28-year-old signal-caller. His $13.9 million salary for 2016 doesn't become guaranteed until April 1. Kaepernick struggled in 2015. He regre sed as a pocket pa ser, lacked accuracy and touch, and his field vision was disquieting. The 2012 breakout player who displayed a big arm and dynamic running ability will have to improve as a pa ser and leader if he's to earn another starting gig next year and beyond. Nathan Eovaldi Jersey
CLICK ON BRACKET TO EXPAND.Earlier this summer, we updated our , and everyone who read it agreed with the fact-based conclusions 100 percent.As you Scooter Gennett Jersey might know, many colleges also field football teams -- the best players from which go on to the aforementioned NFL. So, with the season's kickoff drawing ever closer, it's high time we tackle the best trios of student-athletes, school by school, who are currently employed as pro football players.Yes, like an expanded version of the CFB's fancy new bracket tournament, we've pooled all the NFL rosters to come up with the 32 best trios by university. The standards remain the same: One quarterback, one running back and one pa s catcher, with more weight/credit placed on the QB than the other two spots. All players must be on active rosters -- and, for the sake of their destinies here, all are preferably good at football.My esteemed NFL Media colleagues and I will be casting our votes to determine which teams advance. Have an opinion on who should go on and who should go home? Let us know.-- Dave Dameshek1) Cal: (, , )2) Stanford: (, , )3) Texas A&M: (, , )4) Utah: (, , )5) Clemson: (, , )6) West Virginia: (, , )7) Oregon: (, , )8) Florida: (, , )1) Tenne see: (, , )2) USC: (, , )3) LSU: (, , )4) Vanderbilt: (, , )5) Florida State: (, , )6) Louisville: (, , )7) Oklahoma State: (, , )8) Arkansas: (, , )1) Georgia: (, , )2) Oklahoma: (, , )3) Auburn: (, , )4) Pittsburgh: (, , )5) Ole Mi s: (, , )6) Arizona: (, , )7) Texas: (, , )8) South Carolina: (, , )1) Wisconsin: (, , )2) Alabama: (, , )3) Michigan: (, , )4) Fresno State: (, , )5) Central Florida: (, , )6) Michigan State: (, , )7) North Carolina: (, , )8) Notre Dame: (, , ) George Foster Jersey