The latest
NFL Expert Picks for Week 11 of 2025 | SB Nation
As we approach the sprint to the playoffs this week is full of divisional matchups that will go along way to settling the order for the playoffs. Even if these games aren’t impactful right now, they will be when Week 17 rolls around. Of these games the one to really circle is Broncos vs. Chiefs. Denver is leading the division, but haven’t been convincing in the first three quarters of games. Meanwhile Kansas City is desperate for a win to claw their
way back in the AFC West and close the gap. This very much feels like a “must win,” for Patrick Mahomes and company.
NFL Week 11 picks: Upset and score predictions, matchup analysis for every game | NFL.com
Why Tom picked the Chiefs: I almost tricked myself into going with the Broncos and their superpowered defense at home. Could Denver’s pass rush keep Patrick Mahomes from getting back into the Master of the Universe groove that helped him power a three-game win streak for K.C.? Sure, maybe. Can Bo Nix give Andy Reid the fifth ever post-bye week loss of his decades-long head-coaching career? That’s a tougher question to answer — unless you need to splash some cold water on any idle thoughts of a Broncos upset, in which case it’s exactly where you want your brain to lead you. All due respect to Nix and Sean Payton for putting together an exciting season so far, but this figures to be the Biggest Test Yet of Denver’s legitimacy. And I would feel a lot better about the Broncos’ chances if I knew they were going to have Patrick Surtain II and J.K. Dobbins on the field, as they did for their only victory to date against a team that is currently in the playoff picture, a four-point squeaker over the ever-angsty Eagles back in Week 5. It feels like everything would have to line up perfectly for Denver to pull this off, and Mahomes and Co.’s fresh-and-rested status kind of takes that scenario off the table from the jump.
2025 NFL rookie report: Best and most disappointing player for every team | CBS Sports
Best: OT Josh Simmons, Ohio State (Round 1, No. 32 overall)
Simmons has missed some time this season, so he was not a runaway winner. Cornerback Nohl Williams and running back Brashard Smith have given them good snaps as well. However, knowing Kansas City’s issues at tackle in recent years, Simmons’ flashes suggest those may now be answered.
Most disappointing: DT Omarr Norman-Lott, Tennessee (Round 2, No. 63 overall)
Neither edge rusher Ashton Gillotte nor Norman-Lott have fulfilled the team’s vision. Those two positions were targeted by the team at the trade deadline. Norman-Lott was personally rated more highly, so the expectation is that he would at least supplement the pass rush. After five games, he went on injured reserve and was lost for the season.
NFL picks: Predicting every remaining game, final record, playoff outlook for each AFC team | NFL.com
I was right about … the Chiefs losing their fifth straight regular-season game to the Bills.
I was wrong about … Week 4 vs. the Ravens. In hindsight, probably a bit overzealous of me to underestimate the reigning AFC champs at home. Even if Lamar Jackson hadn’t exited early with a hamstring injury, the Chiefs were the superior team that Sunday afternoon, outclassing a Baltimore squad that wasn’t quite right out of the gate.
Second-half double down
Despite entering Week 11 three wins shy of the Broncos’ total and sitting third in the division, Kansas City stacks enough victories down the stretch — including both tilts with Denver — to capture its 10th consecutive AFC West title
Harrison Butker is quietly putting any early-season concerns behind him | Arrowhead Addict
“[Butker] has had a couple of good games in a row,” said Toub. “That’s great. He’s had a really good practice. I thought it was his best Wednesday practice yesterday. You know, the ball’s flying good right now.
Specifically, Toub pointed to the first practice back from the bye week off and believes it might have helped the team’s hard-working kicker.
“I think the rest might have helped [Butker]. We talk about, ‘You gotta go back to work,’ and he does a lot. I think this break was really good for him, because he looked really good yesterday. Two good games, and hopefully we’ve got this thing righted.”
Around the NFL
The true messiah — franchise quarterback Joe Burrow — made his way back to the practice field this week and is nearing his highly anticipated return, meaning Flacco will soon head back to the bench as a 40-year-old backup. The clock is ticking on his tenure as Bengals starter, a thankless job that has included an assortment of joys and frustration, but Flacco isn’t wasting time pondering what his future might look like in December.
“I don’t know, I think backups probably do it a good amount where they know like, ‘Hey, this guy’s coming back, he’s got a three-week injury or whatever it is,'” Flacco said, via The Cincinnati Enquirer. “I’m honestly not really thinking about it. It’s not really a part of my process. I really don’t care. It’s this week, and that’s all that matters. And I think to think about that stuff would just be a distraction. So it’s not really something I’m worried about.
Henderson shines as Patriots top Jets to earn best record in NFL | ESPN
New England Patriots rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson has made the most of his opportunity, filling in for injured starter Rhamondre Stevenson, who has missed the past three games because of a toe injury. Henderson’s two touchdown runs and one receiving touchdown helped the Patriots to a 27-14 victory over the New York Jets on Thursday night, sparking a question on whether he might assume a larger role when Stevenson returns.
The Patriots improved to 9-2 with the win, the best record in the NFL, and won their eighth in a row.
Henderson became the second rookie in Patriots history to have multiple rushing touchdowns in consecutive games, joining Curtis Martin, who had a three-game streak and two-game streak in 1995.
Documents: NFL filed grievance against NFLPA to stop report cards | ESPN
The NFL filed a grievance against the NFL Players Association, asking the union to stop its annual team report cards and saying the exercise violates the collective bargaining agreement by airing public criticism of teams, according to documents obtained by ESPN.
The league claims the report cards, which poll players on various aspects of working conditions, violate a CBA clause that says NFL owners and the union must “use reasonable efforts to curtail public comments by club personnel or players which express criticism of any club, its coach, or its operation and policy,” according to an August letter from the league’s management council to NFLPA general counsel Tom DePaso that was obtained by ESPN.
After months of discussions with the league after the letter, the NFLPA alerted its players of the grievance last week and said it’s “moving ahead with this year’s survey,” according to a union email obtained by ESPN.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
Revisiting 5 of Chiefs’ biggest preseason questions
9. Can Patrick Mahomes master deep passing?
In recent years — without wide receiver Tyreek Hill — quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ effectiveness with deep vertical passes declined. With a new cast of downfield threats, there was hope Mahomes could get back to what he was doing earlier in his career.
The plan seems to be coming along. There has been an increase in explosive passes, but not all of them come from vertical plays downfield. The Chiefs have been using Worthy and Brown on horizontal routes like crossers to have them catch on the run and turn north.
Mahomes has been more aggressive as well. According to Next Gen Stats, Mahomes averages 8.1 intended air yards per attempt this year, tied for 17th of 36 quarterbacks. Last year, Mahomes had the third-lowest mark at 6.3 intended air yards per attempt. The increase shows the Chiefs are attacking downfield.
Thornton has been an upgrade over wide receiver Justin Watson as this team’s sacrificial deep-route runner. Worthy has improved on vertical routes. Against Buffalo, Brown was able to gain 4o yards on a deep corner route. Rice should get more vertical targets as he gets integrated back into the offense. The Chiefs’ ability to sprinkle in vertical passing has helped clear space for the offense.
Social media to make you think
Follow Arrowhead Pride on Social Media
- Facebook: Like our page
- Instagram: @ArrowheadPride
- X: Follow @ArrowheadPride
- AP Staff on X: See complete list
- Sports Radio 810 on X: Follow @SportsRadio810
