By Anthony McClean, Editor-In-Chief Emeritus

A much ballyhooed rematch between the powers in the NFC East, an impressive debut for a former XFL star, and more Mahomes Magic highlights another week for the Field Generals.

We also saw another head-to-head meeting down in Houston as well as overtime heartbreak in Baltimore. As we await Week No. 12, let’s put a final bow on Week No. 11.

THURSDAY

Kyler Murray, Arizona (Loss at Seattle)

Give the much-maligned Seattle defense credit for putting up their best performance of the season. The Cardinals only managed 57 yards on the ground, with Murray gaining just 15 on five carries. Overall, Murray finished 29-of-42 passing for 269 yards, touchdown passes to Chase Edmonds and Dan Arnold, and no turnovers. Larry Fitzgerald led the Cardinals with eight catches for 62 yards, as both DeAndre Hopkins (5-51) and Christian Kirk (4-50) never were big factors. Also, Arizona had 10 penalties for 115 yards.

Russell Wilson, Seattle (Win vs. Arizona)

After a couple of inconsistent weeks, No. 3 would bounce back with an efficient performance. Wilson finished the night 23 for 28 for 197 yards passing with two touchdowns. He completed 82.1% of passes and added 42 yards rushing. Overall, Seattle rushed for 165 yards, but more importantly, the team was able to wield a balanced offensive attack. The Seahawks were penalized eight times for a total of 79 yards, but were able to overcome it for the victory.

SUNDAY

Cam Newton, New England (Loss at Houston)

What faint playoff hopes the Patriots had going into this game, they’re probably were shot to pieces with another close loss. No. 1 finished 26-of-40 for 365 yards with one touchdown pass. It’s the second 300-yard game of the season for Newton. He also moved passed Steve Grogan for most rushing attempts in a single season by a Patriots QB. Grogan had 81 rushing attempts in 1978. Cam now has 83 on the season.

DeShaun Watson, Houston (Win vs. New England)

In a performance that earned him the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week, No. 4 was his old self against the Patriots. Watson completed 28-of-37 passes (75.7 percent) for 344 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 121.9 rating. He also ran for 36 yards and one touchdown on six carries (6.0 avg.). He also became first player in team history and second player in the NFL this season with at least 225 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in the first half of a game. 

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore (Loss vs. Tennessee)

The Ravens have now lost two straight and three of their last four overall including Sunday’s overtime loss to the Ravens. As for Jackson, he completed 17 of 29 passes for 186 yards with one touchdown and one interception. What made matters worse, Baltimore blew a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter before collapsing late in the fourth quarter and in overtime. Derrick Henry’s game-winner in OT dropped the defending division champs to third place in the division. To say Sunday’s rematch with Pittsburgh is huge is a major understatement.

P.J. Walker, Carolina (Win vs. Detroit)

Say hello to the newest member of the Field Generals by way of Texas and the XFL. Walker completed 23-of-43 pass attempts for 258 yards and a touchdown. He also showed with his scrambling on a couple of plays in the 20-0 win. He previously helped lead the Houston Roughnecks to a 5-0 record before the pandemic shut down the XFL’s season. Overall, Carolina registered its first shutout since 2015 and handed the Lions their first shutout loss since 2009.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City (Win at Las Vegas)

Dear Raiders: DON’T LEAVE NO. 15 TIME ON THE CLOCK TO BEAT YOU!! Easier said than done, but you could almost see how this game was going to finish on Sunday night. Vegas scored a go-ahead touchdown of their own with 1:43 remaining, but that proved too much time for Mahomes. The Chiefs drove 75 yards in seven plays with Mahomes going 6-of-7. The Chiefs went to third down once and needed a second down only twice. On the night, No. 15 tallied 348 passing yards and two touchdowns in the contest. Most importantly, K.C. would hold on to run their record to 9-1 and give themselves a three-game lead over the 6-4 Raiders in the AFC West.

STAT OF THE WEEK

Making his first career NFL start, Carolina quarterback P.J. Walker passed for 258 yards in the Panthers’ 20-0 win over Detroit. Carolina is the first team to record a shutout for a quarterback making his first career start since Week 3 of the 2016 season, when New England shutout Houston, 27-0, in Jacoby Brissett’s first career start.

Anthony McClean can be reached via email at anthonymcclean@basnnewsroom.com.