Fansided

NFL Week 11 Winners and Losers: Patriots, Packers trend up, Bills, Washington crash to Earth

By Andrew Garda

Nov 16, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) runs onto the field during player introductions before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) runs onto the field during player introductions before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 11
Next
Nov 16, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (21) breaks up a pass intended for Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (21) breaks up a pass intended for Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson (81) during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Loser: Detroit Lions

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Lions have a fantastic first half of the season, lead the NFC North and look like a legitimate contender, only to collapse down the stretch and miss the playoffs.

Sound familiar? To Lions fans, it does.

Here’s my big question and it actually makes me think back to a Sports on Earth piece I did a few weeks back which wondered whether the Lions should keep Calvin Johnson: does Matt Stafford rely on Calvin Johnson too much?

I know, sounds crazy but hear me out.

Since Johnson has been in the lineup again, Stafford has thrown to him a total of 27 times. The next closet? Golden Tate, with 15, most of which came against Miami last week.

When a quarterback locks into a player like that, it makes an offense a little more one-dimensional. Now, it’s not being one-dimensional from the standpoint that they can only run or only throw—the Lions ran the ball well yesterday.

But it is one-dimensional in that a great defense like the Arizona Cardinals can focus more on Johnson and if they shut him down or limit him, the offense is going to struggle.

I’m curious to see what happens next week against a New England Patriots team which features a great corner tandem in Darrell Revis and Brandon Browner.We’ll see if Stafford adjusts or if it stays “All Megatron, All the Time.”

Home/Buffalo Bills