2019 NFL power rankings, Week 11: Steelers jumping, Chiefs slumping

Recap: The Cardinals were back on the road for the third time in four weeks and would clash with old friend Bruce Arians and his slumping Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arizona’s shaky pass defense had allowed 24 touchdown passes and managed only two interceptions in the club’s first nine games and things weren’t much better on Sunday. While Kliff Kingsbury’s club picked off Jameis Winston twice, the Cards allowed yet another scoring connection to a tight end and watched the Buccaneers’ quarterback total 358 yards through the air. Arizona actually finished the game with 11 penalties for 87 yards, pretty troubling considering Arizona’s running game managed only 75 yards.

Next Week: It’s the second meeting in three weeks between the Cardinals and 49ers, with this contest taking place at Levi’s Stadium. On a Thursday night in the desert (Week 9), Niners’ quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 317 yards and four scores in San Francisco’s 28-25 win – ending Arizona’s eight-game winning streak in the series.

Playoff hopes: For what it’s worth, all six of the Cardinals’ losses and the Week 1 tie vs. the Lions have come when the team trailing at halftime. More significantly, Kingsbury’s club did not take advantage of some opportunities presented them. It adds up to a third consecutive loss and the Cards the lone team in the NFC West below .500.

Recap: After avoiding defeat in their first three games this season, the Lions were 1-4 in their last five outings as they took on the slumping Bears at Soldier Field. And now Matt Patricia’s club would be without injured veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. Enter Jeff Driskel, who started five games for the Bengals a year ago. He finished the game with 269 yards through the air and found wide receiver Kenny Golladay for a 47-yard score. But he also threw one interception for the game’s only turnover. The Lions gave up three more touchdown passes without a pick. That’s 19 TD passes allowed compared to three interceptions in nine outings as Detroit fell to last place.

Next Week: The Men from the Motor City host the Dallas Cowboys for the first time since coming away with a wild 31-30 victory six years ago. As for a little more recent history and including playoffs, these clubs will clash for the third time in four years. A year ago at AT&T Stadium (Week 4), the Lions were on the short end of a 26-24 score.

Playoff hopes: The Lions’ once-promising season has slowly but surely fallen apart. While the absence of Stafford was huge on Sunday, the team’s season-long issues in the secondary have proven to be very costly in the last seven games. And more significantly, Patricia’s slumping team also now owns a 0-3 record vs. its NFC North rivals.

Next: Nos. 26 and 25