Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have reached a critical juncture of their season, facing an important road contest against the streaking Denver Broncos. The Chiefs need a win if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive.
At 5-4 on the year, the Chiefs are surprisingly looking up at the 8-2 Broncos in the AFC West. The Broncos are tied for the league lead with the New England Patriots with a seven-game winning streak. But while the Broncos have stacked wins, they haven’t been impressive in doing so, escaping with victories over struggling teams like the Jets, Raiders and Giants.
Sunday’s game is an opportunity for both teams. For the Chiefs, it’s a chance to reel in the Broncos and move a step closer toward another AFC West title and trip to the Super Bowl. For the Broncos, it provides an opportunity to prove to the rest of the league that they are legitimate Super Bowl contenders in head coach Sean Payton’s second season.
While the Chiefs are 3.5-point favorites, Denver’s top-notch defense will have a say in the outcome of this one.
Now, let’s take a closer look at who’s hot and who’s cold heading into Week 11.
WHO’S HOT
Drake Maye is playing like the NFL’s MVP, but he received some help on offense from Henderson in a big win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The electric rookie out of Ohio State finished with 147 yards on 14 carries, including long touchdown runs of 69 and 55 yards.
Henderson is fourth among rookies with 430 rushing yards, and his explosive speed adds another dimension to New England’s offense. Henderson reached a top speed of 22.01 mph on his first touchdown, the fifth-fastest speed of any ball carrier this season, per Next Gen Stats.
Lawrence had a game all defensive linemen’s dream about, twice scooping up strip sack fumbles created by linebacker Tyrice Knight on sacks of Jacoby Brissett and returning them for scores. The former Dallas Cowboy and offseason free agent addition for the Seahawks has been a key contributor for one of the top defenses in the league.
Lawrence totaled four tackles, a tackle for loss, a half-sack and three quarterback hits, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Lawrence now has four career touchdowns and became the fourth player in NFL history to return two fumbles for touchdowns in the same game, joining Jeremy Chinn (2020), Fred Evans (1948) and Al Nesser (1920).
After his team’s surprising victory over the Buffalo Bills, McDaniel took a victory lap around his neighborhood, cruising by a watering hole that was expecting a lot of Bills fans in South Beach, according to videos posted on social media.
However, McDaniel neither confirmed nor denied that he was the person in the video.
“I live in that area,” McDaniel said. “AI is real. That’s what I got for you.”
The Dolphins are 3-7 but have won two of their last three games.
In his second career start, the Louisville product took a step in the right direction, helping to lead the Saints to a nice road win over the Carolina Panthers. Shough completed 19 of 27 passes for 282 yards, with two touchdown passes and no interceptions for a 128.9 passer rating.
Shough finished 11-for-16 for 202 yards and two touchdowns on throws outside the numbers, the second-most by a Saints quarterback in the last eight seasons and most by any rookie in 2025, according to Next Gen Stats. Shough improved to 1-1 as a starter and is making strides in trying to prove he could be the long-term answer at quarterback in New Orleans.
Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
A sixth-round selection for the Bolts in the 2024 draft, Vidal has rejuvenated L.A.’s running game with Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris out. Vidal finished with 95 rushing yards and a score in his team’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Further, since Week 5, Vidal has totaled 404 rushing yards, ninth in the league during that time. The Chargers have won four of six games during that stretch.
Also, here’s a fun fact for you: Vidal’s great uncle is the late Henry Aaron.
WHO’S COLD
I don’t believe it’s justified, but there are grumblings of LaFleur potentially being on the hot seat with the Packers losing at home to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday. The Packers have lost two in a row, scoring a combined 20 points over the last two games.
LaFleur says he has no plans to give up play-calling duties, but he must get the offense going for quarterback Jordan Love, who hasn’t thrown a touchdown over the last two games. LaFleur and the Packers get soothing balm this week, with backup quarterback Jameis Winston making the start at MetLife for the New York Giants.
LaFleur has had one losing season in seven years as a head coach, with five playoff appearances. I can’t see a team moving on from that much success.
The Michigan product lost a year of development with his season-ending knee injury during preseason play last year. So, it makes sense that he’s going through some up-and-down play this season, particularly considering McCarthy missed some time because of a high-ankle sprain last season.
Last week’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens was one of those low moments. He completed just 20 of 42 passes for 248 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions, posting a 54.5 passer rating. McCarthy is 2-2 as a starter and faces an important game at home against the Chicago Bears. At 4-5, the Vikings need McCarthy to play winning football.
Buffalo Bills; run defense
The only thing stopping Miami running back De’Von Achane in Buffalo’s bad loss to the Dolphins last week was the back of the end zone at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins finished with 197 rushing yards.
For the season, the Bills are allowing a league-worst 153.2 yards per game. Led by reigning league MVP Josh Allen, Buffalo is supposed to be built for a Super Bowl run. But you can’t take them seriously as a Super Bowl contender with a nose-pinching run defense that can’t get ball carriers on the ground.
There’s snow on the ground in Buffalo, so that should help slow down Tampa Bay’s running game this weekend.
You seldom see too many No. 1 overall picks execute so many head-scratching plays. The latest setback for Lawrence was losing a 19-point fourth-quarter lead and getting stripped-sacked on the final play of the game, which allowed Houston defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins to get a big man touchdown to seal the win for the Texans.
After starting 4-1, the Jaguars have lost three of the last four games. First-year head coach Liam Coen must be contemplating if he needs another answer at quarterback.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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