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Week 11 winners, losers and observations: Joe Burrow injured, updated playoff picture and NFL notes

A touching picture followed Joe Burrow's injury, Chase Claypool scored again and a look at next week's early point spreads.

It was an emotional scene in Washington as Cincinnati rookie quarterback Joe Burrow sustained a season-ending knee injury in the third quarter on Sunday.
It was an emotional scene in Washington as Cincinnati rookie quarterback Joe Burrow sustained a season-ending knee injury in the third quarter on Sunday.Read moreAl Drago / AP

The injury looked so gruesome that Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes and even the artist formerly known as Chad Ochocinco immediately tweeted out well-wishes and prayers for Joe Burrow.

The Bengals franchise quarterback was on a record-setting pace for a number of rookie passing records, but was knocked out of Sunday’s game when 300-pound defensive tackle Jonathan Allen landed on his left knee. As he was leaving on a cart, teammates and opponents alike came over in support, including Washington’s Chase Young.

Burrow was the No. 1 overall pick in April. Young was No. 2. The picture of the two of them is one of the most poignant of the season.

» READ MORE: Doug Pederson: Benching Carson Wentz for Jalen Hurts signals ‘the season’s over’ for Eagles | Marcus Hayes

Earlier in the game, Young whacked Burrow at the goal line that caused a fumble resulting in a touchback.

“Thanks for all the love,” Burrow tweeted. “Can’t get rid of me that easy. See ya next year.”

Cincinnati was leading 9-7 when Burrow went down. They lost 20-9 as Ryan Finley could not get the offense out of neutral. Burrow was 22-for-34 for 203 yards. Finley was 3-for-10 for 30 yards. The Bengals picked up two first downs and netted 17 yards in five drives with Finley.

“Seeing that sucks, especially when you know the person,” said Washington receiver Terry McLaurin, who was briefly teammates with Burrow at Ohio State. “One thing I do know about Joe, he’s a resilient guy. I’m praying for him. He’s a guy that when he gets knocked down, he comes back stronger.”

Playoff picture

Entering Monday night’s Rams-Tampa Bay game:

NFC: 1-New Orleans (would get the bye)

7-Arizona at 2-Green Bay

6-L.A. Rams at 3-Seattle

5-Tampa Bay at 4-Eagles

AFC: 1-Pittsburgh (bye)

7-Las Vegas at 2-Kansas City

6-Cleveland at 3-Buffalo

5-Tennessee at 4-Indianapolis

Winners & Losers

  1. PJ Walker became just the second Temple quarterback to start an NFL game when he filled in for Teddy Bridgewater and led Carolina to a 20-0 win over Detroit. The only other Owls QB to start a game was Henry Burris, who was the Bears quarterback in Week 17 in 2002. Burris went on to have a Hall of Fame career in the Canadian League. Steve Joachim appeared in a game for the Jets in 1976 and Tim Riordan played in a game for the Bears in 1987 as a strike-replacement player. Walker, who played at Temple for current Carolina coach Matt Rhule, boosted his resume with five strong games in the XFL before that league was shut down by the pandemic.

  2. Ryan Fitzpatrick finished the game for the Dolphins after Tua Tagovailoa was twisted down awkwardly midway through the Dolphins’ loss to Denver. Miami coach Brian Flores said afterward he pulled Tagovailoa to try to jumpstart the offense. Fitzpatrick nearly pulled off a rally but threw an end-zone interception with 63 seconds left.

  3. Humorous celebration by Chase Claypool and his Steelers teammates after his touchdown catch against Jacksonville. Claypool pretended the football was a cake and the fellas sang “Happy Birthday” to fellow receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who turned 24 on Sunday. Pretty funny.

  4. That score was the 10th of the season for Claypool, the 49th overall pick in April. He’s the first wide receiver in the Super Bowl era with 10 touchdowns in the first 10 games of his career. Pittsburgh is 10-0. Jacksonville (1-9) has lost nine in a row.

» READ MORE: Carson Wentz, Jason Peters, and other ugly observations from the Eagles’ 22-17 loss to the Browns | Mike Sielski

  1. The Texans entered the week 2-7, but both of those wins were against Jacksonville, so do they count? Surprising the Patriots on Sunday definitely counts.

  2. Ezekiel Elliott went over the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time all season. Andy Dalton may not be Dak Prescott, but he’s not Ben DiNucci, either. The Cowboys have to be favored to win this miserable division and will play for first place on Thanksgiving when Washington visits.

  3. Indianapolis survived atrocious clock management at the end of regulation and nine offensive holding calls to beat the Packers in overtime.

  4. Taysom Hill had played in 46 NFL games before getting his first start at quarterback. He had a very Drew Brees-like 78.3 completion percentage (18-23) and led the Saints with 51 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. “Man, he played tremendous,” said Saints receiver Michael Thomas, who had his best game of the season (9 catches for 104 yards). “I could see the look in his eyes. He was ready for the moment.”

  5. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Brees (chest) would be out until Week 15, which means the Eagles would see Hill in Week 14 when New Orleans visits the Linc.

  6. Keenan Allen set a Chargers single-game record with 16 catches and became the first player to have six career games of at least 13 receptions. After Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, the combination of Justin Herbert and Allen is probably the most lethal in fantasy.

  7. Jacksonville is now 41-100 in the nine years since Shad Khan became owner. Remember the pre-pandemic chatter of them moving to London? Doubt the Brits would want ‘em now.

  8. Dez Bryant had four catches for Baltimore, his first receptions since 2017.

  9. A.J. Green caught his first touchdown since Oct. 28, 2018.

  10. Can’t say I’ve ever seen a player get hurt stepping on a penalty flag, but that’s what appeared to have happened to Pittsburgh’s JuJu Smith-Schuster, who did not return after the fourth-quarter mishap.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Browns Up-Down Drill: Jason Peters has another brutal day

Notable quotes

“That was a big-boy play. ... That was amazing.”

-- Houston tight end Jordan Akins reacting to a powerful 4-yard touchdown run by quarterback Deshaun Watson.

***

“What a steal Nelson Agholor has become here for Las Vegas. He sort of became a punchline in Philadelphia.”

-- NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth after Agholor’s first-quarter touchdown was his sixth of the season. Agholor had seven total the previous two years with the Eagles when he was often criticized for crucial drops.

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“The last time I wore them, I got them cut off me in an ambulance.”

-- Washington quarterback Alex Smith on the vintage uniforms his club wore on Sunday.

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“I spent a lot of time reflecting this week. My wife and I had so many conversations about where we’ve been, the process of getting here. If I’m being honest, it was an emotional week.

-- Saint quarterback Taysom Hill