Now it's getting serious.
Next weekend, the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks all get a break.
That means all 32 teams will be finished with off weeks.
But the focus here is Week 11, when many of the league’s stars and emerging players apparently was “on” their games. And while their competition did its best to stop them, nothing will prevent us here from giving these men their just due.
Ben Roethlisberger, Chip Kelly And Bobby Rainey Headline The NFL's Week 11 Honor Roll Slideshow
QB Ben Roethlisberger
In one of the more bizarre games of the season, the Steelers quarterback was consistently good in his team's 37-27 victory over the visiting Lions. The 10-year veteran threw two touchdown passes to Antonio Brown in the first quarter and finished with 367 yards and four scores without an interception in a much-needed win for Mike Tomlin's team.
RB Bobby Rainey
It's been a long year for Greg Schiano's team and his running backs, which have had their problems staying healthy this season. But when it's Rainey, apparently the yards and touchdown tend to pour in. The former Western Kentucky standout carried 30 times for 163 yards and two scores, plus caught a touchdown pass in the team's 41-28 win over Atlanta.
WR Michael Floyd
Carson Palmer threw for 419 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-14 victory at Jacksonville, and yes, Larry Fitzgerald was on the end of one of those scores. But Floyd, the team's first-round pick in 2012, came up huge, taking a pass 91 yards for a touchdown and five more for 102 yards as well. Do the math and Floyd finished with 193 yards on six catches and Bruce Arians' team got win No. 6 in 2013.
TE Martellus Bennett
It was not a big week for tight ends around the league, although Houston's Garrett Graham grabbed seven passes for 136 yards and a touchdown in his team’s 28-23 loss to the Raiders. Bennett caught just two passes for 48 yards and didn’t score on Sunday. But his impressive 43-yard catch and run in overtime helped set up teammate Robbie Gould's 38-yard game-winning field goal in the win over the Baltimore Ravens.
Offensive Line: Broncos
The big showdown in the Mile High City didn't produce a lot of dramatics as the Broncos handed the Chiefs their first loss. What was surprising was the fact that Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, nursing a bad ankle, wasn't sacked in the team’s 27-17 win. The veteran dropped back 40 times in the game, and the Chiefs' defense was not credited with a quarterback hit.
DT Gerald McCoy
After winning two games in seven days, perhaps it is only fitting that another Buccaneers player make the list this week. McCoy spent plenty of time in the Atlanta backfield Sunday, totaling five tackles along with three sacks of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in the team's 13-point home victory. Can Greg Schiano and his team make it three in a row when they visit the Motor City this weekend?
LB Vontaze Burfict
It would be tempting to put San Francisco's Ahmad Brooks here after the impact he had in the Superdome on Sunday (he did have two tackles and an interception before the fourth quarter). But Vontaze is the Burfict pick here (see what I did). The one-time undrafted free agent totaled 15 stops plus forced a fumble and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown in Cincinnati's 41-20 comeback win over the Cleveland Browns. Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis is also worth mentioning after totaling 17 tackles on Monday night.
FS Jairus Byrd
Why would the Bills ever let this standout player hop on someone else’s wagon? In Sunday's thrashing of Rex Ryan’s club, this Byrd flew much higher than those erratic Jets. The standout defender totaled four tackles, one sack, knocked down two passes and intercepted New York quarterback Geno Smith twice in Buffalo's 37-14 victory.
K Garrett Hartley
Apparently, the Saints had not been happy with their placekicker's performance in recent weeks. But that was "Hartley" the case Sunday at the Superdome when Garrett was good on all three field goal attempts. His 31-yarder on the final play of the game gave Hartley and Sean Payton’s team a 23-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The Saints own an 8-2 record this season, totaling one more win than all of last season.
Coach: Chip Kelly
Remember when these Birds were busy giving up as many points or more points than they were scoring? The Eagles also committed seven turnovers in their first eight games this season. But after surrendering 138 points in their first four contests this season, Kelly's team has allowed 122 in its last seven outings. And thanks in part to quarterback Nick Foles, this team has coughed up the ball just eight times in its last eight contests. More importantly, Kelly's club is in first place and takes a three-game winning streak into its off week.
-- Read more of Russell S. Baxter at ProFootballGuru.com. Follow him on Twitter @BaxFootballGuru.
