Monday Night Football Recap: Week 11

Monday, November 19

San Francisco 49ers (7-2-1) defeat the Chicago Bears (7-3)

This was supposed to be a game between the NFL’s most vaunted defenses, but second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ers didn’t seem to mind much. It was his first career start after Alex Smith was ruled out of the game due to concussion, and whispers of a QB controversy are already swirling about. Kaepernick’s 243 yards passing and two touchdowns against the NFL’s #1 defense seemed to come easy.

“It’s everything I could’ve ever wished for,” Kaepernick said. “It feels great just to be out there.”

To put his game into perspective, his 97.5 QBR is the highest rating in a quarterback’s debut in the past five years.

On the other side of the field, Bears quarterback Jason Campbell was making his first start since October 2011 after Jay Cutler suffered a concussion against the Texans last week. His day didn’t go so well. The first-quarter touchdown he threw seems like a distant memory as the highlights of the night featured Campbell on his back over and over, throwing two picks as well and finishing with only a dismal 107 passing yards on 14 completions. San Francisco’s Aldon Smith recorded a Monday Night Football record 5.5 sacks against the Bears tonight. That number is only half a sack away from the franchise’s single-game record, held by none other than Fred Dean.

The home team has won the last 11 meetings between the Bears and 49ers. Last road team to win was 49ers in 1988 NFC Championship game. Aldon Smith has 28 sacks in his first 26 career games. That’s most ever for any player in first 26 games. His 15 sacks are currently top-ranked in the NFL. He currently holds 8 more sacks than the rest of the 49ers combined.

Sunday Football Recap: Week 11 – Sunday Night Football

Sunday, November 18

Baltimore Ravens (8-2) defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4), 13-10.

When the Steelers wore their 1934 throwback alternates, more commonly known in the public as the “jailbreak uniforms”, earlier in the season against the Washington Redskins, they came out with a victory. They just weren’t as lucky on Sunday Night Football against the Ravens.

Missing Ben Roethlisberger (concussion) seemed like less of a big deal after backup Byron Leftwich ran himself in for a score early in the game. But completing 18 of 39 passes for no touchdowns and an interception, along with a Mike Wallace fumble on Pittsburgh’s second possession, would hold the Steelers back.

Joe Flacco barely made a dent against the NFL’s #1 defense, going 20-32 for 164 yards. Ray Rice added 40 yards on the ground on 20 carries. Jacoby Jones ran a punt back for a touchdown in the first quarter to score the Ravens only touchdown.

The Ravens have now won 12 straight against divisional opponents, which is the longest divisional win streak in the NFL since 2002. Pittsburgh has now lost their third in a row at home against Baltimore. The Steelers are 0-5 against the Ravens since 2005 when Roethlisberger doesn’t start.