Week 11 features some exciting games. The Ravens will take on the Tennessee Titans in a rematch of last season’s divisional championship game. Jake Luton will face his first test against the destructive Steeler defense. And in New Orleans, it’s QB/WR/RB/Special teamer, Taysom Hill who will be leading the Saints out after Drew Brees suffered a rib injury last week. Here’s what to look for in this week’s matchups.
Is Patrick Queen Derrick Henry’s Kryptonite?
After Derrick Henry single-handedly destroyed the Ravens last year (Tannehill threw for only 88 yards), the Ravens drafted ILB Patrick Queen. Queen is a tackling machine similar to former Raven and current Jet, CJ Mosley. When the Ravens selected Queen in the first round of the draft, it seemed pretty clear to me that they didn’t want a repeat of that ill-fated divisional playoff game. Queen has already had a pretty good rookie season, and I think he will be in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year, but if he can stop Henry he could become a much bigger blip on people’s radars. Stopping Henry is not impossible; the Steelers held him to just 75 yards on 20 carries without star ILB, Devin Bush. It won’t be easy but I think Queen and the Ravens will be able to at least contain Henry.
Is Jake Luton the one to break the Steelers’ win streak?
Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel, Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz, Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum, Ryan Tannehill, Lamar Jackson, Garret Gilbert, and Joe Burrow all have one thing in common: they fell to the Steeler defense. Now it’s Jake Luton’s turn. A sixth-round pick out of Oregon state, Luton will be the 12th QB to try to defeat the Steelers. The struggling Jaguars gave the Packers a run for their money last week with Luton at the helm. Can he pull off an upset in what is the biggest game of his career? I doubt it, but with the Steelers, you never know.
Can Taysom Hill keep the Saints on track?
The Saints seemed like Superbowl contenders until Drew Brees got knocked out of last week’s game. The Saints then made a questionable decision by starting do-it-all QB Taysom Hill, someone who lines up more at wideout than QB, instead of Jameis Winston. I think this is a surprising move as Winston was a starter and has much more experience under center. It will be interesting to see how Sean Payton will adapt the playbook to fit Taysom Hill’s unique playstyle. Look for plenty of designed QB runs and short throws.
That’s it for this article. Don’t forget to check back to see my analysis of these games next week. If you have any thoughts on these players, let me know in the comments section.
