Overview of Week 11 Hangover: The Athletic Football Show
Robert Mays and Derek Klassen recap Week 11, digging into two games they hadn’t fully broken down (Bears–Vikings and Steelers–Bengals), the day’s biggest news (Michael Penix’s season-ending knee injury), team-level fallout (Falcons, Bengals), and listener voicemails about the Chiefs and Chargers. The conversation mixes film detail (quarterback reads, drops, playcalling decisions) with roster and front-office implications.
Top news
- Michael Penix (Falcons) likely out for the season with knee damage — reports suggest a partially torn ACL and ongoing issues in a knee that already had a bone bruise earlier this year.
- Big roster/organizational fallout: Atlanta paid Kirk Cousins large cap dollars this year and next, used the No. 8 pick on Penix, and gave a future first-rounder to the Rams in a trade. With Atlanta at 3–7, that future first could be extremely valuable to the Rams — a major self-inflicted draft-cost risk if Penix’s long-term value is unknown.
- Hosts: this compounds questions about Terry Fontenot’s roster construction and the team’s risky, aggressive bets on quarterbacks.
Game recaps and film notes
Bears 19, Vikings 17 (walk-off field goal)
- Final: Bears win on walk-off FG; game featured two rookie/young QBs who each went 16/32.
- Caleb Williams (Bears)
- Statline (16/32) undersells the film: Mays/Klassen argue Williams made several elite throws (including tight-window throws over the middle), showed growth replacing corner blitzes, and created on scrambles.
- Key negatives: multiple egregious drops by receivers (three clear drops), four intentional throwaways, and several misses. He also showed some hesitation on certain touchdown/TD-opportunity throws (needs to be more aggressive on some tight-window chances).
- Situational note: Bears had a questionable fourth-and-5 punt decision late — hosts argue you should go for it there given field-position risk and the offense’s momentum.
- J.J. McCarthy (Vikings)
- Also 16/32, but with lower-lights that are deeper: several very bad misses, two interceptions, and a tendency toward exaggerated pocket movement that puts him in traffic.
- Vikings had success running at times and had defensive pieces play well, but self-inflicted miscues (drops, situational mistakes) nearly cost them the game.
- Defensive/other notes: run game effectiveness and interior execution mattered for both teams; Bears’ run defense still causes concern despite the win.
Steelers 34, Bengals 12
- Final: Steelers dominated; Bengals fall to 3–7 and likely have a lost season.
- Bengals defense
- Historically poor: hosts cite worst-ever defensive DVOA through 10 games (per Aaron Schatz) and a run of allowing 27+ points in nine straight games (ties a Super Bowl-era mark).
- Film examples: missed assignments (including a sequence where the Bengals had only 10 men on the field following a long conversion), poor tackling, and repeated breakdowns in the second/third levels.
- Some young coverage pieces (DJ Turner, Dax Hill) show ability in coverage, but tackling and front-seven issues remain severe.
- Steelers offense
- Heavily short-area, YAC-heavy approach: Pittsburgh ranks dead-last in “air yards to the sticks” and a massive share of yardage is short work / YAC. Mason Rudolph and even Aaron Rodgers (when he plays) are operating largely as checkdown/short-area QBs for this unit.
- Defensive game plan: Steelers ran a very high percentage of two-high shells / Cover-2 this game and used Kyle Dugger cleverly as a high robber/third-level run player — those coverage choices neutralized Chase/Higgins and let the front four dominate.
- Bengals organizational implications: bad defensive personnel results, expensive contracts (e.g., Orlando Brown Jr. cap hit), disappointing draft/development, and limited obvious short-term fixes.
Team deep dives & broader takeaways
Falcons
- Penix injury worsens an already awkward QB investment situation: big money to Cousins, top-10 pick on a quarterback with injury history and mixed play.
- Consequences: poor roster construction choices (trading future picks, heavy veteran spending) leave the Falcons with few clean answers — hosts suggest a potential need for a reset but acknowledge firing Raheem Morris after only two years would be politically and practically complex.
Bengals
- Season collapse with glaring defensive failures; the team will face hard offseason choices: defense needs retooling, some high-cost contracts complicate change, and draft/development has underperformed.
- Jamar Chase suspended one game for spitting on Jalen Ramsey — another blow to the Bengals’ chaotic season.
Chiefs (from voicemail segment)
- Caller panic acknowledged, but hosts think Kansas City likely still a playoff-caliber team.
- Core issues to address: receiver corps construction (frustrating, repetitive mistakes in allocation of resources), lack of consistent on-demand run game and true RB investment (hosts cite passing on Breece Hall as a missed opportunity), and occasional need for more pass rushing/in‑front power.
- Recommendation: prioritize a quality running back and more pass rush/OL attention in coming offseasons.
Chargers (from voicemail segment)
- Main problem: interior offensive line quality (Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Mekhi Becton, depth) — tackles hurt this year, but interior play was a concern before injuries.
- With large cap space (~$100M+), hosts advise aggressive offseason investment on two interior starters (via FA or draft) to protect Justin Herbert; weapons are adequate but OL must be fixed.
Notable quotes and host lines
- “Lesson here: do not give away future first-round picks for prospects.” — on Falcons’ draft trade implications.
- Bengals defense: “Worst ever defensive DVOA through 10 games” (sourced to Aaron Schatz) — used to underline how historically bad the defense has been.
- On Caleb Williams: despite 16/32, “some throws were top-10 level” — hosts emphasize the nuance behind box score numbers.
Actionable recommendations (for teams / fans)
- Falcons: deeply evaluate QB plan and front office construction; consider whether a broader reset is needed rather than incremental fixes.
- Bengals: major defensive overhaul, coaching and personnel evaluation; address roster construction and development failures.
- Chiefs: prioritize a true lead RB and add interior/run-game and pass-rush support — don’t keep repeating the same receiver/skill‑allocation errors.
- Chargers: use cap space to secure two reliable interior offensive linemen and prioritize giving Justin Herbert a clean pocket.
Bottom line / Final takeaways
- The Penix injury is season-changing for the Falcons and highlights risky roster gambles that now lack a clear upside.
- Film matters: both rookie QB statlines (Williams, McCarthy) were similar, but film nuance shows very different underlying play — box scores can be misleading.
- The Bengals’ defense is in historic free-fall; Pittsburgh won more by exploiting that chaos than by showcasing an explosive offense.
- Several teams (Falcons, Bengals, Chiefs, Chargers) face practical, solvable offseason choices — but the window to reverse course without painful roster or staff decisions is narrowing.