The NFL is through Week 11 of the 2022 season and as always, there were no shortage of talking points that need to be broken down.

This week is Thanksgiving in the United States (and we hope those of you who celebrate it have a happy one), and that usually marks a pretty big milestone in any NFL season. Once you get to the three-game Thursday bonanza out of the way, you know that you’re really entering the business end of the season.

In the next few weeks, playoff spots are going to be clinched, eliminations will be confirmed and we will be keeping an eye out for which teams are trying to get hot as they enter the postseason as they hope to go on a run all the way to the Super Bowl in Arizona in early February. 

But that’s all about the future, we still need to focus on what happened this week gone by in the NFL, and there certainly were no shortage of talking points. Whether it be the Dallas Cowboys’ huge statement win over the Minnesota Vikings, the incredible finish between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers or the slugfest that was the New England Patriots’ late win over the New York Jets.

Those were just some of them, but we like to give a little bit of a deeper dive into the stories behind the scores and what they mean in the grand scheme of things, and we’ll do that, right now:

5 - Two weeks in, what’s the deal with Jeff Saturday and the Indianapolis Colts?

When doing this list last week, we mentioned the concept of the ‘new manager bounce’ that you would get in soccer when a new man comes into run a team, and how we shouldn’t read too much into the Indianapolis Colts’ win last week, as it might just have been as a result of hearing a fresh voice in the room and giving players that extra step.

Jeff Saturday of the Indianapolis Colts (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Now though, after giving the Philadelphia Eagles a serious run for their money after they were looking to make amends for their only defeat of the season so far last Monday, perhaps the Colts are onto something after all. It’s still early, but certainly a ‘watch this space’ kind of scenario at Lucas Oil Stadium.

4 - When will the Los Angeles Chargers get their time to shine?

The Los Angeles Chargers certainly are a mystery. On paper, they have everything that you might want your team to have to be successful, a stud at quarterback in Justin Herbert, talented receivers, a trusty running back, playmakers and pass rushers on defense… but yet they stand at 5-5 and basically handed the Kansas City Chiefs the division this past Sunday night.

This was meant to be the year that they got things together and went on a run deep in to the playoffs, maybe even challenging for a Super Bowl, but unless they go on a Cincinnati Bengals late run, that just isn’t going to happen, and after falling short the past few years, you wonder when, if ever, this group of players will actually come good on their talent.

3 - The G in Jimmy G no longer stands for ‘game manager’

At least that’s the takeaway from the San Francisco 49ers’ impressive win over the Arizona Cardinals, as Jimmy Garoppolo torched the birds for 228 yards and 4 touchdowns off of just 29 passes to set the stage for their comfortable 38-10 win in Mexico City.

If this is the Garoppolo that the 49ers can rely on for the rest of the season, rather than the ‘game manager’ type of player they’ve been used to over the years, when combined with their incredible offensive talent and a very stout defensive unit, there’s every chance they could be the hot team that makes a late run and goes all the way this year.

2 - Minnesota Vikings suffer big blow after Buffalo game

Yes, the Minnesota Vikings’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys was a bit of a disaster, but honestly, we think a large part of it might have come from the fact they were still coming off such a high from their crazy win over the Buffalo Bills the week before, and that they just suffered a ‘comedown shock’ when they had to play the next game.

This will act as a wakeup call for the Vikings, but with the two teams on a possible collision course when it comes to the playoffs, at least now they’ll have a good idea of how to stop them if they face each other again, and they won’t be on such an emotional roller-coaster either.

1 - The big Aaron Rodgers question staring the Green Bay Packers in the face again

Last week we questioned whether or not the Green Bay Packers’ win over the Dallas Cowboys was enough to hold off the idea that they should bench Aaron Rodgers for the rest of the season. Well with their loss to the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night, that question needs to be asked again. 

At this point, at 4-7, ranked 11th in the NFC playoff standings, and with a tough schedule ahead of them, their season is more or less over, they don’t have anything to lose. At least give Jordan Love a go so that they can either see if he’s their future, or if they can get something decent for him in trade value.