Week 11 NFL Preview

AFC WEST CLUBS CLASH SOUTH OF BORDER:

The NFL returns to Mexico when the LOS ANGELES CHARGERS host the KANSAS CITY CHIEFS on Monday Night Football (8:15 PM ET, ESPN). Estadio Azteca, which is 7,201 feet above sea level, will host a regular-season NFL game for the fourth time (also 2005, 2016 and 2017).

Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES, who makes his 26th career start this week, has 8,007 career passing yards, the most by a quarterback in his first 25 starts in NFL history. Mahomes, who has 68 career touchdown passes, also surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (65 touchdown passes) for the most touchdown passes by a player in his first 25 career starts in NFL history.

DEFENSES TURNING OFFENSIVE: Since the beginning of 2018, the CHICAGO BEARS and the LOS ANGELES RAMS are tied for second in the NFL with seven defensive touchdowns. Those clubs clash in Los Angeles (8:20 PM ET, NBC) on Sunday Night Football. The BALTIMORE RAVENS lead the NFL with eight defensive touchdowns since the beginning of 2018, while the NEW YORK JETS also have seven, tied with the Bears and Rams.

Overall in Week 10, despite only 13 games on the schedule, NFL teams combined to score nine defensive touchdowns, the most since Week 6 of 2017 (10 defensive touchdowns).

DOLPHINS ON WINNING STREAK:

There’s always hope in the NFL. The MIAMI DOLPHINS host the BUFFALO BILLS on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS) with an opportunity to win a third consecutive game. The SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS were the most recent team to open a season with seven-or-more consecutive losses and then win three-or-more games in the same season. The 49ers in 2017 began 0-7 but won their final five games. Now, just two years later, San Francisco owns a share of the NFL’s best record at 8-1.

PATRIOTS BID FOR 19 STRAIGHT: With a win on Sunday at Philadelphia (4:25 PM ET, CBS), the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS can move to 9-1 and clinch a 19th consecutive winning season. In NFL history, the only team to string together at least 19 winning seasons was the DALLAS COWBOYS, who assembled a streak of 20 winning campaigns from 1966-85.

Among the other three major professional league sports, a franchise has authored 19-or-more consecutive winning seasons on only seven occasions: New York Yankees (39, 1926-64), Montreal Canadiens (32, 1951-52 to 1982-83), Boston Bruins (29, 1967-68 to 1995-96), New York Yankees (27, 1993-2019), Detroit Red Wings (24, 1991-92 to 2015-16), San Antonio Spurs (22, 1997-98 to 2018-19) and Utah Jazz (19, 1985-86 to 2003-04).

MARGIN OF VICTORY IS SHRINKING:

With a season-high six teams on their byes this past week, the NFL played just 13 games. Eleven of those 13 games were separated by one possession (eight points or fewer). In 36 games this season, a team has won or tied after trailing in the fourth quarter.

The most games decided by eight- and seven-or-fewer points through 10 weeks in NFL history:

NFL SCHEDULE, NOVEMBER 14, 17-18

(All times Eastern)