First, the good news. There is still plenty of football left in the season and, with the NBA season beginning on December 22, sports fans are going to have a lot of action coming up. The bad news, though, is that we’re already more than halfway through the 2020 NFL season, which means the countdown to the end is running. Teams are running out of time if they plan on making an appearance in the playoffs, and yesterday’s slate of games may have given a preview of what to expect. 

The Tennessee Titans were forced to take a loss yesterday after they couldn’t get anywhere against the Indianapolis Colts. The two teams swapped places on top of the AFC South as a result of the 34-17 game after Colts quarterback Philip Rivers threw for 308 yards and a touchdown, while the Titans were falling apart. Both teams are now 6-3 after the Titans logged their third loss in four games. Neither team has it easy in Week 11, as the Colts are set to play the Green Bay Packers and the Titans take on the Baltimore Ravens. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made up for their embarrassing loss to the New Orleans Saints when they made easy work of the Carolina Panthers. Quarterback Tom Brady and the rest of the Bucs squad got off to a slow start and Carolina made sure it took advantage of every opportunity. However, things flipped in the second half, with Brady ending the day with 341 yards and three touchdowns to secure a 46-23 win. The Panthers defense was dominated completely during the last two quarters, with the Bucs able to record a total of 544 offensive yards in the game, including a 322-35 differential in the second half. With that, the Bucs gave themselves a boost to threaten the NFC South leaderboard, which currently has the Saints just slightly ahead of them.

The Saints aren’t too considered, at least not yet. They faced a beat-up San Francisco 49ers team yesterday, easily taking the win with a score of 27-13. It was a costly victory, however, as quarterback Drew Brees was taken out by a shot to the ribs in the second quarter. He almost immediately headed out for an MRI, allowing backup QB Jameis Winston a chance to come in and show his stuff. That wasn’t the last of the injuries for the Saints, however, as wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith and tight end Josh Hill suffered concussions, and three other players were forced to leave the game.