5 Things I Learned From Week 11 of the NFL Season

Bruce Arians Is the Coach of the Year

While the win column is certainly all that matters at the end of the day for a team, understanding how good or bad a group truly is can help us make better predictions. The Browns, for instance, were power-ranked 19th in the NFL according to our metrics entering their Week 11 game against the Texans - no six-win team ranked in the bottom half of the league outside of them. Cleveland, quite simply, isn't as good as the team's record indicates.

The best team in the NFL, Arizona, falls into this same category. Though they're the only NFL team with nine wins, entering Week 11, the Cardinals ranked seventh in our analytically-driven power rankings.

The separation between team metrics and team record could be due to the team's head coach. That's Bruce Arians, and he is, without question, the best coach in the NFL right now.

Despite a quarterback carousel - and an offense that's now led by Drew Stanton - the Cardinals keep winning. Yesterday's win against Detroit was a huge one, too. The Lions were the third-best team in the NFL according to our numbers entering the week, and one of few NFC teams that were going to challenge the Cardinals for a top playoff spot. Arizona's defense stepped up, allowing just six Detroit points, while Stanton outperformed his opponent's quarterback, Matthew Stafford, by over 14 expected points.

If Bruce Arians doesn't win Coach of the Year, then something's wrong.