11 Thoughts from Sunday's Week 12 Games
The Broncos won their 5th game in a row on Sunday, beating the Browns 29-12. During this streak, Russell Wilson has averaged just 26.8 pass attempts per game and has thrown for more than 200 yards just once. He hasn’t been “cooking,” necessarily, but he’s been efficient and hasn’t thrown an interception during this stretch. On the other side of the ball, the defense has forced 16 turnovers in 5 games.
The Jaguars took command of the AFC South with a 24-21 win over the Texans. Trevor Lawrence completed 23 of 38 passes for 364 yards and a touchdown (he also added a rushing TD). For the second straight week, he and the offense have performed like we all thought they would entering the season.
Every single week we watch the Eagles and say they’re not clicking quite like they did a year ago, or they’re not quite playing a clean game, or they’re winning ugly. And yet, they’re now 10-1 after doing much of the same against the Bills in Week 12. Buffalo’s season, meanwhile, is slipping away.
In their first game after firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada, the Steelers gained more than 400 yards for the first time in 59 games. They still only scored 16 points, but it was enough to get the win in Cincinnati.
The Chargers turned the ball over 4 times and continue to find ways to lose. The Ravens, on the other hand, continue to find ways to win. They’re now 9-3 as they enter their bye week.
The Falcons ended their 3-game losing streak with a win over the Saints and moved to 3-0 in the division. Bijan Robinson was involved early and often, getting 19 touches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. That’s the ticket to success for this team down the stretch.
Don’t look now, but the Colts are 6-5 and currently the 7th seed in the AFC after a 27-20 win over the Buccaneers. Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss combined for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23 carries, good for an average of 6.3 yards per rush. Gardner Minshew has this team on a 3-game winning streak.
The Chiefs answered any questions about their 2nd-half offensive woes by scoring a season-high 17 points in the final 30 minutes against the Raiders. The offense might not be what it has been for the last 5 seasons, but it’s also not a finished product. Something tells me they’ll continue to get better as January approaches.
The Patriots lost their second straight game despite giving up just 10 points. Entering the season, I thought the offense couldn’t get any worse than what we saw last year with Matt Patricia as the playcaller. Under Bill O’Brien, somehow it has.
The Panthers are a mess, and after losing to the Titans on Sunday, they fired head coach Frank Reich. I’m starting to get a little concerned about Bryce Young and the situation in Carolina long term.
Matthew Stafford threw 4 touchdown passes and Kyren Williams racked up 202 yards from scrimmage as the Rams blew out the Cardinals 37-14. L.A. has silently been hanging around, and they’re now in position to make a surprise playoff push over the final 6 weeks.