Week 12 Thoughts

Saquon Barkley Makes The Eagles Different

There was a legitimate argument that the Eagles’ success on the ground the last few years was largely a product of scheme and a great offensive line. For instance, they had a different leading rusher in each of their 3 seasons under Nick Sirianni entering 2024. Running back was somewhat of a plug-and-play position.

This season, the scheme and offensive line are still every bit as good as they’ve been. Only now, the Eagles have a special running back carrying the ball. On Sunday night against the Rams, Saquon Barkley ran 26 times for 255 yards, which included two 70-yard touchdowns. It feels like he’s doing something special every single week (he also added 47 yards receiving to give him 302 total for the night).

The Eagles are physical on both sides of the ball, and they’ve got some great skill players with Saquon leading the way. This team is one of the few with a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl.

Big Test Coming Up For The Dolphins

The Dolphins have scored 145 points in the 5 games since Tua Tagovailoa returned (29 PPG). The defense also nearly pitched a shutout against the Patriots on Sunday (New England’s two scores came on a desperation 4th-down heave and a fumble-return TD). They look like a playoff team right now despite the 5-6 record.

But we still can’t really take them seriously until they shoot down a few narratives that…well…happen to be true: The Dolphins can’t beat a good team; they certainly can’t beat a good team on the road; and there is absolutely no way they can beat a good team on the road in the cold.

Their Thanksgiving Night game against the Packers in Lambeau will give them a great opportunity to dispel these narratives. How they perform will tell us a lot about the direction of this team. Are they finally ready to make the jump? They need to be to stay in the playoff race.

How About That Seahawks Defense?

The 2024 season has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride for Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks defense. But they look like they’re starting to put things together as we approach December football.

Last week, they held the 49ers to a season-low 277 yards and 17 points. This week, they held a rested Cardinals team coming off the bye to a season-low 6 points. In a division where the margins are razor thin, it seems like the team with the best defense that keeps them in every game will come out on top.

After 12 weeks, the Seahawks sit in first place. If they can keep delivering similar performances on this side of the ball, they’ll win the NFC West.

Bill Belichick Should Have A Ton Of Options

Each week, it becomes more and more apparent that having a good head coach provides a distinct advantage. Which makes me believe that owners around the league will be (or at least SHOULD be) falling all over themselves to give Bill Belichick whatever he wants to take over their team this offseason.

I know egos and control are a big part of the equation here. However, I really hope some owner makes the smart move, realizes they don’t know diddly poo about football simply because they were a successful businessman in some other industry, and hands over the reins to Belichick. The league needs him back ASAP.

Bryce Young Looks Better

Sometimes, getting benched isn’t such a bad thing for a quarterback. Sometimes, it alleviates stress, allowing a quarterback to come back and just cut it loose. After all, what’s the worst that can happen? You’ve already suffered the embarrassment of a benching (I know, I know, there are worse things that can happen than a benching).

Still, to play the position effectively, a quarterback needs to maintain a healthy balance of being careful with the football and knowing when to say “f*** it” and take some chances. Sometimes the fear of making a mistake keeps a quarterback from living on the edge and being just the right amount of aggressive with his throws. Getting benched can sometimes remove that fear.

It seems like that’s happened to some extent with Bryce Young.

He hasn’t necessarily been tearing it up, but Young has looked like a more comfortable and confident quarterback since returning from his benching. The Panthers won two in a row before taking the defending champs to the final seconds on Sunday. Young finished 21 of 35 for 263 yards, with 1 TD, 0 INTs, and brought the Panthers back from a 27-16 4th-quarter deficit.

If Young can continue to progress, he might still be in Carolina’s future plans.