NFL Week 12 Recap

Week 12 NFL Recap

Houston Texans over Detroit Lions

The Houston Texans got another close victory over the Lions in another overtime game where there defense struggled.  The offense has been playing well the last few weeks, especially the resurgent Andre Johnson and this makes the Texans quite dangerous.  However the defense seems to be struggling without Jonathon Joseph and in the playoffs that could prove problematic.  Also I think it is time to take into consideration the tragic review call, or lack of review on the Justin Forsett touchdown run.  The rule which says coaches aren’t allowed to challenge a play that would be automatically challenged and if they attempt to do so the play is then unreviewable.  The most interesting part of that is that theoretically a coach could challenge their own game winning touchdown and the play wouldn’t be able to be booth reviewed.  This game for the Lions though basically ends their season.  They move to 4-7 having lost 3 in a row and seem to be a flawed franchise.  They have 3 talented and dynamic starts in Calvin Johnson, Matthew Stafford and Suh, but these players can be inconsistent at times and it costs the team dearly.  Especially Suh’s antics which are getting old very quickly.

Washington Redskins over Dallas Cowboys

RGIII!!!!!!!! I know I seem to make a big deal of him every week and that is really all I ever talk about with the Redskins but the man is worth it.  He threw for over 300 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception in a game where he completed over 70% of his passes as he led his team to a Thanksgiving Day victory over the Cowboys.  He singlehandedly makes the Redskins one of the most exciting teams in football and this season is performing at the level of a top 10 quarterback.  He has led the team to a 5-6 record and honestly it really seems like they are doing better than that given how exciting the team is.  This loss effectively ended the Cowboys season on the other hand.  The team moved to below .500 and in really is going to make it difficult for the team to make it almost impossible for a late season run toward the post season.  Romo and the Boys fell behind early despite a valiant comeback attempt that fell a little short, a loss that seems to be the epitome of the Cowboys season.  Romo played great but the rest of the team didn’t do enough to earn a victory. 

New England Patriots over New York Jets

Well the Patriots are good at football and the Jets are a dysfunctional mess, those are the two lessons from this game.  The Patriots dominated this game in every facet, offensively able to move the ball at will, defensively forced a ton of turnovers and were even able to score a special teams touchdown.  The Patriots at this point have to be considered the favorite in the AFC; they have the league’s best offense with an improving defense.  The Jets on the other hand are just a mess highlighted by Sanchez’ fumble where he ran into his lineman’s ass.  The Jets’ offense is just terrible; I kind of feel bad for Sanchez and actually think it is for his benefit that Tim Tebow begins to start.

Denver Broncos over Kansas City Chiefs

The Broncos didn’t play great but won by 8 to win their 6^th in a row while the Chiefs lost their 8^th.  Manning struggled at times as he never really got into a great rhythm against the Chiefs as their defense put up a good effort.  The Broncos defense totally dominated the Chiefs offense which isn’t that impressive an accomplishment considering it might be the worst in football.  The Broncos proved they are among the NFL’s elite in my eye because they played horribly against a bad team on the road and still beat the Chiefs fairly easily.  Also the Chiefs are the worst team in football that is painfully obvious at this point.

Indianapolis Colts over Buffalo Bills

Well Bills fans there goes the season.  It is now officially time to wish the season good bye as the chances that the team makes the playoffs are all but gone.  In my view the majority of blame must be blamed on management and coaching, but mostly the totally intolerable Chan Gailey.  Gailey is an absolute travesty in games now, refusing to give the ball to Spiller nearly enough even though he is obviously the team’s best player and extremely dangerous any time he touches the ball.  Fred hasn’t been the same player since he got back from injury and Ryan Fitzpatrick is horribly inaccurate.  The team needs to feed Spiller and its refusal to do so has cost it a chance at playoff contention.  On the plus side the defense looked much better especially Mario Williams who had a 3 sack performance.  On the other side of the coin the Colts moved to 7-4 and moved into great position to get a playoff spot.  While I still don’t think they are that great they have the Wild Card lead right now and they have star rookie quarterback Andrew Luck.

Cleveland Browns over Pittsburgh Steelers

Despite losing a game to the Cleveland Browns and moving behind in the wild card standing I think after this game the Steelers have to feel better about their team, the reasons 8-1 and Charlie Batch.  The Steelers only lost by 6 to an underrated Browns team in a game where they turned the ball over 8 times and had Charlie Batch playing quarterback.  A performance like that is totally out of the ordinary and really isn’t at all representative of how good the Steelers’ offense is.  A team with Big Ben is substantially better than that and without question would have won that game easily.  The Browns finally got a close victory even though they got it in a game they probably didn’t deserve.  To be fair though it is almost impossible to lose a game where the other team turns the ball over 8 times.

Cincinnati Bengals over Oakland Raiders

Well the Bengals won their 3^rd game in a row to move to 6-5 and seem poised to be making a run toward a wild card spot.  They seem to be in the best position of any Wild Card contender with regards to both talent and health and actually in my view have to be considered favorites to take a spot.  They have a solid offense and defense that while not great should be good enough to keep them in games.  Especially offensively, they have AJ Green, the man is an absolute monster of a player.  Well the Raiders on the other hand are trending far down and seem to be one of the worst teams in football.  The defense is just plain awful and the offense is a dysfunctional mess.  Hey Carson Palmer I’m glad you demanded a trade to throw the ball to Raiders players instead of AJ Green, good call there. 

Miami Dolphins over Seattle Seahawks

Well the Seahawks road woes continue to plague them.  This team which seems unbeatable at home is completely fallible on the road as it transforms from one of the best teams in football to arguably one of the worst.  It doesn’t seem to make sense but the Seahawks lost an important game in a competitive NFC that drops their record to 6-5.  While Russell Wilson has exceeded expectations he still cannot carry this team that is going to go as far as its defense takes it.  The Dolphins move to 5-6 and stay alive in the AFC wild card discussion.  The team is far from great but has enough talent to stay in the hunt and could without question end up stealing a playoff spot. 

Atlanta Falcons over Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Well the Falcons continued their totally unsustainable model of winning extremely close games each week with their 24-23 victory over the streaking Bucs.  The team is now 10-1 with a 1.5 game lead in the hunt for home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs making them definite favorites to earn it.  This team is nowhere near as good as their record indicates though and is likely due to see some regression in these close games either in the end of the regular season or in the post season.  The Bucs lost a close game that they were in the entire time despite a subpar effort from Doug Martin and their running game.  This team without question has the ability to play with the Falcons and is going to be a tough out as the season progresses.  While they have a few difficult games coming up they should be right there in the NFC wild card picture and have a great chance of making it. 

Chicago Bears over Minnesota Vikings

Da Bears defense is the best in football, their random weak showing in last week’s game aside, this team is almost impossible to score against.  They seem to force turnovers at will and can be impossible to pass against.  They are going to be extremely dangerous in any postseason game considering that they can really take a team out of their gameplan almost instantly.  The offense is still an inconsistent work in progress but the existence of Jay Cutler and his cannon of an arm makes them dangerous.  The Vikings moved to 6-5 with the loss and while still right in the middle of the hunt haven’t looked as strong recently as they did in the middle of the season.  This team is probably going to miss the playoffs but the play of Adrian Peterson and their defensive abilities should keep them in the hunt. 

Jacksonville Jaguars over Tennessee Titans

The Jaguars are showing signs of life!!!  After their slow start they have played two straight good games suffering an overtime loss to the Texans and beating the Titans.  Chad Henne’s stabilization of the quarterback position after Blaine Gabbert’s injury seems to have a lot to do with it.  The team outplayed the Titans and is looking like they might be making a late season run toward mediocrity on the strength of Chad Henne.  The Titans on the other hand moved to 4-7 and in my opinion from watching this team is a whole lot worse than that.  They have won a lot of close games to get those victories while in all their defeats they have remained far from impressive.  This team could easily lose out and finish 4-12 and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. 

Baltimore Ravens over San Diego Chargers

4^th and 29.  More exactly a 4^th and 29 dumpoff pass to Ray Rice, where Joe Flacco was basically waving the white flag that actually ended up working!  That play seems to define everything that has happened to both teams this season.  The Ravens continue to pull out miraculous victories that they have no business winning while the Chargers continue to create defeat from almost assured victory.  This Ravens team is now 9-2 and while they are an extremely flawed 9-2 at that if this team can get healthy for the post season they will have some home playoff games and can be quite dangerous.  The Chargers need to fire Norv Turner.  While there is no blame to be placed on him for the 4^th and 29 dumpoff pass that miraculously couldn’t be stopped this Chargers team has turned into a joke.  Norv has lost control and his time with the team is over.

St. Louis Rams over Arizona Cardinals

Well the Rams were able to win this week 31-17 in a game where they weren’t that impressive because mainly they didn’t have to be.  The defense played pretty good and the offense did enough to secure victory as the team moved to 4-6-1 and out of last place in the NFC West.  The Rams have surprised at times this season and are much improved over last year’s addition as they have a good defense and an offense that while not dynamic usually won’t cost them games.  The Cardinals lost their 7^th game in a row and offensively they might be the worst team in football.  The decision to play Ryan Lindley over John Skelton is a joke as Lindley threw 4 interceptions this week, including two pick sixes and can’t even get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald.  The Cardinals hot start ended abruptly as the team cannot move the ball on offense under any circumstances and seems destined for offensive failure.

San Francisco 49ers over New Orleans Saints

The 49ers got another impressive victory over the Saints this week moving to 8-2-1 and starting the Collin Kaepernick era out ideally.  The 49ers dominated the Saints offensively and defensively and right now seem to be playing better than any team in football.  They did get 2 pick sixes in this game, including one by DONTE WHITNER which every Bills fan knows is shocking, but still could move the ball on the Saints and stopped their vaunted attack.  For the Saints on the other hand their hot streak ended as they moved to 5-6 and on the outside looking in for the NFC playoff picture.  While the Saints are still in the race they might have to win out to make it in an NFC wild card picture that features a ton of different teams.  Their defense needs work so Drew Brees will have to carry them into the postseason if they hope to get there.

New York Giants over Green Bay Packers

The Giants played like the best team in football on Sunday, something they seem to do a few times each season but they are unable to put together performances like that consistently.  They totally dominated the Packers, shutting down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers vaunted passing attack while moving the ball at will against the Packers defense.  The Giants have the talent to beat any team in football and probably have a higher ceiling than any team in the league.  Let’s not forget though they are extremely inconsistent bunch of players that just got dominated by the Cincinnati Bengals.  I don’t know what team will show up week to week but when this team is in the post season it will be one that no one wants to play.  The Packers again showed that as a team they are going to go as far as Aaron Rodgers takes them.  He can carry the team for most of the season but against superior teams that have an ability to slow him down the Packers are going to struggle mightily.  The team is 7-4 and is fighting for a playoff spot but honestly I would be shocked if they didn’t make it.  They have too much talent and even though they looked unimpressive this week they have played quite well for the most part this season and seem to be one of the NFL’s top teams.

Carolina Panthers over Philadelphia Eagles

In a Monday Night game that no one seemed to care about the Panthers were able to get the victory over the reeling Eagles.  They won by 8 earning their 3^rd victory of the season in a season that has been quite a disappointment thus far.  Cam Newton played like the player we all got used to from last season making big plays with his arms and legs in throwing for over 300 yards and 2 touchdowns while running for over 50 with 2 touchdowns and not turning the ball over at all.  The Panthers are going to need Newton to play like that in the future if he is going to be the franchise quarterback they expected.  The Eagles lost their 7^th straight games and Michael Vick not playing quarterback for them doesn’t seem to be an answer to their problems.  They still kept turning the football over and Nick Foles played like nothing better than a game manager.  Bryce Brown had a great game though keeping them in the game with big plays running the football as the Eagles tried to keep it close.  Their franchise is a mess though and for the sake of himself and Eagles fans out there Andy Reid needs to go.

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