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0 out of 5
Zach Bolinger / Associated press
In what can be considered the most unpredictable week in NFL history, the games were still being played.
Despite extenuating circumstances which included the Denver Broncos calling wide receiver Kendall Hinton from their practice squad to play quarterback because the entire squad’s caller group landed on the COVID-19 roster and the Baltimore Ravens last eight consecutive days with a positive test (and still ongoing), the league continued its march towards the playoffs.
The week 12 slate brought its share of winners and losers, and Bleacher Report’s NFL Writers’ Team—Brad Gagnon, Brent Sobleski, Gary Davenport, Kalyn Kahler and Matt Miller—Assigned these designations.
Each participant chose one in each column based on what he or she saw in week 12 of Sunday, and nothing was off limits.
The Detroit Lions cleaned up the house at the start of the weekend. Jacksonville Jaguars sacked general manager Dave Caldwell after Sunday’s 27-25 loss to the Cleveland Browns, ESPN says Adam schefter. The New York Jets could very well be next on the list.
But no one should dwell on the negatives. A lot of good things have happened as well. Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill dominated in their respective competitions.
Good or bad, some individuals and teams deserve to be recognized.
1 of 5
Doug Murray / Associated Press
Winner: Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver
We need to make space for the best offensive player in the league.
After catching 13 passes on 15 targets for a stupid 269 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday, Tyreek Hill now has 582 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in his last four games.
The 26-year-old is there with Michael Thomas and DeAndre Hopkins as one of the sport’s most dominant receivers, and he’s absolutely on fire entering the straight.
Loser: Tampa Bay Buccaneers led by Tom Brady
In five games against teams with seven or more wins, the Buccaneers are 1-4 and Tom Brady threw nine interceptions in the four losses. They are also 0-3 on a short rest after a poor performance Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The box score is misleading as it was another patchy and sloppy performance from the Bucs. Brady’s deep ball hasn’t been there, and it’s fair to wonder if it fades at the end of his 43-year-old season, like he did in his last campaign with New England. Patriots.
Add to that the defense has now been fairly evenly distributed in three of their last four games and it’s hard to have much confidence in a Bucs side that appear to be destined for a wildcard spot at best.
It is not a high level team.
2 of 5
Aaron Doster / Associated Press
Winner: New York Giants
So much fun that anyone can do NFC East, one of its participants will win a division crown and organize a playoff game this season.
A game of musical chairs has ensued in recent weeks with the Philadelphia Eagles perched atop the standings until the Washington football team wins over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. The Giants then claimed their title on Sunday with a 19-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Like Washington, they have a 4-7 record, although they have already beaten the football team twice in one-on-one clashes.
With the last win of this weekend, the Giants earned a three-game winning streak. They took care of business against those they needed to beat and positioned themselves for a playoff run.
It won’t be easy, of course. The next four games are against opponents with record wins, and quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday, which forced substitute Colt McCoy into the roster.
But the mere fact that that’s even a possibility given the Giants’ 1-7 start is a major feather in the franchise’s course. Washington and Philadelphia didn’t have it easier in the final month of the season.
May the best and the worst team win the division.
Loser: Adam Gase, New York Jets head coach
Do you remember when your parents caught you lying and the lie started to crumble the second you tried to draw inspiration from the original story?
Well that’s exactly how Adam Gase from the Jets rang when local media pressed the head coach to take over offensive playing duties, which ESPN Chris Mortensen reported he would do ahead of Sunday’s 20-3 loss to rival Miami Dolphins.
Look, the Jets are embarrassing. They are 0-11 and are well on their way to “winning” the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Gase likely won’t be the head coach next year.
With all of this in mind, there is no reason the coach should be anything but open and honest about himself and his team’s position.
What is there to lose when you haven’t won anything all season?
3 out of 5
Darron Cummings / Associated Press
Winner: Tennessee Titans
Sunday’s trip to Indianapolis to face the Colts was a huge game for the Titans. Winning and avenging a Week 10 loss at home, and the AFC South’s top spot was theirs. Lose, and not only would the Titans drop a game on pace, the Colts would also own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
With so much on the line, the Titans turned to the man who bears their offense. And Derrick Henry most certainly did in week 12.
All Henry did against the Colts was carry the ball 27 times for 178 yards and three first-half touchdowns in a game that ended at half-time. Against one of the best defenses in the league, the Titans scored five touchdowns in the first 30 minutes.
Tennessee is now at 8-3 and occupies the driver’s seat in the division. But there’s no room for complacency in Nashville as the Titans host the 8-3 Cleveland Browns next week and have yet to travel to Green Bay to fight the Packers in Week 16.
Loser: Indianapolis Colts
We might as well stay in AFC South.
The Colts entered Week 12 with the opportunity to make a real statement. After dealing with the Titans two weeks ago and outlasting the Packers in Week 11, a win over Tennessee would mean three straight wins over teams with record wins and effectively open up a two-game lead over the Titans in the process.
That didn’t happen, in large part because the same defense that carried the team for most of the season let the Colts down.
Yes, the Indy defense was shorthanded against Tennessee. But the absence of three starters doesn’t fully explain how a Colts D who entered the week allowing the fewest rushing yards per game in the AFC was nicked for 229 yards. Or how a defense that gave up less than 21 points per game allowed 35 – in the first half.
The Colts picked the worst time to lay an egg on defense, and it could end up costing them dearly.
4 out of 5
Jack Dempsey / Associated Press
Winner: San Francisco 49ers
In the weird NFC West, it feels like any team can beat any team. The fact that the Niners have remained competitive despite a series of significant injuries is testament to the coaching staff.
Deebo Samuel’s return from injury made the difference. Granted, I counted the Niners after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins, but they’re still in the chase. They are only one game away from the last place after the loss of the Arizona Cardinals (6-5) against the New England Patriots.
If they continue to win and stay in the playoff conversation, head coach Kyle Shanahan has indicated they will take key players Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle and Ben Garland out of the injured reserve to play in games. significant at the end of the season. With those players back, they might have a chance to sneak into the playoffs.
Loser: the NFL
The league came out ridiculous for letting the game go on without an available quarterback for the Denver Broncos. I know, I know: the league won’t postpone a game for strategic reasons, and it doesn’t matter which players can’t play. As long as there is no risk of an outbreak or many high-risk contacts in the team, the game will continue.
But according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, there is a committee of former executives, coaches and players dedicated to advising NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on “matters relating to the continuation of games.” I’m not sure how this committee came to the conclusion that it’s a good idea to play a game in which a team would field a catcher from the practice team at the quarterback.
Florio also reported that the Broncos had been pushing the league to postpone their game against the New Orleans Saints until Monday, when their quarterbacks would be eligible to play, but that request was clearly rejected. It may be the television money; Maybe it’s the fact that the Broncos quarterbacks didn’t come with the league contact plotters, as reported by the Washington postof Mark maske.
The reason is irrelevant. This game shouldn’t have been played, and the league ended up looking bad for releasing this product.
5 out of 5
John Bazemore / Associated Press
Winner: Miami Dolphins
Last week, the Dolphins benched rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wondered if they drafted the poor flagman in 5th overall when they selected the Alabama superstar against Justin Herbert from Oregon.
These questions can’t be answered in a single week against the NFL bottom-feeders in the New York Jets, but the Dolphins took care of the business and nabbed the team’s seventh victory with just four losses to stay. alive in the two East AFCs. and the AFC wild card playoff races.
Loser: Las Vegas Raiders
It was supposed to be a team on the verge of qualifying for the playoffs. It’s the only team to beat the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s the only team to intercept Patrick Mahomes – and it’s done twice!
But on a Sunday when the Raiders could have pocketed an easy victory over the Atlanta Falcons – a team so bad they fired their head coach and general manager earlier this season – they collapsed with a An embarrassing 43-6 defeat which brought them back into the AFC West and AFC wild card rankings.
Now seated at 6-5, the Raiders must hope that teams like the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens also drop in the standings so they can keep a shot at the No.7 seed.
Even if they find a way through to the playoffs, the Raiders look like a roster of at least a year before they are legitimate contenders, and questions will be renewed over Derek Carr’s viability as a quarterback. back of the playoffs.
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