Week 12 had the good (Bengals, Miami, Fornette, and Mixon), the bad (Lions, Steelers, and Cam), and the surprising (competition in the AFC East and a guy named Bourne).
Are the Rams good? The Rams have been considered a contender, especially after beating the Bucs in Week 3. But since that win, the Rams have only beaten teams without winning records–Seahawks (3-7), Giants (4-7), Lions (0-10-1), Texans (2-9), Bears (4-7), and Colts (6-6). Conversely, they’ve lost to every single contender (save Bucs) they’ve played–Titans, 49ers, Cardinals, and Packers. Conclusion? The Rams are overrated, at best, and (perhaps) just not very good.
The Lions have gone from bad to sad. Thanksgiving Day made it painfully apparent that the Lions can’t win, no matter how close they may get. One reason is their self-inflicted wounds. They had multiple 12-men-on-the-field penalties, mismanaged timeouts, had incorrect personnel on the field, and experienced broken coverage after coming out of a timeout. This team is painful to watch.
Birds and Cats together. Coming into this week, bird and cat mascots had matched up a total of 428 times. Incredibly, the overall record was 209-209-10. The Bengals and Cardinals have the best win percentage in these matchups, while the Seahawks and Panthers have the worst. The Falcons win over the Jaguars this week broke that tie. There are five more of these matchups this year. Animal lovers, rejoice!
NFL Playoff Machine. ESPN’s NFL Playoff Machine is back this week, and I want everybody to know because it’s a great feature to follow, week after week. See what I mean by checking it out here.
Week 12 Power Rankings
Bengals. What a massive win it was for Cincinnati to beat the Steelers, dominating their rivals from start to finish. But in classic Pittsburgh fashion, the Steelmen didn’t take it well. Claypool and Watt took cheap shots, and there were tussles here and there. But, hey! It wouldn’t be an AFC North matchup without that kind of in-your-face play.
Patriots. The Pats are back in first place (AFC East) after notching a 36-13 win over the Titans. Now, at 8-4, they head to Buffalo with a six-game win streak, having outscored opponents 211-63 during that span. It’s an understatement to say the Pats are on a roll. Mac Jones was incredible Sunday. It didn’t take Bill long to find TB’s successor.
Bills. But don’t count out the Bills. They dominated the Saints on Thanksgiving Day as Josh Allen threw the ball all over the field against New Orleans, and the defense shut down the Saints. Monday Night Football needs some spark–overshadowed by Sunday Night Football (as it was again this week with that down-to-the-wire game between the Ravens and Browns). But MNF will have center stage next week. But perhaps more importantly, after many years of one-team dominance, the AFC East is competitive again. And make no mistake about this: it’s not just a two-team race. The Dolphins look like they’ve turned the corner.
Dolphins. Talking about Miami, once again, the defense led the way as the Dolphins beat down the Panthers. Cam Newton? He was 5 for 21 with two picks before getting pulled from the game. Ouch! For their part, Tua played great and Gaskins found the endzone twice for Miami. Winners of four straight, the Dolphins now sit just one game back of the Chargers in the Wild Card hunt. How’s that, AFC East!
Mount Rushmore Performances
Leonard Fornette, 100 rushing yards, 31 receiving yards, four total touchdowns. “Playoff Lenny” is showing up a little bit early this year. On Sunday, he was a force in Indy, adding his first receiving touchdown of the year to his best rushing game of the season, scoring the winning TD on an I-won’t-be-denied bulldozing play.
Joe Mixon, 165 rushing yards, two touchdowns. Mixon was the lead man for the Bengals in the rout of the Steelers. He has been excellent all year long and now has back-to-back 100-yard, two TD games. Holy Joe!
Jaylen Waddle, 137 yards, one touchdown. Jalen Waddle was Tua’s favorite target again on Sunday with ten targets on the day. The hundred-yard game was the first of his career. Way to go!
Kendrick Bourne, 61 yards, two touchdowns. The biggest surprise has to be Kendrick Bourne. The New England receiver found the endzone twice, including a tightrope run down the sideline that included tackle-breaking moves. Buffalo, beware! Bourne gives Mac another target, perhaps a new #1 target.
