2020 NFL Week 12 Recap

Ravens 14
Steelers 19

Nearly a full week after it was originally scheduled, Pittsburgh and Baltimore played a game every bit as ugly as “Wednesday afternoon football” sounds.

Give the Ravens props for putting up a fight despite lack of players (and practice) but the Steelers did just enough to break out the brooms for a cheap sweep — only the second in the last 11 years of this great rivalry — that has Baltimore wondering “what if.” COVID woes will get the blame for this virtual season-ending loss but it’s hard not to wonder how much differently this game would have gone if Colin Kaepernick were Lamar Jacksons’ backup rather than an old, broken RG3.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is first team in five years to start 11-0 and it’s time to start thinking about the legitimacy of an undefeated season. The funny thing is, they might need to go 16-0 to get homefield advantage over one-loss Kansas City.

Seahawks 23
Eagles 17

Even if the score was closer than expected, the result comes as no surprise. Russell Wilson is the greatest primetime QB of all-time (he’s now 29-8-1 under the lights) and Carson Wentz took six sacks behind Philadelphia’s 10th different offensive line combination, adding to his league-leading turnover ledger. The Eagles have undoubtedly had some bad breaks but heads should roll if they fail to win the worst division in the league.

Bears 25
Packers 41

Here’s how bad the Chicago’s quarterback situation is right now: Mitchell Trubisky turned the ball over three times yet he’s still their most productive QB because he’s also capable of throwing three touchdowns in the same game. Chicago — only the second team in NFL history to lose five straight after a 5-1 start — had no chance of taking advantage of Green Bay’s propensity to blow leads. That’s why the Packers are going to coast into the NFC North title, and the Bears are who we thought they were.

Oh, did I mention Aaron Rodgers threw for four touchdowns and became the fourth-fastest player to 50,000 career passing yards? Just another notch on the title belt.

Chiefs 27
Bucs 24

This was everything you’d want from a game pitting Patrick Mahomes against Tom Brady: almost 800 passing yards, six passing touchdowns and only three points separating the two teams at the end. Playoff ramifications aside, the GOAT really needed this win to get his coach off his back.

49ers 23 
Rams 20

Aaron Donald notched a milestone sack that puts him on pace for the Hall of Fame but give San Francisco credit for weathering a litany of injuries and a nomadic existence amid a pandemic to sweep the Rams for the second straight year. Kyle Shanahan is a maestro.

Saints 31
Broncos 3

More picks than completions. Three points. Considering Denver played this game without any of their quarterbacks, this really was a best-case scenario. The NFL messed up by not postponing this game or at least allowing the Broncos an unprecedented Plan B.

Giants 19
Bengals 17

Finally, Big Blue showed some fight outside their own locker room.

Yes, the Giants beat a quarterback who wasn’t even on the Bengals’ roster last week to get their first-ever win in Cincinnati, but they continued to protect the ball (+7 turnover ratio during the three-game win streak) and sit atop the NFC East. How long they stay there depends on how long Daniel Jones is sidelined.

Browns 27
Jaguars 25

The NFL’s circle of life led to Chantilly, Virginia-native Mike Glennon getting the start in Jacksonville, and yielding far better results than either of his predecessors this season. But a 10th straight loss is a 10th straight loss, so the overhaul of the Jaguars has already begun.

Meanwhile, the sky is the limit for Cleveland at 8-3. The Browns are well-positioned for their first playoff berth in 18 years and Callie Brownson put another crack in the glass ceiling over female coaches. Factory of Sadness no more.

Titans 45
Colts 26

Derrick Henry rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns before halftime on the road against the top-ranked defense, literally carrying Tennessee to sole possession of first place in the AFC South. King Henry is the most dominant offensive force in the NFL and I’m not sure there’s a close second.

Cardinals 17
Patriots 20

The first meeting between the NFL’s only players with 6,000 pass yards and 1,000 rush yards in their first 25 games didn’t live up to expectations, as neither Cam Newton nor Kyler Murray found the end zone in an ugly game Arizona dominated everywhere except the scoreboard. I told y’all not to eulogize Bill Belichick’s Patriots just yet.

Panthers 27
Vikings 28

Kirk Cousins with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes (including the game-winner to Don Beebe’s kid) to pull off a historic 35th double-digit comeback of the season? You like that.

Dolphins 20
Jets 3

No Tua, no problem.

Of course, no one has a problem playing the Jets. This was the 14th double-digit loss under Adam Gase, and likely not the last before his inevitable firing.

Chargers 17
Bills 27

Here’s the “That’s a Damn Setup” portion of the NFL Recap: Los Angeles was tasked with coming east to play a 1 p.m. game against a Buffalo team that leads their division and boasts a rare dual-threat QB. Hopefully, Anthony Lynn’s next head coaching gig will come with some better breaks because he’s sure not getting them with the Chargers. Meanwhile…

Raiders 6
Falcons 43

… Las Vegas was playing early on the East Coast too — and blew this game just about every way imaginable (five turnovers and 11 penalties for 141 yards) to drop out of the AFC playoff picture. Expect Derek Carr to have an active week on Twitter.

Washington 41
Cowboys 16

Dan Snyder’s awkward Happy Thanksgiving greeting suddenly makes sense.

Washington’s kids got to eat hearty Thanksgiving Day — led by Antonio Gibson, the first rookie to score three touchdowns on Thanksgiving since Randy Moss’ iconic performance — and even drew inspiration from Little Giants to sweep the rivalry with Dallas for the first time since 2012. Incidentally, that season marked the only other time the Burgundy and Gold left Dallas with a Thanksgiving victory. If Gibson continues to play at a primetime level, Washington might just win the NFC East like that 2012 team, too.

Or, Mike McCarthy stops coaching and acting like Gallagher and the Cowboys go on a run. In 2020, anything can happen.

Texans 41
Lions 25

If the kids ate in Dallas, the old heads feasted in Detroit, as Adrian Peterson found the end zone twice while J.J. Watt scored his first touchdown in six years.

But the real head scratcher is why the Lions still host one of the annual Thanksgiving Day games despite a woeful 5-16 record in such games since 2001. Matt Patricia lost his job in part because he never won the showcase game in which Jim Caldwell went 3-1. The Lions don’t deserve to continue playing on Thanksgiving and Caldwell still deserves an apology.