Welcome to the Week 12 grades!
If you love special teams, then this was the week for you, because this might just go down as one of the craziest special teams weeks in NFL history. Here's a quick look at the chaos that ensued on Sunday:
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- Titans 32-27 over Texans. This game looked like it might go to overtime, but that didn't happen after Ka'imi Fairbairn missed a game-tying 28-yard field goal attempt with 1:53 left. NFL kickers have only missed four field goal attempts this season from 28 yards or shorter, and Fairbairn has two of them.
- Chiefs 30-27 over Panthers. The Chiefs had some serious trouble with Carolina and they didn't seal the win until Spencer Shrader hit a 31-yard field goal on the final play.
- Vikings 30-27 over Bears. Chicago recovered an onside kick with 22 seconds left and then Cairo Santos hit a 48-yard field goal as time expired to send the game to overtime. Minnesota's John Parker Romo then hit a 29-yard field goal to win the game in OT.
- Cowboys 34-26 over Commanders. KaVontae Turpin scored on a 99-yard kickoff return TD with 2:49 left, which was one of two touchdown returns the Cowboys had in the final three minutes of the game. Juanyeh Thomas scored on a kickoff return off an onside kick with just 14 seconds left. Oh, and Austin Seibert also missed an extra point that might have sent the game to overtime.
So what kind of grade do you get when you have TWO kickoff returns that go for a touchdown? Let's get to the Week 12 grades, starting with the Cowboys' wild win over the Commanders.
Dallas 34-26 over Washington
| A- | |
| When you're forced to start your backup quarterback, you need other players on the team to come up big, and that's exactly what the Cowboys got on Sunday. From Rico Dowdle to CeeDee Lamb to KaVontae Turpin to Juanyeh Thomas, the Cowboys had a lot of heroes in this game. Both Turpin and Thomas scored on kick return touchdowns, which both came in the fourth quarter. The Cowboys defense looked like a brick wall for the first three quarters before struggling some during a fourth quarter where Washington put up 223 yards. Cooper Rush also deserves a lot of credit for the win: The Cowboys QB played smart football while throwing for 247 yards and two touchdowns. The Cowboys might not be a playoff contender, but they just proved they can beat playoff contenders, which could help them play spoiler down the stretch. | |
| B- | |
| This game was a special teams nightmare for the Commanders: In the fourth quarter alone, they surrendered two different kickoff returns that went for touchdowns AND Austin Seibert missed an extra point after a miraculous 86-yard TD throw from Jayden Daniels to Terry McLaurin. That was one of three missed kicks for Seibert, who also a missed field goal and another extra point. The offense put up big numbers, but most of that came in the fourth quarter. Jayden Daniels threw for 275 yards, but he only had 81 yards through the first three quarters as the Commanders were never really able to get on track against the Cowboys defense. This was an inexplicable loss for a Commanders team that's suddenly not such a sure bet to make the playoffs now that they've lost three straight games. | |
Minnesota 30-27 (OT) over Chicago
| B | |
| The Vikings defense almost choked this game away, but good teams find a way to win tough games and that's what the Vikings did here. Jordan Addison (eight catches, 182 yards) and T.J. Hockenson (seven for 114) both came up big for Minnesota in a game where the Bears held Justin Jefferson in check, although he did make a key 20-yard catch in overtime. Sam Darnold was the hero for the Vikings, throwing for 330 yards, which included going 6 of 6 for 90 yards in OT. This was a huge win for a Vikings team that gets to play four of its next five at home. | |
| B- | |
| In his second week on the job, new Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is looking like a wizard. The Bears offense looks completely rejuvenated under Brown and that starts with Caleb Williams, who had one of his most impressive games of the year with 340 yards and two touchdowns with both scores coming during a wild fourth quarter (Williams was also the team's leading rusher with 33 yards). Although the offense was mostly impressive, the Bears defense got steamrolled for 452 yards. The Bears almost pulled off a miracle win, but instead, they've now lost five straight since their Week 7 bye. | |
Detroit 24-6 over Indianapolis
| A- | |
| The Lions can beat you in a lot of different ways, and this week, their defense bullied the Colts, holding Indy to just six points, which is tied for the fewest points the Lions have given up all season. This game was tight at halftime, but the defense took over after that, holding Indy to just 94 yards over the final two quarter. The Colts only had one drive in the entire second half that reached Detroit territory. As for the Lions' offense, it continued to roll. Jared Goff got everyone involved on a day where six different receivers caught at least three passes. Jahmyr Gibbs also came up big for Detroit with 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Lions didn't play a perfect game, but that tells you how good they are: They're beating teams by more than two touchdowns even when they don't play perfect football. | |
| C- | |
| If you want to beat the Lions, you have to score touchdowns and the Colts didn't do that here. Things might have gone differently if they had played better in the red zone, but the Colts came away with zero touchdowns despite TWO different trips inside of Detroit's 12-yard line in the first half. The Indy offense had some success in the first half, but then completely disappeared during a second half where it totaled just 94 yards. Part of the problem is that Anthony Richardson once again struggled with his accuracy, completing just 39.3% of his passes. The Colts defense is playing well enough to keep the team in games, but the offense will have to play better down the stretch if Indy wants to stay in the AFC playoff race. | |
Miami 34-15 over New England
| D- | |
| For most of the season, the Patriots offense had been improving each week with Drake Maye, but against the Dolphins, they took a giant step back. The offense had a brutal first half against Miami, totaling just 84 yards with just 49 of that coming from Maye's right arm. As bad as the offense was, the Patriots defense wasn't much better. They had no answers for Tua Tagovailoa and they couldn't cover Jaylen Waddle, who went off for 144 yards. This was a meltdown on both sides of the ball for the Patriots in a game where they got thoroughly outplayed. | |
| A | |
| Tua Tagovailoa has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in the month of November and his hot streak continued against the Patriots. The Dolphins offense was on fire in the first half and that was mostly thanks to Tua, who threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns in the FIRST TWO QUARTERS (He threw for 317 yards and four scores in the game). From there, the Dolphins defense did the rest. They smothered Drake Maye: Chop Robinson came up with 1.5 of Miami's four sacks while Zach Sieler added a strip-sack. The Dolphins have to play nearly perfect football down the stretch if they want to make the playoffs and that's what they've now been doing for three straight weeks. | |
Tampa Bay 30-7 over N.Y. Giants
| A+ | |
| If the Buccaneers want to have any shot of making the playoffs, they're going to have to beat all the bad teams left on their schedule and that's exactly what they did here. The beatdown of the Giants started up front with a defense that sacked Tommy DeVito three times. Offensively, it was the Bucky Irving show: The Tampa Bay running back totaled 151 yards in the game with 87 and a TD coming on the ground. With Mike Evans back on the field (five catches for 68 yards), Baker Mayfield looked more confident throwing the ball. The Bucs only play one team with a winning record over their final six games, so you definitely don't want to write this team off in the NFC playoff race. | |
| F | |
| The Giants might want to give Daniel Jones a call and offer him his job back. In their first game since releasing Jones, their offense was a disaster. Their defense was also a disaster. Everything was a disaster. At this point, Giants fans should probably be rooting for this team to lose since that will be mean a higher first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft in April. That being said, if the losses keep piling up in New York, it will be interesting to see if Brian Daboll gets to keep his job because it feels like his seat is getting hot. | |
Kansas City 30-27 over Carolina
| C | |
| Yes, the Chiefs won this game, but it felt like they were sleep-walking through most of it, especially on defense. Going into Week 11, the Chiefs hadn't give up more than 25 points all year, but after Carolina's offensive showing, they've now done it in two straight weeks. The good news for the Chiefs is that Patrick Mahomes was there to save the day and that's exactly what he did. Not only did he throw for 269 yards and three touchdowns, but he also had a key 33-yard scramble to set up Spencer Shrader's game-winning field goal. The Chiefs didn't play well, but they still won, which seems to be the story of their season so far. | |
| B | |
| Moral victories don't count for much in the NFL, but the Panthers should be feeling good about themselves after this game, especially Bryce Young. The beleaguered QB helped bring the Panthers back from a 27-16 deficit to tie the game at 27. Jadeveon Clowney led a Panthers defense that played reasonably well against the Chiefs' offense. Clowney recorded 1.5 of Carolina's five sacks as the Panthers kept Patrick Mahomes on the run all game. If the Panthers keep playing like this, they might be able to steal a win or two down the stretch. | |
Tennessee 32-27 over Houston
| B+ | |
| The Titans had their best all-around game of the season and that started with Tony Pollard, who kept the offense chugging along with 119 yards on the ground. Will Levis was also solid, despite getting sacked eight times. Levis did throw a pick six, but for the most part, he made smart decisions on a day where he threw a 38-yard TD to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and a 70-yard TD to Chig Okonkwo. The defense also came up huge for Tennessee, holding Joe Mixon to just 22 yards (Mixon went into Week 12 averaging nearly 100 yards per game). Nick Folk was also perfect. When everything is working for the Titans, they can compete with almost anyone, they just haven't been able to get everything working at the same time for most of the season. | |
| B- | |
| The Texans put up 27 points, but don't let that fool you, their offense struggled in this loss. Joe Mixon couldn't get going on the ground (14 carries for 22 yards) and C.J. Stroud continues to look erratic. Stroud threw two interceptions and and took an ugly safety on Houston's final possession to ice the win for Tennessee. The Texans also didn't get any help from Ka'imi Fairbairn, who missed a 28-yard field goal that would have tied the game with under two minutes left to play. The defense struggled at times, but it also came up with eight sacks -- three by Danielle Hunter -- and a pick six from Jimmie Ward that gave Houston the lead at the end of the third quarter. The Texans have now lost three of four and their season might soon spiral out of control if they don't get things turned around soon. | |
Denver 29-19 over Las Vegas
| A- | |
| The Broncos' recipe for winning this year has been simple: They play smart football on offense and then their defense punches you in the mouth, and that's exactly what they did against the Raiders. The defense beat up on the Raiders QB combo of Gardner Minshew and Desmond Ridder, sacking them five times. Brandon Jones also came up with a huge second-half interception that set up of TD in the third quarter that put Denver up for good. As for the offense, Bo Nix had another solid game, throwing for 273 yards and two touchdowns. Courtland Sutton helped make Nix look good by coming up with some acrobatic catches on a day where he caught eight passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns. Nix is looking like a strong Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate and the Broncos are now a serious playoff contender for the first time in almost a decade. | |
| B- | |
| The Raiders threw the kitchen sink at Denver, which included running a successful fake punt in the first half, but in the end, this team faded in the second half. Gardner Minshew threw a back-breaking interception in the third quarter while the Raiders had the lead and Desmond Ridder lost a fumble in the fourth quarter in a one-score game. Minshew and Ridder struggled against a Broncos pass rush that sacked them a total of five times. Quality QB play has been the Raiders' biggest problem this year and after 12 weeks, things aren't getting any better. | |
Green Bay 38-10 over San Francisco
| F | |
| If you've ever wondered what the 49ers offense would look like without Brock Purdy, this was your answer. With Brandon Allen running the show, the 49ers went three and out on their first two possessions and things didn't get much better from there. Christian McCaffrey still doesn't look like himself and the 49ers never really got Deebo Samuel involved in the offense. If Purdy has to miss more time, the 49ers' run of three straight playoff appearances (and three straight NFC title game appearances) might be coming to an end. | |
| A | |
| Going into this game, the Packers had one of the worst red zone offenses in the NFL, but they put on a red zone masterpiece against the 49ers. The Packers made five trips to the red zone and they scored a TD on all five possessions and a big reason that happened is because of Josh Jacobs. With Jordan Love slightly off his game, Jacobs carried the offense with 106 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, the Packers simply overwhelmed an overmatched 49ers offense. This was an impressive all-around game for the Packers, who needed the win to stay in firm control of one of the wild-card spots in the NFC. | |
Seattle 16-6 over Arizona
| C | |
| The Cardinals went into this game with one of the top rushing attacks in football, but they got absolutely shut down in Seattle. The Cards totaled just 49 yards on the ground and with the rushing attack struggling, they had to put the game in the hands of Kyler Murray, which didn't really work, because he was facing constant pressure. The mobile Murray had nowhere to go against a Seahawks defense that sacked him five times. Murray also threw an ugly pick six while being pressured in the third quarter. The Cardinals were one of the hottest teams in the NFL heading into Week 12, but now, they've come crashing back to earth and it won't be easy to recover with Minnesota and another game against Seattle in the next two weeks. | |
| B+ | |
| This was a defensive masterpiece by the Seahawks and coach Mike Macdonald. Going into Week 12, the Seahawks had struggled to stop the run this year, but they managed to hold Arizona's high-powered rushing attack to under 50 yards. The pass rush was just as good with Leonard Williams (2.5 sacks) leading a group that sacked Kyler Murray five times. The defense also came up with the biggest play of the game with Coby Bryant's 69-yard pick six that effectively won the game. Offensively, the performance wasn't pretty, but Seattle got the job done. Geno Smith didn't put up huge numbers, but he came up clutch several times, especially on third down (The Seahawks converted 7 of 14 third downs in the game). With two straight wins coming out of their Week 10 bye, the Seahawks have to suddenly feel very good about their chances of winning the NFC West. | |
Cleveland 24-19 over Pittsburgh (Thursday)
| C | |
| There are no easy games in the AFC North and the Steelers learned that lesson the hard way on Thursday night. With snow falling in Cleveland, the Steelers just couldn't come up with any clutch plays when they needed them. Russell Wilson and the offense had a solid night, but Wilson also lost a fumble and there were two failed fourth downs that were costly. The Steelers also put the ball in Justin Fields' hands on several big plays, a plan that backfired multiple times. The Steelers defense forced three turnovers in the second half, but they also let Jameis Winston dice them up for 72 yards in the fourth quarter. Coaching was also an issue: Mike Tomlin definitely deserves some blame for the way he handled the clock (and his timeouts) at the end of both the first half and the second half. No matter how good the Steelers are, they always have one or two games a season where they inexplicably lose to a bad team and this definitely falls into that category. | |
| B | |
| The Browns clearly have not given up on the 2024 season. At 2-8, they could have mailed it in for this game, but instead, they delivered a knockout punch in a huge upset win. Myles Garrett set the tone early with three sacks in the first half for a defense that kept coming up with big plays, including two fourth-down stops. The Browns offense struggled at times in the snow -- they didn't record a single first down until the second quarter and they only converted one third down in the entire game -- but despite those struggles, Jameis Winston still came up with several big plays, especially during a second half where he threw for 141 of his 219 yards. The Browns offense went a perfect 4 for 4 on fourth down with two of those conversions coming on the drive that led to Cleveland's game-winning touchdown, which came from Nick Chubb. At 3-8, this team won't be making the playoffs, but they certainly could play spoiler down the stretch. | |