Patrick Mahomes outduels Tom Brady. Is Derrick Henry an MVP candidate? Here's our Week 12 NFL breakdown.
In what some were billing as a potential Super Bowl LV preview, Patrick Mahomes and the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs dispatched Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the stadium that will host this season's Super Bowl.
The result showed just how far the Buccaneers have to go to reach the Chiefs' lofty level. And Tyreke Hill recreated a legendary NFL moment when he called for reinforcements to help the Bucs' defense.
In another huge showdown, the Tennessee Titans stomped on the Indianapolis Colts. Derrick Henry had Titans fans -- and fantasy football owners -- very happy and he might have played his way into the MVP conversation.
With five weeks to play (hopefully), the playoff picture is coming into focus, and two teams with lengthy playoff droughts -- the Cleveland Browns (2002) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007) -- are in position to finally return to the postseason.
Quick hits: Sunday's biggest moments
- The Broncos' WR-turned-QB Kendall Hinton went 1-for-9 in Sunday's loss to the Saints.
- Broncos coach Vic Fangio was disappointed in his quarterbacks for their mask violations, which put their team in a very difficult position.
- Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill mocked Buccaneers fans by channeling Shannon Sharpe's "help is on the way" phone call from 1996.
- Vikings WR Chad Beebe -- son of former NFL WR Don Beebe -- went from goat to hero when he followed up a muffed punt with the game-winning touchdown.
- Panthers rookie safety Jeremy Chinn -- a top contender for NFL defensive rookie of the year -- scored defensive touchdowns on consecutive plays from scrimmage. That had never happened before in NFL history.
- Browns QB Baker Mayfield somehow managed to mess up a shockingly easy chance at a touchdown pass.
Key Week 12 story lines
- 32 things we learned: While Derrick Henry is playing himself into the MVP conversation, Tom Brady is three interceptions away from matching his career high.
- Winners and losers: The 49ers' playoff hopes got a boost in L.A. as the Raiders took a huge step backward in Atlanta.
- Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs show they're far ahead of Tom Brady's Bucs: In what was supposed to be a duel between two of the NFL's biggest star quarterbacks, the Chiefs dazzled while the Bucs showed their shortcomings, Mike Jones writes.
- Broncos' dire QB situation is no laughing matter: A practice squad WR-turned-starting QB was a bizarre episode from the NFL’s seemingly worst week yet on the COVID-19 front, Jarrett Bell writes.
- Will Jets opt to fire coach after 0-11 start? Three NFL coaches already have been fired this season. Will Adam Gase be the next to go?
- Jaguars fire GM: Dave Caldwell was let go following a franchise-record 10th consecutive loss.
- Browns' staffer makes NFL history for women: Head coach Kevin Stefanski elevated his chief of staff, Callie Brownson, to tight ends coach against the Jaguars, an NFL first.
- Ravens' COVID-19 reserve list continues to grow: Baltimore added TE Mark Andrews and LB Matthew Judon to the list on Sunday. The Ravens now have more than 20 players on the COVID-19 list. Somehow, they are going to play a game against the undefeated Steelers on Tuesday night.
- Where will the 49ers call home? Forced to find a new location for games and practices after Santa Clara County's health ordinance, the 49ers are looking to relocate. Coach Kyle Shanahan was "very disappointed" in the timing of the ban.
Week 12 rundown
- Packers 41, Bears 25: Green Bay became the first to 100 wins in the NFL's oldest rivalry.
- Chiefs 27, Buccaneers 24: Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs got the best of Tom Brady and the Bucs in this potential Super Bowl preview.
- 49ers 23, Rams 20: Robbie Gould's last-second field goal helped the 49ers sweep their NFC West rivals for the second straight year.
- Saints 31, Broncos 3: New Orleans won this slug-it-out slog that resembled pro football's early days.
- Falcons 43, Raiders 6: The Raiders very much looked like a playoff pretender in this humiliating rout in Atlanta.
- Dolphins 20, Jets 3: The Dolphins' stingy defense kept the Jets on the fast track toward 0-16.
- Patriots 20, Cardinals 17: Cam Newton and the Patriots succeeded where they’ve failed so many times this season.
- Giants 19, Bengals 17: Your first-place New York Football Giants!
- Browns 27, Jaguars 25: Cleveland overcame Baker Mayfield's inconsistencies to avoid an upset in Jacksonville.
- Vikings 28, Panthers 27: Minnesota prevailed in the "Chad Beebe Redemption Game" when Carolina kicker Joey Slye missed a potential game-winning field goal try.
- Titans 45, Colts 26: Last week, it was the Ravens. This week, it was the Colts who were gashed by Derrick Henry.
- Bills 27, Chargers 17: Buffalo did all it could to blow this game to the Chargers.
- Football Team 41, Cowboys 16 (Thanksgiving): Washington routed Dallas for its second straight as coach Ron Rivera dialed up a trick play he's run before.
- Texans 41, Lions 25 (Thanksgiving): Detroit was on the lookout for a new coach and GM after this nationally televised debacle.
Eyes on the (fantasy) prize
Heading into the final week of the regular season in most fantasy leagues, it’s time to shore up rosters for the upcoming playoffs.
With Taysom Hill at quarterback, the Saints have moved to a heavily run-focused game plan. That’s given backup running back Latavius Murray enough touches to be considered a potential fantasy starter. Murray rumbled for 124 yards and two TDs on Sunday. Until Drew Brees is healthy, expect more of the same from the Saints.
Running back Wayne Gallman might have been dropped while the Giants were on bye last week, but he continues to be a scoring machine. He rushed for 94 yards and scored a touchdown for the fifth consecutive game. He gets the Seahawks next.
Jaguars rookie receiver Collin Johnson was targeted eight times by new quarterback Mike Glennon. He caught just four, but one of those was a 46-yard touchdown strike. If DJ Chark and Chris Conley remain out, Johnson will get to face a Vikings pass defense that’s given up the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers.
With John Brown placed on injured reserve, Bills wideout Gabriel Davis stepped in and caught three passes for 79 yards and his fourth TD of the season.
Trey Burton seems to have established himself as the Colts’ go-to option at tight end. He caught three of his six targets and scored for a second consecutive week.
Finally, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick won’t be the Dolphins’ starter if Tua Tagovailoa is healthy, but that’s not a given this week. Fitzmagic was a QB1 against the Jets after throwing for 257 yards and a pair of touchdowns on Sunday. It’s entirely possibly he could duplicate that performance against the Bengals in Week 13.
Coming this week
Monday: Week 12 continues with a showdown between playoff hopefuls -- we use the word "hopeful" very loosely with one of these teams -- when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Seattle Seahawks at Lincoln Financial Field (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Tuesday: The twice-postponed Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers game finally be played (we think) at Heinz Field (8 p.m. ET, NBC).
Wednesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 12.
Thursday: Make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 13 game.
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