Welcome to another installment of my weekly NFL Column. My goal is to watch everything so that you don’t have to. I will present to you the best games to watch back; the craziest moments; the best individual performances and the season-long stat leaders and records. I will also be previewing the upcoming gameweek, too.
If that sounds like something you’re interested in, check in each week.
Not everybody in the UK has the ability to watch almost 20 hours of live NFL every week, but I’ll make sure you don’t miss anything you’d wish you didn’t. Without further delay…
This is what happened This Week in the NFL.
Game of the Week
If you can only watch one full game in its entirety, watch this one:
Buffalo Bills @ Philadelphia Eagles
I told you in last week’s column that this was the game to watch – and you probably didn’t need my help to know that. This was locked and loaded as a great game waiting to happen. And, boy, it did not disappoint. A matchup worthy of the Super Bowl, the Bills visited Philadelphia with the intentions of turning their first win of the last three weeks into some much-needed momentum. Easier said than done, though, heading into a 9-1 Eagles team.
The game was hard-fought, exciting and definitely worth a watch!
Before you proceed any further, I recommend you watch this game. If not in its entirety, at least find the highlights. It was great fun.
Other games to watch back
Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans
Upset of the Week
Cleveland Browns 12 – 29 Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are streaking! Despite having one of the best defenses in the league, the Browns were unable to topple the recently resurgent Broncos when they visited this week. Russell Wilson had an underwhelming 134 passing yards, but they ran the ball well against the Cleveland front-seven. Between Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine and Russell Wilson, plus a couple of cameos, they rushed for 169 yards on the ground. Perine and Wilson both found the endzone in the two-score victory.
Winners and Losers
Winners
Green Bay Packers (5-6)
Dallas Cowboys (8-3)
San Francisco 49ers (8-3)
Miami Dolphins (8-3)
Atlanta Falcons (5-6)
Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4)
Tennessee Titans (4-7)
Indianapolis Colts (6-5)
New York Giants (4-8)
Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3)
Denver Broncos (6-5)
Los Angeles Rams (5-6)
Kansas City Chiefs (8-3)
Philadelphia Eagles (10-1)
Baltimore Ravens (9-3)
Chicago Bears (4-8)
Losers
Detroit Lions (8-3)
Washington Commanders (4-8)
Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
New York Jets (4-7)
New Orleans Saints (5-6)
Cincinnati Bengals (5-6)
Carolina Panthers (1-10)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7)
New England Patriots (2-9)
Houston Texans (6-5)
Cleveland Browns (7-4)
Arizona Cardinals (2-10)
Las Vegas Raiders (5-7)
Buffalo Bills (6-6)
Los Angeles Chargers (4-7)
Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
Standout Individual Performers
DaRon Bland, CB, Dallas Cowboys
7 solo tackles and 3 assists, plus a record-breaking 63-yard pick-six!
It’s not often that someone breaks a single-season record in Week 12… But that’s exactly what DaRon Bland did on Thanksgiving Thursday. The Cowboys cornerback scored on a 63-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter of Dallas’ win over Washington, his fifth of the season. No cornerback has ever had more than four interception returns in a year, and Bland just achieved it in November. Epic.
Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
16 rush attempts for 143 rushing yards and 6 receptions for 61 receiving yards and 2 TD’s.
A lot of the time, when a running back comes back from an injury, they will take a week or two to ramp back up. That was not the case with Kyren Williams, though. Upon returning to the Rams offense this week, he hit the ground running and ended up turning in the best performance of his career so far! On 16 rush attempts, he recorded 143 rushing yards, and he also caught all 6 of his targets for 61 more yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. What a way to announce his return to action.
Jessie Bates III, S, Atlanta Falcons
7 solo tackles and 5 assists, a forced fumble and a 92-yard pick-six!
There are few safeties in the NFL who can impact a game more than Jessie Bates III. This week he had his fingerprints all over Atlanta’s victory over the New Orleans Saints. On top of making tackles all over the field – with 7 solo tackles and 5 assists – he, also had an unbelievable 92-yard pick-six. Derek Carr stared a little too much at a slant in the redzone, and Bates’ instincts had him diving down in front of the route for an impressive interception. He also forced a fumble with an incredibly precise punch, as if he hadn’t already done enough damage.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
19 rush attempts for 114 rushing yards and 2 TD’s, plus 5 receptions for 25 receiving yards.
There aren’t many players more prone to featuring in this list than Christian McCaffrey. On Thanksgiving, he continued his stellar form with another very productive game as the Niners defeated the Seahawks. He rushed the ball 19 times and put up 114 rushing yards as well as 2 TD’s. He also added a further 25 yards on 5 receptions. And, as we know thanks to social media, he had some blood and bruises to show for it!
Rashan Gary, OLB, Green Bay Packers
5 solo tackles and 2 assists, including 3.0 Sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
As you may have worked out by now, there were some pretty amazing defensive performances this week in the NFL. One of the most dominant of which was that of Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary. The veteran recorded 7 combined tackles, 5 of which were solo, including a hat-trick of Sacks. He also forced two fumbles and recovered one of them, as Green Bay upset the Lions in their traditional Thanksgiving home game.
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
69% completion rate, 331 passing yards and 4 TD’s, 142.1 Quarterback Rating.
Dak Prescott is doubted and questioned more than the average NFL quarterback. The Cowboys continue to try and build the best possible momentum as we approach the end of the regular season, and this week they did just that. In a 45-10 win over Washington, Prescott had his best passing game of the season so far. He completed 22 of his 32 attempts (69%) for 331 passing yards and 4 TD’s. His QB rating of 142.1 was the best of any QB this week.
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
57% completion rate, 339 passing yards and 2 passing TD’s with 1 INT. Plus, 9 rush attempts for 81 rushing yards and 2 rushing TD’s.
While Dak was sat in the pocket carving up the Commanders defense like a Thanksgiving turkey, Bills QB Josh Allen was going with a more balanced approach. While passing for 339 passing yards and 2 passing TD’s with one INT, he also added 81 rushing yards on 9 carries. He found the end zone twice with his legs. His valiant effort was not quite enough, though, to keep up with the Eagles. Taking the best team in football to overtime is respectable, but the Bills have higher hopes than just being competitive, and at 6-6, they need more.
Jevon Holland, S, Miami Dolphins
5 solo tackles and an iconic hail-mary pick-six!
There were some pretty exciting games this weekend, with some amazing plays throughout. However, no play was more memorable this weekend than the final play of the second quarter in the Jets Dolphins game. As New York attempted to take one last bite at the apple before the break, they heaved a Hail Mary attempt. Jevon Holland then proceeded to take that 99 yards back the other way for an iconic pick-six to end the half. Epic.
Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
8 receptions on 10 targets for 107 receiving yards and a TD.
Kansas City aren’t playing football at the standard they expect of themselves this season, and for the first time in years it’s their offense that needs to pick up the slack. One bright spot has been the flashes from rookie WR Rashee Rice. He’s found himself in the endzone several times in his first year. This week he ended up there for the fifth time, while also adding breaking triple-digit yardage, turning a career-high 10 targets into a career-high 8 receptions and a career-high 107 receiving yards. A big day in Vegas for the rookie.
Josh Allen, OLB, Jacksonville Jaguars
4 solo tackles and 1 assist, including 2.5 Sacks.
People named Josh Allen are good at football. While the Bills’ Allen was playing well but falling short in a closely fought match, Jacksonville’s Allen took the win in their’s. The young defensive star had 4 solo tackles and a single assist. He had 2.5 Sacks on superstar rookie C.J. Stroud, helping to just edge the Texans in a 24-21 wins.
Stat Leaders Through Week 12
Passing Yards – Sam Howell WAS, 3339
Passing TD’s – Josh Allen BUF, 24
Rushing Yards – Christian McCaffrey SF, 939
Rushing TD’s – Raheem Mostert MIA, 13
Receiving Yards – Tyreek Hill MIA, 1324
Receiving TD’s – Tyreek Hill MIA, 10
Total TD’s – Christian McCaffrey SF, 16
Tackles (combined) – Roquan Smith BAL, 126
Sacks – T.J. Watt PIT, 13.5
Interceptions – DaRon Bland DAL, 7
Week 13 Preview – What to watch
Teams on Bye – BYEPOCALYPSE EDITION
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Las Vegas Raiders
Minnesota Vikings
New York Giants
Baltimore Ravens
Week 13 Best Games
San Francisco 49ers @ Philadelphia Eagles
Denver Broncos @ Houston Texans
Seattle Seahawks @ Dallas Cowboys
Tyler’s Bold Week 13 Prediction
San Francisco will walk into Philadelphia and upset the 10-1 Eagles.
Week 13 Storylines
The Byepocalypse!!
Who will find a way to lose this game? Chargers @ Patriots, 6pm
Can Detroit bounce back after their Thanskgiving loss? Lions @ Saints, 6pm
A streaking Denver visit Houston as they attempt to bounce back. Broncos @ Texans, 6pm
A potential NFC Championship matchup between two amazing teams. 49ers @ Eagles, 9:25pm
Kansas City try and continue to prepare for the postseason as they head to Lambeau Field. Chiefs @ Packers, SNF
A Burrowless Bengals offense heads into Jacksonville, as they clutch onto a disappointing season. Bengals @ Jaguars, MNF
