From another Cleveland comeback to New England’s continued dominance, a Dallas rally to Seattle making a statement, Week 12 of the NFL season taught us a lot about what to expect heading in to this final stretch. Here are the five biggest takeaways from Week 12:
Patriots Are The Team To Beat In The AFC
New England’s winning streak reached seven games with a dominant 34-9 win over the Detroit Lions. That pushed them to an NFL-best 9-2 overall this season. Perhaps most impressive is how they have gotten the job done against some of the league’s best team during this run.
With the win over the Lions, the Patriots are now 6-0 against opponents that were either tied or in sole possession of first place in their division at the time of the game. What’s more, New England has won those games by an average margin of 22 points.
Their NFL-leading +130 point differential is 22 points better than their next opponent, the Green Bay Packers. It is only fitting that they play each other this week.
Cowboys Will Not Fade Away
The Cowboys have overcome injuries all year to remain in the hunt for an NFC playoff spot and after rallying from down 11 to beat the New York Giants 31-28 on Sunday Night Football, it’s clear this team is not the same as the previous editions under Jason Garrett; the one that would fold like a cheap tent.
Dallas still has three more games against division rivals, including each of their two games against the Philadelphia Eagles that will likely determine which team takes top spot in the NFC East.
The bottom line is this team is tougher, grittier and has more of a spine than previous Cowboys teams.
Defending Champs Ready For Uphill Climb
Seattle made a statement with a 19-3 win over the rival Arizona Cardinals to keep its playoff hopes alive but they still have a very tough road to the playoffs. The Seahawks will play four of their final five games against NFC West opponents including both games against the rival San Francisco 49ers. Their lone non-division game is on the road against the NFC East-leading Eagles. It doesn’t get much tougher than that but Sunday’s performance against the Cardinals is a clear indication that the defending champs are ready for an uphill climb.
Broncos In Tough With Injuries Mounting
Injuries have become a major issue for a Denver team that barely scraped past the Miami Dolphins with a 31-28 win on Sunday. With the win, they moved back ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs for top spot in the AFC West. Julius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Montee Ball, and Wes Welker are all dealing with nagging issues on offense while Aqib Talib and Brandon Marshall both left the game on the defensive side of the football against the Dolphins.
Peyton Manning threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Broncos rally against Miami on Sunday but after a loss to the St. Louis Rams and a narrow win over the Dolphins, it’s clear that Denver is not quite the same team. They need to get healthy as this current version of the Broncos won’t win the Super Bowl.
Browns Playoff Hopes Could Come Down To Season Finale
Brian Hoyer had three interceptions but he also threw for 322 yards as the Browns running game and defense did just enough to help them pull out a 26-24 win in Atlanta. They improved to 3-2 on the road and 7-4 overall this season. Perhaps what is most impressive about that win is that they found a way to steal a victory on the road despite so many mistakes. Cleveland has room for improvement but is still just one-half game back of Cincinnati for top spot in the AFC North, and they play the Bengals at home along with the Colts, Bills, and Panthers before their season finale in Baltimore.
Wins over Buffalo, Cincinnati, and Carolina would likely put them in line for an AFC North showdown against the Ravens to determine the division winner or a wild card berth in Week 17.
