NFL Week 12 reaction: Notes and observations
With a wild Sunday of action behind us, we look at the NFL Week 12 reaction. Below we make our top observations from the games.
– The Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs must have enjoyed their bye weeks. Both watched as the main competition in their divisions lost, with the Los Angeles Rams going down to the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile the Los Angeles Chargers fell to the Denver Broncos. With those defeats, Kansas City maintains a one-game edge in the AFC West. Meanwhile the Cardinals are two games up on the Rams, who haven’t won a game in a month.
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– It’s a tough weekend for the Indianapolis Colts, who lost 38-31 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There’s no shame in losing to the defending champs. Although, there were many chances for the Colts to pull the minor upset at home. Instead, Indy fell to 6-6 and remains two games back — with a tiebreaker against it as well — in the AFC South to the Tennessee Titans. Even making the playoffs won’t be easy, with a remaining schedule that includes games against the Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and Cardinals.
– With a win over the Minnesota Vikings, the San Francisco 49ers are in tremendous position. While it’s incredibly unlikely they will win the NFC West, a playoff spot is looking better by the hour. At 6-5, the Niners still need to handle business, but nine wins in the NFC should be more than enough to get into the tournament. Plus, with a tiebreaker now on the Vikings, Kyle Shanahan’s squad is feeling fine.
Read: NFL Week 12 Reaction – Top 5 Storylines
– The Philadelphia Eagles have to be sick. Philadelphia entered the day at 5-6 and with its six remaining games against the New York Giants (2x), Washington Football Team (2x), Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets. However, with the Giants on the slate, the Eagles fell 13-7 due to quarterback Jalen Hurts throwing three interceptions and completing fewer than 50 percent of his attempts. At 5-7, the Eagles are still in the hunt, but it’s a brutal loss.
– It’s time to stop wondering whether the Chargers are a Super Bowl contender. After losing 28-13 to the Broncos on Sunday, Los Angeles is now 6-5. While the playoffs are certainly within reach, the Chargers have lost four of their last six and have largely looked miserable since starting the season at 4-1. Justin Herbert is an elite quarterback, but the defense, special teams and coaching staff leave many questions to be answered.
