Week 12 unusually concluded on a Wednesday after the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens played out a game that was rescheduled three times. This was a game that was meant to be played on Thanksgiving before being moved to Sunday. It was finally played on Wednesday. This is a game that suited UK fans, with the game starting at 8.40 pm.
Let’s take a look at how week 12 unfolded in the NFL.
The Thanksgiving Action
The annual Thanksgiving games were played in week 12. The Houston Texans defeated the Detroit Lions and the Washington Football Team comfortably beat the Dallas Cowboys. Lions fired head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn as a result.
This is the end of a disappointing reign in Detroit with Patricia flattering to deceive. From turning up late to meetings and telling reporters to sit up straight, the former Patriots defensive coordinator never got it right with the Lions.
The Washington win saw the Dallas Cowboys call one of the season’s more baffling plays. The Cowboys were down just four points with most of the fourth quarter to play within their own 20 yard line. They decided to go for a fake punt with a jet sweep motion.
The move didn’t pay off and this caused a turnover on downs. Washington would score on the first play of the subsequent drive, with running back revelation Antonio Gibson running in for the second of his three rushing touchdowns.
Talk of unrest in the camp in Dallas took place earlier this season and plays such as this from the Cowboys will do nothing to appease this.
Offensive Player Of Week 12: Tyreek Hill (Wide Receiver- Kansas City Chiefs)
The Chiefs moved to 10-1 after their 27-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a field day, throwing for 462 yards and three touchdowns.
Tyreek Hill was a big contributor to this, recording 269 yards along with catching all three of Mahomes’ touchdowns passes. Hill’s 269 yards puts him 14th on the list of all time receiving yards by a player in a single game.
Hill was also just two yards off the all time record for most receiving yards in a first quarter. Amazingly, Hill caught for 203 yards in the first quarter. This is just two years behind the 205 recorded by former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Lee Evans in 2006.
It was a brilliant performance from Hill and the Chiefs, who continue to establish themselves as the best team in the NFL.
Defensive Player Of Week 12:
Jeremy Chinn (Safety- Carolina Panthers)
In the 2020 draft, the Panthers became the first team to use all their picks on defensive players.
Chinn was picked 64th overall in the draft and has had an excellent rookie season. He is one of the favourites for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
History was made by Chinn in Carolina’s 28-27 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in week 12. Chinn recorded one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Both were ran to the end zone by Chinn for touchdowns on consecutive plays.
This made Chinn the first player since Fred Evans from the Chicago Bears to score fumble return touchdowns on back to back defensive plays.
Elsewhere In The League in Week 12
The Atlanta Falcons humiliated the Las Vegas Raiders 43-8 in a game that has halted the playoff progress for the Raiders. This is also a win that may help interim head coach Raheem Morris secure the job on a full-time basis.
The New York Giants beat the Cincinnati Bengals 19-17 despite losing Daniel Jones to injury. This keeps the Giants level with Washington at the top of the NFC East. The Tennessee Titans comfortably beat their division rivals the Indianapolis Colts. This gives them a one-win lead in the fight to win the AFC South.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a field goal late on for the Arizona Cardinals before the New England Patriots won the game 20-17 with a field goal on the last play.
Finally, the Denver Broncos were struck by positive Covid tests in their quarterback room in week 12 giving us the most pointless game in NFL history. This meant practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton was the starting quarterback. Unsurprisingly, the Broncos lost 31-3, with Hinton throwing for more interceptions (2) than completed passes (1).
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