NFL Week 12 Review -The Jags, Cowboys and Browns have something to be thankful for

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Posted: Nov 29, 2022 | Updated: 3 months ago

It’s Thanksgiving in the US this week, so that means 3 NFL Games on Thursday and a full slate of games over the weekend. So, what happened this week?

The Cowboys and The Giants: How do they both have the same record?

The middle game of the Thanksgiving trio came as it always does from Arlington, Texas. This year, the 7-3 Dallas Cowboys faced their divisional rivals the New York Giants, who were also 7-3 on the season. Last week, the Giants struggled against the Detroit Lions. In contrast, the Cowboys dominated against the Minnesota Vikings. What would happen in this game?

It started dismally for both sides. The Giants went three and out on their first drive, while the Cowboys failed a 4th down conversion. From this, the Giants had a decent field position to score a touchdown. And score a touchdown they did. But Daniel Jones’ 24-yard pass was scrubbed due to a penalty against the Giants on the play. Another penalty against the Giants a play later meant that a drive that could of have had a touchdown had to end in a 57-yard field goal from Graham Gano.

The Giants quickly gained the ball back when Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was intercepted. But, Jones and company could not do anything with the ball and punted it away to the Cowboys. After the error in the first drive, the Cowboys had to do something with the ball. In a 93-yard drive, the ball was certainly moved down into the Giants RedZone, exploiting the defense. It was left to Ezekiel Elliot to score a 6-yard rushing touchdown, and give the Cowboys a lead. A lead that did not last long, as, on the next drive, the Giants moved the ball down to the Cowboys ‘ yard line, mostly aided by a 44-yard pass from Jones to Darius Slayton. Then, Saquon Barkley scored a 1-yard rushing touchdown to give the Giants the lead back.

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Near the end of the second quarter, Prescott make another mistake and was intercepted for the second time in the match. Unlike the first interception, the Giants could turn this into points, as on the last play of the half, Gano scored a 47-yard field goal to give the Giants a 13-7 lead over the Cowboys at halftime.

The Cowboys came out after halftime and had a flying start. On their opening drive, Dak Prescott found Dalton Schultz for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Cowboys a one-point lead. The Giants struggled on their next drive, falling a 4th and 1 in their own territory. The Cowboys capitalised on this mistake, as Prescott and Schultz paired up again for a 6-yard touchdown to increase their lead. On their next drive, they were in the endzone again. A one-handed catch from Ceedee Lamb was originally ruled incomplete. Dallas appealed this but was unsuccessful. Dallas would score on their next play however through a 2-yard Peyton Hendershot run.

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The Giants were truly out of this game. A one-yard Richie James touchdown was the best the Giants could do, and that was with 8 seconds left on the clock. It was not enough, as the Dallas Cowboys recorded a 28-20 win over the New York Giants. With this win, the Cowboys go to an 8-3 record, while the Giants fall to 7-4. Both teams are still in playoff contention, as it is currently looking like there would be 3 NFC East teams in the playoffs this year. Still, the Giants need to improve after two dismal performances to guarantee playoff football for the first time since 2016. Next week, they have that chance, as they face the Washington Commanders, while the Dallas Cowboys face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football.

The Bills leave it late

Last week, the Buffalo Bills played a home game at Ford Field in Detriot. This week, they return to that same field to face the actual home team the Detroit Lions. In the last few weeks, the Bills have struggled, while the Lions have been playing very well. Who would win this game?

It would be the Lions who would score first. After an opening drive that ended in a punt, the Lions second drive was much more successful, ending with a 2-yard rushing touchdown from Jamaal Williams. The Bills immediately struck back, with a 19-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Josh Allen to McKenzie, to tie the scores up.

Things then got worse for the Lions. Their next drive was slowly moving the ball down the field. But then, the Lions fumbled the ball, which was scooped up by the Bills. What did the Bills do with this? They scored another touchdown. A 3-yard Josh Allen rushing touchdown gave Buffalo a 7-point lead. This lead would not last long, as, on the next drive, the Lions drove the ball down to the Bills one yard line. Then, on 4th and 1, a pass from Lions quarterback Jared Goff to Amon-Ra St Brown found the endzone to again tie the score up. In the dying seconds of the half, Bills kicker Trevor Bass kicked a 47-yard field goal to give the Bills a 17-14 lead going into halftime.

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There are some people who are saying that Josh Allen is making too many errors, errors which are costing the Bills games. He made another one of these errors in the beginning of the second half when he was intercepted in the Lions RedZone, ending what was a fairly good drive. Luckily for the bills, the Lions did not move the ball forward. In fact, they moved the ball backwards. Back to the endzone to be specific. The Bills recorded a safety against the Lions to increase their lead to 5 points.

After a few drives that ended in punts, and a missed field goal from the Lions, Detriot would return to the endzone at the beginning of the fourth quarter. A one-yard pass from Goff to D.J Clark and a successful 2-point conversion gave the lions a 3-point lead. The Lions held this lead for a large part of the 4th quarter. Until Allen threw a 5-yard pass to Steffon Diggs that found the endzone. But, the corresponding PAT kick missed, keeping the Bills lead to 3 points.

The Lions needed a field goal to tie the game. With 23 seconds left on the clock, they a field goal they got. A 51-yard field goal attempt was successful, tieing the scores. Would we be seeing overtime?

No. What we would see was Allen quickly move the ball into the field goal terrtitory. All they needed now was to score the field goal and win. With time nearly out, Trevor Bass scored a 45-yard field goal, to give the Bills a 28-25 win over the Detroit Lions. With this win, Buffalo improve to an 8-3 record on the season, while the Lions win streak is over, as they fall to 4-7. Next week, Buffalo visit New England on Thursday night football, while the Lions welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Motor City.

The Comeback and The Failed Kick

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 3-7. The Baltimore Ravens are 7-3. This game should be, on paper at least, an easy win for the Ravens. But was it?

Firstly, it should be noted that this game began 25 minutes later than the other 1ET kickoffs due to lightning in the areas. When the game did begin, it was the Ravens who had the initial possession. The Ravens nearly gave this possession away early on the drive, as they fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Jaguars. However, this play was ruled out of play, stripping the fumble from the record. After this, the Ravens moved the ball down the field but were stopped at the 10-yard line. This led to a 27-yard field from Justin Tucker. Tucker would score another field goal from 29 yards on his next drive, giving Baltimore a 6-0 lead.

Remember earlier when Baltimore fumbled the ball but was saved by the replay? They fumbled the ball again on their next drive, but this time there were not so lucky, and possession was handed over the to Jaguars at the 50-yard line. From this, it took Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence 4 plays to score a touchdown. Lawrence threw a 28-yard pass to JaMycal Hasty to give Jacksonville a 7-6 lead. Baltimore’s reply? A long drive that again ended in a Justin Tucker field goal, this time from 55 yards.

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Not to miss out on the kicking, the Jags scored a field goal of their own before halftime from 22 yards out. This gave Jacksonville a 10-9 lead going into halftime.

The second half began like the first half ended for the Ravens. Another drive, another Justin Tucker field goal to give them the lead. Then, we had a repeat of the events of the first half, but the teams were switched. The Jags fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Ravens. This led to a 1-yard Gus Edwards rushing touchdown to give the Ravens a 9-point lead.

The Jags immediately responded with a score of their own. A 14-play drive ended in a 1-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Jamal Agnew.

With around 5 minutes left on the clock, this game was closer than many people had expected it to be. Any mistake would be costly right now. So, what do the Ravens do? They fumble the ball on their 6-yard line. Remarkably for the Ravens, even with the good field position, the Jags could only manage a field goal out of this. Still, it put them one point in the lead with 4 minutes to go.

The Ravens had the ball back. They drove it down the field to the Jaguars 12 yard line. Then, a pass from Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson to Josh Oliver found the endzone, and the 2-point conversion was successful. A 7-point lead with two minutes to do.

As we have seen in previous games this year, the Jags are very good at starting a game-winning drive but failing at the last hurdle. With two minutes left on the clock, Lawrence and company drove the ball right down to the Baltimore 10-yard line. Then, with 14 seconds left on the clock, Lawrence’s pass to Marvin Jones Jr found the endzone. They had to go for the two points to win it. They went for it, and it was successful. 28-27 Jags.

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But it was not over yet. With what was left on the clock, the Ravens quickly moved the ball to the halfway line Then, it was up to Justin Tucker to kick a game-winning 67-yard field goal. This would be the longest field goal in NFL History. If anyone could do it, it could only be Justin Tucker. As time ran out, the ball was kicked. It was short by about a yard. The Jags had won 28-27 over the Baltimore Ravens.

With this win, the Jaguars improve to 4-7, while the Ravens fall to 7-4. Next week, Jacksonville visit the Lions, while Baltimore hosts the Denver Broncos.

Browns in Overtime

The Cleveland Browns and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Two mediocre teams. What would happen when these two teams meet? A bore-fest?

The game started very livelily for both teams. On their opening drive, the Browns gave us the opening score through a 31-yard rushing touchdown from Anthony Schwartz. In their reply, Tampa Bay also scored a touchdown. A 10-yard pass from quarterback Tom Brady to Chris Godwin found the endzone. but, there were penalties on the play. Luckily, these penalties were for defensive pass inference, and the score stood.

Cleveland had a fairly successful second drive, with quarterback Jacoby Brissett and company quickly moving the ball. but, this stalled around Tampa’s 30-yard line, and resulted in a 51-yard field goal. Then, the excitement ended. We got punts and missed field goals. The Buccs would break this streak scoring a 42-yard field goal to tie the scores at 10-10 at halftime.

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Tampa Bay would be the first to score in the second half. A quick 80-yard drive, ended in a 5-yard touchdown pass from Brady to Ko Kleft, to give Tampa Bay a 7-point lead. We then had 8 consecutive drives that ended in punts. This took up the majority of the second half.

Then with two minutes left on the clock, the Browns found their offensive Quickly driving the ball down the field, a 12-yard touchdown pass from Brissett to David Njoku tied things up again, and send the game to overtime.

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The overtime period was just like the rest of the game. Lots of punts. But, in an overtime period that was nearly over, a 3-yard rush from Nick Chubb gave the Cleveland Browns a 23-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With this win, the Browns improve to 4-7, while the Buccaneers fall to 5-6 on the season. Next week, Cleveland faces the Houston Texans while the Buccaneers face the New Orleans Saints on Monday night. I think Tom Brady made a mistake in not retiring last season. He is past his prime.

And on the subject of quarterbacks passing their prime

Eagles win, and Green Bay lose more than the game

“””””Oh look. Another weekly review and another deep look into the Green Bay Packers game. Guess I’m going to have to mention that London game where they collapsed against the Giants (I never not going to bring this up) This week in our series of @How bad is Aaron Rodgers this week@, the 4-7 Green Bay Packers faced that 9-1 Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football. Guess how this one ends”Oh look. Another weekly review and another deep look into the Green Bay Packers game. Guess I’m going to have to mention that London game where they collapsed against the Giants (I never not going to bring this up) This week in our series of @How bad is Aaron Rodgers this week@, the 4-7 Green Bay Packers faced that 9-1 Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football. Guess how this one ends

The Eagles had opening possession. They also had the opening score. A 4-yard rushing touchdown from Gainwell put Philadelphia 7-0 up. So, how does Mr. Rodgers reply to this? By getting intercepted at their 15-yard line. The Eagles would score another touchdown from this, but the Jake Elliot PAT would be unsuccessful, giving them a 13 point lead.

Then, a mini comeback happened. A 20-yard A.J. Dillion rushing touchdown put a score on the board for Green Bay. This was followed by an 11-yard touchdown from Rodgers to Randall Cobb to give the Packers the lead. This lead would not last long, as Miles Sanders would score a 2-yard rushing touchdown to bring it back to the Eagles.

Rodgers would then be intercepted for the second time in the match. But, ti would not only be the Packers who would have problems with ball security. The Eagles would fumble and lose possession, which the Packers would capitalise on. Rodgers would score another touchdown, this time throwing a 23-yard pass to Aaron Jones. But, the Mason Crosby PAT failed, keeping the scores tied at 20-20.

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The Eagles would score one more touchdown before halftime. A 30-yard touchdown pass from Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to Quez Watkins gave Philadelphia a 27-20 lead at halftime.

The Eagles would continue their scoring in the second half. A 6-yard pass from Hurts to A.J. Brown increased their lead. The Packers would respond with a score of their own, but it was a 29-yard field goal. The Eagles would reply with a 31-yard field goal of their own.

Then, it happened. Aaron Rodgers left the game with a perceived rib injury. He was already playing with a broken thumb. While Rodgers plans to return next week, this could be the final time he may play a primetime game.

The injury meant that Jordan Love came in as quarterback for Green bay. He manages to score a 63-yard touchdown pass to make it a one-possession game. The subsequent Eagles drive took a lot of time off the clock and ended with a 54-yard field goal. The packers scored a 33-yard field to end the game, and to give the Philadelphia Eagles a 40-33 win.

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With this win, the Eagles improve to 10-1 on the season, while Green Bay fall to 4-8. Next week, The Packers face their rival the Bears, while the Eagles face the Tennessee Titans.

NFL Week 11 Review – Rodgers stumbles, Kelce delivers and hurrahs for kickers

What happened in the other games this week?

After getting demolished by the Cowboys last week, the Minnesota Vikings returned to action on Thursday night against the New England Patriots. Unlike last week’s games, both teams turned up on offense, with Mac Jones and Kirk Cousins combining for 681 yards. The Vikings would win this game 33-26 to improve to a 9-2 record on the season

In a rematch of Super Bowl 50, the Carolina Panthers played a poor Denver Broncos side. Carolina would win this game 23-10

The Miami Dolphins had a 30-0 lead over the Houston Texans at halftime. The Texans staged a comeback in the second half. But, it was not enough, as the Dolphins recorded a 30-15 victory

With Zach Wilson benched, we had the return of the legend that is Mike White for the New York Jets this week against the Chicago Bears. And what a legend he is, throwing for 3 touchdowns and 315 yards in the Jets 31-10 win

In another game without Jamarr Chase, the Cincinnati Bengals won again. This time, they beat the Tennessee Titans 20-16

The Washington Commanders staved off a late comeback from the Atlant Falcons to win 19-13 and go to 7 wins on the season, making the NFC East very interesting for all.

A late Austin Ekeler touchdown gave the Los Angeles Chargers a 25-24 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

In what was the shock of the week, the Las Vegas Raiders took the Seattle Seahawks to overtime. A 86 yard rushing touchdown from Josh Jacobs gave the Raiders a 40-34 win

The New Orleans Saints failed to score a point, as they lost to the San Francisco 49ers 13-0

A fourth-quarter touchdown from Benny Snell jr gave the Pittsburg Steelers a 24-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts

So, that was week 12. After Thanksgiving, we are now in December, when the race for the playoffs heats up.

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