JIM LANG’S 10 NFL THINGS: WEEK 12
Hi there, what a week it was in the NFL. The Patriots are on a roll, Jonathan Taylor can’t be stopped, the Chiefs discovered their defence, and the Eagles are making some noise in the NFC. Yes indeed, there is a lot to talk about from the past week. Let’s do this.
1 – Thursday night – Ladies and gentlemen; one of the hottest teams in the NFL is none other than the New England Patriots. Week 11 kicked off Thursday in Atlanta and led by their punishing defence, the Patriots shut-out the Falcons for their fifth win-in-row. If my math is correct, the Patriots have outscored their opponents by a margin of 175-49 during their five-game winning streak. In their win over Atlanta, Mac Jones completed 22 of his 26 passes. The guy sure isn’t playing like most rookie quarterbacks, he looks so confident and so polished already. Bill Belichick has built another solid team. A team that gets stronger every week. All of this sets up a fantastic AFC showdown between the Patriots and the Titans in week 12.
2 – Pound the ball – You know, over the years NFL teams have spent a lot of time and money trying to come up with the newest, high powered passing attack. Despite all of the innovations in the passing game, teams still need to run the football. Here we are, in late November and the weather is only going to get colder and the conditions will only get worse. Those teams built to run don’t care about snow and cold and harsh weather. Back in the day it was legends like Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Tony Dorsett, and Franco Harris pounding the ball and leading their team into the playoffs. All these years later, having a reliable running game is just as important as it ever was.
3 – Jonathan Taylor – Speaking of running the football, nobody is doing it better right now is Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. What Taylor is doing this season is remarkable. Sunday, Taylor shredded a very good Bills defence for five touchdowns. Taylor leads the NFL in rushing yards and total touchdowns and the way he’s playing, I don’t see how anyone catches him. Heck, Taylor has scored 9 touchdowns in his past three games alone. The Colts are now 6-5 and very much alive in the wide-open playoff race in the AFC. Coach Frank Reich might be a passing guru, but he is smart enough know a good thing when he has one, and the Colts offence revolves around Taylor.
4 – The Eagles – In a city where they boo Santa Claus, the Eagles have given their fans a lot to cheer for lately. Sunday’s win over the Saints was the second straight for the Eagles. With every Eagles win, fans of the Lions suffer a little more. The Eagles picked up defensive back Darius Slay from the Lions for a 3rd and a 5th round pick. After Sunday’s convincing win over the Saints, Slay now 3 defensive touchdowns in the past 4 games. Jalen Hurts has quietly turned into an effective quarterback, both throwing and the running the football. Winners of 3 of their past 4 games, the Eagles face the horrible Jets next week.
5 – The Chiefs – Through the first six weeks of the season, the Chiefs defence was on pace to set a new franchise record for the number of points allowed in a season. Well Chris Jones had three and a half sacks as the Chiefs defence led the way in their win over the Cowboys. In the past three games, the Chiefs have only allowed a total of 30 points. If the Chiefs defence can keep playing like that, KC will be a dangerous team the rest of the season. Andy Reid has to be happy to see that Patrick Mahomes has only thrown one interception in his past three games.
6 – Cam Newton – With his first start since rejoining the Panthers, Cam Newton accounting for 235 yards of total offence and three touchdowns. Not too shabby. However, Cam Newton doesn’t play both ways and the Panthers defence couldn’t stop Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Facing one of the top pass defences in the NFL, Heinicke threw 3 touchdowns to led Washington to victory. In the past two weeks, Heinicke is 21 of 25 on third and fourth down passing attempts. There is no doubt that the return of Newton is a great story. But equally good has been the way Heinicke has played the last two weeks.
7 – Playoff Bubble – Thanks for the topsy-turvy outcomes over the past four weeks, the playoff picture in both the AFC and the NFC is utter mayhem. For all the teams on the bubble, it is going to be a sprint to the finish. The Eagles and the 49ers are on a roll and that is putting a lot of pressure on teams like the Saints and the Vikings. In the AFC, the big question is who will win the East and the North. Winning a division and securing a home playoff game in mid-January is going to be huge.
8 – Justin Herbert – No matter what happens with the Chargers this season, my goodness, Justin Herbert is fun to watch. In the Chargers thrilling win over the Steelers, Herbert ended up with 382 yards passing, three touchdowns and he also ran for 90 yards. Herbert’s game winning touchdown throw to Mike Williams was the perfect climax to what was a great night in LA. Herbert has now put together five game winning drives this season, more than any other quarterback in the NFL.
9 – This and That – Injuries are taking a major toll on star players around the league. Baker Mayfield is dealing with multiple injuries and Aaron Rodgers is battling through a nasty toe injury. Beyond the star players, injuries are mounting at key positions on every team in the league. It is something to keep an eye on the rest of the season. Speaking of Mayfield, he took a shot at Browns fans who booed him in Cleveland’s lackluster win over the Lions. That was a dumb move by Baker. You are talking about some of the most loyal and long-suffering fans in sports. If Baker wants to play somewhere else next year, he’s doing a good job.
10 – Monday Night Mayhem – Week 11 wrapped up in Tampa Bay as the Buccaneers looked to stop their losing streak when they hosted the New York Giants. If there is one thing that the Giants and the Jets have in common, there are the ultimate ‘slump busters’ in 2021. Just ask Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Riding a 2-game losing streak, Brady and the Bucs had the good fortune of meeting the Giants Monday night. The combination of facing the Giants and the return of Rob Gronkowski was just what Brady and the Bucs needed.
Week 12 will kick off Thursday with the annual U.S. Thanksgiving triple-header. As is the tradition, it starts in Detroit with the Lions hosting Andy Dalton and the Chicago Bears. That will be followed by the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Raiders and it all wraps up in New Orleans with the Saints hosting the Buffalo Bills.
On Sunday, I will be keeping a close eye on the Buccaneers and Colts game and to see if Tampa can slow down Jonathan Taylor. I am really excited about a gritty AFC showdown between the Patriots and Bill Belichick’s protégé, Mike Vrabel and the Titans.
That is all for now, I will talk to you next week.
(Jim Lang is Canada’s foremost expert on the NFL. Follow him on Twitter at @JimLangSports)
