Week 12 of the NFL season began with a tight Thursday night contest between the Texans and Colts. If fans are lucky, that theme will continue throughout the weekend, as many excellent games remain. Here’s a look at the key questions for NFL week 12.
1. How will the Browns respond to the Garrett incident?
After beginning the season a disappointing 2-6, the Browns have rallied to win two in a row and should be able to make it three on Sunday. But of course with the Browns, nothing is ever as easy as it should be. They lost Myles Garrett for the rest of the season and will not have Larry Ogunjobi for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins as part of discipline handed down for the Thursday night fight. Is this a team that will pack it all in or get their stuff together in order to string together their third consecutive victory? We’ll see whether Freddie Kitchens can keep his team on track.
2. Will the Atlanta Falcons’ defense stay hot?
The Falcons’ defense severely underperformed much of the season, but they finally set things right after their bye week. They have held two straight opponents to single-digit points, beating the Saints in Week 10 26-9 and the Panthers last week, 29-3. They impressively got both wins on the road. Can they make it three wins in a row over divisional opponents? Jameis Winston leads the league in interceptions, so the chances of them getting some turnovers against the Bucs seem likely.
3. Can Brandon Allen score on Buffalo’s defense?
Allen will make his third straight start on Sunday when he leads Denver against a stout Bills defense. Buffalo’s defensive unit ranks third in the league in both yards allowed and points allowed per game. Sure, playing a soft schedule has factored into their impressive play, but Brandon Allen isn’t exactly the type of quarterback who should pose a threat. These are two defensive-oriented teams, but Buffalo seems to have an edge simply because their chances of scoring are better than Denver’s.
4. Has Mitchell Trubisky’s confidence been shaken?
Trubisky was replaced at the end of the Bears’ loss to the Rams on Sunday night due to a hip injury, though on the surface he appeared to get benched. He was not on the team’s final injury report ahead of their game against the 2-8 Giants. If ever there were a spot for Chicago to put things together and win, this would be it. But the question is whether Sunday’s injury/late-game replacement debacle will have shattered the young quarterback’s confidence. If so, don’t expect big things from Chicago’s offense.
5. How will Mason Rudolph respond to the busy week?
Rudolph has been in headlines for the past week and a half, first for being bashed in the head by Myles Garrett, and then for being accused of using a racial slur against the Browns defender. After all that happened, it’s easy to forget just how brutal Rudolph was against Cleveland. He threw four interceptions in the loss and is lucky to have been backed by Pittsburgh’s opportunistic defense in previous games. The good news for Rudolph is he probably won’t have to do much to outscore Cincinnati. The bad news is the Steelers might consider Duck Hodges if Rudolph doesn’t start improving.
6. Did New Orleans regain their focus?
The Saints had an unlikely loss at home against Atlanta two weeks ago in which they matched their season-low total of nine points. They bounced back with 34 points at Tampa Bay last weekend and now will host the Panthers on Sunday. They will be out to prove that the Week 10 loss to Atlanta was just a random blip, perhaps due to some sluggishness coming off the bye. Kyle Allen’s play (1 touchdown, 5 interceptions last two games) has been dwindling, making this a good spot for the Saints.
7. Will going on the road mess with the Raiders?
The Raiders have emerged as a surprise playoff contender, winning their last three games to put together a 6-4 record. Of course, they have benefited from a home-heavy schedule during their three-game winning streak after playing five straight games away from home. Now they head back on the road to MetLife Stadium to face the Jets and then the Chiefs. Will leaving the comforts of the Bay Area throw them off at a time when they’ve looked so good? It’s a big question to wonder.
8. Can the Seahawks and Eagles give us the game of the week?
There are many impressive games on the Week 12 slate, but one that may be getting overlooked is the Eagles-Seahawks matchup. Seattle has gone 8-2 this season and is a perfect 5-0 on the road. They’re coming off a bye after a huge win at San Francisco. Philly is 5-5 and 3-2 at home, and only managed 10 points against New England in Week 11. Things seem to be lining up for a Philly bounceback game, while Seattle should be well-prepared for the contest. This should be one of the closer games on the slate.
9. Are the Lions going to finally turn things around?
Detroit has a perfect chance to things around heading into their annual Thanksgiving game with a road trip to face the Redskins. Washington has been brutal this year and struggles to score points (held to single digits in five of their last seven games), which should be good news for Detroit’s weaker-than-expected defense. Given how bad Detroit has been — six losses in their last seven games — it’s easy to forget they began the season 2-0-1 and really could — and should have been 4-1. Even with Jeff Driskel starting, they should be able to easily outscore Washington.
10. Is Nick Foles ready for an improved showing?
Nick Foles’ return to action in Week 11 was underwhelming. Sure, his 296 yards and two touchdowns looked nice after the fact, but the Jags had far too many drives in between their first and fourth quarter scores that went nowhere. Foles faces an arguably tougher defense in the Titans and needs to show he has knocked the rust off. If not, this will be a nice spot for the Titans to potentially tie the Colts for second in the division.
11. Can the Cowboys score on the Patriots’ defense?
New England’s defense had another strong showing in their 17-10 win over the Eagles in Week 11. So far, only Lamar Jackson and the Ravens have been able to make them look bad. Dallas possesses one of the best offenses in football when their players are healthy, as will be the case for this one. They’ve scored at least 30 points in three of their last four games. They’re throwing the ball extremely well but can also run it, and will be visiting a tough venue in Gillette where the Pats have dominated. If any offense can put up points on the Pats, it’s a healthy Cowboys unit.
12. Will the Patriots’ passing game step up?
There’s a reason why Tom Brady has been grumpy despite the Patriots’ strong record this season: he knows the team’s offense has not been delivering. The Patriots lack the receiving weapons they thought they had entering the season, as Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon have been released. New acquisition Mohamed Sanu has an ankle injury; Phillip Dorsett has a concussion; and N’Keal Harry is trying to figure out his role on the team. The Patriots’ passing game has some holes at this point in the season and may need the defense to keep picking them up.
13. Can the banged-up 49ers step up to beat the Packers?
San Francisco has to be feeling good after a comeback victory against the Cardinals following their first loss of the season. However, they have several players banged up, with George Kittle, Emmanuel Sanders, Deebo Samuel, Matt Breida and Robbie Gould among their players on the injury report in Week 12. They may be thin on weapons, but that has never stopped Kyle Shanahan, who seems to find success plugging players into the offense at-will. Contrarily, Green Bay is coming off a bye and had an extra week to prepare and get healthy. This will be a tough spot for the Niners, even at home.
14. Are the Rams good enough to stop Lamar Jackson?
The Rams possessive some of the most talented defensive players in the league between Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. But will that be enough to stop Lamar Jackson? Ramsey has been seeking tips on defending the QB ahead of Monday night’s game. And if any coach can scheme up a way to stop Lamar, it may be Wade Phillips, who has the players to help — led by Donald, whose penetration up the middle could disrupt the Ravens. Many have counted out the Rams this season. This could be a game for them to remind people what they can be.
15. How fired up will the Rams be on Monday night?
The Rams are only 6-4 and have not come close to resembling the offensive machine they appeared to be last season. Jared Goff has not played well, not even last week at home, where he typically performs his best. But this week seems to be setting up perfectly for them: they’re somewhat forgotten this season, will be at home for the second straight week, and they need to make a move in the NFC playoff picture. There’s no reason for them not to come out fired up to potentially surprise the 8-2 Ravens.
