The NFL results from Week 12 were supposed to set up two huge matchups for Week 13. Umm, looks like that may not happen.
The big games were supposed to be Mason Rudolph and the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns in a rematch after the Week 11 game in which Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett clobbered Rudolph over the head with a helmet in a melee that caused Garrett to be suspended indefinitely and 33 players to be fined for their roles in the incident. Cleveland fans set the stage by hitting a Rudolph pinata with a helmet. That seemed to set up a monster rematch for next week.
The other huge game that seemed to be looming was an AFC West showdown between Kansas City and Oakland. The Chiefs, 7-4, were on bye Sunday. The Raiders entered the day at 6-4 and all they had to do was beat the lowly New York Jets to enter next week’s game in a tie with the Chiefs.
But, suddenly, some of the luster was taken off both games by what happened Sunday. Let’s take a closer look at that we examine nine things we learned from Sunday’s games of Week 12.
9. The Raiders aren’t as good as we thought
The Raiders had seemed to turn the corner and had a shot at winning the division or at least making the playoffs. People were talking about Jon Gruden as Coach of the Year. Those things still could happen, but they’re not nearly as likely after a 34-3 loss to the Jets. Gruden, who seemed to have the perfect relationship with Derek Carr, benched his quarterback in the third quarter. Carr had thrown for just 127 passes and an interception. There’s no question Carr will be back as the starter against Kansas City. But things aren’t looking as rosy for the Raiders as they would have been with a victory over the Jets.
8. Tom Brady declining? Yes. Leaving New England? No way
New England’s 42-year-old quarterback had only 190 passing yards in Sunday’s win against Dallas. His last 300-yard passing game was in Week 6. Oh, the horror of the greatest ever falling apart? No, let’s be clear that Brady is not falling apart. Slowing down? Yes. But he still led his team to victory in bad weather against a very good team – with lots of help from his defense. Could he possibly leave the Patriots, who clinched an NFL record 17th straight season of double-digit wins? If you believe all the recent speculative reports, maybe Brady could end up with another team. There’s circumstantial evidence – Brady isn’t under contract after this season and his Massachusetts home is on the market. Brady has said he wants to play until he’s at least 45 and that adds another layer to the speculation. But, let’s look at reality. The Patriots don’t have an heir apparent in place. Even if Brady’s wife and kids are going to live somewhere else, that doesn’t mean he’s leaving New England just yet. He could live out of a hotel during the season and spend the offseason wherever his family is. Besides, owner Robert Kraft will pay Brady whatever it takes to keep him with coach Bill Belichick. You don’t bust up two guys that still are making history.
7. Ryan Tannehill is the answer in Tennessee
It’s obvious that Marcus Mariota won’t be back with the Titans after being benched. When he went to the sideline, the common belief was that backup Ryan Tannehill would be used just to get the team through the season. Think again. Tannehill has made a case that he’s the long-term answer. He’s won four of his five starts, including Sunday’s blowout of Jacksonville in which he threw for two touchdowns and ran for two others. After flopping in Miami, Tannehill is playing like a franchise quarterback and the Titans have to keep him. He can become a free agent after the season. But the Titans can’t afford to let that happen. They’ll sign him to a large contract for the long term.
6. Dan Quinn isn’t saving his job
After a 1-7 start, most people assumed the Atlanta coach would be fired during or immediately after the season. But, then, the Falcons won two straight games impressively. The talk suddenly shifted that Atlanta would win the rest of its games, perhaps make the playoffs and keep Quinn safe. But forget all that because it’s not going to happen. The Falcons got blown out by the Bucs at home to fall to 3-8. There’s nothing Quinn can do now to convince owner Arthur Blank to keep him.
5. The Seahawks can win without Russell Wilson at his best
Wilson is in the conversation for Most Valuable Player, but the Seattle quarterback didn’t have a great game Sunday as the Seahawks defeated the Eagles 17-9. He was intercepted and charged with a fumble on a botched handoff. It didn’t matter because Seattle’s defense and running game performed so well. The Seahawks forced five turnovers and didn’t allow a touchdown until the last 20 seconds. Rashaad Penny rushed for 129 yards. Wilson needs to play a big part going forward, especially in next week’s NFC West showdown with San Francisco. But the efforts by the defense and Penny show that Seattle can be dominant if Wilson is on top of his game.
4. Vita Vea for the Pro Bowl!
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers let six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy go in the offseason. Part of the reason was because the Bucs believed they had something special in Vea, a first-round pick last year. Tampa Bay’s personnel decisions often have been badly wrong. But the Bucs were right on this one. Vea has been a force against the run all season and that’s a big part of why the Bucs entered Sunday’s game against Atlanta ranked No. 1 in run defense. But Vea took his game to a new level against the Falcons. He had a crucial sack and also lined up at fullback and caught a touchdown pass.
3. Frank Gore is a lock for Hall of Fame
The Buffalo running back, who spent most of his career with San Francisco, has quietly been one of the best running backs of his generation. But he’s gone largely unnoticed on the national stage. Perhaps that’s because he’s played on some bad teams or because of his low-key personality. But Gore can’t be overlooked anymore when you’re talking about immortals. In Sunday’s victory against Denver, Gore rushed for 65 yards. That pushed him past Barry Sanders for third place on the all-time rushing list. If you’ve gained more yards than Sanders, you’re a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
2. Sean Payton can’t let go
And that’s a good thing. The New Orleans coach was very instrumental in the offseason rule change on reviewing pass interference. Understandable because the Saints were the victim of a non-call in last season’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game. Payton, like many coaches, has remained critical about how the rules are being enforced. He did it again after Sunday’s win against Carolina, saying, “It wasn’t New York’s best game’’. The reference was to a review by the league office in New York, which called pass interference on New Orleans’ Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Payton’s not going to let this go. He’s going to lead the charge again this offseason to make sure pass-interference reviews get called properly. That’s just Payton’s nature.
1. Mason Rudolph could be watching rematch from the sideline
Rudolph, who was hit with his own helmet by Cleveland’s Myles Garrett last week was the league’s most sympathetic figure for a brief time. No more. The Pittsburgh quarterback was ineffective against Cincinnati, completing eight of 16 passes for 85 yards and an interception. He was yanked in the third quarter for Devlin Hodges, who led the Steelers to a win over Cincinnati. Hodges threw for 118 yards and one touchdown. That means Rudolph could be benched in the rematch with the Browns and Hodges could get the start.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
