Week 12 Thoughts

Is an NFL Sunday without the Minnesota Vikings really an NFL Sunday? I don't think so. It's the same struggle next Sunday as the Vikings host the Dallas Cowboys this Thursday. Oh well, the NFL still plays the games.

More often than not the Atlanta Falcons offense is tough to stop. So much so that it's hard to believe that defenses have stopped them enough to hand them four losses. The Arizona Cardinals were feisty with the Falcons early. They couldn't sustain that feistiness as the Falcons pulled away in the second half. 38-19 Falcons.

Among the lesser known of the Falcons offensive weapons is itty-bitty 5'8" receiver Taylor Gabriel. He triggered his team's offensive explosion yesterday with an elusive 35-yard run off of a screen pass. The play was a treat to watch. He added a 25-yard catch and run touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Cardinals corner Patrick Peterson covering Falcons receiver Julio Jones is one of the league's elite matchups. Peterson got a raw deal in the first quarter and it set up the Falcons first touchdown. The Falcons had a 3rd-and-goal from the 2-yard line. Matt Ryan tried to hit Jones on a quick pass along the goal line. Peterson knocked the ball away with terrific, tight coverage. The officials called it pass interference. It wasn't. The Falcons scored on the next play with their renewed life.

And that leads me to this.

In the closing seconds of the San Francisco 49ers-Miami Dolphins game the 49ers were threatening to tie the game. Colin Kaepernick threw a quick pass to Torrey Smith in the end zone. Dolphins corner Byron Maxwell, with tight coverage, prevented the reception. No penalty. Maxwell had far more contact with Smith than Peterson had with Jones. Far more contact. If I was shown each play without knowing the outcome and was told that one was ruled pass interference and the other wasn't, the choice would be easy. Peterson made a great play. Maxwell committed pass interference. The problem that I have with today's officiating is the wild inconsistency in the calls.

The 49ers haven't won since Week 1. The Dolphins have now won six straight. The 49ers had a realistic shot at winning this game. Kaepernick was stopped a couple yards short of forcing this game into overtime. In fact, it looked like he had the corner of the end zone if he had't hesitated and took his run upfield.

In his second start, Los Angeles Rams rookie quarterback Jared Goff threw his first NFL touchdown. He threw his first three NFL touchdowns. It wasn't enough. The explosive New Orleans Saints scored 49 and the Rams only managed those 21 points.

The Saints pulled out some tricks. Drew Brees had a touchdown run and receiver Willie Snead had a touchdown pass.

Saints rookie receiver Michael Thomas is really starting to shine. Actually he's been shining for a few weeks. He was one of my favorite receivers in last spring's draft. Brees has made stars of many of the receivers that he's had in the past but I think that Thomas, Brandin Cooks, and Snead might be the most talented he's ever had. They definitely have the best hands.

The Tennessee Titans are a half-game back of the Houston Texans in the AFC South. A division that's up for grabs for the three teams not named the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans look like the team to beat but they have to string some wins together. This win one, lose one, win one pattern might not cut it. Although, it's the AFC South so it might. The Titans were able to hang on against the Chicago Bears yesterday. 27-21.

The San Diego Chargers did their part to keep that AFC South race tight. They defeated the Texans 21-13.

Enough with the AFC South.

Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy didn't look too hobbled on his 75-yard touchdown run against the Jaguars. It was his second of the game. The first one was shorter. The Bills did enough to defeat the Jaguars 28-21.

When the Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV they won a bunch of games during the season with field goals and superb defense. Yesterday's 19-14 win over the Cincinnati Bengals was a lot like those wins. At least the field goal part. Justin Tucker kicked four field goals against the Bengals. Most of the long distance variety. He had kicks of 52, 57, and 54 to go with his chip shot of 36. He's a nice little weapon. The Vikings could use a nice little weapon like that.

Tucker was even part of the post game press conference. You don't see that from a kicker too often. He took advantage of his shot at the podium and turned it into a stand-up routine.

The Cleveland Browns lost again. This time it was to the New York Giants. 27-13. The Browns are now 0-12. The Giants have won six straight to stay within sight of the 10-1 Dallas Cowboys at 8-3.

The late games provided some fun. Three games. Three surprisingly close games. One upset.

The Seattle Seahawks usually start soaring at this point in the season. It looked like they were starting to soar this year but they ran into some problems yesterday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Seahawks managed a total of five points. Two of those came on a safety that was awarded to them by a Buccaneers penalty in their own end zone. The Seahawks offense generated a field goal and 245 yards.

Seahawks second half possessions: punt, punt, punt, punt, fumble, interception. Not good. The Seahawks lost to the Buccaneers 14-5.

It sure is fun to see an unhappy Pete Carroll. That gum-chomping little elf.

Usually we see receivers complaining about the physical play of Seahawks corner Richard Sherman. It was a nice twist to see Sherman complaining about the physical play of Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans.

The New England Patriots were supposed to take apart the New York Jets yesterday. Maybe it was because Tom Brady and just about everyone that catches passes from him were hobbled but the Patriots had a tough time putting the Jets away. An 8-yard Brady to rookie Malcolm Mitchell touchdown pass with just under two minutes to play was the difference in the 22-16 Patriots win.

For whatever reason the Patriots seem to have difficulty finding productive receivers in the draft. Was Deion Branch the last one? He was drafted over a decade ago. Aaron Dobson, Taylor Price, Brandon Tate, Chad Jackson, Bethel Johnson were all selected in the first three rounds of their respective drafts. They found Julian Edelman in the seventh round in 2009 but he was a quarterback in college. The Patriots selected Malcolm Mitchell in the fourth round last spring. It's early but they might have finally found another receiver in the draft. His touchdown yesterday was his second in two weeks. Patriots pass catchers have to understand a bunch of complicated route options before they gain the trust of Brady. It looks like Mitchell might be gaining that trust like no other Patriots rookie receiver before him.

A disastrous first half put the Carolina Panthers on the wrong side of things against the explosive Oakland Raiders. 24-7 at halftime. The Panthers responded in the second half with 25 unanswered points. Suddenly it was 32-24 Panthers. But the Raiders haven't let a late deficit disrupt their fun this season. They put up the final 11 points to win 35-32.

A concussion kept Panthers terrific middle linebacker Luke Kuechly out of this game. A.J. Klein is a fine player. He might even be the best backup middle linebacker in the league. It was still an interesting strategy to see Klein covering Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree 40 yards downfield on a critical 3rd-and-nine late in the game. There was probably supposed to be safety help but Klein got none. That shaky defensive play went a long way in allowing the Raiders to scoot down the field and score the game-winning field goal.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr sure is an excitable/energetic fellow. He's quickly become a team leader, fan favorite, and difference-making quarterback. He's a fun player.

A day of great (despite Vikings-less) football was capped by a classic. It took four quarters and all of overtime for the Kansas City Chiefs to defeat the Denver Broncos 30-27.

Despite the 57 combined points this was a defensive gem. Justin Houston and Von Miller put on a pass rushing clinic. It was Houston's sack-fumble that opened the scoring with a safety. For the game he had 3 sacks, 10 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 QB hits, and a pass defensed. Miller's stat line was nearly identical. 3 sacks, 10 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 4 QB hits, and a pass defensed.

Chiefs rookie receiver Tyreek Hill is becoming a greater part of the offense with each game. Last night was his breakout game. He was Gale Sayers-like with kick return, receiving, and rushing touchdowns.

Some will criticize Broncos coach Gary Kubiak for sending out Brandon McManus for a 62-yard field goal with about a minute left in overtime. The miss handed the Chiefs terrific field position at the Broncos 48-yard line with more than a minute to play. Kubiak should be praised. Punting would be playing for a tie. Attempting a field goal, even a really long field goal, was playing for the win. Kicks have traveled longer than 62 yards in Denver's altitude and McManus has a strong leg. Coaches should always play for the win. Personally, I would have left the offense on the field. Converting a 4th-and-10 seemed more realistic than making a 62-yard field goal. But, what do I know? I'm watching from a couch.

I haven't seen all of the Broncos games but this was the best that I've seen quarterback Trevor Siemian play. He was terrific. 20/34 for 368 yards and 3 touchdowns. With Siemian playing like he was I definitely would have left him on the field for that fourth down.

A fun football day.

The Philadelphia Eagles host the Green Bay Packers tonight for more football fun.