NFL 2023 Week 12 Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come to an end. The week that was Thanksgiving and the subsequent days afterwards were filled with football and family as well the food. The week that was featured an upset in Detroit, a

NFL Week 12 Freaky Stat

DaRon Bland's fifth pick-six in the win against Washington is the most in a single season. Pretty cool.  

NFL Week 12 Recap

Green Bay 29, Detroit 22: TW: Lions; CV: Lions
The Packers offense and Lions mistakes pave the way to a win in Detroit. Jordan Love was good in his Thanksgiving debut. He hit 22 of his 32 passes for 268 yards with three touchdown passes while rushing for 39 yards with a 37-yard run being his longest int he game. AJ Dillon would carry the load for the Packers running game with 14 carries for 43 yards. Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Tucker Craft were the players that caught the passes from Love. Jonathan Owens would get a fumble-six on a Jared Goff fumble that was originally ruled a fumble. After a replay review the referee ruled that the ruling was upheld. The Packers would get 377 total yards of offense in the game. Detroit's Ford Field was hopping and crazy at the start. Jared Goff would hit 29 of 44 passes for 332 yards with two touchdown passes Sam LaPorta and Josh Reynolds. David Montgomery would have somewhat of a feast as he rushed for 71 yards with a touchdown run on 15 carries. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 54 yards on 11 carries. The Lions would outgain the Packers with 464 total yards. The key in the game was the fact that they went 1 for 5 on 4th down conversions and would fumble three times, one for the aforementioned fumble-six by Jonathan Owens. It seemed that the Packers were ready to play. Packers, they get back to 5-6 and still in the hunt for the NFC playoffs. For the Lions, they drop to 8-3 with somewhat of a missed opportunity to keep up with the Eagles for the case of the #1 seed in the playoffs. 

Next week:
Green Bay: vs Kansas City (Sunday night)
Detroit: @ New Orleans

TW: 0-1; CV: 0-1

Washington 10, Dallas 45: TW: Cowboys; CV: Cowboys

Cowboys proceed to demolish a team with a losing record. What a shocker. Sam Howell would do lot in this one as he hit 28 of 44 passes for an even 300 yards with an interception. Howell scored the only Washington touchdown on an outside run that Howell dived into the endzone. Brian Robinson rushed for 53 yards on 15 carries. Curtis Samuel caught nine passes for 100 yards. Good day for him in an overall beat down. The Howell interception was grabbed by DaRon (apparently the R is capitalized, oops) Bland for his fifth pick six in this season. No other defensive player has that many in a single season. Washington had a chance to get back into the game but its defense let themselves down in this one as well go 0 for 3 in 4th down conversions. At one point, the score was 20-10. Washington finished the game with 376 total yards in the game. Dak Prescott was near perfect in this game as he hit 22 of 32 passes for 331 yards with four touchdowns. The touchdowns would come on a 15-yard pass to Rico Dowdle, 31-yard pass to Brandin Cooks, a 34-yard pass to Kyle Turpin and a 15-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb. Tony Pollard would join in the scoring feast with a rushing touchdown on a 7-yard run up the middle while getting 79 yards. Dallas would keep it a close game at 20-10 for the first three quarters but they would hang 25 points in the 4th quarter. They would get 431 total yards in the game. For the Commanders, they drop to 4-8 and have gone 2-8 since starting 2-0 to start the season. For the Cowboys, they move up to 8-3 on the season. 

Next week: 
Washington: vs Miami
Dallas: vs Seattle (Thursday night)

TW: 1-1; CV: 1-1

San Francisco 31, Seattle 13: TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers
The Christian McCaffrey show came to the Emerald City. Brock Purdy would do enough to help win with his 21 of 30 passes for 209 yards with a touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk as well as tossed an interception. Christian McCaffrey would put the hurt on the Seahawks as he carried the ball 19 times for 114 yards for two touchdowns. Deebo Samuel got into the endzone on the 49ers first possession for a touchdown on a 2-yard play while getting 15 yards at the end of the game. Purdy's interception came on a pick-six that was grabbed by Jordyn Brooks to start the 2nd half. Nevertheless, the 49ers offense put up 377 total yards in the game. Geno Smith wouldn't do much as his team was limited. The passer completed 18 of 27 passes for 180 yards with an interception of his own. Fortunately, the pass didn't go back to the house. Zach Charbonnet was the leading rusher for the Seahawks with 47 yards on 14 carries. The offense would be without Kenneth Walker III who was inactive with an oblique injury. Other than the pick-six the Seahawks would only get two field goals from Jason Myers. Seattle finished with 220 total yards. Probably didn't help that the Seahawks were 3 for 11 on 3rd down conversions and only had the ball for 24 minutes. For the 49ers, they move up on the NFC West race and get some cushion against their rivals with an 8-3 record. For the Seahawks, the losses keep on mounting as they drop to 6-5. 

Next week:
San Francisco: @ Philadelphia
Seattle: @ Dallas (Thursday night)

TW: 2-1; CV: 2-1

Miami 34, NY Jets 13: TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins
The Hail Mary Pick-Six will live in infamy for the Jets. Tua Tagovailoa hit 21 of 30 passes for 243 yards with a touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill. He would find his wife in the stands with a ball as a celebration. Tua would have his rougher moments in this game with two interceptions, one would go back to the house for a pick-six by Brandin Echols for a 30-yard score. Afterwards during a hail mary pass play, Tim Boyle would toss up a floater that would find the way to Jevon Holland. The defensive back proceeded to return the favor for a 99-yard pick-six to close out the 1st half. Poor Jets fans. Raheem Mostert would handle the load in this game as he got 20 carries for 94 yards with two touchdown runs. Jeff Wilson would get some playtime as he caught 11 carries for 56 yards. Miami would get two 100-yard receiving days with Jaylen Waddle getting 114 yards on eight catches while Tyreek Hill caught nine passes for 102 yards. The Dolphins offense was clicking on all cylinders as they got 395 yards. Tim Boyle would get the start in the game after the benching of Zach Wilson last week against Buffalo. Boyle hit 27 of 38 passes for 179 yards with a touchdown pass to Garrett Wilson in the 4th quarter. He would also toss two interceptions, one of them went back to the house for the aforementioned pick-six. Breece Hall wouldn't get much on the ground as he got seven carries for 25 yards. The Jets offense was barely clicking all game other than the lone touchdown drive which happened in garbage time. They got 159 yards of offense in the game. For the Dolphins, they move up to 8-3 with the win and go into a tie with the Ravens for the best record in the AFC. For the Jets, they drop to 4-7. Boy that three-game winning streak seemed like years ago. 

Next week:
Miami: @ Washington
NY Jets: vs Atlanta

TW: 3-1; CV: 3-1

Carolina 10, Tennessee 17: TW: Titans; CV: Titans
The Derrick Henry show in the Music City. Bryce Young hit 18 of 31 passes for 194 yards but didn't toss an interception or a touchdown. Carolina's lone touchdown came on a Chuba Hubbard 5-yard run up the middle that got the Panthers to a 17-10 Titans score. Hubbard finished 45 yards rushing. Miles Sanders got 28 yards rushing on 15 carries. Carolina would get 258 total yards in the game. Will Levis hit 18 of 28 passes for 185 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. It would be Derrick Henry that did the scoring as the powerful runner got 76 yards rushing for two touchdowns while on 18 carries. Tennessee got 264 yards of total offense in the game. Bryce Young would feel the pressure as he was sacked four times for 32 yards. For the Panthers, they fall to 1-9 with their playoff hopes very small of a chance. For the Titans, they improve to 4-7 with the win. 

Next week: 
Carolina: @ Tampa Bay
Tennessee: vs Indianapolis

TW: 4-1; CV: 4-1

Jacksonville 24, Houston 21: TW: Texans; CV: Texans

The Texans comeback falls short by way of a Matt Ammendola kick off the crossbar. Trevor Lawrence hit 23 of 38 passes for 364 yards with a touchdown pass to Calvin Ridley. Trevor Lawrence would also score as a runner on a 1-yard up the middle play. Travis Etienne rushed for 56 yards on 20 carries. Jacksonville got 445 total yards in the game. CJ Stroud would fight well into the end as he hit 26 of 36 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns to Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Stroud would also see the endzone as a runner with a run to the right for a 1-yard play. He had 47 yards rushing. Nico Collins had 104 receiving yards with seven catches. Houston's final possession was a 11-play, 45-yard march that would end result in a Ammendola 58-yard field goal that would hit the crossbar for a miss. They had 352 total yards in the game. For the Jaguars, they get some measure of revenge over the Texans with a 8-3 record. For the Texans, they drop to 6-5 on the season. 

Next week:
Jacksonville: vs Cincinnati (Monday night)
Houston: vs Denver

TW: 4-2; CV: 4-2

New England 7, NY Giants 10: TW: Patriots; CV: Patriots
Chad Ryland's missed field goal gives the G-Men the win. Mac Jones would get the start for the Patriots and hit 12 of 21 passes for 89 yards but he would once again see ghosts as he tossed two passes that were picked off by the Giants. Bailey Zappe would get the nod af the start of the 2nd half. He wouldn't save the Patriots as he hit 9 of 14 passes for 54 yards with an interception. He did lead the team to their lone touchdown drive. Rhamondre Stevenson rushed 21 times for 98 yards with the lone offensive touchdown for the Patriots on a 7-yard run up the middle. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 46 yards on nine carries. Tommy DeVito hit 17 of 25 passes for 191 yards with a touchdown pass to Isiah Hodgins in the 2nd quarter. Saquon Barkley hit 46 yards rushing on 12 carries. Jalin Hyatt would have a good game as he caught five passes for 109 receiving yards, including a 41-yard play that was the longest in the game. Offense was a limited one as the Patriots gained 283 total yards and the Giants had 220 total yards in the game. For the Patriots, they keep on falling apart and drop to 2-9 on the season. For the Giants, they improve to 4-8 on the season. 

Next week: 
New England: vs LA Chargers
NY Giants: Bye

TW: 4-3; CV: 4-3

New Orleans 15, Atlanta 24: TW: Saints; CV: Saints

The Falcons prevail in a battle for the NFC South. Derek Carr hit 24 of 38 passes for 304 yards with an interception. Alvin Kamara rushed 15 times for 69 yards (heheh nice) in the game. Lynn Bowden Jr rushed for two times for 40 yards, including a rush that came up with a 29-yard run. Chris Olave did well in the game as he caught seven Carr passes for 114 yards while going on a 51-yard play that was the longest in the game. New Orleans somehow got 444 total yards in the game. You'd assume the Saints would get a lot more points than just the five Blake Grupe field goals. Desmond Ridder made his return after missing a few games due to injury. He wasn't quite there as he threw 13 of 21 passes for 168 yards with a touchdown but tossed two interceptions. Bijan Robinson was the player that caught the touchdown pass from Ridder for a 26-yard play while putting up 32 receiving yards. Robinson the runner got a touchdown run while racking up 91 yards rushing. Atlanta's defense would get a pick-six on a Carr pass that was hauled in by Jessie Bates III and turned it back to the house for a 92-yard return. Tyler Allgeier rushed for 64 yards on 10 carries. Atlanta would get 396 total yards with 228 of them coming on the ground. For the Saints, they drop to 5-6 with the loss and a lead in the NFC South out of reach. For the Falcons, they control the NFC South with the win with a 5-6 record. 

Next week: 
New Orleans: vs Detroit

Atlanta: @ NY Jets

TW: 4-4; CV: 4-4

Pittsburgh 16, Cincinnati 10: TW: Steelers; CV: Steelers

Pittsburgh's offense outgains the Bengals. Kenny Pickett would have his better games this season with a 24 of 33 pass completion performance for 278 yards. It would be his season-high for passing yards in a game. Najee Harris would do the rest as he rushed for 99 yards with a touchdown run in the 3rd quarter. Jaylen Warren would help out with 49 rushing yards on 13 carries. Pat Friermuth had a game as he caught nine passes for 120 yards with that being his career-high. Pittsburgh's offense gained 421 yards in the game in a week after they fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday. Jake Browning got the start for the Bengals after Joe Burrow is out for the rest of the season. He hit 19 of 26 passes for 227 yards with a touchdown pass to Drew Sample. Browning would toss an interception in the game. Cincy's running game wouldn't amount to much as Joe Mixon got 16 yards on eight carries. The Bengals offense got just 222 total yards of offense in the game. Pittsburgh also ended their streak of 58 games without putting up 400 total yards. For the Steelers, they improve to 7-4 on the season. For the Bengals, they drop to 5-6 on the year with the basement of the AFC North. 

Next week: 
Pittsburgh: vs Arizona
Cincinnati: @ Jacksonville (Monday night)

TW: 5-4; CV: 5-4

Tampa Bay 20, Indianapolis 27: TW: Buccaneers; CV: Buccaneers

The Colts running game pushes the Colts past the Buccaneers. Baker Mayfield hit 20 of 30 passes for 199 yards with two touchdown passes to Mike Evans while tossing an interception to Ronnie Harrison. Rashaad White had a solid day running the ball with 100 yards rushing on 15 carries. Tampa's offense put up 298 total yards in the game. Mayfield would play on while nursing a right ankle that was injured on the opening drive. Gardner Minshew hit 24 of 41 passes for 251 yards with an interception that was found by Carlton Davis. Minshew the runner found the endzone while getting six yards rushing. Jonathan Taylor was the force to be reckoned with as he rushed for two touchdowns on 91 yards in the game. Zach Moss got 55 yards rushing. The Colts got 394 total yards in the game. Normally the Buccaneers rush defense was the best but they would allow 5.7 yards/carry in this one. For the Buccaneers, they drop to 4-7 after starting at a 3-1 record. For the Colts, they get back to above .500 for the first time since September of this year with a 6-5 record. 

Next week: 
Tampa Bay: vs Carolina
Indianapolis: @ Tennessee

TW: 5-5; CV: 5-5

Cleveland 12, Denver 29: TW: Broncos; CV: Browns
Three fumbles help the Broncos stay hot against Cleveland. Dorian Thompson-Robinson started for the Browns and hit 14 of 29 passes for 134 yards with a touchdown to Harrison Bryant on a play to the right. He would not finish the game due to a concussion. PJ Walker would finish the game with 6 of 13 completed passes for 56 yards. Jerome Ford rushed for 65 yards with nine carries. David Njoku was the leading receiver with six catches for 59 yards. Cleveland finished with 269 yards of total offense. Cleveland's issues with this game were three fumbles that happened in the 1st, 3rd and 4th quarters. It didn't help their cause either as PJ Walker was downed in his own endzone for a safety. Worser news is that Myles Garrett suffered a left shoulder injury. Russell Wilson hit 13 of 22 passes for 134 yards with a touchdown pass to Adam Trautman. Wilson would rush into the endzone while getting 34 yards rushing for his statline. Javonte Williams would get the most carries with 18 carries for 65 yards. Samaje Perine would also score a touchdown on the ground while rushing for 55 yards. Denver would get it done with 294 total yards in the game, 169 of them being from the ground. For the Browns, they drop to 7-4 but still in the playoff hunt as a wild card. For the Broncos, they improve to 6-5 and have won five straight games. For more importance, the final score was a Scoragami for the 1,081st unique score in NFL history. 

Next week: 
Cleveland: @ LA Rams
Denver: @ Houston

TW: 6-5; CV: 5-6

LA Rams 37, Arizona 14: TW: Rams; CV: Rams

It was Matthew Stafford all the way in Arizona. Matthew Stafford hit 25 of 33 passes for 229 yards with four touchdown passes while tossing an interception. Kyren Williams and Tyler Higbee caught two touchdown passes each in the game. Stafford would toss an interception in the game but it didn't really matter at the end of the game. Kyren Williams had quite the game as he rushed for 143 yards while catching six passes for 61 yards. Royce Freeman rushed for 77 yards with a touchdown. The majority of the points that the Rams got was in the 1st half with 21 points. Los Angeles finished with 457 total yards in the game. Kyler Murray would do the scoring in this game as he hit 27 of 45 passes for 256 yards with a touchdown to Greg Dortch. Murray would also see the endzone on a two-yard rush that he fought tooth and nail to get in. James Conner had 27 yards rushing on six carries in the game. Arizona had 292 total yards in the game. For the Rams, they keep their playoff hopes alive with a 5-6 record. For the Cardinals, they become the first team in the 2023 season with double digit losses with a 2-10 record.

Next week: 
LA Rams: vs Cleveland
Arizona: @ Pittsburgh

TW: 7-5; CV: 6-6

Buffalo 34, Philadelphia 37 (F/OT): TW: Bills; CV: Eagles

Jalen Hurts called game. Josh Allen would do a lot of the grunt work in the game. The passer hit 29 of 51 passes for 339 yards with two touchdown passes to Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs but also did toss an interception in the game. Gabe Davis might've had the best shot to catch another touchdown if he turned around and looked for the ball that would've given Josh Allen his first win in overtime. Josh Allen the runner had 81 yards rushing with two touchdowns, including the touchdown that gave the Bills a 3-point lead with less than a minute in the game. Buffalo's offense did its job with 505 total yards with 332 of them being from the air game. Jalen Hurts would prove his worth in this game as well. He hit 18 of 31 passes for 200 yards with three touchdowns but also tossed an interception in the game. Devonta Smith, AJ Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus were the Eagles players that caught the passes from Hurts that turned into six points. Jalen Hurts the runner rushed for 65 yards with two touchdowns. Dandre Swift rushed for 14 yards with 80 yards in the game. The touchdown run from Hurts came on a 1st and 10 play from the Buffalo 12-yard line, Hurts would proceed to see the endzone while getting a few blocks but went untouched. Philadelphia would win the game despite being outgained while getting 378 total yards in the game. For the Bills, they drop to 6-6 with the mindset of "every game is a playoff game" mode. For the Eagles, they become the first team in the NFL with double digit wins. 

Next week: 

Buffalo: Bye
Philadelphia: vs San Francisco

TW: 7-6; CV: 7-6

Kansas City 31, Las Vegas 17: TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs (only if Taylor Swift was in attendance). 

Taylor Swift wasn't in attendance sadly but Cardinal Viking didn't change his pick so I guess he wins too. Patrick Mahomes hit 27 of 34 passes for 298 yards with two touchdown passes to Rashee Rice and Justin Watson. Rashee Rice's touchdown would come on a 39-yard short pass that would go to the distance for Rice. Isiah Pacheco rushed for 55 yards for two touchdowns in the game. The Chiefs would start off slow at one point in the game with a 14-0 deficit. The Chiefs would proceed to dominate their rivals with 360 total yards. Aidan O'Connell hit 23 of 33 passes for 248 yards with a touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers for a 18-yard play that opened up the scoring in the game. Easily one of his best games of the season. Josh Jacobs rushed for 110 yards with a touchdown run. The touchdown run came on a 63-yard run that gave the Raiders a 14-0 lead. They would proceed to let the Chiefs go on a 31-3 run afterwards. Las Vegas got 358 total yards out of their offense. For the Chiefs, they rebound from the disappointing loss to the Eagles with an 8-3 record. For the Raiders, they drop to 5-7 on the season. 

Next week:
Kansas City: @ Green Bay (Sunday night)
Las Vegas: Bye

TW: 8-6; CV: 8-6

Baltimore 20, LA Chargers 10: TW: Chargers; CV: Ravens

It was a dominating performance for the Ravens. Lamar Jackson hit 18 of 32 passes for 177 yards with a touchdown pass to Zay Flowers. Zay Flowers night wasn't done as he reached the endzone on a 37-yard play that he ran for on a trick play. Keaton Mitchell rushed for 64 yards on nine carries. Lamar Jackson rushed for 39 yards rushing in the game. The Ravens would take advantage of some turnovers as the Chargers gave up the ball four times (one interception, three fumbles) in the game. Baltimore's lone blemish was a Justin Tucker field goal miss that even made the clutch kicker shocked. The Ravens offense got 361 total yards in the game. Justin Herbert hit 29 of 44 passes for 217 yards with a touchdown pass to Gerald Everett but also tossed an interception. Justin Herbert was also the leading rusher for the Chargers and got 47 yards rushing in the game. Austin Ekeler got 32 yards rushing. Keenan Allen had quite the day catching the ball as he caught 14 passes for 106 yards. With the turnovers, the Chargers finished with 279 total yards in the game. For the Ravens, they head into their bye week with a 9-3 record and have the best record in the AFC. For the Chargers, they drop to 4-7 with playoff hopes slipping away. 

Next week:
Baltimore: Bye
LA Chargers: @ New England

TW: 8-7; CV: 9-6

Chicago 12, Minnesota 10: TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings

A 36-yard play to DJ Moore helps the Bears to a win. Justin Fields hit 27 of 37 passes for 217 yards with no touchdowns but didn't toss an interception either. Fields would also be the Bears leading rusher with 59 yards on 12 carries. Roschon Johnson rushed for 35 yards on 10 carries. The Bears kicker Cairo Santos hit four of five field goals in the win. The pass play to DJ Moore came on a 3rd and 10 play on Minnesota's 49-yard line. It was the longest pass of the game. Chicago finished with 317 total yards in the game. Joshua Dobbs would have a game that he'd rather forget. He hit 22 of 32 passes for 185 yards with a touchdown pass to TJ Hockenson but tossed four costly interceptions. Granted the score wasn't a factor to it. However, imagine what the game would be like without them. Alexander Mattison rushed for 52 yards on 10 carries. Minnesota would put up 242 total yards of offense in the game. It wouldn't help their cause as they only converted two 3rd downs out of nine attempts and failed to convert on 4th down on two occasions. For the Bears, they get to 4-8 with a bye week in their midst. For the Vikings, they drop to back to playing .500 football with a 6-6 record. 

Next week:
Chicago: Bye
Minnesota: Bye

TW: 8-8; CV: 9-7

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Week 7: 4-9

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 8-6
Week 10: 6-8

Week 11: 7-7

Week 12: 9-7

Total: 100-80

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Week 7: 5-8

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 9-5
Week 10: 7-7

Week 11: 11-3

Week 12: 8-8

Total: 110-70

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all on Wednesday/Thursday for the Week 12 Picks post! Enjoy your week!

-Tom