Week 12 of the NFL season absolutely delivered. We had five of the seven games in the early window decided by one score and saw the Cowboys erase a 21-point deficit to beat the Eagles and the Jaguars earn an overtime victory over the Cardinals in the late window…

It was easily one of the best Sundays we’ve had all season. Here were my 10 biggest takeaways from Week 12.

Shedeur Sanders’ first start went way better than I thought

I won’t lie, I did not think Shedeur Sanders would have a good first start. Not necessarily because I think he’s s bad quarterback, but the situation he’s in just isn’t ideal. He did have the luxury of playing a pretty bad defense, but I was still pleasantly surprised with how he played.

Sanders completed just 11 of his 20 attempts, but he averaged nearly 20 yards per completion. He did throw an ugly interception, but bounced back and tossed his first NFL touchdown just a few drives later (to be fair, it was a pass behind the line of scrimmage that went for 66 yards). With the win, Sanders became the first Browns rookie QB to win his first start since 1995.

The most encouraging part of his performance to me was how he handled the pocket. He’s struggled with taking bad sacks throughout his entire career, but he took just one sack for a three-yard loss in this game. His offensive line did a pretty good job protecting him, but he also did a great job getting the ball out quickly.

Was it a flawless first start? No. There’s still plenty of work to be done, but it was definitely more encouraging than last week.

Wow, Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys found themselves trailing 21-0 early in this game. They were down and out. Their offense looked bad, their defense couldn’t get a stop, and I was ready to write them off completely. But man, what a comeback.

After that incredibly slow start, the Dallas Cowboys turned it on. Their offense scored 24 unanswered points behind 354 passing yards from Dak Prescott, 146 receiving yards from George Pickens, and 87 rushing yards from Javonte Williams. They made the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense, which has been playing GREAT recently, look like the Giants for the final 2.5 quarters.

What really impressed me, though, was their defense. They held Philadelphia scoreless for the final 41.5 minutes of this game after looking completely lost in the first quarter. Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson helped out, but it was all the guys who’ve been there all season through all their struggles who came through and made plays.

The Cowboys are 5-5-1 and are firmly back in the NFC playoff picture. If they can knock off the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving, things will get very, very interesting.

The Chiefs still have a realistic chance to win the AFC

The Kansas City Chiefs finally got the monkey off their back. All year long, they’ve struggled to win close games, which is crazy, considering they’ve been the best at winning those games in recent years, but after storming back from 11 down, the Chiefs got a gritty win against the Indianapolis Colts.

I know the Chiefs are 6-5, but when you look at their losses, they’re all one-score losses to playoff teams.

The Chiefs had a real chance to win all of these games, but they just couldn’t get it done in the final minutes. If they can sneak into the playoffs, they’ll have a real chance to beat every team they play. This game could be a bit of a turning point for them, so I’m interested to see how they play against Dallas, Houston, LA, and Denver before the postseason.

They’re not my pick to win the AFC at the moment, but it’s going to be hard to pick against them in January.

Jahmyr Gibbs is a top-two RB in the NFL, and he’s not two…

Jahmyr Gibbs is possibly the most dynamic playmaker in the entire league. When you think of your dream running back, Gibbs is probably what comes to mind. He’s only 5-foot-9, but he’s physical between the tackles and has enough burst to hit any hole hard. He can also get to the edge, and he’s arguably the best receiving running back in the NFL.

This Sunday’s performance was a perfect example of why he might be the best running back in football. He ran for 219 yards while catching 11 of his 12 targets and scored three touchdowns (overall). He averaged nearly 15 yards per carry and ripped off touchdowns of 49 and 69 yards.

I know Jonathan Taylor is having a career year, but if I were starting a team right now, I think I’d pick Gibbs over anyone else. Taylor is probably the better pure runner, but if you stuff the box, you can shut him down. If you stop Gibbs on the ground, you still have to worry about him out of the backfield.

Top Stories

Tony Romo Says Patrick Mahomes Doesn’t Trust Teammates as Chiefs QB Visibly Ignores Travis Kelce

Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Risks NFL Punishment in Chicago With Obscene Gesture

Argument Breaks Out Between Terry Bradshaw & Rob Gronkowski on FOX NFL Sunday

Michael Strahan Forced to Step in as Calls Mount For Terry Bradshaw’s Retirement For Dangerously Botching NFL Player’s Name

NFL Makes Punishment Decision on Baker Mayfield Incident

The Rams are unstoppable

The Los Angeles Rams might not lose another game for the rest of the year, and that’s not even an exaggeration. They’re playing the best football of anyone in the league right now, and when you look at their schedule for the rest of the year, it’s very favorable. They have tough matchups against the Lions and Seahawks, but outside of that, it’s the Panthers, Falcons, and Cardinals twice.

I know the Bucs are beat up, and Baker Mayfield didn’t play the second half, but this was a beatdown well before Mayfield went down. The Rams got out to a quick 21-0 lead and just never looked back. Matthew Stafford had a great game once again, further solidifying himself as one of the top MVP candidates. Puka Nacua was efficient, and Davante Adams caught a couple of touchdowns. It was just a great day for their offense overall.

Their defense was excellent as well. When he was in, Mayfield completed less than 50 percent of his passes for 41 yards and was sacked twice, and Teddy Bridgewater wasn’t able to make much of an impression either. They were able to run the ball decently well, but they were trailing by 20+ for most of the game, so they couldn’t really even establish the run.

This was a beatdown, and it’s something we’re becoming accustomed to seeing with this Rams team. I wouldn’t be surprised if they end the regular season 15-2 and have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Myles Garrett is going to break the single-season sack record

Myles Garrett is playing the best football of any player in the league, offense or defense. Over his last four games, Garrett has 13 sacks, which is the most over a four-game span in NFL history. He is now up to 18 sacks in just 11 games (1.6 per game), and is on pace to destroy the single-season sack record. He also became the first player in NFL history since 1982 to record 12+ sacks in six straight seasons.

TJ Watt and Michael Strahan currently hold the record with 22.5 sacks. Those were absolutely dominant seasons, but if Garrett continues this pace, he’s going to finish the year with 28 sacks. I know it’s not realistic to expect Garrett to keep this insane rate up, but all he needs is five sacks in his next six games to set the record, and we all know that is well within reach.

Garrett is easily the best defensive player in football right now, but is it crazy to say he might be the best pass rusher in NFL history?

J.J. McCarthy might be the worst QB in the league

Everyone made fun of the Minnesota Vikings for drafting J.J. McCarthy in the first round a couple of years ago. And rightfully so. If he weren’t on a Michigan team that won the national championship, not due to any special performance of his own, he wouldn’t have been drafted anywhere near the first round.

However, his first few NFL games weren’t too bad, so I was ready to admit that I, and everyone else, was wrong about him. But he’s been proving the haters right in recent weeks.

In his last two games coming into this week, McCarthy had thrown for 398 yards, two touchdowns, and four picks. On Sunday, things weren’t any better for McCarthy, who completed 12 of his 19 attempts for 87 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions. He just looked absolutely awful all game long.

When you have Kevin O’Connell as your head coach, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison as your receivers, and T.J. Hockenson as your tight end, there is no reason you shouldn’t have some success. If he were in Cleveland or Las Vegas or somewhere like that, I’d understand, but he’s in a great situation and just can’t get it done.

Right now, McCarthy might be the worst quarterback in the league. And if he’s not, he’s bottom three.

The NFC North just got even more interesting

The NFC North was already a fascinating division, but after this week, it’s even more so. The Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and Chicago Bears all won this week and are within a game of the division lead with just six games to go.

The Bears – who I still don’t think are all that good, they’ve just had a ton of things go their way – got a big win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Their offense looked pretty good, but their defense gave up 28 points to a Mason Rudolph-led Steelers offense. Still, a win is a win, and they’re 8-3 and in the lead of the North.

Behind them, the Packers added a dominant victory over the Vikings, taking down their NFC North rivals, 23-6. Their defense looked fantastic, but that’s not all that hard against J.J. McCarthy, and their offense was able to move the ball methodically, but they lacked the big-play ability.

The Lions’ offense, specifically their run game, looked great, but that was against one of the worst defenses in the league. They had to go to overtime to beat the 2-10 Giants, who were without their starting quarterback, Jaxson Dart.

None of these teams has looked particularly great recently, but they’re all 7-4 or better. They have all found ways to win, and there’s a good chance this division comes down to Week 18 when Detroit plays Chicago and Green Bay plays Minnesota.

Davis Mills should be the starter until further notice

I have never been the biggest C.J. Stroud fan, even during his historic rookie season. I just never saw him as anything special, and this season has proven me right. He led a Houston Texans team that had one of the best defenses this decade to a 3-5 record before he exited with a concussion. In their last three games without Stroud, the Texans have gone 3-0, and Davis Mills has looked much better than Stroud did. Just look at their averages this year and tell me they should go back to Stroud next week.

When Stroud starts, the Texans are averaging 21 points per game. When Mills starts, the Texans are averaging 25 points per game. And Stroud’s number is inflated by a 44-point shutout over Baltimore when they were arguably one of the worst teams in the league. Without that game, the Texans average 17.8 points per game.

Until the Texans lose, Mills should be the starter. Unfortunately, that won’t happen. They spent too premium a pick on Stroud a few years ago for them to bench him when he’s healthy.

If/when the Texans start losing when Stroud comes back, there are going to be some uncomfortable conversations in Houston.

The Bengals are officially done

It’s official. The Cincinnati Bengals are done before Joe Burrow even returns to the field.

The Bengals are 3-8. If they want a chance to make the playoffs, they have to win all six of their remaining games, and even that might not be enough. When they were 2-1, Burrow went down, and Jake Browning looked horrible; they were aggressive and went out and traded for Joe Flacco. He played well for them, but was only able to win one of six starts this season because of their defense.

The Bengals averaged 27.1 points per game with Flacco under center, but their defense allowed an average of 33.3 points during that span. Now, they have next to no chance at making the playoffs, even though Burrow could be back as soon as next week.

It’s been a disaster season for Cincinnati, and it will be very interesting to see if they make any big changes this offseason. I imagine fans are tired of Zac Taylor, so it’ll be interesting to see if ownership feels the same.

Bonus: Jameis Winston Play of the Year?

As a bonus “takeaway,” Jameis Winston might’ve just had the play of the year, catching a pass from Gunnar Olszewski and breaking a tackle for a 34-yard receiving touchdown.

How can you not love Jameis Winston? The player didn’t just keep the Giants competitive against Detroit; he delivered two wild, creative plays that completely flipped the energy of the game.

First, the team opened with a bit of trickery as Winston caught a throwback pass and launched a 39-yard touchdown to Wan’Dale Robinson. Later, with the game tight in the fourth quarter, Mike Kafka dialed up an even bolder call that let Winston put his athleticism on display.

He got the ball back from Gunner Olszewski, shook off a defender with a juke and a stiff-arm, and somehow stayed upright long enough to stroll into the end zone for a 33-yard score. It was the kind of moment that fires up an entire sideline, especially for a team many expected to get blown out. Instead, Winston helped New York grab a lead, spark real momentum, and remind everyone that even in a tough season, they can still throw punches.