2017-18 NFL (Week 12)

Games I watched (some of):
Vikings 30-23 Lions
The Vikings are a steady team, they don't make big mistakes, they don't rely on big plays, they stay within themselves play after play and end up on top more often than not. I know the Eagles are crushing and the Rams are pretty good at running up the score, but I think the Vikings are the sneaky good pick to come out of the NFC. The Lions are still hanging around but they just don't have the consistency, they look okay at times but not enough to think they'll beat out any of the NFC South squads.

Chargers 28-6 Cowboys
Man, the Cowboys made the Chargers look good. The Cowboys have too many injuries to keep pace right now, they are weak in the places they used to look strong and their game plan hasn't adjusted. I thought they overachieved last year and I think we're seeing the correction. The Chargers have been chucking the ball around pretty good all year long but now the D is starting to make plays and they're taking a clear step forward right as the Chiefs are struggling. I think the Chargers keep it going, think the Cowboys are not officially out of the race.

Giants 10-20 Redskins
I thought the Giants would cover that 7.5 point spread and they would have if not for late turnovers (and subsequent defense just good enough to make the Redskins kick a FG rather then just running out the clock). Man, the Giants can't even lose good! The Redskins have moments but if this is as good as they're gonna play then they're not really even that good.

Browns 16-30 Bengals
15,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age, ice from the North Pole stretched all the way down the Ohio River. This game made me root for more ice. Global warming, people! It leads to Ohio football! That said, the Bengals offense is getting better and finally reaching out the RB Joe Mixon could be the cornerstone of a mediocre-enough gameplan to get them crushed in the playoffs. Things are looking up!

Saints 20-26 Rams
I was intrigued by the defenses early on in this game, a lot of holding penalties that kept the offenses backpedaling. But the Rams eventually got the best of the depleted Saints D and were lucky enough to recover that onside kick and run out the clock (because the Saints seem to like waiting to the last minute to pull out victories). I like what I see in this Rams team: they play with a ruthlessness that is kinda refreshing in a team that has struggled for so long. With the Seahawks D falling apart, I'm finally convinced the Rams are gonna take the NFC West. But I'm still kinda lukewarm on the Saints. That offense has its moments and the defense is much improved this year, they've got a great QB, a solid coach and a nice influx of youth, but...that propensity to wait til the last minute is troubling. They don't control games, they hang around and it feels like they should be better than that so while they feel like they've got the right vibe, I'm not yet feeling it.

Packer 28-31 Steelers
I've been saying the whole time that Hundley is not bad, he just doesn't yet know what he's doing and he's trying to learn in the most desperate of circumstances (and we're realizing that the Packers without Rodgers are simply not very good). He finally had the game I thought he was capable of and they almost pulled it out. That said, the Steelers are the classic just-good-enough kinda team and even though their best is as good as anyone in the league, they hardly ever play their best, which gives even so-so squads like the Packers a shot at pulling out a victory. The Steelers did enough to win but the Packers gave 'em a scare and I think there's just enough time left for them to get something rolling. I'm not ready to give up on the Packers just yet and while I have to acknowledge the Steelers are in the top two in the AFC, I think there's a widening gap between 1 and 2.


Other results (surprising):
Bills 16-10 Chiefs
The Bills D has been getting smacked around lately (although can we really blame them for the Chargers game when their QB throws 5 interceptions? They never had a chance!) and making puzzling moves on the offense lately made it feel like the Bills were heading in the wrong direction. Fortunately for them, the Chiefs are even more heading in the wrong direction! Can't remember a team that looked so offensively dominant for 6 weeks and then so fucking horrible for 6 weeks, but that offense just does not move the ball any more. Thought the Buffalo D would be an opportunity for them to turn it around but, uh, nope, turned it was Buffalo's opportunity. The Bills have re-emerged in the playoff picture (two games left against New England isn't gonna help) while the Chiefs are suddenly at fingernail depth on their post-season chances.

Texans 16-23 Ravens
Whatever happened in this game was going to be a surprise because I don't even know who the Texans are any more after all their injuries and the Ravens are such a Jekyll and Hyde squad, I had no idea whether they'd look good tonight or not. The Ravens jumped back ahead of the Bills in Wild Card race, can't see them catching the Steelers and they may struggle to stay ahead of the Bengals. We'll see.


Other results (not so surprising):
Titans 20-16 Colts
The Titans, like the Steelers, do just enough to win, which is fine when you're playing the Colts but I don't think that bodes well for them in the post-season. The Colts suck and even when they don't suck, they still tend to find ways to give games away.

Bears 3-31 Eagles
The Bears suck. The offense has some upside and I still like the D line, a coaching change will serve them well next year. The Eagles are legit good on both sides of the ball. Wentz is probably the most improved player in the league (neck and neck with Jared Goff, right?), the D is one of the best in the league and the rest of the skill positions are falling into place. The Eagles are looking like #1 in the NFC.

Panthers 35-27 Jets
Ugh! What a terrible game! I caught the end of this where the Jets were trying as hard as they could to give them game away and the Panthers only half-heartedly took it. The Panthers are winning but I can't for the life of me figure out how, the rest of their schedule is a buzzsaw and I think they're about to get sliced. The Jets are actually not as awful as I thought they'd be. I mean...that's something, right?

Dolphins 17-35 Patriots
Tom Brady gets beat up more this year than I remembered in the past--and that's considering that he moves better than he used to. The Dolphins D (re: Suh) has nothing better to do than snap him in half, which is really the only thing that could trip up the Pats right now. The Dolphins are another one of those teams that really aren't that bad when they're not going out of their way to be bad, is bringing back Tannehill the golden ticket for them?

Bucs 20-34 Falcons
The Falcons offense is better than its been, they've got good momentum heading into a lot of extremely meaningful division games, but they're not as good as last year, not all the ills are healed. I think they get past the Panthers and Seahawks, though. We'll see. The Bucs suck, they have moments of quality football but they never look like they're going to win.

Seahawks 24-13 Niners
The Niners had to bring in Garropolo but you could tell they didn't really want to. They've pretty much announced they're going franchise tag him next year, so he'll get a big paycheck while the team decides if he really is the guy for the future (I suspect he is), but for now there's no reason to interrupt that bid for a top 5 draft pick to go with their shiny new QB. I don't blame them. They suck anyway, why bother to try to win now? As for the Seahawks, that defense is steadily crumbling and they still haven't figured out the offensive line. Its all on Russell Wilson (if they make the playoffs he needs some serious MVP discussion) and with the Falcons playing well (and the Packers figuring it out?), its gonna be tough for them to salvage this season.

Jags 24-27 Cards
Strangely similar teams: good defenses, shaky QBs, offenses that rely on the running game. Neither team is very good nor really bad. The Jags should probably make the playoffs (but will undoubtedly get smoked badly right away) while the Cards have no shot at anything good any time soon.

Broncos 14-21 Raiders
One of these teams is falling apart while the other is suddenly back in the playoff race, but this game is not much of an indicator of which is which.


Won (covered): Vikings, Chargers, Redskins, Falcons, Bengals, Titans, Bills, Pats, Panthers, Eagles, Seahawks, Raiders, Rams, Cards
Won (didn't cover): Steelers, Ravens
Lost (covered): Packers, Texans
Lost (didn't cover): Lions, cowboys, Giants, Bucs, Browns, Colts, Chiefs, Dolphins, Jets, Bears, Niners, Broncos, Saints, Jags