2019-20 NFL (Week 12)

Games I saw (some of):
Steelers 16-10 Bengals
In the 3rd quarter the Steelers benched 2nd string QB Mason Rudolph for 3rd string QB Devlin Hodges; Hodges had one perfect pass that went for a long TD and that was pretty much the game. Make no mistake outside of one play, Hodges was no better (or different, really) from Rudolph but he gets the W. The Bengals, on the other hand, are still playing their 2nd string QB (uh....I can't remember the dude's name) because they benched Andy Dalton weeks ago, though while watching this game seemed to me it was great time to bring Dalton back to spark the team to a W. Turns out the Bengals don't really wanna win, so they fumbled away a perfectly winnable game against their dreaded rivals. (News: Dalton's gonna start next week....why? What's the point of bringing him back now? *smh*) The Steelers have a good pass rush, solid LB's and a good secondary, which might be good enough to steal some W's (especially as the weather turns wintery) even though that offense is pretty bad right now. The Bengals are playing for the #1 pick and since I live in Bengals TV territory, I'd very much prefer they just forfeited the upcoming games so I could watch something else!

Seahawks 17-9 Eagles
The Seahawks scored their two TD's on a long pass play and a breakaway run, otherwise their offense didn't really do much. And even though the Eagles never seemed in this game, it was still winnable late. The Eagles ought to be better, I don't understand why they've struggled but their schedule gets easier so wouldn't be surprised to see them get hot late. The Seahawks are a smart team and they're gonna be a tough out for anyone come playoff time.

Cowboys 9-13 Patriots
4th down late inside the Pats' 10 yard line, down by 7, the Cowboys go for a FG...why? What good is a FG in that situation? Getting stopped and pinning the Pats down on their own goal line is not a terrible outcome there. You know, the Pats didn't exactly blow the Cowboys out. Take out the blocked punt and another Cowboy turnover that led to an FG and the Pats...uh...didn't hardly do anything in this match.  Yeah, I'm officially on the Garret's-gotta-go bandwagon. I typically don't fancy myself an expert on football coaching but there was a chance for the Cowboys to win this game and the coach kept them from doing that and that is unforgivable. The Pats have a really good D and Brady is still capable but that offense is not classic, I can see them getting smoked in the playoffs.

Packers 8-37 Niners
Wow. I'm in on the Niners now. The Niners casually piled up points but right before halftime they stole an extra TD and an extra FG and you could tell right then that the Packers got snookered and the Niners were the better and smarter team. Rodgers tried to get it going in the 2nd half but the Niners came right back with a long TD (beautiful roll out by Garoppolo and the perfect placement on the pass) and, man, it was over. Packers mailed in the rest of the game. The Niners are good, man, they're looking at a bye in the playoffs; Packers are solid, I expect them to be there and to be dangerous in the post-season.


Games I didn't see (surprised by result):
Bucs 35-22 Falcons
Just when the Falcons started to look like the team they should've been all year long, they get rolled at home by a so-so division opponent led by Jameis Winston. WTF? The Bucs are kinda fun, they throw the ball around with abandon but they're not built to win games and their off-season revolves around what to do at QB. 

Raiders 3-34 Jets
The Raiders were getting going, felt like the Jets were gonna be easy pickins'...uh, not so much. The Jets have been ballin' out lately, feels like they finally got a little bit offense. Going West to East is tough and the Raiders just weren't up for NYJ giving them a game.


Games I didn't see (not a surprise):
Colts 17-20 Texans
Yeah, these teams do this to each other twice a year.

Broncos 3-20 Bills
The Bills D is possibly overrated but they're good enough to stuff a below average offense (also going West to East). It wasn't that long ago that the Broncos pass rush was the most fearsome in the league, what happened to that?

Giants 14-19 Bears
The Giants are terrible, the Bears aren't great but they're good enough to beat a team like this.

Dolphins 24-41 Browns
Browns busted out, good for them.

Panthers 31-34 Saints
Closer than it should've been, Panthers special teams kinda blew this game.

Lions 16-19 Redskins
Two bad teams, fortunately there was only one bad game.

Jags 20-42 Titans
Yeah, sure.

Ravens 45-6 Rams
I think the Ravens are the best team in the league right now. Lamar Jackson is shaping up to be the superstar he was hoped to be, the D is locked in, this a team that knows who they are and how to do what they need to do. The danger is that they're peaking too early, but they're really ballin' right now. Man, remember when the Rams were in the Super Bowl and everyone was salivating over their genius coach? Oh yeah, that was a year ago. What the hell happened to them?