NFL Week 12 Preview: An AFC South matchup with huge playoff implications

11/21/2019

texans deshaun watson — (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Previewing Week 12 in the NFL, which includes a huge AFC South matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans on Thursday night.

The playoff race is beginning to heat up, as we only have about 1.5 months left of regular season football. That’s right, Week 12 in the NFL has arrived, and it contains three phenomenal matchups in the primetime slots.

Thursday night will consist of the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, who’ll be scratching and clawing down the stretch for the AFC South title. On Sunday night, we’ll see the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers battle it out in the Bay Area and either team could finish with the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Then, on Monday night, we’ll see two of the best young quarterbacks go head-to-head as Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens take on Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams.

We’ll preview those matchups (along with some others) as well as recap what went down during Week 11.

Week 11 Final Scores // Prediction Results

Pittsburgh Steelers 7 at Cleveland Browns 21 // Incorrect
Houston Texans 7 at Baltimore Ravens 41 // Correct
Atlanta Falcons 29 at Carolina Panthers 3 // Incorrect
Dallas Cowboys 35 at Detroit Lions 27 // Incorrect
Jacksonville Jaguars 13 at Indianapolis Colts 33 // Correct
Buffalo Bills 37 at Miami Dolphins 20 // Correct
Denver Broncos 23 at Minnesota Vikings 27 // Correct
NO Saints 34 at TB Buccaneers 17 // Correct
NY Jets 34 at Washington Redskins 17 // Incorrect
Arizona Cardinals 26 at SF 49ers 36 // Correct
Cincinnati Bengals 10 at Oakland Raiders 17 // Correct
NE Patriots 17 at Philadelphia Eagles 10 // Correct
Chicago Bears 7 at LA Rams 17 // Correct
KC Chiefs 24 at LA Chargers 17 // Correct
Week 11 Results: 10-4
Overall Results: 105-57

Recap: What we saw during Week 11

On Thursday night, we saw a man commit an act that should ban him from the NFL forever. At the conclusion of the Steelers-Browns matchup in which Cleveland won 21-7, a brawl broke out where Myles Garrett took Mason Rudolph’s helmet off and smacked him in the head with it. Garrett is now suspended indefinitely, at least for the rest of the regular season and playoffs. It should be for the rest of his career, as he’s lucky Rudolph isn’t considering legal action.

Yes, Rudolph played a role in escalating the fight. He should also be suspended, but only for a game or two. But that doesn’t justify Garrett doing what he did.

We saw Baltimore continue to be as dominant as they’ve been, if not more. In a showdown between two great AFC ballclubs, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens were too much to handle for Deshaun Watson and the Texans. This was supposed to be the game of the week, at least in my opinion, and it ended up being a blowout. The Ravens won the game 41-7 behind 222 passing yards and four touchdown passes from Jackson. The second-year quarterback additionally racked up 86 yards on the ground on nine carries (9.6 yards-per-carry).

Are the Falcons finally coming together? Sure seems like it, as they’ve now won two straight games after starting 1-7 on the year. During Week 10, they sacked Saints quarterback Drew Brees six times in a 26-9 win. This time around, they sacked Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen five times and picked him off four times in a 29-3 victory. Matt Ryan threw for 311 yards and one score in the win.

Josh Allen showed once again how versatile he can be from the quarterback position. In the 37-20 win over Miami, the Bills quarterback threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 56 yards on seven carries (8.0 yards-per-carry) and one score on the ground. Buffalo has thus improved to 7-3 on the year.

What a comeback it was for Kirk Cousins and the Vikings. Down 20-0 at halftime to the Broncos, the veteran quarterback was able to put the pieces together to improve his ballclub to 8-3 on the year. Cousins threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, as wideout Stefon Diggs caught five balls for 121 yards and one score in the absence of Adam Thielen. Minnesota has now won six of its last seven games and sits in second place in the NFC North division.

The Patriots, without a doubt, had a chip on their shoulder heading into this matchup with the Eagles. The teams haven’t played since the Eagles ousted the Pats in Super Bowl 52 in February of 2018, and there was definitely some extra motivation for New England to come out and snag a victory. Thanks to the Patriots defense, that’s exactly what happened. New England emerged victorious by a score of 17-10, only allowing the Eagles to gain 255 total yards.

Is it time for the Bears to move off of Mitch Trubisky? At the end of the game on Sunday night, in which Chicago fell to the Rams 17-7, Trubisky was taken out near the end. The Bears cited an injury, but it could’ve been more than that. The 2017 No. 2 overall draft pick has had a rough third season in the pros, and this loss to the Rams was no different. He completed just 24 of his 43 throws for 190 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

Speaking of teams that should move off their quarterback at some point, the Chargers fell to the Chiefs on Monday night by a score of 24-17. This was due to Phillip Rivers’ poor performance. The 16th-year quarterback threw four interceptions in the loss, including one late in the game down by seven. Rivers’ play definitely looks like its aging, so time will only tell when the Chargers move on from the longtime quarterback.

Preview: What to watch for during Week 12 in the NFL

Indianapolis Colts (6-4) at Houston Texans (6-4) – Thurs, Nov. 21, 8:20 p.m. ET

This will be a huge game when you discuss the implications for a postseason that’s right around the corner. Both the Colts and Texans are 6-4, fielding young quarterbacks, one of which who could be on the rise and another who’s proven to be one of the league’s best.

Through nine games, Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett has thrown for 1,797 yards and 15 touchdowns to just four picks. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, on the other hand, has thrown for 2,601 yards for 18 touchdowns to six interceptions.

My prediction is that whoever wins this game will win the AFC South division. The Jaguars and Titans aren’t far behind these teams but probably won’t impress down the stretch. Indianapolis won the first meeting 30-23 back on Oct. 20. If they’re able to win this one as well, it would mean a lot when you consider tie-breakers for the division title.

Also, needless to say, an Indianapolis win would be great for momentum down the stretch as well. The same goes for the Texans. Look for both of these young quarterbacks to have dominant games, as this should be a phenomenal primetime matchup.

Seattle Seahawks (8-2) at Philadelphia Eagles (5-5) – Sunday, Nov. 24, 1 p.m. ET

I wouldn’t write the Eagles off in this game at all. Don’t let their .500 record tell the whole story for you. Philadelphia plays teams tough. They only lost to the Pats by one possession last week and handed the Packers their first loss earlier in the year. It’s still one of just two losses Green Bay has suffered this year.

And with the Eagles as the home team, expect the fans to come in at full strength at Lincoln Financial Field. This will be a huge game when you consider the Eagles’ position in the standings. Yes, they’re .500, but only one game behind the 6-4 Cowboys for the NFC East division lead. A huge win this weekend against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks could mean a whole lot for this organization.

Seattle, on the other hand, is just one game behind the 49ers for the NFC West division lead. Therefore, a win here could also be huge for them when you talk about their eventual placement in the standings. A victory over the Eagles paired with a San Francisco loss to the Packers would put the Seahawks in first place in their division.

Dallas Cowboys (6-4) at New England Patriots (9-1) – Sun, Nov. 24, 4:25 p.m. ET

This will be a matchup between two teams who are both in first place in their respective divisions. The Cowboys are in first place in the NFC East, but only by one game. As we said before, the 5-5 Eagles are just one game behind them in the standings. This would be Dallas’ first big win, as their only victories have come against teams that wouldn’t make the playoffs if the season ended right now. They have wins over the Giants (twice), Eagles, Redskins, Dolphins, and Lions.

The Cowboys need a win this weekend to prove they can be competitive with these playoff ballclubs. A loss paired with an Eagles win would give the two organizations the same 6-5 record, which would put the Cowboys that much closer to second place in the division.

New England is coming off a 17-10 win over the Eagles, but one that wasn’t really impressive on the offensive end. Quarterback Tom Brady didn’t look too sharp, as he completed 26 of his 47 throws for 216 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero picks. People have questioned if Brady is mortal this week, and we all know that’s something he doesn’t want to hear. Expect the six-time Super Bowl champ to come out and put up a huge fight with this Dallas secondary, who’s ranked seventh with 216.9 passing yards allowed-per-game.

Green Bay Packers (8-2) at San Francisco 49ers (9-1) – Sun, Nov. 24, 8:20 p.m. ET

Will this be foreshadowing a playoff matchup? The Packers and Niners are two of the top powerhouses in the NFC, with Green Bay sporting one of the best in the biz at Aaron Rodgers and San Francisco fielding one of the up-and-coming names at quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo.

Rodgers has completed 64.2% of his throws for 2,718 yards, 17 touchdowns, and only two picks. He and his team are coming out of the BYE week all rested up, as they’ve had two weeks to prepare for this San Francisco team.

Garoppolo, on the other hand, has completed 68.8% of his throws for 2,478 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 picks. However, it’s the Niners defense that’s been the most impressive aspect of this organization this year. They’re No. 2 in total defense (253.0 yards allowed-per-game) and No. 1 in pass defense (142.5 yards allowed-per-game).

It’ll be interesting to watch the battle between Rodgers and this elite defensive group for San Francisco. These two teams could end up as the top-two seeds in the NFC, so this very much could be an NFC Conference Championship matchup in January.

Baltimore Ravens (8-2) at LA Rams (6-4) – Mon, Nov. 25, 8:15 p.m. ET

Two of the league’s best young quarterbacks will be going head-to-head in this “Monday Night Football” matchup. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens will travel to Los Angeles to take on Jared Goff and the Rams, in what could end up being a high-scoring matchup.

The Ravens have solidified themselves as a Super Bowl contender. They’re still the only team to have ousted the Patriots, having dropped 37 points on them in a “Sunday Night Football” matchup in Week 9. Jackson has been outstanding in his second year, as he’s completed 66.3% of his throws for 2,258 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five picks. He’s also gained 788 yards on the ground for six touchdowns on 6.9 yards-per-carry.

Los Angeles, on the other hand, has actually been struggling as a team overall. They’re only 6-4 and will need a big win this coming Monday night at home if they wanna stay in the playoff race. Right now, they’re in third place in the NFC West, behind the 8-2 Seahawks and the 9-1 49ers.

Goff, who’s had a good start to his young career but hasn’t played his best football in 2019, has thrown 11 touchdowns and 10 picks through 10 games. He’ll really need to step up this weekend against this Ravens secondary, who ranks 18th in the league with 238.6 passing yards allowed-per-game.