NFL Week 12 Review: Three into two won’t go

With just five weeks left, life – as always – is very interesting in the NFL, but especially in the NFC.

By Sean Nolan

The AFC looks pretty set with the Jets and the Patriots pulling away from the rest in East while Baltimore and Pittsburgh will top the North. The runners-up will claim the wild-card slots unless something crazy happens. All four of these teams won this week, though the Steelers were very lucky to beat the Bills in OT.

In the South it should be Indy, but Peyton is struggling to keep the battered Colts on the road and they took a beating from Philip Rivers and the Chargers 36-14 on Sunday night, leaving them 6-5 and tied with the Jags who lost a tight one to the other Manning in New York. Thanks bro.

Those red-hot Chargers look a good bet to beat the Chiefs to the top slot in the West, but Kansas has a benign schedule the rest of the way so the winner of the Chiefs-Chargers game in San Diego on 12 December should decide the division.

Battle Royale in the NFC

But in the NFC, supposedly the weaker half of the league, it is turning into a battle royale. Ten teams still have a legitimate shot at post-season play but four grand old sides are battling for perhaps just three places.

First up are the Giants. One of the worst teams in the league after a 1-2 start, they became the best team in the entire NFL after winning five on the bounce. Both assessments were overblown and now, at 7-4, they are tied with the Eagles at the top of the North. Eli Manning (pictured above) secured a 24-20 win for his team over Jacksonville but it was not convincing and it took a late piece of brilliance by Manning Jnr. to Kevin Boss to win it.

The Eagles were well handled by the Bears on Sunday, despite the final score of 31-26 and looking at their respective schedules, you have to fancy the Eagles to win out, especially if they can take down the Giants at the Meadowlands on 19 December. The Bears defence shut Michael Vick down and Tom Coughlin will already be scheming for the Christmas week showdown with Andy Reid. The Giants have the top-ranked D in the NFL but there is something special lurking around this Eagles team. America loves second-acts and Vick in a Super Bowl is so perfect it just seems destiny.

Wild Card

The loser of that game will probably be looking to secure one of the two wild-card slots but a number of other teams have their eyes on that prize. It will take at least 10 wins to claim one of those tickets to the post-season and in the North, both Chicago and Green Bay should hit that number.

Chicago may be finally proving their many critics wrong. Excellent for most of the game against the Eagles, they now lead the division but their tough run in could leave them with just the ten wins, making things very tight for them. Green Bay lost a thriller 17-20 to the Falcons this week but they are also on track to win ten or more. But only one can seal the top spot.

The problem for the runners up in each division, let’s say the Giants and Bears, is the Saints. The Falcons lead the South now, 9-2 and are the latest in a long line of teams to inherit the mantle of the best team in the NFL. They have the best record in the NFC, are unbeaten at home and a 14-2 season is very attainable.

The Saints are coming

So where does that leave the world champion Saints? In a spot best described as tricky. They were very lucky to beat Dallas on Thanksgiving. They raced into a 17-0 first-quarter lead before handing the initiative to the Cowboys and but for Roy Williams having the ball stripped after a potentially game-sealing run, the Saints could be out of the play-off picture. But Drew Brees manufactured a winning TD with less than two minutes to play and the Saints are still just about on track to retain their crown at 8-2.

They should get to ten wins in the next fortnight when they play the Bengals and the Rams. After that they play the Ravens and Falcons before the Bucs on the final day. A win at home against the Bucs should see them safely into more games and push out one of the Giants and the Bears.

The AFC might have more quality but for the next five weeks, almost every game in the NFC has play-off implications. And no matter what happens, there is not enough room for everybody.

PS: A short Hockey-style fight in the game between the Texans and the Titans.

PPS: A special shout-out to the referee in the Bucs-Baltimore game. Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib was unhappy with a call that led to a Ravens TD near the end of the first half, and he shouted at the nearest zebra “You made a pussy call.” To which the official replied: “You played like a pussy.” Talib then threatened to knock him out before other players intervened. For the snappy, if inelegant, comeback, he wins the play of the week award.

Week 12 Scores

New England 45 Detroit 24

New Orleans 30 Dallas 27

NY Jets 26 Cincinnati 10

NY Giants 24 Jacksonville 20

Minnesota 17 Washington 13

Houston 20 Tennessee 0

Cleveland 24 Carolina 23

Pittsburgh 19 Buffalo 16 (OT)

Atlanta 20 Green Bay 17

Miami 33 Oakland 17

Kansas City 42 Seattle 24

Baltimore 17 Tampa Bay 10

Chicago 31 Philadelphia 26

St. Louis 36 Denver 33

San Diego 36 Indianapolis 14

San Francisco 27 Arizona 6