Also read: State of forces
Another week filled with surprises in the NFL and increasingly clear portraits. We even have teams (the Giants not to name them) who have openly abandoned the season and are undoubtedly looking at the next draft table with greedy eyes.
With December upon us, we’re going to focus on playoff aspirations in our lessons this week, because the races are particularly exciting and no teams are off during the American Thanksgiving weekend.
So here are some notes after the Week 12 games.
The Chiefs worry
On paper, the two-time Super Bowl champions have only one defeat since the start of the campaign and, despite a scare, Patrick Mahomes lifted his team to slow down the Carolina Panthers.
Except my concern lies here: can Kansas City afford to breathe life into a team already eliminated at this point in the season?
We could say that Kansas City is saving its energies for the playoffs, but taking the wrong step of slowing down against a lesser team is something that can play tricks.
The Chiefs are still winning, for now, and the Raiders’ visit on Friday won’t ring any alarm bells in the organization’s headquarters. But we must avoid pitfalls and complacency. The Bills aren’t far behind in the standings and in playoff football, they’re going to have to do more than find ways to win at the last minute.
Saquon and its nest
You’ve seen the highlights and headlines: Saquon Barkley played the best game of his career Sunday night against the Rams.
More than 300 yards in total (a very select club in NFL history), domination on the ground and a one-sided game for Philadelphia (37 to 20).
We are talking here about seven consecutive victories for the Eagles behind the performances of Barkley who seems free from the burdens he carried around during the last seasons with the Giants.
A dangerous weapon in the team’s system, an exceptional complement to Jalen Hurts, Barkley will be in the running for Offensive Player of the Year and perhaps even receive some MVP votes ( MVP).
But, are we heading towards playoff success?
The Eagles defense adjusted against Matthew Stafford after a rough start and it’s this unit that will be one to watch against the Ravens next Sunday. The match could, ultimately, become a preview of the next Super Bowl.
If Barkley shaves Derrick Henry, his counterpart also in his first season with his new team in Baltimore, we will be talking about a pivotal match during the campaign.
The Super Bowl LVII finalists could return to the grand finale even without Jason Kelce. This is something to watch out for.
Jordan Love finds his bearings
We mainly talk about Jordan Love in Green Bay, with good reason, but the victory this weekend also falls into the hands of Josh Jacobs, the defector from the Raiders who is approaching 1,000 rushing yards in his first season in Wisconsin.
In a convincing 38-10 victory, the Packers’ ground game led by Jacobs stole the show.
But, we must also talk about Love’s calm and leadership at the helm of the attack.
For the first time all season, Love didn’t throw an interception and the Packers’ balanced attack took its toll. Even his receivers could have given him a little help on long dropped passes.
Two touchdowns and 163 yards is the sign of an efficient operation. A match in control from start to finish.
With the Lions alone at the top, the Packers can’t afford to be shaky in the division and Love’s turnovers have been a concern in Green Bay since the start of the season.
We’re hosting the Dolphins on Thursday night for the Thanksgiving game. A big challenge.
CJ Stroud is missing
With an incredible campaign last year in his NFL debut, CJ Stroud was expected to lead the Texans to the promised land, or at least, into the conversation for determining the best team in the NFL.
And it was off to a good start at the start of the season with five wins in the first six games, including a big win against the Buffalo Bills. Except that since then, things have gone less smoothly.
2-4 in the last six games and a record of 7-5 since the start of the campaign. The division is won, or almost, even with the gift given to the Titans this weekend.
The problem with Stroud’s progression is that now opposing defenses are giving him veteran coverage and not those associated with a rookie. His readings, in more pressing situations, are less good even if on paper his attack is better than last season.
This is what is currently worrying in Houston. A team that could enter the playoffs backwards and become the target of a qualified team with high aspirations even without having won a division title. We’re not talking about panic in Houston, but let’s say that Stroud will have to move to the next level if the team really wants to make waves.
Plus, when compared to Bryce Young over the past three games, the first pick in last year’s draft offers better football than the Texans sensation. Something unthinkable at this time last year.
In bulk
The Cowboys won a game, but don’t give too much weight to the final score. It was strange against the Commanders and a late punt could have sent it to overtime instead of Dallas appearing to dominate. We cross out the match and move on to the next one. For the Cowboys, it’s good news, we meet the anemic Giants Thursday evening to kick off Week 13.
The Bears, after a heartbreaking blocked field goal loss to the Packers last week, covered the first short kick of the season against the Vikings to give themselves a chance to send the game into overtime. But another defeat awaited Chicago on the detour. Fate befalls the Bears. We can forget about the playoffs, but there are good lessons to be learned from all that.
With that, I wish you a great week of football on our airwaves with the Thanksgiving games on Thursday, and also a game on Friday to stretch the fun.
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