Another week of NFL action is almost in the books. And Week 12 certainly brought its fair share of drama. The Packers stunned the Lions to spoil Detroit’s Thanksgiving. Then during Sunday’s slate, the Patriots changed quarterbacks yet again, the Falcons took the NFC South lead and the Giants won their second straight with rookie Tommy DeVito under center.
Which coaches, players and teams deserve the most praise (or criticism) after the weekend? Here are big winners and losers:
The Broncos were once 1-5, and Payton inexplicably appeared on track to outdo even Nathaniel Hackett as leader of a hapless Denver program. Now they’re 6-5, squarely in the AFC playoff race, after cruising past the Browns on Sunday. Payton’s now overseen three straight games of clutch fourth-quarter TDs from Russell Wilson, and his resurgent defense held Cleveland to 12 points. The team may or may not have the magic to make a difference in January, but the turnaround is commendable nonetheless.
For a while on Sunday, his Bills looked poised to put the Eagles down handily, which would’ve been a huge accomplishment for a team looking to fully restore its playoff stride. But then McDermott’s defense allowed Jalen Hurts to revert to MVP form in the second half, and his decision to “ice” Eagles kicker Jake Elliott, then forfeit a potential 20-second offensive drive, at the end of regulation backfired. In overtime, his “D” once again crumbled, permitting Philly to log another close, clutch victory.
Winner: Matthew Stafford
For weeks, Stafford has been fighting just to survive behind the Rams’ shuffling O-line. On Sunday, he got Kyren Williams back in the lineup, and Los Angeles’ ground game exploded all the way back. He slung it pretty well himself, too, tossing four scores and spreading the ball all over Jonathan Gannon’s defense to lead a rout of the Cardinals. Just like that, Sean McVay’s scrappy contender can’t be counted out as a legit factor in the NFC playoff picture.
Loser: Kevin Stefanski
Beating the resurgent Broncos wasn’t going to be a cakewalk with Dorian Thompson-Robinson, making just his third career start at QB, but Stefanski didn’t help his own cause with some curious play-calling late against Denver. Even worse, the fill-in QB was forced to exit late with a head injury, meaning Cleveland’s short- and long-term playoff prospects could hinge on an eventual practice squad call-up of Joe Flacco, who just joined the team. That is unless Stefanski rides with P.J. Walker yet again.
