NFL Week 12 is in the books and the playoff picture is starting to become clearer in both the NFC and the AFC. The Dime Package returns with 10 thoughts.
After Thanksgiving Day kicked off NFL Week 12 with two great games and one that featured Scott Tolzien, we should have expected another crazy Sunday around the league. After all, the playoff race is starting to heat up and this week could prove huge moving forward.
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There was everything that you could ask for throughout Sunday. Close finishes, monster catches, disappointing showings, and anything else you can think of all went down somewhere around the league. But what do we make of it all now moving forward?
The Dime Package returns for NFL Week 12, offering 10 thoughts on Sunday’s games.
1. The Cincinnati Bengals are done. They can’t score points without A.J Green and Gio Bernard in the line up. Not only that, but at 3-7-1, they are essentially four games back of the sixth seed Dolphins in the AFC. It’s over in the Queen City.
2. Add the Arizona Cardinals to the list of teams that are toast, too. Arizona’s defense has betrayed them as evident by yesterday’s performance. That’s not their only problem however. Carson Palmer looks old and the Cardinals offense doesn’t have the ability to consistently drive the ball. It’s been their one bugaboo.
3. The Atlanta Falcons once again looked like a legit contender yesterday in 38-19 win over the Cardinals, but I’m not taking the bait. They need to prove they can win away from home.
4. Call me crazy, but I think Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota is playing at an MVP level. He won’t get any consideration unless the Titans make the playoffs and make a run, but he should.
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5. This New Orleans Saints team looks like a playoff contenders at home and like a non playoff team on the road. It’s fool’s gold folks. They are not as good as they looked yesterday against the Los Angeles Rams and they are certainly not a playoff team.
6. The Houston Texans don’t deserve to make the playoffs. If I were owner Bob McNair, I would be ripped that I gave Brock Osweiler $72 million dollars. He threw three interceptions against the Chargers yesterday! To put it mildly. he stinks!
7. For the second straight week, the New England Patriots got off to a slow start ,but Tom Brady willed them to victory. It’s not exactly a formula for long term success.
8. Are the surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers for real? No, but it’s nice to see them making progress. I still think they are a year away from being a legit playoff contender.
9. The Bucs 14-5 win over the Seahawks was a big win for Tampa and an embarrassing loss for Seattle. Spare me the baloney that Seattle can go to Dallas in January and beat the Cowboys in the playoffs. It’s not going to happen! Seattle is overrated.
10. Give the Kansas City Chiefs a lot of credit. A week after they choked at home against Tampa, they bounced back in a big way last night on the road in Denver.