The Week 12 NFL afternoon slate appeared relatively tepid at first glance, but several key games took place. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals battled for position in the AFC North. The Atlanta Falcons re-took first place in the NFC South with a win over the New Orleans Saints. And, in the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars cushioned their division lead with a win over C.J. Stroud's Houston Texans.
Of course, we here at FanSided strive for balance. For all the positivity to be gleaned from the Week 12 NFL games, there is also negativity... winners, and losers.
So, as we enter the home stretch of the NFL regular season, here are the standouts (for better and for worse) from a busy week of football.
NFL Week 12 winner: Steelers offense
The Steelers' offense registered 421 yards on Sunday. The Bengals' offense registered 222 yards. For the first time all season, the Steelers outgained an opponent. And, for the first time since Matt Canada was hired in 2021, the Steelers' offense broke the 400-yard threshold.
A truly momentous afternoon in the aftermath of Canada's long-awaited departure.
Kenny Pickett put together one of his best games of the season, completing 24-of-33 passes for 278 yards. He was especially in tune with Pat Freiermuth, who vacuumed up nine of 11 targets for 120 yards — a connection the new offensive play-callers should continue to tap into.
Jaylen Warren was curiously out-carried by Najee Harris, 15 to 13, but the latter put together a tremendous 99-yard, one-touchdown performance. So, it's hard to complain.
The Steelers scored points, moved the ball in a variety of ways, and won the football game to advance to 7-4. Things are looking up in the City of Bridges.
NFL Week 12 loser: Panthers owner David Tepper
The Carolina Panthers fell to 1-10 with their loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. After the game, team owner David Tepper was overheard delivering some choice vocabulary outside the locker room.
We can't know for sure why Tepper decided to utter such a word, but it could have something to do with the Panthers' league-worst record. Or the fact that Carolina doesn't own its pick, despite its league-worst record. Or the fact that Carolina doesn't own its pick because it traded up for Bryce Young, who appears to be — at best — the third-best QB selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Young completed 18-of-31 passes for 194 yards and zero touchdowns on Sunday. He continues to hug the line of scrimmage with his pass attempts. It was a quiet Adam Thielen game, but that didn't result in a breakthrough for any of Carolina's young wideouts. It's not difficult to judge why Tepper is upset.
NFL Week 12 winner: Desmond Ridder
Desmond Ridder resumed control of the Falcons offense in Week 12 and delivered a victory, 24-15 over the Saints to reclaim first place in the wayward NFC South. It was a huge game for the Falcons. Ridder appears locked as QB1 the rest of the way, even if his performance on Sunday didn't inspire much confidence on its own (13-of-21 passes completed for 168 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions).
Instead, Ridder was helped along by the wealth of offensive talent around him. The Falcons are reliant on the run, but Sunday featured an especially strong performance from Arthur Smith's RB collective. Bijan Robinson went for 122 yards from scrimmage and scored twice. He, Tyler Allegeier, and Cordarrelle Patterson all eclipsed 40 yards rushing and averaged at least 5.4 yards per touch.
Drake London corralled five of seven targets for 91 yards, averaging 18.2 per catch with a long gain of 29. He looked the part of a true WR1, which the Falcons need more of.
It's hard to express much genuine confidence in this Falcons team long term, but for now, they're in first place.
NFL Week 12 loser: Mac Jones (and Bailey Zappe)
The Patriots' QB conundrum hit a new low point Sunday afternoon. Mac Jones was benched at halftime of a 10-7 loss to Tommy DeVito and the Giants. He finished the game completing 12-of-21 passes for 89 yards and two interceptions. His poor throwing even contributed to a sideline blowup between JuJu Smith-Schuster and the Pats' WR coach.
Bailey Zappe took over at halftime, and aside from a promising first drive, wasn't much better. He completed 9-of-14 passes for 54 yards and another interception. He averaged 3.9 yards per attempt, compared to 4.2 for Jones. The coaches don't trust the QBs, and the QBs don't trust themselves enough to push the ball downfield.
It's hard to watch the Patriots and find any legitimate silver lining. Rhamondre Stevenson had a strong game, but his season as a whole deserves scrutiny — much like the rest of his teammates.
NFL Week 12 winner: Jordan Love
Just when it felt like the Green Bay Packers were left for dead, Jordan Love turned in the best performance of his young career in the Packers' 29-22 Thanksgiving victory over the first-place Detroit Lions. He completed 22-of-32 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, with another 39 yards added on the ground. Love out-dueled Jared Goff start to finish. Seldom has there been such room for optimism about the Packers this season.
Christian Watson has been a lightning rod for criticism, but he reeled in five of seven targets for 94 yards and a score. After dealing with injuries early in the season, maybe he's back to full strength and finally building on his impressive rookie season. The Packers would certainly love for Watson to assume the WR1 mantle as originally planned.
Rookies Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft also found pay dirt. Green Bay is within striking distance of a wild card berth at 5-6, but more importantly, the Packers' young talent needs to continue showing growth. If Love carries this momentum into the final weeks of the season, he could earn another year of commitment from the Packers' front office.
NFL Week 12 loser: Matt Ammendola
The Texans were on the wrong side of the 24-21 scoreboard Sunday afternoon, as the Jaguars extended their lead in the division. It was another brilliant performance from Rookie of the Year shoo-in C.J. Stroud. He completed 26-of-36 passes for 304 yards and two touchdowns, while also leading Houston in carries (six) and rushing yards (47) and adding another score on the ground.
Alas, the Texans couldn't pull it out late. Not because the offense stalled or because the defense couldn't step up, however. Because the kicker, Matt Ammendola, couldn't clear the uprights.
The game ended with Ammendola doinking the football off the bottom upright on a 58-yard field goal attempt.
That's tough as is, but 58 yards is no chip shot. The only problem is, Ammendola also missed a field goal attempt earlier in the game, finishing 0-for-2. In a three-point loss, that's hard to stomach.
NFL Week 12 winner: Dak Prescott
The Dallas Cowboys stomped the Washington Commanders, 45-10, on Thanksgiving. Dallas continues to hover near the top of the NFC East standings, still within striking distance of the first-place Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys have lost a couple inexplicable games this season, but on the flip side, few teams have put together such a comprehensive and thorough victory.
Dak Prescott is the head of the snake, of course. He has looked much more comfortable in 2023 compared to last season. In Thursday's game, he completed 22-of-32 passes for 331 yards and four touchdowns, connecting with 10 different receivers. Four different receivers — CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, KaVontae Turpin, and Rico Dowdle — found the end zone.
At full strength, the Cowboys' offense can overpower just about anybody. The Commanders fired Jack Del Rio as defensive coordinator shortly after the game. It's easy to write off the Cowboys as contenders given their spotty postseason track record, but that may be unwise.