Week 12: A time to show your greatfulness

Dude…

Thanksgiving games commenced and we had some of the best games we’ve had all year go down on Sunday while we also had a few of the worst games go down as well. There are still a lot of teams with chances at the playoffs, especially for the NFC South crown, while it seems that some teams are at the beginning of the end of their season. Follow below as we give off our opinions on the games you may have watched over the holiday weekend (and we’ll be sure to put in more effort than Jack Harlow’s halftime performance).

Packers vs. Lions (How6rd)

Packers: The Jordan Love hype train is in full stride once again- It was a bumpy ride for Packers fans and Jordan Love believers after the first few weeks of hope were followed by a rough four-game stretch. Fortunately, since week 9 the Cheeseheads’ quarterback has looked solid once again and had his career-best game on Thanksgiving out of all days to put down the division-leading Detroit Lions. The third-year QB completed nearly 70% of his passes with three passing touchdowns and a huge 37-yard run towards the end of the game that basically iced it for Green Bay in a huge division game. The Packers are not only confident in going with Jordan Love for at least another year after this one, but they also are in a good position now to pursue the playoffs at 5-6 after what once looked like a season fans wanted to forget.

Lions: The damn Waxing Gibbous- The fact that the Lions haven’t won 13 games when the moon is a Waxing Gibbous on Thanksgiving has to be one of the funniest stats ever even with how successful they’ve been this season. In all seriousness though this was probably the second most disappointing outing for Detriot behind the Ravens game as they had an absolute dumpster fire of a first half of football besides the first offensive drive. From how well Goff was doing just a few weeks ago he has fallen off a cliff in the last two weeks with poor throws and turnovers resulting in touchdowns putting the team in huge danger. Now, most of these turnovers and bad throws this week really resulted from the awful protection Goff was getting as being under pressure nearly all game definitely shouldn’t be put onto the quarterback. The defense for the Lions was pretty lackluster as well as Jordan Love had a much easier time handling the unit than he did in week 4, as he threw for three touchdown passes with all of them looking effortless and even though the Packers only scored nine points in the second half the damage was already done. Once the failed fake punt happened in the second half from their own 23-yard line this game was pretty much wrapped up and there are many adjustments and lessons needed to be learned from this one going forward.

Commanders vs. Cowboys (PC)

Dak is good and the Commanders suck. I am one of the biggest haters of the Cowboys and I don’t want to write about how good they are when they just fumble in the playoffs. Once they prove they can make it out of the first round, I will amend my dislike for the Cowboys and do an actual takeaway. Until then, I’m not doing it.

49ers vs. Seahawks(PC)

49ers Takeaway: Are they better than the Eagles?- The 49ers had a weird slip in the middle of the season, but that slide seems to be over. They played in the final game of turkey day and absolutely bent over the Seahawks and destroyed them. Christian McCaffery was shredding the Seahawks defense in the first half and gave them a commanding lead going into halftime. They cruised in the second half to win 31-13 over the Seahawks. The boys from San Fran are just an all around nightmare. They have an elite running back in Christian McCaffrey. They have a speedster in Deebo Samuel and a deep ball threat in Aiyuk. Their QB seems to be settling in again and diming out delights to open wide receivers. Their third option is an all pro TE in George Kittle. They have pass rushing, lock down corners, duel threat linebackers, and head hunting safeties  all over this defense. Their biggest threat in the NFC is the Eagles that we mentioned earlier. They have a big game against each other next week. So, grab your popcorn, grab a beer, and sit down in your favorite recliner because this will be a game you don’t want to miss.

Seahawks Takeaway: Time to move on from Geno- Geno reminds me a lot of Alex Smith for the Chiefs before they got Patrick Mahomes. He’s good enough for you to make the playoffs, but can’t get you over that first round hump. Geno demonstrated all of his flaws in the Thursday game. He just looked off from the very first snap. With weapons such as Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, you should be consistent in their passing game. They’re about as consistent as my cheating ex girlfriend. It also didn’t help that their lead back was out with an injury and Zach Charbonnet couldn’t get anything going. This team will most likely make the playoffs, but if I’m the GM in Seattle, I’m looking for a QB that can be nurtured under Geno and become the next Patrick Mahomes.

Dolphins vs. Jets (PC)

Dolphins Takeaway: Oh great you beat another under .500 team- In the beginning of the year, the Dolphins seemed to be a team that could beat anyone. However, after some losses to Super Bowl contending teams, the hype train has stalled. The Jets haven’t been good this year and the Dolphins rolled another average team. Now the big question is the same, can they beat a contending team? Will their offense hold up this time? No one knows, but we do know they’re better than the Jets so I guess that works.

Jets Takeaway: At least you have some hope with Rodgers being able to throw  the football- This may be the only upside of this Jets season. They just haven’t been what everyone was hoping they would be. You can’t help that Aaron went down with an achilles tear (well, if you would change your turf this may not have happened). The Jets got steamrolled by the Dolphins high powered offense and the offense continued to demonstrate that things weren’t working. There’s not a lot to say about this team other than they’re just looking forward to the offseason to see if they can catch the lightning in a bottle of Aaron Rodgers next year.

Panthers vs. Titans (How6rd)

Panthers: It’s a shitshow in Carolina- This game was once again another trainwreck in typical Panthers fashion so instead I will recap what has happened and currently going on with this organization’s downfall. They traded one of their greatest receivers in franchise history DJ Moore AND their first-round pick in the next draft to get the number-one pick in Bryce Young, didn’t bring back Steve Wilks for head coach after an impressive end to the season from a terrible start with Matt Rhule, hired Frank Reich as their next coach who didn’t even last one full season with a team and their QB coach Josh McCown, and their owner admitted they wanted to trade for the SECOND PICK AND SHOULD’VE DRAFTED CJ STROUD. Like how incompetent of an owner do you have to be for all of that to go down in less than a year and on top of it be the worst team in the league after it all a year later? Bryce Young has no protection in the pocket and they drafted Jonathan Mingo who looked terrible against the Titans over Tank Dell and Josh Downs along with a mediocre receiving core at best around the rookie. I won’t fall on a sword saying we should take nothing away from some lackluster performances that Bryce Young has had but the rookie might be in the worst situation for a quarterback possible right now. There needs to be a HUGE change within the higher-ups and front office of this team in the offseason otherwise Young needs to get out of there as soon as he can if possible.

Titans: Derrick Henry still can go to work when the team is down- It hasn’t been the greatest season for the former number-one rusher in the league, but Derrick Henry showed on Sunday that the “washed” tags are premature and he still can lift this team when the offense is struggling. Will Levis made some big throws once again and he’s still impressing Titans fans enough to be happy, but this offense would’ve not done a whole lot if it wasn’t for Derrick Henry especially near the end zone. The defensive line had a dominant game otherwise against a lackluster offensive line from the Panthers as they did what was expected out of them and pressured Bryce Young all day. Denico Autry was probably the second-best player that came out on the field this whole game having a game-high two sacks and three tackles for loss outside of that constantly in the backfield. Nothing crazy for the home team that was easily expected to win this one and Tennessee possibly could pick up another win in the division next week with the Colts now having Jonathan Taylor unavailable for multiple weeks.

Steelers vs. Bengals(PC)

Steelers Takeaway: Canada may have been the Problem- So let me get this straight. The Steelers offense couldn’t get 400 yards in 5 games in a row during this season with Matt Canada, but the week after he’s fired you go for 421?? Huh, it’s not like we haven’t been saying that the whole time, but whatever. I get it, we’re not experts. The Steelers offense was clicking on every level as the Steelers beat a Joe Burrowles Bengals team. The defense continues to be a bright spot for this team and the offense is finding their momentum. The Steelers find themselves at 7-3 which is fighting for the top spot in the AFC North. Even if they can’t beat out the Ravens, they should be in the playoffs. Now, don’t expect them to do anything once they get there, but they may be finally heading in the right direction.

Bengals Takeaway: Yea, it’s over for the season- You never want to see a QB get hurt, let alone an elite one like Joe Burrow. This Cincy team is just completely different without him. They have no offense and can’t win games without scoring points. The defense gave up 400 yards and couldn’t seem to get a stop when they needed one they couldn’t get it. I have no idea what else to say to the jungle, only that they should look forward to next year for the Joe Shiesty redemption tour.

Jaguars vs. Texans (How6rd)

Jaguars: Offense looked arguably the best it has all season- After how this team played against the Texans in their first matchup and seeing how far the young and talented Houston squad has been doing since then, this felt like the most important game of the regular season going into this week and they surely answered the call. The key disappointment this season is that the Jaguars struggle to stay strong consistently throughout all four quarters and in some cases becomes their downfall, but Jacksonville scored in every quarter as even when they went down in the third they responded by scoring on the next drive along with a 2-point conversion. The big difference maker on the defensive side of the ball was arguably one of the best defensive players in the NFL this season in linebacker, not the quarterback, Josh Allen as he had 2.5 sacks and four total hits on the QB making CJ Stroud’s day very difficult. With the defense making occasional stops they did enough for the Jaguars to do their job and not need to score every single time they had the ball like most of the Texans’ opponents have had to do in order to win. As the duo of QB Trevor Lawrence and receiver Calvin Ridley looked stellar once again, Jacksonville gets a huge win having a comfortable lead at the top of the AFC South and get some breathing room over the up-and-coming Houston Texans.

Texans: Young teams and mistakes, together they’re bound to happen- Outside of their touchdown in the third quarter to give them their only lead of the game they were constantly having to catch up to what the Jaguars offense the rest of the game. This team shot themselves in the foot BAD in the second half as having only one time out early in the fourth because of dumb mistakes and bad penalties on both sides of the ball really made it way more difficult than it could have been. CJ Stroud had 304 passing yards and two touchdowns throwing the ball with a career-high 47 rushing yards and one touchdown using his feet in another impressive performance, but everything outside of that was far from impressive. The two sacks Stroud took on the final drive and caused a long field goal attempt to tie the game as the ball fell legitimately just short bouncing off the crossbar and away from the net losing by three points. A very heartbreaking loss in many crucial mistakes that helped the Jaguars in their victory nearly every time, as they now fall outside of the playoff picture and into third place in the AFC South under the first-place Jaguars by two games.

Buccaneers vs. Colts(PC)

Buccaneers Takeaway: Baker is washed- The former first overall pick again finds himself failing as an NFL QB. Baker Mayfield was a legend at Oklahoma University and was drafted to the Cleveland Browns. He struggled mightily in his first few season and was looking for a fresh start in Tampa. It just hasn’t worked out. They started off well, but it’s been a downhill slope since then. Now at 4-7 after Baker getting nowhere with the offense, it seems like the Bucs should officially be looking forward to next year. There biggest issue that can be solved by drafting another QB and helping out the offensive line.

Colts Takeaway: JT saves the season- The Colts have been up and down this entire season. Anthony Richardson got hurt and ended his season early. Now, the Colts have been in survival mode. They can run the ball, which was key to their success in their win over the Bucs. Jonathan Taylor ran for 2 touchdowns and inched out the Bucs to go 6-5. Gardner Minshew continues to be alright for the boys in blue. Now, fighting for a playoff spot, they are going to have to rely on the back that wanted to be traded at the beginning of the year. Let’s see how this goes.

Update Jonathan Taylor is going to miss multiple weeks after undergoing thumb surgery

Saints vs. Falcons (K Stelt)

Saints Takeaways: “Carr down the mountain, and 11 found dead”-  This team has the talent to win the NFC South (not impressive), but they just do not have the consistency to take it home. Carr has been through this situation many times before and the Saints fans are now experiencing this for the first time. They have elite offensive weapons but never know how to win games with them. Truly a shame for the Who dats but it is what it is.

Falcons takeaways: The Texas kid- Don’t say anything about Ridder he sucks. But on the other hand that Bijain Robinson kid is truly something special. The fact that he can cut that well on turf is illegal. The Falcons defense also is underrated and is the reason they are number 1 in the NFC South (not impressive). 

Patriots vs. Giants (K Stelt)

Patriots Takeaways: The QB Twilight Zone- Nothing can help the Patriots right now. They made the New Jersey Giants look like a decent team. It’s a horrible situation for the QBs there and I do not know why that is the case. Zappe is a trash can and Mac Jones is tired of Bill O’Brian. It won't be looking good for the Boston area in a minute unless the Patriots can trade their way up to the #1 Overall pick and get Caleb Williams.

Giants Takeaways: Jimmy Hoffa’s masterpiece- The Mob has been quiet for the past 40 years but now that Tommy DeVito has control of the entire New York City Metro area, it truly does feel like a true New York team. But the Giants are still well behind on talent in many other areas and still have a lot of work to do next season.

Rams vs. Cardinals (K Stelt)

Rams Takeaways: The John Stafford game- Congrats to the LA Rams, they had a good game offensively. Stafford decided to come back into his 2021 form and throw the ball to his offense, finally. The team still has to conjure up a comeback (no offense to Kim K) to stay in the playoffs. They have the talent, but John Stafford has to be consistent the rest of the season.

Cardinals Takeaways: No expectations- That’s about it. They have no expectations and that's about how their season is going. They stink and that’s all I have to say.

Browns vs. Broncos (How6rd)

Browns: The defense can’t do all of the work for the offense- Even not having any particular fandom towards the Cleveland Browns it hurts to see what their offense does while their defense stays solid for the most part. Since Deshaun Watson was listed out for the year injuring his shoulder this offense has looked nearly abysmal and it seemed that even with no Dorian Thomas-Robinson it didn’t get any better as some were expecting. Once DTR left the game with a concussion the offense fell completely flat on their face with PJ Walker coming in and the rushing attack couldn’t do anything to help. The defense still did well overall in this game even as much as Myles Garrett was neutralized to the point where the rest of the defensive linemen and rushers needed to step up, as they got to Russell Wilson a handful of times and even though there was only once sack they did their job for the most part in making the Broncos QB somewhat uncomfortable. The biggest story was how much the team relied on passing the ball against the Broncos even though they really don’t have a true threat to consistently throw the ball without Watson even if DTR is good to go. Cleveland still has a solid spot in the playoff picture as it stands being one of the wild card teams, but it’s important that this team finds a way to win without relying on the pass because even if the running game isn’t strong it might just be the best you got (especially with a senior citizen Joe Flacco looking to start next game).

Broncos: From eye-gouging to one of the most exciting teams in football- If their is a coach who can find the best in what he has on his roster, one of them is most certainly Sean Payton. This team started at 1-5 on the year and looked as if the former Super Bowl-winning head coach was on “fraud watch” putting out a team that looked worse than the year before, but since a gritty win against the Packers and a surprisingly dominant performance against the Chiefs a week after this is a whole new squad we are seeing since their last loss. Russell Wilson has been making plays way more often these past few weeks than he made as a whole all of last season and he hasn’t even been the true centerpiece of the offense as the run game has been the most important aspect. With a balanced offense making things difficult for opposing defenses the defensive unit of their own has been playing very solid with everything considered since the disastrous start having four sacks in this game led by Nik Bonitto who has become a true star this year. This team is overall very strong on both sides of the ball and with how the rest of their schedule is looking they very well can control their own destiny and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2015 giving Broncos fans faith in the sport of football once again.

Chiefs vs. Raiders(PC)

Chiefs Takeaway: Rashee Rice WR1- The Chiefs started off the game down 13-0. Patrick Mahomes didn’t see the field for that long and the Raiders capitalized on their first 2 drives. The defense seemed to miss Nick Bolten in the middle and gave up a huge 63-yard run from Josh Jacobs. Once the offense settled down, one big question still loomed. Who was going to be the WR1 for the Chiefs? Toney doesn’t even seem to be on the field. MVS continues to drop multiple passes. Mecole Hardman was signed to ride the bench. Rookie Rashee Rice demonstrated that he could be that one guy to help out this offense if he can hang onto the football. Rice had 8 receptions for 107 yards and a HUGE touchdown. Rashee has flashes that he could be the guy for the Chiefs for many years to come. The Chiefs blew out the Raiders and continue to push for that top seed of the playoffs.

Raiders Takeaway: Great Start, Terrible Finish- Antonio Pierce has been changing the landscape in Las Vegas. The Raiders were a terrible team to watch before Pierce took over. This week, they faced the juggernaut of the Chiefs. They started out hot, with an opening drive touchdown. Then, their defense came up with a 3 and out to give the ball back to the offense. Josh Jacobs broke away for a long touchdown. After a failed extra point, they found themselves with a 13-0 lead. Then, the Chiefs came to life and had a dominant performance. The fact that the Raiders had any ground against the reigning Super Bowl champions, is a huge accomplishment. Antonio has this going in the right direction, they just need some more pieces to really compete.

Bills vs. Eagles(PC)

Eagles Takeaway: Continuing to Fly Towards the Best Team in Football- The Eagles have taken every good team and put a W next to every opponent they’ve faced. The Eagles faced off against the desperate Bills team that needs to win to make it into the playoffs. With a back and forth battle, it came down to the defense to get a stop to give the ball back to the offense in overtime. The defense held Josh Allen and the Bills to a field goal. Then, Jalen Hurts and the offense drove down the field to have Hurts muscle his way in for a game winning touchdown. The Eagles find themselves 10-1 and continue to make massive efforts towards another Super Bowl opportunity.

Bills Takeaway: It’s a no playoff season- Coming into this game, the Bills needed a win. They were 6-5 and if they wanted to have an opportunity to make the playoffs. They had to face the red hot Eagles. This game went back and forth and ended up being tied for regulation. They didn’t get hoaxed by the coin this team and got the ball first. The play calling was an atrocity. I mean come on Sean, let’s get some creativity in here!! They settle for the field goal and all Josh Allen can do is what the defense fall apart once again and cost them the game. The Bills are now 6-6 and look like they have a slim chance of making the playoffs. With 4 difficult matchups with 5 games left to play, the Bills are going to have to pull off a miracle to be able to find a way into the playoffs.

Ravens vs. Chargers (PC)

Ravens Takeaway: Run Zay Run- The strongest part of this Ravens offense is their run game. Keaton Mitchell has been piling up the yards and Lamar always seems to find a seam to gain plenty of yards.  The passing offense seemed to be a factor. They’ve lost their #1 option in pro bowl TE Mark Andrews to a season ending injury last week. We thought if they couldn’t run the ball, the offense would struggle. They proved to us and the rest of the world that they are a legit threat even without Andrews. Rookie Zay Flowers was a pick of our here at Dudes and Sports to make an impact in his rookie year. He certainly stepped up big for Baltimore. Zay had 5 receptions for 25 yards but had a massive run for 37 yards for a touchdown. The defense stepped up in a big way again. They came up with 4 turnovers to push this team to victory. These Ravens were my Super Bowl pick and if they continue to play at this elite level, my prediction may come true.

Chargers Takeaway: Why Can’t you Fire Staley???- The Carolina Panthers fired their coach earlier this week. Maybe, and it’s just a thought… WHY CAN’T Y’ALL DO THE SAME THING?? I mean it’s mind boggling that you’re going to continue to allow Bradon Staley to screw up your football team. HE’S TRASH!! Just fire him. His play calling sucks, he doesn’t know how to manage an offense, and you are wasting a precious talent like Justin Herbert. The Chargers had 4 turnovers on offense. FOUR!! You’re not going to win many football games with those types of numbers. I didn’t want to see the Chargers in the playoffs, and Brandon Staley is the reason my hopes and dreams are coming to fruition. 

Bears vs. Vikings (How6rd)

I watched this eyesore unfortunately and both teams deserve an L for whatever this was*

*Enough Said* (PC)