Man oh man is this late. I completely lapsed and forgot about this over Thanksgiving break, partially because I had a big chemistry project to work on. Anyway, I need to get right into this article because, well, you’ve figured it out by now.
Saints Escape Panthers in a Thriller
This game was nuts, and it had me on the edge of my seat for the last two minutes. I thought the Panthers would have an opportunity to take the lead. With little time for New Orleans to get down the field and score, the Panthers kicker Joey Slye missed a 25-yard chip shot field goal. And with Drew Brees on your team, nothing is impossible in crunch time. Brees drove the Saints down the field and into field goal range. Kicker Wil Lutz’s leg did the rest. He gave the Saints a win to vault them into the thick of the scramble for home-field advantage in the playoffs.
As for the Panthers? Well, their season’s just about over.
The Eagles Need to Turn Things Around
They need to do it fast.
The game against the Seahawks did not go well at all, as I’m sure most of you know by now. It was a 17-9 loss at home. When you look behind the box score, it was an uninspiring effort by a banged-up Eagles team. Carson Wentz looked horrible. It didn’t help that his entourage of wide receivers looked like they were straight from the practice squad due to all the injuries that have plagued Philadelphia this season. I’m not putting the entire blame of the loss on him. With an underrated defense, the Seahawks are a great team. However, if Wentz wants to continue to be the Eagles’ franchise quarterback, he needs to play better. Soon.
The Pats Dominate the Cowboys
Sitting atop the NFC Least- I mean, East, the Cowboys looked like they were in a pretty good spot coming into this week: the Eagles had gotten their butts kicked, and the Redskins and Giants were non-factors in the division.
Yeah, speaking of non-factors?
Guarded by superstar corner Stephon Gilmore and held without a catch the whole game, Amari Cooper was a complete liability in this game against the stout New England defense. And, in my opinion, that could’ve been a turning point if Cooper had been able to get a step on Gilmore on at least a few plays. If he had been able to get into the open field, he likely would’ve made some plays and maybe even helped Dallas steal a road win. Instead, Dallas found their lead in the NFC East shrinking again, and the Eagles were nipping at their heels.
For a little while.
49ers’ Defense Dismantles the Packers
The Packers just hit a wall on Sunday Night Football.
And that wall came in the form of the San Francisco 49ers’ defense.
Aaron Rodgers was harassed the entire night by San Fran’s defensive line, linebackers, and secondary, as the line used their speed and strength to bully their way past Green Bay’s offensive line, and the linebackers and corners and safeties provided excellent coverage downfield, shutting down Rodgers’ two primary targets, Davante Adams and Jimmy Graham. For the Pack, this doesn’t help their playoff position, as they are looking up at those same Niners in the playoff picture, along with a couple of other teams. For the Niners, this only helps their playoff outlook, as they are one of the top two seeds in the NFC after this week.
Wait…what about Week 13? That’s in another article!
Say Goodbye to the Rams’ Playoff Aspirations
Cooked. Toast. Burnt toast with butter, whatever you want to say. The Rams looked like they were going to get back to the Super Bowl after an appearance last season are now at a mediocre 6-5 record and are not positioned to take the #6 seed in the NFC any longer. Jared Goff looks lost and underwhelmed while playing behind a bad offensive line and the defense doesn’t look anything like the dominant unit that we saw last year, as demonstrated by their inability to stop Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson. It’s time for Los Angeles to pack those playoff hopes into a bag and kiss them goodbye.
That’s all I’ve got for Week 12. Stay tuned to The Roundup for the next article in the NFL takeaways series!
