Views from the Nosebleeds: 2016 NFL Regular Season, Week 12

Although I looked forward to family coming from Pennsylvania and enjoying Mrs. Scribbler's scrumptuous cooking, one of the biggest incentives to toiling through purchasing a car note's worth of food and almost passing out from heat and exhaustion while grocery shopping was being the stereotypical patriarch and watching Thanksgiving Day football all day long.  However, despite not being a card-carrying Skins fan anymore but still having plenty of residual Burgundy and Gold blood running through me, "Dallas Week" still annoyed me because normally-grating Cowboys fans become even more insufferable--especially when their team is not only winning this year, but also have the league's best record.  In fact, I was bewildered in finding out three of my family members are Cowboys fans, but they're the less obnoxious types who I can tolerate more than the vast majority of them.  (I still need holy oil for our doorpost.)  Unfortunately, I swear I heard a janitor once the clock struck triple zeros, saw an "F" by the score and I wasn't pleased--knowing the onslaught of incessant trash talking was on the horizon in what hasn't felt like a true rivalry since the early 90s. As much as I could stall, let's address the inevitable...

THE HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE TAKE OF THE WEEK: IF ONLY GAMES WERE WON BY YARDAGE INSTEAD OF POINTS.  Washington came into Arlington with the second-ranked offense (418.5 YPG) and the third-ranked passing attack (301.4 YPG).  Unfortunately for undrafted rookie Rob Kelley--who said, "I know nobody here like the Dallas Cowgirls"--he had the misfortune of facing the league's third-best run defense (84.1 YPG).  After having a field day against the Packers, the Cowboys' front seven served the Tulane product his most hefty slice of humble pie, limiting him to an ineffective 14 carries for 37 yards.  Hence, Kirk Cousins had to cape up with his arm, posting the majority of his gaudy 41-for-53, 449-yard, three-TD performance in the fourth quarter with two TDs to Jordan Reed (ten catches, 95 yards) and one to DeSean Jackson (four catches, 118 yards).  Despite yielding a total of 505 yards of offense, the problem for Cousins and the offense was twofold: 1) the reversion to their questionable red zone play calling and futility; and 2) two Dustin Hopkins missed FGs--one kicking into the strategically-blinding sunlight of AT&T Stadium, the other coming after his own team iced him and both being the ultimate difference in the final score.

Although the Cowboys passing offense didn't torch the Skins defense on paper and held Dak Prescott to a humble 17-of-24, 195 yards and only one passing TD (a ten-yard strike to Terrance Williams), one of the biggest debates after the game was not only the chippy play between Josh Norman and Dez Bryant, but also how badly Bryant "exposed" the $75 Million Man.  On one play, Bryant absolutely twisted Norman with a move to the post, got completely wide open and could've scored his easiest TD of the season, but Prescott missed him.  In the end, three of his five catches were against Norman for only 32 yards, but he didn't crack 100 yards receiving and scored no touchdowns.  However, although their 26th-ranked run defense kept Ezekiel Elliott under 100 yards rushing (97), they couldn't keep him out of the end zone twice and Dak Prescott also scrambled for one.  To their credit, the Skins showed they can compete and keep things interesting against the league's best teams, but they must ameliorate some of their play calling issues in key moments and their run defense must get better to avoid being behind the eight ball in a tightening race for the last playoff spot in the NFC.

SCRIBBLER'S GAME OF THE WEEK: KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 30, DENVER BRONCOS 27 (OT).  I put out a Facebook/Instagram promotion to help select my game of the week between 49ers-Dolphins and Panthers-Raiders because I couldn't decide on my own...that is, until I saw one of the most gratifying games as a football fanatic I've seen all year long.  There are four reasons why this thriller of all thrillers leapfrogged the previous two choices: 1) it went into overtime; 2) it satisfied the watcher at every phase of the game; 3) it had plenty of drama; and 4) it literally came down to the final seconds.  If you wanted to see a defensive battle, then the first half was for you.  Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston tortured Denver's offensive line for his first three sacks of the season--including a forced fumble to cause a safety--as part of his 10 total tackles, and Von Miller matched Houston stride for stride with ten tackles and three sacks of his own as well as a deflected pass.  Both defenses were hitting hard and often, but on paper, the Broncos played better by holding the Chiefs' offense to less than 300 yards of total offense (190 through the air, 83 on the ground).

Speaking of offense, you had to wait until after halftime when it was only 9-3 with no offensive TDs from either team.  Perhaps considering the rumblings of Tony Romo possibly coming to town next year, rookie Trevor Siemian put John Elway and Broncos management on notice with a commanding 20-for-34, 368-yard performance and the following three TDs: 1) a Romo-like scramble to escape another Justin Houston sack and find Jordan Taylor for a tiptoe score and his first NFL TD; 2) accurate deep passes to Emmanuel Sanders, the latter of which was a 35-yard score; and  3) another long pass to a wide-open Bennie Fowler for a 76-yard score--the latter of the three plays were against the much-maligned Phillip Gaines.  However, despite posting 55 yards below their already-below-average yards per game average (328.3 YPG, 27th), Kansas City's average starting field position was their own 31-yard line compared to Denver's average starting field position of their own 21-yard line.  Even when Denver took a 24-16 lead with only three minutes left in regulation, Alex Smith (26 of 44, 220 yards) led an impressive TD drive and scored a two-point conversion to force overtime; let's see a "game manager" do what he did under that kind of pressure.

If you wanted special teams and an all-around fantastic performance, then the main place to look was fifth-round draft pick Tyreek Hill, who is proving to be one of the biggest steals of the 2016 NFL Draft.  On his first score after Justin Houston forced a safety, the super-speedy Hill (who ran a 4.24 in the 40 yard dash at his pro day) returned it 86 yards to the house and high-fived De'Anthony Thomas six yards before crossing the goal line.  Once Denver took their first lead of the game at 10-9, Hill ran out of the wildcat, narrowly escaped an unguarded Von Miller tackle, benefited from a great Albert Wilson block and punched it in from three yards away.  Finally, as the recipient of Alex Smith's lone TD pass, he did himself and his team a favor by bobbling a pass and gaining control of it after he crossed the plane for a three-yard score with only twelve seconds left in regulation.  However, the biggest amount of drama ensued in OT as Gary Kubiak made a questionable decision by making Brandon McManus, who said he could make kicks from 60 yards in pregame warmups, kick an unsuccessful 62-yard FG with 1:03 remaining.  The Chiefs only needed three plays and 32 yards to set up one of the most dramatic walk-off FGs as Cairo Santos' 34-yard attempt played pinball off of the left upright and narrowly made it inside of the right upright for the win.  Now how do those other two games stack up against this?  Easy: they don't.

SCRIBBLER'S CHECKDOWNS: 

• DET 16, MIN 13: despite not producing much offense or having the ball for the majority of the second half and only scoring one offensive TD the entire game, Matthew Stafford continued his late-game leadership campaign.  However, this win to extend the Lions' lead in the NFC North came down to 1) Darius Slay with a huge INT with little time left in the game and 2) Matt Prater's 40-yard walk-off FG.  For the Vikings, this is another disappointing loss which has them on the outside looking in for the playoffs;
• PIT 28, IND 7: Andrew Luck didn't start, Scott Tolzien did and he had the misfortune of playing head-to-head against Ben Roethlisberger.  Did anybody honestly think this wouldn't be the weakest game of the Thanksgiving triple header--and T.Y. Hilton ended up getting injured?  Considering how meh they've been playing this season, they barely had a snowball's chance in hell to beat Pittsburgh even if they had Luck or Hilton.  Moving on;
• ATL 38, ARI 19: you know your team is not doing too well when you hold Julio Jones to four catches for 35 yards and Devonta Freeman to 16 carries for 60 yards (although he scored two TDs), but you allow a Browns castaway in Taylor Gabriel to have the best game of his career (102 all-purpose yards, two TDs).  At 4-6-1, the Cardinals are the NFL's second most disappointing team in 2016--although an argument could be made for them as No. 1 because they made it to the NFC Championship last year--while the Falcons still hold the cards in the NFC South (that pun was kinda intended);
• BAL 19, CIN 14: when your kicker contributes to nine missed extra points on the year versus the opposing kicker who makes NFL history with three 50-plus-yard FGs in one half, your already-streaky running game disappears (64 total yards), you lose two turnovers--including a forced fumble by Elvis Dumervil to end the game--and you have no A.J. Green, it equates to 3-7-1 and continuing to be the NFL's most disappointing team of 2016.  The Ravens keep getting gritty wins in one of the ugliest divisions in the league;
• BUF 28, JAX 21: in a turnover-free battle on the ground--Buffalo had 153 rushing yards while Jacksonville had 183 yards--the Bills' offense exemplified how points are always more important than yards.  They scored more, the Jaguars didn't score enough.  While the Bills get back on the winning side of .500, the "Just Another Good Showings" slide deeper into the average-to-below-average status they've been accustomed to for nine consecutive seasons;
• TEN 27, CHI 21: one of the biggest reasons why this wasn't my game of the week is 1) Matt Barkley's two INTs despite throwing for 316 yards and three TDs and 2) the number of key drops by Bears receivers in the end zone.  On the other side, I'm enjoying how the Titans are getting Heisman trophy winner Derrick Henry more involved in a much-improved running game (eight carries, 60 yards, one TD).  If they keep that Murray-Henry tandem intact along with Mariota's wheels, then the Titans' rushing attack could be the best in the league for years to come;
• NYG 27, CLE 13: isn't it sad how nobody cares about the Giants' sixth consecutive win as much as the Browns being 0-12?  This is how bad they are: 1) this is their eighth game where they couldn't crack 100 yards rushing and their fifth in a row; 2) they lost another three turnovers to tie them for the third worst team in turnover ratio (-7 and they're ironically tied with the Giants), including the second week in a row where a Josh McCown fumble resulted in a defensive touchdown (which deepens the irony); and 3) I had to look twice on the field to ensure it was a Browns home game because it sounded more like MetLife Stadium.  Thank God for their bye week;
• SD 21, HOU 13: when your $72 million quarterback is Brock Osweiler and he contributes three of the team's four turnovers while throwing no touchdowns--although he ran for Houston's only TD--you may not beat the Browns let alone Philip Rivers putting passes on a rope (22 of 30, 316 yards, three TDs, one INT).  The Texans are slowly but surely loosening their grip on the AFC South and if the Colts and Titans can keep winning, then I have a feeling one of them will overtake Houston for the division crown.  Meanwhile, the Chargers might be the bottom feeders of the AFC West, but they're the toughest of any fourth-place-in-the-division team in the league because they could easily be in the playoff hunt if fourth quarters were kinder to them this year;
• MIA 31, SF 24: although Colin Kaepernick played his best game of the season (29 of 46, 296 passing yards, three TDs, 113 rushing yards) since taking the reins from Blaine Gabbert, it's hard to overcome two turnovers (including one INT), the game literally coming down to the last second and coming up a yard or two short of avoiding the longest losing streak in the franchise's 70-year history.  Meanwhile, not only are the Dolphins currently in the playoff picture via Denver's loss, but with a 20-for-30, 285-yard, three-TD performance, Ryan Tannehill is a huge amount of the reason why they're on a six-game winning streak.  Granted, they've beaten a lot of bad teams--only Pittsburgh and Buffalo have winning records--but a win is a win nevertheless;
• NO 49, LA 21: show of hands...despite having a better offensive showing than his debut, who truly thought rookie Jared Goff (20 of 32, 214 yards, three TDs and one INT) could keep up with Drew Brees (28 of 36, 310 yards, four TDs) in the Superdome?  Now another show of hands...who thought the Saints would hand the vaunted Gregg Williams-coordinated Rams defense the franchise's worst showing in terms of points allowed in fourteen years--including a trick pass from Willie Snead to Tim Hightower for a 50-yard TD in the midst of 555 yards of total offense?  All two of you are lying through your teeth;
• TB 14, SEA 5: in what was ultimately more of a defensive struggle, the 'Hawks risked scoring no points at all if not for a safety (by virtue of a penalty in the end zone) and a field goal on the ensuing drive.  With a paltry 38.8 QB rating, Russell Wilson posted one of his worst games as a pro (17 of 33, 151 yards, two INTs) and the offense converted one third down out of eleven--which was on their final drive.  Meanwhile, Jameis Winston (21 of 28, 220 yards, two TDs and one INT) is looking more and more like he belongs in the league and has his Bucs a game back from the Falcons in the NFC South.  Oh yeah, and we should start talking about Mike Evans as a top five receiver if he isn't already in enough conversations;  
• NE 22, NYJ 17: with a narrow 17-16 lead, the Jets had the Pats on the ropes in the fourth quarter until Tom Brady reminded folks why he's the best QB in the league--and perhaps of all time depending on who you ask.  With less than two minutes remaining, he threw an eight-yard TD strike to rookie Malcolm Mitchell to take the lead.  Two plays into their two-minute offense, Chris Long swiped the ball out of Ryan Fitzpatrick's right hand to preserve the win.  That's why the Pats are 9-2 and the Jets are 3-8;
• OAK 35, CAR 32: despite taking a quarter off, allowing the Panthers to score 25 unanswered points and Derek Carr's temporary but painful ring finger injury scaring the living daylights out of Raiders fans everywhere, Oakland weathered the storm to prove why they're tied for the best record in the AFC.  Particularly, Khalil Mack ended the first half with a pick six and ended the game with a forced fumble and recovery.  I'm still not sold on Oakland being the best team in the conference when their pass defense is a huge liability--particularly the overrated Sean Smith and the undisciplined D.J. Hayden--but when Carr can still throw the ball well with a bad finger and Michael Crabtree is consistently playing lights out, their offense will be problematic; and
• GB 27, PHI 13 (MNF): Aaron Rodgers had another solid performance, going 30 of 39 for 313 yards and two TDs--both of which went to the steadily-improving Davante Adams who hauled in five catches for 113 yards.  However, the story was the defense playing leaps and bounds better than they did against Tennessee and Washington and holding Philly under 300 total yards of offense (293), 13 points and forced the game's only turnover from Carson Wentz--who threw no TDs and scored the Eagles' only TD with his legs.  The Pack needs to keep winning before they're in a discussion for sneaking into the playoffs, but they certainly leveraged themselves over the Eagles.

SCRIBBLER'S CHOP LICKERS FOR WEEK 13:

• KC (8-3) @ ATL (7-4), 1 p.m.: while the Chiefs are in the bottom quarter of the NFL in total yardage allowed (373.7 YPG), they're tied for fifth in points allowed (18.7 PPG) and tied for first in turnover ratio per game (+1.3).  Hence, although they're at home, the Falcons' third-ranked total offense (411.5 YPG) will face a test as they seek to preserve their top spot in the NFC South while the visiting Chiefs fresh off of their huge OT win in Denver will look to keep pace with the Raiders in the AFC West, if not overtake them altogether;
• DET (7-4) @ NO (5-6), 1 p.m.: in a battle of dome teams with potent offenses, this has all the makings of a bonafide shootout between Drew Brees aka "King of the Superdome" and a red-hot Matthew Stafford.  However, despite coming up against a juggernaut, the Lions clearly have the edge defensively.  With two QBs in whose hands you don't want to leave the ball in the game's waning moments and two teams who need to keep winning--the Lions to stay atop the NFC North and the Saints simply to give themselves a shot at a playoff berth--don't be surprised if this ends up being the "Game of the Week" pick without the need for a vote;
• MIA (7-4) @ BAL (6-5), 1 p.m.: normally, I wouldn't pick anything involving a Ryan Tannehill-led offense because he hasn't wowed me as a field general for most of his five-year career.  However, "playoff push" and "the Dolphins" are in the same sentence for the first time since when they won the AFC East in 2008 and lost in the Wild Card round to...wait for it...the Ravens.  With two good defenses--the Ravens are No. 2 overall and No. 1 against the run while the Dolphins are a top-ten passing defense, which makes a difference against a team who must pass to be successful--I don't see the winner exceeding 20 to 23 points unless one of them takes off a week; and
• CAR (4-7) @ SEA (7-3-1), 8:30 p.m. (SNF): since Cam Newton and Russell Wilson entered the league in 2011 and 2012, respectively, this has turned into a bit of a cross-country rivalry.  Although I like the 'Hawks in this one because they're the better overall team--and they need to win more than the Panthers to keep pace with the Cowboys in the NFC, especially after losing to the Bucs--don't sleep on Carolina's ability to make this one worth the prime time billing much like they did down the coast in Oakland.