Denver Broncos lose with Kendall Hinton at QB: Neil Reynolds' Final Word on Week 12
Sky Sports' Neil Reynolds has the final word on another extraordinary weekend in the NFL, picking out his five major takeaways, his player of the week, and what is on his radar heading into Week 13...
Tuesday 1 December 2020 13:16, UK
After an extraordinary week that saw one game postponed three times, one team left without a quarterback and one stadium declared off-limits for the rest of the season - all due to Covid-19 - the NFL somehow got through Week 12.
That's, of course, is with the exception of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens game that is now scheduled for Wednesday. But here are a few things that caught my eye from over the weekend...
Five Major Takeaways from Week 12
1) Broncos lose in absurd fashion
The Denver Broncos played out a complete non-contest against the New Orleans Saints, losing 31-3 with practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton - a former high school quarterback - leading the offence.
Denver fans are screaming about the lack of fairness in making Denver play this game when others have been postponed in the past due to Covid-19, but this was a mess entirely of the Broncos making and the NFL was not going to delay the playing of this game just because their quarterbacks ignored protocols put in place to protect them.
Backup quarterback Jeff Driskel contracted coronavirus and immediately wiped out Drew Lock, Blake Bortles and Brett Rypien because they were in close contact and not wearing masks, albeit for a brief period of time. This loss is not on Hinton, who completed just one pass and was intercepted twice - the blame lies at the door of those four quarterbacks, one of whom should have been kept away from the others all season long to avoid this very scenario. And the blame also falls on the shoulders of head coach Vic Fangio, who has already been fined this season for not masking up on the sidelines.
2) Mahomes makes a statement
Patrick Mahomes, of the Kansas City Chiefs, is on pace for a season with an average of 300 passing yards per game and a passer rating of 110 or above. That is incredible! He has only been an NFL starter for three years and that achievement has only been done five other times in history by quarterbacks; Mahomes is about to do it twice in three years.
The newly-crowned highest-rated quarterback in NFL history was outstanding in delivering a 27-24 win over Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Mahomes threw for 462 yards and three touchdowns in a victory that cemented Kansas City's status as good bets to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
With the game on the line and in a situation where most teams would run the football to bleed the clock, the Chiefs let Mahomes throw his way to victory. That was telling and also the absolutely correct decision. In a world and season of uncertainty, the Chiefs remain a constant - for now.
3) Dolphins and Browns on playoff course
Two downtrodden teams are threatening to rise up and make the AFC playoffs. As things stand right now, the Miami Dolphins are the No 6 seed and the Cleveland Browns are the No 5.
Miami had some strong moments from Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback on Sunday but, let's be real here, their playoff challenge is being powered by a defence that totally dominated Sam Darnold in a 20-3 win over the New York Jets. Miami have now forced a takeaway in 17-straight games - the longest streak in the NFL - and cornerback Xavien Howard leads the league with seven interceptions (more than eight teams have in total).
The Browns are not convincing anybody with their passing game and Baker Mayfield has his doubters at quarterback, but the running game - led by a fit-again Nick Chubb - is dangerous and will be able to travel come playoff time. In three games since returning from a knee injury, Chubb has rushed for 384 yards and topped 100 rushing yards in each of Cleveland's three-straight wins over the Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars.
4) King Henry continues to reign
Derrick Henry continues to wreak havoc on the NFL and, if recent history is anything to go by, he is just getting started for the Tennessee Titans because the powerhouse running back usually does his best work in December and January.
Henry was the driving force behind Sunday's 45-26 win over the Indianapolis Colts that catapulted the Titans back to the top of the AFC South. Henry did much more than just carry 27 times for 178 yards and three touchdowns - he broke the Colts' will and wore a previously-dominant defence into the ground.
As we saw in last year's playoff run all the way to the AFC title game, Henry can power a significant Super Bowl challenge in Tennessee. He's revving up to do the same again in 2020.
5) Raiders disappoint in Atlanta
The Las Vegas Raiders played so well in losing to the Chiefs in Week 11, but there was no moral victory or lollipop being handed out on Sunday as Jon Gruden's men fell 43-6 at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons.
The Raiders had prided themselves on not turning the ball over very much leading into Sunday, but then gifted the ball to the Falcons five times with quarterback Derek Carr throwing an interception and losing three fumbles. Las Vegas also committed penalties to the tune of 141 yards.
It was probably the most disappointing performance from any team in Week 12 and I include the Detroit Lions in that mix, who were so putrid on Thanksgiving Day that they fired head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn.
With Miami and Cleveland leap-frogging them in terms of the playoff picture, the Raiders have much work to do.
Player of the Week: Tyreek Hill
There was a point in Sunday's win over Tampa Bay where Tyreek Hill was on pace for an 800-yard receiving day! Okay, so that would have been impossible, but it shows how dominant he was with 200 receiving yards and two scores in just one quarter of action.
Hill ended the day with 13 catches for 269 yards and three scores and has rounded into the complete receiver. He can run all the routes downfield but also catch short and simple passes out of the backfield and turn them into something very dangerous with the blazing speed that makes him the NFL's fastest player… by far.
Play of the Week
Deion Jones pouncing to intercept Derek Carr and run it back 67 yards for an Atlanta touchdown summed up the unpredictable nature of the NFL and not just in this crazy and testing season.
This kind of result - Atlanta stunned the Raiders in dominating from start to finish - can happen from week to week and from year to year in the NFL. But this was particularly shocking because Atlanta had given up 407 yards per game this season, with 300 of those coming through the air each week. That made Jones' runback score the most notable of the week, for me.
Coach of the Week: Joe Judge
After an 0-5 start, I think it's fair to say we had written off the New York Giants, especially with star running back Saquon Barkley lost early to a season-ending injury. But the Giants - behind some tidier play from quarterback Daniel Jones, competent rushing from Wayne Gallman and a suddenly-strong defence - have won three in a row and are back in the NFC East race at 4-7.
They may have lost Jones to a hamstring injury in Sunday's 19-17 win over Cincinnati, but the Giants dug deep and clung to victory. They may end up missing out on the division title this season, especially with Jones now out, but it does appear that the Giants are in good hands at head coach.
On my Radar
The Arizona Cardinals have now lost two in a row after Kyler Murray threw that dramatic Hail Mary game-winning touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins to defeat Buffalo in Week 10. And Murray does not look himself - he is battling an injury to his throwing shoulder and must re-discover his magic soon.
Murray was held to a combined 201 rushing and passing yards in Sunday's 20-17 loss at New England and that was a season low, along with his quarterback rating of 67.0. The little supremo faces a big challenge to get the 6-5 Cards back on track in Week 13 as he takes on Aaron Donald and the Los Angeles Rams.
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