Top 10 takeaways from Sunday’s Week 12 NFL action

How’s that for some football? Week 12 of the NFL season was filled with some of the best football we have seen all season.

Sunday started with all eyes on the AFC. The Kansas City Chiefs were hosting the Buffalo Bills in a game with wide-ranging playoff implications. Meanwhile, the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins were doing battle for second-fiddle in the AFC East.

All that happened while Derek Carr was leading his Oakland Raiders back against the Tennessee Titans in a game that pretty much signaled the Raiders entrance into the playoff race.

In what was a tremendous late afternoon game for most of the country, Russell Wilson proved he could actually lead the Seattle Seahawks to a shootout victory — a performance that kept Seattle afloat in the NFC Playoff picture.

Then on Sunday night, the Denver Broncos handed Tom Brady and the defending champs their first loss of the season in what was the unofficial start of winter football in the snow at Mile High.

These are among the top 10 takeaways from Sunday’s Week 12 NFL action.

New York Jets prove their worth in important AFC East matchup

Even without the services of All Pro corner Darrelle Revis, the Jets absolutely dominated a Miami Dolphins team that was in desperate need of a win to stay alive in the AFC Playoff race.

The final score of 38-20 wasn’t even indicative of just how lopsided the game was. New York took a 35-7 lead on a Chris Ivory touchdown run midway through the final stanza, the final knockout punch in a one-sided battle.

For the Jets, it was their first rushing touchdown of the game after Ryan Fitzpatrick put up his most touchdowns (four) since he was a member of the Tennessee Titans back in 2013.

Overall, Fitzpatrick completed 22-of-37 passes for 274 yards with those four touchdowns, two of which went to a rejuvenated Brandon Marshall.

At 6-5 heading into December, the Jets find themselves tied with four other teams for the AFC’s two wildcard spots. With losses to the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans, the importance of this win cannot be overstated.

Minnesota Vikings take advantage of Thanksgiving gift, take over first in NFC North

Following the Chicago Bears improbable win against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving night, the Vikings had a golden opportunity to bounce back from their loss to the Packers last week.

It wasn’t the prettiest of affairs, but the historic legs of one Adrian Peterson willed Minnesota to a 20-10 win over the free-falling Atlanta Falcons.

The future Hall of Fame running back went for 158 yards and two scores on 29 attempts, absolutely dominating what had previously been a surprising Falcons defense.

Defensively, Minnesota held Atlanta’s talented offense to just one touchdown while forcing a total of three turnovers in the process.

Not only is Minnesota in first place in the NFC North heading into December, it’s right in the thick of acquiring a first-round playoff bye.

With games remaining against the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers, it was important for the Vikings to take advantage of an inferior team on Sunday. That’s exactly what Mike Zimmer’s squad did.

Alex Smith and the Kansas City Chiefs continue to roll

We are going to continue banging this drum until Smith throws an interception and/or the Chiefs lose an actual football game.

Following a two-touchdown performance against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Smith has not thrown an interception since Week 3:

It’s not a coincidence that Sunday’s game marked Kansas City’s fifth consecutive win after losing five in a row earlier in the year.

Including this week’s win, the Chiefs have turned the ball over a grand total of zero times while forcing 14 takeaways during that five-game stretch.

It was nothing less than surgical on offense. Smith went for 255 yards on 30 attempts while third-string running back Spencer Ware gained 114 yards on 19 attempts on the ground.

In total, Kansas City scored on six of their final seven possessions, the one failure coming on a missed field goal.

While the Chiefs did allow Buffalo to put up 415 total yards and 25 first downs, its ability to force two key turnovers played a huge role in this one. It’s that type of ball-hawking mentality that has helped the Chiefs get back into the AFC Playoff race.

At 6-5 on the season, Kansas City currently finds itself as the sixth seed in the conference.

With wins over Buffalo and Houston, Andy Reid’s squad also has the upper-hand over two teams battling for one of the two wildcard spots in the AFC. This is how big Sunday’s win was.

Atlanta Falcons may prove to be irrelevant in NFC Playoff race

Following their fifth loss in six games, the Falcons find themselves on the verge of being irrelevant in the NFC. They sit at 6-5 on the season, one game ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants and Chicago Bears in the conference.

Meanwhile, Dan Quinn’s squad is tied with the Seattle Seahawks for that final playoff spot.

This was unimaginable following Atlanta’s 5-0 start to the season. And in reality, it could result in one of the most dramatic meltdowns in recent NFL history.

The issue on Sunday against Minnesota, like it has been during this horrendous six-game stretch, was the turnover bug. Atlanta coughed the ball up three times, bringing its six-game total to a whopping 17.

It’s mainly the regression of Matt Ryan under center that’s been so stunning. Including an interception in the end zone, Ryan was picked off two more times in Atlanta’s 20-10 loss to the Vikings. That brings his five-game total to eight picks and just eight interceptions.

Overall, the Falcons have turned it over 21 times in their past seven games. That’s not going to help you find the positive end of the scoreboard on a consistent basis.

Taking apart an easy early-season schedule, the Falcons are now seeing the vulnerabilities exposed against better competition.

Including Sunday’s loss, Atlanta has only played three games against squads that are currently over .500, going 1-2 in those three outings.

With games remaining against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers (twice), there’s a reasonable expectation that Atlanta might not find itself at .500 when the regular season draws to a conclusion. That would be a major failure in every sense of the word.

The Washington football team is tied for first

It’s not yet time to take the Redskins too seriously. However, their win over the New York Giants on Sunday has the team in first place heading into December.

This accomplishment tells us a couple different stories regarding the Redskins and the NFC East as a whole heading into the stretch run.

First off, Washington has surpassed even the highest expectations of optimistic fans and writers. Secondly, the division Washington plays in is complete trash.

Taking on an error-filled New York Giants team that was coming off its bye, Washington failed to capitalize on two early Eli Manning interceptions. In fact, Washington failed to score on the position following all three of Manning’s picks.

It was, however, the continued stellar play of Kirk Cousins at home that made the difference. Starting with a second quarter field goal drive, Cousins led the Redskins on three scores in a span of four possessions prior to the half, all three spanning at least 50 yards with two resulting in Cousins’ touchdowns.

Including Sunday’s performance, Cousins has now tallied 14 total touchdowns and just two picks while posting a 5-1 record at home this year. He’s 0-5 with five touchdowns and eight picks on the road.

While Washington definitely needs to find a way to win away from FedEx Field, it’s important to note that the rest of the division has done absolutely nothing to signify that Jay Gruden’s squad isn’t in contention for the NFC East title.

The Giants may have made a game of it in the second half of their 20-14 loss to Washington, but the team came out of the bye about as flat as I can remember any Tom Coughlin-led squad.

Three turnovers, 3-of-15 on third-down conversions and losing the line of scrimmage battle in one-sided fashion — all this led to New York’s demise in D.C. on Sunday.

Meanwhile, both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles were absolutely blown out on Thanksgiving, an indication that neither team will be able to do much as the season progresses.

That’s only magnified by reports that Chip Kelly’s Eagles quit on Thursday and news that Tony Romo will miss the Cowboys remaining games with yet another collarbone injury.

It might be at 7-9 or 8-8, but the Redskins stand as good of a chance as any to win the NFC East. That’s a testament to the resiliency of the team and the pedestrian play in the division it’s currently leading.

A new era in Denver

Brock Osweiler led the Denver Broncos back from a two-touchdown deficit to beat the previously undefeated defending champions on “Sunday Night Football.”

It may have taken some help from the zebras and a late-game injury to New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, but Osweiler’s ability to actually perform at a high level in front of a national audience with a whole heck of a lot tells us a story.

It’s the story of a young quarterback ready to take the reins from his veteran counterpart — a quarterback in Peyton Manning that represents a rapidly closing era in Denver.

Overall, Osweiler completed 23-of-42 passes for 270 yards with a touchdown and an interception. It might not have been the greatest of performances, but the former second-round pick proved that he has ice water running through his veins.

As a team, the Broncos now find themselves at 9-2 and just one game behind New England for the top seed in the AFC.

The question now becomes whether Denver will turn to Manning once he’s fully recovered from his injured foot. At 2-0 since Manning went down, it seems likely that Osweiler has made that decision a bit easier for the Broncos.

At the very least, expect this to be the talk around the NFL water cooler for the foreseeable future.

Not quite ready for prime time players

From the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins in the AFC to the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC, multiple “contending teams” saw their playoff aspirations take major hits on Sunday.

While one or two of these squads will likely be playing meaningful football, losing against equal to slightly superior competition in the final week of November doesn’t bode well for any of them moving forward.

Buffalo played a heck of a game against the Chiefs in Kansas City, but now finds itself one full game behind four teams for the final wildcard spot. Unfortunately for the Bills, they now lose the tiebreaker against one of those teams after Sunday.

Jacksonville had a golden opportunity to take advantage of a weak AFC South by remaining in the division race heading into December. That was thrown completely out the window against a bad San Diego Chargers squad at home on Sunday, as Gus Bradley and Co. put up a stinker of a performance in a 31-25 loss.

Skipping over to the NFC for a second, Lovie Smith and the Buccaneers were looking to triple their win total against an Andrew Luck-less Colts team on Sunday.

Unable to get anything going after halftime, Tampa Bay was shut out in the second half of its 25-12 loss. Tampa Bay is now one game out of the final playoff spot in the NFC.

The common theme here is rather simple. None of these teams appear ready to take that next step from mediocrity to legitimate playoff contention.

For some, it’s all about growing as a young team. For others, it’s more of a disappointment with veteran-laden squads.

Let’s not give up on the Oakland Raiders just yet

This one scribe included, it seemed that the entire football world was prepared to give up on the Raiders after they lost their third consecutive game at the hands of the Detroit Lions last week.

Following a narrow win against the hapless Tennessee Titans on Sunday — a win that left a lot to be desired — Oakland finds itself at 5-6 on the year and just one game out of the final wildcard spot in the AFC.

It took a bad holding call on Tennessee to keep the game alive, but Derek Carr proved his worth late in Sunday’s game.

The second-year quarterback hit rookie free agent Seth Roberts on a 12-yard touchdown to put the Raiders up 24-21 with just over one minute remaining in the final stanza.

It capped a day that saw Carr complete 24-of-37 passes for 330 yards with three touchdowns and zero picks. It was the fourth time in five games that Carr has put up three-plus touchdowns.

Now 5-6 on the year and with an all-important home game coming up against the aforementioned Chiefs, Oakland suddenly finds itself playing meaningful December football for the first time in over a decade.

Kudos to first-year head coach Jack Del Rio for turning this ship around much quicker than anyone originally anticipated.

Russell Wilson quiets critics, saves the Seattle Seahawks season

Prior to Sunday, Russell Wilson was 0-10 in his career when the opposing team scored more than 24 points against Seattle. So when it became readily apparent that his team’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was going to be a shootout, most expected the Super Bowl winning quarterback to fall short.

That did not happen.

Wilson put up the best performance of his already stellar career, completing 21-of-30 passes for 345 yards with five touchdowns and zero picks in the 39-30 win.

This performance was absolutely huge for the two-time defending NFC champions. If Seattle had lost, it would have found itself one game out of the final wildcard spot and tied with three other teams with a 5-6 record.

Picking up the slack for a defense that allowed 538 yards and 26 first downs, Wilson showed everyone that it’s possible for him to be one of the main reasons his team can win against a good squad.

And while it did help that Pittsburgh turned the ball over four times, all that really matters here is that Wilson stepped up when it mattered the most.

How much magic does Tom Brady have left in him?

Brady and the Patriots fell just short of starting the season 11-0 after a gut-wrenching overtime loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.

While most of America was celebrating the Patriots’ first loss of the season, those who appreciate good football know what Brady was up against there.

Working behind a patchwork offensive line and playing without three of his favorite targets in the passing game, Brady did enough to keep his Patriots in position to win the game.

Unfortunately, the entire dynamic of the game and the season might have changed on a dime late in the fourth quarter. Star tight end Rob Gronkowski went down with what looked to be a serious knee injury.

After being carted off the field, Gronkowski was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the game.

Reports since have indicated that the injury isn’t believed to be too serious.

Still, Brady seems to have reached the point where getting water from a rock may no longer be an option. With the worst supporting cast of his Hall of Fame-caliber career, can this generational quarterback continue his magic?

The next two months will answer this question for us, potentially placing Brady even higher among the all-time greats.