Even with a couple of surprises in Atlanta and New England, Week 12 in the NFL went very much as I expected. Due to the Thanksgiving break, my two new guest pickers didn’t get in on things this week, but here’s a look at the Week 12 picks and overall records:
| Nick | ATS | O/U | Christen |
| 12-4 | 8-8 | 7-9 | 10-6 |
| Previous Total | Previous Total | Previous | Previous Total |
| 110-50-1 | 85-73-2 | 49-61-3 | 102-60-1 |
| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall |
| 122-54-1 | 93-81-2 | 56-70-3 | 112-66-1 |
The nearly week-long delay took its toll on both the Steelers and the Ravens, but Pittsburgh still managed to hold serve as the best team in the game with a close win over Baltimore. The Ravens’ defense still proved to be formidable in the loss and they’ll need it as they are currently on the outside looking in at the playoffs.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs stayed hot on Pittsburgh’s tail, beating Tom Brady and the Buccaneers 27-24. The Chiefs came out red hot and scorched the Tampa Bay defense for more than 200-yards and 2-TDs to Tyreek Hill alone in the 1st quarter. Tampa eventually calmed down and answered but KC was playing with the lead the whole way and the outcome was never really in doubt. At 7-5, the Bucs’ hopes of winning the division are basically shot but if they can get right for the playoffs, they’re still plenty dangerous.
New Orleans, sans Drew Brees, stayed atop the NFC with a win over the quarterback-less Broncos. This game was a joke but I guess Denver had to pay the price for not getting their QB situation in check.
Green Bay and Seattle both picked up important wins over their subpar competition to stay in contention for the NFC’s #1 seed. The Packers smashed the Bears in Chicago on Sunday Night Football, 41-25 but it was 41-10 in the 4th quarter before CHI padded some stats in garbage time. After a promising 5-1 start for the Bears, they have lost five in a row and are trending in the wrong direction with the playoffs right around the corner. The Seahawks showed the Eagles absolutely zero respect in Philly on Monday Night Football, failing to convert 4th down on their first two possessions and allowing the lowly Eags to hang around all night. However, Carson Wentz clearly didn’t want to lose his league lead in interceptions and sacks as he made sure to throw a pick and took six additional sacks. Chris Carson’s return fortified the once wounded backfield for SEA and DK Metcalf went hog wild again. A fully healthy Hawks team will be as dangerous as any team in the NFC come playoff time. Philly, on the other hand, maybe watching the playoffs from home as the loss dropped them to 3rd in the NFC East.
The Bills and Titans both staked their claims to the third-best team in the AFC with important positioning wins. Tennessee gets the spot as their week 12 obliteration of the Colts is a more valuable W than Buffalo’s win over the Chargers. Plus, TEN also has a lopsided win over the Bills from earlier this season. Derrick Henry is beginning to find his late-season form and any team that allows him to find the keys to the bulldozer is going to get run over. Buffalo’s defense is beginning to play better and the offense is explosive if not consistent, but they’ll only go as far as Josh Allen can take them.
Cleveland made sure to keep their names in the conversation, but escaping Jacksonville with a 2-pt win over the (1-10) Jags doesn’t instill much confidence. 8-3 is a record to be proud of for a franchise that has struggled for a long time, but they are no higher than #5 in the AFC.
The Dolphins and Raiders would both like to take that ranking off the Browns and Miami got one step closer with a dominant but low-scoring win over the winless Jets. Las Vegas, on the other hand, went into Atlanta with high hopes and left having played their worst game of the season. The Raiders turned the ball over a staggering five times and may have kissed their playoff hopes goodbye with that embarrassing loss. They’re still in the hunt for the 7th and final Wild Card spot, but it’s not going to be an easy road.
New England scratched and clawed their way back into the playoff conversation with a big win over the Cardinals in Foxborough. Remember when the Cards beat Seattle to get to 5-2 and everyone was riding the hype train and rocketing them up the power rankings? I had them 15th at the time due to their weak schedule and, low and behold, they are 1-3 since then. Currently slotted as the 7th seed, AZ isn’t out of it yet but their remaining schedule is filled with desperate teams that all need wins too.
Minnesota and San Francisco are two of the teams competing for that last playoff spot and they both got back on track with wins. The Vikes are only a game back of the Cards with their win over the Panthers and with Adam Thielen coming back, their offense will continue to set the tone. The Nick Mullens led Niners managed to beat the Rams again, showing they have the Rams’ number and they aren’t out of it yet.
With the NFC East in shambles, the New York Giants took over sole possession of 1st place with their win over the Bengals. Even without Joe Burrow, Cincy ended up keeping it pretty close but they are staring down the barrel of some off-season decisions to make the most of 2021. The Giants’ narrow loss to the Bucs on Monday Night Football a few weeks gave them the confidence they needed as they’ve won three straight since then. Even their four losses before the TB game were by a combined 7-points, so the G-Men could actually be 8-3 right now. However, if Daniel Jones isn’t able to suit up, it’s going to be tough on them to close the season out strong.
With no Thursday Night Game thanks to the constantly changing Covid schedule, Week 13 starts Sunday morning. Here are the updated Sheist Power Rankings:
| 1. Steelers 11-0 (1=) |
| 2. Chiefs 10-1 (2=) |
| 3. Saints 9-2 (3=) |
| 4. Titans 8-3 (8⬆) |
| 5. Bills 8-3 (4⬇) |
| 6. Seahawks 8-3 (6=) |
| 7. Packers 8-3 (9⬆) |
| 8. Browns 8-3 (10⬆) |
| 9. Rams 7-4 (5⬇) |
| 10. Colts 7-4 (7⬆) |
| 11. Buccaneers 7-5 (11=) |
| 12. Dolphins 7-4 (15⬆) |
| 13. Raiders 6-5 (12⬇) |
| 14. Cardinals 6-5 (13⬇) |
| 15. Ravens 6-5 (9⬇) |
| 16. Vikings 5-6 (17⬆) |
| 17. 49ers 5-6 (18⬆) |
| 18. Patriots 5-6 (19⬆) |
| 19. Bears 5-6 (16⬇) |
| 20. Texans 4-7 (27⬆) |
| 21. Falcons 4-7 (23⬆) |
| 22. Giants 4-7 (24⬆) |
| 23. Washington 4-7 (28⬆) |
| 24. Broncos 4-7 (20⬇) |
| 25. Panthers 4-8 (21⬇) |
| 26. Lions 4-7 (22⬇) |
| 27. Chargers 3-8 (26⬇) |
| 28. Eagles 3-7-1 (25⬇) |
| 29. Cowboys 3-8 (29=) |
| 30. Bengals 2-8-1 (30=) |
| 31. Jaguars 1-10 (31=) |
| 32. Jets 0-11 (32=) |