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Some of the NFL Week 12 highlights 2021 will be stuck in our memories for quite some time. This week was all about narratives and how those teams that seemed to be turning the corner failed to keep their feet on the gas.
The Titans were one of the most popular NFL picks this week. Not many people expected the Patriots to roll over them as badly as they did. But there’s only so much you can do when Julio Jones, Derrick Henry, and AJ Brown are all on injured reserve and you’re facing Bill Belichick’s defense.
NFL Week 12 highlights 2021
The Rams and their star-studded lineup failed to get the job done again. The Eagles, who were in control of their destiny, couldn’t beat a divisional rival with a new offensive coordinator. Justin Herbert was bullied by the Broncos’ resurging defense.
Week 12 of the 2021 NFL season was huge and we could go on for two days straight if we were to discuss every single game of the slate. That’s why today, we’re going to let you know the five biggest takeaways from it.
Cam Newton isn’t back
Remember all the ‘Cam Newton is back’ takes from last week? It was fun while it lasted. The former NFL MVP had one of the worst games of his career by completing just 5 of 21 passes for 92 yards and 2 interceptions. He had a passer rating of 5.8.
Newton was so bad that Matt Rhule benched him in the second half. The Panthers lost Christian McCaffrey again and we don’t like their odds to make the playoffs. Also, don’t look now but the Miami Dolphins have won 4 in a row and have the Giants and Jets on deck.
Is Jalen Hurts the answer in Philly?
Just when Jalen Hurts was starting to turn the narrative in his favor, he showed his true colors once again. There are serious doubts about whether he’s the quarterback of the future for the Philadelphia Eagles and Sunday’s game shows why.
The New York Giants dared Hurts to beat them with his arm and the outcome was as bad as you’d expect. He completed 14 of 31 passes for 129 yards and 3 interceptions with a passer rating of 17.5. The Eagles need to establish the run and maybe look at other options in the Draft.
Joe Burrow and the Bengals demolish the Steelers
Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers have proven to be better as underdogs than as favorites. Some people expected a revenge game and the Steelers to cover and even get the outright win over the Bengals. But as you saw with multiple NFL picks this week, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
This was perhaps the most humiliating of the Week 12 NFL scores. Ben Roethlisberger threw terrible interceptions, including a pick-six. Joe Burrow completed 20 of 24 passes for 190 yards and the Bengals forced three turnovers to get a 41-10 win.
The Patriots are for real
If you take a look at the Week 12 NFL scores, you might think that Tom Brady was again under center for the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick’s team thrashed the injury-depleted Tennessee Titans with one of the best defensive performances of the season.
Moreover, rookie QB Mac Jones was vastly impressive by completing 23 of 32 passes for 310 yards and 2 touchdowns, looking more comfortable with the deep throw as well. The Patriots have now won 6 straight games and are 8-4.
Rams are free-falling
The star-studded Los Angeles Rams continue to struggle to live up to their expectations. After starting off the season 7-1, they’ve now dropped 3 straight games and Matthew Stafford looks more like Jared Goff than like an MVP candidate.
Stafford has now thrown 3 pick-sixes over the past 3 weeks. The Rams were one of the most public sides when it came to NFL picks this week, just to lose as 2-point road favorites. At least, they managed to get Odell Beckham Jr. involved in the offense.
