NFL Week 12 Recap: Jaguars In Position for AFC’s Top Seed

Sunday’s slate gave us an AFC South showdown with Texans kicker Matt Ammendola doinking a 58-yard field goal off the crossbar in the waning seconds to fall 24–21 to the Jaguars at NRG Stadium in the early window, while the Steelers handled the Bengals in Cincinnati, putting themselves in prime position to make the postseason.

In the late window, the Eagles and Bills tangle in Philadelphia, while the Chiefs are on the road in Las Vegas to take on the Raiders.

(This story will be updated throughout the week.)

SUNDAY

Jaguars 24, Texans 21

• What it means for Jaguars: Jacksonville (8–3) all but finished off the AFC South, showing why it’s a contender come January. The Jaguars went on the road against a hot team and an excellent quarterback, and made enough plays to earn the season split. Tied for the AFC’s best record (going into the late window), Jacksonville has a real shot at the top seed, with one of the easiest schedules in football remaining.
• What it means for Texans: Tough loss for Houston (6–6), but it continues to show it can hang with the NFL’s best teams. The Texans got another 304 yards and two touchdowns from C.J. Stroud, while the defense only gave up 24 points. With Stroud under center and DeMeco Ryans continuing to work with the defensive side, Houston should only improve over the season’s last six weeks, where it plays a soft slate before the posteason.

Falcons 24, Saints 15

• What it means for Saints: New Orleans (5–6) simply needs a better effort from the offense on a weekly basis. While the offense gained more than 400 yards, Derek Carr’s pick-six was the turning point in a game the Saints could’ve controlled from the outset. However, the defense can’t be given a pass. The Falcons ran for a season-high 229 yards despite New Orleans knowing the run was coming with second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder under center.
• What it means for Falcons: Atlanta (5–6) has life despite consecutive losses to the Josh Dobbs-led Vikings and the Cardinals. Suddenly, the Falcons are leading the NFC South and have an easy schedule moving forward, with games against the Panthers, Bears, Buccaneers and Jets. To keep winning, Atlanta needs Ridder to curtail his turnover issues, but the Falcons have a trio of stud weapons in Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson to ride.

Steelers 16, Bengals 10

• What it means for Steelers: Pittsburgh (7–4) fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada with the hopes of unlocking Kenny Pickett. In his first game without Canada, Pickett threw for 278 yards, consistently throwing down the seams. It’s a big win for the Steelers, who are now in good position to reach the playoffs with games remaining against the Cardinals, Patriots and Bengals, all at home.
• What it means for Bengals: Cincinnati (5–6) gave a valiant effort but the offense couldn’t get anything going without Joe Burrow. Although Jake Browning threw for 227 yards on 8.7 yards per attempt, he could only direct a single touchdown drive, with the offense sputtering the entire second half. With Burrow sidelined for the year, the Bengals’ offense is going to be a struggle.

Titans 17, Panthers 10

• What it means for Panthers: Just more of the same for Carolina (1–10). The offense can’t get chunk plays, the defense can’t get enough key stops and the result is another loss. On Sunday, Bryce Young threw for 194 yards on 6.3 YPA while taking four sacks. The run game only gained 3.0 yards per carry against a strong Tennessee front, struggling to block up Jeffery Simmons and Co. Again, it’s the same thing on a weekly basis for Carolina.
• What it means for Titans: Tennessee (4–7) is in the process of evaluating Will Levis, which is the only prism this effort matters through. All told, it was an average day against an awful team. Levis threw for 185 yards on 6.6 YPA, with his longest completion going for 5 yards. If Levis can continue developing, general manager Ran Carthon has a tough decision this spring. Otherwise, it’s an easy call.

Colts 27, Buccaneers 20

• What it means for Buccaneers: This was a rough step back for Tampa Bay (4–7), which could have tied the Saints and Falcons atop the NFC South with a victory. Instead, the Buccaneers are now three games under .500 after starting the season 3–1. Although they finally ran the ball well (125 yards on 6.6 YPC), the Buccaneers couldn’t get enough from Baker Mayfield, who threw for just 199 yards while being sacked six times.
• What it means for Colts: Indianapolis (6–5) is quietly a factor in the playoff race. The Colts are a game back of the Steelers and they’ll play each other at Lucas Oil Field in Week 15. Meanwhile, the offense is getting nice production out of receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs, who combined for 15 catches and 150 yards Sunday. Combine that duo with star running back Jonathan Taylor, and the Colts have some juice with Shane Steichen calling the plays.

Giants 10, Patriots 7

• What it means for Patriots: It’s finally over for Mac Jones. If it’s not, Patriots fans need to stage a protest. Jones was benched after the first half, throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble. New England (2–9) is a real candidate to not win another game, putting it in real position for either USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye come April’s NFL draft. Until then, though, there’s six more weeks of hideous football.
• What it means for Giants: Give Brian Daboll and his staff credit. Despite being hopelessly out of the postseason chase with Tommy DeVito at the helm, New York (4–7) has reeled off two consecutive wins. DeVito has also stepped up, throwing four touchdowns against zero interceptions over that stretch. While the Giants are moving backwards in draft position, they’re showing resilience after looking like a team with little energy for the better part of the first two months. 

FRIDAY

Dolphins 34, Jets 13

• What it means for Dolphins: Miami (8–3) is in the midst of a five-game stretch against sub-par teams, and so far, so good. The Dolphins smoked the Jets, holding them under 100 yards until the fourth quarter. However, the loss of Jaelan Phillips is significant. Phillips is an excellent edge rusher who had 6.5 sacks and an interception, providing a great tandem with Bradley Chubb. Without Phillips, blocking Chubb becomes easier. Now, Miami needs its terrific interior to step up even further with Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler penetrating up front.
• What it means for Jets: This might be the worst offense we’ve ever seen when you contextualize the situation. The expansion-era Buccaneers of 1976 and ‘77 were atrocious, but they were in their infancy with castoffs. The Jets (4–7) spent significantly this offseason both in free-agency dollars and draft capital, bringing in a litany of new starters including receivers Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman and Randall Cobb, running back Dalvin Cook and center Joe Tippmann. While Aaron Rodgers’ injury is obviously devastating, New York is still an incompetent mess, completely hopeless on a weekly basis.

THURSDAY

Packers 29, Lions 22

• What it means for Packers: Green Bay (5–6) is alive in the playoff chase. The Packers appeared finished less than a week ago, but now with wins over the Chargers and Lions, they’re suddenly a factor in the NFC wild card race. The defense has stepped up considerably under beleaguered coordinator Joe Barry, limiting Los Angeles and Detroit to 42 combined points. Offensively, Jordan Love has been excellent in those two wins, throwing five touchdowns without a turnover while totaling 590 passing yards. Next up, a Sunday night showdown at Lambeau with the Chiefs.
• What it means for Lions: Detroit (8–3) is still in terrific shape in the NFC North, but this is its second bad performance in five days. The Lions were able to pull a miracle on Sunday in their comeback victory over the Bears, but no such luck against the Packers. Jared Goff has been a mess in both games, turning the ball over three times in each affair. If Detroit reels in the turnovers and can reassert itself defensively, the Lions have a chance to finish with 12 or 13 wins. If not, every game becomes an adventure.

Cowboys 45, Commanders 10

• What it means for Commanders: Washington (4–8) has entered the evaluation phase. With new ownership taking over before the season, only a successful 2023 campaign was going to prevent a housecleaning. The big question is whether the Commanders’ brass believes in quarterback Sam Howell, who leads the NFL in passing yards, sacks taken, attempts and completions. What to make of this? The last five games are about figuring out who has a place in 2024 and beyond.
• What it means for Cowboys: When Dak Prescott is hot—and he’s played very well this year—Dallas (8–3) can challenge anybody in the league. Prescott threw for 331 yards (10.4 YPA) and four touchdowns against Washington, doing a nice job of going downfield and finding results. However, we’re going to find out just how consistent Prescott and the Cowboys can be as they face the Seahawks, Eagles, Bills, Dolphins and Lions in their next five games. Also, DaRon Bland. Whew.

49ers 31, Seahawks 13

• What it means for 49ers: San Francisco (8–3) may have stumbled last month with a three-game losing streak, but that’s a distant memory. Once again, Brock Purdy played great sans a fluke, deflected pick-six. The quartet of weapons in George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey is the league’s best group, and accounted for 302 total yards and four touchdowns on Thanksgiving night. When the Niners are healthy and clicking, there’s no team more dangerous. Right now, it’s San Francisco and Philadelphia in the NFC. That’s it.
• What it means for Seahawks: The NFL picture can change quickly. Five days ago, Seattle (6–5) was tied atop the NFC West with a real chance to contend for the second seed. Now, the Seahawks will be lucky to be .500 after 14 games, with the Cowboys, 49ers and Eagles up next. While the talent is there for Seattle, so is a sudden urgency. Geno Smith has been good but not great this season. He’ll need to have the best stretch of his year to help get the Seahawks through this span without being completely overwhelmed.