The Colts and Rams played a thrilling overtime game way back in Week 4. Los Angeles won as both teams displayed signs of possibly being playoff hopefuls. But then notable injuries and lengthy losing streaks caused many to cross them off the list of contenders. In Week 12, the two pesky squads showed they shouldn’t be overlooked.
With Kyren Williams back, the Rams are making a late push for a wild-card spot in the NFC. The Colts are doing the same in the AFC after putting together a three-game winning streak. The Packers are another team on the rise that many counted out last month.
The one-win Panthers have long been irrelevant in terms of the playoff picture, but they made headlines Monday once owner David Tepper fired Frank Reich after only 11 games as the head coach.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 12 in the NFL.
Winners
Colts
Indianapolis working its way back into the playoff picture is a reminder of how long the NFL’s regular season is.
Many wrote off the Colts (6–5), including myself, after Anthony Richardson’s injury preceded a three-game losing streak. They have made up for it with a three-game winning streak against the Panthers, Patriots and Buccaneers. Those aren’t top teams, but the Colts weren’t supposed to stack wins with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.
Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports
First-year coach Shane Steichen deserves to be in the mix for Coach of the Year with everything that has occurred in Indianapolis, including a feud between the star running back and the team owner. Despite all the drama and injuries, the Colts own the No. 7 seed with six games left in the regular season.
Rams
The Rams (5–6) are also back in the postseason race after sweeping their season series against the Seahawks and Cardinals the past two weeks.
It’s impressive that the Rams are 4–1 in the NFC West, with the one loss against the 49ers. Los Angeles crushed Arizona 37–14 behind the return of Williams, who hadn’t played in six weeks because of injury yet accounted for 204 yards (143 rushing, 61 receiving) and two touchdowns against the Cardinals.
The Rams are a different team offensively with Williams on the field. He might be their most important player offensively, and that’s saying something because the Rams have Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. But Williams has made an impact in most of the Rams’ wins this season.
The Rams have a tough two-game stretch coming up against the Browns and Ravens. But they’ll have a chance with Williams churning yards and an underrated defense that continues to play well for defensive coordinator Raheem Morris.
49ers
The 49ers are back to being a juggernaut, just in time for their upcoming showdown against the Eagles.
San Francisco (9–3) is looking up at Philadelphia (10–1) in the NFC standings because of its three-game losing streak earlier this season, but no team has played better than the Niners the past three weeks. They pummeled the Seahawks and the Jaguars on the road and cruised against the Buccaneers at home to build a three-game winning streak.
Brock Purdy is back in the MVP conversation and the defense has drastically improved since adding Chase Young before last month’s trade deadline. It’s all set up for the 49ers to get some revenge in Philadelphia for how the NFC title game played out in January.
Dolphins
The Dolphins (8–3) have beaten two teams with poor offenses in the Raiders and Jets the past two weeks, but it’s still been impressive how well the defense has played lately.
Miami has been better on that side of the ball since cornerback Jalen Ramsey returned from injury. But this unit likely won’t be truly tested until their final three regular season games, as the schedule concludes with games against the Cowboys, Ravens and Bills. The Dolphins will also need to fill the void of edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who sustained a season-ending Achilles injury against the Jets.
If the Dolphins continue to play well defensively, they might push the Chiefs and Ravens come the postseason. But they’re going to need Tua Tagovailoa and the offense to regain their top form amid a quiet stretch of games against the Commanders, Titans and Jets.
Packers
Green Bay (5–6) is also back in the playoff picture thanks to Jordan Love’s stellar performances during back-to-back wins against the Lions and Chargers.
Credit to coach Matt LaFleur for displaying patience with Love and helping him make the necessary adjustments after opposing defenses flustered the first-year starting quarterback for a long stretch of games. Love, who hasn’t thrown an interception in the Packers’ past two games, is seeing the field better and spreading the ball to his playmakers, including rookie Jayden Reed and second-year wideout Romeo Doubs.
Love also got Christian Watson involved during the upset win against the Lions. Green Bay is going to need Love and the team’s 2022 receiving touchdown leader to continue playing well to qualify for the playoffs.
Losers
Panthers
A day after Tepper dropped an F-bomb in the team locker room, he fired Reich after only 11 games as the head coach.
Reich is gone because of how poorly rookie quarterback Bryce Young and the offense have played this season, but let’s hope Tepper is also cursing himself. If reports are true of Tepper pushing the organization to draft Young over C.J. Stroud, for Panthers fans, let’s hope that he’s learned his lesson about meddling in football operations.
Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
Tepper went all-in on trading up for the No. 1 pick because he was desperate for a franchise quarterback and forgot how much the team gave away for the right to select Young. Perhaps Reich deserved more time with a lackluster roster, but Tepper needs to ensure he made the right choice at quarterback.
We’ll see if the coaching shake-up leads to better performances from Young in the final six games of the season, because that’s all the Panthers (1–10) can look forward to at this point. Their 2024 first-round pick belongs to the Bears, who also took DJ Moore from Carolina in the Young trade, which thus far looks like a severe miscalculation.
Lions
The Lions (8–3) blew a golden opportunity to stay within an arm’s length of the Eagles for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
After losing to the Packers on Thanksgiving, the Lions now appear to be a long shot to advance past the divisional round of the postseason due to how well the Eagles, 49ers and Cowboys have played lately. Detroit could technically still sneak into the top seed, but Philadelphia has a two-game lead on the conference’s other top contenders after back-to-back wins against Kansas City and Buffalo.
The Lions have bigger problems than playoff seeding, though. Detroit’s defense has been among the worst in the league since being exposed by the Ravens in a 38–6 loss in Week 7. The secondary has been abysmal and the front can’t create pressure outside of Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill.
Commanders
There was good news and bad news for Ron Rivera after his Commanders (4–8) were embarrassed by the Cowboys, 45–10, on Thanksgiving.
The good news is Rivera will likely remain the Commanders’ head coach for the rest of the season because it wouldn’t make sense to have two notable in-season firings—Washington dismissed Jack Del Rio from his defensive coordinator role on Friday.
The bad news is there’s not much Rivera can do at this point to save his job. Washington would need to run the table to make the playoffs, and this team has shown no sign it can reel off five wins in a row. It’s also clear the franchise’s new ownership is pushing for a clean slate from the previous regime.
Rivera has backed quarterback Sam Howell, who has played well at times, but it would be surprising if the organization sticks with him next season. Howell is a competitor, but he continues to take bad sacks and makes at least one or two costly mistakes on a weekly basis.
Bills
It was disappointing watching the Bills fall short during their thrilling overtime game against the Eagles, because they probably won’t get an opportunity to push the AFC’s best teams in the postseason.
The Bills go into their bye week 6–6 and sit in 10th place in the AFC. They’re only a half game behind the Colts for the seventh and final seed, but they have a daunting schedule ahead. Buffalo plays Kansas City and Dallas for its next two games and ends the regular season in Miami. Beating the Chargers and Patriots also won’t be easy—the Bills already lost to New England.
The Bills can certainly beat any team in the league when they play the way they did against the Eagles, but they’re too inconsistent on offense and thin on defense to bet on them to make the postseason. They also need the Colts, Texans and Broncos to falter, but that doesn’t seem likely with their easier schedules.
Browns
The Browns (7–4) could be a team that fades from the playoff picture if they don’t overcome the rash of injuries that occurred in their 29–12 loss against the Broncos.
Myles Garrett had a sling on his left shoulder after the loss and was ruled day-to-day by coach Kevin Stefanski. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson exited early for a potential concussion, and wide receiver Amari Cooper also didn’t finish the game because of a ribs injury.
The Browns have leaned on their ferocious defense for most of the season, but that could change if Garrett is forced to miss games. The Browns have asked a lot from their defense and now might need the offense to step up with third-string QB PJ Walker or Joe Flacco, who was just signed to the practice squad last week. The Browns face the Rams on the road and host the Jaguars for their next two games.
