NFL Weekly Recap: Week 12

With Week 12 of the NFL regular season in the books, there is finally a more clear playoff picture as teams try and make their push to snag a spot in their respective conferences.

Thanksgiving Football

Three teams got the taste of winning on Thanksgiving day, including the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers.

The Detroit Lions, despite having a phenomenal season, can’t seem to find a way to win on Thanksgiving recently as they have now lost seven years in a row on Thanksgiving day.

The Lions had no answer for Jordan Love who was 22-32, threw for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns as he brought the Packers back from the dead and entered them into the NFC wild-card race, looking to make a run to the playoffs.

Meanwhile, down south, the Cowboys took care of business at home over the Washington Commanders as Dak Prescott and the offense continued to dominate.

On the other side of the ball, DaRon Bland got his fifth pick-six this season, setting a new NFL single-season record.

Out on the West Coast, the 49ers picked up a huge win over their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, as they continue to pick up steam with their third straight win.

Broncos Country, let’s ride?

After a 1-5 start to the season, the Denver Broncos have turned the ship completely around, extending their winning streak to five games in a row as they beat the Cleveland Browns 29-12 on Sunday.

While people thought there may be some turmoil between head coach Sean Payton and Russell Wilson, they are looking their best since trading for Wilson last year.

The connection between Wilson and Courtland Sutton has grown tremendously and the return of Javonte Williams has brought a spark to the offense.

With six winnable games left on their schedule, the Broncos will look to make a push for their first playoff appearance since 2015.

A new AFC East winner?

For the first time in 15 years, the Miami Dolphins are positioned to retake the AFC East title, as they sit atop the division at 8-3.

Tyreek Hill and the offense look unstoppable as Hill, who has 1,324 yards, is on pace to break the NFL single-season receiving yards record.

While the loss of Jaelan Phillips to an Achilles injury is a massive blow to the Dolphins offense, they have stepped up majorly in the last few weeks, partly thanks to the return of Jalen Ramsey.

If the defense can play as solid as they’ve been, Tua Tagovailoa and this absolutely loaded offense can take this team far into the playoffs.

Panic time?

After the first few weeks of the season, the Buffalo Bills seemed like the favorites to win the AFC East and be a top seed in the conference.

This past week, the Bills lost another absolute heartbreaker to the Philadelphia Eagles as Josh Allen fell to 0-6 in overtime in his NFL career.

While Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs and the offense have been starting to click again, the defense has struggled greatly, mostly due to injuries in the secondary.

With a stacked AFC conference and a difficult schedule the rest of the way, the Bills are going to have to pick it up if they want a chance at making it.

On the other side of the conference, the Seattle Seahawks, a team that surprised many with their impressive run last season, started off at 5-2, with things clicking for Geno Smith and the young offense.

However, in the last few weeks, they have struggled on the offensive side of the ball, as Geno Smith has been under constant duress.

While they seem to be in a good position to make another run, they have lost three out of their last four games and will have to face three of the NFC’s conferences best opponents in the coming weeks.

Michael Landis is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email mpl5930@psu.edu