NFL Week 12: What We Learned

Published on 25-Nov-2013 by Stacey Mickles

Football - NFL    NFL Daily Review

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NFL Week 12: What We Learned

Week 12 of the NFL was literally a feast or famine day.

We feasted on the Cowboys and Giants, Broncos and Pats, and suffered through the Colts and Rams, Steelers and Browns, but we made it. Now, it's time to get to the good stuff, so let's get started. 

Peyton Manning Is not the only player that struggles in the cold ... We all know the stats about  Peyton Manning and how he plays in cold weather, but has anyone noticed how his defensive teammates struggle, too? The Broncos were up 24-0 on Tom Brady and the Patriots, and the next thing you know, the, the Pats score 28 straight to take the lead. Give Manning credit; he brought his team back to tie the game and gave them a chance to win. But Denver eventually lost on a freak punt muff in the final minutes of overtime. Why doesn't anyone else notice that his teammates don't exactly step up when the time comes?

Giants swept by the Cowboys ... All that smack talk the New York Giants did last week during the Dallas Cowboys' off week didn't help them beat the Boys yesterday. Dallas, for once, let their play speak for themselves as Tony Romo led them down the field for the game-winning field goal. Now normally, Romo would throw an interception, fumble the football, or screw up the game-winning field goal, but not this time. Romo looked like a leader out there yesterday, and for a change, the Cowboys looked like contenders.

What's wrong with the Colts? ... I thought when the Indianapolis Colts beat the Denver Broncos, they were true Super Bowl contenders, but what in the hell happened? They've dropped two out their last three, and by large margins. Maybe the injuries the Colts have suffered -- especially to players like a Reggie Wayne -- is finally catching up to them. That could also explain why Trent Richardson -- or Andrew Luck, for that matter -- can't seem to get it in gear. But they'd better shift it soon if they want to make the playoffs.

NFL should get rid of ties ... And no not the ones you wear around your neck. We almost had two tiesyesterday. One was when the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings stalled at 26-all, and the Broncos and Patriots almost drew, too. This is one of the few times college football is ahead of the game. College teams have to play until there is a winner. If that means you go to seven OT's, that's what you have to do. Ties are outdated, unless you're kinky enough to like kissing your sister

Should the NFL rotate their games on Thanksgiving? We all know it's a tradition for the NFL to play on Thanksgiving Day, but let's be frank: most of these games are turkeys. The Detroit Lions play in the first game of the day and most years, they are terrible. The Lions have been better recently, but aren't you tired of seeing them play every Turkey Day? Same with the Dallas Cowboys. A lot of their games are terrible and of late meaningless like the upcoming contest against the Oakland Raiders. Wouldn't it have been nice if we saw the Patriots and Broncos on Thanksgiving? Think of the ratings, and think about how good of a game that would have been. The thing is, this league doesn't really have all that much tradition, so it'll be a cold day in Hell, Michigan -- OK, a really, really frigid day in Hell -- before this one goes the way of the dodo bird.

The real holiday feast will be on Sunday and Monday night, when the Chiefs and Broncos get their rematch in Mile High and the Saints visit the Seahawks on Monday night. Those are hardly leftovers.

Happy Thanksgiving!