NFL Takeaways: Week 12
With no teams on a bye this past week there is a lot to unravel as all 32 teams took the field in Week 12.
Only half of the teams have a winning record where the rest can’t seem to move past four or five wins.
As the season progresses, only a select few teams stand out as Super Bowl contenders.
Let’s take a look at what went down this past week:
Christian Watson Has More Touchdowns Than The Packers Do Wins
Yes, you read that right. Rookie wide receiver, Christian Watson, has six touchdowns so far this season. Not only is that more than most receivers but he accomplished that in just three games.
As we all know, this season has been nothing but a struggle for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. But young rookie Watson is still finding his way to shine through despite being 4-8.
Although the Packers lost a tough one to the Eagles on Sunday night, Watson was what kept this team alive late in the fourth quarter.
Some might argue this game could have gone differently had Aaron Rodgers not been sent to the locker room after damage to his ribs. But the fact of the matter is, it is not Green Bay’s season and even if they wanted it to be they would have to make some serious changes in the remainder of the season. And by changes we mean wins instead of losses.
The positive Packer takeaway is that Watson finished the game with 110 receiving yards in just four receptions.
At least the future looks somewhat bright for the Packers knowing they have Watson to take over the receiving game.
Taylor Heinicke Has Officially Took Matters Into His Own Hands
Before facing the Packers in week seven, Carson Wentz was the starting quarterback for Washington. He started the team off 2-4 until Ron Rivera made the decision to start Taylor Heinicke. Since then Heinicke has led the team to five wins in their last six games. Making Heinicke’s record alone 5-1.
The Commanders have won some huge games since Heinicke took over including defeating the undefeated Eagles in Philly.
After their 19-13 win against the Falcons this past week the Commanders moved to 7-5 on the season. Fans are definitely shocked to see this team with a winning record especially with the way they started off the year.
Washington now has as many wins as the Giants which will make their matchup on Sunday even more intense.
In just half of the season, Heinicke has thrown for 1,169 yards and seven touchdowns and let’s just say he is nowhere near done yet.
As of now, the playoffs are looking bright for the Commanders.
Miami Is Hot
Ever since Tua Tagovailoa has returned from injury the Dolphins have won five straight games.
Although their win against the Texans this past week was expected, the Dolphins are now 8-3 on the season and leading the AFC East.
The AFC East is full of competition this year as all four teams have winning records. In the upcoming weeks the Dolphins will face all of their division rivals once again which will be huge in deciding what team will take the cake for the AFC East.
All we know for now is that Miami is on a hot streak and they don’t plan on cooling down anytime soon.
In the past five games Tua has thrown 1,529 yards and 11 touchdowns so it is safe to say he has come back stronger than ever.
In addition to Tua’s eliteness, the Dolphin’s have the weapon of all weapons, Tyreek Hill. Hill leads the league in receiving yards and receptions.
With these two powerhouses, there is not doubt the Dolphins will continue to make waves the rest of the season.
Shocker, Another Team Is 4-7
After heading to overtime on Sunday the Raiders were able to defeat the Seahawks 40-34. This makes them 4-7 on the season. There must be something in the air because nearly half of the NFL is sitting at the 4-7 record thus far in the season.
On top of upsetting the Seahawks, Derek Carr threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns in just 25 completions. Josh Jacob also played his part rushing for 225 yards and two touchdowns.
Geno Smith had more than enough to contribute for the Seahawks throwing for 328 yards and two touchdowns but he just wasn’t able to get the job done.
This puts the Seahawks at 6-5 with two straight losses.
If the Seahawks have hopes of making it to the playoffs then they need to turn it around in the upcoming weeks.
As for the Raiders, they need to find ways to win other than in overtime and need to find a way to advance past four wins. With their upcoming games it is more than doable but the Raiders have been far from consistent this season.
For Davante Adam’s sake, let’s hope their winning streak continues because I don’t think the man can afford anymore fines.
Gia Sabatino is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email gms6168@psu.edu.
