NFL Week 12: Winners (Chiefs) and losers (Raiders)

NFL Week 12 delivered some incredible highs like Patrick Mahomes and Derrick Henry and some really low lows like the Broncos quarterback fiasco.

As the Sunday in Week 12 comes to a close, the playoff picture is becoming clear. That being said, outside of a few names, there aren’t many true contenders who could play the “spoiler” role for the big dogs up front. Maybe it was the leftover stuffing or perhaps too much pumpkin pie at the dinner.

All and all sloppy play after Thanksgiving could force promising clubs to carry a little holiday weight of problems into the final month of action. Let’s see who really wants to it heading into a prove-it Week 13, shall we?

Before moving into another week, here are the highlights and lows from Week 12.

Winners and Losers from NFL Week 12

Winner: Tennessee Titans playoff contender status 

This week, it seemed like the pressure was on for the Titans to pull off the upset of Indianapolis on the road. After the Colts marched into the Music City and handed them a loss, a second-round defeat would give them the series in a close race for the AFC South.

Sometimes it’s best to trust what you do best. Enter Derrick Henry, the true king of the running backs.

Henry finished with a booming 178-yard outing in a 45-28 victory. Ryan Tannehill trusted his running back and played conservative under center, throwing for only 221 yards and a touchdown. Henry bulldozed over multiple Colts defenders to average 6.6 yards per run and tack on three first-half touchdowns.

As the game concluded, wide receiver A.J. Brown put the King’s name in the MVP race. Honestly, it’s a QB-driven award, but there is fuel behind this flame that would set the NFL on fire.

Loser: Las Vegas Raiders playoff hopes 

It’s not over the Raiders, but things just got harder. A five-turnover Sunday from Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs now has Las Vegas sitting at 6-5 entering December.

Carr fumbled three times and threw a costly interception that went 67 yards to the house. The defense held Atlanta’s Matt Ryan to 185 yards, but Younghoe Koo tacked on 15 with his legs. Add in injuries to both sides of the ball and it’s clear the Falcons were a trap game for the surging boys from Sin City.

https://twitter.com/AtlantaFalcons/status/1333143752198778880

Las Vegas now has to face Miami, Indianapolis and the Chargers to close out the year. Two teams are in prime position to make the postseason while the third has early spoiled a trio of playoff-bound clubs outings.

Good luck Jon Gruden, every loss now likely send you back home after the holidays.