Winner: Rookie defensive gems
The Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers couldn’t be further apart. Both struggling NFC franchises have issues on one side of the ball, but the Queen City’s defense is the thorn in their side for 2020. The same could be said for the 49ers, but more of that is due to injuries than anything.
Carolina’s Jeremy Chinn and San Francisco’s Javon Kinlaw did their part Sunday as rookies. The Panthers’ safety returned a pair of fumbles for touchdowns on fumbles by Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Dalvin Cook. Meanwhile, Kinlaw might add little as a pass rusher, but he turned up the big-man speed for a 27-yard touchdown thanks to an interception thrown by Jared Goff.
https://twitter.com/ESPNNFL/status/1333136256839147523
It’s always about getting better for teams looking to contend. Chinn has been a steal for the Panthers’ defense in both coverage and against the run. Meanwhile, plays like that are a positive look for Kinlaw’s potential out in the Bay. Both should be proud of what the future holds for these two stars.
Loser: Daniel Jones’ hamstring
No matter how you look at it, the NFC East is still trash compared to other teams in the hunt for the postseason. Now that that’s out of the way, the New York Giants at least felt ahead of the curve entering Week 12.
All that ended when Daniel Jones left in the third quarter with a hamstring injury. According to Giants coach Joe Judge, the second-year quarterback will undergo an MRI and could miss several weeks if they find further issues. Colt McCoy entered the game and threw for 31 yards while managing the way to a 19-17 victory over Cincinnati.
When Jones isn’t committing turnovers, he’s beat NFC East opponents. During the team’s recent three-game winning streak, the surprisingly dual-threat passer has thrown for more than 600 yards and zero interceptions. Now, McCoy may need to lead this team to the postseason.
Once again, it’s a shame that one of these four teams will be hosting a playoff game in January.