2021 NFL power rankings, Week 12: Bills blasted, Titans tamed
Following seven straight losses, the Dolphins had strung together consecutive wins over the Texans and Ravens as they traveled north to battle the rival Jets. They jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in what would prove to be a back-and-fourth game after three quarters.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa overcame an early interception and finished with 273 yards and two scores. And Brian Flores’ surging team evened their record within the AFC East to 2-2.
Could Ron Rivera’s club use their Week 10 upset of the Buccaneers as a springboard? The Washington Football Team made its way to Charlotte as Ron Rivera took on his former employer for the second straight year.
It was a balanced offense that gave Carolina’s defense fits all afternoon. Antonio Gibson finished with exactly half (95) of the team’s 190 rushing yards and Taylor Heinicke threw for 206 yards and three scores in the comeback victory.
The Silver and Black hosted the Cincinnati Bengals. The latter was off a week ago but each team was coming off two consecutive losses. The Raiders scored first but were down 10-6 at halftime after settling for two field goals.
The Las Vegas’ defense had no answers for Bengals’ running back Joe Mixon, who ran for two scores and finished with 123 of Cincinnati’s 159 yards on the ground. And the Raiders wound up with the football for only 22:40.