NFL Winners and Losers from Week 12: Steelers finally explode, Patriots reach crisis

NFL Week 12 loser: Mac Jones (and Bailey Zappe)

The Patriots' QB conundrum hit a new low point Sunday afternoon. Mac Jones was benched at halftime of a 10-7 loss to Tommy DeVito and the Giants. He finished the game completing 12-of-21 passes for 89 yards and two interceptions. His poor throwing even contributed to a sideline blowup between JuJu Smith-Schuster and the Pats' WR coach.

Bailey Zappe took over at halftime, and aside from a promising first drive, wasn't much better. He completed 9-of-14 passes for 54 yards and another interception. He averaged 3.9 yards per attempt, compared to 4.2 for Jones. The coaches don't trust the QBs, and the QBs don't trust themselves enough to push the ball downfield.

It's hard to watch the Patriots and find any legitimate silver lining. Rhamondre Stevenson had a strong game, but his season as a whole deserves scrutiny — much like the rest of his teammates.

NFL Week 12 winner: Jordan Love

Just when it felt like the Green Bay Packers were left for dead, Jordan Love turned in the best performance of his young career in the Packers' 29-22 Thanksgiving victory over the first-place Detroit Lions. He completed 22-of-32 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns, with another 39 yards added on the ground. Love out-dueled Jared Goff start to finish. Seldom has there been such room for optimism about the Packers this season.

Christian Watson has been a lightning rod for criticism, but he reeled in five of seven targets for 94 yards and a score. After dealing with injuries early in the season, maybe he's back to full strength and finally building on his impressive rookie season. The Packers would certainly love for Watson to assume the WR1 mantle as originally planned.

Rookies Jayden Reed and Tucker Kraft also found pay dirt. Green Bay is within striking distance of a wild card berth at 5-6, but more importantly, the Packers' young talent needs to continue showing growth. If Love carries this momentum into the final weeks of the season, he could earn another year of commitment from the Packers' front office.